Chapter 13: Dark Tides and Auspicious Omens

  Shen Han caught Shen Zian's worried expression and also secretly thought about the situation of fainting, whether he had any impression in his modern knowledge. He would ask him for details when he had time, if he could help, that would be great. However, it wasn't something that could be solved in a short period of time. For now, it seemed that the harmonious scene at the beginning was just on the surface, and who knows what undercurrents were surging inside?

  Seeing that the people at home seemed to have worsened, Shen Han also saw some awkward expressions on Li's face. She immediately changed her mind and pulled Li's hand forward, saying: "Mother-in-law, I suddenly remembered that there are still some things in my room. Anyway, they can't be used here, so you accompany me to clean up and bring them back, okay?"

  Li knew she was trying to avoid an outsider hearing their family affairs, so she nodded. Shen Huan then looked at Fang Shi again and asked to confirm her guess: "Mother, is my room still available?"

  "Of course I'll leave it for you. You insisted on taking the middle room in the first place, saying you wanted to live between your older and younger brothers."

  "Alright, I'll go with grandma to pick up some necessities first, and then join you and dad for dinner later."

  Mr. Fang understood that his daughter was kind-hearted, and besides, the sons wouldn't make a fuss about it, so he nodded in agreement. Shen Huan didn't say anything else and turned around to say to Shen Shiye: "Dad, I'll go first."

  "Go ahead, don't be late, come over for dinner early."

  Shen Huan supported his mother-in-law, Li Shi, as they walked out of the main hall. Hu Xiao Yan became even more reckless and thought to herself that since there were no outsiders around, she didn't have to worry about speaking her mind clearly. Before Shen Huan and Li Shi's figures disappeared from view, she continued, "Although Master is not familiar with the affairs of the shop right now, he's not really stupid and can learn. Moreover, my younger brother's body is indeed..."

  "Actually... I'll be fine if I'm more careful in the future. Let Da Gui and the others handle patients with external injuries..."

  When Shen Zian saw his sister-in-law standing up and saying this, he was somewhat displeased in his heart, but after all, she was his elder brother's wife. He could slightly express his dissatisfaction to her, and no matter how sharp her words were, as the younger brother-in-law, he couldn't make the conversation too awkward. Moreover, what she said wasn't entirely unreasonable, so Shen Zian inevitably felt a bit lacking in confidence.

  Seeing the satisfactory result, Hu Xiaoyan couldn't help but smile with a few points of pride. Looking at Shen Zian, she continued: "Little brother, what you said is not right. If you sit in the shop, can you guarantee that all patients will tell you in advance that they are injured? This still doesn't work. Besides, when it comes to family matters, it's always been the eldest who takes care of the younger siblings. Your older brother may not have your talent for medicine, but he can still learn, right?"

  Hu Xiaoyan threw a sentence at Shen Yifeng, hoping her man could give her some face. She had already stood up and spoken so clearly that she didn't believe her in-laws couldn't hear it, nor did she believe her younger brother-in-law couldn't understand the meaning behind her words. Now all she needed was for her man to stand up and take responsibility, or else how could he inherit the Shen family's business?

  As soon as these words were spoken, Shen Shi Yi's face still had that resentful look, but it was slightly more relaxed than before, and he seemed to be looking at his eldest son with some expectation, waiting for him to make a statement.

  "I..."

  "Dad, mom... actually, the husband is also very concerned about the shop, but he's afraid that dad will think he's not as smart as his younger brother, and compared to him, he'll be even more embarrassed. He's also afraid of making dad unhappy. As long as dad doesn't mind his clumsiness, the husband is definitely willing to go to the shop to help."

  Silently watching Hu Xiaoyan sing this play, Fang Shi couldn't help but admire her ability to talk nonsense with her eyes open.

  The eldest obviously showed a reluctant attitude and didn't want to answer the question anymore, but she still insisted on saying it. The younger brother mentioned in her words was not the little uncle, although there's nothing wrong with that, but hearing it just feels like she's emphasizing who is the elder son and who is more suitable to inherit the family business.

  "Yi Feng, you yourself said, are you willing or not to go help with the paving? You're all your father's sons, and flesh is flesh, no matter which side it's on. Your father will absolutely not favor one over another, as long as you're willing, he'll teach you."

  Shen Shi Yi's icy expression finally thawed, and he looked at Shen Yi Feng with a serious and expectant gaze. Hu Xiao Yan saw this and was overjoyed, also eagerly looking at her husband while praying that he would live up to her expectations and not waste her efforts.

  "Actually... Zi An's natural talent is higher than mine, if he overcomes his problem with dizziness due to blood..."

  Full of expectation, but still Shen Wing-feng's hesitation, Shen Shi-yi's fire that had just gone down came up again, and in the conversation, there was still a few points of anger: "In short, you don't want to go to the shop head, your younger brother is more talented than you, learning things is also faster than you, but he has been unable to overcome this fainting disease for so many years. I still hope you can fight for some face, and in the future, this shop can be handed over to you. You... what else do you know besides growing flowers and grass?"

  "Alright, alright, if there's something on your mind, just say it. Wing-feng didn't refuse to help out at the shop, what's the hurry?"

  Mrs. Fang could no longer hold back her temper, she had been smiling and inviting Mrs. Li to drink tea and eat all along, but it was a bit embarrassing that she couldn't be too rude in front of her relatives, and now her daughter-in-law was making trouble again, these three men were not only not giving themselves peace of mind, but also jumping out to make more trouble.

  He caught a glimpse of Hu Xiaoyan's face, which seemed to be somewhat anxious, and was afraid that she would say something inappropriate again to annoy her man, so he immediately spoke up: "Xiaoyan, you came over so quickly, the dishes are all ready?"

  Suddenly hearing her mother-in-law's slightly reproachful words, Hu Xiaoyan, although still dissatisfied, suppressed the urge in her heart. Others may not know, but she was very clear that in this household, her father-in-law held power outside, while her mother-in-law held power and controlled the purse strings inside. She spoke softly, "I took the chicken to the kitchen and gave it to Liu Po, instructing her before I came over. It should be about done by now."

  "Why don't you go take a look at the kitchen?"

  "I..."

  "Haven't you left yet? Do I have to go myself?"

  Hu Xiaoyan was visibly stunned by Fang's words, and after a moment of stunned silence, she didn't dare say anything more, biting her lower lip in dissatisfaction as she turned to leave.

  Mrs. Fang was really getting angry this time, usually no matter what happened, she would handle it with a positive attitude of harmony and prosperity at home. So when Hu Xiaoyan made trouble before, Mrs. Fang hoped to resolve the issue amicably for her son's sake, as he was an honest and respectful person who respected his wife. Now that Hu Xiaoyan wouldn't let up, Mrs. Fang was truly getting angry, wondering what she had in mind, but knowing that if she continued to indulge her, things would get out of hand.

  Miss Fang's heart was filled with worries that she could only suppress by herself. Seeing Hu Xiaoyan had already left, she finally felt a bit relieved and looked at Shen Shiye who still had an angry face and said: "Still keeping a straight face? Dinner is about to be served soon, do you really want to make our relatives laugh?"

  "When can you guys finally let me have a peace of mind?"

  Upon hearing this, Mrs. Fang sighed and rubbed her temples, half-jokingly, half-seriously: "Oh dear... having many children can be lively and fun, but sometimes it's also quite annoying..."

  "Mom, you're actually annoyed with me... I'm so obedient and hurt for your sake, but you still find me annoying. It's more painful than fainting at the sight of blood..."

  Shen Zian immediately stepped forward, taking advantage of his young age to coax his mother and using his spoiled skills. He was also seeing Fang Shi get so angry for the first time, and he was very annoyed with Eldest Brother. How could he have the ability to provoke Mother, such a gentle person, into anger? On the other hand, he also had some resentment towards Eldest Brother. If he had agreed to go help at the shop, nothing would have happened!

  "Alright alright, if you fainted a few less times I wouldn't be so annoyed."

  Mr. Fang's careless remark, however, dimmed Shen Zian's bright eyes for a moment, but he didn't want to show his unhappiness, so he immediately covered his stomach and said, "Let's go eat, I'm sure Auntie and Second Sister are also tired and hungry from the journey."

  "Are you hungry yourself?"

  "No choice, who let the elder sister's roast chicken be uniquely delicious? Can't help it, saliva is about to flow out, let's hurry up and go eat!"

  Shen Zian's words made Fangshi feel at ease, and he was able to smile and praise his sister-in-law's cooking without any reservations. This proved that he didn't have any misunderstandings in his heart due to Hu Xiaoyan's actions earlier. For the Shen family's elderly couple, the most worry-free child among their several children turned out to be this youngest son.

  Since Shen Shi Yi scolded him, Shen Yi Feng had been quietly sitting there from head to toe, without saying a word. Shen Zi An was worried that his previous actions might have made his brother feel embarrassed, so he walked in front of Shen Yi Feng, patted his shoulder and said: "Let's go, it's time for dinner."

  The moment Shen Huan pushed open the door to her room, she truly felt the longing of her family for her. The house had been empty for three months, but the furniture in the room was spotless, clearly showing that someone came to clean every day.

  "Grandma, you sit down first and I'll go find some clothes."

  Actually, Shen Huan wasn't looking for clothes at all. She knew the decorations in this room at a glance, and even if she could find clothes, she absolutely couldn't wear them. Just look at the bedspread and screen, they were all brightly colored, really not her style.

  "Don't pretend anymore, I know you're just making excuses to leave because you don't want to be embarrassed."

  "Even so, I still want to find the jewelry left over from before. Although the things I wore when I was a girl are not suitable for wearing now, they should be worth some money, right?"

  Li's eyes sparkled, and Shen Huan didn't hide his intentions at all. Firstly, he knew that Li also hoped to get some money from her natal family to help with the emergency, and secondly, he indeed wanted to take a look around to see if there was anything that could be sold, and incidentally, to gather some information about this household.

  "including children..."

  "Mother-in-law, you don't have to say anything, I understand. If you're worried about my younger uncle, you can go back first and I'll find a way to get the money from my natal family and then come home. However... there's something else I'd like to discuss with you."

  "What's wrong?"

  "Just now my mother told me she hopes..."

  Just as Shen Huan had said this, she heard a knock at the door, and then she heard Shen Yi Feng's voice: "Little sister, dinner is ready, mother asked me to come and invite auntie to eat."