As dawn broke, the stove in the small kitchen was already lit. Mother Shen, wearing an apron, personally tended the clay pot, which was simmering a medicinal soup made from old hen to nourish her daughter. The rich aroma of herbs mixed with the delicious flavor of the chicken soup filled the entire courtyard.
"Mother, you should rest. Let Zhang Mama come." Shen Yuewei, heavily pregnant, was helped in by Chun Tao.
"What are you resting for? I'll gladly cook for you!" Mother Shen didn't even look up, skimming off the foam with a spoon. "You're carrying my precious granddaughter, you need to eat well to have the strength to give birth! Where's that brat Wensong? The sun's already high in the sky, why aren't you up practicing your calligraphy?" Mother Shen's voice was loud and clear, with great penetrating power.
No sooner had she finished speaking than the door to the side room creaked open, and Shen Wensong, the younger brother, with his messy hair and sleepy eyes, poked his head out and wailed, "Mother! What time is it! I get up early every day at the academy, and I'm not even allowed to sleep in on my days off!"
"So you can sleep in on your day off?" Father Shen's stern voice came from the main room. He strode out with his hands behind his back, his face stern. "The early bird catches the worm! Come here and recite yesterday's 'Exhortation to Learning' to your father!"
Shen Wensong's face fell, and he looked at his sister for help.
Shen Yuewei suppressed a laugh: "Father, Wensong rarely comes back, let him sleep a little longer. Besides, he has a lot of work to do at the academy..."
"Hard work? I think he's just trying to slack off!" Father Shen glared. "When your older brother was his age, he got up before dawn to study! Come here!"
Shen Wensong shuffled over, muttering softly, "Big brother is big brother, but I am me... Dad, how about I brew you a pot of the newly arrived Longjing tea? To soothe your throat before you recite it?"
"Stop talking nonsense!" Father Shen pretended to tap him on the head, but there was a smile hidden in his eyes.
Lin Qingwan came over from the neighboring courtyard and saw this scene. She smiled and said, "Good morning, Uncle Shen, good morning, Aunt Shen, good morning, Sister Yuewei. Brother Wensong, did you... make Uncle angry again?"
Shen Wensong cried out as if he had seen a savior: "Sister Qingwan! Help me! My dad is going to test my memorization again!"
The courtyard was instantly filled with laughter and Shen Wensong's exaggerated pleas for mercy. Even the thrushes in the birdcages hanging under the eaves chirped, dispelling the chill of the early morning.
In the afternoon, the sun shone brightly. Mother Shen was talking to Shen Yuewei in the flower hall, holding a newly made bright red baby bib embroidered with a lifelike unicorn.
"Look, I haven't lost my skills yet, have I? The eyes of this unicorn are made of gold thread. I guarantee my granddaughter will look majestic in it!" Mother Shen said with pride.
"Mother's cooking skills are naturally top-notch!" Shen Yuewei exclaimed, delighted with the food.
"Hmph, your mother only cares about her granddaughter!" Father Shen, who was dozing on the recliner, snorted sourly when he heard this. "This old man of mine hasn't even gotten a new jacket."
Mother Chen glared at him and said, "You old man, why are you competing for your granddaughter's affection? Don't you have enough new jackets in your closet? Wenbai, don't you agree?"
Shen Wenbai, who was sitting to the side looking at the account book, looked up and said seriously, "Father, Mother is right. We just made two new jackets for you last month."
Enraged that his son had betrayed him, the father glared at him and yelled, "You three are ganging up on this old man!"
Everyone burst into laughter. Shen Yuewei nestled close to her mother, feeling the long-lost warmth of their sweet, playful banter, and felt incredibly at ease.
On the other side, Lin Qingwan and Chuntao set up their embroidery frames under the eaves. Lin Qingwan, an excellent embroiderer, was embroidering a delicate orchid handkerchief. Chuntao, meanwhile, was clumsily trying to embroider a small flower.
"Sister Qingwan, how come your embroidered leaves are so lifelike? Mine look like rotten vegetable leaves..." Chuntao said in distress.
Lin Qingwan chuckled softly, patiently instructing her on the angle of her needlework and the color matching of the silk threads. Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, illuminating them in a serene and beautiful scene. Shen Wenbai occasionally looked up from his ledger, his gaze lingering on Lin Qingwan's focused and graceful profile for a moment before lowering his head again, a gentle smile playing on his lips, a smile he himself was unaware of.
With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, the osmanthus blossoms in the courtyard were in full bloom, their sweet fragrance intoxicating. Shen Wenbai, along with Shen Wensong, personally picked the freshest and plumpest osmanthus flowers, and under the guidance of Zhang Mama, they learned to brew osmanthus wine.
"Second Brother, is there enough sugar?" Shen Wensong asked, stirring the jar with flour on his nose.
"That's enough, any more and it'll be too sweet!" Shen Wenbai carefully sealed the jar. "We'll be able to drink it around this time next year, and I'll let my sister try the first jar then."
“Then I want to drink a second jar!” Shen Wensong shouted.
"Little drunkard!" Shen Wenbai chuckled and patted his younger brother's head.
That night, the moonlight was as clear as water. The family (except for Shen Yuewei, who was ordered to rest early) set up a small table under the osmanthus tree in the courtyard and ate mooncakes and fruits. Shen's father sipped his own aged wine, while Shen's mother and Lin Qingwan drank warm osmanthus honey water, and Shen Wenbai accompanied his father to sip some wine.
Holding a small jar of freshly opened, still faintly flavored "experimental" osmanthus wine, Shen Wensong approached Lin Qingwan and whispered mysteriously, "Sister Qingwan, I'll tell you a secret!"
"Oh? What secret?" Lin Qingwan looked at him with a smile.
“My second brother…” Shen Wensong winked and pointed to Shen Wenbai, who was talking to his father, “He has that maple leaf you gave him last time hidden in his desk drawer! It’s even wrapped in a silk handkerchief! I saw it by accident the other day when I was looking for my slingshot!”
Lin Qingwan's face flushed bright red instantly, as if painted with the most vibrant rouge. She hurriedly covered Shen Wensong's mouth, saying, "Wensong! Don't talk nonsense!"
Shen Wenbai seemed to have heard the noise and looked over in confusion. Lin Qingwan was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear, and glared fiercely at Shen Wensong. Shen Wensong, on the other hand, giggled and ran away with his "wine".
Mother Shen watched all this unfold, exchanging a satisfied look with Father Shen. The shadows of the osmanthus trees swayed, the moonlight shifted, and the warmth in the courtyard seemed to shield them from all the storms of the world.
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