HBWMA -Chapter 67 The Name “Huashan”

The drive from Xiangying to Lian City took about four hours. After sleeping through most of it, Jiang Huashan arrived at the Shen family’s old residence.

Fu Sui’er rubbed her eyes and pressed against the car window to look outside. She tugged at Jiang Huashan without stopping. “Jiang Huashan, wake up! We’re here!”

“Where are we?” Jiang Huashan slowly sat up. Just waking, her mind was still a bit sluggish.

Fu Sui’er was unusually patient. “We’re at the Shen family ancestral home. Look, someone’s already coming out to receive us.”

The old residence had been informed in advance, and people were already waiting at the entrance.

Shen Rang got out of the car first and directed the bodyguards to unload the luggage. At that moment, an elderly woman dressed in a cyan traditional Han-style robe, supported by a caregiver, slowly walked out of the main gate.

Shen Rang froze slightly, then quickly went forward. “Grandma, why did you come out?”

The old lady had watched Shen Zhuang grow up. She was already eighty-five years old, and she had long been responsible for managing the Shen family’s ancestral residence in Xiangying.

Zhang Ru and Aunt Feng hurried out of the car and greeted her respectfully.

Fu Sui’er pointed at the elderly woman outside through the window and turned back to Jiang Huashan. “That’s Great-Grandma Wu. Even my uncle and my mom have to respectfully call her ‘Grandma.’ I heard she’s very strict—and she even used to bind women’s feet back in the day. We’ve got to be careful around her.”

Jiang Huashan looked through the glass at the old woman quietly, her thoughts drifting away.

She had always believed this great-grandmother didn’t like her, because she was always very strict. At meals, she would say Jiang Huashan lacked the manners of a proper young lady; when she walked, she was told she wasn’t elegant enough; even her smile and her tears were “wrong.” Back then, Jiang Huashan felt like even breathing was a mistake.

Until one day, she and Fu Sui’er had another fierce argument. Fu Sui’er pointed at her nose and mocked her as an unwanted child. Because in the month she had stayed in Xiangying, Shen Jiao called her every day, while Jiang Huashan felt as if she had been completely forgotten—Fang Mei had never once called her.

Fu Sui’er tore open her wounds and poured salt on them. “Your mother doesn’t even like you at all. She only likes your fake, pretentious little sister. If it were me, I wouldn’t like you either. You little beggar, you’re annoying everywhere you go—even your name sounds awful! What kind of era is this and someone’s still called ‘Flower’ or ‘Grass’? You’re just as cheap as your name.”

Twelve-year-old children have strong pride. No one wants to admit they are unloved.

Jiang Huashan, furious beyond reason, pinned Fu Sui’er to the ground and hit her.

The servants in the old residence all sided with Fu Sui’er, looking at Jiang Huashan with cold, disgusted eyes and condemning her for not behaving like a young lady. Something thorny suddenly sprouted in Jiang Huashan’s heart—like she had gone mad, lashing out at anyone who came near…

Later, the incident reached Great-Grandma Wu’s ears. She ordered the household manager to separate the two and lock them in different rooms.

Even now, Jiang Huashan still remembered that night.

Great-Grandma Wu sat beside her holding a bowl of Huai City sweet soup, her voice gentle as she asked, “Your name was given by your grandmother, wasn’t it?”

She resented everyone here, so she ignored her.

But Great-Grandma Wu continued, “Do you know what ‘Huashan’ means?”

“In Peking opera, ‘qingyi’ roles focus on singing rather than movement, usually portraying virtuous wives and chaste women; ‘huadan’ roles focus on acting and speech, often lively and charming young women; ‘daomadan’ emphasizes both singing and martial performance, usually portraying young women skilled in combat.”

“And ‘huashan’ is a type of role that emerged with the rise of modern women. It combines the steadiness and dignity of qingyi, the liveliness of huadan, and even incorporates the martial skills of daomadan.”

“It is the fusion of huadan and qingyi. People named it ‘Huashan.’ Your grandmother was a qingyi her entire life—‘Huashan’ is her most beautiful wish for you.”

“Child, you are not someone without love. It’s just that love takes many forms. You’re still too young now. One day when you grow up, you’ll understand.”

Looking back now…

When Great-Grandma Wu scolded her for bad table manners, the entire table was filled with her favorite Huai City dishes. When she forced her to learn proper etiquette in walking and sitting, the shoe insoles she wore had been carefully stitched by the old lady herself. Every time Fu Sui’er finished calling Shen Jiao, a bowl of Huai City sweet soup would appear in her room. Countless times, she woke up under a tree to find the old lady sitting beside her, gently fanning a bamboo fan.

Fu Sui’er still hadn’t figured out the situation. Seeing the old woman wearing embroidered shoes half the usual size, she looked serious and said, “We’re doomed! This old lady really seems like a rigid traditionalist. She’s not going to be harder to deal with than Grandpa, is she?”

Jiang Huashan pinched the bridge of her nose and flicked Fu Sui’er on the back of her head.

“Ow!” Fu Sui’er flared up. “Jiang Huashan—”

Wait.

The person in front of her was no longer that annoying little beggar from before, but the chosen one with precognitive abilities!

Fu Sui’er immediately put on a smile. “Any instructions?”

Jiang Huashan said, “Listen to the old lady properly. Don’t cause trouble.”

Fu Sui’er froze.

Jiang Huashan added lightly, “Troublemakers only grow to 1.5 meters tall.”

Fu Sui’er suddenly shivered—she was currently only 149 cm tall. That was her biggest sore spot.

Seeing that she had finally calmed down, Jiang Huashan lifted her chin slightly. “Get out of the car.”

Fu Sui’er grabbed her at once. “Wait—there’s something urgent. Can you tell me first?”

Jiang Huashan replied, “Your future self is a 1.7-meter-tall dummy!”

Fu Sui’er froze, her face full of disbelief. Really?

Even in the Shen family, even Jiang Wanyi who was a year younger than her was taller. Jiang Huashan didn’t need to be mentioned at all—she was half a head taller than her. Because of that half-head difference, she always lost fights.

Jiang Huashan also found it strange. She had clearly always been taller than Fu Sui’er before, so why did she end up two centimeters shorter after everything “settled”? Just those two centimeters—and she never won a fight against her again afterward.

Shen Rang had chatted with Great-Grandma Wu for a long time, but the two kids still hadn’t gotten out of the car. He turned around and knocked impatiently on the window.

“What are you dawdling for? Aren’t you coming to greet her?”

“We’re coming, we’re coming!”

The car door opened. Fu Sui’er jumped out smiling. “Great-Grandma, hello!”

Jiang Huashan got out from the other side, holding the little turtle, standing three steps away with a somewhat longing gaze. “Great-Grandma, hello.”

Great-Grandma Wu’s eyes were a little sensitive to light; she squinted as she examined the two of them. “You are Sui’er?”

“Mm.” Fu Sui’er nodded obediently, remembering Jiang Huashan’s words.

The old woman nodded and then slowly turned her gaze to Jiang Huashan. “Then you must be Jiang Huashan?”

In her previous life as well, the great-grandma called Fu Sui’er by her name casually, but addressed her with her full name. Jiang Huashan had immediately assumed the old lady disliked her.

But now she suspected another possibility—perhaps the great-grandma was simply making sure of the name “Jiang Huashan.”

Jiang Huashan nodded and stepped forward slowly. “Yes.”

Great-Grandma Wu stared into her eyes for a moment, then smiled and nodded. “I heard you were coming early in the morning, so the rooms have already been prepared. Go take a look later. If anything doesn’t suit you, just tell Grandma.”

Fu Sui’er immediately grabbed Jiang Huashan’s hand. “Great-Grandma, everything else is fine, but I want to share a room with Shan Shan.”

Great-Grandma Wu looked slightly surprised and turned to Shen Rang.

From the information she had received, these two girls were said to be like fire and water, so their rooms had been arranged far apart—one in the east wing, one in the west, enough to force them to cross a fifteen-minute courtyard even if they wanted to fight.

Shen Rang coughed awkwardly. “They only became friends yesterday; we didn’t have time to inform you.”

The old lady understood at once and looked at them. “The east wing is more spacious. It can easily fit two beds. If you don’t mind, you can stay in one room?”

“No—”

Before Jiang Huashan could finish, Fu Sui’er covered her mouth and nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes, yes!”

Great-Grandma Wu glanced back at the steward. “Take the two young ladies to rest first. If they need anything, just note it down and tell me later.”

At her age of eighty-five, she rarely involved herself in the affairs of the old residence, so her personal attention to the two girls showed how much she valued them.

“Thank you, Great-Grandma.”

Fu Sui’er happily pulled Jiang Huashan inside. Jiang Huashan, slightly puzzled, glanced back at Shen Rang and Great-Grandma Wu.

Was it her imagination? Why did it feel like Great-Grandma Wu was deliberately sending them away?

She clearly remembered that in her previous life, the great-grandma had accompanied her when she saw the rooms. Out of spite, she had deliberately picked faults everywhere—and later even heard the servants of the old residence gossiping behind her back, saying she didn’t have a princess’s fate but had a princess’s temper.

Great-Grandma Wu gently patted Shen Rang’s hand. “Go to the main house.”

Shen Rang supported the old lady carefully as they followed behind.

The Shen family’s old residence had a history of several hundred years. Blue bricks and old tiles, ancient trees and aged vines. The summer wind passed through the alleyways, and clay vats were filled with rainwater.

Passing through the main hall garden path, a small red building appeared before them, with four black-suited bodyguards standing at the entrance.

Great-Grandma Wu pointed toward the second-floor window that was open.

“He’s there. Go.”