"Miss, it's almost time."
Hua Zhi opened her eyes and saw only five small packages in the room. She looked at the four people in confusion.
Yingchun helped her walk out, explaining softly, "Take out the big things first."
Hua Zhi didn't ask any more questions and went straight to her mother's yard. As soon as she reached the door, she ran into Hua Bailin who came out.
"Elder sister." Hua Bailin walked over quickly and looked at her eagerly. The uneasiness in his eyes made Hua Zhi feel distressed. Bailin was the eldest son of the family and grew up in a honeypot. It was very good that he did not cry like other children when encountering such a thing. Before, when facing his mother's tears, he must have comforted her. In the past, she would definitely praise her and let the child not grow up too fast, but now, she can't.
Hua Zhi touched his head, "Don't panic, don't get confused. You are the oldest male in the Hua family now. If you panic, what will happen to your brothers? I will be very busy next. I will leave the task of taking care of your brothers and sisters to you. The future of the Hua family still depends on you, understand?"
Hua Bolin sniffed and nodded vigorously, "I'll listen to my elder sister."
"Let's go, time is almost up."
Bad news travels far and wide, and in just a short while, the news that the Hua family had been demoted became known to the whole city. People who came to watch the fun gathered at the entrance of the alley and said all kinds of things, but the Hua family was not a family that people disliked, so they just said a few words in private, and they didn't shout embarrassing words when they saw people coming out.
All the horses were taken away, but the carriage was also used. Two servants carried it on the left and right, and the carriage was piled high with things.
One of the carriages was particularly different. Not only were there four people carrying it, but there were also many maids and servants surrounding it. Crowded in the carriage were the five unmarried young ladies of the Hua family, the youngest of whom was only three years old. Even at this time, the old lady did not forget to protect the reputation of her granddaughters.
There were seven males under the age of ten in the Hua family, one of whom was still in their arms. The wives and concubines of the Hua family all had their faces covered with veils, and they followed the carriage together. The ladies, who had never been stared at so blatantly, blushed and lowered their heads, wishing they could get to the destination in the next step.
Compared with them, the old lady seemed particularly calm. She refused to let anyone help her. She walked alone in front with her cane, her head held high, as if she wanted to pave a way for her family on her own.
Those who were talking in a flurry couldn't help but stop talking when they saw the old lady like this. They watched quietly as the long line passed by and walked away, and watched the Hua family's door closed and sealed.
Being watched all the way, everyone was holding on with only one breath. When they arrived at the messy house in the south of the city with the gates wide open, they couldn't get up once they sat down.
Hua Zhi actually had no strength left. As a young lady from a wealthy family, she never went out of the house, so she was relatively weak, but she did not dare to delay any longer.
He opened his small bag, asked for Fu Dong's, counted the banknotes and gold and silver inside, and said under the surprised eyes of everyone: "I asked them to hide a little when I heard the noise. Fortunately, they were not found."
Everyone nodded in understanding. Although they were caught off guard, no one was the type to put all their money out in the open. Every family had some extra money, just not as much as Hua Zhi.
"Mom, Second Aunt, Third Aunt, Fourth Aunt, take someone to make some clothes. They should be thicker, so that you can't immediately tell there's something hidden inside. Do you understand?"
The women looked at each other and nodded.
"Do it right away. Ask more people to share the work. It will only take an hour at most."
Several people hurriedly got busy. Now that they had something to do, they were no longer so panicked.
"Fudong, go find some oil paper and wrap the banknotes tightly. We will sew them into the clothes later. Take out the silver coins and sew them into the corners of the clothes."
"yes."
"Baoxia, go to the Chu Family Clinic to find Doctor Chu and buy some pills and ointments from him. Discuss with Doctor Chu what to buy. Only remember to prepare more frostbite ointment."
"yes."
Hua Zhi turned around and looked at her grandmother, "Grandma, please write a letter to grandpa. You know him best and know how to persuade him. We can't let grandpa lose his energy."
The old lady stared at her closely, "Who are you going to let go?"
"I'll go. I'm worried about others going. We have to let the men of the Hua family know that we are fine and will be waiting for them here. Butler Xu, I need a horse."
"Don't worry, big girl. I can get it."
Hua Bolin grabbed her sister's hand and said, "Sister, I'll go. I'm a better rider than you."
"I have to go." Hua Zhi didn't explain much, "You take care of the family."
Hua Bailin has been sticking to his sister since he was a child. He has heard countless stories about his sister, secretly read the letters written by his sister, seen his sister and four maids cook all kinds of delicious food, taught them things he didn't know, and also seen his sister being dignified, comfortable and leisurely, which was different from the way she appeared in front of outsiders. He trusts his sister who is proficient in everything, and believes every word she says.
So he asked what he was most worried about, "Sister, will father... come back?"
"They can come back. All the men in our Hua family can come back."
The resounding answer reassured Hua Bolin and also gave strength to others. Grandmother asked Aunt Su to help her stand up and said, "I will go and write this."
The Hua family was just irritating the emperor, and Hua Zhi didn't dare to do anything more. When others suggested writing letters, she rejected them. She just wanted to send some clothes or something, thinking that even if the emperor knew about it, he could explain it. Too many letters would attract attention, and she was also worried that a woman would write something that shouldn't be written and it would fall into the hands of someone with ulterior motives. That would be a disaster for the Hua family. The Hua family could not withstand the slightest disturbance now.
An hour passed quickly, and Butler Xu was waiting at the back door with a horse.
The eldest lady looked at her neatly dressed eldest daughter and opened and closed her mouth, but could not utter a word.
Don't let her go? How can I not let her go? My husband left in such a hurry that he didn't even have any change of clothes, let alone thick clothes. If he was wearing only thin summer clothes, he would probably fall ill as soon as he arrived.
But let her go... Zhi'er learned horse riding in her own manor. She usually doesn't have the opportunity to go out alone, let alone walk long distances. If she takes the wrong road or meets some bad guys...
Hua Zhi had no time to comfort her mother at this moment. She instructed people to pack the things separately so that the weight would not be heavy if they were evenly distributed.
Carrying several packages on her back and many more on the horse's back, Hua Zhi climbed onto the horse and looked at the several pairs of eyes below who were eagerly looking at her and said, "Wait for me to come back, Bolin. Now you are the eldest brother in the family, you must take good care of your elders and younger siblings."
"I will, elder sister."
The eldest lady couldn't help but stepped forward, "Zhi'er..."
"Mom, I'll be back as soon as possible, don't worry, nothing will happen."