Chapter 63 The Hidden Competition is My Problem
Shen Yun was already walking towards them at this moment. The morning light danced among the swaying leaves, and the dappled light and shadow made his features appear gentle.
The same faint smile still lingered on his lips, and his entire being exuded elegance and refined grace, clearly still possessing the noble and aloof air of a bright moon and gentle breeze.
"I must have been seeing things," Lin Shutang thought.
"Shutang, have we had guests?"
Shen Yun walked in with a smile, her gaze casually shifting from Song Ying to Lin Shutang, seemingly with some curiosity.
Lin Shutang felt a tingling sensation rise from his tailbone at the shout, and the tips of his ears turned red.
Whether it was her imagination or not, she felt that Shen Yun's voice sounded different from his usual tone.
It was beautiful, melodious, and remarkably familiar. It was as if he had called it out a thousand times, and it still sounded perfectly natural coming from his mouth.
Song Ying also keenly sensed the subtle atmosphere between the two. He frowned slightly, his eyes darting between them, unsure if he was overthinking things.
But as a man, he could feel the invisible aura emanating from the person in front of him, gentle as water yet incredibly oppressive, firmly binding his junior sister.
A casual glance at him was like a silent warning.
Song Ying felt a little uneasy, and seeing the two of them standing together, looking quite like a perfect couple, made her feel even more uncomfortable.
The unspoken intimacy between them made him feel like an outsider.
What's even more infuriating is that my junior sister doesn't seem to have noticed anything, acting as if it's all normal, and doesn't seem to want to break the rules at all!
"My name is Song Ying, and I am Shu Tang's senior brother. May I ask who you are?"
Song Ying bowed respectfully and took the initiative to speak.
He wasn't just a guest; he was Lin Shutang's senior.
The real guest is probably someone else entirely.
Upon hearing this, Shen Yun merely glanced at him indifferently without saying a word, her gaze remaining fixed on Lin Shutang, as if she wanted an answer from her.
Lin Shutang felt a chill run down her spine from being stared at, and to make matters worse, Song Ying's puzzled gaze also fell on her. Caught between these two gazes, Lin Shutang felt a strange sense of panic, as if she had been caught in the act of adultery.
Looking into Shen Yun's dark eyes, she felt a chill run down her spine.
“Senior brother, this is my friend, Shen Yun. He saved me on my way to Yizhou. Now, he also helps me manage Jingmutang.” Lin Shutang quickly spoke up, afraid that if he was a step too late, it would be even more difficult to explain.
Shen Yun was still smiling, but something seemed to flash quickly in her eyes, and an invisible, low pressure seemed to descend upon the air.
Song Ying, however, seemed oblivious, and nodded as if he suddenly understood, "Oh, friend."
He then smiled and said, "Since she is my junior sister's friend, she is also my friend. Thank you for taking care of my junior sister during this time, Young Master Shen."
After speaking, he bowed respectfully with his hands clasped in a dignified gesture.
Shen Yun gave a cold laugh, "Substitute?"
"I'm taking care of her because of her as a person, not because of anyone else's face. I have no acquaintance with you, so why should I help you?"
These words were quite impolite, yet Shen Yun's voice was unusually calm and collected, making it difficult for anyone to discern his true meaning.
Song Ying couldn't quite figure out the person in front of her, but upon hearing these words, her expression turned rather unpleasant.
He glanced to the side and saw that his junior sister seemed completely oblivious to the subtle aggression of the person in front of her. Hearing his provocative words, she was just... grinning foolishly.
Song Ying looked at Lin Shutang, her already furrowed brows deepening.
Lin Shutang genuinely didn't notice anything amiss; she only heard Shen Yun say that his kindness towards her was solely because of her as a person.
She was completely absorbed in it, her thoughts drifting away with Shen Yun's words.
Does Shen Yun's statement imply that he also considers Shen Yun a friend?
Does this mean he won't throw tantrums at me anymore?
Was he also thinking last night about finding an opportunity to make things clear with me today? Is he now using the opportunity of talking to his senior brother to subtly express his desire to reconcile?
...
A series of questions arose in Lin Shutang's mind, and he gave affirmative answers to each of them.
Yes, that's exactly it!
Lin Shutang couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. Standing behind Shen Jun, she lowered her head slightly and couldn't help but smile. In Song Ying's eyes, she looked like a worthless person.
When had Song Ying ever seen his junior sister like this? Not to mention that he had never seen her in this state of being lovesick and unaware of it, in all these years, apart from her fellow disciples, where had she ever had any other men around her?
Song Ying felt as if something was stuck in her chest, which made her feel very uncomfortable.
He had only been gone a short time when someone else appeared beside his junior sister.
What exactly is this person's ability to stay by his junior sister's side?
His chest felt suffocating and burning, and he could almost smell something burning in his nostrils. He wrinkled his nose and blurted out instinctively, "What's that smell?"
"Oh dear, the porridge I cooked!" Lin Shutang suddenly looked up, lifted her skirt and hurriedly ran to the kitchen. She had been so busy talking to her senior brother that she had completely forgotten about the porridge she had cooked.
She was still hoping to use this breakfast to appease Shen Yun.
Although it seems that Shen Yun is no longer angry with her, it was still a pity to waste the food that Lin Shutang cooked early in the morning.
She lifted the lid of the pot, and sure enough, the porridge was burnt. Lin Shutang simply added a few more bowls of water, chopped some cured meat, sprinkled some chopped green onions, and mixed it all together in the pot.
When it was served, it was completely unrecognizable and an eyesore.
Song Ying probably already knew about Lin Shutang's cooking skills, so she was only stunned for a moment and not too shocked.
Chang Geng never held out much hope. He would only glance at the table briefly as he passed by before swaggering into the kitchen with his hands in his pockets.
Of course, it's best to keep your livelihood in your own hands.
Chang Geng decided to take care of himself. Receiving a meaningful look from Song Ying, he nodded responsibly, telling him not to worry, that breakfast would be taken care of.
"Senior brother, I didn't know you were coming, so I didn't make your share," Lin Shutang kindly reminded him.
Song Ying picked up the tea beside her and drank it, then waved her hand magnanimously, "It's alright, Chang Geng has already taken care of it."
Having said that, seemingly afraid that the bowl of porridge would eventually end up in his stomach, Song Ying stood up and, under the pretext of helping Chang Geng prepare a meal, quickly hid in the kitchen.
Lin Shutang ignored him, smiled and put the spoon into Shen Yun's hand, then bent over the table to look at him. "Shen Yun, try it. I got up early today to make it for you. Although it doesn't look good, it must taste pretty good."
After thinking for a moment, she added, "My cooking skills have really improved recently."
Shen Yun was suddenly forced to hold the spoon, and was a little caught off guard.
He glanced at the grayish porridge in front of him, the ingredients of which were indistinguishable, and his expression was uncertain. "Was this made especially for me?"
Lin Shutang nodded, looking at him hopefully.
"Why did you make this especially for me?" Shen Yun raised an eyebrow slightly and asked with interest.
A hint of unease flashed across Lin Shutang's face, and the tips of her ears turned red again.
She lowered her eyes, her long, thick eyelashes trembling slightly on her eyelids like butterfly wings. Shen Yun felt a slight itch in her fingertips as she looked at her.
"Why have you been ignoring me all this time? What did I do to offend you?" Lin Shutang finally mustered up the courage to say these words, and it didn't seem as difficult as she had imagined. Her voice gradually grew louder.
She suddenly looked up, her gaze fixed on Shen Jun's face, her tone becoming angry, "I'll cook for you to apologize, will you eat it or not?"
Shen Yun looked at her, her eyes crinkling with amusement, and said, "Are you apologizing or trying to blackmail me?"
Lin Shutang blushed at the words, and immediately retreated into her burrow like a rabbit, her voice trembling, "So you don't forgive me?"
The smile on Shen Yun's face gradually faded. He turned to the side, not answering directly, stirred the soup in the bowl with his spoon, and casually scooped up a spoonful and put it in his mouth. "Lin Shutang, you didn't provoke me."
He took a light breath, his voice sounding somewhat low, his gaze seemingly fixed on somewhere in the courtyard, a trace of emptiness flashing across his amber eyes in the sunlight.
It's my problem.
He thought to himself silently.
These words meant there was no question of forgiveness. Understanding his unspoken meaning, Lin Shutang immediately raised her head, her eyes crinkling into crescents, and smiled brightly as she leaned closer to Shen Jun, "So... is it delicious?"
The boy swallowed, a slight smirk playing on his lips. He teased her for a moment, his eyes filled with hope, before finally turning cold and saying, "Don't do it next time."
Lin Shutang replied listlessly.
When Song Ying came out of the kitchen, only half of the porridge remained in Shen Yun's bowl.
The boy casually scooped up the dark porridge from the bowl and ate it, his face completely unperturbed.
Song Ying felt a chill run down her spine, thinking that even if this person couldn't taste the flavor, they should at least be able to tell whether it was good or bad.
Sensing the gaze, Shen Yun lifted her thin eyelids to look, her eyes revealing a hint of arrogance and pride, completely different from her gentle demeanor when they first met in the courtyard.
The boy's lips curled into a silent smile.
Song Ying stood there, stunned. His intuition was right; this man had designs on his junior sister!
-
With Song Ying's arrival, the small courtyard gained another person.
Lin Shutang's bedroom has been almost completed after this period of renovation, but it is still not habitable. So the storeroom has been cleared out for Song Ying to stay in temporarily.
Lin Shutang always felt that this was a bit unfair to his senior brother, but Song Ying was surprisingly unconcerned and refused to rent a courtyard nearby.
They insisted on staying in the courtyard to protect Lin Shutang's safety.
Lin Shutang looked at him with a puzzled expression, not quite understanding what he meant.
She's perfectly fine in Yizhou, what kind of security does she need?
Shen Yun sat under the crabapple tree, slowly sipping her tea. When she felt Song Ying's gaze fall upon her, she merely glanced back casually, giving him a light, indifferent look without saying a word.
However, Song Ying's existence was not entirely useless. Although Lin Shutang did not need protection, he desperately needed carving skills.
Thanks to Song Ying's skills, Lin Shutang's wood carving was no longer so difficult and helpless. The prototypes he developed were carved by Song Ying and were all exceptionally lifelike.
So she and Shen Yun developed new products, Song Ying carved them, and the craftsmen under Jingmutang followed suit, and everything ran very smoothly.
Later, in order to improve efficiency, Shen Yun simply suggested that Song Ying personally go to Jingmutang to watch the carpenters work. This would allow him to teach them skills and also supervise whether there was any cutting corners.
Lin Shutang wholeheartedly agreed. She didn't trust anyone else, but her senior brother was different. Moreover, this way, her senior brother could rightfully move into Jingmu Hall and wouldn't have to live in a cramped storeroom anymore.
Seeing how considerate Lin Shutang was of him, Song Ying had no choice but to grit his teeth and agree, even if he was unwilling, so as not to disappoint his junior sister.
Before leaving, Song Ying gave Shen Yun a deep look. The latter simply returned a faint smile.
The courtyard has returned to its original tranquility.
During the day, Shen Yun and Lin Shutang would stay in their room, painting, carving, and developing new products.
Chang-Geng was doing the work of boiling water and cooking.
Lin Shutang still tinkers with that crossbow, but now she only treats it as a toy. When she heard from her senior brother that her father was safe and sound in Pingning County and had not fallen into the hands of the Xiyue people, she was relieved.
However, the crossbow was the culmination of her hard work, and now that everything was moving in a positive direction, Lin Shutang finally relaxed, and her stubborn temper flared up.
I'm determined to get this thing working.
Since it was just a project being recreated, Lin Shutang no longer needed to avoid Shen Yun. While he was busy tinkering, Shen Yun was there to help him.
But now he only glances at it indifferently, his eyes devoid of emotion.
"Forget it, I'll wait for my senior brother to come back and have him take a look." Lin Shutang tried again, but her shooting power was still insufficient, and she couldn't help but feel a little discouraged.
Thankfully, her father and senior brother are alright; otherwise, by the time she finished making it, it would have been too late.
Shen Yun's eyelids twitched. "What if he can't do it either?"
Lin Shutang smiled, without a doubt, "Impossible."
She raised her chin slightly, looking quite proud. "My senior brother's wood carving skills are unmatched in the entire Yancheng. Even my father says he is a rare genius."
At this point, Lin Shutang seemed to have opened a floodgate of words and began to talk incessantly about Song Ying's deeds, saying that when he first became famous, many people in the timber industry wanted to poach him, but his senior brother refused them all.
And what honors he received in the competitions held in various places.
Hearing Lin Shutang's string of lavish praise, Shen Yun's eyes darkened. He glanced at the girl who was engrossed in fiddling with the wooden utensils on the table, licked his lips, and said in a low, drawn-out tone, "Is he really that amazing?"
"Of course, my senior brother's woodworking is the best. He can carve everything, and the things he makes are lifelike. The bird in your hand is one he made. Doesn't it look like it can fly because it has wings?"
As soon as Lin Shutang finished speaking, she was about to look up at Shen Yun when she was caught off guard by a sharp sound. She looked down and saw that the wings of the female bird that the boy was playing with had suddenly separated from its body and pitifully turned into pieces in Shen Yun's palm.
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Author's Note: Shen Yun now is subtly competing with [rabbit head with upright ears]
From then on, Shen Yun: With a swift stroke, the knife falls [fear]
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