C4 It Was All Water

Hua Xiangxue finally settled down!

Hua Xiangxue truly settled down!

Looking at the table piled high with twenty pieces of silver, each worth fifty taels, Hua Xiangxue was at a loss for words.

Even Qingliu, standing nearby, was a bit taken aback.

When did the Snow Reflection Pavilion ever have so much silver?

Hua Xiangxue wiped her mouth and glanced at Qingliu, whispering, "Qingliu, mind your manners, and wipe your mouth too!"

Qingliu nodded and quickly cleaned up.

As she brought in the medicine, Nanny Shui chuckled, "Miss, it's time for your medicine."

Hua Xiangxue looked at Nanny Shui, her smile so wide her eyes nearly disappeared. "Nanny Shui, I'll drink it right away."

These days, taking medicine had been a struggle for Hua Xiangxue, but today, in high spirits, she drank it with ease.

After finishing, Hua Xiangxue wiped her mouth and turned to Qingliu. "Qingliu—"

Qingliu's heart skipped a beat. She remembered how upset Hua Xiangxue had been when she pulled her outside, and she feared a scolding was coming.

She quickly knelt down, trembling. "Miss, I... I was wrong."

Seeing Qingliu's timid demeanor, Hua Xiangxue helped her up. "Qingliu, you silly thing, do you know why I scolded you outside?"

Qingliu paused, looking up at Xiangxue with a puzzled shake of her head.

"You silly girl! If I show too much concern for you, someone might use you against me, making you my weakness. Understand?" Xiangxue said earnestly, then turned to Qingliu and Nanny Shui. "The three of us have been like family for so many years, closer than gold—oh, I mean, deeply bonded. To protect you, I have to act irrationally in front of others. It's for your good and Nanny Shui's too, got it?"

With that, Xiangxue handed each of them a silver ingot. "These are for you! From now on, whatever I have, you will have too!"

Initially, Qingliu and Nanny Shui declined, but after some coaxing and a little intimidation from Xiangxue, they tearfully accepted.

Xiangxue then took out the jewelry from the small box, examining each piece. The jewelry was nothing special—dull colors and outdated styles. She knew Lau Yuemei wouldn't give her anything truly valuable, confirming that silver was indeed more practical.

After putting away the silver and jewelry, Xiangxue's curiosity got the better of her. "Qingliu, Nanny Shui, why do your names sound so... well, watery?"

Qingliu quickly responded, "Miss, my original name wasn't Qingliu. When I was ten, your mother bought me, and you were five. She named me Jiaoyue, but later, your father said it clashed with Concubine Lau's name, so your mother changed it to Jiaojiao."

Hua Xiangxue nodded thoughtfully and murmured, "Jiaojiao, associated with the element of wood, suits me well. But why did you change it to Qingliu?"

Qingliu pursed her lips before continuing, "Concubine Lau said Jiaojiao didn't sound nice, so she gave me this new name."

Hua Xiangxue squinted her eyes.

Granny Lan nodded in agreement, smiling as she said, "My original surname was Yang, and the lady used to call me Granny Yang. After she passed, Concubine Lau fell ill and said that the name Yang, like the willow, was suppressing her fortune, so she changed it to Granny Shui."

Hua Xiangxue suddenly laughed.

Qingliu and Granny Lan were a bit puzzled. Hua Xiangxue looked at them and said, "Jiaojiao is a lovely name. From today on, stop using Qingliu and go back to Jiaojiao. As for you, Granny Shui, do you have another name?"

Granny Lan chuckled softly and sighed, "My real name is Yang Lanhua, but it's been so long that I almost forgot it."

Hua Xiangxue squinted, thought for a moment, and then smiled, "Since you can't be called Granny Yang, let's go with Granny Lan. Surely Mrs. Lau can't object to that!"

Granny Lan immediately nodded, "Alright, I'll follow your lead, Miss!"

Both Jiaojiao and Lan are associated with the element of wood, which feels more fitting for us now.

In the Snow Reflection Pavilion, there was plenty of water, but fire was lacking. Wood feeds fire, but water extinguishes it. Lau Yuemei changed everyone's names in the Pavilion to water-related ones, hoping to suppress the fire. However, too much water can drown metal, leading to poverty, poor health, and attracting all sorts of undesirable romances.

Hua Xiangxue struggled to recall some memories of the past, but after asking Jiaojiao, she learned that—

At her coming-of-age ceremony at fifteen, Hua Gongfeng, surprisingly, held a simple celebration for her. However, during the ceremony, a young servant from the front courtyard suddenly saw Hua Xiangxue and, as if struck by a bolt of madness, confessed his feelings to her.

Hua Xiangxue was terrified, and unfortunately, Hua Gongfeng witnessed the scene. Enraged, he expelled the servant from the Hua family and punished Hua Xiangxue by confining her to the Snow Reflection Pavilion for a year, forbidding her from leaving. Since then, her health had worsened.

Thinking about it now, Hua Xiangxue broke out in a cold sweat. Regardless of who Lau Yuemei had consulted to set up this scheme, she knew she had to stay vigilant.