Chapter 567: Chapter 556: What Use Are You Anymore?
On the day he left, the sky was still splendidly bright.
Shen Hua watched his figure disappearing into the distance, her pinkie rubbing the exquisitely delicate jade at her waist, feeling somewhat melancholy and lost.
"You two seem quite close."
Shen Zhi stood aside, frowning tightly, a ludicrous thought flashing through his mind. Cui Yun was... especially good to Yangyang. That scene just now, it looked just like an exchange of tokens.
Now that he thought about it, he always felt like he missed something.
"Didn’t you tell me to call him brother? Why does brother feel jealous now? Rest assured, even if he gave me thousands of jade pieces, they could not compare to you."
Shen Hua pouted: "Which kin does not give gifts when meeting the younger ones? It’s not too late to receive mine now."
That indeed made some sense.
With one sentence, it dispelled Xie Xun’s doubts.
He thought that a person like Cui Yun would not be a beast.
The siblings, each preoccupied with their thoughts, did not delay and returned to the mansion together.
Chun Yun was counting the accounts. As the two came in, she smiled gently, her eyes warm.
"Is everything packed for tomorrow’s trip to the school? You were delayed at home this time for a considerable number of days, luckily the teacher did not blame you. But the necessary rules should not be missing, he has always been very caring towards you. The teacher has been married for over a decade, his wife has been unwell, and only now is she barely pregnant, though it’s her first child and she’s of advanced age, it’s still riskier than others. Her morning sickness is also severe. Last time she came over, she had a plate of sour plums and it seemed to improve her appetite significantly. I asked the kitchen to make some more, you should bring them along as a thoughtful gesture."
Sour plums are not precious items, so the teacher can accept them without pressure.
This was addressed to Shen Zhi.
Shen Zhi quickly responded: "Yes."
He paused, then said softly, "When the teacher wrote, he also slightly mentioned it."
Very tactfully, very tactfully that kind.
It seems that scholars can’t speak openly.
Especially as his wife has been gradually losing weight, throwing up everything she eats, thinking about sour plums all day. The ones bought from outside, she always says aren’t as tasty as the ones from Shen Family.
He had no choice but to ask thick-skinnedly.
Chun Yun glared at him, seeing his brows furrowed, about to speak but hesitating. Finally, she directly addressed: "Speaking of the Xiao Family, your sister discussed it with me. What do you think?"
Shen Zhi, being at such an age, his face flushed slightly. He took a long time to organize his words, then spoke in a low voice.
"I truly care for her and cannot bear to see her suffer in Xiao Family."
The thought of marrying her became even more urgent. Somehow, it felt like if he didn’t seize the moment, he would regret it for life.
This thought grew increasingly intense.
"It will still require Mama’s considerable effort."
Chun Yun was waiting for him to say this.
She went out for a trip, "Yangyang, help your brother run an errand, and take these to Lady Xiao."
Shen Hua, holding the package from Chun Yun, glared at Shen Zhi unhappily.
"What use are you then?"
At crucial times, it still required her, the sister, to step in.
Shen Hua grumpily carried the parcel and left the house.
Soon, a carriage stopped at the entrance of Xiao Family’s house.
Shen Hua had visited at night before, but the visuals were limited, nowhere near as clear as seeing in daylight.
In the secluded streets of Fengzhou City, she turned into a narrow alley, forming a stark contrast with the bustling areas.
The noisy atmosphere of the marketplace surged toward her.
The door of Xiao Family’s house was half-open, through the crack, loud crying and yelling could be heard.
"Mama! Sister took one piece of my cake less, she definitely ate it!"
Obviously spoiled.
"Xiao Sesu! Everything at home should be reserved for me, Mama said, why should a girl like you have any cakes."
Following that, came Lady Xiao’s sharp voice.
"That’s enough, your sister just ate one piece! Even giving it all to you isn’t enough?"
Then came a heavy interrogation.
"Where did you get the money to buy this?"
"You didn’t steal from my room, did you? I knew some copper coins were missing! Those were saved by Quan. You’re going to be the death of me!"
"Enough!" Father Xiao rebuked. The annoying crying stopped.
"It’s just a few copper coins, what’s all this fuss about!"
The wind lifted a corner of the girl’s dress; Xiao Sesu stood emotionless. She heard Father Xiao say, "Your Mama is wrong, but what she says makes sense too. Sometimes your Mama and I might be biased, but you have to understand us."
Xiao Sesu lowered her head.
"Daddy, Quan rummaged through my room. You need to address this."
Upon hearing this, Lady Xiao was displeased.
"What’s wrong with your brother entering your room? He just wanted to see if you were hiding anything behind our backs. Is that a crime now?"
Father Xiao: "Sese is a young lady now. It’s really not appropriate."
"Just her being finicky."
Xiao Sesu’s eyes reddened a bit. She looked at her mother, faintly trying to see the fearless self-sacrifice from many years ago when she saved her.
But, time had passed too long.
She was young then, and everything else was forgotten except for fragments.
She just vaguely remembered that something like that happened.
"Mama, I didn’t take the money from the main house. Even this little amount..."
Lady Xiao became even angrier: "That’s even worse! You’ve been saving money secretly?"
In her view, this matter was very serious, and even if Xiao Sesu were married off, she should still contribute to her family’s home.
Outside the door stood a stern-faced little girl, dressed elegantly and luxuriously despite the stormy weather.
The girl kicked open the door and swaggered in.
"What’s wrong with saving some private money? Children should fulfill their filial duties, but I’ve never heard that they must also provide for a sibling."
Shen Hua looked at the dirty-faced person a head shorter than her, eating pastries, crumbs all around his mouth, lifting her chin aggressively: "If not told, one might think he’s the ancestor of your Xiao family, reincarnated to relive life."
Lady Xiao was infuriated, but she was always only tough within her own nest, and now seeing a bunch of servants behind Shen Hua, she immediately fell silent.
Shen Hua stepped out this time with great pomp, bringing many people. It seemed like she was ready for a fight.
The moment Father Xiao saw Shen Hua, a gleam flashed in his eyes.
This is the young lady of the Shen family.
"A few copper coins? Who are they to belittle?"
Yicui glanced over: "This through-carved pastry, sixteen taels for eight pieces, each costing two taels of silver. Our lady spent sixteen taels."
"So expensive?"
Lady Xiao, without asking how Shen Hua could contribute, was now regretful and patted Xiao Sesu.
"You thoughtless girl, how could you dare eat it."
"This was for Sister Xiao."
Shen Hua: "How can she not be allowed to eat it?"
Without waiting for others to explain, the little girl with arrogance and malice spoke: "What’s to be done about this? I am most unreasonable. Sister Xiao could just throw it away if she didn’t accept it. It’s not for strangers to take at will."
"If you ask me, if he dared to rummage through Sister Xiao’s room, he must have taken the copper coins from your room too, at such a young age, what good is he doing instead of being a thief?"
"Shall we settle this with a direct compensation, or should I go file a report with the officials?"
Shen Hua grinned gleefully: "Perfect, my family already has someone sitting in jail, I’m fulfilling my filial duty by not forgetting to find someone to keep him company."
