Chapter 5

Shen Yu smiled again and said, “Besides, when I look at Mrs. Jiang’s appearance, she seems like a kind and amiable mother-in-law. When I marry into the family, we will definitely get along very well. We can even go out for a stroll together often.”

Go out for a stroll?

As soon as she heard this phrase, an image of her walking with a cripple flashed in Mrs. Jiang’s mind, surrounded by people pointing and gossiping about her. How could she ever hold her head up high among the ladies of the capital after that?

No, no, this marriage must not happen.

Mrs. Jiang raised her hand to massage her temples, frowning, “The wind outside today is strong, perhaps I caught a cold. Why else would my head suddenly start hurting?”

The maid behind her understood and was about to step forward.

“I’ll do it,” Shen Yu rolled up her sleeves, “Mrs. Jiang, don’t worry about my lame leg. I’m actually quite skilled at massaging. I cured my horse Ben Xiao’s headaches.”

“Who’s Ben Xiao?” Mrs. Jiang asked casually.

Shen Zhao cleared his throat, holding back his laughter, and said, “Ben Xiao is my sister’s favorite horse.”

Mrs. Jiang’s eyebrows twitched, nearly losing her temper. Shen Yu actually compared her to a horse!

Shen Zhong’an watched for a moment, afraid that Shen Yu would cause more trouble, and tentatively asked, “So, should this marriage be finalized?”

“No rush, no rush,” Mrs. Jiang quickly interrupted, her arm still being tugged by Shen Yu.

“We haven’t discussed this with my husband yet. Today we just came to inform you. We still need to discuss it with him first.”

Mrs. Jiang came up with many excuses, using all her skills of improvisation, and talked so much that her mouth went dry. Finally, when she saw Shen Zhong’an nodding, she quickly took the opportunity to leave with her maidservant.

“Don’t rush to leave, Mrs. Jiang. I haven’t shown my talents yet. I’m great at lifting heavy buckets.”

Mrs. Jiang hurriedly said as she left, “No need, thank you.”

Glancing back, she saw Shen Yu hobbling behind, gnashing her teeth. She couldn’t believe how someone with a limp could run so fast.

Mrs. Jiang was afraid of being caught, so she walked faster and faster, ignoring her posture. As she passed through a threshold, she tripped and fell to the ground. The maidservants on either side helped her up and practically dragged her away as if they were escaping. It was as if they were fleeing for their lives from the general’s mansion.

Finally out of the general’s mansion’s gate, Mrs. Jiang felt like she had lost half her life.

These past few days, I need to come up with a solution.

Shen Yu thought to herself as she walked back. Just as she reached the door, she saw Shen Zhong’an suddenly slam the table, causing the tea cups on it to jump.

“This is utter nonsense!”

In her past life, Shen Yu would have been terrified by such a scene, but after living a second life, she even missed her father when he was angry.

Shen Zhong’an pointed at her and scolded, “Do you know if she spreads the news about your lame leg, who would dare to propose to you in the future? I think you’d better not get married and just be an old spinster.”

“Not getting married is best,” Shen Yu whispered, “I just want to stay by Dad’s side and be an old maid.”

People who practice martial arts have good hearing, and Shen Zhong’an didn’t miss a word.

This statement left Shen Zhong’an at a loss for words. Looking around, he casually picked up something and pretended to hit her.

Shen Yu quickly hid behind Shen Zhao and peeked out, saying, “Big Brother, Dad wants to hit me.”

Shen Zhao chuckled and advised, “You’d better apologize quickly.”

“Dad, I’m sorry.”

Suddenly being hugged, Shen Zhong’an’s words got stuck in his throat.

Holding onto Shen Zhong’an, Shen Yu felt grateful that she could still hear her father scolding her and see her brother.

Since Shen Yu was twelve years old, she hadn’t been close to him. Now that she acted like this, Shen Zhong’an felt his heart soften, and he sighed deeply, saying:

“We can’t go on like this in the future.”

Shen Yu nodded vigorously and lifted her eyelids to see her brother, Shen Zhao, beside her. She let go of her father and went to hug her brother’s arm.

Shen Zhao lowered his eyes and patted her head, joking, “Where did you learn this trick? Establishing yourself as unbeatable.”

Shen Yu raised her head and blinked, saying, “Self-taught.”

There was a black lacquered sunflower-patterned partition between the main hall and the side hall, and pearl curtains hung on the corridor.

Mrs. Shen looked around the hall from beginning to end, with a stern face. She left, and only when she reached the covered corridor did she say, “See that? We, mother and daughter, are just outsiders. They are the real family of three.”

Mrs. Shen’s original wife was the legitimate daughter of the Lu family, a merchant from Hezhou, but not an ordinary one. The Lu family’s business spread throughout the Great Zhou.

As for her, she was Shen Zhong’an’s second wife. Shen Zhong’an’s original wife passed away early, so Cheng Anhou married Shen Zhong’an’s distant cousin to him to win him over. That’s the current Mrs. Shen.

Although Shen Zhong’an treated her with respect, there was no deep affection between them. How could there be any feelings when they were not together from the beginning? It could only be said that they managed to get along.

They hadn’t seen each other for a year or two. However, bearing the title of General’s Wife, it was inevitable that she would feel resentful.

Shen Yan followed behind her without saying a word.

Mrs. Shen looked back and said indifferently, “You should at least show your face in front of your father. Otherwise, Shen Zhong’an might have forgotten that this family still has a daughter.”

Shen Yan bit her lip and said, “Father hasn’t forgotten. He talked to me a lot yesterday.”

Mrs. Shen sneered, “Did you see how Shen Yu acted in front of your father? You shrink back in front of him. With you like this, what can you do to compete with Shen Yu?”

Mrs. Shen’s words annoyed Shen Yan. Rarely did she speak up to retort, “I’m not competing with my sister. She treats me well, but whenever there’s something good, she always takes it first.”

“She takes it first?” Mrs. Shen waved her hand to dismiss the servant. “Of course, she takes what she doesn’t want and then gives it to you. When has Hezhou ever sent anything without her picking it first? Only after she’s finished picking does she give you what’s left.”

“That’s her maternal grandmother’s, not mine. The things sent were never meant for me.”

Mrs. Shen was furious. If it weren’t for her dignified title as General’s Wife, she would have pointed at Shen Yan’s nose and scolded her. Seeing that there were still many servants around, she could only shake her sleeve and leave.

“Miss, shall we go back?” the maidservant asked.

Shen Yan stood still for a moment, looking in the direction of the main hall, with a hint of sadness in her eyes. “Let’s go back.”