Hua Zhi has always taken good care of her body, but ever since she was injured on the farm, her hands and feet are no longer as warm as before, not to mention on snowy days, when she is often so cold that she can't even feel where her hands and feet are.
She intentionally kept her distance from Mr. Lu, but failed again and again when she needed his help. She always knew that women's physique was not as good as men's, but she didn't know the gap was so big.
If it weren't for Mr. Lu's help along the way, she wouldn't have been able to reach Yinshan Pass, and even if she managed to go, she would probably not be able to come back.
She underestimated how cold the north would be.
It was not until she left Chen Ping's territory that she rode alone again.
It's still cold here, but it's no longer unbearable for Hua Zhi.
At this time, the Hua family's peace that had lasted for many days was broken, and the eldest aunt Hua Jing came back.
Upon hearing the news, the old lady couldn't hide her smile and quickly asked Nanny Su to prepare some tea and snacks. In order to make herself look more energetic, she stopped lying on the bed and got up and sat at the table.
Footsteps sounded, Madam Hua smoothed her hair, raised her eyes with a smile and looked towards the door, "Finally..."
“Bang!”
Hua Jing stepped over the threshold and pushed the floor vase at the door to the ground without saying a word. All the valuables in the house had been confiscated. Hua Zhi thought the house was too shabby, so she asked housekeeper Xu to find some things and put them in her grandmother's room, including this pair of floor vases.
With another bang, another one broke.
The old lady placed her hands on her knees and clenched them tightly, her back straight, and just looked at her eldest daughter quietly with an indifferent expression.
Everything that could be thrown down in the room was thrown down, and those that could not be thrown down were also pushed to the ground. Hua Jing's hair was disheveled, and her facial features were ferocious, like a mad woman.
"Aunt, you..."
"Get out!" Hua Jing shouted harshly, her chest heaving rapidly, her resentment almost turning into substance.
"The daughter of a sinner, haha, I am now the daughter of a sinner! Mother, please tell me, how did I become the daughter of a sinner? Ah? I am obviously the daughter of the president of the Hanlin Academy. I have been married to the Song family for 20 years, and my husband's family dare not say a harsh word to me. How can I be the daughter of a sinner?"
"Let me remind you that you were already a sinner's daughter four months ago."
Hua Jing threw the only intact tea set left on the table to the ground, and said in a shrill voice, "Didn't you teach me how to control a man? Aren't you proud that your father respects and loves you? Why didn't you stop him when he was rushing to a dead end? You risked your life to stop him! Why do you want to drag me down? Why do you want me to bear the consequences of your wrongdoings? Why, ah, why?"
"Because your last name is Hua, because you have enjoyed the wealth and honor of the Hua family for half your life, and because you are the daughter of Hua Yizheng." The old lady pinched the tiger's mouth tightly, and said calmly, "You can enjoy the wealth of the Hua family, and you must also bear the suffering of the Hua family. If you are afraid of being implicated, just cut off your relationship with your natal family. The crime does not apply to married women, and it does not involve you."
"Haha, haha, it has nothing to do with me. I have lost my backing, and you still say it has nothing to do with me. Your son-in-law used to hide his visits to brothels for fear that I would know, but now he dares to bring someone home and even says he wants to raise her as his concubine. How dare you say it has nothing to do with me!"
"Then what do you want to do? The Hua family has collapsed, and your backer is gone. This is an unchangeable fact. Your family can no longer help you. You have been married to the Song family for twenty years and have given birth to two sons and a daughter. You can't be unable to stand without your family."
"There is another way, mother. As long as you help me, there is another way."
The old lady subconsciously knew that her method would not be a good one, but this was her eldest daughter, her first child. She still remembered the feeling of being a mother for the first time, even though her daughter had grown beyond recognition, even though she had not greeted her haggard face since she came in and it felt like she was stabbing a knife in her heart, but this was still the child she had loved with all her heart.
"you say."
"Leave me alone."
"who."
"Fudong, the maidservant beside Hua Zhi."
The old lady dug her nails into her palms, "Why do you want her?"
"Song Wei likes women who are like little white rabbits. Fu Dong is also first-rate in appearance, not to mention that she is also a delicious cook." Hua Jing said with excitement, as if it would really happen.
The old lady closed her eyes and said, "You forgot to say one thing. If Fu Dong follows you, she will not be able to escape from your control with her personality."
"Mom just understands me..."
"Impossible." The old lady laughed, not knowing whether she was laughing at herself or at Hua Jing's wild imagination. "The Hua family would never do such a shameful thing as giving the maidservant next to their granddaughter to their son-in-law as a mistress."
Hua Jing's expression suddenly changed. She rushed to the old lady and grabbed her shoulders. Her voice was so sharp that it hurt people's ears. "The Hua family no longer exists. The Hua family has collapsed!"
The old lady extinguished the last bit of light in her heart and looked straight into her eyes. "I am here, and the descendants of the Hua family are all here. With them here, the Hua family will stand up again one day. Hua Jing, open your eyes and watch carefully, watch how the Hua family stands up. Now, get out of the Hua family! From now on, the Hua family has nothing to do with you! The honor and disgrace of the Hua family has nothing to do with you! Get out!"
"Go away if you want! Do you think I want to come?"
Hua Jing turned around and walked out.
When she walked to the outer room, she saw that the clothes and appearance of the wives of the Hua family were not as glamorous as before. She stroked her temples reservedly, snorted lightly, and walked away quickly with her skirt fluttering.
"Old lady!"
A scream came from the room, and Wu clearly saw Hua Jing, who had already walked out of the door, paused slightly, and then walked away without looking back.
Her eyes also turned cold. She had never liked this aunt, but she had never hated her as much as she did at this moment!
They walked quickly into the house and were frightened by the blood on the table and the floor. The blood at the corner of the mouth of the mother-in-law, who was coughing heartbreakingly, was shocking.
Wu ran over holding up her skirt and asked anxiously, "What happened? Why did mother suddenly cough up blood?"
Without waiting for Nanny Su to reply, she immediately strode out the door and said, "Go and inform Butler Xu, and have him invite Doctor Chu into the mansion immediately, and quickly."
Thinking of how Zhi'er had tried every possible means to help the old lady hide her illness from other people in the family, Wu smiled bitterly. She was afraid that she could not hide it this time. She hoped that the Bodhisattva would bless her mother-in-law to be safe and sound, otherwise she really didn't know how to explain to Zhi'er!
Inside the house, Zhu came forward and gently stroked her mother-in-law's back. Seeing that her mother-in-law couldn't stop coughing and blood was still flowing from the corner of her mouth, she immediately had tears in her eyes, "Is there no other way? Can I just keep coughing like this?"
Nanny Su shook her head. The old lady had gotten much better during this period. Normally, she would only cough a few times a day as long as she drank some medicinal tea. The current condition was so serious that it had never been like this before.
Nanny Su didn't dare to think too much. She first ordered someone to go to the eldest lady's courtyard to have some medicine boiled and sent over. She then waved to Nanny Chen to come over and help the old lady back to bed. Two quilts were placed behind her for her to lean on.
After a while, the old lady finally calmed down. When Nanny Su took the handkerchief from her hand, her heart ached as it was completely wet.
PS: The next update will be late. The girls have too high expectations for this book. I am very nervous and have revised every chapter again and again for fear of disappointing you. Thank you Miss Wang, the expert in catching bugs. I will revise it after the editor gets to work.