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Shen Youfu had already been softened by Shen Zi’an’s words earlier, and now Su Zhi’s words further loosened his heart. With a stern face and bowed head, he pondered silently.
“Father, please forgive your daughter. Your daughter knows she brought trouble to the family back then. Your daughter will kowtow to you as an apology!”
Shen Yu knelt down with a thud. The ground in Su Zhi’s home was paved with bluestones, and the sound of her knees hitting the ground was loud enough to send shivers down everyone’s spine. Shen Yu kowtowed to Shen Youfu, crying and pleading. The grievances she had endured over the years from her parents’ rejection, coupled with the bitterness of not having the support of her natal family, all turned into tears streaming down her face. She kowtowed earnestly, making loud thumps, but before she could complete many, she was pulled up by someone.
Yang Qingshan also knelt beside them, his face filled with sorrow. When Shen Yu insisted on marrying him back then, her reputation was almost ruined because of him. Despite becoming her husband, he had been unable to provide her with a good life as he had hoped. Watching his beautiful wife suffer alongside him, growing older day by day, weighed heavily on his heart. But he had no regrets about saving her back then; if he hadn’t, she would have been at the mercy of that villain. He only wished that he hadn’t been crippled back then; perhaps things would have turned out differently. Now, all he wanted was for his wife to be forgiven by her family.
“Father, as long as you can forgive Ah Yu, I will do anything you ask of me.”
Yang Qingshan looked at his wife, speaking only these words before waiting for Shen Youfu to pronounce his punishment.
“Father… Mother…”
Ye’er was still sitting on the kang, watching her parents kneel on the ground. She didn’t fully understand what was happening, but she felt scared and started crying loudly. Chunlan quickly picked her up and held her close.
“Husband, please forgive them. If we don’t speak up for our own children, it will only invite more gossip and criticism. As long as we firmly assert that Yang Qingshan was the one who saved our daughter, let others say what they want! With time, people will forget. But if you continue to keep her away, it will only fuel the rumors,” pleaded Shen Zhang shi, her heart aching for her daughter.
Shen Zhu also joined in, realizing that her sister’s tarnished reputation was affecting her as well. “Father, what Fourth Sister said is true. Her reputation may have suffered before, but look at the number of people coming to celebrate our new house today. Even strangers are here. Most people don’t believe those rumors. If we change our stance now, we can put this matter behind us.”
Sun shi added from the side, “Father, if you acknowledge Eldest Sister, what about Fifth Brother? There are still plenty of unmarried daughters in our family!”
Sun shi didn’t want Shen Yu to return to her maternal home; both parents cherished their daughter. If they gave all the good things to their daughter, wouldn’t they be at a loss?
Su Zhi glanced at Sun shi and said, “Third Sister-in-law, did you hear what was just said? We just discussed how if Father and Mother don’t allow Eldest Sister to enter the house, her bad reputation will stick, which won’t benefit the Shen family or Fifth Brother. And you mentioned there are still unmarried daughters in the family? Don’t forget, you have a daughter too!”
Chunhua, who had been standing beside Sun shi supporting her, blushed at Su Zhi’s mention of her. She remembered kneeling to Su Zhi before, pleading for mercy, only to have the villagers further believe that Su Zhi was a jinx. She sensed that Fourth Aunt still held a grudge against her.
Shen Zhang shi, annoyed with Sun shi, scolded, “If you can’t speak sensibly, then leave!”
Shen Ziping pulled Sun shi aside. He didn’t want his wife to offend everyone. He could see that today, Mother and his siblings all wanted Father to forgive Eldest Sister. So, he decided to go along with it. After all, what harm could one woman do?
Su Zhi looked at Shen Ziju and said, “Fifth Brother, you have excellent knowledge, and Father has high hopes for you. We all hope you can pass the imperial examination with flying colors. You’re a smart person; you should know which situation regarding Eldest Sister is more advantageous for you. Others might think having such an elder sister could have a negative impact on you once you become an official. But haven’t you thought about it? After you become an official, who would dare to speak ill of your elder sister? By then, even if someone does, you can dismiss it as slander. But if Eldest Sister is rejected by her own family now, then others will think that’s how we, the Shen family, truly feel, and that would become the truth. It would be cemented by then!”
Shen Ziju felt a stir in his heart. In fact, he had already come to the same conclusion earlier, but he was still hesitant. After all, the court valued officials’ reputations highly, and he didn’t dare to be reckless. However, now Fourth Sister-in-law had clearly pointed out the consequences to him. If he still didn’t understand what to do, then he would truly be foolish.
“Father, Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister-in-law are right. Please forgive Eldest Sister.”
Shen Youfu always valued his youngest son’s words, especially since his decision to not let Shen Yu enter the house was for Shen Ziju’s sake. Now that Shen Ziju had spoken, his previously loosened heart finally relaxed completely.
“We’ll talk about this after dinner! I need to think about it some more!”
Upon hearing this, the Shen family members knew that Shen Youfu had forgiven Shen Yu, and they all breathed a sigh of relief. Shen Zhang shi hugged Shen Yu and cried, and Shen Yu cried as well. The worry on Yang Qingshan’s face also eased a lot.
Seeing the Shen family members crying together, Su Zhi wasn’t interested in staying any longer. She had helped Shen Yu return to the Shen family’s door because of her consideration towards Shen Zi’an and because she was a good person herself. Now that she had helped, she didn’t want to participate in their family’s reunion drama. Today was their family’s house-warming day, and she was the protagonist. After all, she didn’t want to stay here and watch them cry and laugh.
Su Zhi reminded Shen Zi’an that she was going out to cook and that they shouldn’t miss the mealtime. As soon as she stepped out, she noticed several people standing in the hall, some even peeking inside. They quickly withdrew when they saw her, looking embarrassed. Su Zhi smiled and called Shen Zi’an to greet the guests, subtly indicating to the inside crowd that there were curious outsiders and advising them to keep their composure. After Shen Zi’an came out to attend to the guests, Su Zhi smiled and returned to the kitchen.
Upon entering the kitchen, Li Qing’s wife asked, “Sister, everything alright?”
Su Zhi smiled and replied, “Everything’s fine. Father and Mother asked Big Sister to go over and chat with them. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, so I let Big Sister accompany them.”
Li Qing’s Wife and Shugen’s Wife immediately understood that the Shen family had accepted Shen Yu back. They couldn’t help but think, “Su Zhi isn’t a jinx after all; she’s a lucky star!” She had barely entered the family, and already the old couple had reconciled with their daughter. Wasn’t this a family reunion? A good thing!
“It’s almost time. Sisters, let’s start cooking!”
Su Zhi tied on her blue floral apron and organized the prepared ingredients neatly, planning the order in which to cook them.
Shugen’s Wife hurried over to light the fire, while Li Qing’s Wife stood by to pass her things. Just as the three of them were about to start bustling about, Zhao Feng hurried in, her face showing some anxiety.
“Sister, I just counted the number of people, and there are way too many guests! I’m worried that the food you’ve prepared won’t be enough!”
“How many people came? Brother Zi’an prepared twelve tables, isn’t that enough? I saw that there were many people, but surely not enough to fill all those tables?” Li Qing’s Wife exclaimed, wide-eyed.
Zhao Feng replied, “There are people in the courtyard and inside the house, and just now several groups arrived, each consisting of a dozen or so people! I roughly estimated, and there are over three hundred people! And that’s probably an understatement!”
Li Qing’s Wife sighed and said, “Seems like half the village has shown up! These folks must have come to see Brother Zi’an’s new house! This calls for gifts, and normally, they can’t spare much money. What’s happening today? Sister, your family’s days are going to be lively from now on! But for now, we need to figure something out.”
Su Zhi just furrowed her brow briefly before calming down. She did a quick inventory and realized they had enough grain and meat. There was a pile of cabbage, a basket of potatoes, and a sack of radishes. However, some dishes, like rabbit and wild chicken, might not be available for every table. But Su Zhi thought that as long as the meat was well-cooked, the villagers wouldn’t be picky. Her cooking skills were decent, and she had prepared some bean sprouts grown with spiritual spring water, which she planned to add to each dish to enhance the flavor. She had already tried this, and even a simple stir-fried cabbage became exceptionally delicious!
With a quick assessment, Su Zhi felt they could manage. The feast might turn into a buffet style.
At that moment, Li Shi (Shitou) also came to report the situation. After hearing Su Zhi’s arrangements, he nodded and went out to organize the elders to start the first round of dining.
The Shen family members had calmed down by now. They listened to Shen Zi’an’s call to join the feast and all came out together.
Shen Youfu still couldn’t swallow his pride and immediately walked over to Shen Yu in front of everyone, leading the way. Shen Yu followed behind with her child and Yang Qingshan. However, even so, everyone could tell that Shen Youfu and his eldest daughter had reconciled. On such an occasion, no one dared to mention it openly.
Seeing Su Zhi’s plan for a buffet-style feast, Shen Youfu instructed Wang Shi and Li Shi to assist. Shen Yu quickly stood up to help. The boys and girls in the family were also assigned tasks to help serve and run errands.
This time, Shen Zi’an bought a whole pig’s meat. Su Zhi originally thought it would be enough for a dozen tables, with the leftover meat intended for making preserved or cured meat. Now, everything was taken out. Shugen’s Wife had good knife skills and quickly started cutting. Li Shi began chopping vegetables while Wang Shi washed them with her daughter. Li Qing’s Wife helped Su Zhi with the fire, and Chunyue assisted with handing things over. Su Zhi started cooking.
Even before the dishes were served, whether sitting or standing, everyone could smell a strong aroma filling the air, even more fragrant than before. It made everyone’s mouth water.