Blossom In Adversity - Vol. 2

C337. The Difference Between Men and Women.

Chapter 337: The Difference Between Men and Women

The Hua estate, a fortress in its own right, had tightened its defenses with a suffocating grip since Hua Zhi, the family’s pillar, was still entangled up north.

Hua family became even more cautious, with hardly anyone coming in or out on a daily basis except for necessary purchases.

Wu shi set aside the account book and looked at the industrious but orderly Yingchun and the others, Calculating days in her head like tally marks on a prison wall, she murmured, "The eldest daughter should be back any day now."

At her words, the senior maidservants' masks of dutiful calm cracked, revealing smiles of relief. The eldest miss—her presence wasn’t just comforting; it was a damn anchor. When she was around, even the most chaotic storms were navigable.

Liu Xiang walked in briskly, "Madam, Mr. Wang is here to see you."

Wu Shi’s brow twitched. Wang Rong. The family’s martial arts instructor, a man too proper for his own good, had an uncanny knack for avoiding attention—until now. She’d kept a deliberate distance, but if he was here uninvited, something urgent.

Wu shi composed herself and replied, "Please come in."

Wang Rong entered without looking around, bowing with a lowered gaze, and handed over a package, “The master asked me to deliver this on behalf of the eldest miss. The letter will explain everything, Madam.”

Wu Shi’s mouth thinned into a razor line. “Zhi’er hasn’t returned?”

“No, Madam.” His voice was low but firm, devoid of comfort.

Her fingers brushed the package as she nodded curtly. “Thank you, Mr. Wang.”

Wang Rong bowed and exited with the same precision he entered, leaving behind an air heavy with unanswered questions.

Wu Shi’s hands hesitated over the package, her heart battling between dread and curiosity. The letter resting on top was unmistakable—it bore her husband’s handwriting, as familiar as her own reflection.

The first few lines hit her with a wave of melancholy, but as she read deeper, sorrow turned into something sharper. Her breath caught, and her hands trembled so violently she nearly dropped the letter.

Yingchun and the others exchanged glances, feeling uneasy.

Wu Shi bit down on the inside of her cheek, forcing calm where there was none. Her fingers gripped the letter as if holding on for dear life, and then she read it again. Slowly. Deliberately. When she finished, she let out a shuddering exhale and passed the letter to Yingchun.

Her voice, when it came, was low and cold. “Your master is right. No one else can know of this. Zhi’er’s burden cannot be hers alone to bear.”

The room was thick with tension as Yingchun and the others leaned in, eager to catch the words inked on the letter. Bao Xia’s face twisted as her eyes scanned the top lines. Her voice wavered, but the bite was there. “Injured again? How could she be hurt again? Every time she steps out, she comes back like this. How is she supposed to endure all of it? Her body’s not made of iron.”

Wu Shi’s mind snapped back to the faint, bitter scent of medicine that clung to Zhi’er when she returned from her southern trip. Without missing a beat, she cut in. “Tell me—what happened last time? When she got hurt in the south. You were with her, weren’t you, Bao Xia?”

Bao Xia hesitated, but her resolve crumbled as the memory of her mistress’s struggles came flooding back. She wanted them all—every single person in this damned house—to understand what Zhi’er had endured. Her voice tightened. “It was over a deal. A local business with a filthy reputation didn’t take it well when Eldest Miss refused to cave to their demands. She avoided a confrontation, thinking she could let it slide. But that bastard didn’t back off. He targeted her, tracked her down. When we were leaving by the docks, they ambushed us. That’s when she got hurt.”