Chapter 597 Reunion
Upon hearing this, both Yu Shi, who had rolled her eyes at the beginning, and Shen Shiyan, who was almost unable to maintain his gentlemanly demeanor, were taken aback. They exchanged a glance, and their gazes immediately became hesitant. Even the usually cold Shen Wuzheng took a deep breath and looked down at Shang Ruyi beside him.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi's expression also changed.
Yes, she has been away from the business for ten years.
Although she didn't miss her brother, who was her blood relative, at all, and no longer longed for the house that kept its doors tightly shut to her on the coldest days, her only concern was for her parents.
She hasn't properly paid respects to her parents for over ten years!
At this moment, all her anger and even hatred were suppressed, replaced by an indescribable bitterness and sadness in her heart—for more than ten years, although she had the protection of her uncle and aunt and the love of her brother, she could not pay respects to her parents. This was not only her regret, but also her filial impiety.
Thinking of this, her eyes immediately reddened.
When she looked up at Shang Shoufei again, a hint of weakness finally showed in her broken eyes, and her stiff tone was tinged with a sob as she asked, "Is my mother's memorial tablet still there?"
She also hadn't forgotten how ruthless Shang Shoufei and the other members of the Shang family had been when they kicked her out of their home.
How could such a heartless and ungrateful person still keep his mother's memorial tablet?
In fact, she was right.
Although he still had some reservations about the deceased, Shang Shoufei didn't dare to actually destroy Madam Shen's memorial tablet. However, he had been leaving it in an abandoned woodshed for years. A few days ago, when he went to look for Shang Ruyi again, he found the tablet covered in cobwebs and almost gnawed by rats.
At this moment, he could only be thankful that he hadn't been truly heartless enough to throw away the memorial tablet.
He immediately laughed and said, "Little sister, what are you saying?"
"..."
“Mother…Mother was a member of the Shang family, so her memorial tablet is naturally still kept in the Shang family and is worshipped by people.”
"..."
"It's just that you haven't seen your daughter all these years. I think she misses you a lot."
These words caused Shang Ruyi's heart to ache even more.
Even though she gritted her teeth, not wanting to show any weakness, her trembling breath still betrayed the heartache she felt at that moment.
Shen Wuzheng, who was standing to the side, frowned.
But he didn't say anything.
Normally, no matter what they face, no matter how great the threat, he would stand in front of Shang Ruyi and shield her from all the storms and hardships. But at this moment, he couldn't speak, because those were Shang Ruyi's parents, and that was her filial piety. He could do anything, but he couldn't stop someone who had lost her parents at a young age from fulfilling her filial duty and filling the void in her heart.
Even so, he still whispered, "Little sister..."
But just as he finished speaking, Shang Ruyi took a deep breath. Although there was still some lingering vulnerability and tear stains in her eyes, she still said coldly, "I understand."
"...!"
Shang Shoufei was taken aback.
He thought that with this trump card, Shang Ruyi would at least have to show some reaction, even if she didn't immediately back down. But to his surprise, she composed herself and refused to show any extra emotion, saying, "You should go back first."
"..."
"I will go back when I need to pay respects to my parents."
Shang Shoufei could only sigh once again that this girl was no longer the little girl who could be manipulated or even slaughtered by others. If he faced her again, he would not be able to gain the upper hand at all without external help.
But at least he got those last words.
As long as she's willing to go back, her connection with the business will never be severed, and as long as it remains, he'll have a chance sooner or later...
Thinking of this, he breathed a sigh of relief and said to Shang Ruyi, "Okay, I'll be waiting for you at home anytime, little sister. See you later."
After saying this, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to the people in the hall, then turned and left.
After watching his figure disappear with cold indifference, Shang Ruyi finally breathed a sigh of relief. But as soon as she let out that sigh, she felt as if she had lost something that was supporting her, and her legs went weak, almost causing her to fall.
Fortunately, before she collapsed, Shen Wuzheng caught her with lightning speed.
Shang Ruyi took a couple of breaths, slightly out of breath, and looked up to meet Shen Wuzheng's gaze, which had softened and regained its usual gentleness. She smiled slightly and said, "Brother..."
At this moment, Shen Shiyan and Madam Yu also stepped forward.
Madam Yu immediately reached out to protect Shang Ruyi, and said softly with concern, "Ruyi, are you alright? Your face is really pale—oh dear, you're sweating so much."
Shang Ruyi immediately put on a smile and said to her, "Aunt, I'm fine."
Although she said that, Madam Yu understood perfectly well. She immediately turned to the spot outside where Shang Shoufei's figure had disappeared and said angrily, "You said it was nothing, but it was your heartless older brother who came and made you so angry. I heard from Wuzheng that you've been busy these past few days and haven't been sleeping well. You finally came back today, and you ran into this kind of person—you shouldn't have let him in!"
As she spoke, she began to blame her husband.
Shen Shiyan, being a gentleman, naturally couldn't bring himself to turn away Shang Ruyi's elder brother. However, after hearing Shang Shoufei's words and seeing Shang Ruyi's distressed expression, he regretted his actions and could only sigh, saying, "Me too—"
"Alright, stop talking, let Ruyi sit down first!"
Yu was angry with him and pushed him aside, taking Shang Ruyi to sit down. Shen Wuzheng then let go of her hand and signaled the servants in the hall to bring up some hot tea. Shang Ruyi took a couple of sips and calmed down. Her complexion gradually returned to normal. Then she raised her head and smiled at the Shen couple, saying, "Uncle and Aunt, don't worry about me. I'm fine."
"..."
"Uncle, your health—"
Shen Shiyan immediately replied, "I'm fine now."
Actually, seeing that he was already moving around freely, Shang Ruyi already knew, so asking this made her even more relieved. She then looked at Madam Yu with a bright smile, and said with a charmingly clingy tone, "Aunt, I'm hungry. It's been over a year since I've had Aunt's cold lamb..."
Upon hearing this, Ms. Yu immediately perked up.
Her cooking skills weren't particularly outstanding, but she made the best cold-cooked lamb. She would cook fresh lamb in a broth with spices to remove all the gamey smell, leaving some blood in the bones, which was when the lamb was at its most tender. Then she would debone it and slice it into thin pieces, serving it with her secret dipping sauce. The result was tender, flavorful, and exceptionally delicious.
Shang Ruyi almost never eats mutton, but she loves the mutton she makes. When she was first taken home and adopted by Shen Shiyan, she was starving for a long time and ate this dish so much that she bit her tongue. So whenever Shang Ruyi was feeling down, Yu would always make this dish to cheer her up.
Today, thinking that she was coming back, I went to the market early in the morning to buy a fresh leg of lamb. Madam Yu immediately said, "Aunt will make it for you right away!"
After saying that, he called two maids and hurriedly went to the kitchen.
Watching her happy, busy figure, Shang Ruyi's smile deepened, while Shen Wuzheng, who was silently watching her, looked solemn.
He could tell, of course, that Shang Ruyi was deliberately changing the subject so as not to worry the two elders and to rekindle her feelings of wanting to reunite with the Shen family. Although her face was still a little pale and her eyes would occasionally glaze over after she laughed, Shen Wuzheng thought for a moment and didn't say anything more. He simply ordered the servants to help the young lady to go downstairs to wash up and rest.
Back at the Shen family home, Shang Ruyi was indeed much more relaxed. After a quick wash and a short rest, the meal was served in the dining hall.
Upon closer inspection, a table laden with delicious food was indeed laid out. Of course, the most enticing dish was the exquisitely presented, richly fragrant cold-cooked lamb, which immediately caught Shang Ruyi's eye. These past few days, she had indeed been working tirelessly to contain the epidemic in Chang Le Fang. After the epidemic was eradicated, she had been worrying about the important matters concerning Yu Mingyue, Taiyuan, and Yuwen Yuan, and hadn't had a proper meal. Now, she could finally put aside all her worries and indulge in her meal as usual. Seeing her enjoying her meal so much, the Shen couple were also relieved.
After lunch, after only a short nap, Shang Ruyi accompanied Madam Yu to tend to the flowers and trees in the back garden. Shen Shiyan wanted to go too, but Madam Yu complained that he was clumsy and he could only watch from the side, occasionally handing them a cup of tea or a piece of fruit. After chatting and laughing for a while, it was time for dinner.
When they arrived at the dining hall, it was still filled with delicacies from land and sea. Shen Shiyan had even specially opened a jar of aged Ganhe wine.
Although it was a family dinner, it was filled with clinking glasses and laughter, and Shang Ruyi also enjoyed a couple of drinks.
As night deepened and the moon rose high in the sky, the dishes were scattered and the guests had left. Madam Yu was already too drunk to drink and was helped away by two maids. Although Shen Shiyan was extremely restrained, the important matter had been accomplished and his beloved niece had come home for the first time, so he drank a few more cups. He was unsteady on his feet, so Shen Wuzheng had someone help him back to his room to sleep.
Then, he looked at Shang Ruyi.
Although she had drunk two cups to her heart's content, she wasn't drunk, only a little tipsy and flushed, but her eyes were brighter than usual. Shen Wuzheng walked over to her and said softly, "Are you going back to rest?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi gently shook her head.
Although she had only had two drinks, the alcohol wasn't strong and she wasn't drunk, just a little tipsy. But having finally come home tonight, and with so many emotions churning inside her, she could almost imagine that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep tonight, so she didn't really want to go back to rest.
But dinner was already finished, and there was no excuse to stay any longer.
Just as she was struggling with her decision, Shen Wuzheng quietly looked at her downcast eyes, which were somewhat dimmed by the smell of alcohol, and suddenly said, "Let me take you to admire the moon."
"...?!"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's eyes immediately lit up, and she looked up at him: "Really?"
Shen Wuzheng laughed and said, "Silly girl, why would I lie to you?"
After saying that, he reached out to take her hand. Although it was a familiar action that he had done countless times when he was a child, he hesitated for a moment when he reached out, but in the end he still took her wrist through her sleeve.
Let's go!
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