Blossom In Adversity - Vol. 2

C215. Concerning the Wu Family.

Chapter 215: Concerning the Wu Family

Knowing that the two families were now intertwined, Wu Shi was even more opposed to Hua Zhi going.

Hua Zhi gently shook her head, "If I retreat this time, what about the next? Will I retreat again? And then retreat endlessly? Once a person is accustomed to retreating, how can you expect her to become strong again? I will never take that step, Fourth Aunt. The He family is a prime example."

At the mention of the her  family, Wu Shi was also speechless. Such a once-proud family had fallen, and their foundation was much more solid than the Hua family's. But where were the members of the He family now?

Those who had married out were struggling to survive, while the remaining old ones were merely lingering on, half-dead.

At the thought of the Hua family possibly suffering the same fate, Wu Shi shivered. She could not say any more words of opposition.

She knew she was selfish, but who in the world was not? Wu Shi lowered her head, too guilty to meet Zhi'er's gaze.

Hua Zhi was not surprised by this outcome. Fourth Aunt had sincerely opposed when she did so, and all her concern for her was genuine. But once her own interests were involved, everyone would think more of themselves. This was human nature, just as she had told the Sixth Prince, it was the nature of humans.

"Don't mention the divorce decree to the others in the back courtyard. I don't want everyone to avoid me like a snake or scorpion."

"How dare they?!" Wu Shi looked up, her eyes flashing with anger. She was selfish, but she had to remember what she should do. Otherwise, what was the point of being human?!

"Less gossip is always good." Huazhi smiled, "Have those side-branch families tried to meddle in your affairs?"

Wumshi paused, knowing that when Hua Zhi asked this way, she already knew something. She didn't hide it and nodded, "Indeed, they have. I managed to block them."

"Trying to interfere in my business?"

"Not that greedy, they said we're busy while they're idle, becoming a burden. They just hope you can spare a bit for them, so they can make a living too."

"What do you think of them?"

Wu shi hesitated and looked over.

Was Hua Zhi implying...?

Hua Zhi took a sip of tea, even though she didn't really like floral tea, finding it too bland, "Idle people tend to overthink, but when they're busy, they don't have time to think about irrelevant things. Giving them something to do might be helpful."

Subconsciously, Wu Shi picked up the cup and took a sip, then spoke up, "Will this affect us here? Hua Zhi, don't blame me for being narrow-minded. It's better to have our own peace of mind, I've seen too many heartless and ungrateful people. Instead of giving them the confidence to challenge us, I would rather support them."

"Do you think they can ride on my head?" Hua Zhi lightly laughed, meeting Fourth Aunt's eyes. Without even trying to be imposing, just sitting there made Wu Shi feel more at ease. Suddenly, she covered her face and chuckled.

Hua Zhi was not someone who could be easily bullied, it was just that she had underestimated her. Hua Zhi had the confidence to keep the money-making business in check and prevent them from causing trouble.

Her heart calmed down, and Wu Shi was able to give a fair assessment of the several families. "Although Second Aunt has a rather fierce temper, she is after all from our direct line. Old Master and her father-in-law were biological brothers, so she should be more trustworthy. The third Aunt is a cousin on our father's side, and although there is a generation gap, she has always been close to the Second Aunt. Fourth Aunt's branch is of a lower birth of concubine-born, so there's no need to mention them; they've always followed the other three. In other words, as long as we can control Second Aunt, we can control the other families."

[TN: 二叔奶奶 (Èr shū nǎi nai): This translates to "Second Uncle's wife," referring to the wife of a brother of the Hua Zhi's grandfather. I will translate it as Grandaunt from Hua Zhi's lineage hierarchy perspective.]

Hua Zhi nodded, "Understood. Please ask you to personally invite them over later. I will talk to them."

"I can only run errands for you, whatever you need." Wu Shi held Hua Zhi's hand, looking at this girl who seemed to have suddenly grown from a sapling into a towering tree. "I'm not worried about you being taken advantage of, but I have to tell you, Madam Wu is just a paper tiger, strong on the outside but weak on the inside. As my second sister-in-law, you need to be careful of her. Don't be fooled by her seemingly gentle appearance. That's the real danger, the one who eats you alive and leaves no bones."

"The 'beautiful snake'?" A more fitting term might be a 'white lotus flower,' but Fourth Aunt probably wouldn't understand that.

"I once saw her deal with the pregnant concubine of my second brother. The way she smiled made me have nightmares about it for a long time. The second Brother was not respected in the family, and consequently, she didn't have much face with my mother either. My first sister-in-law comes from a prosperous family and was carefully chosen by my mother as the eldest daughter-in-law. However, despite marrying into the Wu Family for so many years, she seldom suffered losses at the hands of my first sister-in-law. Every time she would suffer a loss, everyone would know that my first sister-in-law wasn't right to her."

Wu Shi sneered, "What kind of person is my second brother's beloved, just wait and see, I wonder how long she can keep pretending."

Hua Zhi once again felt that she had overdone it with this medicine. Fourth Aunt's gloating tone was really...

"My mother..." Wu Shi lowered her head, unable to completely erase the love she had once received, just because she had possessed it, losing it was unbearable, and she couldn't help but feel resentment. But that was her mother!

"If my mother says something unpleasant, please forgive her this time, just this once. In the future, I won't interfere."

"However, she is an elder. If I really do something, wouldn't it be gossip? Rest assured, I know how to handle it." Hua Zhi did not readily agree. She didn't know how things would turn out, so she preferred not to promise and try to handle it positively.

Wu Shi had nothing more to say. She tightened the hand she was holding and said, "I'll go to Second Aunt's house now."

"No rush, let's wait for Xujie to come back. Maybe I accused the Wu family unjustly."

Wu Shi bitterly smiled. She hoped it was a misunderstanding, but judging from the attitude change of the Wu family, it seemed unlikely.

Hua Zhi became too busy herself. The business in the Green Moss Alley was booming, even in bad weather, the queue was long. She planned to expand by buying the adjacent alley on the river side.

The layout of the capital was very orderly. The alley named Lilai Alley had a similar layout to Green Moss Alley. Due to the popularity of Green Moss Alley, the prices of the shops in Lilai Alley had increased. It was unlikely to buy it at the previous price.

But compared to the huge profits, the initial investment was worth it.

She left this matter to Chen Liang. Chen Liang hesitated and said, "If you send someone from our side, the shop owners would know it's you who wants to buy, and the price won't go down. It's better to find someone else and make them think someone else wants to compete with you, that way we can save some money."

"That makes sense." Hua Zhi nodded in appreciation. She hadn't thought of that before. "You go find out who owns those shops, I will find someone with a fresh face to negotiate."

"Got it."

Wu shi listened throughout and admired Hua Zhi's eyes. The servants in the Hua family were now very capable under her management.

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