As Lin Yue followed Shen Huaizhi out, he felt uneasy, glancing back almost with every step. The old man was still puffing and panting, muttering curses under his breath. Grandma Shen occasionally chimed in, sitting steadily by her tea.

He hoped the old man wouldn’t start cursing at Grandma Shen after they left. She was such a kind soul—it was a shame she had to put up with him.

It wasn’t until they returned to the Shen residence that Lin Yue belatedly realized he’d probably caused trouble. His reputation… was ruined.

As they entered the kitchen, Lin Yue was furtively gauging the expressions of Shen Huizhi’s parents when Shen Huaizhi handed him a cup of tea. “Take a sip to moisten your throat,” he said earnestly. “You must be exhausted after speaking so much earlier.”

Lin Yue: I really am a country bumpkin. Is he mocking me? Or could he possibly be stunned by his own eloquent scolding?

Seeing Lin Yue hesitate, Shen Huaizhi grew puzzled. “Don’t you want hot tea? I’ll get you a glass of cool water instead.”

Lin Yue pressed his hand down firmly, a faint weariness in his voice. “No need. This is fine. I’ll drink this.”

Lin Yue blew on the steaming cup, downed it in one gulp, then set it down carefully. Sitting upright at the table, he declared, “Father, Mother, I acted impulsively today. I shouldn’t have argued with Grandfather. You may scold me.”

Across the table, Song Xunchun and Shen Zhengchu exchanged glances, seeing identical confusion in each other’s eyes. Are we the kind of unreasonable people? Even if we were, Lin Yue was just standing up for us.

Song Xunchun looked at Lin Yue with sincere earnestness. “Brother Yue, why would we scold you? You’ve defended our family so fiercely—we should be thanking you.”

Shen Zhengchu nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Exactly.”

Lin Yue: Something feels off here. While I genuinely don’t think I did anything wrong, I shouldn’t be praised for it either. This family really is peculiar.

Shen Huaizhi explained on behalf of his parents, “Even my father, his own son, has argued with him. Lingzhi and I have snapped back when we couldn’t hold back. Technically, he’s your grandfather, but since you’ve never lived with him, he might as well be a stranger. He started yelling at you, and you only argued back. So it’s not your fault.”

Lin Yue said nothing, but his peripheral vision kept drifting toward Song Xunchun. It seemed like she wasn’t included in this conversation. Curious.

It must be said, Lin Yue had developed a peculiar rapport with the Shen family just two days after arriving. When Song Xunchun caught his gaze, she spoke up, “I’m not good with words, not much of an arguer myself. It’s always been them—father and sons—who’ve helped me out.”

Lin Yue immediately pledged, “Then I’ll help you from now on!”

Song Xunchun’s face lit up with laughter. “Haha, then we’ll be counting on Brother Yue from now on! I’ll go cook something to treat you first.”

Lin Yue: My mouth just slipped again…

Shen Zhengchu chuckled along, though his thoughts ran deeper. He offered reassurance: “Brother Yue, he won’t go around spreading rumors to tarnish your reputation. You can rest easy.”

Lin Yue hesitated, then asked, “Really? Grandfather doesn’t seem like someone who’d spare us.”

Shen Zhengchu remained composed. “No one would believe a newlywed husband would dare talk back to his grandfather. They’d just assume he dislikes me and is deliberately causing trouble to ruin your reputation.”

Perhaps worried his words lacked persuasion, he added, “Take Huaizhi, for instance. He rarely ever gets into conflicts outside. When his grandfather tells villagers he’s disobedient and talks back, outsiders just assume his grandfather is biased toward Wenzhi and making things up.”

“Your grandmother will help too. She’s far more well-liked than your grandfather.”

Lin Yue: Blame him for being so unconventional—arguing with youngsters the moment he walked in.

He seemed comforted, but couldn’t muster a smile.

Shen Zhengchu, satisfied he’d consoled Lin Yue, saw it was still early before dinner and headed out to tend to his chores.

Shen Lingzhi had always liked Lin Yue, but now he was practically idolizing him. He’d been itching to rush over and ask Lin Yue to teach him how to curse—no, how to speak effectively—but they kept talking without finding the right moment. Finally, when they finished, his brother dragged Lin Yue out, furious.

Shen Huaizhi hadn’t meant to be rude; he genuinely had urgent business.

Lin Yue: “Is there something you need?”

The two entered the main hall one after the other. Shen Huaizhi retrieved the prepared items from the cupboard and asked, “These are the return gifts I prepared earlier: tea leaves, brown sugar, rice wine, plus a chicken—I’ll catch one tomorrow morning before we leave, or get some meat from town this afternoon. I’ll also buy some pastries. Whatever you prefer.”

Lin Yue looked at the items on the table. They were all from well-known shops in town, and the quantity was generous. He couldn’t help but feel touched. So far, Shen Huaizhi had been genuinely kind to him. He really was a good person.

“This is more than enough. No need to add anything else. Thank you.”

Shen Huaizhi returned the items to their places and looked at Lin Yue softly. “We’ll start with this. If I remember anything else we need later, I can still run to town and get it.”

Lin Yue’s eyes sparkled with warmth as he gave a firm nod.

After settling the essentials, Shen Huaizhi led Lin Yue on a tour of the main hall, explaining the placement of items in each area to prevent future inconvenience. Only then did they head to the kitchen.

Uncomfortable just watching, Lin Yue followed Song Xunchun to assist. “Mother, what are we doing this afternoon?”

Song Xunchun spoke slowly, “Rest at home today. It’s the busy farming season now. Huaizhi’s private school has a two-month break, but it ends in four or five days. You two should spend more time together while you have these days free. Once the field work picks up, you won’t have the chance.”

Mentioning this perked Song Xunchun up. She offered Lin Yue some suggestions: ” You could take a stroll around the village. Just past that bend in the road lies a pond surrounded by lovely flowers and plants—quite scenic. Or head into town. The furniture in your house was ordered by Huaizhi, but I suspect it’s incomplete. If anything’s missing, you could go shopping today. With Huaizhi along, you can buy extra pieces for him to carry—no need for you to tire yourself out.”

Lin Yue felt tempted, but ultimately decided against it. Going out sounded nice, but the idea of being with Shen Huaizhi dampened his enthusiasm. Their relationship was still awkwardly half-formed—he had to mentally rehearse every word before speaking, and outings felt forced. Better to postpone it.

“Mother, nothing’s missing. We won’t go today. We’ll go another time.”

Song Xunchun didn’t think much of it and nodded. “Very well. By the end of May, the lotus flowers will bloom in the pond. They’ll be even prettier than they are now.”

“Then I’ll make time to see them at the end of May. Thank you, Mother.” Lin Yue actually quite liked lotus flowers—pink-tinged white petals with a delicate fragrance that soothed the soul. He also adored lotus leaves: lotus-leaf rice, lotus-leaf tea, lotus-leaf steamed chicken… Just thinking about them made his mouth water.

After lunch, Lin Yue strolled alone in the courtyard while Shen Huaizhi returned to his study. Seated at his desk, he laid out his scrolls and began grinding ink.

Opposite the desk was a hinged window. When opened during the day, it not only flooded the room with light but also made it feel more spacious and airy—perfect for Shen Huaizhi’s studies.

Lin Yue tiptoed softly, slipping silently to the window. Leaning against the wall, he watched Shen Huaizhi write.

Lin Yue couldn’t make out the characters, but Shen Huaizhi seemed to radiate an aura of focus as he wrote. Completely absorbed, his eyes fixed only on the scroll before him, he paid no heed to the clamor outside the window.

Unconsciously, Lin Yue found himself mesmerized. He thought to himself: Shen Huaizhi is so dedicated, he’ll surely pass the Xiucai exam. Truly impressive.

“What are you doing out there? If you’re not bored, you can come in and sit.”

Lin Yue hadn’t expected Shen Huaizhi to speak suddenly. Startled, he took a step back, his heart pounding wildly. He pressed his right hand to his chest and murmured in complaint, “Why did you speak so suddenly? You scared me!”

Shen Huaizhi had deliberately lowered his voice when speaking, afraid of startling Lin Yue, yet he still managed to frighten him. “My apologies, it was my fault. I’ll speak even more softly next time.”

Shen Huaizhi’s earnest apology instantly made Lin Yue feel embarrassed, as if he’d been acting unreasonably. “Never mind, it’s not your fault. I just wasn’t paying attention.”

“So, are you coming in?”

Lin Yue hesitated. “Am I interrupting your reading?”

Shen Huaizhi lowered his gaze to look at Lin Yue, his expression softening as he smiled lightly. “Not at all. I’d be delighted if you’d keep me company.”

Lin Yue suddenly felt his face flush. “Then I’ll come in now.”

He took only a few steps, moving slowly. The moment he crossed the threshold, regret washed over him.

His feet halted. Just as Lin Yue started to retreat, Shen Huaizhi called out to him.

“There’s a chair over here. Just come straight over.”

Lin Yue: … “Okay.”