3. Go home
"He talks too much nonsense."
Daliang does have the custom of stepping over a fire basin, but it is only for those who have been released from prison for committing crimes or who have just recovered from a serious illness. Which of these two conditions does Shen Suqin meet that requires her to be served over a fire basin?
Ju Tao's face darkened on the spot, and he rolled up his sleeves, ready to step forward and demand an explanation.
Unexpectedly, Shen Suqin reached out to stop her and asked gently, "Was this arranged by the princess?"
The old woman squinted at her and said disdainfully, "Why would the princess care about such a trivial matter?"
"That means the old nanny acted on her own."
"So what if it is?"
Shen Suqin chuckled twice and gestured to Ju Tao with a slight lift of her chin.
Ju Tao, upon receiving the instruction, rushed forward and kicked over the brazier.
The fire rushed straight towards Granny Gui's face, startling her so much that she screamed and hurriedly dodged.
Sparks flew everywhere at the entrance of the Shen family's house. If the servants hadn't arrived in time, it might have caught fire.
"You! You... Fine, very well indeed, you're just a wild country bumpkin, with absolutely no manners. Someone like you, wanting to enter the Shen family? Don't even think about it!"
Shen Suqin raised her hand to brush the dust off her clothes and said slowly, "I didn't know when it came to an old woman being in charge of the Shen family. Is Princess Changtai dead?"
"You, you!" The old woman pointed at her with a trembling finger, her voice trembling with anger. After a long pause, she said fiercely, "Guards, slap her!"
The servants immediately gathered around.
Shen Suqin pulled out the silver hairpin from her hair, held it in her palm, and let her long hair cascade down like a waterfall.
Ju Tao took two steps back, stood still, and watched.
"What are you waiting for? If you don't act now, we'll sell you off today!" the old woman shouted shrilly.
The servants rushed forward, jostling each other.
Shen Suqin turned the hairpin around, dodged and weaved, and wherever she went, people clutched their necks and wailed.
Ju Tao pursed her lips, knowing that Sister Qin didn't intend to go all out.
"Stop!" A voice suddenly came from behind.
Shen Suqin turned around and saw a handsome middle-aged man leading a beautiful woman in a simple hairpin and blue dress walking quickly towards her.
"Granny Gui, what do you want to do?"
The man shielded Shen Suqin behind him and glared angrily at the old woman.
Granny Gui glanced at him indifferently and said lightly, "Master went out without the Princess's permission. Aren't you afraid of the Princess's wrath?"
Shen Jinghe was silent for a moment: "I will explain this matter to the princess myself, but why did you lay a hand on my daughter?"
“Sir, please be careful with your words. You only have Miss Suqiu as your daughter. What is this ill-mannered country bumpkin? Besides, I am teaching her a lesson on behalf of the princess so that she will not embarrass my princess in the future.”
Shen Jinghe: "I will teach my daughter myself, so you don't need to worry about her."
Throughout this process, Shen Suqin stood quietly, silently observing the original owner's parents.
Although the two were dressed simply, their faces were rosy, and it was clear that they were living a comfortable life.
But why, for more than ten years, did they not only abandon their own daughter in the countryside and ignore her, but also not send her a single penny or a single piece of cloth, leaving the original owner to starve to death?
"What are you saying, sir? The princess's house isn't a place where just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can enter..."
At this point, Shen Suqin's patience ran out. She took a step forward, kicked the barking old woman aside, and said, word by word, "Enough with the nonsense, Ju Tao, let's go."
After saying that, she pulled Ju Tao into the mansion without paying any attention to the dumbfounded Mr. and Mrs. Shen and the wailing old woman behind them.
The Shen residence was not small; it took almost half a cup of tea to walk through just the front courtyard.
The courtyard is also complete with pavilions, towers, rockeries, and waterside pavilions, so it doesn't look like a place that can't afford to feed an extra person.
Shen Suqin's expression darkened slightly.
The Shen couple jogged up behind them.
"Zhaozhao," said Jiang Yao, the second wife of the Shen family who had no official title or status, and who was also the original owner's mother, "Your mother and father have prepared your room. Come with us and see if it suits your taste."
Shen Suqin turned around and stared at her intently for a long time before giving a soft "hmm".
"Come quick, come quick, this way."
Shen Jinghe stood by a path and waved to the three of them.
Jiang Yao: "I'll give you the room with the biggest window; I'm sure you'll like it."
Shen Suqin remained noncommittal.
Next, the group walked through the front yard and the garden in the yard, heading towards a secluded corner in the northwest.
Along the way, the houses grew shorter and shorter, and the flowers and plants didn't look like they were being carefully tended. Even the servants didn't seem to be coming this way.
When they arrived at the gate of a courtyard surrounded by a low wall, Shen's father took out his key, unlocked the brass lock on the gate, and explained as he pushed the gate open, "Your mother and I went to the city gate early this morning to wait for you, but we missed you. Come in quickly."
Mother Shen also laughed and said, "Zhao Zhao has grown up so much, I'm afraid she wouldn't have recognized him if she had seen him back then."
As they were talking, the group went into the courtyard.
This is a rather cozy little courtyard. There are some unidentified wildflowers growing in the corner of the courtyard. There is a small vegetable patch on the east side, where green vegetables and radishes are planted. To the north are three low-lying tile-roofed houses facing south. To the far west is a small kitchen, where something seems to be stewing on the stove.
If she hadn't walked this path, Shen Suqin would have found it hard to believe that this simple little courtyard wasn't in the countryside but inside a high-walled compound.
“You must be tired from the journey,” Mother Shen said, pulling her to sit down at the stone table in the courtyard. “Please sit down, young lady,” she said, referring to Ju Tao.
“Madam, Ju Tao can just stand,” Ju Tao said.
"Go to the car and help me move my luggage," Shen Suqin said to Ju Tao.
“Oh, she’s so small, she can’t possibly lift it. I’ll go.” Father Shen stopped him.
Shen Suqin shook her head. "There's not much stuff. Let her go."
Hearing that she didn't have much, Shen's mother and father probably felt that she was living a hard life in the countryside, and their eyes were full of heartache.
Shen Suqin paused for a moment, then changed the subject, asking, "What's growing in the vegetable garden?"
“There’s greens, radishes, and a little bit of cucumber,” Mother Shen replied. “We won’t eat these tonight. I had your father go to the market to buy meat yesterday. Oh, and Jing-ge, go get the pastries so Zhao-zhao can have something to eat first.”
"Okay, I'll go right away." Soon, Shen's father returned, carrying a large pile of pastries, which he placed in front of Shen Suqin one by one. "These are pastries that you can't find in the south. Try them."
At a cursory glance, Shen Suqin estimated there to be more than ten kinds.
Mr. and Mrs. Shen opened each pastry and looked at her eagerly.
"Take a bite of each to taste it first. If you like it, eat it; if you don't, put it down," said Mother Shen.
Shen Suqin picked the closest piece, took a small bite, and found it to be quite delicious, not too sweet.
"Is it good?"
"Here, try this shortbread..."
"Try the cloud cake too."
Shen Suqin lowered her eyes and ate silently, trying her best to ignore the two eager gazes in front of her.
She could tell that ever since they met, the Shen couple had been extremely careful in their speech to her and had been exceptionally warm towards her.
The feeling was unfamiliar, as if someone was cautiously reaching out to her, wanting to see if they could touch or feel her.
But if you value her so much, why did you abandon her—no, the original body—in the countryside and ignore her?
"then......"
Shen Suqin decided to ask directly.
But before they could even get started, the courtyard gate was pushed open forcefully.
"The princess has ordered that she meet the people from the countryside," a maidservant announced.
Madam Shen hurriedly stood up and stood in front of Shen Suqin, saying in a tense tone, "Miss is tired, let's talk about it tomorrow."
“I can’t make that decision,” the maid said. “And sir, the princess wants you to go back to the front courtyard.”
Shen Jinghe: "She promised to reunite our family of three today."
The maid pursed her lips, "I don't know about that."
For a time, the situation remained deadlocked within the courtyard.
“Let’s go. According to custom, I should also go and greet the princess.” Shen Suqin stood up.
“No, no, Zhao Zhao.” Mother Shen grabbed her wrist; she seemed very afraid of Princess Changtai.
Shen Suqin: "It's alright. I'm engaged to that General of the Cavalry now, so she wouldn't dare to do anything to me."
"But......"
Shen Suqin gently shook her head.
“I’ll go with Zhaozhao, don’t worry,” said Father Shen.
"Then you must protect her."
And so, Shen's father led Shen Suqin out of the courtyard and toward the front yard.
Along the way, Shen's father anxiously reminded Shen Suqin, "She... has a bad temper, so don't take anything she says to heart."
Shen Suqin remained silent.
Princess Changtai, Shi Yunzhu, was born to the Emperor's younger brother. She was the most favored among her siblings. It is said that she brought many fabric shops with her as part of her dowry when she got married. After several years of management, almost the entire fabric business in the capital was in Shi Yunzhu's hands.
It can be said that Princess Changtai truly had both power and money, no wonder the maids around her were so arrogant.
Before long, Shen Suqin followed him to a courtyard with carved railings and painted pillars. It was obvious without even looking closely that this place was a hundred times better than the dilapidated little courtyard in the northwest corner.
"Princess, the person has been brought, and the master is also here." The maidservant quickly stepped forward to announce the arrival.
The people inside didn't follow any rules and let Shen Suqin and the others in directly.
As soon as she entered, the elegantly dressed noblewoman sitting in the center of the main hall glanced at Shen Suqin from head to toe, then shifted her gaze to Shen Jinghe and said, "It's chilly today, go back and put on some more clothes before you come back."
Shen Jinghe shook his head.
Before the princess could say anything, Granny Gui, who was attending to her, spoke up first: "Master, the princess has spoken."
Shen Jinghe: We'll talk about it later.
Granny Gui was about to say something when the princess raised her hand to stop her, saying, "Let him be."
After saying that, she turned to look at Shen Suqin and asked, "I heard you made a move at the gate of the Shen residence?"
"Did the princess summon me here to interrogate me?" Shen Suqin asked.
“Shen Jinghe, it’s not that I don’t want to talk this out.” Princess Changtai’s voice was cold. “Guards, give him fifty slaps.”
"yes!"
Granny Gui rolled up her sleeves, eager to try.
“Princess,” Father Shen hurriedly pulled Shen Suqin behind him to protect her, “Suqin is still young, don’t take it to heart.”
“Shen Jinghe, she’s only been in the capital and she’s already made the Shen family lose face so badly,” the princess said. “You don’t know, do you? Your precious daughter stopped the General of the Cavalry in the street and shamelessly gave him a purse.”
"What? Is my Miss Shen so eager to get married? What about her unmarried elder sister when she does this!"
Shen Jinghe was unaware of this matter and was at a loss for how to respond upon hearing it.
Given Princess Changtai's temperament, such an outrageous act would certainly not be easily forgiven.
He held Shen Suqin even tighter, saying, "Suqin wasn't raised by us since she was little, so it's understandable that she doesn't know these things. We'll teach her slowly in the future."
“Teach her slowly? Ha, then let’s not talk about her embarrassing behavior in the street, but about her hitting someone at the entrance of the Shen residence and her disrespect for the mistress of the house,” Princess Changtai said patiently. “Tell me, should I teach her now for all these things?”
After speaking, Princess Changtai glanced around and gestured to Granny Gui, saying, "Why aren't you doing it yet!"
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