Shen Shi’s eyes were red-rimmed, and her hair was somewhat disheveled from the earlier struggle. Seeing Luoshen’s concerned gaze upon her, she couldn’t help but look ashamed, saying in a low voice: “Having such an incident happen today has made you witness a disgraceful scene, young mistress.”
A’Ting had already been awakened by the commotion outside the carriage and said indignantly: “Second sister-in-law, that person was so terrible, treating you like that! It makes me so angry! Fortunately my sister-in-law was here!”
Shen Shi’s face showed even greater shame, with tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.
Luoshen handed her a clean white handkerchief. Shen Shi quietly thanked her, took it, wiped the corners of her eyes, smoothed her hair, and after composing herself, explained the whole situation.
Shen Shi’s natal family was in Shangyang County, not far from Jingkou. Before moving south, the Shen family and Jiangtao’s ancestors originally had old connections, but when north and south became cut off from each other, the two families lost contact. When Jiangtao came south to Jingkou, Old Master Shen was still alive. The old master maintained scholarly traditions—partly out of consideration for the old friendship between the families, and partly because he valued Jiangtao’s learning. Despite opposition from several sons in the family, he married his daughter to Jiangtao.
The Shen family’s status locally was neither high nor low—several brothers had been scheming for the family’s advancement, wanting to join the ranks of the scholarly families. At that time, they had been planning to marry their sister into the Gu family, but unexpectedly the old master made this arrangement. They dared not voice their anger and could only comply.
Within a few years, the old master passed away. Shen Shi’s several brothers became increasingly dissatisfied with their sister’s marriage, considering it a family disgrace that hindered the Shen family’s relations with local scholarly families. They had always wanted to break it up. However, Shen Shi and her husband had a deep affection for each other. When her brothers and sisters-in-law repeatedly urged her to divorce and remarry, she refused them all. The sibling relationship became hostile as fire and water, but due to Li Mu’s presence, the Shen brothers could only harbor secret resentment.
Shen Shi’s natal family also included a mother, Zhang Shi, who was tender-hearted and loved her daughter. In the first few years, she maintained secret contact with Shen Shi, but when this was discovered by her sons, they quarreled daily. Zhang Shi, fearing her daughter and son-in-law would suffer further threats and harassment from her sons, was forced to cut off contact.
In a few more days, it would be Shen Mother’s sixtieth birthday. Shen Mother’s health had deteriorated severely in recent years, and she could barely lie in bed. Shen Shi’s several brothers, concerned only with appearances and completely disregarding their mother’s physical condition, planned to hold a grand birthday banquet and broadly invite local scholarly families as guests. Shen Shi knew her mother’s health was poor. Upon learning this news, she felt secretly sad. Thinking that they hadn’t seen each other for several years, she missed her elderly mother even more and wanted to make her a set of clothes to have secretly delivered as a small expression of filial piety.
Though Jiangtao’s ancestors were Confucian scholars and had held the position of prefect, now with the great changes in the world and mystical trends prevailing, someone like him from a humble family had an even more distant path to advancement. Despite his broad strategies and deep learning, for many years he could only serve as a minor clerk in the government office with meager salary. The family also had a son and daughter, both still young, and they could barely get by only because of Shen Shi’s virtue and capability.
For making clothes for her mother this time, Shen Shi had her eye on lake silk. But lake silk was expensive—even making a set of undergarments would cost at least a thousand coins. After much thought, Shen Shi decided to first pawn a piece of jewelry her mother had given her long ago, and redeem it later if circumstances permitted.
Not wanting neighbors to see her entering and leaving a pawnshop, she had specifically made a detour to this shop at the town entrance today, hoping to quietly pawn the item and leave. Unexpectedly, by such coincidence, just as she came out of the pawnshop, she encountered Third Shen passing by, leading to the earlier scene.
Shen Shi looked at Luoshen with a gaze both ashamed and grateful: “Thank you so much just now, young mistress. If you hadn’t come, facing such a brother, I truly don’t know how the situation would have ended…”
Recalling the earlier scene, she couldn’t help but have her eyes redden slightly again.
As Shen Shi recounted this, Luoshen suddenly thought that aside from the vast difference in family status—Shen Shi willingly marrying Jiangtao while she was forced—her own marriage had some similarities to Shen Shi’s.
It was just that the Shen family was cruel, while her own parents and brothers all felt heartbroken for her.
Compared to Shen Shi, she was truly fortunate.
Luoshen sighed inwardly, reached out to hold Shen Shi’s hand, and comforted her: “Sister-in-law, don’t be formal with me. Your willingness to endure poverty without coveting wealth and honor is very admirable to me. You are my husband’s sister-in-law, so naturally you are also my sister-in-law. Rest assured, if your brothers come to cause trouble in the future, I will certainly help you. When I return, I’ll also inform my husband of this matter so he knows what’s happening.”
On the day Shen Shi boarded the boat for the wedding ceremony, this Gao daughter’s first impression on her was one of nobility and aloofness.
The next day when she came to visit, she found her quite gentle, with no arrogant or haughty demeanor in her expressions or words.
But she never expected her to be so understanding and considerate. Knowing she was embarrassed, Luoshen spoke to resolve the situation and showed warm-hearted concern. She was completely different from the noble daughters Shen Shi had originally imagined.
Shen Shi was deeply moved: “Thank you, young mistress. For today’s matter, I also thank you on behalf of my husband. It’s just that Jingchen has many affairs, and such small matters can be forgotten—there’s no need to specifically trouble him.”
A’Ting said with a grin: “Second sister-in-law, you don’t know—my elder brother is so afraid of my sister-in-law! As long as my sister-in-law speaks up, elder brother will definitely take care of it. Don’t worry!”
A’Ting, naive and understanding things only partially, spoke words that stirred feelings in Luoshen’s heart.
That Li Mu had married her by overstepping his position—his true intentions were still a mystery to her. But one thing she was very clear about.
A’Ting thought he was afraid of her, but where was this fear?
Luoshen always felt that in public and private, on the surface he showed her endless tolerance, patience, and consideration, making it appear as if she was bullying him by relying on the Gao family’s status. In reality, this person was quite sinister.
He didn’t truly take her seriously at all!
The more Luoshen thought about it, the angrier she became, but she couldn’t show it on her face. Seeing Shen Shi looking at her with a smile, she could only suppress her anger and respond with a smile.
Jingkou wasn’t large, and as they chatted along the way, they soon reached the vicinity of the City God Temple. Passersby recognized the ox cart and guessed that inside sat the Jiankang Gao daughter newly married into the Li family, so they stopped to watch.
Luoshen had the driver first take Shen Shi home. Passing by her door, Shen Shi thanked her repeatedly and invited Luoshen to come in and sit.
Firstly, such earnest hospitality was difficult to refuse, and secondly, if she passed by without entering, it would inevitably seem like she looked down on them. So Luoshen accepted the invitation, got out of the carriage, and entered together with A’Ting.
“My home is humble with no good tea—please don’t laugh at us, young mistress.”
Though Shen Shi had actively invited her, seeing Luoshen in her beautiful silk garments like a fairy from heaven standing before her home, making the doorway appear even more lowly and shabby by comparison, she couldn’t help feeling somewhat uneasy.
“How could that be? Sister-in-law inviting me shows you consider me one of your own.”
Luoshen smiled and entered the courtyard.
The Jiang home was a small independent courtyard. Though not large, it was kept very clean. The furnishings inside were simple and old but well-organized. A seven or eight-year-old girl sat on a small stool, head lowered as she sewed clothes. A smaller boy dragged a broom between his legs, circling the courtyard pretending to ride a horse, making “giddyup” sounds with his mouth. Both children were born with clear, bright features. Seeing their mother return, they were very happy and ran out to greet her.
The two siblings met Luoshen and learned that this fairy-like beautiful person was Uncle Li’s newly wed wife. Following their mother’s instructions, they called her “Auntie” and were initially quite constrained, only standing beside A’Ting and occasionally stealing curious glances at her. Gradually seeing her gentle and kind nature, and that she had A’Ting bring delicious preserved fruits and sweets from the carriage to share with them, they quickly became familiar. The little girl went to brew tea while the little boy happily helped his sister tend the fire—it was very heartwarming.
The Jiang house was located in an alley and was usually very quiet. Shortly after Luoshen arrived, neighboring women all came upon hearing the news, and the doorway suddenly became lively. Everyone initially just stood in the courtyard watching, not daring to enter, until Luoshen spoke to invite them in. Shen Shi and A’Ting busied themselves serving tea and water, and only then did everyone enter the house.
Luoshen was surrounded in the center, with everyone competing to speak with her, one sentence after another.
Though Luoshen didn’t say much, she maintained a constant smile without any airs.
This scene left A’Ju, watching from the side, with mixed feelings.
She had never dreamed that the young mistress who had grown up under glazed tiles and vermillion eaves, amid carved beams and painted rafters, would one day sit under such poor street and shabby alley’s few feet of tile eaves, drinking coarse tea and lowering herself to socialize with a group of alley women.
If Eldest Princess knew about this, she wondered what she would think.
“Uncle!”
Suddenly came the Jiang girl’s call from the doorway.
The women in the house stopped talking and all turned to look.
Luoshen raised her eyes and saw a figure enter through the courtyard gate, cross the yard, and stop outside the threshold.
The women saw Li Mu had arrived, knowing he had come to fetch his wife.
If it had been before, given the Gao daughter’s aloofness, no one would have dared to joke. But now that they had become somewhat familiar with her and knew she wasn’t arrogant and superior, the women’s natural playfulness couldn’t be suppressed. They all laughed and said: “What’s this? After being apart from your new bride for just a moment, you’re so eager to take her away? Are you afraid we’ll bully your new bride?”
Li Mu smiled without speaking, bowed to the women, looked toward Luoshen, and said gently: “If you want to sit longer, I’ll come back later to fetch you.”
The women were only teasing. They knew the couple was newly wed and probably as sweet as honey mixed with oil, wishing they could be together every moment. Since Li Mu had come to fetch his wife and spoke to her with such gentle tone—truly unprecedented—they couldn’t help but burst into laughter. How could they really keep Luoshen there? They all stood up to make way for her.
Luoshen could only rise as well, smilingly thanking Shen Shi for her hospitality. Pretending to be shy, she lowered her moth-eyebrow head slightly and was seen off to the distant gate by Shen Shi and the women before boarding the carriage to leave.
Returning to the Li residence, the sun was setting.
Lu Shi was waiting for Li Mu and Luoshen to return. The two had just entered the house when, before Luoshen could speak, A’Ting told the whole story of how elder brother had escorted sister-in-law and herself there this morning but left without even entering the gate, then was late coming to fetch them, and finally sister-in-law had brought her back to town herself.
Lu Shi was very displeased and scolded her son.
Watching Li Mu stand there silently being lectured by his mother, Luoshen finally felt somewhat better. When she saw the scolding was about finished, she pretended to intercede. She went up to hold Lu Shi’s hand and said in a low voice: “Mother, I’m truly fine. Don’t scold him anymore. He must have had business and didn’t deliberately make A’Ting and me wait. See, we came back by ourselves.”
Lu Shi, seeing her so understanding, was deeply moved and felt even more guilty. She gently patted Luoshen’s hand, turned toward her son’s direction, and sighed: “What virtue did you cultivate in your previous life to be able to marry such a good A’Mi now? Still standing there doing what! A’Mi must be tired—why don’t you quickly escort her back to her room and properly apologize to her?”
Li Mu responded and looked toward Luoshen.
Luoshen smiled with extreme magnanimity: “I’m not tired. Let’s first escort Mother back to her room.”
She supported Lu Shi and sent her back to her room. Turning around to see Li Mu standing to the side watching her, the smile on her face immediately turned cold. She lifted her feet and walked past him without looking back, leaving only a trace of faint, delicate fragrance floating in the air as she passed, barely perceptible yet refreshing to the heart.