TIPS – Chapter 28

Back home, Shen Dongming and Chen Xianggui parted ways at the gate, seemingly agreeing to visit each other’s houses for drinks later that evening.

Meanwhile, Shen Junxi and Song Jingwei entered the house. One went straight to his room to prepare for a bath, while the other headed to the kitchen to heat water. While Song Jingwei busied himself in the bathhouse, Shen Junxi helped Yang Shi in the kitchen, doing small household chores.

“Hey, Junxi’s mother!” Shen Dongming’s loud voice rang out from the courtyard, and he quickly made his way to the kitchen. “Our house is almost finished—haha! And it’s absolutely beautiful! If you don’t believe me, ask Junxi.”

“Really?” Yang Shi looked at the father and son, curious. She hadn’t seen the house herself yet, so she had no idea what it looked like.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi smiled at his mother, confirming his father’s words.

“Oh! I should find some time to go see it myself.” Yang Shi said happily. She had heard plenty of villagers talking about how grand their new house was, but she had yet to see it with her own eyes.

“Of course! How about tomorrow? Let Junxi and his wife take a break at home, and the two of us will go check it out.” Shen Dongming suggested.

“That’s a good idea! Our daughter-in-law has been going to the worksite every day—he should get some rest.” Mentioning this made Yang Shi’s heart ache. Her daughter-in-law had been living with them for days now, but he still hadn’t gained any weight.

“Why don’t you talk to him tonight? Let him take a break and go out with Junxi for a bit.” Shen Dongming hesitated before suggesting. “Though… there’s not much to do around here.”

“That’s a great idea! I’ll bring it up with him later.” Yang Shi said with a smile. The more she spent time with Song Jingwei, the more she realized that he wasn’t difficult to get along with—just cold on the outside but warm at heart.

She turned to her son and poked his forehead. “You! When are you going to win over your wife and make him like you more?”

She wasn’t blind—she knew that Song Jingwei still treated Shen Junxi with a distant politeness, and it worried her.

Shen Junxi lowered his eyes helplessly, smiling bitterly. If only it were that easy…

“It’s not so bad now.” Shen Dongming added wisely. “Your wife still cares about this family. Don’t push too hard.”

He was a reasonable man—he could see things clearly. In his eyes, affection grows over time. You don’t need to rush it—if someone is worth it, their feelings will come naturally.

And he believed that Song Jingwei was worth it.

He had character, kindness, and while he wasn’t affectionate, he still respected and cared for their family.

Shen Junxi lowered his head. He knew that everything Song Jingwei was doing now was to provide a better life for their family.

But he also knew that this was a form of repayment—a compensation before Song Jingwei eventually left.

“Don’t be discouraged. Your wife already treats you well.” Shen Dongming patted his son’s shoulder. He wasn’t stupid—he knew there was something unusual about their marriage.

Maybe things weren’t as simple as they had believed from the start.

But so what?

They were already married. As long as Song Jingwei was willing to stay, they would be happy.

Shen Junxi thought the same. He wasn’t discouraged, but sometimes, he couldn’t help but feel inferior—like he wasn’t good enough.

If he had taken better care of himself in the past, if his voice hadn’t been damaged, would Song Jingwei have liked him even a little more?

But he never considered that if his voice had never been ruined, the one he married would have been Xue Lan.

If they had married at eighteen, at twenty-four, he would probably already be the father of several children.

During dinner, Yang Shi felt uneasy. Her eyelid kept twitching, and it wasn’t the good kind.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Dongming asked with concern.

“I don’t know… I just feel really uneasy.” Yang Shi frowned, rubbing her forehead.

She finally sighed, “You wash the dishes tonight. I’m going to lie down for a bit.”

“Alright, alright! Go rest. Should we call a doctor?” Shen Dongming asked quickly.

“No need. I just need a little rest.”

After dinner, Shen Dongming really did go wash the dishes.

When Shen Junxi tried to take over, his father refused, saying, “Your mother told me to do it, and I already agreed. A promise is a promise.”

It was just washing dishes—not a big deal.

Hearing this, Shen Junxi gave up, thinking his father was right. If you make a promise, you should follow through.

Song Jingwei glanced over at them, intrigued.

He had met many people in his life, but he had never seen such an honest and straightforward family.

No wonder the Shen family had been bullied so much in the past—no one in the village took them seriously.

That night, the village was quiet—until suddenly, the Shen family’s dog started barking wildly in the courtyard.

The entire family woke up in shock.

Still groggy, Song Jingwei pushed Shen Junxi, muttering, “Go check it out… it’s so loud.”

Getting rudely woken up was not a pleasant experience.

“Mm.” Since his wife had spoken, Shen Junxi immediately got up, opened the door, and went outside.

“Junxi?” His father, Shen Dongming, also came out, and the two of them nearly bumped into each other.

Yawning, Shen Dongming said, “Come on, let’s see who’s knocking in the middle of the night.”

The two men opened the gate—and the sight outside startled them both.

Standing there was a young woman, her round face lifted toward them.

Shen Dongming’s expression froze.

“Xue Lan?!”

After a while, the Shen family’s courtyard gate closed, and their dog stopped barking. However, inside their home, a delicate young woman had appeared.

She looked about eighteen years old, with a round face and two long braids. At this moment, she was standing there, lowering her head as she nervously twisted a handkerchief in her hands, looking both lost and heartbroken.

Neither Shen Dongming nor Shen Junxi knew how to handle a crying young woman. Since Shen Junxi couldn’t speak, and his father wasn’t good at comforting girls, they helplessly called Yang Shi to handle the situation.

As soon as Yang Shi entered and saw the young girl, she had a bad feeling. No wonder my eye kept twitching all evening—so this was why!

She walked up to the girl, unsure how to handle this unexpected midnight visitor, and spoke softly.

“Xue Lan, dear, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?”

“Aunt Yang…” Xue Lan whispered, but then fell silent.

“My good girl, if something’s wrong, you need to tell me. How can I help if you don’t say anything?” Yang Shi sighed.

Xue Lan looked like she wanted to speak but hesitated. When she finally lifted her head, her tear-streaked face and swollen eyes told everyone how much she had cried before coming here.

Seeing this, Shen Dongming and Shen Junxi decided to step out, leaving the two women alone to talk. Some things were not meant for men to hear.

“We’ll leave you two to talk. Take your time, no rush,” Shen Dongming said quickly before making his escape.

Shen Junxi also turned to leave, intending to go back to bed.

But just as he was about to step away, Xue Lan suddenly called out to him, choking on her sobs.

“Brother Junxi…!”

She had been inside for so long, yet Shen Junxi hadn’t looked at her once, let alone shown any concern.

Is this what it means to be strangers once you marry someone else?

Shen Junxi paused for a moment, then silently gestured to Yang Shi before nodding at Xue Lan. His gestures meant: Explain things to her—I’m going back to my room. You two can talk.

Yang Shi turned to Xue Lan.

“Junxi says he’s going back to his room. His wife is still inside, and he needs to accompany him.”

The moment Shen Junxi walked away, Xue Lan burst into tears.

“Aunt Yang,” Xue Lan sobbed, “my parents want to marry me off, but I don’t want to get married… I don’t want to!”

Yang Shi sighed. “Child, all girls have to marry someday. You’re already eighteen—are you planning to never marry?”

She had always liked Xue Lan. If things had gone differently, Xue Lan would have been her daughter-in-law.

But things had changed.

Now, her daughter-in-law was Song Jingwei. No matter how much she liked Xue Lan, it couldn’t change reality.

She couldn’t afford to let pity break apart the family.

Xue Lan cried even harder.

“It’s not that I don’t want to marry… it’s just that… I…” She hesitated before finally saying, “I’ve always wanted to marry Brother Junxi! I’ve always wanted this, but my parents wouldn’t let me!”

Her voice grew smaller and smaller.

Yang Shi sighed again.

“You’ve seen it with your own eyes, child. Junxi is already married, and he’s doing just fine with his wife. Why make things difficult for yourself?”

Xue Lan remained silent, continuing to cry.

She knew Shen Junxi was married.

That was why it hurt so much.

Yang Shi gently patted her shoulder in comfort.

“It’s okay to cry, child. Cry your heart out, and then go home. You still have a long life ahead of you. You can’t always be stuck in the past—you need to look forward, understand?”

Xue Lan, however, shook her head, still sobbing. Then, she looked up at Yang Shi with pleading eyes.

“Aunt Yang, I don’t want to go home… Can I marry into your family instead?”

Yang Shi froze.

Xue Lan’s eyes were filled with desperation and hope.

“You’re speaking nonsense. I already have a daughter-in-law.” Yang Shi shook her head firmly, treating Xue Lan’s words like a child’s foolishness.

She figured the girl was just panicked, speaking without thinking.

“Your parents must be worried sick. It’s best if you go home soon.”

Xue Lan’s tears kept falling.

“Didn’t you like me before? Brother Junxi already has a wife, but I don’t mind being his second wife!” She insisted stubbornly.

Of course, she didn’t like sharing her husband, but at this point, she had no other choice.

Yang Shi’s face darkened instantly.

“Nonsense! Our family does not do such things.”

She was shocked.

How could Xue Lan be so extreme?

“Why not?” Xue Lan cried.

“Brother Junxi and I were engaged! If it weren’t for that accident, I would have been his wife! Now that he’s married, I don’t expect to be his only wife, but why can’t I at least be his second?”

She bit her lip, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Her parents had looked down on Shen Junxi, calling him poor and mute.

But now that he had married a rich wife, and his family was on the rise, everything was different.

She had come tonight with a plan—if she spent the night in the Shen family’s house, her parents would have no choice but to accept the marriage.

Yang Shi’s face hardened.

“Xue Lan, let’s be clear: your parents were the ones who called off the engagement. Only after they broke it did Junxi marry someone else. This is not our fault.”

She spoke coldly, something she rarely ever did.

“Since your parents didn’t want Junxi before, we didn’t force them. Now that he’s married, you need to let it go.”

She looked Xue Lan in the eye.

“I thought you came here tonight just to vent your sadness. But if you’re here to cause trouble, I won’t stand for it.”

Xue Lan wiped her tears away, her voice trembling.

“But now that I’ve come here, people will talk. If Brother Junxi doesn’t marry me, how will I ever face the world again?”

“I really love him, Aunt Yang… Please, I’m begging you!”

Yang Shi’s heart turned cold.

So this was her real plan?

Xue Lan had deliberately dragged their family into a scandal.

Yang Shi’s voice became icy.

“This will never happen.”

She narrowed her eyes and asked one final question.

“And as for your so-called ‘reputation’—are you really planning to blame us for it?”

If Xue Lan dared to say yes, then there would be no turning back.

Things would get ugly—for everyone.