The twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month is the day to sweep the house.
The snow that had been fluttering for several days had accumulated into a thick layer. On this day, the wind stopped, the snow stopped, and the sun was shining brightly.
All the servants of the Hua family started to move, some cleaning, some tidying up, some giving orders, and the place was lively and bustling.
Hua Zhi held her white cloak tightly and watched from afar, but did not go near.
Bao Xia was about to say something, but Nanny Su shook her head gently at her. She might not understand the eldest lady as well as the other maids, but she could understand how the eldest lady felt at the moment. She didn't need to get involved, just watching her made her feel at ease.
After a moment, Hua Zhi turned and left before anyone saw her. Without saying anything, one could tell from the slightly curled corners of her mouth that she was happy at the moment.
“Flower!”
A sudden sound came from the roof. Shaoyao was standing on it wearing her signature veil hat, and her cloak was rustling in the wind.
Hua Zhi smiled and opened her arms towards her. Her mind inappropriately recalled the characters in the cartoons she had watched before. Those people might not be the protagonists, but they were definitely unforgettable characters and must have been very powerful.
So is peony.
Amidst the screams, Shaoyao jumped down from the roof and threw herself into Huahua's arms. She thought the veil was in the way, so she pulled it off and threw it far away.
"Huahua, I'm back."
"Yeah, I'm back."
Shaoyao is half a head taller than her, but from the posture it looks like Huazhi is holding her, and it doesn't look out of place at all.
Patting Shaoyao on the back, Hua Zhi smiled, "Yesterday I was wondering if you could make it back for the New Year, and now you finally made it."
Shaoyao had no choice but to rush along at full speed, urged by Brother Yan. She didn't even have time to take care of the herbs she had looted at Yinshan Pass. As soon as her master let her go, she picked up her bag and ran away.
"I want to spend the New Year with you, and I want to live here."
Hua Zhi led her to her yard and replied with a smile, "As long as you are willing to come."
Of course she was willing! This was her idea. This way she could be with Huahua day and night. She had not been able to be with Huahua since the old lady passed away, so she had to make up for it.
When they got back to the house, the hot water had already been brought in. Hua Zhi looked through her closet and gave up helplessly, "Bao Xia, go get some clean clothes from my second sister, and I'll return them to her later."
Bao Xia secretly glanced at the young lady's stature and responded with a smile, while others also tried to hold back their laughter. Normally, they could not remember at all how petite their young lady was, but clothes were like a ruler to measure height, and every time they measured the size to make new clothes, they would remember it.
That night, the two slept in the same bed.
Shaoyao was very tired, but she kept remembering that the old lady passed away and she couldn't be with Huahua. She felt so guilty that she couldn't fall asleep.
"I wish I could come back with you."
Hua Zhi looked at the ceiling of the tent and thought back to those days, but she found that she was not actually that sad. Rather than being sad, her top priority was to make the Hua family stable.
"Huahua, if you want to cry, go ahead. I can't see anything."
Hua Zhi laughed and tapped her nose. "It hasn't come to that. It's beyond my ability to die and be reborn. It's my filial piety to her to help her resolve her worries."
"So you really want to be the head of the Hua family forever? You won't get married?"
"It won't last forever. One day, the boys of the Hua family will grow into towering trees. They will support the Hua family, marry and have children. By then, the Hua family will no longer need me."
"Then what?"
Hua Zhi turned sideways to face her.
Shaoyao asked stubbornly, "Then what? You come when we need you, and we drive you away when we don't?"
Hua Zhi smiled softly. Wasn't that the case in the past? When she was needed, all the burdens were handed over to her. When she took care of the family, everything was fine. She became a hindrance and shouldn't exist.
As for the Hua family, she believed that Berlin, the boy she had taught, would not be so heartless. Even if Berlin turned against her in the end, she would not think that everyone would go to hell together.
From the moment she took the initiative to stand in front of her grandmother, she had been prepared to turn against her relatives one day. It was just to hand over the kingdom she had built and to see the true face of the so-called relatives. That was all.
She is now a man of steel, what is there to be afraid of!
“Flower!”
"No one can drive me away. If that day ever comes, I will definitely leave on my own accord."
"If they dare to do that to you, I'll poison them to death!"
"… "
"You're still laughing! I'm serious!" Shaoyao tried to sit up with her hands and feet, but Hua Zhi quickly pulled her back and covered her tightly with the quilt. "I didn't say I didn't believe you, but you're so cruel, and you don't want to surprise me."
Shaoyao then became obedient and muttered, "I originally studied poison arts. My master said that medicine and poisons are inseparable, and I can't learn poison arts well without knowing medicine, so I learned it."
Learning medical skills was just a by-product. With Shaoyao's talent, Hua Zhi couldn't even imagine what level her poison skills had reached.
"Do you need to use it often? I mean poison techniques."
"It will be used when you are on a mission. It is not enough to just poison someone to death. In many cases, you have to keep them alive. I will mix it according to your requirements. I can also mix perfume. I will mix you a unique perfume in the world later."
"Okay, I'll wait." Hua Zhi smiled lightly. The two of them breathed in sync, as if they were one, very close. "Is my grandfather's health recovered? Are father and the others all well?"
"It's good. The old man's disease has been cured. The others take medicinal baths every day. The effect won't be seen in a short time, but by this time next year, they will find that they are not so afraid of the cold." Shaoyao looked proud. She was very confident in what she was good at. "When I came back, the general's mansion called in a group of people, including your fourth uncle."
Fourth uncle entered the general's mansion? Hua Zhi looked at her in surprise, "Will there be any danger?"
"How could it be dangerous? The General's Mansion is full of traps and is the safest place in Yinshan Pass. Once Fourth Uncle Hua has established a firm foothold there, he will be able to protect the Hua family more."
Yinguan Mountain is an important gateway for the Daqing Dynasty. How could ordinary people know what was going on in the general's mansion? Hua Zhi didn't think about how much role Shaoyao played in this matter, or how much help Mr. Lu had given. She just responded with a smile, and took note of the kindness.
Although she wanted to settle down in the Hua family, Shaoyao still had important matters to report to the prince. She stayed for a while before reluctantly returning to her real home.
Gu Yanxi was waiting for her in the study.
Shaoyao walked into the house reluctantly, and then closed the door reluctantly. She was unwilling to go in when she got to the door, and lowered her head to admit her mistake, "Brother Yan, I didn't complete the task."
Gu Yanxi said nothing and just looked at her in silence.
"My master also made mistakes."
"explain."
PS: One update today.