Chapter 222: The Desire to Go South

Zhu Haodong waited in the outer room. The two of them walked out of the room one after the other and went straight to Zhu's second uncle's study.

The study had always been a place for discussing serious matters. In some families, women were strictly forbidden from entering. Being treated so well by her second uncle, Hua Zhi felt a sense of relief.

She wasn't a feminist, but the way this era belittled women was sometimes unbearable. Fortunately, the Hua family was not like that, and the Zhu family seemed to be quite good as well, at least from what she had seen so far, they had given her enough respect.

After a servant brought in some tea, Zhu Haodong dismissed all the servants.

"Has the matter with the Yang family been resolved?"

Hua Zhi smiled, "Second Uncle doesn't seem surprised."

"I have some understanding of Yang Qi. If he hadn't been beaten and forced to write a divorce letter, he wouldn't have made such a fuss just for the sake of his own face."

"But no one believed him."

Yes, no one believed him. Even Zhu Haodong himself had thought that perhaps Zhi'er had used some trick to get the divorce letter, and because he had suffered a loss, Yang Qi was so eager to slander Zhi'er. Because of this, the younger generation of the Zhu family had already fought with the Yang family several times, and there had been no shortage of overt confrontations between the older ones.

Unexpectedly, everything Yang Qi said was true. This niece of his really dared to do anything, she was so bold that he even wanted to send the Zhu family's daughters to the Hua family to be raised, and let Zhi'er take them in, he wondered if they could learn even thirty percent of her ability.

Zhu Haodong then talked about the progress of the soap workshop, "Half of the people are from our Zhu family, and the other half are from the Zhou family. The capital is the same. Other matters are arranged as you said. If you have time, why don't you come with me to take a look?"

"I won't go. I won't get involved in this business, and whatever happens depends on your ability, Second Uncle."

Zhu Haodong was not surprised. His niece's courage in this area even made the old man give her a thumbs up. Thinking of the situation at home, Zhu Haodong's heart sank slightly. His father wanted to treat everyone fairly, but how could that be possible?

One was in politics and the other was in business, and business was naturally inferior. If it were in the past, he would definitely not agree to let this business, which he had started himself, be returned to the family public fund. But when he learned from Zhi'er that all the businesses in her hands were returned to the family public fund, he gave up those thoughts.

He couldn't compare with Zhi'er, but as an elder, he didn't want to be too far behind. As long as his elder brother didn't have any other thoughts, he would return it to the family public fund. After all, the formula was in his hands.

Putting aside these messy thoughts, Zhu Haodong humbly asked his niece for advice. He could see that his niece had some really good ideas and thoughts, but there were too many problems in the implementation. He was not afraid of losing face, so he brought them up one by one and asked for advice.

Hua Zhi did not hold back and explained in as much detail as possible, and for those that really could not be implemented, she replaced them with other methods from this world. The two of them talked and forgot about the time, and only realized that their mouths were dry and the tea in their cups had long been empty when someone knocked on the door of the study.

Zhu Haodong slapped his forehead and without caring who was outside, he ordered, "Quick, bring some tea."

"The door creaked open, and Hua Zhi glanced over before quickly standing up. "Grandfather."

Zhu Bowen ignored the other two and walked over to the chair. Picking up the paper on the coffee table, he began to read. A smile spread across his face when he finished. "I heard from the servants that you two have been talking for quite some time now. Still haven't finished?"

"Business matters always take time," Hua Zhi replied, realizing that her throat was extremely sore. Her second uncle was a natural businessman, able to think on his feet. Having not met someone like him in a long time, she had gotten a little excited.

A servant brought in a pot of freshly brewed tea, and Hua Zhi drank three cups before quenching her thirst.

Zhu Bowen didn't say much to the two of them. He was pleased to see that Zhi'er was willing to be close to her maternal family.

"I heard from your grandmother that you went to the Wu family?"

"Yes, I couldn't avoid it."

Zhu Bowen nodded slightly. For the Hua family to rise, Zhi'er couldn't avoid or retreat. People always bullied the weak and feared the strong. "Wu Zhen has been making frequent moves this year, all in an attempt to climb higher. It seemed like he was about to succeed, but unexpectedly, he was rejected by the head of the Seven Stars Bureau at the morning court. Looking at his expression when he left the court, things don't seem good for him. I'm afraid he's going to have a hard time."

So that was how it was. Thinking of Physician Chu, who had been hurriedly invited in when she was leaving, a warmth spread through Hua Zhi's heart. Since Yan Xi had reprimanded Wu Zhen at the court, there must have been a valid reason, but she didn't believe that he had no ulterior motives. She was being protected by that man.

"This is truly poetic justice." Zhu Haodong looked up at his father. '"id the Seven Stars Bureau give a reason?"

"Yesterday, someone submitted a complaint against Wu Zhen to the Prefectural Office, and it happened to be seen by the head of the Seven Stars Bureau. Qi Qing didn't accept it, but the complaint ended up in the hands of the Seven Stars Bureau. Qi Qing has also been implicated, and the matter has been recorded in the department's files, so Wu Zhen can't escape. For our families, who can withstand a thorough investigation? Wu Zhen's promotion is out of the question. He can only preserve his current position if he can settle this lawsuit."

Zhu Bowen paused. "Zhi'er, did you come to me for something?"

"Yes, I plan to go to the south in a while."

Father and son exchanged glances. Zhu Haodong wanted to say something but closed his mouth. Zhu Bowen frowned. "Where in the south are you going? Can't you send a servant? If you trust me, the Zhu family still has some people you can use."

"To the coastal areas of Jingzhou." Since she had decided to inform her grandfather, Hua Zhi explained in detail. "The ingredients for the next business venture I'm planning come from there. I need to go there myself. There are some things there that I've only seen in old books. I have to go."

"No, Jingzhou is too far. It's close to the Yan Kingdom, and it's never been peaceful. As a young lady, you going there alone..."

"Don't say anything." Zhu Bowen cut off his son's objection. "Have you decided? Are you absolutely going?"

"Yes."

"How many people will you bring?"

"The guards at home have been learning martial arts from Master Lu, and they're quite capable now. I'll bring a few more, and I'll also ask Master Lu to come with me."

"Are you sure you can trust Master Lu?"

"Yes, I do."

Zhu Bowen didn't ask any more questions. He had a better understanding than his younger son. Zhi'er hadn't told them everything. She wouldn't have made this decision without being confident. Last year, she dared to travel to the northern regions, so going to the south wasn't surprising.

"Don't worry about the Hua family. I'll look after them."

"You just need to keep a general eye on things. I've been shielding them for a long time now. The Hua family is relatively stable now, but we can't let the other members become useless because of this. The Hua family's men need to be able to handle responsibilities, and the young women need to be calm in difficult situations. They rely on me too much now, which isn't good. The Hua family doesn't belong to me alone. The stability of a family shouldn't depend on one person. Leaving home now will be a kind of test for them. If there's a major problem, please help me, but for minor matters, let them solve it themselves. Even if things get as bad as before, it doesn't matter. I can fix it. Consider it a lesson for them."

After nearly a year of hard work, she had finally pulled the Hua family back together. Yet, she was willing to sacrifice this progress to foster the growth of the younger generation of the Hua family.

What is it called when one is fearless like a young calf?

What is it called when one has such courage?

This is it!

———TN: While family ties can be complex and diverse, certain relationships raise ethical and moral concerns. In the case of first-cousin marriages, even if they have different surnames, the genetic closeness can lead to potential health risks for offspring. Such marriages can increase the likelihood of inheriting recessive genetic disorders, which can have serious consequences for the children.