Madam Shen took several deep breaths in succession, but still couldn't calm her nerves. She never thought that her own younger brother would threaten her like this for just a few tens of thousands of taels of silver.
Seeing that she remained silent, Shen Feng was afraid that something might go wrong. He quickly added, "Sister, we're blood siblings and family. How could I ever harm you? But Shen Li is different. If she finds out that you've seized the fortune of the eldest branch, she'll surely see you as an archenemy."
"She's not the naive little girl she used to be. You've seen for yourself these past few times that you can't gain much advantage over her. So, brother is doing this for your own good."
"If you give me the silver now, I'll keep my mouth shut tight as soon as I leave this door today. I won't breathe a single word to anyone. What do you think?"
A sarcastic smile appeared on Madam Shen's lips. Looking at Shen Feng's calculating face, she just couldn't stand him. She turned her head away and refused to look at him.
"You just want money, don't you? I don't have fifteen thousand taels of silver on hand right now. I'll give you eight thousand taels first, and I'll figure out a way for the rest later!"
Although Shen Feng didn't really believe that Madam Shen had no money, seeing that she had agreed to get the money for him, he happily nodded and said, "Sister, I knew you loved me the most! Well, could you give me the eight thousand taels first?"
Seeing that the matter was already a foregone conclusion, Madam Shen said nothing more. She could only helplessly go into the inner chamber, put the silver notes in a box, and gave it to Shen Feng.
As soon as Shen Feng took the silver, he immediately bid farewell. Madam Shen waved her hand indifferently, accustomed to his behavior, and let him go.
As soon as Shen Feng left the Shen Mansion, he hugged the box and headed straight for the "Fortune Gambling House" in the north of the city. He didn't even bother to go back to his own residence.
Meanwhile, Shen Li wasn't idle either. After lunch, she accompanied Aunt Su and Shen Zhen to the front yard to visit Shen Zhang, who was still bedridden due to his injury.
The courtyard that Shen Li had arranged for Shen Zhang in the front yard was the "Green Bamboo Courtyard". True to its name, the courtyard was quite large, with a large expanse of bamboo groves planted inside.
When Shen Li assigned this courtyard to Shen Zhang, she thought that the spacious courtyard would allow Shen Zhang to relax when he got tired from reading, and the bamboo grove would add a lot of charm.
Aunt Su and Shen Zhen couldn't stop praising this courtyard as soon as they entered.
Aunt Su looked at the open courtyard and was overjoyed. "The Second Young Master doesn't like to move around on weekdays. Now that he has this courtyard, he can take a stroll in it and relieve his boredom."
Shen Zhen also chimed in, "This courtyard looks very secluded. Brother can study hard here from now on."
Aunt Su naturally nodded. She always paid extra attention to matters related to her children. "The environment here is really suitable for the Second Young Master. The Eldest Miss has really gone to a lot of trouble with this arrangement!"
"It's just my duty. I'm glad that Second Brother can live comfortably here." Shen Li didn't take credit for it. She just smiled faintly as usual.
But in Aunt Su's eyes, it had another meaning. She still couldn't figure Shen Li out. Shen Li had been so kind to their mother and children, yet she always acted as if it was just her job.
Aunt Su used to think that Shen Li had an ulterior motive. But in the two days since they returned, Shen Li had only shown ordinary kindness to them and had never asked for anything in return.
However, Aunt Su had a woman's intuition. Compared to Madam Shen, Shen Li was the one who was even more unpredictable. If she had to choose to offend one of them, she would rather choose to oppose Madam Shen.
But before she could figure out Shen Li's true intentions, she wouldn't fall out with Madam Shen. After all, Madam Shen was right. She had already lost the favor of Shen Junming, on whom she used to rely.
So in the morning, when faced with Madam Shen's aggressiveness and ridicule, she had never fought back. She had always retreated carefully, only hoping that Madam Shen wouldn't harm her children.
Shen Zhang's injured leg had already been treated by the doctor invited by the mansion. But since the injury had reached the bone, it wouldn't heal in a few days.
Inside the room, Shen Zhang was still lying in bed. His injured leg had been fixed with wooden splints to prevent the bone from shifting during the healing process.
When he saw the visitors, he tried to sit up from the bed.
Aunt Su quickly stepped forward to support him. "Second Young Master, take it easy!"
"Aunt, it's okay. The doctor said that as long as I don't engage in strenuous activities after the splints are on, there won't be any problems." After Shen Zhang sat up straight, he turned his gaze to Shen Li behind him.
"So this is Sister Li, right?"
Shen Li nodded and took a few more steps forward. "Hello, Second Brother! How's your health? Have you been getting used to living in the mansion these days?"
Facing Shen Li's concerned words, Shen Zhang also smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for your concern, Sister Li. I'm fine. I just need to rest for a while."
"I'm also getting used to living in the mansion. Thank you for your trouble, Sister Li."
Shen Li just smiled. "Second Brother, I've got some herbs here. You can use them."
She pointed at the six boxes that Jiaoyue had placed on the table.
Hearing this, Shen Zhang thanked her.
After that, they chatted about other things. Shen Li knew that it was the first time for the mother, son, and sister to meet since they came to the mansion. They must have a lot to talk about, so she proposed to leave.
"Third Miss, go and see the Eldest Miss off." Aunt Su reminded Shen Zhen in time.
Shen Zhen immediately reacted and said to Shen Li, "Big Sister, let me see you off."
"Thank you, Third Sister."
Shen Zhen wasn't a very good hostess for seeing off guests. Along the way, she just kept her head down and walked beside Shen Li without saying a word.
Inside the room, Aunt Su looked at Shen Zhang's calf fixed with splints with heartache. "As the saying goes, it takes a hundred days to recover from a bone injury. Your leg is so badly hurt. I don't know when it will get better."
Looking at Aunt Su's teary eyes, Shen Zhang comforted her. "The doctor said that although I've injured my bone, it's not very serious. If I take good care of myself, I'll be as good as new in less than two months. And I know what I'm doing."
Hearing him say this, Aunt Su got even angrier. "Know what you're doing? If you did, would you have injured yourself like this?"
Because she was anxious, Aunt Su unconsciously raised her voice in the first half of the sentence. When she realized it, her voice became softer.
Even so, Shen Li, who had already walked to the middle of the courtyard, still heard their conversation. She didn't stop walking and just walked silently with Shen Zhen.
When they reached the courtyard gate, Shen Zhen bowed to her and said, "Big Sister, take care on your way."
After Shen Li returned the salute and turned around, she started to think. When she met Shen Zhang just now, he gave her the impression of being handsome and elegant. He didn't seem like someone who had grown up in the countryside at all.
And from the conversation between Aunt Su and him just now, she found out that Shen Zhang had injured his own leg.
She used to think that Aunt Su was cruel. But it turned out that the truly cruel one was Shen Zhang.
It seemed that she needed to reassess this Shen Zhang in the future. He might be more scheming than she thought.