TIPS – Chapter 39

They had just embraced, and Song Jingwei had allowed Shen Junxi to hold him for a long time.

That morning’s events had left everyone shaken, but now, with a sigh of relief, they all laughed it off as a misunderstanding. Only Pei Hongxuan knew the truth—Shen’s family was being too optimistic. A person like Song Jingwei would never stay in this house for long; his heart simply wasn’t here.

But how could he say this to Shen Junxi? Would that man, who could be satisfied with just a hug, ever accept it?

After lunch, everyone returned to their rooms for a midday rest.

They all needed this quiet moment to calm their unsettled emotions—especially Shen Junxi. He had become attached to that feeling of closeness, as if as long as he held onto someone, they wouldn’t disappear, wouldn’t run away. It felt safe. It felt reassuring.

“In this heat, do you really have to stick so close to me?” Song Jingwei wasn’t expecting to sleep on the bed without any contact, but did they have to be pressed together like this?

“Mm.” Shen Junxi responded without the slightest hint of shame, resting his head on the back of Song Jingwei’s neck.

“…” Song Jingwei closed his eyes wordlessly. Just as he was deciding whether to punch or kick him away, a cool breeze swept over them… He turned his head slightly and saw Shen Junxi, eyes closed, gently fanning them with a fan.

Two days later, the Shen family’s household returned to normal, as if everyone had completely forgotten about that misunderstanding. By now, everyone had also recovered from their recent ailments, and Shen Dongming finally brought up the matter of visiting Shen Dongying as previously planned.

The two branches of the family rarely interacted, and this time, they were going with a request, so proper gifts had to be prepared.

Shen Dongming said, “Xi’er’s wife has been married into the family for two months now but still hasn’t met his third uncle. Why don’t we all go together?”

Yang Shi hesitated. “It’s fine to meet, but I’m just worried about how his third uncle will react…” She was well aware of Shen Dongying’s attitude toward them. If he ended up giving Song Jingwei a hard time, wouldn’t that be terrible?

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. Why would he?” Shen Dongming waved off her concerns. If Shen Junxi had married someone else, they might indeed suffer under Shen Dongying’s attitude. But this was Song Jingwei—despite his young age, others either respected or feared him. Shen Dongming often enjoyed listening to the farmhands gossip about his daughter-in-law’s many good qualities, and every time, it made him happy. Of course, there were also some negative comments, but those he simply ignored.

“In that case, let’s go,” Yang Shi agreed. After all, it wasn’t proper for the couple to have gone this long without meeting any extended family.

“Mm.”

They chose a bright, sunny day for the visit. Shen Dongming, Pei Hongxuan, Shen Junxi, and Song Jingwei set out together to visit Shen Dongying’s private school.

Why not go directly to his house? Because Shen Dongming felt it wasn’t a good idea. That was his parents’ stronghold, and ever since their last unpleasant visit, he had no intention of setting foot there again anytime soon.

Shen Dongying and his second brother, Shen Dongqi, ran the private school together. It wasn’t very large—just a four-sided courtyard with five classrooms, each with a designated teacher. Shen Dongying himself also occasionally taught lessons there.

Recently, one of the teachers had returned to his hometown, so Shen Dongying had to step in and teach daily.

Just as he had assigned the students some calligraphy practice, a worker sweeping the yard came to inform him that four visitors had arrived to see him.

“Who are they?” Shen Dongying asked as he walked outside. The moment he saw Shen Dongming and the three people behind him, he was visibly surprised. He hesitated for a moment before finally saying, “Big brother? What brings you here?” His gaze fell on the gifts they carried, making him even more uncertain about their intentions.

“Third brother, are you in the middle of a lesson?” Shen Dongming glanced inside and heard the students reading aloud.

“Yes,” Shen Dongying nodded. After a pause, he said, “Come in.” He turned and led them to a tea room used for resting.

The tea room was spacious enough for everyone to sit comfortably. There was already a tea set on the table, and the small stove in the corner still had water boiling on it. Shen Dongying smoothly prepared a pot of tea and, after pouring it for everyone, finally asked, “So, big brother, what brings you here?”

Shen Dongming scratched his head with a smile. “Actually, we have a favor to ask.” But before getting to business, there was something important to do first—introduce his daughter-in-law. He turned to Shen Dongying and said, “Third brother, this is Xi’er’s wife, my daughter-in-law, Song Jingwei. You two haven’t met yet.”

Shen Dongying glanced at Song Jingwei, who was sitting calmly and composedly, and remarked, “So this is my nephew-in-law. A fine young man.” He had never met Song Jingwei before, but his wife, Wang Shi, had talked about him often. Seeing him in person today, he found that Song Jingwei’s looks and temperament exceeded his expectations.

“Haha, Jingwei, this is your third uncle. He runs this private school,” Shen Dongming introduced cheerfully.

Song Jingwei had never called the Shen couple “Father” and “Mother,” so naturally, he wouldn’t call Shen Dongying “Uncle” either. Instead, he simply gave a slight nod, his usually indifferent expression now at least somewhat neutral.

“Haha, Jingwei is a quiet type. Don’t take it the wrong way, third brother,” Shen Dongming laughed before turning to introduce Pei Hongxuan. “Third brother, this is Young Master Pei Hongxuan. He is Xi’er’s schoolmate and a fellow scholar from the same examination year.”

Pei Hongxuan was the first to greet Shen Dongying. Compared to Song Jingwei, he was much more tactful. After all, Shen Dongying was an elder, and he, as a junior, should have greeted him first. Though Pei Hongxuan had once been proud and never lowered himself to associate with those of lower status, he had since come to terms with reality.

“Master Pei, are you interested in becoming a teacher at the private school?” Shen Dongying considered. As a scholar, Pei Hongxuan would make a fine teacher. However… his lame left leg was quite unsightly.

“Yes, I am very fond of Chashan Village and would like to settle down here. But I have no other means of livelihood, and my only real strength is my academic ability. Teaching is something I truly enjoy,” Pei Hongxuan replied, hoping to secure a position at the school. Yet, he was apprehensive—after all, his leg…

“In principle, I shouldn’t reject you, but you… are indeed unsuitable.” Shen Dongying carefully chose his words and slowly said, “A private school is a sacred place in the hearts of scholars, and a teacher is a revered figure. While not every student in our village will achieve high rankings, they still hold their teachers in great regard.” No student would want a lame teacher.

“Third Brother, are you saying you look down on Master Pei?” Shen Dongming was taken aback by how quickly Shen Dongying rejected the idea. “Why? Hasn’t he already been through enough?” Whenever Pei Hongxuan’s disability was mentioned, Shen Dongming couldn’t help but feel agitated. It reminded him of the difficult days when everyone mocked his son, Xi’er.

“Brother, you can’t say that. While I sympathize with Master Pei’s circumstances, I also have to consider the students. If you were in my position, you would understand my dilemma,” Shen Dongying said, disliking the accusatory look in Shen Dongming’s eyes. As if he were some kind of villain! Did he even realize that he had just barged in, trying to force a disabled man into a teaching position? Who would accept that?

“The students might not necessarily reject him. How can you be so sure without even asking them?” Shen Dongming still wanted to fight for the opportunity. What if the students had no objections? Pei Hongxuan’s disability wasn’t that noticeable, and he was a good-looking scholar with nothing else to nitpick.

“There’s no need to discuss this further. It simply won’t work,” Shen Dongying refused outright, cutting off any chance for Shen Dongming to argue. “That’s the end of it. I still have lessons to teach. Please, see yourselves out.”

“This…” Shen Dongming still wanted to say more, but Pei Hongxuan pulled him back. “Uncle Shen, let’s go. We won’t force the issue.” Shen Dongying’s attitude was clear enough. Even if he reluctantly agreed, Pei Hongxuan had no desire to work with someone like him.

“Hongxuan, I’m truly sorry…” Shen Dongming looked at him with guilt. He had personally vouched for this, yet now it had fallen through. He felt like he had let the young man down.

“It’s fine. Let’s go back and talk later,” Pei Hongxuan said, leading Shen Dongming away. He didn’t want to stay in this place any longer. He may have lost his arrogance, but his dignity remained intact. A so-called scholar who looked down on the disabled had no right to claim he studied the teachings of sages.

“Let’s go.” Song Jingwei, who had remained silent until now, stood up. After taking a few steps, he glanced sideways and added, “Oh, and don’t forget to take the gifts with you. You can feed them to the pigs, at least.” The gifts were exquisite pastries from town.

“…” Shen Junxi, hearing this, stood up as well and casually picked up the box of pastries. He smirked—of course, they wouldn’t be feeding these to the pigs. They could just share them among themselves.

With his daughter-in-law speaking up, Shen Dongming suddenly saw things differently. “Alright, alright, let’s go home.” Looking back, he realized he had been too optimistic. This wasn’t anyone’s fault but his own for thinking too highly of himself.

“Take care,” Shen Dongying said indifferently. He recognized Song Jingwei’s sarcasm but wasn’t angry—just a little annoyed.

The group left the private school. Though they weren’t exactly dejected, they certainly weren’t in high spirits either. As they walked away, Shen Dongming muttered, “I never thought Third Brother would be like this…”

He hadn’t interacted much with Shen Dongying before. All he knew was that their parents doted on him the most and that he had always been their favorite son. At one time, Shen Dongming had envied him greatly.

After the family split, they had even less contact. Yet Shen Dongming had always held a certain respect for Shen Dongying, seeing him as a model to emulate—someone who excelled at everything, a figure he could never quite match. But now, all that admiration had completely disappeared. He no longer looked up to Shen Dongying.

“Uncle, don’t dwell on it. If I can’t be a teacher, it’s not like I won’t survive,” Pei Hongxuan said, already considering alternatives. If teaching didn’t work out, he could always become a fisherman. Since he had been given a second chance at life on the water, perhaps it was fate for him to make a living from it.

“…” Shen Junxi comforted his father briefly before walking over to Pei Hongxuan, patting him on the shoulder with a reassuring smile. Using hand gestures, he conveyed: “Don’t be discouraged. Things will get better.”

Pei Hongxuan didn’t understand the gestures completely, but he knew Shen Junxi was trying to console him. He smiled and said, “Don’t worry about me. My heart is strong.” If he hadn’t developed resilience, he would have succumbed to despair long ago.

“There are still many children in the village who aren’t attending school. Some can’t afford it, while others are turned away by the private school,” Song Jingwei observed. From a quick glance inside the school, he had noticed that very few students were dressed in worn-out clothes—most came from well-off families. That meant the private school only accepted children from wealthier backgrounds. But how many truly wealthy families were there in Chashan Village?