Chapter 195 World Eight (Eighteen)
The Confucian Master knew that Shen Yunshan was raised by his mother alone. Shen Yunshan must have been deeply worried about Shen Liu's illness. The Confucian Master comforted Shen Yunshan with a few words and gave him the purse he carried with him.
Shen Yunshan declined the offer, but the Confucian lady beside him whispered, "A gift from an elder should not be declined. If you feel bad about it, Yunshan, when you return to Xiangjiang Academy, please help the master more often and discipline those naughty students. This will also relieve the master's worries."
The Confucian master nodded in agreement.
Shen Yunshan's eyes moved slightly, and he finally accepted the purse and said goodbye to the Confucian master and his wife.
Along the way, although Shen Yunshan was worried about Shen Liushi's health, he was not anxious, because Baoshan had already stated Shen Liushi's condition in the letter, and as long as there were suitable herbs, she could always be cured. Shen Yunshan got off the carriage and happened to meet Li Dongran who had just left.
Because Shen Yunshan was thinking about Shen Liushi, he just nodded slightly and did not greet Li Dongran.
But when Li Dongran saw Shen Yunshan, her eyes widened, clearly surprised that Baoshan had continued to send the letter despite her repeated attempts to dissuade him. Li Dongran caught a glimpse of sweat on Shen Yunshan's forehead, and imagined that the journey must have been exhausting. Resentment towards Baoshan immediately welled up in her heart—she knew Shen Yunshan's studies were crucial, yet she had told him such a thing.
Li Dongran's eyebrows flickered slightly, and she thought to herself: If it were herself who took care of Shen Liushi, she would definitely buy medicine, feed medicine, serve Shen Liushi and many other matters, and take care of them properly, so as not to let Shen Yunshan, who was far away in Xiangjiang Academy, worry.
The dodder flower, which only depends on others, may look beautiful but is actually useless.
Li Dongran walked over and comforted Shen Yunshan softly, "Brother Shen, are you back because of Aunt Shen's matter?
Actually, Aunt Shen is fine, Brother Shen, please don't worry..."
Shen Yunshan stopped, his eyes gleaming with frost. "Miss Li."
Li Dongran raised his eyes: "Hmm?"
"It's a private matter at home, so please don't bother Miss Li. You and I are going in different directions, so let's say goodbye."
Li Dongran was stunned, but in just a moment, Shen Yunshan's figure disappeared from her sight.
He had a handsome figure and his hair was flowing, but he showed no trace of nostalgia.
A sour feeling spread in Li Dongran's heart.
When she and Li Qiuran were treated differently in the Li family, she had never felt such grievance and sadness.
At this moment, just because of Shen Yunshan's words, she felt that there was probably no possibility for her and Shen Yunshan anymore.
Perhaps because this was the first time Shen Yunshan expressed the estrangement between them in a cold tone, it shattered Li Dongran's last bit of fantasy.
When Shen Yunshan returned home, he heard the sound of a precious fan coming from the courtyard. It was soft and gentle, as if it was coaxing someone.
"Aunt, the medicine is ready. Put the candied fruit in your mouth first, then drink the medicine. It will definitely remove a lot of the bitterness."
Shen Liushi smiled softly and said, “I’m not you. I just want to drink some medicine, but I have to be like a child and eat candied fruit before I can swallow it.”
"Auntie is making fun of me again!"
Shen Yunshan pushed open the door, and Baoshan looked over at the sound. Shen Yunshan had thought that after these few months, he had completely forgotten what Baoshan looked like, not even its size.
I never thought that the first time I saw the precious fan, all kinds of emotions surged in my heart.
The person in front of me has eyebrows like a crescent moon, almond eyes and rosy cheeks. In order to make it easier for her to move, Baoshan's long black hair is wrapped with a square piece of duck egg blue cloth.
Although the decoration is plain, it cannot conceal its beauty.
Her skin was delicate and fair, like the hazy yet unattainable moonlight in countless deep nights.
When Bao Shan saw Shen Yunshan, her dark eyelashes trembled slightly, and she opened her soft lips: "Cousin Yunshan?"
Shen Yunshan raised his eyes to look at her: "Cousin, it's me."
Baoshan lifted her skirt and hurried over, almost throwing herself into Shen Yunshan's arms.
She sobbed softly, letting her crystal tears drip onto Shen Yunshan's clothes.
The panic and anxiety of these days seemed to have found an outlet.
Bao Shan nestled against Shen Yunshan's chest, expressing her longing for him: "Aunt misses you, and I... I miss my cousin Yunshan too. When I went to the pharmacy to buy medicine, or when I went to the scholar to write a letter, I was thinking of my cousin Yunshan. If my cousin Yunshan were here, my heart wouldn't be beating so hard, and my voice wouldn't be so trembling.
I am such a coward, I must have brought shame to the Shen family and made Cousin Yunshan feel embarrassed..."
The sound of crying is disturbing in itself, but if a beautiful woman's eyes are wet with tears and her words are filled with sorrow, the embarrassment turns into pity.
One can't help but regret why he was not by Baoshan's side when she was helpless.
Instead, it made the beauty sad and she shed tears silently several times.
For the first time, Shen Yunshan did not feel any resistance when the woman approached him.
In his eyes, the precious fan was weak, fragile and pitiful. At this moment, he was the only one he could rely on.
As the only person Bao Shan trusted, how could Shen Yunshan be so cruel as to push Bao Shan away and break the beauty's heart?
Shen Yunshan raised his arm and gently patted Baoshan's soft back. His gentle tone was filled with a touch of sincerity: "I'm back now, aren't I?"
Shen Liushi couldn't see anything, but when she heard Shen Yunshan's voice, she was happy in her heart.
Only at this time, Shen Liushi had to admit that when she could not see her surroundings.
Besides the treasured fan, the person she wanted to see most was Shen Yunshan, the woman she had raised since childhood. Shen Yunshan's return home made Shen Liushi feel at ease.
Hearing Baoshan's crying, Shen Liushi also felt mixed emotions.
She fell seriously ill and was left alone with Baoshan at home.
Baoshan has a soft personality and must have endured a lot of worries and fears these days. When she saw Shen Yunshan at this time, she couldn't help herself.
After carefully inquiring about Shen Liushi's situation, Shen Yunshan went to the clinic first and prescribed a few more medicines for Shen Liushi.
Shen Yunshan thought about it for a while and made a decision. He wanted to take Shen Liushi to Luojun for treatment.
Luo County is vast and rich in resources, with all kinds of precious herbs.
In addition, in order to balance his studies, Shen Yunshan left Shen Liushi in Luojun, which made it easier for him to take care of her from time to time.
However, once Shen Liushi left, Baoshan was the only one left at home.
With Baoshan's fragile appearance, if she stayed in the village, she would surely be bullied by others. But what was the excuse for taking Baoshan away?
Shen Yunshan didn't know what legitimate reason he should find to bring the treasure fan to Luo County.
Shen Yunshan couldn't figure it out, so he frowned and told Shen Liushi and Baoshan that he would take Shen Liushi to Luojun.
Shen Liushi was delighted at first, but then her brows slightly frowned, and she looked hesitant as if she wanted to say something.
Shen Yunshan looked at the treasure fan inconspicuously, with a slight tension in his brow.
Shen Yunshan thought that as long as Baoshan asked, he would go with the flow and say that Shen Liushi wanted Baoshan to accompany her and take the Baoshan with her.
Unexpectedly, Baoshan's eyebrows curved, and she didn't look at Shen Yunshan, but only looked at Shen Liushi, with a happy tone: "That's great, aunt. The doctor in the town used medicine, and aunt can recover a little."
If she goes to Luo County, my aunt will definitely be very healthy."
After saying that, Bao Shan turned around and looked at Shen Yunshan, with a glimmer of light appearing in her watery eyes.
When Shen Yunshan looked closely, the water color disappeared as his long eyelashes blinked.
There seemed to be a thousand words in those beautiful eyes, but Baoshan opened her soft lips slightly and said only one sentence: "Cousin Yunshan, I will definitely take good care of my aunt."
Shen Liu finally realized that something was wrong. Shen Yunshan only said that he would take her away, but did not mention the treasure fan.
Could it be that Shen Yunshan wants to leave the treasure fan alone in this village?
Shen Liu stroked Baoshan’s wrist, her tone anxious: “Where is Yunshan taking good care of people? On weekdays, it’s the two of us who accompany each other, this…”
"aunt."
Baoshan spoke softly, gently interrupting what Shen Liu was going to say next.
She lowered her eyelids and spoke softly, "Luo County is vast. Besides Cousin Yunshan, there are other close friends. Cousin Yunshan and I are just cousins. If I go with my aunt, it will cause others to talk about me."
Scholars are most concerned about reputation. Although I come from a humble background, I understand this. Besides, the people in the village are easy to get along with. If I stay home, I can take care of the house for my aunt and my cousin Yunshan. When my cousin Yunshan passes the imperial examination, I can return home in glory.
The more Shen Yunshan listened to Bao Shan's words, the colder his brows grew. He said gently, "What my cousin said really makes sense. Mother, just follow my cousin's wishes."
One or two of them said so, how could Shen Liushi come up with any other suggestions.
Looking at the slender and soft body of the precious fan in the courtyard, Shen Yunshan withdrew his gaze and tightened his fingers around the scroll.
——Don’t you miss him? Don’t you want to be away from him for even a moment?
Shen Yunshan sneered softly, thinking that the gentle girl could also say some nice words to coax people.
He knew clearly that the more easily a person indulged in a statement, the less credible it was. But how could he have believed it then? How could he have believed everything Bao Shan said without a second thought, as she clung to him with her soft body?
Shen Yunshan calmed his mind and only looked at the book in front of him, not paying attention to the precious fan in the courtyard.
After finishing a volume of the book, Shen Yunshan looked outside, but saw that the treasure fan was no longer in the courtyard. Shen Yunshan stood up and walked towards the courtyard.
Shen Liu sat on a recliner, basking in the sun with her eyes closed. According to the doctor, this would help her eyes recover.
Shen Yunshan walked to Shen Liushi's side and asked casually, "Where's my cousin? Why can't I see her?"
Shen Liushi smiled and lowered her voice: “Zheng Xiucai is looking for her.”
Hearing this, Shen Yunshan's heart skipped a beat and his voice was slightly cold: "Zheng Xiucai, which Zheng Xiucai?"
Shen Liushi explained: "It's the Zheng Xiucai in the town, you were classmates.
The year you passed the examination to become a scholar, he failed, but he passed it the next year.
Aren’t my eyes injured from embroidering wedding clothes for the embroidery workshop?
It was originally my fault for being too impatient, and it had nothing to do with Hu Xiu Niang.
But when Hu Xiu Niang learned about this, she felt guilty and said that she would definitely find a good marriage for Bao Shan to make amends to the Shen family.
Shen Liushi couldn't hear Shen Yunshan's voice, so naturally she couldn't see the frost and snow on Shen Yunshan's face.
"I didn't want to do what Hu Xiu Niang said. But that day, Hu Xiu Niang let Zheng Xiucai see the treasured fan.
Zheng Xiucai would come to the house from time to time and bring some small gifts.
A few days ago, Bao Shan even begged him to write a letter and send it to you..."
Shen Yunshan lowered his eyelids and thought to himself, so the letter was written by Zheng Xiucai.
No wonder, a letter home is filled with quotations from classics and is completely incoherent, which is enough to show how pedantic the writer is.
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