Chapter 53 "Actually, he's very good to me."...
As soon as the words left her mouth, Madam Xue realized her mistake, froze, turned her eyes away, and quickly composed herself.
She added, "The two of them are ultimately different, and as their mother, I see that most clearly."
Shen Xi narrowed his eyes slightly, subtly taking in Xue Shi's obvious panic in that instant.
In fact, Shen Xi had noticed earlier that the Duke's Mansion seemed to favor Xie Wenlang, the youngest son. She had thought it was just because of the order of seniority; as the eldest son, Xie Chengyan would always have a heavier burden and expectations.
But now it seems that it's not that simple.
But she didn't make a fuss. Instead, she smiled and said, "Of course, I understand my mother's good intentions."
Seeing that Shen Xi didn't suspect anything, Madam Xue's expression relaxed a bit: "Cheng Yan is a deep-thinking child. You probably don't know much about him after only a year and a half of getting to know him. If you and your husband encounter any problems, you might as well come and talk to me."
Shen Xi nodded: "In that case, your daughter-in-law thanks you in advance, Mother."
No sooner had she finished speaking than the waiter brought over the food box she had ordered to be packed.
Seeing this, Madam Xue did not keep her any longer. She gave a few words of advice to take good care of Xie Chengyan and then let Shen Xi leave.
As she watched that figure gradually disappear into the distance, Madam Xue couldn't help but recall Shen Xi's innocent and unguarded face from just now, and a moment of disdain flashed through her mind.
She sighed softly to the old woman beside her, "Tell me, what did Wen Lang see in such an ignorant and clueless girl that he was so eager to marry her?"
The old woman glanced at her face and said, "Young master is young and may be blinded by appearances. He will understand the madam's good intentions as he grows older."
Madam Xue was quite pleased with these words: "Fortunately, Wen Lang still didn't marry her. If she had entered the Duke's mansion and was so clueless all the time, how could she have managed the household affairs of the Duke's mansion?"
“Madam is farsighted. The position of heir will eventually belong to the young master, so choosing a wife is naturally not something to be taken lightly.”
At this point, Madam Xue lost interest and frowned, saying, "My son has really had a rough time with his marriage. He just lost Chen Xi, and now a princess has come along. This Chu Yi is my sister's darling. She's been spoiled and arrogant in the palace since she was little, and she's not capable of managing a household."
The old woman said, "Madam, don't worry. The princess is from the palace after all. Just her demeanor and the servants around her are far superior to that of Chen Xi."
Upon hearing this, the anger that had been weighing on Xue's heart gradually dissipated: "Indeed, no matter how bad my son is, he's still better than Xie Chengyan, who schemed and plotted, even ruining his own marriage."
The old woman smiled and flattered, "With the madam planning for the young master, naturally no one can compare."
Madam Xue watched the carriage drive away through the window and let out a sigh of relief.
After so many years of chaos and disorder, it's time for everything to return to its proper place.
*
When Shen Xi entered Renfeng Hall carrying her medicine bag, Wen Tingmao was seeing patients. She didn't want to disturb him and went straight to the back room.
Wangyou sat in front of the medicine furnace, her hand supporting her chin. From a distance, it looked as if she was watching the fire, but in reality, her head was nodding slightly and her eyes were already closed.
Seeing this, Shen Xi couldn't help but chuckle. He cleared his throat and deliberately raised his voice: "Master."
Wangyou woke up instantly, quickly wiped the drool from her mouth, fanned herself with the palm-leaf fan in her hand, and muttered, "Hmm, Master, I'm watching, I'm not sleeping..."
After pretending for a while and not hearing any other noise, Wangyou finally dared to quietly turn her head to check.
But all they saw was a smug-looking Shen Xi standing not far away, beaming with joy.
Wangyou immediately realized what was happening and threw the palm-leaf fan on the ground: "Sister Chen! You lied to me!"
Shen Xi chuckled: "Why are you dozing off during the day? What mischief did you get up to last night?"
With a pained expression, Wangyou picked up the palm-leaf fan again, saying weakly, "Master punished me by making me copy books again."
After saying that, he looked at Shen Xi and said indignantly, "Why does Master only punish me and not you? I've never seen you copy books!"
Shen Xi raised an eyebrow, seemingly pondering for a moment: "It's also possible that it's because I've already copied it down and memorized it perfectly?"
Wangyou, however, did not believe it: "You're lying again. You've only been an apprentice for a short time. How could you have copied any books?"
Shen Xi laughed and said, "It seems Wangyou has become smarter; she can't fool you anymore."
After saying that, she stopped teasing him and turned to open the food box she had brought back from Wangxianlou.
"As an apology, I'll treat you to something delicious."
Upon hearing that there was something delicious to eat, Wangyou wanted to hurry over, but hesitated because she was still decocting medicine on the stove.
Seeing this, Shen Xi stepped forward, took the palm-leaf fan from his hand, and patted Wangyou's hair: "Go eat, I'll keep an eye on the cooking time for you."
"That's wonderful! Sister Shen, you're the best sister!"
Wangyou jumped up instantly, and all sorts of boastful words poured out of her mouth.
Shen Xi was amused by his reaction and shook her head with a light laugh.
Just then, Wen Tingmao finished his consultation and came in to find Wangyou eating happily. He scolded her, "You naughty monkey, you can't memorize your lessons, but you eat very fast."
Wangyou wasn't intimidated at all; she made a funny face with a grin and continued to enjoy her meal.
Wen Tingmao, helpless against him, turned his head with a huff and a glare, then pointed at the packets of medicine on the table and said to Shen Xi, "And you, does Renfengtang not tolerate you anymore? You actually brought medicine from other places to my place. Is there any medicine that Renfengtang can't find?"
Shen Xi innocently pinched the fan: "That was given to me by Xie Chengyan's mother. She said it was a tonic that she personally found someone to make."
"Tonic medicine?" Wen Tingmao picked up a packet, weighed it in his hand, and asked, "What does a grown man like him need tonic medicine for?"
Shen Xi watched his movements and smiled, "What does Master think of this medicine?"
Wen Tingmao opened the package and examined it carefully. He nodded and said, "It really is a tonic for nourishing the body, but the ingredients are just so-so."
Shen Xi smiled meaningfully: "Yes, in the eyes of even the most skilled doctor, this is just an ordinary tonic."
Wen Tingmao understood what she meant, rewrapped the medicine, and said disdainfully, "Stop playing dumb. What's so special about this medicine? I could make it with my eyes closed."
Shen Xi shrugged and didn't say anything more.
Wen Tingmao casually tossed the medicine packet back onto the table, then took a closer look and realized that the food was all Qingzhou specialties. His gaze paused for a moment.
After thinking for a while, he walked over to Shen Xi with his hands behind his back and asked in a low voice, "How have things been going with that kid lately? You two even had a fight?"
Shen Xi paused for a moment, then blinked: "No, everything is fine between us now."
Wen Tingmao asked suspiciously, "He didn't bully you?"
Shen Xi bit her lip, and then smiled unconsciously, as if thinking of something: "Actually, he's very good to me."
Seeing this expression, Wen Tingmao immediately understood. Many years ago, Lin Anrong had always acted this way whenever she mentioned Shen Guangjun to him.
He scoffed and glanced at her: "You're smiling now? Weren't you arguing like crazy before?"
Shen Xi smiled guiltily and didn't answer.
Wen Tingmao stopped teasing and instead changed the subject: "It's better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage. The current situation is for the best. But what do you think about that matter?"
Shen Xi understood what he was talking about. The smile on his face gradually faded, his movements slowed down, and he remained silent for a long time before lowering his eyes to stare at the flickering firelight.
Seeing this, Wen Tingmao sighed and said, "It's alright if you change your mind. From what I've seen these past few days, Xie Chengyan is someone I can entrust with my life. You are much luckier than your mother."
"Let's wait until after his birthday."
Suddenly, Shen Xi spoke in a low voice.
Wen Tingmao was taken aback: "What?"
Shen Xi didn't look at him, her voice soft and gentle: "I want to spend his birthday with him."
As she spoke, she suddenly felt a chill between her brows. Looking up at the sky, she saw a tiny snowflake gently falling, landing between her brows and eyes, only to be instantly evaporated by the heat from her body.
Shen Xi was delighted and reached out to take it: "It's snowing."
Wen Tingmao followed her gaze and indeed saw fine snowflakes falling silently.
Another winter has arrived.
He exhaled a long breath, which condensed into a mist in front of him due to the coldness. He couldn't help but recall the day he first came to the capital last year and saw Shen Xi.
That day was the winter solstice, and he had traveled all the way from Qingzhou.
At that time, someone came to inquire about Shen Guangjun's affairs in Qingzhou many years ago, and he immediately sensed something was wrong.
Lin Anrong had been out of contact for many years, and when the old story was suddenly brought up again, he feared that something had happened to Lin Anrong, so he hurriedly packed his bags and set off for the capital.
Upon arriving in the capital and making inquiries, no one knew Lin Anrong; they only knew that there was a concubine named Lin in the Shen family.
His foolish apprentice had long since passed away, leaving behind only a daughter; there had been no further news of the rest.
Originally, Wen Tingmao only intended to take a look at the child and leave, but after looking at her and discovering that she was injured, he couldn't bear it and decided to wait until she recovered before leaving.
After his injuries healed, he was faced with her wedding. He felt sorry for her because she had lost her mother at a young age, was unloved by her biological father and stepmother. He couldn't help but worry that if she got married, she might be bullied by a heartless man. What would become of her?
In the end, it was all due to human greed. He kept telling himself to delay, but he never actually left. Instead, he was tricked and coaxed into becoming the child's disciple.
And so, a year has passed.
As the snow intensified, Wen Tingmao chuckled, "Fate is truly an unfathomable thing."
Upon hearing this, Shen Xi turned to look at him, a smile also on her face: "Fate..."
But after saying only two words, his voice suddenly stopped, and he froze on the spot, his eyes brightening.
While she was engrossed in admiring the snow, a tall and slender figure suddenly appeared in the courtyard, a black cloak held up by strong shoulders and cascading down.
I don't know how long he stood there, but a thin layer of snow had accumulated on his shoulders.
Soaring majestically amidst the rosy clouds, as slender as a pine tree and as pure as jade.
A smile played on his handsome face, his eyes gentle, and he gazed intently at her through the first light snowflakes falling, his gaze unwavering for a moment.
A cold wind swept by, swirling snowflakes in the air.
Shen Xi saw his eyes clearly, just like the deep, mysterious, and alluring gaze behind the curtain of last autumn rain.
Her heart skipped a beat, but then joy washed over her.
A bright smile bloomed on Shen Xi's face as she strode towards him, leaving the chilly snow behind her.
She fell into that warm embrace, and above her head came a muffled laugh, the voice clear and pleasant.
"Come on, let's take you home."
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