Blossom In Adversity - Vol. 2

C323. Wu Yong's Thoughts.

Chapter 323 Wu Yong's Thoughts

For days on end, Hua Zhi spent more time passed out than conscious. Her body was fighting to patch itself up, and the sedatives in the herbal soup kept her down. Not that she complained—whenever she did wake up, the pain hit like a freight train, leaving her no choice but to endure in silence.

The Hua family took turns chatting her up when she wasn’t knocked out cold, filling the dead air and trying to keep her spirits afloat. After four or five days, the worst seemed to pass. She slept less, her face gained a hint of color, and Shao Yao started hauling her outside twice a day to soak in some sun.

It was during these moments, watching the world she’d been dragged into, that Hua Zhi got her first real glimpse of the Hua family’s exiled life—and it hit her like a punch to the gut.

Every morning, the family gathered in grim routine: from her elderly grandfather to the youngest cousin, barely eleven, they spent half an hour reading together. Then the elders headed to government offices, while the younger ones switched into work gear—sturdy tops and pants tucked into shoes—and grabbed their shovels for the day’s grind.

Yingshan Pass wasn’t kind. The mines needed bodies to dig deep, and the jagged mountains demanded constant reinforcement. Exiles like the Hua family? They were just tools for the job, tossed wherever they fit.

At first, half the Hua family slogged underground, enduring the filth and danger. Hua Pingyang, sharp as ever, used the gold bars Hua Zhi had given him to bribe and negotiate their way out, piece by piece. But before that? They ate dirt. Scholars and nobles, shoved into hell and told to live with it.

Eventually, Pingyang got the elders out, then worked on freeing his own generation. But the younger ones? They were stuck. It wasn’t just about resources—it was politics. If the Hua family looked too comfortable, too successful, they’d draw the wrong kind of attention. Envy turned dangerous fast in Yingshan Pass.

So, the younger Hua clan labored on the rocky mountains, their hands toughening as their pride took hit after hit. After half a year, they’d adapted. Sure, they still looked like scholars when they donned their robes, but strip them down to short jackets? Their arms told a different story—lean muscle from work that didn’t ask, just took.

Watching them sweat and haul like beasts of burden, Hua Zhi couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

Could her legendary ancestor, towering in the family’s history, ever have pictured his bloodline like this—stooped, scarred, and jacked?

Probably not. But here they were, develop strong muscles.

Basking in the warm sun, feeling so leisurely, Hua Zhi indulged in her thoughts for a while until she heard footsteps and looked up.

Dongzi quickly approached and reported, "Miss, General Wu requests an audience."

Hua Zhi smiled and raised her voice, "The Hua family now has a low threshold, there's no need for formal requests. General Wu, please come in."

Shao Yao was inside pounding medicine. Upon hearing the conversation, she peeked out with the mortar in her arms. "Huahua, we don't need to pay attention to anyone. Just focus on recovering from your illness."

"It's nothing. I'm just idle." Hua Zhi tilted her head and looked at her. "Caocao, go wash your face."

Shao Yao absentmindedly wiped her face, making it even more colorful.

When Wu Yong saw her like this, he chuckled, causing Shao Yao to shoot him a glare before retreating.

Why did Hua Zhi's smile make him unable to contain his own?