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When Shen Zi’an went to invite Huang the physician, he also stopped by Shen Shugen’s house to ask him to fetch Shen Youfu, which explains why the Shen family arrived so promptly.
Shen Youfu looked at his son with a cloth wrapped around his head, still stained with blood, and his face as dark as the bottom of a pot. This son was the apple of his eye. He had pinned all his hopes on him becoming a high-ranking official, bringing honor to the family and allowing him to live out his days as a respected elder. Now, seeing him injured, especially on his face, filled him with shock, anger, and heartache. He glared fiercely at everyone in the room, as if they were all responsible for Shen Ziju’s injury. Eventually, his gaze settled on Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi.
Su Zhi thought she was going to receive a scolding from her father, but to her surprise, the old man shot them both a piercing glance and went to inquire about Shen Ziju’s condition from Huang the physician. Su Zhi couldn’t help but think that her father really doted on her younger brother-in-law. Seeing the fiery glare in his eyes, she imagined he must be burning with anger. Yet, he could still speak so calmly and politely to Huang the physician. Reflecting on how he treated Shen Zi’an, she felt his favoritism was evident.
Huang the physician’s response to Shen Youfu was consistent with what he had just said, namely, that Shen Ziju’s wound might leave a scar.
Upon hearing this, Shen Zhang shi shed even more tears, holding Shen Ziju and sobbing uncontrollably.
Shen Zhu stood beside Shen Zhang shi, comforting her and asking Shen Ziju if he was in pain, her eyes also brimming with tears.
Shen Ziju said he wasn’t in pain and tried to comfort his mother and sister, but their tears only added to his turmoil. Hearing Huang the physician repeat the severity of his injury, his expression darkened.
Seeing Shen Youfu’s stern face, Huang the physician sensed that he might face an argument here. Uninterested in such disputes, he gave some instructions for changing the dressing, instructed them to return for a follow-up in two days, and took his leave. Su Zhi paid the consultation fee and escorted Huang the physician out.
As soon as Huang the physician left, Shen Youfu exploded in anger, pointing at Shen Zi’an and demanding to know what had happened and how Shen Ziju had ended up injured while under his care.
The Zhao family members stood aside, as if hoping that by keeping silent, they could avoid being implicated in the matter. They seemed to rely on Shen Zi’an to shoulder the blame.
Shen Zi’an wasn’t entirely clear about the details of the incident. All he knew was that his younger sister-in-law rushed in and claimed responsibility for injuring his fifth brother. He wasn’t sure how the injury had occurred; he had gone to fetch the physician. Now, facing Shen Youfu’s inquiry and noticing the Zhao family members standing in silence, their eyes either averting his gaze or pleading for him to take the blame, he furrowed his brow.
Seeing Shen Zi’an glance at the Zhao family, Shen Youfu loudly demanded, “Why are you looking at them? Did they hurt Ziju?! Tell me the truth!”
Shen Zhang shi stopped her crying and wiped her tears with a handkerchief. She said to Shen Youfu, “Master, don’t scold Zi’an. Let him explain first. I believe he didn’t do it on purpose.”
Su Zhi finished seeing off the physician and walked in, but the words she heard felt increasingly uncomfortable. She couldn’t help but think that her mother-in-law was exceptionally skilled in speaking. If someone else heard her words, they might think she was a good stepmother. Her biological son was injured at the non-biological son’s house, yet she still spoke up for the latter. What a tolerant attitude she must have! Unfortunately, these words were not in favor of Shen Zi’an. What did it mean to say he didn’t do it on purpose? It sounded as if she was implying that Shen Zi’an was responsible for Shen Ziju’s injury, whether intentionally or not. How could Shen Youfu not be even angrier upon hearing this? He wouldn’t care whether it was intentional or accidental!
Su Zhi couldn’t help but feel even more sorry for Shen Zi’an. Facing Shen Zhang shi, who appeared gentle and beautiful on the surface but was incredibly shrewd inside, no wonder Shen Youfu treated his wife coldly and didn’t favor Shen Zi’an.
Su Zhi’s heart ached more for Shen Zi’an. With a birth father and stepmother like this, she couldn’t help but wonder whether it was better or worse than having a cruel stepmother.
“Mother, of course, my husband didn’t do it on purpose. He had no idea how my fifth brother got injured. As soon as he saw him hurt, he asked me to take care of him and then went to find the physician. He had absolutely nothing to do with this matter from start to finish. If anyone is to blame, it’s because he has a troublemaking sister-in-law.”
As soon as Lianhua heard herself mentioned, she immediately wiped away her tears again.
Zhao Yangshi glared at Su Zhi and said, “Your sister is already so scared, and you still blame her. Are you still acting like an elder sister?”
Su Zhi retorted without any fear, “If not her, then who else can I blame? She’s just idling around. She shouldn’t have been playing in our garden in the first place, let alone throwing stones at the gate for no reason. As a result, the gate quietly opened, and it hit my fifth brother. Speaking of which, my husband and I are also at fault. How come we didn’t lock the gate from the inside? Now everyone knows they can enter the garden without knocking or announcing themselves. Shen Zi’an, it’s our fault. We need to make changes! Let’s hang a sign outside, saying that those who enter without knocking may be hit by the stones inside. We can’t be held accountable!”
Su Zhi was also angered by Shen Zhangshi’s thinly veiled remark just now. If you want me to speak well of your husband, then don’t blame me for saying that your son got hurt because of his own misfortune! As for how Shen Ziju felt after hearing those words, that was not her concern. She only cared about her own husband!
When the Shen family heard Su Zhi’s gentle words, their expressions turned sour. Even Shen Youfu, who had the simplest mind, understood. Su Zhi was essentially saying that it served Shen Ziju right for entering without knocking and getting hit by a stone!
At this moment, Shen Zhangshi didn’t know what to say. She had always maintained the image of a kind and gentle stepmother. Even if she was angry now, she couldn’t show it. Otherwise, wouldn’t all her previous efforts be in vain? Now that Shen Zi’an’s family had money and has a much higher status, she couldn’t afford to fall out with him for the sake of her own children. She knew she wasn’t their biological mother. A biological mother might scold her son, but afterwards, they would still be a family. But once a stepmother tore her face, it was hard to mend. So, she could only endure. The best reaction at this time was to cry.
“Fourth sister-in-law, how could you say such things? Are you implying that my fifth brother’s injury was deserved? Is that it? Are you suggesting that because my fifth brother entered without knocking, he deserved what happened to him? Are you still acting like a sister-in-law? Fourth brother! Can’t you control your wife? If this continues, her family might just come and kill all of us!”
Shen Zhu was also incensed by Su Zhi’s words. Seeing her mother crying again, she immediately glared at Su Zhi.
Su Zhi now realized that Shen Zhu inherited seven parts of Shen Zhangshi’s intelligence, but also inherited three parts of Shen Youfu’s impulsiveness. She needed to learn a thing or two from her Mother Shen Zhang shi, otherwise, in the future, she would surely suffer not from her intelligence but from her impulsiveness!
Shen Zi’an had long known that his wife was clever and eloquent. She always had a way of silencing people with her gentle words, but usually without any anger. However, today he sensed that his wife seemed upset. He didn’t believe she was trying to support her family by being like this. Though he couldn’t quite understand why she was angry, he didn’t want to see her upset. Hearing his wife’s words just now, he understood how his younger brother had been injured. While Lianhua was at fault, it wasn’t intentional. Although her words were a bit sharp, she wasn’t entirely wrong.
“Zhu’er, your sister-in-law didn’t say it like that. Why are you twisting her words? Just now, your sister-in-law also mentioned that it was her sister Lianhua who threw the stone at the door, not expecting it to suddenly open and hit our little brother. It wasn’t intentional. Don’t make your in-laws sound like enemies. If you keep talking like this, you might as well leave.”
Shen Zi’an was somewhat displeased with Shen Zhu’s misinterpretation of Su Zhi’s words. Although he had reached an age where he no longer sought his father’s approval and care, seeing Shen Youfu glaring at his wife and himself because of Shen Zhu’s words was still unacceptable to him. And it was all caused by Shen Zhu.
Shen Zhu pouted and looked at Shen Zi’an with a sense of grievance. She didn’t want to leave; doing so would make it difficult for her to come back next time. In fact, she regretted saying those words earlier, not because she thought she had wrongly accused Su Zhi, but because she felt it wasn’t worth offending Su Zhi over this matter.
Shen Zhang shi wiped her tears again and said to Su Zhi, “Daughter-in-law, Zhu’er is young and straightforward. Don’t blame her. She’s just worried about Ziju.”
Su Zhi thought, ‘Is that supposed to mean your daughter speaks the truth because of her straightforwardness?’ But she didn’t want to dwell on it. She simply said, “Mother, I don’t blame my sister. I’m straightforward too. So you shouldn’t blame me either.”
Shen Youfu angrily said, “Blame you? Who else can we blame? Look at what your sister did. A young girl, throwing stones for no reason, and look what it did to Ziju. Just now, the physician said it will leave a scar! He’s going to be an official in the future. How can you let him have a big scar on his face? Moreover, it’s right on his eyebrow. That’s disfiguring! The fortune teller said he has the potential for officialdom, but if his face is disfigured, it will affect his future. Who among you can afford to compensate for that?”
After hearing Su Zhi’s words earlier, Zhang shi understood that Lianhua accidentally injured Shen Ziju because he didn’t knock on the door himself. So, Lianhua wasn’t really at fault. Now, hearing Shen Youfu exaggerate the matter and talk about compensation, she straightened up behind Zhao Yuanbao and spoke up.
“Uncle Shen, this matter isn’t Lianhua’s fault anyway. It’s your son’s fault for not knocking on the door himself.”
Zhang shi wasn’t necessarily siding with Lianhua; rather, she was thinking that the money from the Zhao family was also hers, and she couldn’t let it be compensated to Lianhua. That’s why she spoke up.
Zhao Yuanbao also chimed in, saying, “That’s right, that’s right.”
Zhao Yangshi also realized the situation and said, “Indeed, it’s your son’s fault. He’s a scholar, yet he doesn’t even know to announce himself when entering someone else’s gate. If he had, would our Lianhua have thrown stones at the gate again? And also, if you want to blame someone, blame your fourth son. Why didn’t they close the door? If compensation is needed, go find him. After all, you’re all one family. He’s the one with money. Why should you make things difficult for our family?”
In the end, Zhao Yangshi also tried to involve her daughter and son-in-law to shield her family from trouble. Plus, she wanted to confirm if her daughter and son-in-law really were out of money!