Baoxia fetched some water and wiped the box carefully, then wrapped it with a clean cloth. Nianqiu was careful and afraid that someone would notice something, so he found another box of similar size, put some books from the study into it, and when putting it on the carriage, he deliberately dropped it, causing the books to fall all over the floor. This way, even if someone was interested, they would only think that the two boxes were filled with books.
Hua Zhi remained silent all the way to Zhuangzi.
The sky, which was sunny when she went out, seemed to respond to her mood, but was gradually covered by dark clouds. Baoxia was a little anxious. The villa and the manor were not in the same direction, and it would take at least an hour to get there. She must not catch up with the rain.
Seeing that the young lady was still unhappy, she opened the curtain and ordered, "Go faster."
Hua Zhi came back to her senses after hearing her voice. She looked up at the sky and missed her family even more. She hoped that the weather there would still be good, that the sun would not be too strong and that it would not rain. She also hoped that even her half-brother, whom she hardly spoke to on a daily basis, would not get sick and be safe and sound.
It was only when the Hua family got into trouble that she realized firsthand that the family was a whole. They shared happiness and hardships together. Although they had complaints, they would not harbor hatred because they were one.
At this time, even if one of the least valued illegitimate sons fell ill or died, it would be an unbearable blow to the Hua family. The Hua family would be missing a part and would no longer be complete. But if the Hua family could grit their teeth and get through this, she also believed that when the Hua family recovered, they would be more united than any other family.
As long as you can get through this.
Anyone can be weak, but she, as the head of the Hua family, cannot be.
Hua Zhi lowered her eyes and gently stroked the wooden box at hand. If she really cared about him, she should think of a way to solve the problem instead of worrying and feeling sad without any meaning, which would not help the current situation at all.
The dark clouds grew thicker and thicker, and the group finally arrived at the farm before the rain came.
The manager of the farm is the son of the old lady's wet nurse. The old lady was sentimental, so when the wet nurse was old, she allowed her family to move to this farm. This not only fulfilled her kindness, but also gave her whole family a good place to go.
In other words, there were some things that the old lady tacitly agreed to.
If it were before, Hua Zhi would have turned a blind eye, but not now, especially after witnessing what happened at the door with her own eyes.
"Manager Chen, many people saw my sister being taken away by your son. I don't understand the truth, but my family has been farming the land of the Hua family and eating the food of the Hua family for many years, so I have no choice but to go and get to know the Hua family. It is said that the Hua family has strict rules, so I want to ask if the Hua family's rules can be enforced on the farm."
The man who was speaking was wearing a pair of shorts, with his trouser legs rolled up on one side and low on the other. His feet were covered in mud, and his face was red and his neck was thick. If he hadn't been held back by the people next to him, Hua Zhi would have thought that he would have rushed up and beaten up Manager Chen.
Hua Zhi rarely sees such people in this world with strict class divisions. Even though the people who manage them are just servants, those at the lower level do not dare to go against them, let alone have the courage to go past them and find the masters above them.
Hua Zhi's mood suddenly improved. Such people were considered troublemakers by others, but in her opinion, they could be of great use if trained well.
"Miss, I'll go over..."
Hua Zhi shook her head and said, "Watch."
The straightforward Bao Xia was so angry that his nose was crooked. The Hua family was in trouble at the time, but the people below did not think about sharing the worries of the master family and instead caused trouble for them. They had been eating the Hua family's food for so many years in vain!
Butler Chen, whose belly was so big that it could rival that of a pregnant woman in her 10th month, put his hands behind his back, his nose turned up, and acted like a wealthy landlord. "Nonsense, Liu Jiang, my Hua family treats you well, but don't blame my Chong'er for your sister running away with someone else. There is no such thing in the world."
Liu Jiang clenched his fists and said, "In that case, I will ask the old lady of the Hua family to settle this lawsuit."
"You dare!" Butler Chen's shrill voice hurt his ears. With a glance, several strong men immediately surrounded Liu Jiang.
Liu Jiang looked determined to risk his life, "Chen Jin, unless you beat me to death here today, I will crawl to the Hua family even if I have to, and let them see how their guard dog guards their home."
Chen Jin was so angry that his face turned red. He was actually called a guard dog. He immediately lost all his dignity and said, "Beat him. If he is killed, it will be mine. Beat him to death!"
"Who are you going to kill?" Hua Zhi came over surrounded by the crowd, looking at Chen Jin indifferently, "Yours? Your life depends on my Hua family, can you still take the lives of others?"
Chen Jin had seen the eldest daughter of the Hua family. Three years ago, she came to live in the village for half a month. Her demeanor left a deep impression on him. Naturally, he was not the only one who remembered her.
But at this moment he wished he had never seen her. If the girl had never been here, if no one around recognized her, then what would be inconvenient for him to do
Coincidentally, Liu Jiang had seen Hua Zhi before. At that time, if a young lady wanted to walk around here, her sister would be her guide. He pushed aside the people surrounding him and fell in front of Hua Zhi, "Please, young lady, save my little sister!"
"Are you sure your sister was taken away by his son?"
"Yes, my little sister was picking grass for pigs at the time. When Chen Chong took her away, everyone nearby saw it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have the courage to ask Butler Chen for her."
"That's good to confirm." Hua Zhi looked at the five servants she brought with her, "Master Wu, you guys go in and look for him."
"Yes." After Xu Ying stayed in the villa to handle things, the leader Wu Da led a few people to the gate.
"Miss..." Chen Jin was sweating profusely and blocked the door to stop them. He knew his own business and if they really searched him, he would find everything inside out.
Hua Zhi walked towards him. How could Chen Jin dare to block the way of the young lady? He stepped back step by step and was finally tripped by the threshold and fell on his back. Hua Zhi didn't even look at him and walked past him.
The manor had two courtyards. The back one was where the Hua family lived when they had visitors, while Chen Jin's family lived in the front yard. Wu Da and his companions were security guards when they were in the main house, so they had some experience in this area. After a quick identification, they walked towards the east house and kicked open the tightly closed door. There was no one in the house.
Wu Da's ears pricked up when he heard some noise in the next room. When he went over, he picked up a large bamboo broom for sweeping the yard from under the balcony. He gestured to a few of his companions, kicked the door open with a heavy kick, and several of them rushed in quickly.
The situation in the room was not a good look at all. A short man had taken off all his clothes except his underwear, with his round white belly exposed. He looked extremely disgusting.
In the corner of the room, a little girl with disheveled hair and torn clothes held a sharp piece of porcelain to her throat. Although her hand was trembling, she supported it with the other hand and did not put it down.