Xu Jie is Xu Dongjin's eldest son. He has been taught everything he should be taught. Now he works as a small manager in the front yard. It would be great if he could be employed by the current head of the Hua family.
Having lived in Beijing all his life and followed the old master through the ups and downs of officialdom for decades, he never knew when he would be able to make a comeback. Especially at such times, he should perform well. When the master's family is doing well in the future, they will naturally not forget him.
Xu Dongjin was so busy that his feet were moving fast, but there was a smile on his face. It was good to be busy, because it meant that the Hua family had not hit rock bottom. The eldest girl was really amazing. She was organized, decisive and resolute in handling things. She managed to stabilize the Hua family without being impatient. She looked a bit like the old man when he was young.
Xu Dongjin suddenly stopped. Yes, he is just like the old man. Even when things are urgent, he still has to dress properly and speak slowly, which can make you, who is extremely anxious, calm down.
Xu Dongjin's heart was suddenly filled with hope. He had to do the things the eldest girl asked him to do better. He also had to teach those few people a lesson. They couldn't fail to do their best for the eldest girl.
***
"Miss, please take a break. You've been busy all morning." Yingchun came in with a lunch box. Baoxia saw the opportunity and snatched the pen from the young lady's hand without saying a word. She took a wet towel to clean her hands. She looked at the young lady with some heartache as her hand could not be straightened because she had been holding the pen for too long.
After the meal, four maids surrounded Hua Zhi and took good care of her. Some rubbed her hands, some massaged her shoulders, and some massaged her feet. Hua Zhi took a short nap to feel comfortable before continuing to work.
It is very important to combine work and rest.
There are many things to do, but fortunately, the four maids have been well trained over the years and can all help her share her worries.
After Nian Qiu showed Hua Zhi the rough budget, Hua Zhi nodded and said, "It's enough. Let's prepare the detailed accounts."
"Yes." Nian Qiu breathed a sigh of relief. He had only been learning and training before, but this was the first time he had put it into practice. Fortunately, he didn't make any mistakes.
"Miss, the Sixth Young Master is here." The Hua family's seniority is ranked separately for brothers and sisters. Although Hua Bailin is the eldest son of the family, he ranks sixth among his brothers.
As soon as the little maid finished speaking, Hua Bolin strode in hurriedly, "Eldest sister."
Hua Zhi looked at him quietly, and Hua Bailin unconsciously slowed down his pace, straightened his back, lowered his shoulders, and even his heart settled back to its original position and his breathing became steady.
Hua Bailin's heart, which had been anxious for the past few days, was comforted at this moment. The sister who never cared about his studies, never talked about other people's gossips behind their backs, but would take him out to play and tell him all kinds of stories, now sat there steadily. Even without saying a word, she made him feel that the current situation of the Hua family was actually nothing big.
Standing in front of the desk, Hua Bolin blushed with shame as he looked at the words on the desk where the ink had not yet dried. It was so hard for his elder sister to be the head of the family. He should help her share her worries. How could he bother her with those trivial matters
"Berlin, are you scared?"
Hua Bolin looked up. Was he afraid? He didn't seem to be afraid at all. He was just uneasy, uneasy about the changes in his surroundings and the uncertain future.
"I'm not afraid, elder sister. I'll help you. Although I'm not good at these chores, I will definitely learn them quickly."
"I won't stop you from learning these, but Berlin, you should take a longer-term view."
Hua Zhi glanced at Yingchun, and Yingchun understood. She put down what she was doing and led everyone away. She closed the door, and she and Nianqiu stood guard at the door on both sides.
Seeing his sister waving, Hua Bailin walked over and lowered his head slightly to look at the person who was not tall but made him feel at ease.
"Berlin, although you are not yet ten years old, you are already the eldest son in the family. I have to take care of this family, and you also have your responsibilities."
"I... I don't know what to do."
Hua Zhi raised her hand to straighten his collar. This child, who usually relied on his intelligence but was not very diligent in his studies, was forcing himself to face all this. "Berlin, do you know why your grandfather was exiled by the emperor?"
Hua Bolin asked anxiously, "What's the matter? Does elder sister know?"
"The emperor has six sons, three of whom are now adults. The queen died young and had no children, and the emperor has not appointed another queen, so everyone is of equal status, and they all feel that they are qualified to sit in that position. Among the four princes, the eldest and third princes are the strongest and fight the most fiercely. The second prince is slightly weaker, but the reason why the eldest and third princes have become like this may not be without his handiwork."
Hua Zhi paused, and continued, "Not long ago, the two kings quarreled again, involving many unrelated people. I don't know how my grandfather got involved in this matter this time. The emperor was furious, and the Hua family was convicted."
Hua Bolin is indeed a descendant of the Hua family. He immediately saw the problem and asked, "The emperor blames my grandfather for being involved in party disputes?"
"Among the irrelevant people is the Fourth Prince."
"How old is the Fourth Prince?"
"fifteen."
"So the two kings are joining forces to eliminate a potential enemy? Can the Fourth Prince pose a threat to them?"
Hua Zhi smiled and responded well, "The fourth prince's mother is the imperial concubine."
There is only one imperial concubine in the current dynasty. Her father is a retired veteran general, and her eldest brother is a mighty general who guards the border and holds real military power. Once such a person grows up, he will be the biggest threat, so the princes can put aside their grudges and join forces for a short time.
Although Hua Bolin is only ten years old, he was born in the Hua family, and his sensitivity to political affairs seems to be innate. "How is the fourth prince?"
"Unconscious, I think the Fourth Prince may have taken the initiative to join the game. It is better to be proactive than passive."
"How could the Holy Ming today..."
"The emperor knew what was going on, and that's why he took his anger out on his son, because it was his son who was injured, and it was his son who caused his son to be injured."
Hua Bolin's face flushed red, "Grandfather is so innocent! My Hua family is so innocent!"
Hua Zhi sighed inwardly. This was an era where imperial power was supreme. Even if she was innocent, what could she do? Learning literary and martial arts and selling them to the imperial family was the way people of this era realized their self-worth. The reason why the Hua family was called an aristocratic family was because they produced high-ranking officials from generation to generation. These were different from the world she had lived in before.
So she never talked about freedom, never asked for special treatment, and never thought of bringing the knowledge of that world to this world to show off. If nothing had happened to the Hua family, she would even be willing to live the life of a lady from a wealthy family. As long as she was not greedy and asked for too much, she might not be unable to live that kind of life.
Berlin has liked to stick to her since he was a child. She also loves her younger brother and will not instill in him values and ideas that do not belong to this era. Such ideas that are not suitable for this era will only bring him disaster.
What she did most was to adapt and edit the deeds of many famous people and great men in the world and tell them to him as stories to broaden his mind and horizons, so that he would know that the world is very big and he should not be a frog in a well.