Chapter 13 The Softest Heart

Mrs. Xue Shen returned to Ningyun Courtyard, smashing quite a few porcelain pieces, yet her rage still hadn't cooled.

"After all, she's not my biological child. What does it matter if she's raised under my name? His heart still remains tied to his birth mother. Look at how sharp-tongued Shen Hua was just now, and did he give me any face at all?"

It should be noted that without her nod, Shen Qu wouldn't have the glory he enjoys today.

Yet, he seems to have forgotten.

Mrs. Wang hastily soothed her: "Madam, you're overthinking. The young master depends on you. His birth mother is just a lowly concubine, how can she compare to you? If he truly showed filiality to that concubine, how would he come to be a young master in our main house?"

"Besides, if the young master suddenly ignored his birth mother, it would be a concern for his coldness. That, indeed, would be a major issue."

This was undoubtedly true.

If Shen Qu wished for lasting wealth, to firmly establish himself and maintain his reputation, he had to be of one mind with her.

Mrs. Xue Shen's sharp eyes closed for a moment.

Seeing her softened stance, Mrs. Wang hurriedly reported the news of Shen Hua leaving the mansion.

"Even took along that block of wood Aunt Liu, just days after her daddy passed, she's out enjoying herself." Mrs. Xue Shen's lips curled with a touch of mocking smile, and she found some comfort in Shen Wei's misfortune.

"I fear the lady might stir up trouble again. The young master isn't at the mansion presently, should the news be sent?"

Mrs. Xue Shen waved her hand: "No need to send any message. The more she stirs, the more improper she looks. Her daddy is gone, the engagement is canceled, and now people outside are blaming me and the young master for neglecting her and cutting her supplies. Let the people of Fengzhou City see for themselves what kind of person she is."

Mrs. Wang respectfully retreated again, softly closing the door behind her, and had only taken a few steps outside when she ran into a panicked Zhaolu.

Her smiling demeanor instantly faded somewhat. No longer the amiable attitude of the past. Yet Zhaolu regarded her as a lifeline, unaware of the change.

"Mrs. Wang, I don't want to empty the night pots. You must help me."

"Shut up, the madam's orders can't be refused by you, can they?"

Mrs. Wang pulled her hand away, pinching her nose with disdain: "Enough, I thought you were capable. With my guidance, you'd surely make a good impression and secure a decent job before the madam. Turns out you're so useless. As for your marriage to my son, I think it would be best to call it off. I don't want a daughter-in-law who smells of chamber pots all day."

Zhaolu's face turned white in an instant.

————

The carriage moved steadily, the coachman's hands skilled, not a bump in sight along the way.

The coachman was a young servant from Shen Hua's courtyard, having worked at a carriage firm for several years.

The heavy curtain blocked the chilly wind from outside. As soon as Shen Hua boarded the carriage, she leaned on Yicui's shoulder for a nap. Her breathing was shallow.

Sitting opposite, Aunt Liu was restless.

Her eyes cautiously glanced at Shen Hua's sleeping face.

Tranquil, without a trace of arrogance.

"Aunt, you're staring at me like I'm a flower." Suddenly, Shen Hua's pale lips moved slightly.

It was unclear when she had awoken; her eyes remained closed as she adjusted to a comfortable position.

Aunt Liu's heart gave a leap. Stammering, she couldn't utter a word.

"The mansion is full of rotten people, making the air foul and filthy, the stepmother is stupid and ignorant, yet self-proclaims superiority, her actions clumsy and foolish."

"Shen Qu, though having the limelight, is short-sighted, driven by greed and insatiable desire, handling people shrewdly, with nothing but calculations and schemes."

"As for you, Aunt…"

She lifted her eyelids and saw Aunt Liu holding her breath, unable to exhale even slightly.

"Why so tense, do you really think I'd sell you?"

Aunt Liu had a daughter named Shen Zhui, five years younger than Shen Hua.

Shen Hua, who was initially the youngest in the mansion, no longer was after Shen Zhui was born. How could she be pleased?

But, Shen Zhui loved to joyfully trail behind her calling her "big sister."

"Aren't you annoying? Stop following me, I don't like you!"

"Oh." Shen Zhui blinked, puzzled.

"Then I'll change. Did you really not buy me any cream pastries on this trip?"

Nine-year-old Shen Hua widened her eyes, lifting her chin high, nodding her head with its hairbun swaying. She made a point: "I am of noble status, it's natural I wouldn't go out of my way on three extra paths just to buy them for you."

Disappointed, Shen Zhui lowered her head, only to find a bag of pastries before her.

Shen Hua snorted: "I had a servant buy them. Annoying pest, all you know is eating."

Later, after Ms. Shen Chun and Shen Zhi's deaths, Shen Hua suffered a severe illness, during which Shen Zhui quietly stayed beside her, eating with her and watching her take medicine.

When Shen Hua woke up from nightmares crying for her mother, Shen Zhui would cautiously climb onto her bed, short little hands hugging Shen Hua, snuggling against her. With a childlike voice comforting: "Big sister, don't be afraid, Ah Zhu is here."

Always, it seemed?

But it wasn't long before, in the cold winter with heavy snow, Shen Zhui fell into the water and died.

When Shen Hua heard the news, she was sipping medicine. With a crisp 'crack,' the medicine bowl slipped from her hands, crashing to the floor with the deep brown liquid splattering, the bowl shattering into pieces.

Shen Hua let out a light sigh.

Shen Wei was never tender with Aunt Liu, and Aunt Liu, all along the way, had anchored her heart on Shen Zhui.

In those days, after losing her beloved daughter, she continued living like an empty shell, devoid of hope. Shen Hua really couldn't believe Aunt Liu would ever think of joining Shen Wei in death out of love.

"Aunt, have you encountered some difficulty?"

A shadow flickered in Aunt Liu's eyes, and large tears immediately began rolling down. She clamped her mouth shut to keep the sobs from escaping.

Seeing this, Shen Hua's fingers halted involuntarily. She opened her mouth but ultimately refrained from further questions.

It was some while before the crying subsided, and just then, the carriage arrived at the Shen Family's Embroidery Workshop.

As soon as Shen Hua stepped off the carriage, she heard Aunt Liu's hoarse plea.

"Lady, in a few days, it will be Ah Zhu's death anniversary, could I buy some offerings?"

With Shen Zhu's low status, and her anniversary falling at such timing, Aunt Liu's courtyard was full of Mrs. Xue Shen's spies; she couldn't leave the mansion, nor even burn paper offerings within.

Shen Hua asked the coachman to escort her. Just as Aunt Liu expressed her thanks, she softly asked.

"Aunt Liu, do you hate me? If I had treated her better, maybe she wouldn't have died."

In her youthful days, she was overly mischievous and fierce, yet toward Shen Zhui, she never bore a single ounce of malice.

——"In this kind of weather, are you wearing such ragged clothes, with your arms exposed? This must be an outfit from a hundred years ago. Take it, this is something I don't want to wear, consider it a bargain for you."

Evidently, that dress was something she secretly had the embroidery lady tailor to fit Shen Zhui's measurements.

——"Hey, heard your kite's string broke? It's because it was cheap. Look at my kite, it's beautiful, right? I'm gifting it to you, just so you see something better."

Truth is, that kite was a treasure she dearly cherished, given by Shen Zhi.

In Fengzhou City, Shen Yangyang had never bowed to anyone, her actions were proud and awkward, yet who would know, her heart was truly the softest.