The weather is getting colder day by day, but the teahouses and taverns are still bustling. Warm up a pot of hot wine, cut a plate of beef, and the store owner give you a portion of peanuts. It is very comfortable to sit around with a few good friends and drink and chat.
Their topic of conversation these past two days has been the eldest aunt of the Hua family, Hua Jing, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Song family.
"She went back to her parents' home and asked her niece's maid to be her husband's mistress. This is really amazing. They were all taught by the Hua family. How can the disparity be so huge?"
"You're comparing her to the eldest daughter of the Hua family? Tsk, aren't you afraid of tarnishing that girl's reputation?"
"Didn't they say that Emperor Song wanted to divorce his wife? Did he do that?"
"It's just talk. If she is divorced now, people won't say anything about the Hua family. They will only say that the Song family is heartless and ungrateful. Do they still have shame?"
"If we really divorce her, she will have no choice but to go to the temple and become a nun. The eldest daughter of the Hua family has said that Hua Jing is not allowed to step into the gate of the Hua family in the future."
"That girl dared to make people kneel outside during the mourning period. I think she can really do this."
"… "
At the stairs, Song Chenghao's face flushed red, and he was neither going forward nor backward. His classmates behind him retreated a step without leaving a trace, and looked at each other. One of them said, "I want to go have another drink. Where are you guys?"
"That's right, I plan to do the same."
"I've been waiting for you to ask this question so I can have a drink with you."
Several people went upstairs again, as if they had forgotten about Song Chenghao, and no one called him.
Song Chenghao was filled with shame and hatred. He ran out with his head down and rode his horse home at full speed.
The servant came forward to lead the horse as usual, and Song Chenghao whipped him with the whip. The servant screamed in pain, and half of his arm and face became red and swollen.
Song Chenghao snorted coldly, dropped the reins, and rushed inside, heading straight for the backyard.
Inside the room, Hua Jing covered her mouth and coughed heart-wrenchingly, while her youngest daughter Song Ling'er cried with red and swollen eyes. Both mother and daughter looked a little embarrassed.
The coughing gradually subsided, and Hua Jing raised her head. The eldest daughter of the Hua family, who had always been beautiful and domineering, looked more than ten years older. Her face was ferocious and veins bulged. She no longer looked like her usual appearance. "How dare they! How dare they cancel the engagement! Where do they put the reputation of my Song family!"
Song Ling'er burst into tears.
Song Chenghao strode in, sneering and piercing his heart with every word, "Face? Didn't you tear off the Song family's face and throw it into the cesspool? Now that you remember the Song family's face, why don't you go pick it up from the cesspool!"
"Hao'er..." Hua Jing looked at her son in disbelief, "I'm your mother!"
"Because you are my mother's younger sister, the engagement was broken off, I was humiliated, and my father dared not even leave the house!"
Hua Jing covered her chest and breathed heavily, trembling but still raging, "Anyone has the right to blame me, but you and your sister don't! Everything I do is for this family, for you and your sister, I can't let anyone step on you!"
"No need to speak so eloquently. You just want to win favor. Everything you do is for yourself." Song Chenghao said coldly and walked away. He didn't even want to look at this woman who had lost all her manners.
Song Ling'er hesitated for a moment, then walked out biting her lip.
"Ling'er!" Hua Jing's voice broke because of the sharpness, "Do you also think that it was your mother who harmed you?"
Song Ling'er didn't dare to look back. She leaned against the door frame with tears streaming down her face, but she didn't hesitate at all. "Mother, I'm old enough to get married. I don't want to be an old maid in the Song family. I have to ask my grandmother to find a good family for me. Mother, you should take good care of yourself and don't worry about what's happening outside."
"Song Ling'er!"
Song Ling'er left without looking back.
Hua Jing looked at the empty window, listening to the whistling wind outside. She felt a chill in her heart. She opened her mouth to call for help, but a mouthful of blood spurted out. She looked stupidly at the red spots on her body on the ground. She swayed a few times and fell backwards.
***
It started snowing again, so Hua Zhi simply gave the clan school a holiday and let her husband go back to celebrate the New Year.
The Hua family was still in mourning and it was not convenient for them to visit other people's homes, so Hua Zhi had someone prepare two copies of generous New Year gifts for Mr. Mu and Mr. Lu to take back together. She also prepared several more copies and had someone send one copy to the Zhu family, Chen Dayi's family, Bai Mingxia, and the Hua family's in-laws. She also had one copy go to the Song family and the Yang family, without losing any courtesy.
"Miss, Xu Jie wants to see you."
"Didn't he go to deliver New Year gifts? Let him in." Hua Zhi wrote the last word and put down the pen.
Nanny Su carefully took the scriptures off the desk and hung them up to dry.
Xu Jie's face was full of suppressed excitement, "Miss, I just came back from the Song family."
"Something good happened to make you so happy." Hua Zhi felt very comfortable as Yingchun covered her hands with a hot towel. She looked a little lazy.
"My great aunt is ill."
"Tell me about it." Hua Zhi raised her eyebrows. This was indeed a happy event, but she was not surprised. With rumors flying everywhere, it would be strange for her to have a smooth life. However, she was happy to listen to what happened.
"Yes, when I was about to leave after delivering the New Year gifts, I heard a maid shouting that the eldest young lady had fainted. I didn't want to stay, but the Song family probably feared that something might happen that they couldn't explain, so they insisted that I stay. I heard from the servants that the cousin and the cousin said something that irritated my eldest aunt. Later, the doctor also said that my eldest aunt was so angry that she vomited blood. She needed to be taken care of and not get angry again. When I left the Song Mansion, my eldest aunt had not woken up yet."
Hua Zhi's lips curled slightly, "Baoxia, go to the kitchen and tell them to add two more dishes tonight."
Baoxia smiled and nodded repeatedly.
"The Hua family won't move forward, but we also need to know whether Hua Jing is good or bad. Xu Jie, please pay attention to the situation in the Song Mansion."
"Yes, I understand."
Hua Zhi went to the ancestral hall. When she left the old house, the old lady took all the ancestral tablets of the Hua family with her. Now, she is also here.
There was constant burning of incense in the ancestral hall. Hua Zhi lit three incense sticks and placed them in front of her chest. She looked up at the hundreds of neatly arranged spirit tablets amid the curling green smoke.
Born into a glorious family like the Hua family, she had carefully studied the history of the Hua family in her early years. She had suspected more than once that Hua Jingyan, the ancestor who made the Hua family prosperous, was also a time traveler. His protection of his family, his advanced concepts compared to this world, and even his arrangements for his descendants were all too good.
He did not put clan above emotion, but used emotion to maintain the family, so even if there were dirty deeds in the legitimate and illegitimate branches of the Hua family, the foundation would never be shaken.
But sometimes she would feel that he was just a wise and upright man with a vision that transcended his time.
Because he understands this world too well and fits in too well with it, which is difficult for a soul from another world to do. At least she has not yet fully integrated into it. There has always been a distance between her and this world.
A safe distance for her.
Or maybe you all know where I come from, please believe me.
My name is Hua Zhi.
The eldest daughter of the Hua family, Hua Zhi.