Hu Lihua had just finished bathing the little puppy, trimming its fur, and treating its wounds. Now, she lifted the dog and their eyes met.
"Hey, little one, let's think of a name for you," said Hu Lihua. She stared at the black dog for a moment, then confidently said, "Let's call you Xiaohei!"
The little dog's face stiffened, then it whined and squirmed, as if unwilling to accept the name Hu Lihua had given it. Hey, hey, hey! It would grow up to be a big dog someday, how could it be called Little Black? Wouldn't it be laughed at by other dogs when it introduced itself by that name?
Hu Lihua frowned as she saw the puppy's blatant rejection. "Hey, you can't be so ungrateful, can you?" She then turned to Xixi, who was standing beside her, and asked, "Is the name I gave that bad?"
Xixi giggled at the sight of Hu Lihua's reaction. She had just realized that her miss's taste in names was rather poor. She hoped that one day, when her miss got married, her husband would be the one to name their children. Otherwise, she would feel sorry for her future little master!
Xixi stepped forward, then gently touched the right paw of the dog in Hu Lihua's lap. She felt around for a moment, then said, "Miss, it seems like he's going to grow into a big dog. I can feel that his bones are really large. It's just that he's still too small and thin." Xixi paused to think, then added, "How about we call him Heiqi?"
Heiqi? Black Knight?
"Hey! You're so smart to pick a name!" Hu Lihua praised. She then turned Heiqi around to face Xixi, "Come on, say thank you to Aunt Xixi! She gave you a good name. Aren't you happy?"
Heiqi stuck out his little tongue, wagged his tail, and looked at Xixi with grateful eyes.
Xixi, "...." Did her miss just ask the dog to call her 'Aunt'? She truly felt powerless.
"Look, he's so smart even though he's still small! Alright, now you can go down and play," Hu Lihua said as she set Heiqi down. She then turned to Xixi and asked, "Have you asked someone to fill up the dog hole in the backyard?"
"Done, Miss," Xixi replied. "Miss, would you like to have some cake? I just made your favorite Osmanthus Cake."
"Bring it to me now," Hu Lihua answered happily. In her previous life, she had loved Osmanthus Cake. She had crossed into this novel world a few days ago and hadn't tried any yet.
"Okay, I'll prepare it right away," Xixi replied. She then went to the small kitchen.
Hu Lihua was silent for a while. After ensuring that her servant was far enough away, she immediately called for Xitong to gossip.
Hu Lihua: [Xitong, how's that old lady doing?]
Xitong: [She's still scared, but her condition is much better.]
Hu Lihua: [Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! I never expected it. She's as fierce as a tigress, but she's so frightened when she sees a little worm! It really surprised me! So, how's that Green Tea girl?]
Xitong: [She's still sick, but she thinks that the Old Lady Hu got sick because she was very angry with you. So, she feels happy inside.]
Hu Lihua: [Tsk! She's so shameless! How could such a good granddaughter like me make my grandmother so mad she nearly died? She's looking at me way too highly!]
If Hu Zhangwei had been here and heard Hu Lihua's words, he would've thought to himself, "No! She's right! You really scared your grandmother to the brink of death!"
Just as Hu Lihua was about to ask for more gossip, she saw Tao'er walking through the gate of the Yufeng Pavilion.
"Greetings to the First Miss," Tao'er immediately greeted as she stood in front of Hu Lihua.
"Tao'er, what's the matter?" asked Hu Lihua curiously. She had just left the Ruyi Pavilion a moment ago after picking out some jewelry. Now, Tao'er had come to call her. There must be something important to report.
"First Miss, Madam asked me to call you to the Front Hall," Tao'er replied.
"Oh? The Front Hall? Who's here?" Hu Lihua asked, curious. The Front Hall was usually used to meet guests, so she wanted to know who had come this time.
"It's Madam Song," Tao'er answered.
Hu Lihua immediately remembered this name. Madam Song was the wife of her maternal uncle, and her name is Xia Qingru.
The Song family was a highly respected literary family in the Zhang Empire. Master Song, Song Tianzhe, was the Great Teacher who taught Emperor Zhang and currently taught the princes in the palace.
As her maternal family, their thoughts were as clear-headed as Song Xiuyan. So when the Hu General's residence acknowledged Hu Lihua, they adored her very much.
Hu Lihua became very excited at that moment. Xia Qingru came from a rich merchant family. Despite that, the Song family had never looked down on her. When she came to visit Hu Lihua, she always brought generous gifts.
"Miss, what about this Osmanthus Cake?" Xixi asked as she came back.
"Put it in the food box. I want to eat it with Mother and First Aunt," Hu Lihua requested.
Xixi immediately did as instructed and returned with a food box in her hands.
"Hurry, hurry, let's go there!" Hu Lihua said eagerly. She lifted the hem of her hanfu and started running.
"Miss! Don't run!"
"Miss, please don't lift your skirt like that!"
"Miss, wait for me!"
Xixi and Tao'er ran after Hu Lihua with great difficulty. Finally, Xixi managed to grab Hu Lihua's arm. Out of breath, she said, "Miss, please don't lift your skirt. What if someone sees it?"
"Aih, you worry too much. There's no one around here. Alright, alright, let's just walk quickly," Hu Lihua relented.
Not far from there, a man in a dark blue brocade robe with embroidered lucky clouds looked at Hu Lihua and the others. His face was handsome and cold, but his eyes showed interest.
"Who is she?" the man asked the young man behind him.
"It seems to be Miss First Hu," the young man replied.
"Oh?" The man raised both eyebrows, then asked again, "Is she the legitimate daughter who was swapped with a servant's child?"
"Yes, Your Highness," the young man replied again.
Interesting. The man stood there for a while. After Hu Lihua was no longer in sight, he turned and left.
"Greetings, First Aunt," Hu Lihua rushed to greet when she saw Xia Qingru.
"Hua'er, you're here!" Xia Qingru smiled warmly upon seeing Hu Lihua. "Come, come, sit next to First Aunt. Look at what I've brought you."
Hu Lihua's smile was so wide it nearly reached her ears. She immediately looked at the various boxes laid out on the table.
Xia Qingru immediately instructed her servants to open the boxes one by one, making Hu Lihua's eyes sparkle at all the gifts.
"Wow, First Aunt, thank you! You're truly generous!" Hu Lihua praised Xia Qingru sincerely in her heart.
"Hua'er, this is just what First Aunt should give you. You're such a good child, and First Aunt loves you very much," Xia Qingru responded humbly.
[My first uncle is really lucky! He married such a beautiful, virtuous, and wealthy woman. Truly a blessing accumulated over eight lifetimes!]
Xia Qingru's cheeks flushed when she heard Hu Lihua's words. The praise made her feel pleased. Her in-laws treated her very well. But out there, even though the nobility were respectful and kind whenever they met her, she knew very well that they always spoke ill of her behind her back.
Eh? Who just spoke?