Chapter 7 Ji Ge, Xiang Jie, and Shen Miao chuckled: Could it be that her sister…
Hearing this, Shen Miao was shocked. She hadn't expected that her original sister-in-law's situation was even worse than she had imagined! Now, Shen Miao looked at the three aunts with even more sincerity. She took their hands and said sincerely, "Thank you all for taking care of my brother and sister-in-law. Once I've settled down, I will definitely go door to door to express my gratitude to each of you!"
Aunt Gu was the most enthusiastic. She lived across the street from the Shen family and said, "We've been neighbors for years, why bother with thanks? Go and check on Ji-ge and Xiang-jie. I'll have your second brother Gu carry these two boxes of luggage for you. Don't worry about it."
Shen Miao thanked her again and again, and indeed entrusted her with her luggage. Then she quickly walked through the narrow alleyway filled with all sorts of odds and ends.
Yangliu East Alley is actually a back alley of Yanqiufang South Street in Bianjing. The gatehouses of every household here are built with their backs to the street, with two doors, one in front and one in back. The front door faces the street and has mostly been converted into various shops along with the front hall; the back hall and the back door in the alley are the places for daily life.
Shen Miao recognized the Shen family's house halfway there—it was a place blackened by smoke, with half of the roof beams collapsed, half of the wall gone, and rubble everywhere.
The original owner's aunt wrote that the fire wasn't big, but it's almost completely burned down and you say it's not big?
Fortunately, Bianjing was densely populated, and fire prevention was quite strict. In my hazy memory, there was a military patrol post about every three hundred steps in every neighborhood of Bianjing, with five soldiers patrolling at night; there was also a brick-built fire lookout tower at the front and back of each street, with people on guard at all times. A hundred soldiers were stationed under the fire lookout towers, and whenever there was a fire, the soldiers would come to fight the fire with buckets of various sizes, ladders, axes, saws, fire forks and other tools.
Presumably, the fire at the Shen family's house was discovered in time by the police, which prevented it from affecting the neighbors. Otherwise, they would have had to compensate the neighbors for their house damage, which would have been an even bigger problem.
Now that it's burned to this state, there's no point in looking any further. With her thoughts on the original owner's younger siblings, Shen Miao stepped through the ruins, her feet sinking deep into the rubble.
I don't know if it had just rained in Bianjing, but the broken wood and rubble on the ground were all wet. Walking among them, I could still faintly smell the pungent smell of burning wood, which added to the desolation.
She hadn't taken more than a few steps when she heard a low, suppressed cough and the sobbing of a little girl.
Lifting the door, which was burned down to a charred wooden frame, Shen Miao walked into what looked like a storage area. Broken wine jars were piled up in rows along the wall in the backyard. Beyond the row of wine jars, she finally saw a room with a relatively intact roof. After thinking carefully, Shen Miao realized that this should be the kitchen.
The Shen family owned a soup noodle shop, so their kitchen was the most spacious and sturdy building, with brick and stone walls. Along the walls were a row of tables and a large four-eyed stove. Although it was burned beyond recognition, it became the only room in the Shen family's back hall that was not completely destroyed by the fire.
From the right side of the kitchen, you can see a small door leading to the front shop, which must have also been burned. Shen Miao craned her neck to look and saw that the floor was littered with broken cabinets and tables and chairs missing arms and legs.
"I'll clean it up later." She followed the sound and stepped over the charred threshold of the kitchen.
The light dimmed, and a faint smell of grass mixed with the smell of medicine mingled together. But after adjusting to the dim light, the situation in the room was better than Shen Miao had imagined.
The kitchen only had a large hole burned in the roof tiles; the walls and stove were still intact, though blackened by smoke and covered with the charred marks of the flames.
Behind the stove, half a straw mat was visible, along with a quilt and pillow. This bedding was probably donated by a neighbor; although it was a bit old, it was very clean.
The blankets were bulging, and suppressed sobs could be heard coming from inside.
Shen Miao went around to take a look and saw a boy of about ten years old leaning against the wall, half-lying on a straw mat with disheveled hair. The boy looked seven or eight parts similar to Shen Miao's body, with the same peach blossom eyes, and even the slight upward curve of his brow bone was almost the same.
He still seemed to have a fever; his lips were pale, but his cheeks were flushed. He was sick, but he still had to force himself to be strong and gently pat the little girl nestled in his arms. The little girl was asleep, but she was still crying in her dream, her eyes tightly closed, tears still rolling down her cheeks, her face covered in tears.
Shen Miao paused, her steps faltering, almost unable to lift herself.
It was the boy, who was delirious from illness, who noticed her first. He raised his bloodshot eyes, perhaps because he was somewhat delirious from his illness. He frowned and stared blankly at Shen Miao for a long time before he seemed to recognize her. But he just pursed his lips and lowered his head again.
Shen Miao silently stepped forward, raising her hand to check the boy's forehead temperature, but he turned his head away. The boy suddenly glared at her fiercely: "What are you doing here?"
Shen Miao didn't answer, but despite his repeated attempts to dodge, she stubbornly placed her hand on his forehead. The burning heat from her palm felt like a flame scorching her heart. She softened her voice and said, "Ji-ge'er, you've suffered."
"My sister is back, she's not leaving again."
Because of those words, the fierceness that Shen Ji had been forcing in his eyes crumbled, and a wave of bitterness rushed to his nose. His eyes were filled with tears that were about to fall, but he stubbornly kept them wide open, refusing to shed a tear, until his eyes became even redder.
Shen Miao sighed again.
Deep within the original owner's memory, the wailing of her two orphaned younger siblings always lingered. Because of her cowardice, she dared not defy her mother-in-law and cruelly abandoned the two children at her uncle's house. When it was time to board the carriage and leave, four-year-old Xiangjie refused to go, still dressed in mourning clothes. Such a small child, she clung tightly to the original owner's clothes, crying and shouting, "Sister, don't go! Sister, don't go!"
Finally, Uncle Shen forcibly pried open Xiang'er's fingers and carried her away. In Uncle Shen's arms, she still struggled and kicked, trying to jump down and hold him back, until she cried until she was hoarse. Shen Ji didn't cry at first, but after the original owner got into the carriage, he suddenly broke free from his uncle's hand and chased after him desperately.
He didn't shout, just like today. His eyes were filled with tears, red and swollen, and he stubbornly kept running and running until he could no longer catch up. Only then did a heart-wrenching cry come from the wind: "Sister!"
The original owner didn't dare to turn around and sat in the car with tears streaming down her face.
The crying tormented her, making her restless and unable to smile day and night in the Rong family. Although she frequently sent letters and gifts to Bianjing, she still could not alleviate the guilt in her heart.
Now that Shen Miao has stepped in front of the two children in her place, the regret in her heart that didn't belong to her but which she had never been able to let go of seems to have dissipated like smoke.
Shen Miao bent down and carried Xiang Jie'er from Shen Ji's arms to his back. The child was crying and sobbing in her sleep and hadn't woken up yet. But as soon as she was on Shen Miao's back, she stopped crying and slept more peacefully.
Shen Ji just looked at her without saying a word.
"Can you still walk? Let your elder sister take you to Zhao Taicheng's house to get some more medicine." Shen Miao supported Xiang Jie'er with one hand and turned around to take her hand with the other.
Shen Ji struggled to his feet, leaning against the wall as instructed. He was still swaying slightly. Shen Miao quickly reached out to support him, but Shen Ji dodged her. He took a couple of breaths and asked, "Why did you come back?"
Shen Miao had never seen such a stubborn child in either of her lives; so mature and perceptive for such a young age. She couldn't hide the fact that she had been divorced, so she succinctly recounted the events, saying calmly, "The Rong family is greedy and despicable by nature. Divorce is divorce, and that's that. These past few years, I've regretted my decision. Now it's perfect; I'm no longer involved with them, and I can come back to take care of you all..."
Unexpectedly, Shen Ji, whom I thought harbored some resentment towards me, turned red with anger after hearing this and blurted out a string of vulgarities: "How dare the Rong family bully you? You filthy beast without testicles!"
He was so angry that he coughed violently. After a while, his voice turned cold, as if he wanted to devour the Rong family alive. "They were sure that you had no parents and I was too young to stand up for you! I regret that I was born too late, otherwise I would definitely have gone to Jinling and broken Rong Dalang's three legs!"
Shen Miao just smiled: "So you've finally accepted me as your elder sister?"
Shen Ji's face stiffened, he snorted, and then resumed his awkward demeanor.
"Go on, I'll take you to get your medicine."
Shen Miao carried Xiang Jie on her back, forcefully took Shen Ji's hand, and the three of them took a shortcut along the maze of alleys to Zhao Taicheng's house. Zhao Taicheng's family were descendants of imperial physicians, and the plaque hanging in front of the door, "Xinglin Chunman," was bestowed by the late emperor. They were most skilled in pediatrics and gynecology, and had a rich history. It was a well-known medical clinic in Bianjing.
However, because the consultation fee was more expensive than elsewhere, most ordinary people would not enter Zhao Taicheng's house unless they had an emergency or serious illness. Therefore, when Shen Miao led Shen Ji and Xiang Jie'er into the house, compared to the crowded and affordable medical clinic "Yang Family Medical Clinic" not far away, there were only a few women holding children waiting for the shop assistant to get their medicine at Zhao Taicheng's house.
The white-bearded doctor sitting in the clinic, chin in hand, was almost asleep in the warm spring sunshine.
Shen Miao's views differed from those of people at that time. She believed that neglecting minor illnesses and letting them develop into serious conditions would come at a high price. This was especially true for children, who could not be allowed to tough it out.
Fortunately, Shen Ji had only caught a cold temporarily. After the white-bearded doctor examined him, he said it was nothing serious. He wrote a prescription for five days of herbal decoction, and also prescribed a three-day course of licorice and platycodon decoction to stop coughing and clear phlegm. It was a prepared medicine, packaged in a bamboo tube, which looked quite like cough syrup from later generations. He also prescribed three fever-reducing patches to be applied to the Yongquan acupoint on the soles of the feet. Shen Ji felt relieved.
The doctor immediately applied two patches to the soles of his feet. Shen Miao also learned where the Yongquan acupoint was located. These patches needed to be changed every day. Once he learned how, he could apply them himself when he got home and wouldn't have to make a trip every day.
After getting the medicine, the three of them returned the way they came. After this trip, Xiangjie on their backs slept even more soundly and started snoring softly.
Shen Miao asked, "Xiang-jie is so sleepy, is there something wrong with her?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Ji lowered his head and said with a somber expression, "Yesterday I had a high fever, and Xiang-jie took care of me all night while crying. She dared not close her eyes, fearing that I would die too."
Shen Miao remained silent for a long while, then lifted Xiang Jie'er up a little higher on her back, and gritted her teeth angrily, saying, "When you're better, I'm going to my uncle's house to demand justice!"
Shen Ji, unusually childlike, said defiantly, "I never want to step into my uncle's house again. After you returned to Jinling, my uncle and aunt kept trying to transfer our shop to them, saying that I was too young and would need to study, which would be very expensive, so leaving the shop to me would be useless. They said they should take good care of it and support Xiang'er and me for the rest of our lives. I refused, and they got very angry. Later, the house burned down, and my aunt couldn't collect rent, so she became increasingly cold and sarcastic towards Xiang'er and me. I didn't want to stay there anyway."
Shen Miao thought to himself, "Just as I thought."
The original owner received a letter from her uncle's family urging her to send money. No matter how much Aunt Rong scolded her, she did not change her mind and insisted on bringing the two siblings to Jinling. It is likely that she had seen through the scheme. Unfortunately, the original owner did not have time to do so, as she was forced to fall ill by the Rong family.
The Shen family's soup noodle shop was located in a bustling part of the inner city. Although it was not as lively as the Rainbow Bridge, it was only two streets away from the imperial palace. Many officials also lived near the Jinliang Bridge. It was only one street away from the Xiangguo Temple. In later generations, it would be a shop across from Chang'an Avenue in Beijing. How could it not be valuable?
The Shen family had once been wealthy. Shen's grandfather had built up four shops from scratch. After his grandfather's death, Shen's eldest son, Shen's eldest uncle, received a shop in the inner city, a shop in the outer city, farmland in the countryside, and two chests of silver. Shen's father, the second son, also had two shops in the inner and outer cities, but both were smaller than Shen's eldest uncle's. One of them was the soup noodle shop that was burned down, and the other was in the outer city. It had been sold off to save up for Shen Miao's dowry.
Previously, when Mr. and Mrs. Shen were still alive, Uncle Shen's family didn't envy his younger brother's family. After all, they were more well-off, collecting rent from the countryside and running the largest grain shop in the outer city. They made at least half a gold tael a day, if not a fortune. But now that Mr. and Mrs. Shen are gone, their two daughters are no longer considered, leaving only a young son to inherit their estate. Naturally, their thoughts have started to stir.
According to Song Dynasty law, if Ji Ge'er were to die, the shop would naturally belong to Uncle Shen's family.
Who knew that Ji Ge'er, though young, was intelligent by nature and not as gentle and easy to manipulate as the original owner of the body. Presumably, this was why Uncle Shen's family was so angry and embarrassed that they kicked the two children out of the house.
Ji Ge'er spoke to her lightly, using "cold eyes and sour words" to describe the past three years, but living under someone else's roof, there are ways to make people suffer in silence, they must have endured a lot of hardship.
"Don't be afraid. After this ordeal, your older sister is clear-headed and won't let you be bullied again." Shen Miao held Ji Ge'er's hand even tighter. "Come on, let's go back and make you some noodle soup. Even though you're sick, just drinking porridge is bland and not nutritious enough. Noodle soup is good for warming your body and stomach."
Shen Ji didn't speak, but he glanced at Shen Miao out of the corner of his eye. How could he not know what kind of person his elder sister had been since childhood? If he hadn't had such a kind and timid elder sister, he wouldn't have developed such a personality. But this time when his elder sister returned, her eyes, which were full of hesitation and unease, seemed to have changed, becoming so clear and firm that he actually felt a desire to rely on her.
But soon, he erased this weakness from his heart and secretly vowed: Now that his sister has returned from the Rong family, there will inevitably be gossip, and he must support the family even more.
Shen Miao didn't notice Ji Ge'er's increasingly mature expression and continued to ramble on in a gentle voice: "I bought a purple yam in Caizhou earlier and haven't finished it yet, so it'll come in handy... But my luggage is still at Aunt Gu's house. Oh, right, I'll go buy some firewood and cooking utensils later. The most important thing for dumpling soup is the heat control..."
"What... dumpling soup?"
Suddenly, a dampness touched the back of her neck. Shen Miao turned around in surprise and saw that Xiang Jie'er, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly raised her little head and wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth with sleepy eyes.
Shen Miao chuckled: Could this girl be a foodie?
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