Blossom in Adversity

C120. Sui'an Seeks Help.

Chapter 120: Sui'an Seeks Help

Sui'an knelt before Hua Zhi with a heavy heart, "Cousin, please send someone to take my mother away from the Yang family!"

He didn't ask his maternal grandmother, but Hua Zhi. The recent funeral had made it abundantly clear who truly held sway in the Hua family.

If Hua Zhi were merely a woman confined to managing the household, Sui'an wouldn't have dared to ask. But he knew his cousin was more than that! She had dared to bar her own aunt from the family home, to allow a woman to keep vigil at a funeral, and to journey to the far-off northern lands. He believed such a woman would protect her family, even a married one.

All eyes turned to Hua Zhi, eager to see how the newly appointed head of the family would respond.

Hua Zhi's expression remained unchanged, as if this was nothing out of the ordinary. And indeed, it wasn't surprising. Once a family declined, the daughters who had married out often faced difficulties, especially if they hadn't secured a strong position within their husband's family. And his second aunt had never been one to hold sway over her husband.

"Don't worry, get up and tell me everything in detail."

Sui'an didn't want the family scandal to spread, but for his mother's sake, he would risk anything. "Yesterday when I returned home, Father and Mother still seemed affectionate. Grandmother said a few harsh words to Mother, but Father defended her. But this morning when I went to greet Mother, all the servants were outside her room. Mother was crying inside. When I tried to enter, the servants blocked me. I argued with them, and Gui Zi helped me push them aside. When I finally got inside, I saw Mother, her clothes disheveled, her face and neck covered in bruises. Father said he would divorce Mother if the Hua family didn't intercede on his behalf. Cousin, Mother can't stay in the Yang family anymore. For months, she has been mistreated by them. Even the kitchen has been stingy with her food. She's already frail, and she won't last much longer like this. Cousin, I beg you."

Sui'an knelt again, not minding kneeling to a woman as long as she could rescue his mother from that hell.

"A man should only kneel to heaven, earth, ancestors, teachers, and his wife. You don't need to kneel to me. It's only natural for a family to protect its married daughters from abuse. If we don't help her, how can we expect the future daughters of the Hua family to have a good life?"

Sui'an's eyes reddened. He had been afraid his cousin would say that a married daughter was like spilled water and that she couldn't do anything. Thankfully, his cousin wasn't that kind of irresponsible person.

"Liu Xiang, go and call Bai Lin."

"Yes."

Sui'an was startled. Calling his cousin was...

"If I were to intervene, the Yang family would likely laugh at the Hua family for having no men. Although Bai Lin is young, he is the oldest male in the Hua family now. It would be more appropriate for him to handle this. But there's something I need to ask you."

"Yes, Cousin?"

"Does your mother want to leave the Yang family?"

Sui'an bit his lip. Of course, Mother wouldn't want to leave. He had tried to persuade her countless times. Although the Hua family had fallen, their pride remained. They weren't the kind of family that would mistreat their daughters. If she returned, her life might not be so bad. But his usually meek mother was adamant about this matter.

Hua Zhi sighed, "Perhaps she doesn't really want to leave, but she's worried about you. She has protected you with all her might in the Yang family, shielding you from harm. But once she's gone, all those troubles will fall on you. Have you thought about that?"

Sui'an was stunned. He had always thought his mother didn't want to leave because she couldn't bear to leave her husband.

"Do you want your mother to leave? Even if you have to endure those hardships after she's gone?"

"Yes," Suian replied without hesitation. "Since I bear the Yang surname, they wouldn't dare to do anything to me. Besides, if Mother isn't in the Yang family, I can simply live in the academy. It's just that Mother's dowry will probably be lost. A lot of it has already been taken over the years."

"Those are material possessions. If they're gone, they're gone. If the Hua family can't recover, those things will eventually belong to the Yang family. But if the Hua family rises again, the Yang family will have to return that dowry, not a single copper coin less."

Sui'an nodded vigorously.

Hua Zhi also found this cousin appealing. She didn't mind cleaning up after others, as she'd done plenty of that in her past life. However, she hoped the person she assisted wasn't inherently bad and that her help would prove worthwhile.