Blossom In Adversity - Vol. 2

C217. Tea Party (1).

Chapter 217 Tea Party (1)

Hua Zhi was unaware of the bustle in the court and left the house, calculating the time.

It was like going to a rather ordinary appointment. She wore a slightly worn white dress, with only a small white flower as decoration on her head. Since everyone knew she was in mourning but still invited her, she assumed her attire wouldn't be an issue.

Even her maids, she only brought Nian Qiu and one old nanny, as she managed to coax Shao Yao into staying back.

In the carriage, Hua Zhi instructed the Suyun Mama, "Since these people are willing to act this way, they have no intention of cherishing old relationships. You don't need to use the old madam as leverage. I can handle these people on my own. There is no need to involve my grandmother in this matter."

Suyun Mama hesitated before responding. She thought the reason the young lady brought her along was precisely for this.

"If they truly cherished any feelings, I wouldn't have to visit them today. Why disturb my grandmother over trivial matters?"

"Understood."

Hua Zhi closed her eyes to rest, contemplating the situation she would have to face and remained silent throughout the journey.

When the carriage stopped, voices from outside came in at the same time, "Isn't this the carriage of the eldest Miss Hua?"

A servant of the Hua family replied, "Exactly."

Hua Zhi held Nianqiu's hand as she walked out of the carriage, standing on the carriage's steps, looking down at the people deliberately waiting for her below, a young man who appeared to be seventeen or eighteen.

Being scrutinized by her, the man unconsciously straightened his back and introduced himself, "I am Wu Chunsheng, the eldest young master of the Wu family. I am here to welcome the eldest Miss into the mansion."

It was interesting for a male member of the Xu family to welcome her. If it had been her own family, it would have been fine, but she and the Wu family were not close. It was just a previous marriage relationship, which didn't hold much significance.

Were they expecting her to be embarrassed by the presence of a man?

Or perhaps, they wanted to spread some unpleasant gossip about her?

Such obvious schemes, really.

Hua Zhi turned back into the carriage and her voice came from inside, "With the Wu family behaving like this, I'd rather not go. Let's go back."

Wu Chunsheng, being young and stubborn, didn't want to let her go like this, "Why would the eldest Miss say such things?"

"Is it the custom of the Wu family that a gentleman welcomes a lady? That's quite refreshing. However, the Hua family is strict and does not tolerate such boldness. Please tell the old lady that I am breaking the appointment today."

"Would the Wu family's ladies be escorted by a gentleman? The way the eldest Miss put it was a bit offensive."

"Oh? The Wu family's ladies wouldn't be treated this way, but the Hua family's ladies should? What kind of logic is this?" Hua Zhi stepped out again, looking down at Wu Chunsheng with a cold gaze and expression. "Does the Wu family think the Hua family should be treated so disrespectfully?"

The rumored aloof and proud beauty was indeed like this. Wu Chunsheng's heart fluttered a bit. This Hua Zhi was different from those soft and weak women. She was quite intriguing. If only...

Suppressing any thoughts, Wu Chunsheng softened his expression and placated, "The Wu family would never disrespect the eldest Miss. It's just that as the eldest grandson of the Wu family and you being the granddaughter of the Hua family, it's polite for me to welcome you. I didn't expect you to think otherwise. It's just..."

"If that's the case, the old lady should personally welcome me. Even though I am young, I am still the head of the Hua family. For you to compare yourself to me, you're making yourself out to be more important than you are." Huazhi turned to go inside. "Please inform the old lady."

"Wait." An old lady, accompanied by two young maids, hurried out from the eastern side gate. Suyun mama quietly mentioned her identity, "This is Madam Wu's nanny, Zhu Mama."

Zhu Mama came over and offered a deep bow, with a forced smile on her face, "Please forgive us for any misunderstanding, the old lady will surely discipline the young master properly."

If Hua Zhi wanted to pursue the matter further, she had every right to. As she turned to leave without any further confrontation, it was evident that she understood the proper etiquette. But her purpose for coming today was not to engage in a public dispute with the young masters of the Wu family at the doorstep.

She gracefully descended the steps, with Suyun mama assisting her out of the carriage. She remained silent, clearly displaying her displeasure. She had already decided that today she would be straightforward, as it was her strong suit.

Zhu Mama had to maintain a smile as the Wu family was at fault. If the eldest Miss Hua hadn't noticed the underlying intentions, Zhu Mama would have let it slide. But since the young lady saw through it, she had to be the target of her frustration.

No matter what she said, it was Suyun Mama who caught every word perfectly. They entered the inner courtyard and even in the Wu family's garden, Zhu Mama was ignored.

The Wu family's garden was not in the inner courtyard but on the side of the mansion, gaining some reputation in the capital.

Old Madame Wu had a strong interest in flowers and plants and had persisted in collecting rare flowers for decades. Wu Zhen's father was filial and would bring back new species to honor his mother whenever he found them. Following his lead, everyone in the household paid great attention to the garden.

After the Wu family's ancestors passed away, the garden was handed down to the daughter-in-law and then to Wu Zhen's wife.

The family took pride in the garden, using it as a venue for gatherings and gatherings for both the younger generation and the women.

Truly beautiful, even though it was already past the chilly season, the flowers were blooming vibrantly, even those not yet in full bloom showing no signs of decline, a testament to the careful maintenance by the Wu family.

In such a setting, Hua Zhi's pretense of anger gradually dissipated. Wu Zhen's wife, Zheng shi, coincidentally approached her at this point. "Maidservant said my unruly child offended the eldest Miss. It's my fault for not disciplining him properly. Please don't be angry, eldest Miss."

Hua Zhi gave a shallow bow, neither humble nor arrogant. "I thought the Wu family had the custom of male members welcoming female guests."

Zheng shi's expression changed slightly, then she quickly put on a smile. "No, no family has such a custom. It would be breaking the rules."

"Exactly. Isn't breaking the rules what your Wu family just did?" Huazhi chuckled.

Being chosen as the daughter-in-law by Old Madam Wu, Zheng shi was not foolish and understood the implications of Huazhi's words. But she could only pretend not to understand, inwardly annoyed at how Old Madam Wu allowed Chunsheng to do such things. It would reflect poorly on his reputation if it got out.

Due to its common use as a gathering place, the garden had several pavilions of different styles. The most eye-catching was a pavilion with fluttering white curtains, used for gatherings of unmarried young ladies, which was not needed today. Zheng shi led her to another pavilion not far away, exuding an air of wealth and nobility.

Hua Zhi, however, felt somewhat out of place in this environment.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the traces outside the pavilion were still fresh, indicating that it was recently built. She couldn't believe that the two previous mistresses of the Wu family would have built such a pavilion that disrupted the overall layout.

Gathering her thoughts, Hua Zhi was just like that. When she liked someone, she would willingly treat them well, but when she hated someone, she felt that even their breath was wrong.

———TN:
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