Hua Zhi asked the servants to prepare several hot water bottles, signaled Berlin to take good care of his brothers, and took a few and lifted the curtain to go inside.
"Elder sister." Several people inside stood up quickly when they saw her.
"Sit down." Putting a hot water bottle in each of the arms, Hua Zhi sat on the empty cushion next to her and put charcoal into the brazier. "Sit down and rest for a while when you are not performing rituals. You will not be able to bear kneeling for too long. Don't let yourself get sick."
Several people agreed. They seldom had contact with this eldest sister, and even looked down on her in their hearts. Now that they were so close to her, they didn't know how to get close to her.
The warmth in his arms gradually spread throughout his body. As his body warmed up, it seemed as if his heart was warm too. Hua Xin looked at Hua Zhi opposite him, and his heart suddenly felt much calmer.
It's good that the Hua family has such an eldest sister who is capable of taking responsibility. At least it lets them know what they should do and how to do it. Hua Zhi does not act in a domineering manner, nor does she have any intention of establishing her authority in front of them. Or it can be said that she is actually protecting them as much as possible.
No matter what others think, Hua Xin thought that she would be obedient to her elder sister in the future.
Hua Rong is Hua Zhi's half-sister. Relying on the fact that she is closer to Hua Zhi than Hua Xin and Hua Ling, she moved closer to Hua Zhi and asked in a low voice, "Are we going to stay here forever?"
Hua Zhi looked at her, "Don't want to?"
"No." Hua Rong looked up at her, then lowered her head again, "If a male guest came..."
"There is no distinction between men and women in the mourning hall. You just need to remember that you are all your grandmother's granddaughters. Who the person is, whether he is a man or a woman, has nothing to do with us. We just need to fulfill our duty as filial sons and daughters."
“…Yes.” Hua Rong was a little unwilling. She came closer because she wanted to get a different look from her elder sister, not to be criticized for being the first to do so.
"These past few days have been tough. I can't stay here. Please help each other and do what you can."
"Yes, elder sister."
Hua Zhi didn't think that she could win them over with just a few words, but for now she just wanted them to behave themselves for the next few days. Hearing some noise outside, she lifted the curtain and looked out, and when she saw who it was, she hurried out to greet them.
Hua Xian was supported by her eldest son and was crying breathlessly. She looked haggard. People who didn't know the truth would probably think that this was the eldest daughter of the Hua family.
Hua Zhi bowed from a distance, feeling relieved.
My grandmother was kind-hearted. Although she always doted on her eldest daughter, she never treated her concubine harshly. She gave her every bit of what she deserved and hired someone to teach her anything she wanted to learn. She also gave her a generous dowry when she got married, fulfilling her duties as a legitimate mother.
Fortunately, this one didn’t grow crooked, and I still remember it.
Hua Xian had few children, only one eldest son, Yang Sui'an, who was only fourteen years old this year but very sensible. He knelt on the ground with his mother, kowtowed and burned incense respectfully.
After she cried for a while, Hua Zhi stepped forward and said softly, "Aunt, your health is the most important thing. Grandmother will be happy to know that you are here."
Hua Xian raised her head and looked at her eldest niece from her mother's family with tears in her eyes. She felt bitter in her heart. Her mother's family was already in decline, and now the old lady was going to die. What would happen to such a big Hua family
She hated her husband's family for being so ruthless. Whenever they could get benefits, they would urge her to go home. When the Hua family went bankrupt, they detained her at home. This time, they even threatened to divorce her. But this was her parents' home. Even if it was no longer rich and glorious, it was the place where she was born and raised. Now that her stepmother had passed away, how could she not go back
Thinking of Hua Xian, I couldn't stop crying. People are fickle, but everyone has a heart made of flesh and blood!
Hua Zhi motioned for Nanny Su to come forward and said, "Send Auntie to Auntie's room."
"yes."
Hua Zhi looked at Yang Sui'an, not knowing what he was going to do, so she asked, "Cousin, you..."
"I am here to mourn for my grandmother, so I will not go inside."
Hua Zhi hesitated for a moment, motioned for him to follow, and took him to the less crowded corridor, "Is the Yang family not happy to let my aunt come back?"
Yang Sui'an didn't know what the situation was with the Hua family, and he didn't know how to reply to his cousin. He just said vaguely, "It's time to reply."
Hua Zhi still had something she didn't understand. She lowered her head and smiled, and in her heart she made a big note of the Yang family. "Sui'an, just wait and see, who will die faster, the Yang family or the Hua family? By then, even if your father wants to kowtow at my grandmother's grave, he won't be able to enter the Hua family's ancestral grave."
Yang Sui'an was so ashamed that he didn't say a word to defend his father. The facts were before him and he had nothing to say. As the son-in-law of the Hua family, he should have come over when he received the news of the funeral yesterday, but not only did he not come, he also detained his mother and did not allow her to come. If he hadn't made such a big fuss, his mother would probably still be locked up at home, unable to go out.
When his grandfather was alive, his father had never treated his mother like this. He was so snobbish that even his son felt ashamed.
"Sui An, I remember it all."
Yang Suian looked up at his cousin.
Hua Zhi looked at the mourning hall, listening to the Buddhist chanting inside, but did not explain more, "Go."
Yang Sui'an walked away and looked back, and saw that his cousin had turned around. He actually understood what his cousin meant, but he could only pretend not to understand. No matter what, the Yang family was his family, and others could despise and belittle them, but he could not.
Hua Zhi quietly digested all her emotions and returned to the mourning hall. That morning, apart from her second aunt who came back to attend the funeral, the only ones who came to pay their respects were from the Zhu family. Hua Zhi's heart sank, but she did not show it on her face. She closed her eyes and chanted the mantra for the afterlife along with the sound of the Buddhist chanting and the wooden fish.
A voice suddenly rang out, "Mr. Lu is here to offer his condolences."
Hua Zhi suddenly opened her eyes and looked at the man who walked in from the gate. The white cloak he was wearing made him look even taller and straighter. His solemn expression made the scars on his face look cold and stern.
He took the incense, bent down and bowed three times. Hua Zhi led his brothers and sisters to bow to the ground together.
Restraining the urge to step forward and help the person up, Gu Yanxi said in a deep voice: "Please stand up."
Everyone stood up, and Hua Zhi bowed to Gu Yanxi again, "Thank you, Mr. Lu."
Thank you for hiding the truth, thank you for bringing me back as quickly as possible, and thank you for sending someone to look after the Hua family when I was away. Thank you very much.
Gu Yanxi nodded and accepted her thanks, "My condolences."
"yes."
The two looked at each other, and Gu Yanxi turned and left, leaving as quickly as she came.
He is a royal relative, a crown prince, and a half-son raised by the emperor himself, but he scratched his face himself.
He has so many identities that he sometimes forgets who he really is. However, the face that truly belongs to him is always hidden in the dark. Only a few people recognize him. He has not seen his biological father for many years, and the only person he is close to is his half-sister who has lost her memory. He has tremendous power, but when he comes here, he still has to go to the palace to give a reasonable explanation to his uncle the emperor.
He holds great power, but he actually has nothing.
But now, it's different.
PS: Don’t worry, girls. Although Kong Kong is a plot girl, I will not forget to let these two people fall in love.