Shen Qian's grandparents and parents both had few children, and by his generation, he was the only son left. Coincidentally, Shen Qingchen's father was also an only son, so the two called each other brothers. Later, Shen Qian's family moved away from Xuzhou, and the two families lost contact for several years.

Later, Shen Qian passed the imperial examination and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations), but both of his parents died of illness. He returned to Xuzhou to find his elder brother, only to discover that his brother had developed hysteria, his sister-in-law had run away, and only a five-year-old child remained, who grew up eating food from many families. He was thin, but his fair and rosy face was extremely cute.

Shen Qingchen's earliest memory was of her second uncle feeding her and then feeding her father, who was seriously ill at the time and would break a bowl every meal. After that, her second uncle would gently hold her in his arms and teach her to read and write by candlelight.

This continued for five years. Five years later, he got married to a woman surnamed Lin and moved into the Lin family home. The Lin family had no sons, only three daughters. His wife was the eldest daughter of the Left Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, and through her father, she secured him a position in the court as a seventh-rank official in the Shuntian Prefecture.

The Lin family mansion was very grand, with flowering branches always climbing up the corridors and brushing past Shen Qian's shoulder. When Shen Qingchen reached his door, she encountered her second aunt, Madam Lin.

Lin was dressed in a rose-purple silk dress with butterfly patterns. Her hair and makeup were exquisite, and she looked like a leisurely woman who was living a very comfortable life.

"Second Aunt," Shen Qingchen called out, bowing her head.

Madam Lin hummed in agreement. "You've come early today; Yu-ge'er isn't awake yet. If you wake him now, he'll throw a tantrum again."

Shen Qian said, "No rush, Qingchen hasn't eaten yet either. I'll take him inside to eat first."

Madam Lin glanced at Shen Qingchen and said, "You came without having eaten again. If you ask me, next time you don't need to come so early. Just eat first."

Shen Qingchen was about to agree when Shen Qian interrupted, "Alright, we're going to have our meal. Go and wake Yu-ge'er up; he wants to stay in bed a little longer."

Lin pursed her lips and left.

The uncle and nephew entered the house and sat down; the table was already laden with exquisite dishes.

Shen Qian placed his hand on the plate to test the temperature and smiled, "Perfect, still warm. I figured you'd be here by now, so I had them prepare in advance." With that, he gently rolled up his sleeves and ladled a bowl of egg drop soup for her, his slender fingers holding the small blue-and-white porcelain bowl as he handed it to Shen Qingchen.

He didn't eat any himself, but kept putting food on her plate, his beautiful face beaming with a smile. "Eat more, these are all your favorites. I've noticed you've gotten thinner and thinner these days. It's better to be a little plumper."

"Second Uncle, please finish eating too." Shen Qingchen also put some food on his plate. "Second Uncle told me that he's always been thin."

He smiled and shook his head, "I can't compare to you. I'm getting old and can't eat much anymore."

She quickly replied, "Not big!"

He raised an eyebrow slightly, picked up his own bowl, took a small bite of the rose-flavored steamed cake that Shen Qingchen had put in his bowl, and said, "I was just about to eat it. This steamed cake is quite good today, you should try some too."

"Mmm." Shen Qingchen then picked up a pastry from the bowl and took a small bite. The rose steamed cake was sweet, soft, and glutinous, and very delicious.

When the two were almost finished eating, Shen Qian asked, "Have you been finding your studies difficult lately? Unlike others, you also have to take care of your father."

"It's not hard work. Don't worry, Uncle. I know that the opportunity to study in the Hanlin Academy is rare, and I will definitely seize the opportunity to learn as much as possible. There will be a final examination in two years, and I will prepare well and try my best to stay in the Hanlin Academy."

Although the junior scholars could study in the Hanlin Academy for three years, they still had to take the final exam of their lives after three years—the final exam. Those who performed well could stay in the Hanlin Academy as officials, while others would be assigned to various administrative offices, far away from the noble and prestigious places closest to the emperor.

“I’m never worried about you not studying hard enough, I’m just afraid you’ll overwork yourself.” As he spoke, Shen Qian personally brewed a pot of tea for her. The tea flowed gently from the small green-glazed teapot in his hand into the cup, and the steam rose up, filling the room with a delicate fragrance.

Shen Qingchen took the tea and took a small sip. "Our teacher retired and returned to his hometown the other day."

He pondered for a moment, then placed a piece of white cedar cake into her bowl. “The political situation is complicated these days; it’s a pity for these talented people.”

Shen Qingchen had always admired her second uncle. Although he was only a seventh-rank official, he had an exceptionally keen sense of political trends and was a man of considerable talent. If he had some connections, he would definitely have been a very successful politician.

He was once a young man who achieved early success, but later, for the sake of his father and daughter, he eventually sold himself to the Lin family. One can imagine how much has accumulated in his heart over the years.

Who is the new teacher?

“Second Uncle knows him too.” She covered her cup and looked at him. “Song Yue, the Second Grand Secretary and Minister of Rites.”

"It's him..."

"The students were all very happy to know it was him. However, Lord Song did not give a lecture yesterday, but only spoke to each of us... We have heard that this lord is a young prodigy, and he entered the cabinet at such a young age. Now he is in the prime of his life, and we wonder how he will teach us..."

Just as Shen Qian was about to speak, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Madam Lin stood outside looking at them, saying, "Shen Qian, come out, I have something to say."

Shen Qian is an official. If this were any other residence, Madam Lin would at least call him "Master." But this is the Lin family home. She can call him whatever she wants, and who can stop her?

He gently patted Qingchen's shoulder. "Eat more, wait for me, I'll be back soon."

"Mm." She nodded.

Shen Qian tried to drag Lin Shi away, but Lin Shi shook off his hand after a few steps. "Let's talk here. It's nothing that can't be heard. I already considered his feelings by calling you out."

"What do you want to say?" He frowned, looking at his wife, feeling that his patience always ran out quickly in front of her.

Madam Lin said, "I went to call Yu-ge'er just now, but he refused to get up. He said that your nephew is not teaching well and he doesn't want to learn from him anymore. Anyway, he can't come often, and Yu-ge'er's learning has been intermittent. Why don't we change teachers?"

"I disagree! He's just being lazy and unwilling to learn, that's why he says it's because I'm not teaching him well. Qingchen is the top-ranked scholar in both the imperial examinations, a junior compiler in the Hanlin Academy. He's the one teaching him, what right do you have to complain? Are you going to be confused because your son is confused?" Shen Qian rarely got angry, the veins on his fair forehead throbbing slightly. "Qingchen is someone I taught. How dare he say he's not teaching him well? Is he implying that I, his father, am incompetent?"

Lin rarely saw Shen Qian like this. She pouted and said, "Our son isn't just mine. What can I do if he doesn't want to study? He said that, so I'll just say it to you. It's just changing teachers, it's not a big deal. Why are you so angry? You've taken care of their family enough over the years. You and he are just related by blood, not close relatives. You can't take care of them forever."

Shen Qian frowned and slowly opened his mouth, saying, "Qingchen is very good, there's no need to change his teacher. I will discipline my son for his lack of ambition, but we absolutely cannot change his teacher. Since we're on the topic, I also have something to tell you. This year there have been many droughts and floods, and rice is becoming increasingly expensive. Qingchen only earns two taels a month teaching, which isn't even enough to cover the medical expenses for him and his father. You're in charge of the household finances, so let's discuss it. How about we give him four taels from now on?"

"What?!" Madam Lin exploded like a firecracker, her voice sharp and high-pitched. "Four taels? Two taels is already quite a lot. He's just here to teach, he doesn't work hard, and he eats and drinks at the mansion. Yu-ge'er's monthly expenses are only ten taels of silver, yet he asks for four taels. Does he think we have mountains of gold and silver in our house?!"

Shen Qian lowered his head slightly, rubbing his temples with one hand, suppressing his displeasure, and said in a low voice, "Keep your voice down. Do you have to make such a big fuss about this? Qingchen didn't say anything, didn't ask for anything. I just saw that he was having a hard time. He has no other relatives besides me. You are his aunt, so why can't you help him more?"

“Help him? Haven’t you helped him enough over the years? His father has been sick for over ten years, and no amount of medicine has helped. He’s a bottomless pit. Even the richest family can’t withstand this kind of torment. There are droughts and floods, and our own fields aren’t yielding good harvests either. These days, we’re spending more than we’re earning. We already have to be frugal, so where would we find the extra money to fill a bottomless pit?”

Lin became more and more agitated as she spoke, her voice growing increasingly uncontrollable. "Shen Qian, are you out of your mind? Do you think that with your meager salary, which is always being withheld by the court, you can provide us with a good life? Do you think I don't know that most of your salary goes to helping them? I just haven't said a word."

The salaries in the Ming Dynasty were notoriously low, and for someone of Shen Qian's low rank, they were pitifully low. Even officials in the capital often couldn't afford rent or meat. Adding to this, the Xu faction held power, corruption permeated the government, and much of the national revenue was squandered. When it came to repairing palaces, providing disaster relief, or waging war, money was simply robbing Peter to pay Paul, and delays in paying officials' salaries were commonplace. Therefore, although Shen Qian passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, he ultimately chose to marry into the family. He had to take care of Shen Qingchen, which made it difficult to care for his own family—a fact he and Lin Shi tacitly understood.

Now that Madam Lin had pointed it out to his face, although he was embarrassed, he still patiently said, "Qingchen has already passed the examination to become a probationary official, and he will surely make a name for himself in the future. Just consider it an investment in him, and he will repay you many times over when he becomes successful."

"Don't think I don't know. What kind of junior scholar is he? Even if he spends ten or twenty years in the Hanlin Academy, he might not get ahead. And even if he does become successful in the future, by the time he comes back in twenty years, you and I will probably be in our graves. If he were a woman, we could hope he would marry into a good family, but he's a man. Shen Qian, listen to me, stop focusing all your attention on him. Ask yourself, have you ever cared about your son this much?"

He looked at her, his patience completely gone, a cold indifference creeping across his handsome face. "I'll just ask you this: will you give me the four taels of silver or not?"

"No!"

He stopped talking, turned around and walked back, having said all he needed to say, there was no need to dwell on it any longer.

Lin glared at him resentfully from behind, staring at his familiar yet unfamiliar back that still stirred her heart. She said defiantly, "I've always given in to you, but this time I won't. In all these years, what has our family ever done to wrong him? Don't forget, you're not just his second uncle, you're also a husband and a father!"

The author has something to say: It's not impossible for a scholar to marry into his wife's family. There really was a scholar who married into his wife's family in history, and he was a famous person named Zuo Zongtang.