The next day the weather was not good, with strong winds blowing and sand and rocks flying everywhere.
Hua Zhi got up and smiled when she heard the whistling wind outside. Even going out in such weather did not affect her good mood.
Fearing that something might happen today, Yingchun had to go with her no matter what, so Huazhi followed her. She also remembered to ask the little maid to tell Fourth Aunt to collect more firewood and charcoal this year.
"Miss, the third girl is here."
Hua Ling? Hua Zhi glanced at the clepsydra and signaled the maid to let the person in.
"Eldest sister."
"Why are you here so early? Is there something wrong?"
"I heard that my elder sister is going to the Wei family. I want to go with her."
Hua Zhi was a little surprised. Hua Ling was actually the most timid among the sisters. She didn't expect that after that incident, she became a little more bold and foolhardy.
"It's not a happy day today, and the weather isn't good, so you don't have to bother with it."
Hua Ling shook her head, "I want to go."
She accidentally learned about this from her fourth aunt yesterday. After thinking about it for a long time, she decided to go with them. Her elder sister might be used to handling everything by herself and charging into battle alone. Even if she is useless, she can help block the way when someone wants to hurt her elder sister.
She grew up in the capital, and she knew best what those people looked like when they were disgusting. Just like the last time they went to the farm, she ran into her uncle's cousin when she was leaving the city. They used to be so close that they even slept in the same bed. But that day, she said to her smiling greeting: I heard that you were almost ruined? That's really unfortunate.
She looked gloating, and spoke of her misfortune as if she was regretting that she was not ruined. Her cousin had such an attitude, and we can see what her in-laws were thinking. From that moment on, she completely gave up thinking about her in-laws, and realized more deeply how good her elder sister was, who was willing to sacrifice her reputation to pull her out of the quagmire.
Hua Zhi glanced at her, but didn't ask why. She turned around and ordered, "Give a cloak to the third sister."
After saying that, he looked at the maid behind Hua Ling who didn't even dare to raise her head, "Serve me more attentively. If you go out in such little clothes in this kind of weather, you will suffer if you get sick."
The maid responded with a trembling voice and buried her head even lower.
The carriage drove out of the corner gate. Hua Zhi was just lamenting how cold the weather was when she felt the carriage stop. Before she could ask, a voice came from outside, "Luckily we got here in time. If we had gone one step later, we would have fallen behind our cousin."
Hua Zhi hurriedly opened the window curtain and saw Zhu Ziwen and two others riding on horseback. She had some impression of them. They were two sons of aristocratic families in Beijing, and their family status was slightly lower than that of the Zhu family.
When the two saw Hua Zhi's gaze sweeping over them, they immediately bowed. Hua Zhi leaned forward slightly to return the greeting and looked at Zhu Ziwen and said, "Cousin, did you come here specially to pick me up?"
"My grandfather told me to bring my cousin back safely." Zhu Ziwen lowered his body on his horse. "I'm afraid there will be a lot of people going there today. My cousin should be prepared."
"The Wei family invited me, and I just accepted the invitation. There is no need to make any preparations."
Zhu Ziwen pointed at her with a horsewhip and said, "You didn't tell the truth in front of your cousin. You deserve a beating."
"My cousin bullied me, and I will go and complain to my grandfather later."
"I'm afraid of you." Zhu Ziwen glared at her, "Let's go, it can't be too late."
The carriage started moving again. Hua Zhi smiled at the other two and lowered the curtain. Her smile gradually faded, and a question flashed through her mind: Who is my cousin showing this to
Although their relationship can be considered close, it is not to this extent. There must be something wrong when things are abnormal, but no matter how Hua Zhi thinks, she can't figure out where the problem is. Her grandparents treat her sincerely, so even if they really have some ideas, there is no need to use such means. There is only one person in the Zhu family who likes to use such means—the eldest aunt.
But what’s the point of my cousin doing this
Hua Ling watched her elder sister's expression change and didn't dare to ask a single question, for fear of interrupting her thoughts. She really didn't know how her elder sister managed to get through the days when she had to think so much about everything.
The Hua family lived in the south, while the powerful and wealthy lived in the north. The carriage shook for a long time before it stopped.
We’ve arrived!
Hua Zhi took a deep breath, steeled herself, and prepared to face the battle.
But when she stepped out of the carriage and saw that the three people outside had turned into several people, she was stunned, her eyes full of confusion.
Zhu Ziwen coughed lightly to hold back his laughter, then he dismounted, walked over, raised his arm, and said, "We all came here to attend the discussion, and we met on the road and walked together."
Are you treating her like a three-year-old? Hua Zhi glanced at him and helped him get off the carriage by the arm.
Even though the wind was very strong and her cloak was rustling, Hua Zhi was calm as she got off the carriage holding Zhu Ziwen's arm. Wherever her eyes looked, there was no trace of a woman's shyness or fear.
The feeling is especially profound when there is comparison.
Hua Ling, who came out a step slower, was stared at by so many men for the first time in her life. Even though she kept encouraging herself in her heart, she could only keep her head down. Her face flushed and her eyes wandered uncontrollably.
Zhu Ziwen didn't expect Hua Ling to come along. He glanced at his cousin and saluted Hua Ling, "I didn't expect cousin Ling to come as well."
Hua Ling knelt down and returned the greeting, "How are you, cousin."
Hua Zhi could see that she was nervous, but she also saw that she was trying to do better, so she stopped protecting her behind her and turned around to look at the closed door of the Wei Mansion.
When the Hua family held a literary discussion meeting, they would clean the house spotlessly inside and out a few days in advance, and wash the place from the alley to the steps with clean water. On the morning of the literary discussion day, the main door would be wide open to welcome the students. On that day, the Hua family put themselves in the same position as the students. The Hua family only had student So-and-so, and no official status.
The Wei family's behavior was more like a banquet, and a banquet that was so impolite that they left their guests waiting outside the door.
Just as he was thinking about it, the middle door slowly opened in sight, and three generations of the Wei family walked out with smiles on their faces. Walking in the front was Wei Jing, whose courtesy name was Rongwen and who was the third-rank Minister of Personnel.
There were two familiar faces behind, Wei Chenze and Wei Chengxi who almost caused Hua Ling to suffer.
Hua Ling's breathing suddenly became faster. Hua Zhi said softly without turning her head, "Why are you afraid of a man who can't take the imperial examinations, can't draw a bow, and has nothing but a family background? If he dares to touch you again, I will use a knife."
Hua Ling's breathing stagnated at first, and then she was actually calmed down. This was the capital, what could he do to her in public? There was no need for the eldest sister to use a knife. If he dared to get close to her, she would scream "molest". She wanted to see if the Wei family still had any shame.
Zhu Ziwen, who was standing next to the two men, coughed when he heard what was said. He was not paying attention. How could he say such things in front of the Wei family's door? Although they were far away and could not be heard, it would not be good for others to hear him drawing a knife at any time!
PS: Girls don’t have to worry, it’s still business, it’s just that the previous small-scale business has become a big business, and will involve the court.