Chapter 228: People Are All Sensitive

He San sensed Hua Changxi's dislike for him; though slightly irritated, he didn't pay it much mind.

Once he elevated Hua Wuniang to the status of principal wife, the Hou Fu and the Hua family would become true in-laws.

What are in-laws?

It means forging a bond between two families, exchanging what each has to offer.

In his view, even though Hua Jiuniang was currently the Hua family's most resourceful member, before she married, she remained a daughter of the Hua family, and the Hua family was ruled by Old Master Hua.

What he needed to do was strive to build good relations with the Hua family's male members.

Regardless of whether Hua Jiuniang was willing, the Hua family could, to a certain extent, be utilized by the Hou Fu.

Inside the carriage, while teasing He Xiaoman, He San asked Hua Wuniang, "Did you mention the matter of Siqi and Sirong to Jiuniang?"

Hua Wuniang shook her head. "No."

He San frowned, his tone somewhat displeased. "Why didn't you mention it?"

Hua Wuniang was actually somewhat afraid of He San; seeing his angry expression now made her even more nervous, so she only lowered her head and fiddled with the handkerchief in her hands.

Seeing her behave so unsophisticatedly, He San grew angrier. "In the future, when others speak to you, do not lower your head; it not only makes you appear petty but also invites others to look down on you."

Hearing this, Hua Wuniang immediately blushed, her cheeks and earlobes turning red with shame.

Seeing her like this, He San's dissatisfaction deepened; if not for the resurgence of spiritual energy that brought the Hua family good fortune, someone as unsophisticated as Hua Wuniang wouldn't even qualify to be his personal maid.

"Hua Wuniang, listen well: as my wife, I do not demand that you be slick and ingratiating to all, but you absolutely must not drag me down."

"After we return to the Hou Fu, I will speak to my mother and ask her to assign an elderly nurse to you; you must diligently rid yourself of your poor, rustic air, lest you embarrass me at future social engagements."

Hearing He San's undisguised contemptuous words, the figure of Hua Changxi floated into Hua Wuniang's mind.

She recalled the phrases Hua Changxi had always hung on her lips since childhood.

'Dignity is something one fights for oneself.'

'How others treat you is something you allow.'

'I do not allow others to disrespect me; even if I cannot defeat them, I will curse them twice to let them know I am not easy to bully, and that bullying me comes with a price.'

These words echoed in Hua Wuniang's ears, suddenly giving birth to courage in her heart; she abruptly lifted her head, looking He San straight in the eye.

"If Third Master despises me so much, then why bother elevating me to principal wife?"

Hua Wuniang's nature, to put it kindly, was gentle and uncontentious; to put it harshly, it was cowardly and incompetent.

He San had long figured Hua Wuniang out, so seeing her actually talk back to him now truly startled him, followed immediately by a sneer.

Tsk, tsk, tsk...

The Hua family had produced a Hua Jiuniang, and now even Hua Wuniang, gentle as a cat, dared to bare her claws.

Seeing the undisguised mockery in He San's smile, Hua Wuniang felt nothing but shame and humiliation, her voice trembling. "Third Master, you once said that everything has a price."

"Since the He family wishes to form a marital alliance with the Hua family, then accepting me, whom you despise, is the price you must bear."

"Husband and wife are one body; if Third Master mocks and looks down on me, isn't he also mocking himself for marrying me?"

Seeing that Hua Wuniang did not lower her head in shame as she used to, but instead dared to provoke him with words, He San immediately flew into a rage born of humiliation and grabbed her chin.

"I truly didn't realize you were so sharp-tongued."

"What, do you think that because I am elevating you, you can act without respect for your elders?"

He San's grip on her chin was painful, but this time she did not retreat, still staring directly at He San.

He San stared at Hua Wuniang for a moment before flinging her away.

His force was considerable; Hua Wuniang nearly fell over.

Supporting herself on the stool, a conspicuous bruise from his pinch marked Hua Wuniang's fair chin; though her chin hurt, a smile now played on her lips, and a joy she had never experienced before welled up inside her.

So, contradicting, resisting, and defying others wasn't actually that difficult.

No wonder Jiuniang enjoyed opposing Grandfather and Grandmother so much; she must have discovered the pleasure in it long ago.

After Hua Wuniang sat up properly, He San saw she had no intention of admitting fault; though dissatisfied, remembering that he still needed to report the Hua family's situation to his relatives upon returning to the Hou Fu, he broke the silence first.

"Hua Wuniang, you are right; accepting you is a price I must bear. But what about you? Are you prepared to bear the price you must pay?"

Hua Wuniang frowned and said nothing.

With the Hou Fu nearly in sight, He San had no patience for beating around the bush and got straight to the point.

"Siqi and Sirong were sent to Hua Jiuniang's side at great cost to the Hou Fu; for the sake of better relations between the Hou Fu and the Hua family, you should also persuade Hua Jiuniang to take better care of Sirong and Siqi."

Hua Wuniang looked at He San. "Third Master, you do not understand my Jiuniang; she is not someone who listens to persuasion. Sirong and Siqi have helped me; as long as they do not cross Jiuniang's bottom line, Jiuniang will not truly abandon them."

He San was clearly dissatisfied with this answer; what he wanted was special care and preferential treatment from Hua Jiuniang toward He Sirong and He Siqi.

But he also knew that since Hua Jiuniang didn't even listen to Old Master Hua, she certainly wouldn't listen to Hua Wuniang.

He San spoke with resentment. "In which family do daughters not prioritize their elders' opinions above all? Hua Jiuniang is the most unfilial and rebellious person I have ever met."

Hearing this, Hua Wuniang frowned and looked at He San. "Third Master, no one likes those who do not like them."

"People are sensitive; they can perceive all kindness, malice, likes, and dislikes. No matter how you disguise your dislike for Jiuniang, she will surely detect it; in that case, can Third Master still expect her to treat you favorably?"

Rendered speechless by the question and feeling he had lost face, He San ignored Hua Wuniang and focused solely on teasing He Xiaoman.

Hua Wuniang also turned her head to look outside the carriage, watching the street scenes rush by as her thoughts churned.

Her own words just now had awakened her.

Jiuniang was not very close to the family; during this return to the Hua home, she could clearly feel that something seemed to separate Jiuniang from the rest of the family.

Was this because Jiuniang had sensed that the family's care and concern for her were not pure, but carried other motives?

In the blink of an eye, it was the third day of the first lunar month; Hua Minghe and Hua Dalang went off to begin their duties, and once the father and son departed, Hua Changxi bid farewell to the Hua family and left the Hua courtyard.

The Medical Bureau would not resume official duties until the sixth day of the first lunar month, but Hua Changxi went early; upon arriving at the Qihuang Hall on the thirteenth, she entered the secret realm space.

Inside the secret realm, Hua Changxi inspected the spiritual herbs and plants in the first four layers while contemplating how to manage and operate the secret realm in the future.

'The arrival of Xia Zhen and others resulted in the simultaneous opening of eighteen divine wood secret realms in the Dan Sheng Hall; from this, it can be inferred that when the Dan Sheng Hall manifests in the future, even more secret realms will open. How can my secret realm be distinguished from the others?'

After considering this problem, Hua Changxi felt she should give a name to the divine wood secret realm she had obtained.

Furthermore, the secret realm required someone to manage it; she needed to install an access control system for the realm and issue entry tokens to those who would tend it, making management far more convenient for her.

The secret realm's name, its access control system, entry tokens...

Installing the access control required setting up formations, while forging the tokens would require a artifact refiner...

As Hua Changxi pondered these matters, she felt she ought to seek out Tong Yao.

Tong Yao knew formation masters, and being a member of the Artifact Saint Palace himself, he could handle the crafting of various items needed for the secret realm's future operations, such as robes for the herb farmers.