Shen Yuning was in a daze for a long time. She had thought before that with men and women living in the same house, although they were separated into the east and west wings, they were still under the same roof. But Old Man Zhang and Shen Fugui never went to the back courtyard on weekdays. When Xi'er and Aunt Cen came to the front kitchen, they always dressed neatly. So she didn't think much about it.
Now the weather was too hot. Not only was Xi'er, who was a bit plump, afraid of the heat, but even Shen Yuning, who wasn't sensitive to heat, felt unbearably stuffy if she wore one more layer. It was really hard for them to put on loose clothes every time they came out of their rooms.
Seeing Shen Fugui stepping out to look for Old Man Zhang and Shen Jingui, Aunt Cen was so anxious that she paced back and forth. She quickly pulled Shen Yuning and asked, "Madam, what shall we do?"
In fact, Shen Yuning herself was in a complete mess. Old Man Zhang had a fiery temper, but he was no longer young. He couldn't compare with Shen Jingui, a strong and able - bodied man. If they really fought, Old Man Zhang would surely suffer.
But seeing the abnormal flush on Aunt Cen's face, Shen Yuning guessed that she was really sick. Afraid that getting too anxious would make her condition worse, she quickly comforted her, "Don't panic. It's good that Second Brother went to look for them. With him there, Old Man Zhang won't get hurt."
Aunt Cen was a bit stunned. She was afraid of a dispute in the family, but it seemed that the young madam was only worried about the old master being bullied?
Shen Yuning didn't care about anything else. She told Aunt Cen to drink more water and go to rest quickly. Then she carried Huzi to the kitchen and finished stewing the soup that Xi'er had left unfinished. When she came out again, she found Yuanbao squatting in the corner of the kitchen.
"Yuanbao? You should be resting in the room. Why did you come here? It's sunny and there's no wind. What are you doing?"
However, Yuanbao's face was bright red. She hugged her arms and put them on her legs, saying nothing.
Shen Yuning was startled. She quickly put down Huzi and felt Yuanbao's forehead. She found that her face was terribly hot. She had a fever.
For a moment, she didn't care that Aunt Cen was feeling unwell. She called out to her several times to come out quickly. Together they carried Yuanbao into the room, fetched cold water to apply on her head and wipe her body. Aunt Cen then quickly went out to invite the doctor from the pharmacy on the street to come and take a look.
Fortunately, it was just heatstroke and shock. The doctor helped her drink some water, wrote a prescription, and told them to let her rest well and not to get overheated again.
Shen Yuning let out a sigh of relief and was even a bit dazed for a while.
Aunt Cen, despite feeling unwell, saw the doctor off and then went to get the medicine. After that, she went to the kitchen to decoct it.
Yuanbao opened her eyes groggily. Seeing her aunt beside her, her nose twitched, but she couldn't shed any tears for a long time. Her lips were terribly dry. She licked them with her tongue before she could speak, "Aunt."
Shen Yuning had finally managed to coax Huzi to sleep and put him on her own bed. She was sitting beside Yuanbao's bed, looking exhausted and about to take a nap. Hearing Yuanbao's call, she was startled, "Yuanbao is awake?"
Yuanbao nodded slowly and was fed some more water by Shen Yuning.
"Do you feel better? Wait a while. Your Aunt Cen has gone to decoct the medicine."
Yuanbao's eyes were still a bit unfocused. It took her a long time to come to her senses. When she looked at Shen Yuning again, there was a hint of fierceness in her eyes, "Aunt, tell me, we were living a good life. Why did he come? Why didn't he die outside like Mother?"
Shen Yuning's heart skipped a beat. Among the adults in the house, except for Shen Jingui, everyone was busy during the day and would take a noon break. Huzi, being young, also needed a nap. Only Yuanbao, a naughty seven - year - old, never took a nap. Moreover, she had a mind like an adult and thought too much.
Shen Yuning always believed that the most important thing in raising a child was not education but self - cultivation. A child's first step was always to imitate. If the adults behaved properly, most children would grow up well. So she always let Yuanbao do as she pleased.
Now that they had money, as a little girl, Yuanbao didn't need to do much except help take care of Huzi occasionally. The most she had learned was from the books Xuanzhi had bought.
But Yuanbao's words today made Shen Yuning extremely scared. She had to admit that when she was irritated, she also had such thoughts. Why, just when their lives were getting better, did they still have to be on guard against someone like Shen Jingui?
But she was an adult. Even if she had such dark thoughts, she could quickly stop herself from going astray. Yuanbao was different. She was young and her mind was not fully developed. If such hatred took root in her heart, she might become extreme.
Finally, a tear rolled down Yuanbao's cheek. The two years in Xitian Town had been the happiest days of her life. No one would beat her up after getting drunk, and she didn't have to break the ice in the pool to wash clothes in the cold winter. Even though Grandpa Zhang would scold her as a girl when he got angry, as time passed, she found that whatever good things Huzi had, Grandpa would surely give her a share.
But then, Father came. From the moment Father came, she had been worried all the time, worried that Father would take her away. Even when Father said he wouldn't leave, she was very happy because the people here would protect her.
Now, she even wished that Father had taken her away at that time. In this way, at least, no one else would be hurt.
Shen Yuning took out a handkerchief and wiped Yuanbao's tears. She said gently, "Yuanbao, there are just too many unpleasant things in life. If we always live in the realm of 'what if', how can we go on with our lives? Moreover, he is not a stranger. He is your father. You can't..."
"Why can't I?"
Shen Yuning turned around. It was Xuanzhi who had stepped in. He was holding a bowl of medicine in his hand and came forward to put it on the cabinet beside the bed.
"It's hot. Drink it later."
Shen Yuning quickly got up and pulled him, signaling him not to talk nonsense. Yuanbao was still so young. Even if Shen Jingui was not a good person, he was still Yuanbao's father. How could he teach a child to hate her own father?
Xuanzhi didn't care. He stepped forward and felt Yuanbao's forehead. It was still a bit hot. He sneered, "Yuanbao, you also want him to die, don't you?"
Yuanbao, who was originally full of pain, was stunned by his question. For a moment, she couldn't answer anything.
Xuanzhi continued, "As a human being, he has no virtue or conscience. His existence is a pain for those around him."
"Xuanzhi!" Shen Yuning's face showed annoyance. If it weren't for Huzi sleeping beside them, she really would have shouted at him.
But Xuanzhi just waved his hand at her to comfort her and continued to say to Yuanbao, "Actually, there are many people like your father, selfish and only thinking about themselves. As a son, he is unfilial; as a father, he is unkind. There are many children in the Great Zhou like you who have such fathers. So you don't have to be too sad."
Yuanbao came to her senses. Her chest heaved as she asked, "Are there really many people like this? Then what did they do?"
Xuanzhi shrugged, "Some people just endure it for a lifetime and then become another person like him, unfilial and unkind, passing it on to the next generation. Some people fight back when they grow a bit older and even commit patricide or matricide. They are despised by the world and finally receive the most severe punishment."
Yuanbao shivered in fear and was a bit unwilling, "But it's clearly not their fault. Just because they fought back, they will be punished?"
Xuanzhi then softened his expression and nodded seriously, "Yes. If someone makes a mistake, the law will deal with them. No matter who they are, they have no right to deprive others of their lives."
Only then did Shen Yuning breathe a sigh of relief, and there was a bit of amusement in her heart. In fact, speaking in line with people's thoughts and then analyzing the situation was her usual way of managing people. She didn't expect Xuanzhi to learn it so well and use it on Yuanbao.
Now that she thought about it, it was she who had thought wrongly. She thought Yuanbao was still too young to distinguish right from wrong, but she didn't realize that it was precisely because she was young that she needed more careful and patient guidance, rather than simply suppressing the thoughts in her heart.
Yuanbao asked again, "If the law can't restrain him, what should we do?"
"You should work harder to improve yourself. Yuanbao, remember, as long as you become stronger, much stronger, you will find that those who used to bully you are like ants and not worth mentioning at all."
Shen Yuning fed Yuanbao the medicine. After seeing her fall asleep soundly, she walked out of the room. She saw Xuanzhi and Aunt Cen sitting together, frowning intently as Aunt Cen was saying something.
She walked closer and heard Aunt Cen looking a bit embarrassed. After hesitating for a long time, she finally said, "He insulted the old master, saying that the old master must have had such thoughts for a long time, but he just didn't have the courage to act like him. The old master got very angry and picked up a shovel and rushed at him..."
Xuanzhi asked, "Are Sister - in - law and the others okay?"
Aunt Cen hesitated even more. After being questioned by Xuanzhi, she had to tell the truth, "Xi'er is not doing well. She was stimulated before, and this time... it seems that her old illness has recurred. Madam was afraid of scaring the children, so she quickly took her away... I guess they went to the embroidery workshop. I wasn't feeling well today, and there were children at home, so I didn't go with them..."
Xuanzhi tapped his hand on the table and nodded, "Aunt Cen has been busy for so long. Go and drink your medicine and rest quickly. Sister and I are back. We'll take care of everything at home."
However, Aunt Cen was so worried that she couldn't rest. After drinking the medicine, she went to Shen Yuning's room to check on Yuanbao and Huzi.
Shen Yuning walked over and asked Xuanzhi, "What do you think?"
Xuanzhi shrugged helplessly, "What can I think? In this situation, it seems that your elder brother can't stay here anymore. But if we try to send him away, we're worried that he will take Yuanbao away with him."
This was also what Shen Yuning was worried about. In the past two years, Yuanbao's personality had finally changed for the better. She didn't want Yuanbao to go back to Shen Jingui's side, and she definitely didn't want Yuanbao to go back to Shenjiapo to suffer.
Just as they were talking, the courtyard door opened, and Zhang Rong and Xi'er walked in together.
Xi'er looked calm. She was wearing a pink dress, which made her look as rosy and charming as a peach blossom. She was originally good - looking and delicate. Having been staying in the inner courtyard embroidering all year round and not doing any rough work, her skin was very fair and tender. In the past, she never dressed up and was just like an ordinary village girl. But now, after dressing up, she was really different.
However, Shen Yuning was a bit worried. She had just been stimulated today. Why did she suddenly decide to dress up?