Of course the old lady wanted more than anything, because there were her husband and her son, they were her heaven. Her heart ached just thinking about them suffering in a place she couldn't see.
She originally planned to pack some thick clothes and have her loyal servants deliver them. She didn't have much silver, but she could still squeeze out a few hundred taels of silver. Sending them would be useful as an emergency measure. No matter what, they had to get through this winter.
Zhier's suggestion was just what she wanted, but she had never thought of letting an unmarried girl make this trip.
"Zhi'er, your filial grandmother knows about your kindness, but you have never even left the capital. The north is more than 2,000 miles away from the capital, and it would take a fast horse ten days to travel there. How can a girl like you endure this? If you are willing, you can prepare more things for your grandfather and your father."
Hua Zhi shook her head. "I have to go. Grandfather will feel relieved when he sees me. If he feels relieved, he will be less sick. I won't worry about others. Being young always gives me some advantages. But Grandfather is already past the age of 50 and he takes good care of himself. I need to see him get better in person to feel at ease."
"But… "
"I understand your concerns. I'm actually quite good at riding, but I don't ride often. I just need to find opportunities to practice more. I know the rest."
The old lady still disagreed, but she couldn't hold back her coughing for a long time and had to stop talking and cover her mouth with a handkerchief to cough softly. Hua Zhi could see that her grandmother was holding back and wanted to go forward to help her grandmother with her back, but Nanny Su took the lead and bent down to help the old lady with her back, as if she didn't notice that she wanted to go forward.
Hua Zhi glanced between the two of them thoughtfully and said nothing more.
When the coughing stopped and she saw that her grandmother had become much more depressed, Hua Zhi stood up and said goodbye, "Grandma, please take a good rest first. There is no rush for this matter. We can talk about it later."
"That's good. You should take care of yourself and don't get too tired."
"yes."
After leaving the yard, Hua Zhi whispered a few words to Yingchun, who understood and turned away.
Looking back at the yard covered by the big camphor tree, just like its owner, the yard actually showed a bit of desolation. Hua Zhi thought, she can make money, and she can also use both kindness and force to make her family members work together, but how can she save a person's life
Should she be less capable so that her grandmother will be reluctant to let her go, or should she be more capable so that she can meet her ancestors with peace of mind
"Zhi'er."
Hua Zhi turned around and saw Fourth Aunt walking slowly towards her, supported by a maid.
"Aunt Fourth, are you here to pay your respects to Grandmother? Grandmother is feeling unwell and is taking a rest."
"What kind of invitation is this at this time? I just want to take a walk and save some energy for having a baby." After sending the maid away, Mrs. Wu looked at her worriedly, "What happened? You don't look well."
Hua Zhi stepped forward and helped Fourth Aunt continue walking forward, with the maid following far behind.
"Just some trivial things. Why do I feel like my belly has gotten bigger?"
"The baby is due in a month. I'll be worried if it's not big." Mrs. Wu pointed to a bench on the porch not far away and motioned Hua Zhi to go over. "Don't change the subject. You've been handling everything with ease recently. It's not a small matter that can make you change your face. I can't help you with other things, but I can always give you some advice."
Hua Zhi asked her maids to move away, sat next to Fourth Aunt, touched her belly and whispered, "Grandma is not in good health."
Wu's face changed, she glanced around, and asked in a low voice, "What did Doctor Chu say? What's the situation?"
"Doctor Chu gave me a clear message before I went to the manor. It's not good to have a knot in my heart and get old. Otherwise, why would I take over everything? Wouldn't it be better to be a helper?"
"How could you keep this a secret? Tell me what herbs you want. Yesterday my mother sent someone over to give me some silver and herbs. I'll use them here first."
Hua Zhi knew about the visit from the Wu family. So far, only the Zhu and Wu families had come to visit. "Those are all prepared for your delivery. They cannot be moved. My grandmother has already said that if you need anything, just say so and it will be delivered. I went to see Doctor Chu today. Doctor Chu wrote a new prescription. Although some of the medicinal materials on it are precious, they were not lacking in the Hua family before. Naturally, the Zhu family also has them. I have asked Nanny Lin to find my grandmother."
Mrs. Wu grabbed her hand and patted it, "You are the one who can keep calm. I am so panicked."
People who have died before, how can they panic so easily? Hua Zhi smiled bitterly, "This matter came from my mouth and entered your ears, don't let a third person know, it will cause trouble in the family."
"I understand. Don't worry." Wu sighed. "You should quickly seize the Hua family. If something unexpected happens, it won't be... Hey, look at what I'm saying."
"I know. Don't worry about it. There's still one month left."
"It's about this time, what?"
Hua Zhi touched her belly again, "I plan to go to the north. I hadn't decided on a date yet, but now I can. Fourth uncle would be happy if he knew that you gave birth to a child safely."
Mrs. Wu also understood her niece's personality. She knew that she had made up her mind when she said this. No one could persuade her. But for a girl to run so far...
"Have you really thought it through? Not to mention that it's so far away, the weather will be cold in a month. You've never experienced such hardship before, can you bear it?"
"No one is born with the ability to endure pain. When there is no choice, you have to force it. As long as you are not dead, you can endure it."
"But you are not without choices."
Hua Zhi didn't explain much, just said: "Pack up the things you want to bring to Fourth Uncle. Don't pack too much. I can only take four people with me."
Wu wanted to say something more about her, but once her husband was involved, her feelings of reluctance became insignificant. Without much struggle, she let her concern for her husband take over. She knew she was selfish, but who in the world is not selfish? She was just one of the common people.
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. Hua Zhi couldn't bear to let a pregnant woman suffer mentally, so she smiled and said, "Grandfather is the only one who has never suffered in his life. If I don't go and see him, I will be restless day and night."
Seeing Yingchun coming over, Hua Zhi took the opportunity to stand up and said, "I still have things to deal with, so I'll go over first."
"Go quickly, I'll be back soon."
Hua Zhi bowed and left. Mrs. Wu looked at her back and sighed deeply. She was selfish after all. She hoped that they would not have any grudges against each other in the future because of this.
Thinking of this, Mrs. Wu laughed again. Look how greedy she was. She didn't take others seriously, but she also hoped that others would take her seriously.