It was just dawn when Hua Zhi woke up. After making some arrangements, she took Shaoyao back to her own yard. After having breakfast, she pushed Shaoyao back to the bed and hurried to the front yard.
You can make up for your sleep later, but you can’t stop studying.
Gu Yanxi could see that she was tired at a glance, but he didn't say much. Even though he was not at the Hua family last night, he could guess that she was not relaxed. The capable people in the Hua family were too capable, while the incapable people were really incapable, and the number of people was quite unbalanced.
Hua Zhi saw him looking at her, thinking he was wondering why Shaoyao didn't come, so she explained, "Shaoyao was tired last night, so I let her sleep a little longer."
Gu Yanxi nodded, but didn't say that she hadn't thought of her at all just now.
Hua Zhi knelt down and bowed to Gu Yanxi, "Thank you, Mr. Lu."
Hua Zhi didn't say what to thank her for, but Gu Yanxi knew it, so she gave him a fake support and said, "Miss, there's no need to be so kind, it's just a small favor."
But your gesture is like a timely help to me, Hua Zhi thought to herself, from the life-saving grace on the rainy night to now, from Mr. Lu to Shaoyao and then to their master, when she thinks about it carefully, she has lost count of how many times she has been grateful. Even if the other party is a bad guy, when the time comes for her to repay, I am afraid she will help the evil. I hope her luck will not be so bad.
After watching Hua Zhi enter the clan school, Gu Yanxi brushed his sleeves and left leisurely.
The Hua family seemed no different from yesterday. There was a sense of calmness everywhere. Those who should study were studying, those who should practice martial arts were practicing martial arts, and those who should dress up were dressing up. The only difference was that there was the sound of a child crying in the Fourth Lady's yard.
Mrs. Wu, wearing a headscarf, looked at the child in the wet nurse's arms. She was still in a bad mood. The price she paid for escaping death was not small.
Nanny Song brought over the chicken soup that was just the right amount of cool, but Wu pushed it away after drinking half a bowl, feeling very sick of it.
"Even if it doesn't taste good, you should drink more. You have to make up for what you lost during the confinement period, otherwise you will suffer a lot in the future."
Wu reluctantly drank a few more sips and said, "Next time, remove some of the excess oil. It's too oily and I can't eat it."
Nanny Song had no choice but to put down the bowl.
"Where is Zhi'er busy?"
"I went to the clan school. I asked around and found out that the eldest girl and Miss Shaoyao both slept in the old lady's courtyard last night. They didn't come out until dawn and they didn't look very well."
Mrs. Wu laughed at herself, "Even I was frightened by the thunder, let alone the old lady, who knows what she was up to last night."
"Who said it wasn't? But no one can help me. No matter how tired I am, I still went to the clan school early this morning."
Wu sighed. When the Hua family was prosperous, nothing was noticeable. There were two Hanlin scholars in the same family, and the Hua family was the only family in the whole capital that had this honor. No one could match their fame. But once they fell, their shortcomings became apparent. To describe it in one word, they were strong on the outside but weak on the inside.
Without all her halos and the man who stood in front of her to protect her from the wind, frost, rain and snow, the woman of the Hua family turned out to be so weak, short-sighted and unpresentable.
Not only the three sisters-in-law mentioned above, but also herself, no matter in her parents' home or after marrying into the Hua family, they have lived too comfortably and have lost the ability to face the wind and rain. What she doesn't understand is, where did Zhier, who has even less experience and knowledge than them, get all these abilities
But no matter how much she weighs, after she finishes her confinement, she needs to help with household chores. She cannot let a junior support the family while she still wants to take advantage of it.
She didn't pay attention when the door was pushed open, until she heard a voice of "Nannan" and then she looked over suddenly, her eyes immediately reddened.
"Mother..."
"Stop crying, don't cry, be careful not to hurt your eyes." Although she said so, Wu herself was also crying. "How are you? The person who came to report the news was vague, and I didn't ask much. Is everything going well?"
"My daughter almost didn't get to see you." Wu threw herself into her mother's arms and cried loudly. The fear of escaping death seemed to have just come out at this moment. She still couldn't believe that she had managed to get out of such a difficult situation.
"What's going on? What happened? Where's the child? Is the child okay?"
Nanny Song wiped her tears and told the story of what happened. Mrs. Wu listened and kept chanting "Amitabha". She was glad that she had put aside all her concerns and came in person. She had no idea how scared her daughter was at that time.
"Why didn't you ask someone to notify me at the time? I can't help you with anything else, but I can't come over to cheer you up?"
Mrs. Wu shook her head gently. "Since I have severed my relationship with my parents' family, there is no point in bothering them again. And based on what happened yesterday, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to get in even if I really sent a letter out."
"What do you mean?"
"My mother-in-law is also ill. The eldest girl ordered people to lock the four corner doors and not allow anyone to go in or out."
Mrs. Wu didn't know for a moment whether she should ask about her in-laws' illness first or ask what happened to her eldest daughter.
Wu wiped her tears and whispered about what had happened in the Hua family recently, including the fact that Hua Zhi saved her life yesterday.
Mrs. Wu was silent for a while, then she sighed deeply, "I know the personalities of your three sisters-in-law. I originally thought that this mess would fall on you, but since ancient times, there has been an order of seniority, and it is not reasonable for you to be the head of the family. I was worried that you would have a hard time with a baby, but I didn't expect it to be like this."
Mrs. Wu then asked again as if to confirm, "Is she really the one who makes all the decisions at home?"
"It couldn't be more true. Not only you, but everyone in the family was frightened by her at that time." Mrs. Wu leaned lightly on her mother's shoulder. "Just listen to this story for yourself, don't tell anyone else. Zhi'er is not the type to seek attention, and she doesn't care about those false names outside."
"I know. I won't even tell your sister-in-law." Madam Wu touched her daughter's face. "Don't blame your sister-in-law. She is a member of the Wu family. In her heart, no one is more important than her husband and children. Not to mention you, a married woman, even her family members have to take a back seat in her heart."
"No complaints. I'm glad she cares about the Wu family. Compared to the reactions of the other families, my sister-in-law has been very lenient."
Mrs. Wu sighed, chatted with her daughter for a while, then went to see her mother-in-law. She left without offering any meal. After all, she still had to take care of the Wu family. She came in an inconspicuous carriage and deliberately avoided the crowd when she left.
Hua Zhi simply said "yes" after receiving the reward, and asked Fudong to make some refreshing and nutritious food to send to Fourth Aunt. She herself took the time to catch up on some sleep as she was really very sleepy.
After the afternoon class, Yingchun came to report, "Miss, the second aunt's people are here. According to your instructions, they were taken directly to the third concubine's room."
"Is the Third Concubine crying or laughing?"
"She's crying. I'm afraid Second Aunt is not having a good time in her husband's family."