Chapter 80: Each Goes Their Own Way with Relatives!

Shen Yu and Yang Qingshan soon warmed up. They were curious about this thing called a ‘kang’ that could generate heat, realizing it was arranged by Su Zhi. They knew this younger sister-in-law was capable, and her involvement was inseparable from the household’s prosperity.

“Fourth Brother, seeing you living well, puts my mind at ease,” Shen Yu said, her eyes reddening at the corners. Shen Zi’an lowered his head. This sister had always been kind to him since childhood. Over the years, he had wanted to help her, but being far away, there was little he could do. Moreover, Shen Yu’s decision to insist that their daughter marry Yang Qingshan had infuriated Shen Youfu to no end. In these years, not only was Shen Yu driven away when she visited, but her siblings were also forbidden from seeing her. Shen Zi’an only visited during the fair, and each visit was brief. He couldn’t help her with much work, so he could only give her money. However, Shen Yu was too proud, even if he gave her money, she would still pay him back. In the end, her life remained difficult.

“Aunt, this candy is so sweet,” said Ye’er, holding a piece of candy in her small hand, licking it slowly. She looked like a little kitten. Sensing Su Zhi touching her head, she lifted her head and spoke to her. Children instinctively know who is kind to them. Su Zhi smiled and said, “Don’t eat too much sweetness, or your teeth will hurt. Later, Aunt will pack you a bag, so you can eat it slowly. Today, Aunt will make a lot of delicious food for you to eat until you’re full.”

Ye’er smiled and giggled before going back to licking her candy.

Shen Yu watched his daughter enjoy the candy, quietly wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes and revealing a smile. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he said to Su Zhi, “Little sister, look at us. A few days ago, our family of three went on a long journey, and we didn’t even know about the two major events of your family splitting up and building a house. We didn’t help at all, and we feel really guilty.”

Su Zhi replied, “Sister, please don’t say that. We’re just happy that you could come today to warm our house. Let’s keep in touch more in the future. I know there’s some estrangement between you, your husband, and father-in-law, but now that we’ve split up, we’ll go our separate ways. You’re always welcome to visit us.”

Su Zhi’s words opened up the conversation. She had heard from Shen Zi’an that Shen Youfu resented Shen Yu. Not only would Shen Yu be driven away if she visited, but even her presence in the village would anger him. That’s why Shen Yu rarely visited her parents’ home.

Su Zhi looked down upon Shen Youfu’s behavior of caring more about his reputation than his daughter. She believed that Shen Youfu’s treatment of Shen Yu was ultimately for the sake of Shen Ziju. She suspected that he feared Shen Ziju would be judged poorly because of having a sister like Shen Yu, so he appeared to be indifferent to his daughter, as if not acknowledging her would elevate his own status. Su Zhi thought that behaving this way only served to protect his own reputation in his eyes. Despite Su Zhi’s belief that others would still gossip regardless of his actions, the more he acted this way, the more people would look down upon Shen Yu and her husband, tarnishing the reputation of the Shen family.

Shen Yu didn’t know about Shen Zi’an’s situation, which Su Zhi fully understood. She didn’t blame her for it.

“Sister…”

Shen Yu held Su Zhi’s hand, unable to find the words. She was deeply moved that Su Zhi didn’t mind their reputation and welcomed them into her home. It warmed her heart.

“Sister, we appreciate your kindness, but perhaps we should limit our interactions in the future. If father sees us, it will only anger him. He… he utterly despises me and refuses to forgive me even now.”

Shen Yu said sadly that when she returned from out of town this time, she heard from a woman in Riverside Village that Shen Zi’an had split from the family. She and Yang Qingshan had discussed it and decided to bring some gifts and visit their brother. They had planned to quietly enter the village, meet Shen Zi’an, and leave. However, they were surprised to see such a grand mansion, and Shen Zi’an happened to return from outside. When he saw them, he pulled them inside, and that’s when they learned that today was the house-warming for their new house and hosting a feast.

“Today is your house-warming, and many villagers will come later. Father and the others will come too. We better leave early to avoid causing you trouble if he sees us.”

Shen Zi’an said, “Sister, please don’t leave. Stay here, just like my wife said. We’ve all split apart now, and we each go our own way. Father can’t control us. Even if he gets angry, the worst he can do is ignore me. You know he’s never paid much attention to me anyway.”

Shen Zi’an thought that now that his family had some money, his father and third brother had come to cause trouble several times. If they stopped coming to his place, he might be more relaxed. However, even if his father got angry and cut off ties with him and Shen Yu, Shen Youfu wouldn’t cut off ties with Shen Ziju no matter what. He would definitely  try to gain benefits from here. Besides money, he wouldn’t want to give up the reputation of being a respected member of the community.

Although Shen Zi’an was a farmer, he was not dull-witted; on the contrary, he was quite sharp and could see things clearly.

Su Zhi’s thoughts were similar to Shen Zi’an’s. She thought it would be better if Shen Youfu got angry and cut off ties between their families. Then, when they became wealthier in the future, they wouldn’t have to worry about them causing trouble. Distance from toxic people would make life much better.

Just seeing that this couple had such thoughts made them even more eager to interact with Shen Yu’s family.

Su Zhi said, “Sister, brother-in-law, just stay here. You can’t avoid interacting with your family forever. It’s not your fault at all, and hatred can be resolved. Why can’t this matter be resolved? In my opinion, you should stay here today and let others see that you’re still part of our family. Riverside Village is still your natal home. That’s settled then. I’ll go cook. Zi’an, you stay here with sister, brother-in-law, and your little niece for a while.”

“Sister, I’ll go with you.”

Shen Yu quickly followed her down. She felt grateful to her fourth sister and thought that if they wanted to maintain this family relationship, they had to act like relatives. She hadn’t helped with her brother’s house-building, and now, not lending a hand with this house-warming would be unacceptable.

“All right, sister, let’s go together. There’s not much work anyway, and it’s good to chat with everyone,” Su Zhi replied.

Su Zhi led Shen Yu to the kitchen. Shen Yu was still a bit nervous. She had been away from the village for several years and hadn’t interacted much with the people there. The disdain from her parents, the gossip from her in-laws, and the villagers’ idle talk had made her a bit apprehensive. She wondered how others would perceive her now.

“Sister, are you still nervous? What’s there to be nervous about? You haven’t done anything wrong. Don’t you know? Zi’an and I were separated from the family because I was labeled as a jinx. There were even children throwing stones at me back then. But now, isn’t everything fine? We shouldn’t be afraid of others throwing mud at us; what we should fear is if we start believing we’re dirty ourselves, without even the courage to reclaim our innocence. Then, we’ll forever be looked down upon,” Su Zhi reassured.

Shen Yu was surprised by Su Zhi’s words. She had just learned about Su Zhi’s recent experiences, but she quickly understood. She nodded at Su Zhi, feeling her spine straighten.

“Ladies, guess who’s here?” Su Zhi entered the kitchen with a smile, pulling Shen Yu forward. Shen Yu smiled at the people in the kitchen, whom she recognized. They were all friendly, but she hadn’t interacted with them much in recent years, so she felt a bit shy.

Li Qing widened her eyes and exclaimed, “Isn’t this Miss Shen from the Shen family? Ah Yu, it’s been so long! You’ve really lost weight!”

Zhao Feng was shrewd. Just by observing Su Zhi’s expression towards Shen Yu, she could tell that this elder sister-in-law, who was neglected by the Shen family, had gained favor in the eyes of the fourth sister-in-law. Zhao Feng also knew about the events from years ago, but she didn’t believe it was true. She knew the rich villain who had targeted Shen Yu; he had even tried to harass her once, but she had managed to escape. Because she know of Shen Yu’s misfortune at his hands, she didn’t hold any contempt for her. Furthermore, she liked Su Zhi, so she immediately wiped her hands and walked over to grab Shen Yu’s hand.

“Ah Yu^[1] “Ah” often used as a prefix to express familiarity, affection, or informality when addressing someone., you’re here! This is wonderful. I was just about to take a break. Could you help me chop up this meat? My hands are getting sore,” Zhao Feng said warmly.

Shen Yu felt relieved that someone was paying attention to her and smiled in response. Li Shi and Wang Shi also nodded at Shen Yu. Although they understood Shen Yu’s decision to marry Yang Qingshan, they were still unhappy about it. Shen Yu had tarnished her reputation, nearly bringing disgrace upon the Shen family’s name. They both had daughters, and if word got out about their disreputable aunt, it could cause trouble for their daughters’ marriages. Therefore, when Shen Youfu instructed them to ignore Shen Yu, they complied. However, Shen Zhang Shi had told them to privately assist Shen Yu when they encountered her, so they didn’t harbor any ill feelings towards her.

These past years, apart from when Shen Yu visited, they hadn’t seen her at all. Every time they met, Shen Youfu would chase Shen Yu away, leaving them with no chance to speak. This made their relationship with Shen Yu feel like it had been frozen in time for several years. Repairing it would be easy, but they didn’t know Shen Youfu’s intentions, nor did they understand what impact this elder sister-in-law might have on the family. All they could do was nod their heads and leave it at that.

Seeing Shen Yu helping with the work, Wang Shi pulled Su Zhi aside and asked, “Are you not afraid that Father will be angry if you keep her here? Hasn’t Fourth Brother told you about her situation?”

Su Zhi replied, “I know, Sister-in-law. Do you think that by keeping Elder Sister out, the reputation of the Shen family will sound better? Right now, nobody mentions it, but if someone with malicious intent brings it up, the reputation of the Shen family will still be linked to Elder Sister. It’s better to change things now. I believe you also know that Elder Sister and Brother-in-law are innocent. They’ve done nothing wrong. By accepting them and changing their reputation, wouldn’t it be better for the Shen family in the long run? What do you think?”

Wang Shi remained silent, her expression grave.