Chapter 7, United in Heart

Zhang Han held Zhang Qi's frail hand and said word by word: "We were all present that night. If we do not continue to act accordingly, there will only be a dead end. Sister, for the sake of survival, you must regard yourself as the young lady of the Zhang family! We are all in the same boat; as long as we dare to take risks, unless Mother Song intends to go down with us, she will not truly dare to do anything to us. You must understand that if it were the elder sister, she would never pay any attention to such a servant! We are all in the same boat; as long as we dare to take risks, unless Mother Song intends to go down with us, she will not truly dare to do anything to us. You must understand that if it were the elder sister, she would never pay any attention to such a servant! Just treat her as a paper tiger that only puts on a show, and you will no longer fear her!"

Sister Han, I am afraid, I am really very afraid... I do not want to be the eldest sister, I do not want to go to any marquis's residence, but after I was locked up that day, Mama Song said that my father is outside keeping a concubine and has other daughters as well. If I do not behave, I will be married off to a foolish son of a wealthy family in Yongcheng, making me call out to the heavens without response and to the earth without answer for the rest of my life... Just thinking about having my mouth sealed and enduring all that suffering... Just thinking about having my mouth sealed and enduring all that suffering, Zhang Qi shivered involuntarily, and then trembled as she said, "She also said she would starve me for two days to make me wake up. If I still do not know what is good for me, there will be more suffering in store for me..."

Seeing Zhang Changyong merely frown slightly, Zhang Han sneered and said: "Even if you want to put on a show, why resort to such foolish methods? What kind of status does my sister hold? In the past, when people from the Marquis's residence came, she was unwilling to meet them even once. Now, if it truly cannot be helped, then so be it! Although her biological mother has passed away, and she is saddened by it, does it have to be to this extent? Moreover, allowing the people from both Marquis families to see such a disheveled young lady does not reflect my sister's frail health; rather, it seems like the Zhang family has not treated their stepmother well, and now they do not even care for their daughter!"

The people were gathered, but after all, it was a temporary assembly. Zhang Han was indeed making the most of the time to teach Fang Cao and Bi Yin the proper etiquette, and Mama Song was also busy inside and out. However, despite Zhang Han's repeated attempts to see Zhang Qi, Mama Song consistently blocked her and refused to allow it. One day, Zhang Han could no longer contain herself and, taking advantage of Zhang Changyong's presence, mentioned it in front of him. Mama Song finally could not find an excuse to refuse any longer, and with a serious expression, personally went to unlock the two tightly shut doors.

Zhang Han did not even glance at Lady Song, bent her knee and said: "My lord, I have heard that the people from the Hou residence will be arriving in just a couple of days. I would like to say a few words to my sister. You know that she and I have always been the closest."

The longstanding enmity between Hengshu and Mother Song is irreconcilable. Naturally, Zhang Han does not care how Mother Song will react to this exchange. Indeed, before Mother Song could change her expression to retort, Zhang Changyong spoke in a deep voice: "Let it be as Han'er says. If a person is starved and something goes wrong, it will only escalate the matter!"

Before long, the empty room was left with only her and Zhang Qi. She saw the little girl who was usually the most timid, yet could smile joyfully with just a bit of kindness; the girl who was typically weak but had that night stood in front of her with open arms; the little girl who had been slapped by her legitimate sister and told she was unworthy of being a Zhang family young lady, now sitting dazedly on the bed. She couldn't help but rush forward and tightly grasp the frail shoulders.

Zhang Changyong came from a prominent family in Jinling. Before he became the third place in the imperial examination, he had already lost both his parents. This is why the matron, who was busy selecting suitors for her daughter, chose him—having achieved the rank of third place meant he could be appointed to the Hanlin Academy, which naturally conferred a noble status. Moreover, being an orphan yet still coming from a well-off family was a rare and fortunate match, far better than marrying into a noble family where one would have to endure the whims of in-laws. Relying on the family inheritance left by his ancestors, along with the dowry from Madam Gu, after being appointed as the governor of Guide, Zhang Changyong successively purchased a residence and a farm both inside and outside the city, allowing him to spend leisure time with his family.

"Alright, everything is ready. From now on, I will be by your side..."

She is going to one of the most prominent families in the capital—a family with two marquises, the Gu family. If one possesses too great a beauty, whether being admired by others or being unable to restrain oneself upon encountering such wealth and nobility, it always leads to trouble. Just like herself, she now wishes she had been born more ordinary; perhaps in the past, Madame Gu would never have chosen a woman of plain appearance to accompany her daughter, thus avoiding the current predicament.

Sister Han... ...

Master ... ...

Before Madam Gu had completed her mourning period, Zhang Han and a group of over ten people moved into the separate courtyard. Along with them were two young girls, both around fourteen or fifteen years old, whom the matchmaker had brought the day before. Due to the frequent flooding of the Yellow River in recent years, many families had been forced to sell their children to survive. It was known that these children were sold voluntarily by their families, having signed a contract of servitude. Zhang Han selected two plain-looking girls from the eight brought by the matchmaker, completely disregarding a beautiful girl with an apricot-shaped face and peach-like cheeks, who was trying her best to please and appear agreeable.

Zhang Han learned that the two young girls at home were referred to only by their ranks and did not have proper names, so he gave them names: one was called Fang Cao and the other Bi Yin, both of which were common names for maids in wealthy families, without any particular distinction. Nevertheless, this made the two young girls happy for most of the day. The two maids assigned to Zhang Qi were personally selected by Mama Song, with Zhang Changyong's approval. One was a family servant of the Zhang household, named Ning Xiang, and the other was the niece of Mama Song's husband, named Ying Cao, both of whom were reasonably well-mannered and followed proper etiquette. Additionally, Mama Song was concerned that she was the only one left from the former Marquis's household who was not presentable, so she selected four more maidservants to come in.

After a long time, Zhang Han finally heard a cry that seemed to come from deep within the throat. The cry was intermittent and not very loud, yet it carried a heart-wrenching pain, causing even her, who had vowed never to shed tears again in this lifetime, to have red-rimmed eyes, tightening her frail body. Only when the cry gradually turned into sobs did she loosen her grip and gently wipe the face with a handkerchief.

Sister

Seeing this, Zhang Qiruo seemed to have an epiphany. She then raised her hand and gently pressed it on her shoulder: "Remember, from now on, you are the elder sister, and I am the younger sister! I have taught you all the characters from the 'Three Character Classic' and the 'Thousand Character Classic,' and you can write them all now. From this point forward, I will teach you more books, more characters, and many other things along the way. If you want to break free from your father and the constraints of Mama Song in the future, we must work together with one heart and one mind"

Despite feeling waves of nausea in her heart, Zhang Han still lowered her head and replied affirmatively. When Zhang Changyong reluctantly called Mama Song out, Zhang Han then instructed Fangcao and Bi Yin, who had entered with her: "You two stay outside and also instruct the kitchen to prepare some porridge. If anyone comes, give an early warning, whether it is the master or Mama Song."

Zhang Hanyue grew increasingly angry as she listened, to the point where she was practically grinding her teeth in hatred. She naturally understood that Song's mother was doing this merely to instill fear in Zhang Qi, to make her deeply afraid, so that Zhang Qi would obey her every command. This would allow her to manipulate this illegitimate daughter into behaving like a legitimate one. Zhang Qi was timid and cowardly; without her decisive actions, she might have truly fallen victim to her schemes. With this thought, she couldn't help but gently stroke Zhang Qi's face, then said earnestly: "Do not be afraid of her. You see, my presence here proves that she ultimately cannot control everything! However, if we want to live well, we have no choice but to continue playing this act; there are no other options!"

Sister, Qi sister... please wake up and look at me, I am your sister Han from https://wwwhetushucom.com, I have come to see you...

"Alright, you should persuade her first." Zhang Changyong, seeing Zhang Qi's dazed and confused expression, felt that something was amiss. He immediately agreed without much thought and then said with a kind demeanor, "The people from the Hou residence are about to arrive. You should change how you address him. Since you used to call him 'godfather,' you should continue to do so in the future. Calling him 'master' or 'lord' would only raise suspicions."

Seeing Zhang Han staring at her sternly, Zhang Qi suddenly raised her hand and rubbed her eyes vigorously, then nodded emphatically: "Sister, I will call you sister one last time... I understand, I will listen to you!"

She called out several times, but Zhang Qi showed no reaction at all, and for a moment, she felt an unusual anxiety in her heart. It was unclear how much time had passed when she finally felt a slight tremor beneath her hand. Looking down, she saw that Zhang Qi's eyes had shown some response, and her chest was heaving violently. She quickly began to gently pat her back, reassuringly saying: "Let it out, crying will help you feel better..."

Upon seeing Zhang Qi, Zhang Han could hardly recognize her. Although Zhang Qi had always been slight of build and had not yet fully matured, her cheeks had at least some flesh on them. Now, after just a few days, she appeared somewhat emaciated. She turned to look at Mama Song, who preemptively said, "Since the young lady cannot even observe the mourning period, she must move to the other courtyard to recuperate. How can she not show any signs of excessive grief? It has only been two days of hunger; starting tomorrow, if she gradually begins to eat something, she will be able to regain her strength!"