Blossom In Adversity - Vol. 2

C283. The Former Fiancé.

Chapter 283: The Former Fiancé

Hua Zhi, missing her family, immediately responded to Bai Mingxia's visiting card upon learning of his return. She sent Xu Ying to Shi Zai to inform Fu Dong to prepare a banquet featuring mushrooms.

However, she hadn’t expected Shen Qi to come along.

After exchanging greetings, Bai Mingxia smiled, "He happened to be at my place, so I brought him along. Miss Hua, you seem to have lost weight. I heard from Du Cheng that you went south?"

"Yes, to discuss a business deal." Hua Zhi didn’t evade the question. Seeing Fu Dong approaching with red eyes as if on the verge of tears, she laughed, "What's wrong? Don't you want to see me?"

"Miss, you know it's not like that." Fu Dong, for once, retorted.

She was desperately training those around her, hoping to soon be able to leave and return to the miss's side. But she couldn't do that in the short term. Just thinking about it made her sad. If the price of doing what she loved was leaving the miss's side, she would rather not.

Gently flicking her forehead, Hua Zhi turned to Bai Mingxia, "This is Fu Dong, my most trusted maid. She's the one who runs Shi Zai. If Uncle ever comes again, you can go directly to her."

"Excellent." Bai Mingxia laughed, showing no displeasure at the fact that a maid was in charge of Shi Zai. Hua Zhi was satisfied and gestured for Fu Dong to lead the way.

The private room at the back of the second floor of Shi Zai was usually empty. It had a separate back staircase, allowing one to avoid encountering acquaintances from the front.

Perfect.

With the Bai family's accounts still in disarray, Bai Mingxia really didn't want to see certain people who would pretend to care but had ulterior motives.

They sat down according to their status, and Hua Zhi pushed the tea towards Bai Mingxia. "Uncle, have you been back for long?"

"Only three or four days. Don't worry, your family is all well. Yuezhi has found a place where he can showcase his talents without any restrictions. He's now in the general's manor and is highly regarded by General Wu. Although he doesn't have much power, at least the Hua family has a bit of backing now. Not everyone can trample on them."

"That's not surprising. Father and my second and third uncles are not good at practical matters. They would be better suited to be teachers. If they wanted to establish themselves there, they could only rely on Fourth Uncle."

Bai Mingxia laughed, "You see things clearly. Your father is indeed teaching now."

Hua Zhi was startled. Could an exiled person be a teacher?

Shen Qi seized the opportunity to explain, "Teacher isn't teaching at a school. There's no real school in that place. He's just teaching the local children. Someone else handles his other tasks."

So that was it. Hua Zhi nodded slightly. That was good. Her father was a true scholar. Holding a book always made him at ease. Asking him to do other things would probably only result in half-hearted efforts.

Bai Mingxia handed her a package. "This is from Yuezhi. It's all letters."

Hua Zhi thanked him but still didn't mention her upcoming trip north.

Even though Bai Mingxia had a good relationship with Hua family's fourth master, he was still an outsider to the Hua family.

The letters only contained some inconsequential matters, avoiding all sensitive topics, so there was no need for him to carry any important messages. Bai Mingxia could only share what he had seen and heard, and Shen Qi added a few details on the side.

As they were nearly finished talking, Fu Dong seemed to have timed it perfectly, bringing in the dishes one by one. Because there were few people, the portions were small, but there were a total of twelve dishes, including stews, stir-fries, braised dishes, and so on. The room was soon filled with the delicious aroma of mushrooms.

Bai Mingxia smiled, "I've heard that Shi Zai's mushroom banquet is exceptional. I can finally taste it for myself today."

"Uncle, please enjoy it."

Fu Dong's cooking skills were praised by both Gu Yanxi and Shao Yao, so it was no surprise that she could also win over Bai Mingxia. After the meal, Bai Mingxia ate until his stomach was round and even played the spoiled child.

"All the hardships I've endured on this trip can't be made up for with just one meal. I need at least three, no, five meals. Don't you think so, niece?"

Hua Zhi also ate a lot during this meal, although she has been busy non-stop since coming back. In fact, she only returned today, and she hasn't had many good meals in the past month or so.

She admires Bai Mingxia's character and approves of his business methods. She wouldn't embarrass him in this matter, "This private room is reserved for entertaining our own people, uncle Shi can come anytime."

Bai Mingxia raised an eyebrow, one of our own people?

Indeed, their relationship with Yue Zhi is quite good, but he doesn't really want to treat him like one of their own brothers!

Bai Mingxia suddenly felt bored, rather than sulking in the capital city, he would rather travel the world and enjoy himself.

With a decision in his mind, Bai Mingxia proactively brought up the matter that Hua Zhi mentioned before he went north, "Will the words of the young lady be honored?"

Hua Zhi raised her chin slightly, "I am not a man, but my word is my bond."

"Then please tell me about how we can cooperate on the canned goods business."

"It's simple, I will supply the goods, and you will purchase them from me. I will add a certain margin on top of the cost and sell the goods to you. How much you can profit depends on your skill."

Bai Mingxia was not very satisfied with this cooperation method, he felt too passive, but he had to admit, this was the most straightforward way of collaborating.

At this moment, Shen Qi stood up, "My mother is unwell, I need to go back earlier, so I'll take my leave."

Knowing that he was avoiding suspicion, the two did not stop him. Hua Zhi nodded graciously, "The Hua family values Mr. Shen's kindness."

Shen Qi felt a bitter taste in his mouth, and a sense of regret filled his heart. The words he had been holding back all this time suddenly burst out, "Miss Hua, there's no need for this. I have been a student of my teacher for many years. Even if our relationship is shallow, my identity as his student will never change. I already feel guilty about this matter, and hearing you say this only makes me feel even more uncomfortable."

Mentioning her father, Hua Zhi softened a bit. Her father, who had spent half his life with books, had only a few students, two or three at most, and Shen Qi was the one who had won his heart the most. If she didn't really think highly of him, she wouldn't have agreed to marry him.

Hua Zhi bowed again, "Mr. Shen is right. You will always be my father's student, and he has always been proud of you."

Shen Qi smiled bitterly in his heart, and after bidding farewell to Bai Mingxia, he looked deeply at Hua Zhi before leaving.

Maybe it's better not to see each other again in the future. Every time they meet, the obsession in his heart grows deeper. She must be firm and decisive, she wouldn't like this kind of entanglement; he didn't want to be disliked by her.

Bai Mingxia looked at Hua Zhi, whose expression hadn't changed at all, and knew that only Shen Qi was trapped in this situation. So, he found it easier to speak his mind, "Yue Zhi is worried about you and he thinks Shen Qi has a good temperament, which would be a good match. If you are interested, why not talk to the Zhu family and let them figure out how to resolve this matter. It seems like Yue zhi is more worried than he is supposed to be."