Chapter 83: Generous Thanks to Sir

On the day after Shen Yuan's birthday, the Shen family returned to its former tranquility. Shen Su returned to the Imperial College, and Shen Yun had to go to the Dali Temple to be on duty. The Shen family was so quiet that Shen Yuan slept until almost noon.

"Why didn't anyone call me today?" Shen Yuan got up and opened the door, and saw Qingdai sitting in the corridor doing needlework.

"Miss, are you awake? I know you were tired yesterday, so I let you sleep a little longer." Qingdai put down the things in her hands and came in to help Shen Yuan wash and dress.

"I didn't show up all morning, and grandma didn't say anything?"

Qingdai had been guarding the door the whole morning, so she had no idea what the old lady said, but she thought that since no one came, then there was nothing to worry about.

"The old lady must know that you were tired yesterday. Besides, she is tired too. If you go there early in the morning, she won't have the energy to greet you."

"You're right." After washing up, Shen Yuan touched his stomach, "Qingdai, I'm hungry."

"Wait a moment, young lady. The dishes are being heated up in the small kitchen. I'll go and bring them over."

Thinking that grandma might take a nap, after dinner, Shen Yuan waited for a while before going to grandma's Songwu Courtyard.

"Grandma, I have received all the things you asked Mammy to send. Grandma, you are so generous. I have become a landlord now. Thank you, Grandma."

"Huh, now you won't say anything to me?"

"That depends on your performance. If you still find me a stepmother, I will complain."

Old Madam Shen was amused by her granddaughter. She nodded her head and said to the nanny, "She even watched my performance. That's really amazing."

"Please keep the things that grandma gave you. I have found people to run those shops. If the business is not good in the future, you will have to find a way out. Those things will be your dowry in the future. I also gave them to Yu'er and Kang'er. You and Xixi are both girls, and dowries are things that you rely on, so you have more than those two boys."

"Thank you, grandma, muma!" Shen Yuan went straight up and kissed Old Madam Shen, which scared the old lady so much that she kept muttering "How disgraceful!"

Seeing their grandmother like this, Shen Yuan and Shen Xi leaned against each other and laughed.

He Ying came over later, and they stayed in the grandmother's room for the whole afternoon, playing mahjong together. After Shen Yuan's coming-of-age ceremony, Old Lady Shen and Shen Xi would not stay in the capital for long, and would leave for their hometown in a few days, so Shen Yuan wanted to spend more time with them these days.

In the evening, Shen Yun came back and the family happily had dinner together. After dinner, Shen Yuan remembered something and ran to the study to find Shen Yun.

"Dad, where is my birthday present?"

"What birthday gift? Didn't I give it to you yesterday?"

"Dad - I'm talking about the gifts the guests brought yesterday."

"Guest, don't you just want to ask for thanks? Don't I, your father, know you?" Shen Yun raised his eyes and glanced at his daughter. He had raised her from childhood, and he knew what she wanted to do just by looking at her.

"The gifts sent from outside were registered by Lao He and stored in the warehouse. I asked him to put them aside for you first. If you want to open them, go and open them yourself. If you like them, take them back to your own yard. If you don't like them, ask Lao He to put them away."

"Okay, I'll go take a look." After hearing what her father said, Shen Yuan was about to run out the door.

"etc."

"What's wrong, Dad?"

"Take it." Shen Yun took out a box from the bookshelf behind him and motioned for his daughter to take it.

Shen Yuan took it hesitantly, opened the gift list and saw Xie Hui's name.

"Oh Dad, so you put it away alone?" Shen Yuan suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

"Hmm...what did you give me?"

"Didn't you look at the gift list?"

"Am I that kind of person, your father? I even peeked at your things."

Shen Yuan read out the words written on the gift list word by word, "Gold-sprinkled Luowen Xuan paper, and gold-sprinkled... It sounds very expensive, and Mr. Xie's handwriting is really beautiful."

Shen Yuan was still immersed in the words of thanks when she heard her father's surprised voice, "Are you sure?"

"What did you see wrong? I am not illiterate, how could I have seen wrong?"

"This gold-sprinkled Luowen Xuan paper is a used paper. The annual production volume is less than ten dollars."

"Hiss!" Shen Yuan took a breath of cool air, "So famous? It says there are two knives here."

Shen Yuan opened the box. To be honest, the paper inside didn't look much different from ordinary paper. It was Shen Yun who pulled her under the light. When the light was shone on it, she could see the tiny glints on the paper.

"Is all this glittering gold?"

"Of course, the value of this paper is not because of its gold content, but because it does not absorb ink and does not seep through ink. Moreover, after dozens or hundreds of years, this paper remains the same, without yellowing or breaking. It is very difficult to make this paper, so the paper produced every year is supplied to the royal family. I am afraid that this paper was obtained in return for the emperor's request."

"I suddenly feel that my handwriting is not worthy of this paper." Shen Yuan thought that she might as well go back and practice her calligraphy, otherwise she would be embarrassed to write on this paper.

"Manman, can you give me some of this paper? You can't use so much by yourself."

"...Okay, I'll give you half." Shen Yuan reluctantly gave it up, after all, he was his biological father.

Shen Yun never thought that there would be a day in his life when he would be able to use the paper. It seems that the wall of the Princess's Mansion is not impossible to climb.

Shen Yuan carefully carried the remaining paper back to her room, forgetting to go to the storeroom again. Shen Yuan had already prepared Xie Hui's birthday gift, and now that she had received such precious paper, she decided to draw a picture for Xie Hui.

It is already August 17th, and there is not much time left until September 3rd, so there is not much time left to prepare a birthday gift for her.

Thinking of this, Shen Yuan, who usually went to bed early to read storybooks, stayed at the desk for a long time, drew a lot of drafts, and then went to bed.

The next day, she remembered to go to the storeroom to check the gifts. Because there was a gift list, the butler had already registered the gifts, so Shen Yuan didn't have to open them one by one.

In the album, Shen Yuan saw that his cousin brought two gifts, one for herself and the other from her grandmother.

There is no trace of his grandmother in Shen Yuan's memory. His parents have known each other since childhood. His mother's home is naturally in Jinling, and the two families actually live very close to each other.

But she had never been to her grandparents' home when she went back with her father to celebrate the New Year before. She still remembered that when she was eight or nine years old, her father took her and her brother to her grandparents' home, but they didn't see anyone.

Dad said that it was because grandma was too sad and not ready to see her and my brother.

In the evening, Shen Yuan went to see his father, bringing gifts and a painting from his grandmother.

"Dad, can I write a letter to grandma?" Shen Yuan showed her dad the thing her grandmother had sent her. It was a hairpin that looked a bit dull. Normally, people would not give old things as gifts. Shen Yuan guessed that this might be her mother's old thing.

Shen Yun was silent for a long time before he nodded, "Your grandmother must be thinking about you too." Shen Yun felt that his mother-in-law had every reason to blame him. Yan'er passed away at such a young age, and it was his fault that he did not take good care of her.

"Dad, I want to show you something else." Shen Yuan took out the painting she had drawn today. She drew the mother she saw in her dream that day.

"Dad, this is what mom looks like, right? I dreamed about her. She said she was doing well and was always watching us."

As soon as Shen Yun saw the painting, his eyes became red.

"That's what your mother looks like. You just said that your mother is on the fairy mountain? Yes, maybe your mother is not dead, but has become a fairy, and is watching us from up there every day."

"Yes, Dad, look at how beautiful this fairy mountain is. Mom must be happy every day. We should be happy too."