Shen Qinghe dared not meet her gaze, his eyes fixed on the bowl of soup. It wasn't until Meng Zhao began to look puzzled that he snapped out of his daze, stepped aside, and let her into the house.
Entering the room, Meng Zhao placed the soup bowl on the desk, but when she turned around, she found Shen Qinghe still standing at the door. She frowned and asked softly, "Second brother, what are you doing standing at the door?"
Shen Qinghe seemed to be startled awake. He slowly closed the door, walked back to the table, sat down in the chair, picked up a spoon, but hesitated to move.
Seeing this, Meng Zhao gently reminded her, "It's freshly served, so it might still be a little hot. Drink it later."
Seeing that his face was still slightly red and swollen, Meng Zhao recalled the tone of the dean's mother in her mind and spoke in the kindest tone, "Second brother, did something happen when you went to the banquet today?"
Shen Qinghe seized the opportunity to put down the soup bowl in her hand. "No, why do you say that, sister-in-law?"
“You seem a bit distracted today. I thought you might have run into some trouble in the county. Qinghe, we're all family. If anything happens, don't keep it to yourself. Tell us, and we can all work together to find a solution.”
When Shen Qinghe heard the words "family," his heart skipped a beat. He looked up at Meng Zhao with a complicated expression, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't speak.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Meng Zhao's tone became even gentler, "Qinghe, now that you've passed the imperial examination and become a scholar, and your sister-in-law's business is doing well, we're no longer the family that used to push a small food stall and get bullied. If anything happens, remember to tell your sister-in-law."
Hearing Meng Zhao's concerned words, Shen Qinghe felt a mix of emotions. He lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, "Sister-in-law, I'm really fine, I'm just a little tired today."
Seeing that he didn't want to talk, Meng Zhao didn't force him. After all, he was still a teenager, and it was understandable that he felt awkward. "Okay, if you don't want to talk now, then you can talk when you want to. But you have to remember that no matter what happens, we'll face it together."
As Meng Zhao spoke, he placed his hand on Shen Qinghe's shoulder, intending to give him some support from his family, but he didn't realize that the body under his hand was already in a state of extreme tension.
After moving his hand away, he glanced at the bowl of soup on the table and said, "By the way, remember to drink this soup, don't let it get cold."
Shen Qinghe suddenly raised his head, looking directly at Meng Zhao, his voice somewhat low, "Sister-in-law, do you really want me to drink this soup?"
Meng Zhao was taken aback, not understanding what was going on. "What's wrong? You don't like the food inside? Should I go and get you a different bowl?"
Shen Qinghe shook his head and didn't say anything more. Meng Zhao looked at him with a puzzled expression, then turned and left the house.
At this moment, only Shen Qinghe was left in the room. He stared at the bowl of soup on the table, feeling conflicted and pained.
His sister-in-law could do whatever she wanted, but he couldn't. If he drank this soup, how could he face his elder brother in the future? But if he didn't drink it, would his sister-in-law be angry? What if she got angry and left them?
Considering this possibility, he steeled himself, picked up the bowl, and drank the soup in one gulp.
Then, he calmly blew out the candle on the table, plunging the room into darkness.
He walked to the door, gently closed it, but did not bolt it.
I threw back the covers, lay down on the bed, and waited for what would happen next.
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