Blossom in Adversity

C60. The Shizi Eavesdrops Again.

Chapter 60: The Shizi Eavesdrops Again

Hua Zhi's heart felt sour and soft, sitting closer to gently stroke her brother's neck. Despite the longing look in her brother's eyes, she did not soften her attitude. "The North is much colder than the capital. If grandfather falls ill there, what will be the consequences? Although I have prepared some silver for them before, grandfather has to take care of not only our direct family, but also the branches connected to us. That bit of silver is not enough. Moreover, in such a harsh and cold place, even with silver, many things cannot be bought. I have to bring them from the capital."

"But it doesn't have to be you, eldest sister, going. There are so many servants in the house. Can't they go?"

"They don't carry the Hua surname." Hua Zhi sighed lightly. Hua Bailin did not understand. Only when the Hua family's people go can they be reassured, relieving them of their worries.

"Don't worry, elder sister won't leave without any consideration. Now, let's go back to the previous matter. Can you take care of the younger brothers as their teacher while I'm not at home?"

Hua Bailin nodded fiercely. If his eldest sister was going so far away, how could he let her worry about such a small matter?

A smile appeared in Hua Zhi's eyes. "Now, let's talk about the second matter. Let me ask you, how do you feel about Mr. Mu?"

"He's very good, better than other teachers."

"Are you willing to become his disciple?"

Hua Bailin's eyes lit up. "Mr. Mu is willing to accept me?"

"Taking a master is a big deal. I have to ask you first. If I make the decision and you don't like Mr. Mu, wouldn't that be doing a disservice? Of course, if you don't catch Mr. Mu's eye, it means you don't have the destiny of teacher and disciple. Don't hold a grudge, understand?”

"Yes, eldest sister."

Hua Zhi tapped his forehead. "You cry and laugh alternately without feeling embarrassed. Go wash your face quickly."

After school, Hua Zhi stopped Mu Qing, who was about to leave. To avoid suspicion, the two of them discussed the matter on the corridor.

Mr. Mu laughed heartily. "I don't mind saying, I really like the Sixth Young Master. But I feel that bringing it up now would be taking advantage of the situation. The Hua family has been esteemed for hundreds of years. How could their descendants be under my care, a mediocre person?"

"In my opinion, Mr. Mu is worthy of the title of teacher."

To Mu Qing, any compliments were not as weighty as this sentence. It was the biggest reward for his role as a teacher for several years.

He solemnly bowed, and Hua Zhi quickly evaded.

"In that case, I will report to my grandmother and set a good day for this auspicious event."

"As you wish, Miss."

Gu Yanxi relied on his keen ears and listened to their conversation from a distance. In his heart, he praised Hua Zhi's decision.

He had just checked Mu Qing's background. He came from the talented people of Yangzhou and had scored top results in the imperial examinations twice consecutively. He came to the capital aiming for the top rank.

Back then, he fell down from grace because of his arrogance and because some people couldn't stand his too outstanding performance. Hua Yizheng could recognize talent, and it was no loss for her family to bring such a person as a teacher.

"Yan-ge, aren't you leaving yet?"

The host family hadn't urged him yet, but his own people were already prompting him to leave. Gu Yanxi looked at Shao Yao, who was busy pounding medicine in a small bowl, and inexplicably felt like a mother marrying off her daughter.

"What happened at the family clan school this morning?"

Shao Yao covered her mouth and laughed for a while before releasing it, with a face full of medicinal stains. "Second Miss and Third Miss of the Hua family also went to be teachers at the family clan school. Guess what the result was?"

Gu Yanxi didn't even need to think. "It didn't go well, I presume."

"I went to listen secretly..." Seeing the Shizi furrow his brows, Shao Yao hurried to explain, "It's not really secret. I was just on the other side of the family clan school, behind the wall. They didn't know I could hear them."

"This is the Hua family. You need to be cautious in your actions and not cause trouble for Hua Zhi."

"I know." Shao Yao also felt that she had done something wrong, her voice clearly lacking confidence. If she was discovered, it would not be good for Hua Zhi. She needed to be careful and not embarrass Hua Zhi.

Gu Yanxi looked towards the corridor. "What did you hear?"

"It was stuttering and disjointed, much worse than Hua Zhi. One was heaven, one was earth. They thought they were so great, hmph." She looked proud as if she was the one in heaven. Gu Yanxi glanced at her, then redirected his gaze to Hua Zhi.

Being familiar with something doesn't mean you've mastered it. Just because Hua Zhi can handle it doesn't mean others can, and being a teacher is not as easy as it seems. If it were, there wouldn't have only been Hua Zhi as a female teacher for so many years and be recognized.

Seeing Hua Zhi walking towards them, Shao Yao picked up the bowl and went to meet her. "Huahua, Fu Dong said he will cook Braised Pork for dinner."

"Fu Dong must have improved his cooking skills thanks to you." Wiping her face with a handkerchief, Hua Zhi looked at Gu Yanxi. "I wanted to talk to Mr. Lu about something."

Gu Yanxi raised an eyebrow. "Please, Miss Hua."

"Among the attendants and servants, is there anyone that Mr. Lu thinks is capable of being trained?"

Gu Yanxi was currently leading two classes at the Hua family. One was for the Hua family children, held in the morning, and the other for the family's guards and servants. The servants were personally selected by Hua Zhi, loyal and physically fit, so that they could handle any unexpected situations.

"I’m curious, Miss, what exactly are you planning? It would help me set the appropriate training standards."

"They need to endure long journeys and be capable of handling a few assailants." Hua Zhi's expression was calm as she dabbed at a spot on her cheek that Shao Yao had scratched.

Gu Yanxi almost immediately understood what Hua Zhi intended for these people. He went through the list in his mind, making a few adjustments, and asked, "How many people does Miss need?"

"Four to six."

"No problem."

"Then please increase the training intensity for these people, Mr. Lu. I’ll need them in a while.’"

"Yes."

Hua Zhi gave a slight bow and turned to walk towards the inner courtyard. After a few steps, she stopped and turned back. "If I wishes to train my stamina, would Mr. Lu be willing to offer some advice?"

Before Gu Yanxi could reply, Shao Yao exclaimed, "I’ll teach you, Huahua! I’ll teach you."

Hua Zhi was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "Yes, how could I forget about you? There’s no need to trouble Mr. Lu then."

Gu Yanxi bowed politely and took his leave. Before leaving, he glanced lightly at Shao Yao, who shivered, realizing belatedly that she seemed to have done something wrong.

After thinking for a moment, she realized she hadn’t done anything wrong and continued to pester Hua Zhi. "Huahua, what do you want to learn? I know light body techniques, perfect for gathering herbs. I can also use a sword, although I don’t use it often. Oh, and I know a set of palm strikes that look really cool. Huahua, I’ll teach you. You’ll look even better doing them."

"…"

Hua Zhi didn’t want to learn any ‘cool’ palm strikes.