Chapter 141: The Difference in Upbringing

Old Master Hua was furious at Hua Changxi's abrupt departure, feeling both the shame of losing face before outsiders and the deep pain and disappointment that she would so disregard her family's feelings.

"Leave her be; her wings have hardened. If she wants to leave, let her. This household can carry on without her. Everyone, sit down and eat."

Suppressing his rage, Old Master Hua signaled for everyone to begin eating, then bowed his head and ate in silence.

The atmosphere was oppressive and stagnant; no one dared to provoke the old master at such a time, so they merely picked up their chopsticks and ate without tasting the food.

At the dinner table, Hua Mingzhe and his two sons, along with Third Master He, felt utterly depressed; they had forsaken reunion with their own families to dine specifically at the Hua residence, only to witness such a farce.

Amidst the gloomy ambiance, lunch ended hastily; shortly after, Hua Mingzhe and his two sons found an excuse to depart the Hua home, and Third Master He followed suit, taking Lady Hua Five and the children with him.

The carriages of the two families rolled out of Xiuzheng Ward, one after the other.

"That Ninth Lady Hua is far too unfilial and rebellious."

Inside the carriage, for Hua Hongchen and Hua Hongtao, who were meeting Hua Changxi for the first time, today had been quite an eye-opener.

Hua Hongtao said, "Uncle Minghe is too ineffective; watching Ninth Lady Hua talk back to Grandfather Bin, he didn't even intervene to discipline her. If I were him, I would have stepped in long ago to teach Ninth Lady Hua a lesson."

Hua Hongchen replied, "Indeed; I used to think he was the most responsible person in Grandfather Bin's household, but now it seems that was an exaggeration."

Hua Hongtao suddenly sneered, "What does it matter that the whole family are cultivators? If even a granddaughter dares to contradict her grandfather, such a family will never prosper."

Hua Hongchen said, "Just thinking about having to curry favor with such people in the future makes my stomach turn."

Watching his two sons gossiping, Hua Mingzhe said, "Enough, stop talking. Before we obtain the body-refining technique, you must not show even a shred of contempt toward Hua Bin's family in their presence. If your own improper words and actions cause us to miss out on the technique and ruin your futures, you will have only yourselves to blame."

Seeing his father angry, Hua Hongchen quickly said, "Father, rest assured; we understand the gravity of the situation. We were merely complaining in private."

Hua Hongtao added, "Yes; at the Marquis Manor, we have long gotten along well with Fourth Brother Hua and the others." He paused, then continued, "Fourth Brother Hua and Seventh Sister Hua are quite easy to get along with; it is only this Ninth Lady Hua we met today who is arrogant and aloof, acting as though she looks down on everyone."

Hua Mingzhe sighed, "The more talented a person is, the harder they are to befriend."

Hearing this, Hua Hongchen and Hua Hongtao exchanged a glance and fell silent.

When their family was still flourishing, they were often taken by the Marquis and the Heir Apparent to social gatherings, where they had met some prodigies; while a few of these prodigies were approachable, most were indifferent to others, much like Hua Changxi's attitude toward them today.

Hua Mingzhe said, "Regardless, you must still take the initiative to befriend Ninth Lady Hua in the future."

As they spoke, the father and two sons returned to their manor; upon arrival, all three were summoned to the main courtyard.

The Great Clan Elder, Hua Xianyao, who was already over seventy years old, had been waiting specifically for their return: "Why have you come back so early?"

Hua Mingzhe immediately recounted the farce that had occurred at Hua Bin's home: "Uncle Bin was enraged; I judged today was not the right time to discuss matters, so I brought the two children back first."

Upon hearing this, the Great Clan Elder frowned and said, "Hua Bin does not know how to discipline his descendants." Turning to Hua Tai, he added, "Find an opportunity to advise him; how can a grandfather allow a junior to ride roughshod over him, especially when that junior is a young lady?"

Thinking of the arrogant and unruly Hua Changxi, Hua Tai immediately felt a headache coming on: "Father, Hua Bin does have his methods for disciplining descendants; most of his grandchildren obey the family's arrangements. It is only Ninth Lady Hua who has gone astray."

The Great Clan Elder snorted, "His methods are simply not harsh enough; if his tactics were sufficiently severe, even someone who has gone astray could be straightened out. How difficult can it be to manage a young lady?"

Hua Tai said, "In my opinion, harsh methods will not work on Ninth Lady Hua; they might even produce the opposite effect."

The Great Clan Elder scoffed at these words; he believed that under a heavy fist, everyone must submit. As long as the falling blow was hard enough, even the hardest bones could be smashed to pieces.

"Enough about Ninth Lady Hua; a young lady cannot dictate much. As long as Hua Bin still wishes to prove himself before the clansmen, we can achieve our objectives through him."

Afterward, the Great Clan Elder discussed affairs concerning the Marquis Manor with Hua Tai and Hua Mingzhe.

Seeing that there was nothing more for them to do, Hua Hongchen and Hua Hongtao exchanged a glance with Hua Wanyue, and the three siblings subsequently left the room one after another.

"Wanyue, you have interacted with Ninth Lady Hua at the Medical Bureau; what is your opinion of her?"

Hua Wanyue thought for a moment before replying, "Ninth Lady Hua's medical skills are indeed impeccable, but I do not like her as a person; she is far too arrogant. Even when Shu Ran from the Heir's household actively tried to draw closer to her, she remained indifferent."

Hua Hongchen asked again, "I heard she is quite famous at the Medical Bureau?"

Hua Wanyue let out a scornful laugh, "What fame? She merely taught classes to the laborers in the Labor Hall for a short while. Since no one at the Medical Bureau had ever given lectures before, she simply stood out by comparison."

"Did you know that now, the Bureau Chief's two disciples, along with Gu Jinfan of the Duke of Xing's household, are all giving lectures at the Medical Bureau? Since they began teaching, Ninth Lady Hua has been completely overshadowed."

"When Ninth Lady Hua lectured, only a few laborers attended; but when Gu Jinfan and the others lecture, the entire Medical Bureau turns out, making seats hard to come by. Nowadays, who even remembers Ninth Lady Hua?"

Hearing this, Hua Hongtao stated bluntly, "Father still wants us to take the initiative to befriend Ninth Lady Hua; I think we should forget it."

Hua Hongchen said, "We must still maintain superficial civility."

Meanwhile, Third Master He returned to Wu Yi Marquis Manor with Lady Hua Five and the children.

"Five, take the children back to your room first; I will go pay my respects to Father and Mother."

Watching Third Master He's retreating figure, Lady Hua Five looked somewhat desolate; indeed, her treatment within the He family had improved, but only in terms of good food and drink.

Third Master had never taken her to the main courtyard to meet the Marquis and the Marchioness, nor had he ever discussed He family affairs with her; although the Marchioness and the Heir's wife sent gifts every month, neither had ever come to see Xiaoman; whenever there were family gatherings or visits from friends and relatives, she was never allowed to attend.

Today, when Third Master had proactively suggested accompanying her back to her natal home for the Mid-Autumn Festival, although she was overjoyed, she also guessed he had ulterior motives; judging by his behavior at the Hua home today, his target was Ninth Sister.

Thinking of Ninth Sister's temperament, Lady Hua Five's face clouded with worry; she could foresee that whatever Third Master hoped to gain from Ninth Sister, he would not succeed.

Lowering her head to look at the child in her arms, Lady Hua Five murmured, "I hope that when the time comes, Third Master will not take out his anger on us, mother and child."

In the main courtyard of the Marquis Manor, Third Master He also informed the He family of everything that had transpired at the Hua residence.

Upon hearing this, Marquis Wu Yi laughed twice: "When a talented person emerges within a family, the first to step forward and hinder them are actually their own relatives; truly laughable and tragic."

After laughing, Marquis Wu Yi straightened his expression: "That Hua Changxi will definitely become a significant figure in the future. Although she is a young lady and a junior, her ability to remain unaffected by outside judgment or swayed by familial emotions is something ordinary people cannot achieve."

Hearing this, the Marchioness disagreed: "Such a person is ultimately too cold and heartless."

Marquis Wu Yi shook his head, "To accomplish great things, one cannot be subjected to too many distractions."

The Marchioness said, "Ninth Lady Hua is merely a young lady; what great things could she possibly accomplish? In my view, her personal abilities are merely slightly stronger than average, but given that she cannot even maintain good relations with her own family, one can imagine that she is likely difficult to deal with in front of outsiders as well. Such a person is suited to being a lone wolf and will not achieve anything significant."

Marquis Wu Yi actually agreed with this statement, so he turned to look at his two granddaughters: "Sirong, Siqi, what are your thoughts on Hua Changxi?"

He Sirong thought for a moment before saying, "Hua Changxi is indeed somewhat too unconventional."

He Siqi also commented on the contrast between Hua Changxi's lectures and those given by Gu Jinfan, Mu Qingying, and Yuan Tianchou: "Hua Changxi's lectures were purely instructional; although she gathered some followers, they were all laborers, which is useless."

"Although Gu Jinfan and the other two have not been lecturing as long as Hua Changxi, their gains are certainly far greater. Take their reputation at the Medical Bureau, for instance; Gu Jinfan and the other two are now known by everyone at the bureau, whereas Hua Changxi? Perhaps only the laborers in the Labor Hall still remember her."

He Sirong added, "In my opinion, whether in medical skills or pill refining, Hua Changxi is definitely superior to Gu Jinfan and the other two. Her lectures catered to laborers and covered only basic medical knowledge; whereas Gu Jinfan and the others lectured on spiritual plants and spiritual pills, which is why they are far more popular than Hua Changxi."

"I suspect that if Hua Changxi were willing to give lectures on spiritual plants and spiritual pills, she would absolutely not lose to Gu Jinfan and the others, but for some reason, she has never given such lectures."

Looking at his two granddaughters, Marquis Wu Yi asked, "So you still hold Hua Changxi in high regard?"

Without any hesitation, He Sirong and He Siqi nodded simultaneously.

He Sirong: "This granddaughter feels Hua Changxi has a very distinct personality; though she is not easy to befriend, she inevitably draws one's attention."

He Siqi: "When Hua Changxi lectures, she is completely immersed; she answers questions and shares her insights without reservation. This granddaughter feels very fortunate to have attended her classes."

After hearing this, Marquis Wu Yi looked at Third Master He: "Third Brother, the ties with the Hua family cannot be severed. In the future, have your concubine visit her natal home more often." He paused. "Remember to bring the child along."

Upon hearing this, Third Master He nodded in agreement.

Marquis Wu Yi added, "The Hua family's Body Refining Technique must be acquired as soon as possible. Once the He Army begins refining their bodies, they will inevitably become a force that commands fear."

Recalling Hua Changxi's attitude toward him, Third Master He looked troubled. "I fear that will be difficult."

Marquis Wu Yi fell silent for a moment, then turned to the Marchioness. "From now on, let Hua Wuniang accompany us when receiving guests. Whenever our family holds a banquet, send an invitation to the Hua family as well."

"Between in-laws, mutual assistance is only proper. If we treat Hua Wuniang well, surely the Hua family will not remain ungrateful?"