beginning of winter
In just a moment, the tightly clenched fist loosened inexplicably, and the deep fingerprints on the palm of the hand did not cause any pain. Instead, he could feel a tingling sensation spreading from the fingertips, spreading to his internal organs, limbs, and bones, completely overwhelming him and making him unable to extricate himself.
"But you don't have to take what I said to you today to heart. After all, it's my job to overturn the case for the Su family. You don't have to choose between me and the Shen family. Just pretend you didn't hear it. But I can't let Shen Pingchang and his ilk go unpunished. I must bring him to justice."
"But don't worry, I will never involve you in this. When the Shen family falls, if you blame me, I will stay away from you and never get entangled with you..."
"Suxi." Chen Yunqiu suddenly spoke, interrupting the girl's anxious muttering as she twisted her sleeves. "I can help you."
"What did you say?"
Su Xi was surprised for a moment, and stood up suddenly to look into the boy's extremely determined eyes.
"The Shen family is nothing more than a stranger to me. It's not an exaggeration to say they are enemies." Shen Yunqiu said, looking at the cloth bag tied tightly in the corner. "If you need me to do anything, I will help you, whether it's testifying in court or something else. Even if you want to kill Shen Pingchang, I can be the knife in your hand. After all, my remaining life can still be of some use, which is worth it."
"What are you talking about, Chen Yunqiu!" Su Xi suddenly felt a pang of pain in his heart, and once again recalled the incident in his previous life when Chen Yunqiu took the initiative to take the blame for her murder and was beheaded. So, this was what he was thinking at that time.
"Don't talk nonsense. Can't the old woman cure your illness? Touch wood quickly!"
Suddenly, a hand was grabbed and placed on the corner of the sandalwood table. Shen Yunqiu couldn't help laughing, but in the end he couldn't bear to tell her the truth.
"Okay, okay, I won't say anything nonsense. But if you need anything, don't take risks on your own. If it's inconvenient for me, remember to let Yinzhen accompany you."
"Don't worry, we've gathered all the evidence. There's nothing for you to worry about."
"real?"
"Really, more real than real gold!"
Suxi stretched out four fingers and swore, and then he saw a long-lost smile on the young man's haggard face.
In a moment, the torrential rain that had been raging all morning finally stopped. The sky cleared, and the sun, hidden behind the clouds, finally peeked out, casting a shimmering shadow along the window. The jacket, having been baked in the charcoal stove for so long, was now completely dry, stained with smoke and a hint of the sun's scent.
Suxi put on his padded jacket and then gave Shen Yunqiu's padded jacket to him. He went downstairs to pay the money, then pushed the wheelchair and carried the cloth bag on his back, slowly walking back to the West Garden of Shen's Mansion.
-
The next day, the sky was clear and cloudless, but after the last autumn rain, the weather turned even colder and drier. It coincided with the Beginning of Winter, marking the official end of autumn. For the people of Qingzhou, the Beginning of Winter meant frequent snowfall and freezing temperatures, a nearly half-year of cold weather. Therefore, at this transition between autumn and winter, every household in Qingzhou City ate dumplings, leading to the saying, "If you don't eat dumplings on the Beginning of Winter, no one will care if your ears freeze off."
In the West Garden of the Shen Mansion, the weather had become much colder overnight. Shen Yunqiu put on the fur coat he wore during the coldest winter hours early in the morning and sat at the door with a hot water bottle in his arms, watching the girl in the yard, who was wrapped up like a ball in two layers of padded jacket, sweeping fallen leaves along the wall with a large broom.
After watching for a while, he looked up at the sycamore tree above his head, which was now only left with dead branches. He thought that this should be the last time to clean up the fallen leaves this year.
"Xiaoxi, if you're cold, don't sweep. Can't you let Yinzhen do this little job?"
Hearing this, Suxi rubbed his red, frozen hands and answered while sweeping, "You really are a black-hearted slave owner! Yinzhen went out early this morning to buy pork and green onions, saying he wanted to make dumplings for you. If he heard this, he'd probably cry in secret again!"
"Why don't you take my fur coat and wear it?"
"Come on, these flashy clothes are only worn by people like you who don't work! They're not warm and they get in the way. I won't wear them!"
Suxi swept the fallen leaves into a corner and pressed them down with a broom. He brushed the dust off his hands and looked up to see the servant he hadn't seen in a while coming back to the West Garden archway, carrying a food box. Just as he was wondering, he saw the servant stomping the food box on the ground, as if afraid it would get even a little bit stained.
"Young Master, today is the beginning of winter. Madam asked me to bring you some dumplings."
A gift from Lin?
Just as Su Xi was about to step forward to take it, Shen Yunqiu's extremely resentful voice came from behind him.
"Get out." He paused, then added, "Take this thing with you."
"yes."
The servant clasped his fists, picked up the food box, and left, as if he had anticipated this outcome. After a long while, seeing the servant walk away, Su Xi knew that Shen Yunqiu wanted to completely distance himself from the Shen family because of his own affairs. He sighed with some melancholy, pushed the wheelchair, and returned to the house.
In the main house of the main courtyard of the Shen Mansion, Lin was sitting in the room drinking tea, holding a hot water bottle covered with gold-powder embroidered cloth in her hand, and silver-thread charcoal without a trace of smoke was placed at her feet. The charcoal fire was burning vigorously, and the whole room was warm, not at all like a cold winter day.
Just as she was flipping through the storybook in her hand, the servant outside suddenly knocked on the door. Lin got up and opened the door, and saw that the servant who had just delivered the dumplings had returned with the intact food box in his hand.
"Madam, the young master doesn't want it. Send me back."
Lin frowned slightly and took the food box with some displeasure: "Forget it, since he doesn't want it, there's no need for me to bother myself with it."
The servant left as instructed. Just as Lin was about to close the door, she heard the clatter of horse hooves. Looking up, she saw a carriage slowly stopping in front of the door. Immediately, a servant hurried in to announce, "Madam, the master and the eldest young master are back!"
Hearing this, Lin was overjoyed and hurriedly ordered the servant: "Go quickly, ask the kitchen to bring dumplings and sweet soup to welcome the master and the eldest young master!"
"yes!"
The servant left in a hurry, and Lin began to pack up. After a while, she heard Shen Wenzhao's excited voice coming from outside the door: "Mother, the child is back!"
When Lin looked up, she saw Shen Wenzhao trotting across the threshold, picking up a piece of cake and stuffing it into his mouth. Shen Pingchang, who was following behind him, stared at the young man's unruly appearance with disgust, but did not intend to scold him at all.
"Alright, Wen Zhao, eat slowly. You're leaving for Beijing to take up your new post tomorrow. How can you continue to do as you please?"
While helping Shen Pingchang sit down, Lin poured tea for Shen Wenzhao, “Okay, stop eating, be careful not to choke!”
"Let him eat if he wants! We have to leave Qingzhou tomorrow, so what's wrong with eating a little more today?"
Shen Pingchang said to Lin angrily. Although his tone was reprimanding, the long-lost smile in his eyes made Lin a little dazed. Thinking about it carefully, it seemed that the two of them could only have such a harmonious scene when facing this son.
Just as she was thinking, a maidservant came up outside with three bowls of dumplings, sweet soup, and a basin. Lin and Shen Wenzhao sat down together, washed their hands, and waited until all the servants had left before Lin asked, "By the way, Master, Mother will be spending the winter in the south house again this year? Is there anything else you need to send? Is there enough charcoal basins, cotton clothes, etc."
"You've really thought it through." Shen Pingchang took a sip of wine and looked at Lin, his eyebrows slightly raised, as if he really enjoyed her flattery. "But you don't have to worry about mother. If you have that in mind, just prepare Zhao'er's clothes and shoes for tomorrow's trip to the capital."
"Yes, sir."
Lin didn't dare to say anything more and lowered her head to drink the sweet soup. Shen Wenzhao finished the meat-stuffed dumplings in the bowl in no time. He still didn't feel full, so he looked around and saw a food box on the small table by the window. When he opened it, there was a plate of dumplings inside.
"Mom, why are there dumplings here? Where did they come from?"
"Oh, that was sent to Yunqiu, but he didn't want it, so he took it back. Zhao'er, if you're not full, just eat it."
"For my second brother?"
Shen Wenzhao's expression suddenly changed. He brought the food box to the table and stared at the dumplings for a long time, his eyes rolling around.
"Forget it. How can I, as the eldest brother, have the nerve to eat the food of my second brother? Since he won't eat what you, mother, give him, then I'll go and give it to him. Yunqiu has relied on me since he was a child, so maybe he'll eat what I give him."
"Wen Zhao, why not just forget it? If he doesn't like it, then just let him eat..."
Lin stood up and was about to take the lunch box back, but before she touched the lid, Shen Wenzhao had already picked up the lunch box and walked out humming a little tune, looking in a very good mood.
"Hey, Wen Zhao, don't..."
Lin hurriedly chased after him, but was frightened to stop in her tracks by the unusually low cough behind him.
"Why chase him? Just let him go. What kind of trouble can happen between brothers?"
Shen Pingchang spoke in a deep voice, and when he saw Lin carefully return and sit down, he did not ignore the worry on her face that could not be hidden, and even the spoon that scooped the sweet soup could not stop shaking slightly.
Shen Pingchang snorted lightly, and suddenly felt inexplicably happy in his heart, picked up the wine glass and drank it all.
In the West Garden, Chen Yunqiu was sitting in front of a half-open window reviewing his lessons. The strong smell of charcoal fire in the room made Suxi feel even more vexed.
"There's not much charcoal left. I'll go to the warehouse and get some more someday."
"No need. Just ask Yinzhen to go buy it. You won't have to worry about those people's expressions." Shen Yunqiu said, putting down the book. "But what's going on with Yinzhen today? Why is it taking so long to buy some vegetables?"
As he was speaking, there was a sound of footsteps outside the door, as if someone was gradually approaching, humming a little tune happily.
"The silver needle is back!"
Suxi put down the tongs holding the charcoal and went to open the door. Before she touched the door frame, the door was suddenly kicked open by someone. She lost her balance in an instant, staggered two steps and fell on her butt. She looked at the person standing at the door in front of her with a lunch box in his hand, looking down at her in surprise.
"Young Master..."
Seeing the person coming, Shen Yunqiu turned his wheelchair and couldn't help but frowned.
"Shen Wenzhao, what are you doing here?"
As he spoke, he saw Su Xi quietly get up, move behind the screen, hide the package containing the evidence of the Shen family's crimes under the bed, and then walk back to the front of the screen, looking ready for action.
"What am I doing here? What's wrong with being the elder brother coming to see the younger brother?"
Shen Wenzhao spoke frivolously, plopped down on the small table beside him, and crossed his legs. "Oh, by the way, this food box contains dumplings that mother gave you. Today is the beginning of winter, and every family has this custom. Brother, please don't let mother down."
"Is this what you came to deliver?"
Shen Yunqiu looked at Shen Wenzhao suspiciously, not believing he would be so kind. "Or did you poison these dumplings again?"
"Yunqiu, is this how you think of your brother?"
Shen Wenzhao said as he opened the lid of the box, picked up a dumpling, put it in his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it. He spread his hands and said, "Okay, now you feel relieved, right?"
Shen Yunqiu sat there, hesitating again and again, then looked at Suxi. Ultimately, he didn't want to conflict with Shen Wenzhao at this time, so he pushed the wooden wheel and reached out to take the lunch box.
But the next moment, Shen Wenzhao's hand holding the food box suddenly loosened, and the wooden food box fell to the ground with a bang, breaking the handle. The two porcelain plates inside also shattered into pieces. The dumplings rolled all over the floor, and the juice inside overflowed, staining the carpet with sticky oil spots.
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