Shen Jingyu pouted and said coquettishly: "I don't want to grow up so quickly. Growing up will cause too many troubles... I just want to finish my studies in Nanying and then go abroad to have a look."
"You... it's time to calm down."
Mrs. Shen's smile faded slightly, her eyes became more serious, and she joked, "I thought I was a child, but now I'm old enough to get married... Look at Wang Li from your class, didn't she get married last year?"
Her voice was still gentle, but these words were like a soft knife, poking directly into Shen Jingyu's heart, making Shen Jingyu feel nervous.
"Mom, I'm only 19."
Shen Jingyu put his head forward, held Mrs. Shen's arm with both hands, shook it vigorously, and said coquettishly, "I don't want to get married." Her voice was soft and full of pleading.
Mrs. Shen smiled and pushed her head, "You have to think about it carefully."
Shen Jingyu's body suddenly stiffened, and he felt a chill running from his feet to his head. He said dully, "Are you... marrying me?"
Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum, revealing deep uneasiness and fear, and her eyes were full of anxiety.
"Women all want to get married. Don't worry, I will pick one with a good family background for you."
Mrs. Shen spoke bluntly and clearly. She raised her head slightly, with a hint of pride in her eyes, as if she was talking about something of great honor.
Shen Jingyu raised her head, her eyes full of pleading, and her tone was almost pleading: "Mother, I... Can I choose for myself?"
"You... you have someone you like?"
Mrs. Shen's eyes suddenly turned cold, and her gaze was as sharp as a sword without a sheath, staring straight at her, as if she could see through her, trying to find a clue from her expression.
Shen Jingyu felt out of control, as if he was being roasted by fire, and was extremely uncomfortable.
She gritted her teeth and mustered up the courage to confess: "I know him from school, and I want to study abroad with him."
Although her voice was not loud, it was firm and her eyes sparkled with longing for the future.
"Whose family is it?" Mrs. Shen asked, her eyes full of curiosity and vigilance.
Shen Jingyu took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. "The son of Minister Jiang of the Ministry of Education, Jiang Yi."
"Minister Jiang...is in charge of a department that often can't even pay salaries."
Mrs. Shen glanced at her with disdain, snorted softly, and said with disgust, "What kind of vision do you have... Minister Jiang's wife is notoriously stingy. She can't even afford a meal. What do you think of his family?"
As she spoke, she kept shaking her head, her face full of disdain. In her opinion, the Jiang family was not worthy of the Shen family.
In Shen Jingyu's eyes, Jiang Yi has a unique charm, she even feels that she is not as good as Jiang Yi.
When she was with Jiang Yi, she often felt inferior.
Because Jiang Yi has excellent academic performance, his parents also plan for his future wholeheartedly, which makes Shen Jingyu both envious and yearning.
Shen Jingyu explained eagerly, "What I like about him is that he is a very hard-working and diligent person. He studies very well and he wants to go to the UK for further studies..."
“Stop, stop, stop…”
Mrs. Shen didn't want to listen to these things that seemed irrelevant to her, so she interrupted Shen Jingyu impatiently.
His brows were furrowed, and his expression was full of annoyance. "You are a child of the Shen Mansion after all, how can you be so silent? You should pay attention to your behavior and don't spread some gossip and embarrass the Shen family."
Her voice was stern and full of accusation, completely disregarding Shen Jingyu's feelings. In her heart, the reputation of the Shen family was far more important than her feelings.
After giving the instructions, Mrs. Shen turned around and asked Aunt Rong to take Shen Jingyu away.
Shen Jingyu knew in his heart that the wife had just mentioned it. If he didn't know what was right and wrong and continued to ask, the wife would marry him off immediately.
She felt very aggrieved, her eyes were slightly red, tears welled up in her eyes, but she dared not show it.
놙Neng quietly 눓 followed Aunt Rong and left.
She arrived at the Second Aunt's room, and as soon as she pushed open the door, a strong, pungent, bitter smell of medicine hit her face. The smell seemed to be tangible, and it made her nose sore and she almost cried.
Even with the windows wide open, the unpleasant smell of medicine still lingered in the room, as if it was the aura emanating from the room itself, and it could not be driven away, making people feel extremely depressed.
The Second Aunt was half-sitting at the head of the bed, leaning against the pillow, staring out the window with a dull look in her eyes, as if she had lost all hope in life.
The sunlight shone on her face, but could not illuminate her dull eyes. Her face was haggard, showing the vicissitudes of time and the torture of illness.
"Mom..."
Shen Jingyu called softly, his voice choked with sobs, and the tears in his eyes almost burst out.
When the Second Aunt heard the voice, she slowly turned her head. Her originally dead eyes brightened up slightly, with a hint of life.
Her voice was extremely hoarse, like the rustling sound of sandpaper rubbing against a rough face, "Yu'er."
Shen Jingyu lowered his eyes and looked at the haggard face of the Second Aunt, feeling a sharp pain in his heart.
Originally, my mother was a very popular Kunqu opera actor with a voice that others envied. My father once thought of making my mother his legal wife.
But now... Time and illness have mercilessly destroyed everything.
Shen Jingyu sat at the head of the bed, gently asked her about her medication, and then asked about her physical condition with concern.
The Second Aunt's voice was small and hoarse, and every word she spoke seemed to use up all her energy. That weak voice seemed like it would be blown away by the wind at any time, which made people feel distressed.
"What happened? You seem unhappy?"
Second Aunt Fei asked, her eyes full of concern for her daughter. Even though she was sick, she still cared about her daughter's feelings.
"It's nothing, I'm just a little tired."
Shen Jingyu forced a smile and pinched the corner of the quilt for her mother. The rough touch of the quilt corner from her fingertips made her feel even more uncomfortable. "Please take care of yourself and don't open the window too wide. Be careful not to get too cold."
The second aunt nodded and said weakly, "You care more about your own affairs."
After taking a deep breath, he continued, "You said before that you wanted to study abroad. Have you told your father?"
Shen Jingyu lowered his head, his voice as soft as a mosquito's, "Not yet..."
"Go out and see the world. If the country is good, stay there and don't go back."
Although the second aunt's voice was weak, it was resolute. She hoped that her daughter could have a better future and not be bound by the Shen family.
"Mom..."
Shen Jingyu's eyes turned red and tears welled up in them. She held her second aunt's bony hand tightly. The cold touch made her feel very distressed.
"Don't worry about me. I know my body well. The time is almost up... I want you to be well and not be dragged down by me. If it weren't for me, you would have told your master about the country long ago."
"I don't allow you to say that. Even if I leave the country, I will take you with me. I won't leave you alone in this Shen family to be bullied."
"I don't have much time left. I won't bother with this anymore."
Shen Jingyu gritted his teeth and said firmly, "Mom, you said that even if you were facing death, you wanted freedom. Believe me, I will definitely take you there."
She originally planned to wait for her mother's health to get better, and then proposed to her father the idea of taking her mother to study abroad. She felt that her mother was an insignificant existence in the Shen family, and leaving a vacant room was not a big deal for the Shen family.
But she didn't expect that her wife would arrange an engagement for her so soon. This instantly disrupted her plans and filled her with anxiety and helplessness.
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