Chapter 5 You Are Just a Pathetic Creature Dependent on Others
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The funeral procession left the Shen Family and took a special detour past the Shen Family's Embroidery Workshop before heading up the mountain.
Shen Hua's legs were weak, but she forced herself to keep going.
When everything was over, she stayed alone by the grave for a long time.
Here lie the people she was closest to.
She kowtowed to her Daddy and Mama.
Your daughter is powerless; here I vow, as long as I breathe, those people shall have no peace, and I will do my utmost to ensure that the Shen Family's assets do not fall into outsiders' hands.
Only then did she turn to look at her brother Shen Zhi's grave. She smiled desolately.
The sky gradually darkened.
Only then did Shen Hua take the small path down the mountain.
The snow fell silently, showing no sign of stopping.
This winter was particularly cold.
Though Yicui held an umbrella for Shen Hua, it did little against the biting cold. After a short walk, her skirt and shoes were soaked through, and her feet felt icy.
Once she returned, she eventually collapsed.
The medicine pot was bubbling with a murmuring sound as Yicui brewed the medicine. Out of the corner of her eye, she looked past the window lattice and saw a maid grasping a bundle, preparing to leave the courtyard.
Yicui's face darkened. She strode out.
"Where are you going?"
The maid, Zhaolu, was slightly surprised but showed no guilt. She gave Yicui a superior glance, her tone brimming with smugness.
"With Madam's permission, I'm going to serve her in the future."
Yicui was furious.
"All these years, has my lady treated you poorly? The sky hasn't fallen yet! You're quick to turn with the wind, fighting desperately to climb up the social ladder!"
Zhaolu sneered.
"How hasn't it fallen? Since my lady collapsed, has Madam sent any of her servants to check on her? If the young master hadn't approved, who would dare to go against orders and call for a doctor in this house?"
She prided herself on being a smart person.
With a clear analysis of the pros and cons, she naturally decided to serve elsewhere.
Even being a cleaning maid by Mrs. Xue's side was more prestigious than being a first-class maid beside Shen Hua.
Yicui laughed in anger.
"Fine!"
"Go!"
"I won't stop you from securing your future!"
Zhaolu thought Yicui was a fool.
If she were Yicui, she would've already found a more reliable master and stopped brewing medicine at such a critical moment.
She strutted away under the envious gazes of the servants who had gathered because of the commotion.
The surrounding servants whispered to each other.
"Sister Zhaolu is so bold. I've heard she's involved with Mrs. Wang's son."
Mrs. Wang was one of Madam's people. Getting involved with them was like escaping from hell.
"Does Mrs. Wang have another son? I'm not bad looking, I wonder..."
"Lady's health is getting worse. The doctor shook his head, saying her health is depleted. When the master was alive, expensive herbs were sent here like they cost nothing, but now, Madam is in charge."
The house's most revered lady had become the most disregarded person.
Yicui nearly broke the fan in her hand.
Everything happening here, Shen Hua was unaware of.
Inside the canopy.
The woman's forehead was burning, her pale face flushed unnaturally red.
Shen Hua's body felt light, dragged back into her early memories by a force.
Back then, she was seven. Her brother and mother were still around.
She was the jewel graced in the palm of the entire family.
--------------- Dream sequence begins ---------------
"Why is Yangyang sick again?"
The young boy rushed back from the academy as soon as he got the news, wearing a simple light-colored school robe, the typical attire of a student.
Inside, servants knelt all over the ground, showing their respect for him.
Shen Hua murmured weakly.
"Brother."
Shen Zhi responded and sat down by the bedside.
As soon as he sat down, Shen Hua crawled up and hugged Shen Zhi's arm with her small, chubby hand.
A slight pain on her forehead as Shen Zhi flicked it gently with his long fingers.
"You're not feeling unwell anymore? Go back and lie down quietly."
Shen Hua didn't want to at all.
She stubbornly rubbed against Shen Zhi.
Shen Zhi had no choice with her, slightly restraining his gentle smile, as he discreetly looked at the servants on the floor.
"Speak up, how have you been taking care of her?"
Though he was only ten years old, his expression commanded respect, a natural authority despite his young age. Being the only offspring of the main branch, he was naturally precious.
The servants shivered, bowing their heads even lower.
Just then, three-year-younger Shen Hua let out a petulant hum.
"I kicked the quilt on purpose during the night."
She seemed unaware of any wrongdoing. Instead, she began to count her fingers in grievance.
"Who told Daddy and Mama to leave me behind."
Shen Zhi patiently explained, "My dear, there's a flood in Fengzhou, and business has become increasingly difficult. Daddy is naturally busy and exhausted. Mama heard news of a famous, albeit eccentric, doctor appearing in Shengjing. Unwilling to entrust such matters to others, she hurried there herself."
Yangyang was born with ailments, always weak since childhood. The most severe time she caught a cold, even the doctors were at their wits' end.
Though she pulled through, the whole family was left with lingering fears.
Shen Hua listened, somewhat in a daze, turning to blame Shen Zhi.
"And what about you, Brother? You've been away from home for so long! No one to fly a kite with me."
"You think I enjoy myself at the academy? Flying a kite, why not ask your second sister, Shen Zhui?"
Shen Hua was displeased.
"She's a concubine daughter, always petty. Legitimate and concubine daughters are different. I don't want to play with her."
Shen Zhui wasn't his real sister, so Shen Zhi didn't care, but his tone turned stern.
"Though she's a bit dull, she is still a sister from the family."
"And look at you! Completely disregarding your own health! Deliberately catching a cold! You think I hesitate to punish you? Yangyang, you're seven now, time to grow up."
Shen Hua was momentarily stunned.
"Are you reasoning with me?"
Before Shen Zhi could nod, she confusedly frowned, looking up at him in puzzlement.
"Why does Brother think Yangyang is someone who reasons?"
Indeed, the legitimate daughter of the Shen Family, Shen Hua, was notoriously difficult and willful.
She was pampered, never having faced any hardship. After the untimely deaths of Shen Zhi and Ms. Shen Chun, Shen Wei's illness made him dote on her even more extravagantly.
Even after marrying Shen Xue-shi, nothing changed in how she was treated.
Until...
In the dream, her brother's face was replaced.
In a sudden shift, it was replaced by Shen Qu's calculating and flickering eyes.
He slightly bent down, pinching Shen Hua's chin on the ground with one hand. He applied a bit of pressure, and Shen Hua bit her lip hard, remaining stubbornly silent.
Shen Qu, however, seemed amused, disregarding any propriety. His thumb rubbed the woman's pale lips, his voice as cold and sly as a snake hissing.
"Yangyang, you should behave."
"Count yourself lucky that Second Uncle and I are merciful, overlooking your escape today. No one in this world will stand up for you now. What Fengzhou Shen Family's Embroidery Workshop's daughter, now you're just a pitiable dependent."
Shen Hua was still in disbelief that Clan Elder Shen was in cahoots with these people.
"Shen Qu, let go of me. You'll get your retribution."
Shen Qu regretfully looked at her face, enough to stir emotions.
Though in a state of illness, it only added to a pitiful charm.
If Prefect hadn't specifically named Shen Hua, he would've hidden her away, locked her in a dark room in delicate ankle shackles.
So he could do whatever he pleased without restraint.
He sighed lightly.
"Yangyang, you really strike every chord with me."
With a thunderous crash, the thunder roared outside. Lightning sliced through the sky, illuminating Shen Hua's face, filled with both terror and helplessness, for an instant.
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