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Su Zhi was sitting inside the house, teaching three children and reciting a poem about lotus flowers. Because of the seven Magical White lotuses, Su Zhi had developed a special fondness for lotus flowers. She thought that this year would pass, but next year she must plant lotus flowers in the pond. Then, she would surely enjoy the beautiful scenery of the endless lotus leaves and sunlit lotus flowers. It would be even better to admire the moonlit lotus pond at night with Shen Zi’an.
“The lotus fields stretch beside the lake, faint red flowers dotting in a row. Three or five small boats are rowed, with loud singing while gathering lotus.”
“Wonderful! Truly marvelous!”
Shen Ziju listened to Su Zhi’s gentle and slow voice reciting the short poem and found it extremely pleasing. The poem was well-written, instantly conjuring up a beautiful scene of boating and gathering lotus in his mind. This poem wasn’t in the collection he had copied. He thought, “Fourth Sister-in-law is reciting a new poem again; her talent indeed goes beyond those.” Even if she claimed these poems were taught by others, it was impressive that she could memorize them all. Moreover, her recitation was so vivid, clearly understanding the poem’s essence and not just rote memorization.
Shen Ziju suddenly felt a sense of shared destiny with his fourth sister-in-law. Both of them were born in the countryside but didn’t belong there. They were like the phoenixes described by people, emerging from a pile of grass and destined to return to the heavens!
Shen Zhu was also surprised by Su Zhi’s talent. She thought to herself that her fourth sister-in-law really had a remarkable skill, which challenged her long-held belief that she was the most talented woman in Riverside Village. Only by remembering that Su Zhi was already married and her fourth sister-in-law, with no impact on her, could she remain calm.
“Fourth Sister-in-law, the poem you recited was so beautiful that it made me want to go boating and gather lotus flowers. Unfortunately, with this year’s severe drought, the water has dried up, and it’s hopeless.”
Shen Zhu said with a smile as she lifted the curtain and walked in.
Today, Su Zhi was teaching the children in their room. They were all sitting on the kang, gathered around a small square table. When they heard the voices, all four of them, one adult and three children, looked over. It was a charming and eye-catching scene, with their bright and intelligent faces.
“Fifth Brother and Zhu’er, come in and sit down,” Su Zhi said as she put down the book in her hand. She got off the kang, glad she was wearing shoes. Otherwise, she would have had to put them on in front of them. Although she carried thoughts from her previous life, having been here for almost a year, she understood some of the customs. For example, a woman’s feet shouldn’t be easily seen by men, even if covered by socks, even though this era didn’t have the custom of bound feet. Even in the countryside, it was considered shameful.
Shen Ziju’s eyes briefly fell on Su Zhi’s feet, noticing how small they were. Her green embroidered shoes were like two tiny, delicate boats.
His gaze only lingered for a moment before he looked away, but Shen Zhu noticed it. Her heart skipped a beat, thinking that Fifth Brother had been visiting Fourth Brother’s place quite frequently lately.
After becoming suspicious, Shen Zhu began to observe Shen Ziju more closely. The more she watched, the more alarmed she became. She noticed that although Fifth Brother acted naturally, his glances at Fourth Sister-in-law occasionally carried an unusual look. She recognized that look—it was the gaze a man has when he has feelings for a woman. Her hand clenched tightly. She had originally planned to rebuild a good relationship with Su Zhi, but now she hated her even more.
“That shameless woman! How dare she seduce my brother! If she dares to corrupt him and ruins my chances of being the sister of a high official, I’ll definitely teach her a lesson!” Shen Zhu thought viciously. She didn’t consider it to be Shen Ziju’s fault and blamed everything on Su Zhi. She decided to tell their mother as soon as she got home and have her arrange for Shen Ziju to leave quickly, since he was about to take the exams. It would be better for him to leave early. During this time, it would be best to also settle his marriage, so there would be no further issues.
With these thoughts in her mind, Shen Zhu didn’t let her feelings show on the surface. Instead, she became even more affectionate towards Su Zhi, thinking that every word she said would mean one less word exchanged between her brother and Su Zhi.
Shen Ziju wanted to ask Su Zhi more questions, but Su Zhi politely declined, saying there wasn’t much more to discuss. Previously, she had copied poems and taught him arithmetic because he happened to see it and there was no way to hide it. As for the things he was unsure about, she no longer wanted to discuss them openly.
Shen Ziju and Shen Zhu stayed for less than an hour before returning home.
As soon as Shen Zhu got home, she pulled Shen Zhang Shi aside and told her what she had seen.
Shen Zhang Shi was also shocked by Shen Zhu’s words. She recalled that Shen Ziju had been frequently visiting Fuyuan recently. She hadn’t thought much of it before because Su Zhi was older than Shen Ziju and already married. In her eyes, Shen Ziju wouldn’t be interested in a married woman, especially his sister-in-law. She never expected such an inappropriate situation to arise.
“It’s best to have your younger brother leave first.”
Shen Zhang Shi didn’t blame everything on Su Zhi as Shen Zhu did. She believed that once her son left, he would eventually forget about this matter.
Thus, Shen Ziju was arranged to leave home earlier than planned. The reason given was that he could discuss his studies with other scholars and teachers, making more connections and increasing his chances of passing the exams.
Shen Ziju was naturally willing. He had a few friends from his school days who had invited him to join them in studying for the exams. He hadn’t accepted because he thought the family might not have enough money, and he didn’t want to appear too poor while away.
When Shen Zhang Shi told Shen Youfu about this, he immediately said he would take care of the money.
Shen Youfu’s solution, of course, was to have his sons share the cost, with Shen Zi’an bearing the largest portion since he was the wealthiest.
When Shen Youfu brought this up, Su Zhi immediately asked how much the other brothers were contributing. Although she supported Shen Ziju taking the imperial exams, thinking it would be beneficial for the Shen family to have someone with a title, she wanted the favor to be acknowledged by Shen Ziju alone. She didn’t want Shen Youfu to see them as a bottomless money pit. She was willing to give money, but not without some conditions.
Shen Youfu, angry, said, “You’re such a penny-pincher despite being so wealthy. No matter how poorly others live, your life won’t be affected. But be careful, you might end up with only money and no one to support you!”
“Dad, what are you talking about? My wife has a great reputation in the village. Go ask around; everyone speaks highly of her,” Shen Zi’an retorted, feeling his father’s words were too harsh.
Su Zhi, remaining calm, said, “Father, we’re more than willing to help Ziju, but it’s fair to know everyone’s contribution. It ensures fairness and respect for everyone’s efforts.”
Shen Youfu, seeing his son’s firm stance and Su Zhi’s calm reasoning, reluctantly agreed to discuss the matter more reasonably.
Shen Youfu glared at him and said, “You’re such a wife-protector. You’ve forgotten your father after getting married, useless boy! Men usually handle the money, but in your house, it’s the other way around. Aren’t you afraid people will say you’re living off your wife? You’re nothing like my son should be!”
Shen Zi’an frowned and raised his voice, “Do you think I’m not your son? Otherwise, why do you treat me so poorly while even Shen Zhang Shi, my stepmother, can put on a kind face, yet you always find fault with me?”
“You, you brat!” Shen Youfu shouted.
Shen Youfu’s temper had always been fiery, especially towards his sons. The eldest and second sons were always quiet in front of him, doing whatever he asked, so he had no reason to be angry with them. The third son irritated him, but his sweet talk often quelled his anger quickly. The fifth son was his favorite, the apple of his eye, and he never even raised his voice at him, always greeting him with a smile. Shen Zi’an was the only one left, always wearing a cold expression and looking at him not like a father but more like a stranger. He never sweet-talked and often seemed indifferent. With Shen Zhang Shi occasionally stirring things up, all his pent-up frustration was directed at Shen Zi’an.
Su Zhi, noticing the tension, calmly interjected, “Father, this isn’t about who handles the money. It’s about ensuring that everyone contributes fairly. Zi’an and I are more than willing to help, but we want to do so in a way that respects everyone’s efforts.”
Her calm demeanor seemed to diffuse the situation slightly. Shen Youfu, still angry but seeing the sense in her words, begrudgingly agreed to discuss the matter more reasonably, ensuring that the contributions from all brothers would be clear and fair.
Shen Youfu didn’t think he was wrong; he thought Shen Zi’an was unfilial, which made him angry.
Now that Shen Zi’an has married and established his own household, Shen Youfu still considered him unfilial. Moreover, he didn’t even like his daughter-in-law, Su Zhi. He believed she could have cured her illness earlier, but they delayed it for the sake of dividing the family property, tarnishing the reputation of the Shen family. Seeing such a large estate and the Fuyuan slip out of his control only fueled Shen Youfu’s anger. If it weren’t for Shen Zhang Shi’s constant persuasion, he wouldn’t have been able to contain his temper.
Su Zhi furrowed her brow, thinking that her father-in-law had a really bad temper. It was fortunate that her husband was resilient; otherwise, living under his control would have turned her into a timid rabbit. With his temperament capable of facing down tigers, it seemed like a blessing from heaven. If she weren’t so clear-headed, she might have directed her anger towards Shen Ziju now. Shen Ziju shouldn’t expect to get a single penny more from her now.
“Father, I was just asking how much the eldest brother and the others are contributing. What’s wrong with that? Why do you have to scold me like this? If you keep this up, then I will really start to take offense.”
Su Zhi didn’t give Shen Youfu even a hint of a smile.
Today, Shen Zhang Shi didn’t come along. She didn’t want to get involved in money matters like this, but she was also worried, so she asked Shen Zhu to come with her.
Shen Zhu saw that the situation was becoming critical, so she finally stepped in.
“Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law, you know Father’s temperament well. He hasn’t been well lately, so please bear with him. If you want to know how much the elder brothers are contributing, I’ll tell you. Eldest Brother and Third Brother haven’t divided their shares yet, so their total contribution is fifteen taels. You and Second Brother have already divided your shares separately. Mother and Father don’t want you to struggle, so they’re asking for five taels. Fourth Brother, since you’re doing well, please contribute a bit more. This isn’t Father and Mother’s request, it’s mine. Little Brother has a tough time outside, so as an older brother, please support him more.”
Su Zhi thought Shen Zhu was reasonably articulate. With her words, those who had money couldn’t really argue against contributing more.