Chapter 25: Fifth Sister Gets Married

【Realm: Qi Refining Stage 1078/1000】

【Classic of Hundred Herbs Annotation (Perfected): Tasting Hundred Herbs 3001/】

【Flawless Art Perfected】

【Encyclopedia of Processing (Introductory): Processing Herbs 1/10】

【Encyclopedia of Meridian Mapping (Minor Success): Dissecting Herbs 25/100】

Hua Changxi entered the Menial Hall on the twenty-first of the ninth month. A month had passed, and all her stats had improved significantly, with the Flawless Art upgraded directly to perfection.

After the Flawless Art reached perfection, Hua Changxi's ability to control wind and water improved further. Now, she could control wind and water simultaneously.

Previously, cleaned herbs would be covered in water, but now, Hua Changxi could drain the herbs while cleaning them.

Besides playing a major role in cleaning herbs, the Flawless Art was also very useful for Hua Changxi's personal hygiene.

For example, with one use of the Flawless Art, clothes worn for several days would become as clean as new; or, a dusty floor would become spotless under the effect of the Flawless Art.

On the twentieth of October, Hua Changxi got up at 5:45 AM. After a quick wash, she left the dormitory.

At this time, the others in the same dormitory were just waking up one after another.

"It's truly rare; Hua Changxi actually got up earlier than us."

"She's going home today. Steward Du said that as long as she finishes her work, she can leave."

Watching Hua Changxi leave quickly, Sister Shi's complexion was very bad. She regretted it now, but unfortunately, Hua Changxi would rather get up early to work than swap leave days with her.

When Hua Changxi arrived at the warehouse, it was exactly 6:00 AM. After waiting for a few minutes, the warehouse gate opened.

After the incident where Mao Wei was taught a lesson, the people in the warehouse didn't dare to provoke Hua Changxi again, except for making things difficult for her by assigning her hard-to-clean herbs.

Loading the collected herbs onto a cart, Hua Changxi pulled them back to the Sixth Bureau.

She soaked the whole cart of herbs in water and activated the Flawless Art. The herbs immediately rolled and shook in the water. By the time Lu Qingluo and the others arrived, Hua Changxi had already gone to pull the second cart of herbs back for cleaning.

If not for the sake of keeping a low profile, with her current proficiency in the Flawless Art, she could clean all 500 herbs in less than a quarter of an hour.

Hua Changxi dawdled until 9:00 AM before pulling the cleaned herbs to the Second Bureau to hand in her work, to the shock of everyone in the Sixth Bureau.

"How exactly does Hua Changxi clean herbs? How can she be so fast?"

Usually, Hua Changxi spending a whole morning cleaning 500 herbs was shocking enough, but today was even more outrageous; she finished a day's work in just one hour.

Not only were the people in the Sixth Bureau surprised, but even the people in the Second Bureau were quite surprised when they received the herbs. They specifically checked whether the herbs were cleaned thoroughly.

The result was that they were completely up to standard.

After handing in her work, Hua Changxi quickly returned to her room, changed out of her menial uniform, and jogged out of the Medical Department.

The Hua family in Xiuzheng Ward.

Hua Wuniang, dressed in a peach-red ru-skirt, knelt in the center of the main hall with a sorrowful expression and red eyes, bidding a final farewell to the elders of the family.

After today, she would no longer be a daughter of the Hua family, but a concubine of Master He San of the Marquis Wu Yi's mansion. In the future, seeing her family would not be up to her.

In the main hall, the Hua family members also looked unhappy, feeling both reluctance to part with Hua Wuniang and worry about her future.

Seeing that the Marquis's mansion had only sent a steward and a nanny to pick her up, and Master He San hadn't even shown his face, Fourth Aunt Hua cried until she was a tear-stained mess.

In the whole house, the only ones truly happy were Hua Tai and his wife, who had "come to help see the bride off."

Hua Tai's wife, Zhong Shi, seeing that Hua Wuniang had finished kowtowing to the elders, immediately smiled and helped her up: "Wuniang, stop crying. The Marquis's mansion is a place of wealth and status. Once you enter, you are destined to enjoy blessings."

Then, bypassing Old Master Hua, Old Madam Hua, Fourth Uncle Hua, and Fourth Aunt Hua, she began giving orders directly.

"Steward Kong and Shen Shen Mama from the Marquis's mansion have been waiting for a long time; we shouldn't keep them waiting. Sanlang, hurry up and carry your Fifth Sister out."

Zhong Shi supported Hua Wuniang and was about to lead her out of the main hall.

Hua Wuniang was uncharacteristically firm for once. She ignored Zhong Shi, stood still, and looked around at her relatives in the room one by one.

Today, not only had the married-off Second Sister from the second branch returned with her husband, but Hua Sangu Hua had also brought her family.

Hua Sangu Hua and Second Sister, who knew very well what life was like in their husbands' families, had forced smiles when they met Hua Wuniang's eyes.

They had married as legal wives, and their lives after marriage were still difficult; one could imagine what Hua Wuniang, as a concubine, would have to face.

Although the Marquis's mansion was wealthy, everything was beyond one's control and subject to others' constraints. How stifling that life must be.

With tears in her eyes, Hua Wuniang choked out: "It's a pity that Brother Dalang, Jiuniang, and Shiniang are not here. I wonder when I will be able to see them again?"

Zhong Shi quickly said: "Oh, my dear Wuniang, the Marquis's mansion is right in the capital. If you want to see your brothers and sisters, just send someone to say hello at home. It's very easy to see them."

Hua Wuniang gave a bitter smile. Is it easy to see her family?

She had stayed at the Great Clan Elder's house for a month, and Old Madam Zhou had let Concubine Bao, the favorite concubine of Uncle Hua Tai, teach her.

From Concubine Bao, she knew that as a concubine, she had no autonomy. If she wanted to see her family, both the master and the mistress had to nod.

Master He San's age was almost catching up to her father's. She really didn't know how to get along with him.

And Master He San's wife, Madam Shen, was said to be extremely difficult to get along with.

Madam Zhong was considered easy to get along with, but Concubine Bao told her that several of Uncle's concubines had been sold off by Madam Zhong.

Once she entered the He family, could she really invite her family to visit?

Zhong Shi couldn't stand Hua Wuniang's dawdling and ordered Hua Sanlang again: "Sanlang, hurry up and carry your Fifth Sister out."

Just as Hua Sanlang stood up, he was stopped by Eleventh Brother Hua: "Let me carry my Fifth Sister out."

"Eleventh, you......"

Eleventh Brother Hua was only twelve years old. Hua Sanlang hesitated, but seeing him walk firmly to Hua Wuniang and squat down, he didn't stop him in the end.

"Fifth Sister, I'll carry you out."

Hua Wuniang looked at her younger brother, tears streaming down her face again, and she lay on her brother's back, crying silently.

Eleventh Brother Hua carried her with some difficulty, but still pretended to be relaxed and said: "Sister, don't worry, I will practice martial arts well to back you up."

Hua Wuniang choked out an "Mmm."

Watching Hua Wuniang walk out of the house step by step, the Hua family members also had red eyes.

Twelfth Sister Hua felt uncomfortable and couldn't help but look for other things to distract herself: "What's wrong with Ninth Sister? Fifth Sister is leaving today, and she didn't even come back to see her off. Is being a menial servant that important that she doesn't even care about sisterly affection?"

The Hua family members were all dissatisfied that Hua Changxi hadn't returned.

Old Madam Hua wanted to call Yao Shi over to scold her several times, but seeing Hua Tai and his wife, as well as the Marquis's mansion's steward and nanny present, she suppressed her anger.

Hua Wuniang was carried out of the Hua family courtyard by Eleventh Brother Hua, and the Hua family members followed closely behind.

At the entrance of the Hua family, a pink sedan chair was parked. Shen Shen Mama, the personal maid of Master He San's legal wife, Madam Shen, waited arrogantly at the sedan door. Seeing Hua Wuniang come out, she didn't even mean to come over to help her.

After Hua Wuniang sat in the sedan chair, Shen Shen Mama said directly: "After such a long delay, we have finally picked up Concubine Hua. It's time for us to return to the mansion."

She wasn't saying this to the Hua family, but to Hua Tai and his wife.

Hua Tai and his wife, acting like the hosts, chatted with Shen Shen Mama without yielding.

"It's all because Wuniang is reluctant to part with her family that Shen Shen Mama has been kept waiting. Please don't blame her, Shen Shen Mama."

"Wuniang hasn't learned anything properly at home. After entering the Marquis's mansion, I'll have to trouble Third Madam to discipline her more, so she doesn't cause trouble for Third Master and Third Madam."

Hearing this, Shen Shen Mama's expression improved a lot, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth: "Once Concubine Hua enters the Marquis's mansion, she will be Third Master's person. As Third Master's legal wife, Third Madam will naturally discipline her concubine well."

Fourth Aunt Hua was heartbroken for her daughter. Even though Shen Shen Mama was arrogant and didn't take them seriously, she still shamelessly stepped forward to beg:

"Shen Shen Mama, my Wuniang is the most obedient and sensible. Please ask Shen Shen Mama to tell Third Master and Third Madam to take care of her a little more."

Shen Shen Mama acted as if she hadn't heard this and was too lazy to respond to Fourth Aunt Hua.

Seeing Shen Shen Mama's impatience, Zhong Shi forcibly pulled Fourth Aunt Hua to the back and then smiled at Shen Shen Mama: "Shen Shen Mama, you can start the sedan chair."

Shen Shen Mama nodded and was just about to order the sedan carriers to start when a hurried voice came over.

"Wait!"

The Hua family looked in the direction of the sound and saw Hua Changxi running towards them at full speed. ===== CHAPTER 26 =====