Chapter 21

One noon, Zhou Jing left half an hour earlier than usual, saying that he would prepare meat for the workers.

Upon hearing there would be meat, more than a dozen men couldn’t contain their excitement, urging Zhou Jing to hurry back and cook.

At the same time, the door of the Shen family was flung open by Wang Ren. It was Shen Cheng who answered the door; he had seen this man standing next to Zhou Jing on the chaotic day at the Shen household.

He had tasted Zhou Jing’s fists and knew the pain that came with them. Upon seeing Wang Ren, he warily asked, “What are you doing at my home?”

To his surprise, Wang Ren did not show any fierce demeanor he had displayed that day. Instead, he asked in a gentle, spring-like tone, “Are your father and mother home?”

Shen Cheng instinctively responded with a faint “mm,” but then realized and shouted, “Why are you looking for my parents? Is Zhou Jing having second thoughts and trying to get back that two silver coins? I’m telling you, that’s absolutely impossible! We made it clear in black and white! I have proof; that silver was meant for my mother to use for my future wife!”

Wang Ren desperately reminded him not to stoop to the level of a beast, but his fists were clenched so tightly that his veins bulged.

Inside, Wang Chunhua heard Shen Cheng’s shouting and came out to ask, “Xiao Cheng, who’s here?”

Taking advantage of the moment, Wang Ren pushed Shen Cheng aside and smiled at Wang Chunhua, saying, “Auntie, it’s me, Wang Ren!”

Wang Chunhua had come from the Wang Family Village before her marriage, so she recognized Wang Ren, the second son of the Village Chief.

“Oh, it’s my nephew! What brings you here today?” she asked.

“I came today to…” Wang Ren started to say but suddenly stopped. He then shifted the topic, saying, “Auntie, we can’t just stand here talking in front of the door, can we?”

If it had been someone else, Wang Chunhua would have let them stand at the door to avoid having to serve a bowl of sugared water. However, Wang Ren was the son of the Village Chief from Wang Family Village, and her family still lived there, so she would inevitably have to look after him in the future.

“Look, Auntie is so happy to see you that she forgot everything else. Come in!”

Wang Chunhua, unwilling to part with anything with the sugared water, simply brought out a bowl of warm water.

“There’s no sugar at home, just this bowl of warm water. I hope my nephew doesn’t mind!”

“It’s fine,” Wang Ren waved his hand dismissively, though he didn’t really intend to drink the water.

“I came this time on someone else’s behalf, and that person is your family’s Shen Mo and Shen Lin.”

“What do those two want? It’s not that Zhou Jing is having second thoughts, is it? I’ll tell you, that’s absolutely out of the question! That money is meant for Xiao Cheng’s future wife!”

Wang Ren quickly replied, “Not at all, Auntie! You might not know, but the Zhou family currently has plenty of silver; they’ve even built a house and don’t really need these few silver coins. I came this time with good news. If everything goes well, your family might even receive an additional two silver coins! Oh, where’s Uncle? He’s not at home? That won’t do; if he were here today, we might have secured that silver already.”

Upon hearing about “silver,” Wang Chunhua became so anxious that she felt like rushing in to seize it. She hurriedly asked, “What do you mean? Hurry up and tell me! You’re going to drive me crazy!”

But Wang Ren replied, “This matter, I can only discuss it with uncle!”

As long as it was related to silver, Wang Chunhua could not afford to wait even a moment.

She signaled to Shen Cheng, urging him to go into the inner room to call Father Shen.

Father Shen had purposely hidden upon hearing someone knock at the door.

Although the ruckus that day had occurred within the Shen family’s house, the noise had been so loud that it could have lifted the roof, and the neighbors had all heard it.

From their quarrelsome words, they could guess what had happened.

In an instant, Father Shen had once again become the laughingstock of the entire village.

It was said that if one was not part of the same family, they should not enter the same door. Father Shen, like Wang Chunhua and her second son, had a shameless obsession with silver.

Upon hearing that he might be able to extort money from Shen Mo, he immediately abandoned all semblance of dignity and hurried out.

However, he put on an act, pretending to be aloof and superior.

“What did you mean when you just said Shen Mo was going to give me money?” he asked.

Wang Ren curled his lip disdainfully in his heart, but he wore a cheerful expression on his face as he said, “Uncle, you might not know, but that Zhou Jing has been really lucky. He dug up something on the mountain and sold it for a huge sum of silver. Now he has even built a house. Your two sons think that day was all their fault, and no matter what, they can’t let their old man lose face. So, they brought two silver coins from Zhou Jing, wanting to make amends with you and their older brother, hoping you would forgive them and not disown them. They asked me to be the mediator and persuade you.”

Father Shen felt a swell of pride, almost ready to puff up his chest.

Look, a father was a father; where in the world would there be sons daring to disown their father? Besides, those two hardly counted as sons; they were nothing more than lowly wretches! If it weren’t for their maternal family backing them up, they would have had nowhere to go if they were abandoned by Zhou Jing!

Wang Ren pressed on, urging, “Uncle, Shen Mo and Shen Lin specifically instructed me that this silver is meant as an apology for both of you. Therefore, you both must go so that he can apologize to you in person before he will hand over the silver. If only one of you goes, then it won’t count.”

Father Shen snorted coldly, “What a hassle!” Yet, inwardly, he was quite pleased.

“Where are those ungrateful sons? Do I really need to go to the Zhou family myself? If they’re going to apologize, shouldn’t they come here? How dare they trouble their own father!”

Wang Ren said, “Uncle, you’re wronging those two brothers. You don’t know Zhou Jing’s character. This silver was secretly saved by the Shen brothers. If Zhou Jing found out, he would probably beat them to death. That’s why they can’t go out without Zhou Jing’s permission, and they wouldn’t dare come to your house—they’re just afraid of being discovered by Zhou Jing!”

Father Shen responded with a noncommittal grunt.

Wang Ren urged, “Uncle, Shen Mo and Shen Lin will be meeting you at the back mountain. Hurry up and go! Remember, if anyone asks, don’t mention the Shen brothers at all. You must completely not involve their name from this; otherwise, if Zhou Jing finds out the silver is missing and realizes it was those two brothers who stole it to give to Shen family, he’ll definitely come knocking.”

Father Shen replied arrogantly, “He dares!”

Although he said that, he knew in his heart that if a married ger dared to steal silver from his husband’s family to support his own, neither he nor his family would be in the right.

“Let’s hurry up,” he urged. “If Zhou Jing finds out, it’ll all be for nothing.”

Wang Chunhua urged, “Hurry up, head of the family! I’ll get a basket for you and for Xiao Cheng. If anyone in the village sees you, just say you’re going up the mountain to gather vegetables. Make sure not to mention Shen Mo or Shen Lin; you must never mention them.”

Father Shen shouted about why he should go, but he obediently accepted the basket and short knife that Wang Chunhua handed him. On the way, when someone indeed asked what they were up to.

Fearing his father would cause trouble, Shen Cheng quickly answered, “We’re going up the mountain to pick up vegetables!”

The villagers were astonished, whispering among themselves that the Shen family’s second son, known for his laziness, was actually willing to go up the mountain to gather vegetables!

It was as if the sun had risen from the west!

Upon reaching the village entrance, Wang Ren parted ways with Father Shen and Shen Cheng. He quickly returned to the Zhou family and gave a knowing glance to the two brothers, Shen Mo and Shen Lin, who were busy helping out, signaling that the plan had succeeded.

The villagers who worked together and knew some of the Shen family’s matters said when they saw him return, “Although the two brothers of the Shen family are ger, which is somewhat regrettable, they are both filial children. It is only natural for a ger married off to disregard their maternal family when their father is like that. Yet, these two children are soft-hearted; they specifically came to invite you to be a mediator and help with the reconciliation.”

Wang Ren did not sneak into the Shen family; instead, Shen Mo openly held the meat and spoke to Wang Ren in front of everyone, saying, “A few days ago, because of Shen Lin’s matter, I acted impulsively and caused Father to get so angry. I felt guilty about it, and I haven’t been at ease these past few days. So, I asked my big brother to help persuade Dad not to be angry anymore. Once he calms down, my brother and I will go home and apologize to him.”

Wang Ren had been present for the events of that day, so he naturally understood what had happened. Now, Shen Mo’s words were merely a convenient excuse.

Wang Ren pretended that it was indeed as simple as the Shen brothers asking him to mediate, accepted the items, and left.

Since this matter had been discussed in front of everyone, everyone was aware of it.

As Wang Ren silently followed the others to work, he suddenly said while bending over to pick up bricks, “A ger is quite good too.”

That person paused for a moment before reacting, and after a while, he finally remembered to reply to him.

“It’s not that gers are not good; it’s just that being a ger can’t really compare to being a girl. For one, the body isn’t as delicate as a girl’s, and holding a ger isn’t as soft as girls. Plus, it’s extremely difficult to conceive. Even if by some stroke of luck someone does get pregnant, it’s almost always another ger; it’s hard to have a son! If you don’t believe me, just ask Zhou Jing. If he had the money, would he still marry a ger?”

Wang Ren, known for his gentle demeanor, unexpectedly changed his usual temperament that day and coldly said, “No need to ask; I know the answer. No matter what Zhou Jing becomes, he will always have only Shen Mo as his wife!”

That person was taken aback by Wang Ren’s sharp reply. By the time he processed it and thought of a response, Wang Ren had already moved to the other side to work.

The Shen father and son were so happy that they seemed ready to burst with excitement as they entered the mountains.

Father Shen, feeling particularly proud, said to Shen Cheng, “I’m telling you, as children, we must be filial to our parents no matter what. That’s just the way it is. Don’t take it lightly; look at those two gers. It’s only been a few days, and they couldn’t stand it anymore. When they left, they were throwing tantrums, as if they wanted to sever ties with me completely!”

Shen Cheng was still waiting to coax money from his father, so he immediately acted like a sycophant and said, “Of course, it’s only natural. A father beating his son is just the way it should be; even if it kills him, it’s deserved!”

Father Shen was quite pleased with what Shen Cheng said and pretended to scoff in response.

The two of them didn’t notice that someone had quietly followed them from behind at some point.

As they walked deeper into the mountains, both Shen Cheng and Father Shen were panting from exhaustion. After all, neither of them was used to climbing mountains, as they only climbed up once a year, and they were accustomed to a life of comfort.

Father Shen truly could not go any further. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and began to curse, “Those two unfilial children! They should have been strangled at birth. It’s only because I have a kind heart that I’ve tolerated those two gers! Now that I finally managed to marry them off, all they do is make me angry. They even have to sneak around to pay their respects to me. I’m their father! What’s wrong with giving me a couple of silver coins? Why do they have to hide from Zhou Jing? They are really useless. Both brothers are sharing a man, yet not even one of them can manage him!”

Shen Cheng nodded in agreement, saying, “Exactly! Just wait. Once we see those two gers, I’ll make sure to teach them a good lesson, so they can understand the rules. If they don’t bow their heads and pay their respects to you properly, I will never spare them!

Father Shen, perhaps because he lacked the ability to gain respect throughout his life, particularly needed others to honor him.

Even a three-year-old child would understand this principle, yet he required the other members of the Shen family to act as if he was the only one who grasped it, while everyone else was clueless, making it seem like an extraordinary matter.

This was the only way to satisfy his small, pathetic pride.

Therefore, Father Shen was quite pleased with Shen Cheng’s attitude of glorifying him above all others.

He responded with a casual yet authoritative “hmph,” as if he were more important than the Chancellor himself.

Father Shen’s dismissive snort came from his nose and was too quiet for Shen Cheng to catch it before it was overshadowed by another deep male voice.

“Shen Cheng, are you hoping to make someone bow their head and admit their mistakes? Do you want to be a eunuch for the rest of your life?”

Father Shen and Shen Cheng turned to see that the speaker was none other than Zhou Jing.