The carriage slowly drove out of the alley. After turning a corner, Hua Zhi looked at Hua Ling, who was sitting upright with tension, and said softly, "It's okay."
Hua Ling turned her head stiffly and called out in a hoarse voice, "Eldest sister..."
Hua Zhi didn't know what she had been through, and didn't want to ask more questions at this time. She just reached out and held her against her shoulders, gently touching her head, "It's all over, nothing will happen, don't worry."
Hua Ling's tears gushed out and she buried her head in her elder sister's shoulder and cried silently, only occasionally letting out a sob that she couldn't hold back. All her fear and trembling were vented in this cry.
The eldest sister would never know how desperate she was during that time. Once a woman is taken away by a man, no matter how innocent she is, she will become impure. She has no way to survive.
But Zhu's cousin came and told her how her elder sister was trying to protect her reputation. When she saw the rows of coffins and heard her elder sister's words of protection at the risk of her life, she knew that she had to live. No matter what she would face in the future, she had to live.
Otherwise, she would be unworthy of her elder sister who had sacrificed her own reputation for her, and unworthy of her younger brothers’ love for her.
Being with this person who was by no means strong but was warm, she felt as at ease as if she had returned to the most prosperous time of the Hua family. After being protected in this way, she realized how gentle this eldest sister was, who had carried the Hua family on her shoulders with a tough attitude, never spoke to them in private, and even had little contact with them. Her gentleness was not on the surface, but inside.
She was not afraid anymore, not at all.
Tears soaked her clothes, and the warmth seemed to flow into her heart. Hua Zhi gently patted the once proud girl who wanted to compete with her. After being too tense, she felt a little uncomfortable with the dizziness in her head. She had a lot of things in her mind but couldn't put them together. She closed her eyes gently so that the maid would not see anything.
It seemed like a long time had passed, yet it seemed like only a moment, before the carriage stopped.
After Hua Ling recovered, she felt a little embarrassed, so she just leaned on her elder sister without moving. Such intimacy was too rare, and there might never be a next time in her life, so she wanted to lean on her elder sister for a while longer.
But now she couldn't pretend anymore, she sat up straight and wiped her face with a handkerchief. The maid rushed forward to help her tidy up, but no matter how hard she tried, the redness and swelling of her eyes would not go away for a while. Fortunately, the carriage drove directly into the front yard, so she didn't have to worry about being seen by outsiders.
Hua Zhi came down first. Her legs were a little weak, and Yingchun helped her to stand firmly without showing any fear. Seeing the masters of the backyard waiting for her in the front yard, she smiled and said, "Nothing, don't worry."
Xia's tears immediately came down. At this moment, she really wanted to kneel down and kowtow to Hua Zhi. She didn't know when her husband and son would be reunited. If something happened to her only daughter who was by her side, she really didn't know how she would be able to endure it.
When she saw her daughter coming out of the carriage unharmed, she could no longer hold back and ran over to hug her, crying bitterly.
After crying for a while, Hua Ling calmed down and was able to comfort her mother. Maybe it was because the words she had said in front of the Wei family before gave her courage, but now she really felt that the matter was over and it was no big deal.
Hua Ling was a little dazed when she thought of what she said at that time. Perhaps all the courage in her life was used up there.
Hua Zhi winked at her fourth aunt and walked towards her cousin who was greeting her mother.
"It's a good thing that my cousin arrived in time today." Hua Zhi bowed and showed her sincerity. The reason for this scene today was that it was her cousin who sent Hua Ling here, so she was able to preserve Hua Ling's reputation to the greatest extent.
Zhu Zian helped him up and said, "We are one family and we don't have different opinions. It's your arrangement that's the best."
Hua Zhi glanced over there and asked in a low voice, "What was the situation at that time? Third sister..."
"I'm not very clear about the specific situation. When I rushed over, the people you sent had already rescued her. I think she should be fine. Oh, by the way, there was another unfamiliar person present at the time, and he seemed to be injured."
Hua Zhi nodded and kept this in mind, "I'll go to my grandmother's place another day..."
Zhu Ziwen was facing the door, and before she could finish she smiled, "No need to postpone it, let's do it today."
Hua Zhi turned around and her heart warmed when she saw the person coming.
Zhu had been married for many years and when she saw her mother, she was still the same as when she was at her mother's house. She was very affectionate and clung to her, "Mom, why are you here?"
Old Madam Zhu was also helpless. She didn't want to come so often, but so many things had happened in the Hua family. How could she feel at ease if she didn't come to see them
Pulling his daughter aside and exempting his granddaughter from the ceremony, he glanced at the people who were still comforting each other and asked in a low voice, "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, nothing happened."
"Thank goodness." Madam Zhu clasped her hands and chanted a Buddhist mantra. "What people say outside is so mysterious. Did you really confront Lord Wei?"
"If we don't shut up the Wei family, white will turn black."
Madam Zhu understood immediately after thinking about it, and nodded repeatedly, saying, "That's right. Let the Wei family settle the matter in front of everyone, and they won't have any room to make trouble later. Anyway, the Hua family has never been on good terms with them, so there's nothing to lose by offending them. Don't worry, your grandfather is here to help! I'll let him go and argue with the Wei family later."
Zhu Ziwen didn't know whether to laugh or cry after hearing this. How could one support someone like that? It would be disgraceful if his grandfather really went to argue with the Wei family. But looking at his grandmother who was speaking happily, his aunt who nodded repeatedly, and his cousin who responded in agreement, he didn't say much.
Looking at his cousin who was exceptionally quiet and well-behaved at this moment, Zhu Ziwen was full of admiration. She reacted so quickly and came up with a countermeasure in such a short time. He asked himself if he could do that. Moreover, in this situation, she turned the situation around and not only saved Hua Ling's reputation, but also severely slapped the Wei family in the face. Only his cousin could do that.
But thinking about it, he also felt tired for his cousin. Things had been happening one after another for the past year without a break. The Hua family was made up of women and children, and she was their biggest supporter. She had to hold on even when she was tired. He clearly saw her body sway when she got off the carriage earlier, but she still couldn't rest now.
It is difficult to run a family, and the Hua family is especially difficult to run a family.
Hearing his aunt asking his grandmother to go to the backyard, Zhu Ziwen spoke at the right time, "Cousin, I will go back first. If you need me for anything, just send someone to find me."
Hua Yan knew that he was to avoid suspicion and did not leave him. "I won't be polite to my cousin. By the way, I heard that my cousin also planned to end this time?"
"Teacher, it's time." Zhu Ziwen was one of the few sons of aristocratic families who took the imperial examination seriously. He was also very talented and had achieved fame three years ago. However, his teacher felt that he still had room for improvement and did not let him rush to take part in the autumn examination. This time, the teacher finally agreed, and he naturally put all his effort into getting good results.
"Cousin wait a little." Hua Yan turned around and ordered a few words. After much, he saw Lan Qiao's basket and came over, and he didn't know what it was put across a layer of oil paper.
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