Chapter 4

Early in the morning, boxes and boxes of betrothal gifts were carried into the Shen residence as if they were free. Madam Jiang directed the servants to arrange them, and the smile on her lips never left her face.

I heard that the second young master of the Lu family just finished his mourning period yesterday, and he couldn't wait to come to propose marriage today. It is clear that he cherishes Shen Rong very much.

Inside Shou'an Hall.

Jiang's lips curled up as she discussed an auspicious day with Old Madam Shen. Shen Rong, on the other hand, sat shyly to the side, listening to her elders discuss her life's important matter. Several younger members of the family gathered together. Although this matter had little to do with them, it was still a joyous occasion for the Shen family.

Shen Tang and Shen Yan are not engaged, but they are both past the age of marriage. After Shen Rong gets married, the remaining younger generation in the family will take turns. What they see and feel today will come in handy in the future.

As for Shenxi and Shenting, Shenxi is already married and can now stand on his own, while Shenting has perfectly inherited Shenyuan's flirtatious nature. Although he is not married, he has kept quite a few concubines.

As for Jiang Mian, she was brought here early in the morning, probably just to make up the numbers.

While the elders were having a lively discussion, Chen Yan sat next to Jiang Mian, feeling drowsy. She had no choice but to break off a piece of pastry and stuff it into her mouth to avoid being impolite in front of everyone.

She glanced around and saw Shen Tang, who had been listening attentively, and Jiang Mian, who seemed lost in thought. She blinked, then suddenly leaned close to Jiang Mian's ear and said, "Fifth Sister, last night I read a storybook that said..."

"Little Four!"

Caught off guard, Madam Jiang's sharp gaze swept over the group, and seeing her usually carefree daughter, she couldn't help but sigh: "Today we're discussing your second sister's marriage, and it's one thing if you don't care, but whispering to each other like this is unbecoming."

"Mother, I was wrong."

Shen Yan admitted her mistake quite quickly, which suggests that Jiang Shi has often used this as an excuse to criticize her. Jiang Mian watched this scene and felt a pang of emotion for some reason. Shen Yan's fearlessness must be due to being pampered and spoiled since childhood.

She lowered her eyes, a slight pang of sadness in her heart.

At that moment, Madam Jiang suddenly asked, "Fifth Brother, what did Fourth Brother say to you just now?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mian was taken aback, and at the same time, Shen Yan beside her also suddenly froze: "Mother didn't say anything..."

"Since Xiao Wu has just arrived at the Shen residence, you must not let your carefree habits influence him. Once Master Zhou enters the residence, you should also restrain yourself. You will be getting married soon. If you continue like this after marriage, you will suffer in the future."

Chiang Kai-shek said with a sense of disappointment and frustration.

Of her children, her eldest daughter was intelligent and married into the An family in the capital; her second daughter was gentle and had also married; and her third daughter, Shen Tang, was always her pride and joy. But her fourth daughter was simply hopeless.

Jiang had put a lot of effort into Shen Yan, but it seemed that the devil was always one step ahead of her. No matter what methods she used, Jiang could always come up with a way to deal with her.

Over time, Chiang Kai-shek also grew tired.

It seems unlikely that she can expect Shen Tang to rise to prominence in the future. Looking at Shen Tang, Madam Jiang suddenly felt more at ease. If she were to talk about her most outstanding daughter, it would be Shen Tang, who is hailed as a talented woman from Jizhou.

When Shen Tang turned 18 last year, many people came to propose marriage. However, Madam Jiang had high standards. Although her eldest daughter had married into the capital, the An family was just a family of officials in the Ministry of Revenue, not a very noble family. She thought that even a prince or duke would be a suitable match for Shen Tang.

"Aunt, Fourth Sister is saying that Second Sister's purse is pretty." Madam Jiang's gaze stopped, and everyone looked at the purse on Shen Rong's waist. Inside was a peace charm that the second young master of the Lu family had personally obtained from the temple.

It may not be particularly valuable, but it is sincere.

Jiang curled her lip. "What's so interesting about a purse?"

Shen Rong, however, beamed and said, "Fifth Sister, you flatter me."

Shenyan winked at her. She had clearly meant to say that the storybook described a pair of lovers who had fallen in love, which was quite interesting. She obviously hadn't expected that her seemingly honest fifth sister would lie for her. Suddenly, she felt even closer to her.

Of all the people in the Shen family, none knew her better than her fifth sister.

After a few brief words, Madam Shen finalized the details of the wedding and set the date for the third day of next month.

Although the Lu family is not considered a high-ranking or prominent family, the second young master of the Lu family is a diligent student and an ambitious person. If he were to take the imperial examination, given time, he would surely pass with honors.

With a major matter settled, Madam Jiang's eyes gleamed with pride and excitement. She was satisfied with the marriages of her eldest and second daughters, and now it was time for her third and fourth daughters.

Needless to say, Madam Jiang never worried much about Shen Tang, but Shen Yan was different. When the child was mentioned, Madam Jiang looked worried and said she would only take some time to properly manage this daughter after marrying off Shen Rong.

Just two days later, a letter arrived from the capital. Her elder brother from afar was passing through the area and was coming to visit. There were many dignitaries in the capital, and Madam Jiang estimated that after Rong'er got married, Tang'er should also be getting engaged.

Life went on peacefully like this.

Three days later, when Master Zhou entered the mansion, the younger generation put away their playful thoughts and began to study seriously.

This is Jiang Mian's first time formally enrolling in school.

As a child, she was lazy and refused to listen to advice. Every time her mother tried to teach her to read, she would try to avoid it until after the plague, when both her parents died and her grandmother appeared in her life.

At that time, Jiang Mian had lost interest in studying and only wanted to live a good life.

Now, the chaos of the past has been gradually buried in memory, and today, Muxitang is bustling with activity.

Aside from Shen Tang and Shen Yan, there were several other young ladies from other families also attending the class. Jiang Mian had never seen them before, so she simply greeted them lightly and then quietly found a seat at the back.

Shen Yan leaned closer to her and winked. Jiang Mian looked down and saw the new storybook she had just acquired under the scroll.

"Fifth sister, please sit in the middle later, and I will sit behind you."

"Fourth sister, isn't this inappropriate?"

"Fifth Sister, don't worry. Although Master Zhou looks strict, he actually has an eye ailment and can only see up close, not from a distance. We're so far away from him, as long as he doesn't come down, he definitely won't notice."

"And even if he comes down, I will definitely notice if you tap on my desk."

Shen Yan was in high spirits, his eyes full of cunning ideas.

What are you two whispering about?

Just then, Shen Tang passed by, and Shen Yan smiled ingratiatingly: "Hello, Third Sister. Third Sister has always been a talented woman from Jizhou. Today, Master Zhou is giving a lecture, so Third Sister must listen carefully. If Xiao Wu and I have any questions, we can ask Third Sister for help."

"Little Four, did the sun rise in the west today? How could you say such a thing?"

Shen Tang clearly felt something was strange, but couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

However, this interlude did not last long, and Master Zhou slowly walked in.

Everyone sat down quietly.

Jiang Mian noticed that there were seven people at the table. Apart from the Shen family members, there were two others, like Shen Tang, sitting at the front and listening most attentively. The remaining three sat in front of Jiang Mian. Although they were not as attentive as the others, they were still sitting upright.

Jiang Mian lowered her eyes and opened the book. The first lesson Master Zhou taught was how a woman should establish herself in the world.

Those tedious words were like a buzzing in her ears, impossible to penetrate her mind. Jiang Mian couldn't help but drift off into thought. Her gaze drifted to the garden beside her, and she couldn't help but think of how her grandmother used to grow many flowers in Yangzhou.

Until Jiang Mian suddenly realized something was wrong.

Everyone at the table looked at her. The teacher, who was standing at the front, stroked his beard and looked displeased.

"Fifth sister, what's wrong? Master Zhou called you several times, but you didn't respond."

Shen Yan tugged at her sleeve from behind and whispered.

"Does Fifth Miss have some grievance against me?"

Master Zhou's expression turned serious.

Jiang Mian shook her head, somewhat at a loss.

"If that's the case, then reach out your hand."

"If you are distracted in class and do not speak, you will be punished with three strokes of the ruler as a sign of discipline. I hope you will not do it again in the future."

Jiang Mian was somewhat surprised, but she obediently stretched out her hand. The ruler didn't hurt much when it hit her palm, but the important thing was that she was being punished in front of so many people. If it were any other woman, she would probably feel ashamed. But Jiang Mian only thought of what her grandmother had said: if you are in an unfamiliar environment, you should hide your strength and not show it.

"I know I was wrong, Master."

Fortunately, she seemed to be admitting her mistake fairly well, so Master Zhou didn't make things too difficult for her.

However, in the next instant...

But then she suddenly said, "Fourth Miss still enjoys watching these things as always."

Shen Yan complained bitterly. She had thought that the old teacher was getting old and his eyesight was failing, or rather, his eyes weren't as bright. Who knew he was an old fox waiting for her here.

"Reach out your hand."

Chen Yan tremblingly stretched out her hand.

one time.

Two times.

Three times!

She was also slapped on the hand.

“This week, the tutor must have done it on purpose. Mother must have said something to him to make things difficult for us like this… Ouch… It hurts…”

Shen Yan looked aggrieved, and the maid beside her moved even more gently.

Jiang Mian turned her head, her eyes showing no extra emotion. Yun Ji was applying medicine to her skin, and when she touched her originally fair and tender skin, she found that the skin was broken, and she couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

On his first day of school, he was punished. What kind of situation is this?

"Fifth sister, it's alright. Master Zhou likes to make an example of someone like this. There are so many people at the banquet who are distracted, but he specifically called you out. This is called... picking on the weak."

"Fifth sister, you seem too easy to get along with. Don't let anyone bully you in the future. But I'm here for you. If you are ever bullied, I'll be the first to avenge you."

revenge?

Jiang Mian couldn't help but chuckle, and couldn't help but suspect that Shen Yan had recently read some chivalrous novel. Putting aside her cautious nature and her tendency to avoid making enemies, even if that day really came, she wouldn't swallow her anger. Her grandmother was right; she would have to walk her own path from now on.

No matter how things go, you must persevere.

However, today's shared punishment brought Jiang Mian and Shen Yan closer together. Perhaps it was a case of sharing the same fate, because Shen Yan slept in Birou Courtyard that night, and they talked for half the night, as if they would never finish talking.