After a late breakfast, Hua Zhi escorted herself to each room for everyone to see, and then walked to the big kitchen with Hua Ling, the little tail that was sticking to her.
"The scholar was injured, but his vital parts were not hurt. Doctor Chu will treat him well. I asked someone to send him a box of painkillers mixed with peony, so as not to affect his performance in the autumn examination as much as possible."
Thinking that Hua Ling wanted to know this, Hua Zhi explained in detail, "I think the scholar has excellent character and a kind heart, so it's not surprising that he passed the imperial examination. If you want to thank him in person, I'll arrange it for you after the autumn examination."
Hua Ling shook her head, "No, this is fine."
It was enough to know that his future was not ruined because of her. There was no need to express her gratitude. She kept it all in her heart. Yesterday had caused such a big storm. If she saw another man from outside, and people knew about it, it would not only be her who would be embarrassed, but also her elder sister and the Hua family.
She doesn't have the all-around ability of her elder sister, but she also has to make sure that troubles don't arise from her.
Hua Zhi looked at her and did not insist. In the final analysis, how a person looks like is determined by herself. Others can push or pull, but they cannot make decisions for her without her knowledge. Hua Ling is now vaguely aware of the situation, so she just needs to pay more attention to her.
The big kitchen was bustling with activity inside and outside. The servants came in and out in an orderly manner and did their work efficiently. Hua Zhi liked this kind of homely atmosphere. If there was such a scent in the house, it meant everything was going well.
Everyone greeted him.
Nanny Chen, who was in charge of this business when the Fourth Madam was away, came forward and said, "Young lady."
"Thank you for your hard work, Mammy. How are you today?"
"Yes, everything is fine." Nanny Chen's face was full of smiles. "You look energetic too."
"Everything will be fine after a good night's sleep. The basket hasn't been delivered yet?"
"No, it was scheduled to be delivered this afternoon."
Hua Zhi nodded, went to the kitchen, picked up a ball of fried noodles, broke off a small piece, put it in her mouth, chewed it, spit out the residue, chewed a little more meat jerky, and then spit out the residue as well, nodded with satisfaction, "Keep it up, there are still two days, make as much as possible."
"yes."
Hua Zhi did not stay for long and walked straight to the front yard. Hua Ling still followed her, and she did not stop her. She first took her to thank Wang Rong in person, and then got on the carriage.
"Eldest sister, where are we going?"
"Liyun Lane is open today, I'm going to take a look."
Hua Ling of Liyun Lane knew that although her eldest sister seldom talked to them about business matters, they were very clear about several of them. Liyun Lane, like Lutai Lane, was engaged in food business.
Pursing her lips, Hua Ling mustered up the courage to ask, "Eldest sister, can I learn how to do business from you?"
Hua Zhi leaned against the cushion and looked at her, "Why do you want to learn?"
"If I can learn a little, I can help with some things, maybe even help my elder sister with some worries." Hua Ling felt embarrassed after saying this, she lowered her head and smiled awkwardly, and continued: "Anyway, I won't be able to get married in the future, so why not, why not help the family with more things? Our brothers are so good, and the family will still rely on them in the future, so it's good if I can help a little."
"You won't be unmarriageable."
Hua Ling raised her head and looked at her elder sister who was only two years older than her but was protecting her like an elder.
"Afterwards, I asked people to pay attention to the rumors in the capital. No one said a bad word about you. Everyone knows that you suffered an unexpected disaster. Besides, you showed up yesterday, so everyone was watching." She had originally prepared a backup plan. If someone threw dirty water on Hua Ling, she would ask someone to lead the conversation and divert all the dirty water to the Wei family. However, she never expected that it was never used.
Hua Zhi held her head up and spoke slowly but reassuringly, "I have already asked the Cai family and the Zhu family to find a marriage for you. The family background is definitely not as good as before, but you have to pass my test first. Don't worry, I won't marry you off casually. I won't stop you if you want to learn how to do business. It's never a bad thing to know more things."
Hua Ling picked at a corner of the cushion unconsciously, "Eldest sister, I don't want to get married."
"Were you scared yesterday?"
"Not entirely." Hua Ling shook her head. "The saying 'can't get high, can't get low' just refers to us right now. We can't get into a rich family, but we're not willing to marry into a lower class. It's not that I'm snobbish and look down on such families, but... it's too difficult."
Hua Ling smiled bitterly, "It's hard to figure out how to get along with my husband's family. I can't be arrogant, and I can't let go. If I speak loudly, my husband's family won't like it, and I can't be humble. If the Hua family needs me to marry someone else for stability, I will endure it and marry, but they don't need it right now. With my eldest sister at home, everything is good. I believe that my eldest sister will carefully choose a husband's family for us. But rather than marrying out and handing my fate over to others, I would rather stay at home and be an old maid."
Hua Ling looked up at her elder sister, her eyes shining, "Anyway, my elder sister will protect me, right?"
She already had her own ideas, and the change was indeed significant. However, Hua Zhi could not agree to it outright, so she just said, "I won't force you, and you don't have to force yourself to do anything. The Daqing Dynasty does not treat women well. If there is really a suitable person, you don't have to miss it."
Hua Ling bit her lip, but didn't say anything else.
The noise outside the carriage grew louder. Hua Zhi lifted the window curtain and looked out, her brows raised.
She had been planning to do some promotion on the opening day, but after what happened yesterday she put all those measures on hold. The Hua family is already at the center of controversy, and it would not be a big deal if more business were to happen. With Green Moss Lane still around, it wouldn't take long to boost business at Liyun Lane.
But it seems that she still underestimated the charm of food, and the flow of people far exceeded her expectations.
The carriage stopped, and Li De reported from outside, "Miss, I'm afraid the carriage can't get in."
Hua Zhi looked at Hua Ling, "Third sister, are you waiting for me in the carriage or coming with me?"
Hearing the noise outside, Hua Ling was a little scared, but she still gritted her teeth and said, "I'll go with my elder sister."
Hua Zhi didn't say much and got off the carriage first.
Both sides of the inner river were filled with carriages, and maids and servants could be seen going up and down. It was obvious that many ladies and daughters from wealthy families had sent people to buy food.
"My maid greets you, young lady." Hua Zhi looked towards the source of the voice and felt that the face looked familiar.
Yingchun said softly, "It's the maidservant beside my cousin."
Zhu Shan? Hua Zhi nodded, "Cousin asked you to buy food?"
"Yes." The maid glanced into a carriage at the back, then turned to look at Hua Zhi with a look of seeking help.
Hua Zhi's heart skipped a beat and she turned and walked towards the carriage.
Zhu Shan's maid was obviously relieved. The girl only brought her out and sent her to buy food, leaving her alone in the carriage to wait. God knows how confused she was at this moment. Before she came out, the girl clearly said that she was going to buy rouge!
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