RWNEFE -Chapter 136 Shouldn’t You Look for the Cause in Yourself?

“Sit down and eat together!” Shen Lanxi said.

Shen Yuanjing felt embarrassed, as if he were just there to freeload a meal.

“Try the goose Nanny Li stewed—it’s tender and flavorful. You can’t get a taste like this even in the capital!”

Shen Yuanjing had a lot he wanted to say to his big sister. Hearing her words, he blushed and said, “I’ll go get a set of bowls and chopsticks!”

Shen Lanxi nodded.

Soon, Shen Yuanjing returned, carrying two steamed buns and a set of bowls and chopsticks.

“Big Sister, this heated bed is really warm!” Shen Yuanjing touched the bed and smiled a little foolishly.

Shen Lanxi lifted the corner of her mouth. “This winter, we’ll all sleep on heated beds like this. You’ll get plenty of it!”

Hearing her joking tone, Shen Yuanjing relaxed a lot.

Before, he felt as if his big sister had turned into a completely different person, and he didn’t dare approach her. Now it felt a bit like things were back to how they were before the incident.

“Big Sister, can I tell you something honestly?”

Shen Lanxi calmly continued eating and nodded.

“Of course! We’re siblings. Say whatever you want!”

Shen Yuanjing glanced toward the door and whispered, “How did you become so strong?”

Shen Lanxi smiled at the corner of her mouth and put a piece of goose into his bowl.

“People don’t become strong all at once. Think about what I was doing when you were reading books. Think about what I was doing while you were following the rich brats around, wasting time.”

Shen Yuanjing avoided her gaze, his face red with embarrassment.

A young man who can’t measure up to others—shouldn’t he first look for the cause within himself?

“Big Sister…” Shen Yuanjing felt as if he were being scolded before even eating.

“Eat. Don’t say anything else. Fill your stomach and then work hard!” Shen Lanxi felt her words should comfort her little brother.

After that, Shen Yuanjing asked nothing more and just focused on eating.

Once he was full, he felt awkward again. Had he eaten even his big sister’s food?

“Big Sister, I’ll go now!”

Shen Lanxi nodded.

Soon after, Wei Rulan arrived with three children.

“Miss, Yuanxin and I made several sets of thick socks for you. We washed and dried them. If you practice martial arts, you’ll need to change socks frequently. My sewing isn’t perfect, don’t mind it!”

Shen Lanxi smiled. “Thank you, Auntie. I move around a lot, my feet sweat easily. I do need a few extra sets of socks.”

Seeing that Shen Lanxi didn’t refuse, Wei Rulan brightened, quickly glanced at her daughter, and coaxed, “You must have many things to do. Chunxue and Qiushuang can’t handle it all. Let Yuanxin stay and help you. If she does something wrong, scold her however you like!”

Shen Lanxi looked at Shen Yuanxin, who lowered her head upon entering the room, and said with a faint smile, “Yuanxin, are your legs fully healed?”

Shen Yuanxin lowered her head even more.

Wei Rulan thought Shen Lanxi was concerned for her daughter and immediately smiled, “Already healed. Children heal quickly from minor bumps!”

Shen Lanxi didn’t continue, leaving Wei Rulan standing there.

Thinking about her children’s future, Wei Rulan forced herself to sit.

“Miss, these days I’ve been taking care of Madam. Her health is fine; she just has emotional burdens.”

Shen Lanxi’s eyes softened slightly as she thought of her mother. “I’ll leave my mother in your care. Don’t worry, I won’t treat you unfairly in the future!”

Wei Rulan’s eyes lit up. She mentally smacked herself—how could she have forgotten to focus on Madam? Miss is such a filial child… well, at least she used to be very dutiful!

“Madam has heavy emotional burdens. Yesterday I made her socks and she actually wore them instead of harming herself. I’ll go check for more fabric and make her a couple of warm outfits!”

Wei Rulan finally found a topic she could talk about and launched into a detailed account of how she had been caring for Zhou Xinrou.

Shen Lanxi listened patiently. When Wei Rulan finished, she turned to Chunxue and Xia and said, “Bring some fabric and cotton to Auntie Wei!”

Chunxue immediately went to fetch them.

Shen Lanxi looked at Yuanqing and Yuanzhao. “Their physiques aren’t worse than Yuanjing’s.”

Wei Rulan’s face was gentle, her eyebrows like slender willow leaves. If she didn’t smile, she seemed sorrowful. Hearing Shen Lanxi’s words, her mind quickly brightened, and her lips curved into a smile, masking her sorrow.

“They both like practicing martial arts. Their father was a scholar, so they had no other path but to study, and even now, it hasn’t led to much. If they can practice martial arts with Young Master Yuanjing, it would be perfect!”

Shen Lanxi nodded and advised, “The path is laid out before you. How you choose is up to your own destiny.”

Though Wei Rulan didn’t hear the exact words, just hearing this made her very happy.

Chunxue brought the fabric and cotton. Wei Rulan quickly stood up to take them.

“Miss, I’ll go back and make clothes for Madam now!”

Shen Lanxi nodded.

Yuanzhao secretly glanced at his big sister and, seeing her smile warmly at him, grinned sheepishly.

Soon after, Shen Yuanrui and Shen Yuanxin arrived.

“Big Sister, on behalf of Auntie and my sister, I apologize for their mistakes. They’ve been punished. Can you forgive them?” Shen Yuanrui looked uneasy, glanced at Shen Lanxi, and quickly lowered her head when Shen Lanxi looked.

Shen Lanxi didn’t look at her—she looked at Shen Yuanxin.

“You’ve been diligent with martial arts these past few days!”

Shen Yuanxin lowered his eyes. “Big Sister, I’ve made up my mind. I’ll practice martial arts to protect our family!”

Shen Lanxi asked, “No more studying?”

Shen Yuanxin’s mouth stiffened. “I’ll study and practice martial arts—both!”

Shen Lanxi said flatly, “Go back. Decide for yourselves what’s right and wrong. Don’t disappoint me!”

Shen Yuanxin nodded and left. Shen Yuanrui quickly followed.

In three days, the snow that hadn’t been cleared reached half a person’s height. Fortunately, the snow finally stopped.

During these days, villagers occasionally stopped by under the pretense of clearing snow, and the women were able to trade shoe samples and chat casually.

Of course, they weren’t foolish enough to reveal the exiled prisoners’ identities—they all agreed to use the excuse of visiting relatives.

“Master, when will we depart?” Liu Yanhui ran over to ask.

If they waited for the snow to melt, they’d likely have to wait until next spring.

But leaving now was definitely not a wise choice!

“In three more days!”

“These three days, if the locals don’t clear a path, the ice will be three feet thick. By then, even if we take the wrong path, we won’t fall into an ice hole!”

In such cold, falling into a river that isn’t fully frozen would be absolutely fatal.

Liu Yanhui had an idea: “We could hire a local as a guide and, once we reach the next village, switch to a local guide from there.”

Shen Lanxi nodded. “Agreed.”