TIPS – Chapter 139

“……” Shen Junxi hesitated for a moment but still handed the bowl to him. He understood Song Jingwei’s intentions clearly—accepting his kindness, but he was more used to eating by himself.

“Have you eaten?” Song Jingwei asked as he drank the soup.

Seeing Shen Junxi shake his head and quietly watch him eat from the side, he scooped up a piece of lotus root and brought it to Shen Junxi’s mouth.

“……” Shen Junxi stared in surprise at the lotus root by his mouth, then curved his eyes into a smile. He opened his mouth and happily accepted it. A sweet, tender warmth bloomed in his heart, sending a tingly, floating sensation all over his body.

Seeing his joy, Song Jingwei shared the lotus root soup with him.

Right now, the kitchen of the Shen family’s main household was bustling with people, everyone busy and working in high spirits. Even members of the Lu family came to help instead of waiting until the meal was ready.

Mute Uncle also brought over their family’s Da Huang. XIao Hei hadn’t seen his playmate in a long time and howled in excitement.

“Hehe, go play outside now, and don’t bite anyone,” Shen Dongming patted the two dogs and let them out to play. Seeing his son and daughter-in-law come out of the house, he laughed and said, “Jingwei’s awake, huh? Go get some soup, dinner’s not ready yet.”

Song Jingwei smiled and replied, “I already ate. Have you eaten, Dad?”

Shen Dongming smiled cheerfully and said, “I have, I have.” Seeing the empty bowl in Shen Junxi’s hands, he chuckled and said, “So Junxi brought it to you, huh?” The couple was so affectionate, and as the father, he secretly felt very pleased.

“Yes, he did.”

“Oh right,” Shen Dongming scratched his head and said, “While it’s not completely dark yet, Junxi, you should send some food and next month’s silver over to the extended family.” Deliver it all at once, so they won’t have to go again tomorrow.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi nodded in agreement.

“I’ll go prepare it.” Shen Dongming quickly went to the kitchen and had Yang Shi pack it into a basket—it contained half a chicken and a piece of pork.

Handing the basket and a tael of silver to Shen Junxi, he reminded him, “Hey, if they start whining and complaining, don’t bother giving them food. Just give them the silver.”

“Mm.” Shen Junxi nodded firmly. That was what he thought too.

“Bundle up before you head out,” Shen Dongming added.

Song Jingwei brought over two thick cloaks, one for each of them. He also held a hand warmer, clearly intending to go with him.

Shen Junxi, afraid he’d catch cold, shook his head in disapproval.

“It’s not far, it’s fine,” Song Jingwei said.

“No, it’s cold outside,” Shen Junxi gestured, his eyes filled with concern.

Song Jingwei took his arm and said softly, “I want to go with you.” Just that one sentence was enough to melt Shen Junxi’s heart.

Shen Junxi gazed at him with deep affection and, unable to help himself, leaned in and kissed his lips—completely forgetting they were in a public space with people coming and going.

“Let’s get going,” Song Jingwei urged him. He had already noticed the surprised stares from the people behind them.

It was only after they had walked some distance that Shen Junxi realized what he had done might have been seen by all the family members. His face flushed bright red in the cold wind. But he didn’t regret it at all. If given the chance, he would do it again.

Even though the wind outside was bitterly cold, having someone by his side made him feel warm all over. No amount of cold or winter snow could compare.

“Let’s walk faster, it’s getting dark.”

They picked up their pace and arrived at the residence of the Shen family’s extended branch. But it was strange—everything was pitch-black, and no one seemed to be cooking in the kitchen.

Song Jingwei called out, “Is anyone home?”

After a moment, a light appeared from one of the rooms. It was Liu Yue, the wife of Shen Dongqi. He was surprised to see Song Jingwei and Shen Junxi and asked, “What brings you two here?”

“It’s New Year’s Eve today,” Song Jingwei gestured toward their cold and lifeless kitchen. “Everyone’s celebrating the new year. What’s going on with your household?”

Liu Yue sighed and said, “It’s a long story. It’s all because the young master and young miss have lived such pampered lives—they’re not used to this.” He used to do everything himself. But his husband, Shen Dongqi, couldn’t stand to see it anymore and stopped him from doing all the work.

With such a big family, once Liu Yue stopped doing chores, it was as if no one else knew how to either. So the house had become a mess, completely out of hand.

“Unbelievable…” Song Jingwei was speechless for a moment and asked, “So they’re not going to eat either?” Skipping one or two meals was fine, but two days without eating—how could they survive?

“There was a quarrel this afternoon, and everyone went back to their rooms angry. They probably have no appetite for dinner either,” Liu Yue said a bit embarrassed. Actually, it wasn’t about appetite—if he didn’t cook, there simply wouldn’t be food.

“But you and your husband still need to eat, right?” Song Jingwei took the basket from Shen Junxi’s hands and said, “This is a chicken freshly slaughtered this afternoon and a piece of pork. Go cook it quickly.” As for the silver, they’d rather come back tomorrow and hand it directly to the old master. They didn’t dare ask Liu Yue to pass it along—what if the old man later denied it and caused a scene?

“This… how could I possibly accept it…” Liu Yue said, feeling embarrassed to take the items.

“It’s nothing, really. This is just a gesture of respect for the elders. But since they’re not eating it, it doesn’t matter if you all eat it instead. Just don’t let it go to waste,” Song Jingwei said.

“Ah…” Liu Yue couldn’t very well refuse again, so he reached out and took it.

“Who’s here?” Shen Dongqi came out when he noticed his wife hadn’t returned for a while. When he saw Shen Junxi and Song Jingwei, he was startled and quickly said, “Why are you standing outside? Come in and warm up.” As he spoke, he lit the lamps in the house and brought out the brazier from their room. The small, chilly sitting room instantly became warm and cozy.

“It’s getting late. They still have to go back,” Liu Yue tugged at his husband’s sleeve and whispered. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to keep the couple around, but their home had nothing to offer—how could they entertain guests? Besides, the atmosphere at home was strange and tense; who knew if a fight would break out again?

“What are you saying? It’s fine, really.” Shen Dongqi still warmly invited Shen Junxi and Song Jingwei inside. “Come, have a seat. I’ll go make some tea.” He then went to fetch his tea set from their room.

Shen Junxi looked at Song Jingwei, a bit hesitant, as if asking whether they should go in or not.

Song Jingwei hesitated for a moment and said, “Let’s go in. Maybe the old man will come out later. We can give him the money then.” That would save them from making another trip tomorrow.

“Alright.” Seeing that Song Jingwei agreed, Shen Junxi sighed in relief. Second Uncle Shen Dongqi was relatively not a bad person. He didn’t want to make a scene in front of him. Since Song Jingwei was willing to give this bit of face, that was all the better.

“Come, come, sit down and warm up. It must be cold outside?” Shen Dongqi also relaxed when he saw they were willing to come in. Call it opportunistic or worldly-wise, but in front of the main Shen family branch, he was indeed trying to get closer and improve relations.

“It’s not too bad.” They sat down and took a symbolic sip of tea, then got straight to the point: “Where’s your father? Actually, besides bringing some meat over, we mainly came to deliver the monthly support money.”

“My dad? Oh, they went to their room early. They usually sleep early,” Shen Dongqi replied awkwardly. The house had been in chaos that afternoon, and everyone had gone back to their rooms fuming. He had no idea what the current situation was like.

“Oh.” Song Jingwei glanced at Liu Yue and suggested, “Why don’t you go cook the meat now? Even if they don’t eat, the two of you still need to eat, don’t you?”

Liu Yue blinked as if understanding Song Jingwei’s meaning. He nodded and said, “Alright. Dongqi and I haven’t had dinner yet either. Since it’s New Year’s, we should eat something better tonight.” That half a chicken and piece of pork were more than enough for the two of them.

“A-Yue…” Shen Dongqi called out to his wife, but Liu Yue didn’t respond. He quickly went to the kitchen to start cooking. Shen Dongqi gave an awkward smile to the two guests and said, “I’ll go call them.”

Song Jingwei and Shen Junxi waited quietly, without exchanging polite refusals. So Shen Dongqi had no choice but to brace himself and go.

He first knocked on the door of the old master and old madam Shen.

Inside, old madam Shen heard the knocking and said to her husband, “Someone’s knocking. What do you think they want?”

Old master Shen had first been lying in bed but later got up to sit by the fire. His stomach was growling, and he kept making tea and drinking it. He had already eaten the last bit of food in the room.

He couldn’t bring himself to ask old madam Shen to go get food, so the two of them just sat there waiting.

“What could they possibly want? Call us out for dinner?” he snorted. Wasn’t the big fight earlier all because of dinner? “Didn’t the second daughter-in-law say he wouldn’t cook? Who else in this house would cook?” The third daughter-in-law? The granddaughter-in-law? Not reliable.

“Such sin,” old madam Shen muttered. “This is getting more and more outrageous. Even cooking a meal becomes a matter of shifting responsibility. Who spoiled them like this!”

Old master Shen heard her complaining and knew exactly who she was scolding. He said, displeased, “It’s not entirely second daughter-in-law’s fault. The whole family’s chores are dumped on him. Is that fair?” Truth be told, he was also unhappy with old madam Shen. These household matters should be her responsibility—not just sitting there blaming everyone else.

“……” Old madam Shen fell silent, sitting there with arms crossed like a statue.

“Go see who’s at the door,” old master Shen said sternly.

Old madam Shen glanced at her husband’s hard expression and grudgingly held her tongue. She got up and walked to the door, asking sharply, “Who’s outside?”

Shen Dongqi heard his mother finally respond and quickly lowered his voice, “Ma, it’s Junxi and his wife from eldest brother’s family. They brought food and money. You and Dad should come out and meet them—they’re waiting.”

Inside, when they heard there was food—and money—someone asked, “What food? Who’s cooking?”

A wave of frustration surged in Shen Dongqi, but he held it in and said, “Please come out to take the money yourselves. We won’t handle it.”

Old madam Shen heard her son’s refusal to respond further and went back to tell old master Shen what was going on. She added, “That second son of mine is still being stubborn. He won’t let his wife cook. Tell me, how did I raise such a fine son!” She didn’t dare complain like this in front of Shen Dongqi but would grumble a few words in front of old master Shen.

“Enough, let’s talk about this later,” said Old Master Shen. “Didn’t you hear someone outside? I’m going out to take a look.”

“Wait for when? Wait until we all starve to death?” Old Madam Shen muttered. When she saw her husband opening the door and heading out, she hesitated for a moment before following. “Who gives money on New Year’s Eve? What sense does that make?”

Cough, cough… Old Master Shen slowly walked out. Seeing a room full of younger family members, he asked, “Someone came to visit? Then hurry up and make a meal. Who’s cooking?”

“My wife went to cook,” Shen Dongqi replied.

“Good,” Old Master Shen nodded in satisfaction, then glanced at Shen Junxi and his partner, who sat unmoving at the table, sipping tea.

Noticing his gaze, Song Jingwei took the opportunity to speak, “Wishing Old Master a Happy New Year in advance. We’ve brought this month’s elder support payment—this is for next month. Please accept it.”

As he spoke, Shen Junxi took a small pouch from his chest and stood up to hand it to Old Master Shen.

Old Master Shen took it silently and tucked it into his robe. Without changing expression, he said, “That’s thoughtful of you. Why not stay for a simple meal?”

“No need, we’ll head back now,” Song Jingwei said, pulling Shen Junxi’s hand. He said goodbye to Shen Dongqi, “We’re leaving now. When you’re free, drop by and visit.”

“Eh? Leaving already?” Shen Dongqi said, though he knew they wouldn’t stay. He stood up to see them off.

As they passed the kitchen, he bid farewell to Liu Yue, who was cooking inside. “We’re going to eat at home. The food’s ready over there.”

“You’re leaving?” Liu Yue glanced inside, then quietly asked, “Was it settled?”

“It’s done. Old Master came out,” Shen Dongqi answered for them.

Song Jingwei nodded to them. “No need to see us off. You’re busy.” Then, he and Shen Junxi walked off into the dimming dusk.

The couple watched their figures disappear and sighed in unison. No one had expected that the main Shen household would reach such a point.

“They’re doing better and better,” Shen Dongqi said with a sigh. “Give it a few more years, and no one in the village will even remember our branch of the Shen family.” A decade ago, the Shen family’s status in Chashan Village was nothing like it was now.

“That’s for sure. In our household, even something as simple as who cooks can spark a fight. If we keep going like this, each generation will be worse than the last. What status could we possibly have left?” Liu Yue said bluntly.

Shen Dongqi gave a helpless, bitter smile. Just as he was about to speak, he saw his younger brother’s door open, and that couple came out, putting on a show of casual concern. “Heard someone came? Already gone?”

Shen Dongqi didn’t intend to answer, but his wife crisply replied, “Gone! They came to deliver meat and silver, then rushed back to eat their New Year’s Eve dinner.”

Wang Shi, Shen Dongying’s wife, laughed at that and said, “Cooking, are we? Then I’ll go call Father and Mother out to eat.”

“No need to call. They’ve already come out,” Shen Dongqi said coolly.

Wang Shi awkwardly shut up. In the past, when Shen Dongqi and his wife weren’t around, she lived quite freely in the house. But ever since they returned, life had gotten tougher. Compared to Liu Yue, she seemed to do nothing right—whatever she did, it was always wrong, like trash.

“Since Father and Mother are out, why don’t you go call He’er and his wife?” Shen Dongying coughed and said. That argument in the afternoon was still fresh in his mind, but he hadn’t expected Liu Yue to agree to cook again so soon. They were more than happy about that.

“Hey, you want to eat? Then wait till I’m done, then you can cook your own. I’m almost finished,” Liu Yue said while holding the spatula, speeding up his stir-frying. The meat in his wok smelled delicious, making everyone’s stomachs growl with hunger.

“Um, Liu Yue, what do you mean?” Shen Dongying asked in a daze. Did that mean they had to cook their own food? But wasn’t food already being made?

“What do you mean? He’s my wife—do you just call him by name like that?” Shen Dongqi glared at him. “Call him ‘Big Brother’!”

Shen Dongying shut his mouth awkwardly. He’d spoken without thinking, but his words betrayed the fact that he looked down on Liu Yue.

“Ah, Big Brother, I’m sorry. He didn’t mean anything by it,” Wang Shi quickly stepped in to ease the tension and said politely, “We’re all family. A few words of bickering don’t mean anything. Big Brother, don’t take it to heart.” Then she turned to Liu Yue and added, “Brother Yue, that thing in the afternoon wasn’t aimed at you. It’s not that we didn’t want to cook, it’s just… Look at me and He’er’s wife—we’ve barely cooked anything in our lives. We really don’t know how.”

“Don’t give me that. What girl doesn’t learn to cook at home? Unless you’re really stupid and just can’t learn no matter what. In that case, I’ve got nothing to say,” Liu Yue said. “It’s not that I’m unwilling to cook. How about this: from now on, I’ll take care of Father and Mother’s meals. You in the third branch cook your own.”

“How could that be okay?!” Shen Dongying’s eyes widened. “We haven’t split the household—why should we eat separately?”