Chapter 267 Mourning
"Miss, Miss..."
Ling'er ran out of the courtyard, panting, holding a white brocade token in her hand.
Shen Yuanzhu was in the room, and Xie Qi was helping her apply nail polish.
The snow outside has melted and the ground is covered in snow. Winter is over and the weather has warmed up considerably.
Ling'er was shouting and yelling in the courtyard. Xie Qi clicked his tongue in disgust, but Shen Yuanzhu habitually looked up and teased, "Did you find some silver? Why are you making such a fuss?"
"no……"
Ling'er stumbled into the house, her hands trembling as she held the invitation.
"Miss, guess... guess..."
Xie Qi stretched out his long arm and snatched the invitation directly from Ling'er's hand.
He glanced at it and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"What's wrong?"
"Take a look."
Xie Qi handed the post to Shen Yuanzhu, his eyes filled with inquiry.
"Jiang Wansu has passed away?"
Shen Yuanzhu was very surprised: "This is too sudden. Did she hurt her body due to the miscarriage? This... I haven't seen her for a long time."
She turned the post in her hand over and over, as if she couldn't believe it.
"She's only a year older than me, and at that age... it's really..."
She was somewhat shocked and dazed.
"We are actually quite familiar with each other."
Shen Yuanzhu held the invitation, her brows furrowing slightly: "Actually, I met Jiang Wansu and her elder sister Jiang Naizhen when I was very young."
"The Jiang family is good at scheming. When my mother was alive, Madam Jiang often took the Jiang sisters to visit other people's homes."
"Jiang Naizhen is strong-willed, and no one can surpass her, whether it's food or clothing. Therefore, Jiang Wansu has been suffocated by Jiang Naizhen since childhood."
"After my mother passed away, one year on the fifteenth, the Xie family invited many people to their home for a banquet. At that time, my parents had passed away, and my mother sealed half of the Shen family's dye vat."
"Shen Yanhuai was still young and unable to support the family business. The Xie family was very powerful and prestigious. The Jiang family had the idea of a marriage alliance with the Xie family at that time."
"However, at that time, the Jiang family favored Xie Jingyuan."
As Shen Yuanzhu held the invitation, she inexplicably recalled some things from her childhood.
"That time, Madam Jiang brought four daughters from the Jiang family to the banquet. At that time, I didn't understand and just thought that the Jiang family had many sisters and it was very lively. Now that I think about it, Madam Jiang was probably looking for marriage partners for the Jiang family."
"Jiang Wansu was also there that time. After the banquet, a group of girls gathered together, and then several ladies from the Xie family and the Chamber of Commerce also brought out their sons to go through the motions."
"Some young master gave Jiang Wansu a grasshopper made of straw, which Jiang Naizhen saw, snatched, and stuffed into Jiang Wansu's mouth..."
For some reason, Shen Yuanzhu suddenly remembered this matter.
"Then?"
Xie Qi looked at Shen Yuanzhu, but his hands didn't stop. He took her hand and applied flower mud to her.
Cui Yulin had just returned a month ago, and Jiang Wansu had already passed away. He didn't believe that she was really dead.
Most likely, Jiang Wansu and Cui Yulin eloped, or they were killed by Xie Xuchuan...
Thinking of this, Xie Qi couldn't help but grin coldly.
If Xie Xuchuan had such courage, he wouldn't have done those foolish things before.
"Then……"
Shen Yuanzhu lowered her eyes and continued, "Back then we were still young. Those grasshoppers were sharp, and the little girl's skin was tender. They pricked Jiang Wansu, causing her mouth to bleed profusely."
"I couldn't stand it, so I poured her some tea to rinse her mouth and took her to the Xie family's small kitchen for some snacks."
Shen Yuanzhu sighed softly: "We met Xie Xuchuan in the small kitchen. That's when they met."
At that time, Jiang Wansu was not valued in the Jiang family. She wolfed down a few plates of ordinary snacks. She still had a wound in her mouth, and while eating, she sobbed that no one had ever been so kind to her.
After they finished eating, Jiang Wansu took her hand again and said that she wanted to be friends with her for life.
Shen Yuanzhu thought of herself when she was young, and how she had solemnly nodded in agreement.
However, she didn't have many opportunities to go out in the Shen family after that, especially after Ye Yunyi married into the Shen family, she began to live a life similar to Jiang Wansu's...
Shen Yuanzhu asked with a hint of regret, "Shall we go and offer incense?"
"Go."
Xie Qi said, "I'll go with you."
He also wanted to see what Xie Xuchuan was up to.
The two asked Ling'er to prepare plain clothes so they could go to the Xie family to pay respects to Jiang Wansu the next day.
The next morning, Xie Qi and Shen Yuanzhu went to the Xie family's house. White lanterns hung in front of the Xie family's house, but no one was there to greet them.
Only an old steward stood at the door.
"Thank you...Young Master Shen, Master Shen."
Upon seeing the two of them, the steward was unsure how to address Xie Qi, and after hesitating for a moment, he finally called out "Young Master Xie".
Shen Yuanzhu said, "Uncle Liang, just call him Xie Dongjia."
The man nodded and thanked Xie Qi for becoming the owner of Xie Cui Fang, without asking any further questions.
When the couple entered the mourning hall, they discovered that Xie Boyu and Hua Nanzhi were not there; only Xie Xuchuan was present.
Looking at Xie Xuchuan's expression, Shen Yuanzhu felt very puzzled.
The last time we met was when he suddenly ran to Xiecuifang.
The other person looked exhausted, with bloodshot eyes, clearly having just burst into tears.
At that time, Xie Xuchuan's brows and eyes were filled with sorrow, and he had also become much thinner.
now……
Shen Yuanzhu pursed her lips slightly.
Xie Xuchuan's complexion was... wonderful.
His complexion was rosy, his eyes were calm, and all the worries that used to linger between his brows were gone, replaced by a more open and magnanimous demeanor.
When some people offered incense, their gestures and movements were measured and graceful, showing no signs of the death of their wives. Instead, it was as if they were entertaining guests after a festival. They did not show any sadness or pain, but rather exuded a sense of ease.
Even when he saw the couple, Xie Xuchuan simply nodded gently to them.
"You're here?"
"..."
Shen Yuanzhu glanced at him, only to find the question even stranger.
This lighthearted and carefree statement comes next...
It didn't sound like he had lost his wife at all.
"Yes, it's here."
Xie Qi nodded, and this response made Shen Yuanzhu glance at him.
Xie Xuchuan took the incense from Caihuan and handed it to Xie Qi, who then handed it to Chen Yuanzhu.
Xie Qi pulled Shen Yuanzhu to offer incense to Jiang Wansu, and then pulled her to her seat for the meal.
Not many people came to pay their respects today. Many merchants felt that the Xie family was unlucky, with one misfortune after another, and most of them intentionally distanced themselves from them. Therefore, those who came were mostly old acquaintances.
Shen Yuanzhu was quite surprised when Shen Yanhuai entered the room.
She hadn't heard from Shen Yanhuai for a long time, and now that she suddenly saw him, she felt inexplicably relieved.
Xie Qi was taken aback when he saw them, but Shen Yanhuai nodded to the two of them and smiled warmly.
After offering incense, Shen Yanhuai sat down next to Xie Qi.
Shen Yuanzhu then noticed that his face was thin, his eyes were bloodshot, and his hands on the table were trembling slightly, as if he were weak after an illness or had just recovered from a serious injury.
He looked more like someone who had lost his wife than Xie Xuchuan did...
As soon as he sat down, Shen Yanhuai said, "I just got back yesterday and received an invitation from the Xie family... What a pity for the eldest young mistress of the Xie family."
Xie Qi looked at him, frowned, and asked, "What happened after we left the capital?"
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