A flicker of understanding crossed Lin Yue’s eyes. The family’s relationships seemed genuinely strained—the grandparents and the eldest uncle’s household. Yet when the Shen family spoke, only the grandmother was mentioned. What was going on here?

Before breakfast, Lin Yue suddenly remembered something and asked, “Mother, do we eat first and then present the tea?”

Song Xunchun and Shen Zhengchu exchanged glances—clearly, both had forgotten about the tea-offering ritual.

But would they admit it? Of course not. They were the elders; they needed to maintain at least a semblance of authority. Song Xunchun flashed a practiced smile. “Our family isn’t so formal. Let’s do it now. After the tea offering, we can eat. Huaizhi, go pour the tea.”

Shen Huaizhi, who had just washed his hands and entered the courtyard, was promptly put to work by his mother. He went to the stove without protest and poured the tea. The water had just come to a boil, so Shen Huaizhi only filled the cup halfway, careful not to scald Lin Yue.

Lin Yue rose and took the cup from Shen Huaizhi, then bowed to present it to Song Xunchun. “Mother, please have some tea.”

Lin Yue paused after calling her “Mother,” for Song Xunchun had already accepted the cup.

“Good, good, good. From now on, we’re family.” Song Xunchun pulled a red paper packet from her bosom and handed it over. This was the name-changing gift.

Of course, this was also what Song Xunchun had casually ordered Shen Zhengchu to fetch while she was commanding Shen Huaizhi to pour tea.

They had remembered this yesterday and deliberately placed it by the bedside. But this morning, with one heading to the fields and the other preparing breakfast, they both forgot to bring the red envelope.

Lin Yue naturally noticed, but he tactfully pretended not to see. After offering tea to Song Xunchun, he took another cup from Shen Huaizhi’s hand. “Father, please have some tea.”

Shen Zhengchu was usually quite talkative, but he felt a bit nervous around Lin Yue. Not knowing what kind of temperament his son-in-law possessed, he spoke much less. “You two young ones just live happily together. Seeing that makes me and your mother content. Everything else is trivial.”

Lin Yue smiled with an innocent look, his almond-shaped eyes making him appear especially pure.

Across the table, Shen Zhengchu and Song Xunchun both looked concerned. It seemed they’d need to keep a closer eye on him later, lest he overhear anything unpleasant and get upset.

This first shared meal saw all five individuals stiff with formality, eating with far more restraint than usual. Thankfully, they managed to finish without incident.

Song Xunchun rose first to clear the tableware, raising a hand to stop Lin Yue, who wanted to help. “Have Huaizhi show you around our home and your rooms. If you need anything added, just tell your mother.”

Lin Yue hesitated, but eventually followed Shen Huaizhi out obediently.

Back inside, Shen Huaizhi opened a drawer in the dressing table and pulled out a pouch, handing it to Lin Yue. “These are my savings. Keep them safe.”

Lin Yue accepted it and casually opened it to peek inside. The first thing he saw was several copper coins. Before he could look further, Shen Huaizhi spoke with a blush: “It’s only a little over three taels of silver. Everything I earned the past two years was kept by Mother. I only kept what I needed for daily supplies like ink and paper. She offered to give it to me before the wedding, but since she paid for all the wedding preparations, I couldn’t bring myself to accept it.”

Shen Huaizhi knew this meager sum was hardly impressive, his voice already lacking confidence. Seeing Lin Yue’s silence, he grew even more anxious. “Rest assured, I earn a little extra copying books and writing letters. From now on, I’ll give all my earnings to you to keep. I…”

Seeing his words grow increasingly frantic, Lin Yue quickly interjected, “I don’t think it’s too little, and I believe you can earn more. Really.”

Shen Huaizhi felt even more ashamed. He mentally calculated ways to earn more money so Lin Yue wouldn’t constantly worry about finances, but he made no further promises. He knew from the age of ten that empty assurances were meaningless.

Lin Yue carefully tucked away the pouch Shen Huaizhi had given him, then pulled out the one he’d embroidered himself. “I’ve been meaning to give you a return gift ever since I received yours, but the timing never worked out until now. This pouch is something I embroidered myself—I hope you won’t think it’s too simple.”

Shen Huaizhi was somewhat flattered and surprised. He accepted the pouch and tucked it into his robe. “I’ll keep it safe. I don’t despise it—I’m quite pleased with it.”

Lin Yue noticed Shen Huaizhi hadn’t even examined it closely, making him doubt the sincerity of his praise. Still, he didn’t want to reveal his shortcomings just yet—it was best if Shen Huaizhi never spotted the poorly stitched parts.

Lin Yue and Shen Huaizhi didn’t linger long inside. After briefly introducing the room’s furnishings and tidying the wedding gifts piled on the floor, they stepped outside.

The courtyard was empty. Lin Yue followed Shen Huaizhi around outside once more, carefully examining the place where he would soon live.

The three main rooms mirrored those of his own home, their roofs a blend of tiles and thatch. The central room served as the main hall. The room adjacent to the kitchen housed Shen Huaizhi’s parents. The other side was divided into two rooms, once occupied by Shen Huaizhi and Shen Lingzhi. Later, a new room was built opposite the kitchen. Its windows were deliberately made large for ample light, serving as a storage space for grain and miscellaneous items, as well as Shen Huaizhi’s study area for reading and writing. After Shen Huaizhi’s betrothal and subsequent move-in, the stored items were relocated to his former rooms.

Behind the kitchen lay the village’s main road. A small path stretched out in front of the courtyard, leading to a rice field across the way. The portion of the field closest to the Shen residence belonged to them, offering great convenience.

Behind Lin Yue and Shen Huaizhi’s bedroom lay the Shen family’s vegetable garden. Adjacent to the garden were the pigsty and the area for raising chickens and ducks. Further out, a small river flowed by. Stone steps led down to a large, flat, elongated rock below, making this one of the village’s favorite spots for washing clothes.

Lin Yue was quite satisfied after inspecting it. Though the courtyard wasn’t as spacious as his own, it offered relative convenience.

In the kitchen, Song Xunchun saw that they had finished looking around and raised her hand to signal them. “Finished looking? We should be heading out soon. If we linger much longer, it’ll be almost lunchtime.”

Lin Yue intended to wait for Shen Huaizhi to respond, but Shen Huaizhi kept staring at him without speaking. Lin Yue had no choice but to answer himself, “Mother, we’re done looking. We’ll come now.”

Several items lay on the kitchen table, likely meant to be taken to visit the Shen family matriarch later. Lin Yue glanced at them briefly before moving to stand beside Shen Lingzhi. The latter’s discreet beckoning earlier had been too conspicuous to ignore, and besides, Lin Yue felt more at ease staying close to Shen Lingzhi.

Song Xunchun, oblivious to their subtle exchanges, instructed Lin Yue, “Just follow Lingzhi and us later. Don’t mind what they say. Grandma Huai is a kind soul—she’ll definitely like you. No need to worry.”

Lin Yue nodded obediently. “Mother, I understand. Don’t worry.”

It was getting late, so the group locked the courtyard gate and headed out.

Shen Lingzhi deliberately held Lin Yue back, trailing behind the others. He leaned close and whispered, “Brother, let me tell you—my grandfather is a real jerk. You don’t have to pay him any mind later.”

Lin Yue followed up on the topic: “What did he do? Isn’t ignoring him a bit rude?”

Shen Lingzhi shook his head repeatedly and began recounting an old story to Lin Yue.

Back when they hadn’t yet split off into separate households, the entire family lived together. Times were hard, and things only started to improve slightly when his older brother, Shen Huaizhi, was seven or eight. At that time, he himself was not yet three years old, too young to remember anything. It was his mother who later told him the story.

Back then, his parents planned to send his older brother to school once he turned ten. His grandfather readily agreed. But when his brother reached ten, Grandfather declared his cousin—who was a year older—should go first, making his brother wait another year.

His parents protested. They shouldered most of the household chores and took on extra farm work during the off-season, yet his eldest uncle had never attended school. Moreover, no one had ever mentioned that his cousin would also study. A fierce argument erupted between his parents and grandfather, but ultimately, they couldn’t afford it. Every penny they earned went to his grandfather, leaving them with barely enough to survive.

After that, his parents refused to hand over any more money. His grandfather grew increasingly displeased with him and his brother, and beatings and scoldings became commonplace.

Shen Lingzhi’s voice still carried anger as he spoke. “He was awful. When my parents were working in town and not home, he’d send my brother and me out to work the fields. They’d eat dinner before we even got back, then scold us for being lazy. It was only Grandma who secretly warmed up food for us.”

“And he was terribly biased. I overheard him say many times that my eldest uncle was the pillar of the family, and my cousin, as the eldest grandson, was destined to study and bring honor to our name. But he said my brother clearly didn’t have the look of a scholar—sending him would just be a waste of money.”

Lin Yue was quite surprised. “Why? Your brother is already a Tongsheng. He must be quite talented at studies.“

Shen Lingzhi pursed her lips. ”Grandfather said my cousin was fairer and more delicate than my brother since childhood. He looked like a scholar, unlike my brother, who was tall and sturdy at just ten, almost half a grown man. He was perfect for staying home to work.”

Lin Yue looked utterly bewildered. How could you tell who was studious before even starting school? His grandfather shouldn’t be farming—he should be reading fortunes.

Shen Lingzhi continued, “Another year passed. My parents saved up enough for my brother’s tuition. Both he and I thought he’d finally get to study, but in the end, he didn’t go.”

His voice rose slightly as he continued, “Do you know why? Because my grandfather thought the private school in the neighboring village wasn’t good enough. He wanted to send my cousin to the town’s private school. But since my parents hadn’t handed over the money they’d earned, and he didn’t want to use his own savings, he insisted my parents hand over their savings or else he’d report them to Lizheng for being unfilial. He even threatened to sell me as a child bride to raise money. I was only six years old then.”

Six-year-old Shen Lingzhi was old enough to remember. He recalled his grandmother crying and pleading, cursing his grandfather for not only mistreating her ger but also her son and grandson, too. She nearly had her skull split open by his grandfather’s cane, which ultimately struck his father instead.

Lin Yue was stunned into silence. He’d never encountered such blatant favoritism. “A ger? You have a younger uncle?”

Shen Lingzhi’s anger deepened, yet his voice carried sorrow. “Yes, I have a younger uncle named Shen Yunchu. He was a wonderful person. But when I was five, my grandfather married him off to a cripple for twelve taels of silver. The dowry was pitifully meager. My grandmother couldn’t stop it and fell gravely ill, nearly dying. My eldest uncle, who always obeyed my grandfather’s every command, not only failed to intervene but also berated my younger uncle for being ungrateful.”

“Back then, my brother went with our parents to plead with the Shen family elders. Most refused to intervene—my uncle was just a boy, and Grandfather had already accepted the betrothal gift. Only my great-uncle came to see us, but it was useless. My uncle was married off and never returned. My parents felt so guilty they dared not seek him out.”

That year alone brought three blows: first, Shen Huaizhi was held back a year from schooling; then Shen Yunchu was hastily married off; finally, they reneged on Shen Huaizhi’s education. The guilt toward his younger brother and son nearly crushed Shen Zhengchu.

Shen Lingzhi’s voice suddenly softened. He stole a glance at his father before continuing, “That year, I saw my father cry several times. Finally, unable to bear it, he discussed splitting the household with my mother. But my grandfather refused. It wasn’t until my father made a big scene that Grandfather, ashamed of the embarrassment we’d caused him, agreed to the split only after demanding my parents hand over every last coin.”

“This time, the clan elders and village Lizheng came. Under their witness, Grandfather reluctantly gave us a few acres of poor land and a dilapidated old house before severing ties completely. If not for Grandmother, we might have cut all contact by now. So you needn’t mind him, Brother. He’ll likely curse us again later.”

Lin Yue’s footsteps grew heavy. “I understand. I’ll accompany you then.”

Lin Yue actually wanted to ask if he could retaliate if he couldn’t hold back, but cursing elders on his second day of marriage sounded utterly inappropriate. He couldn’t bring himself to ask.