TIPS – Chapter 45

Song Jingwei said, “How do you plan to teach him a lesson? Beat him up?”

Shen Junxi nodded seriously and signed, “That works too.”

Song Jingwei found it amusing. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Up to you. He’s usually around here after breakfast, so make sure you seize the opportunity.” Shen Junhe thought he was hiding well, but Song Jingwei had been aware of him all along. That was why he stopped going outside himself and even had Shen Junxi handle feeding the dog.

“Mm!” Shen Junxi was full of fighting spirit. He immediately took the letter and burned it. Although it could serve as evidence, just having it around for another moment made him feel disgusted.

After burning the letter, he calmed down a little but suddenly felt a strong sense of crisis. He went back to find Song Jingwei and anxiously signed, “What kind of person do you like?” What he actually wanted to ask was, Do you like someone like Shen Junhe? But he didn’t want to mention Shen Junhe’s name, especially in front of Song Jingwei.

“I don’t know.” Song Jingwei guessed that Shen Junxi was asking about his romantic preferences. But he was a workaholic—too busy to have time for relationships.

“How… how do you feel about me?” Shen Junxi gathered his courage, signing slowly and shyly.

“Not bad.” Song Jingwei looked him up and down. He was a gentle and attentive person. A woman who married him would probably be quite happy.

“Mm…” Shen Junxi was overjoyed. He hadn’t expected such an answer and felt truly happy. His smile was both radiant and deeply embarrassed. Then, he turned and left—to prepare a sack to ambush Shen Junhe and give him a good beating.

“Junxi, what’s got you grinning like that? You look awfully smug,” Pei Hongxuan teased when he saw his bright expression.

“…” Shen Junxi shook his head, indicating nothing, but the smile remained on his face. He then signed to Shen Dongming, Do we have any empty sacks at home?

Shen Dongming asked suspiciously, “What do you need a sack for?”

Shen Junxi smiled mischievously and mimed punching someone, completely shocking his father. “You’re going to beat someone up? Since when did my Junxi get so fierce?”

Meanwhile, after returning home, Shen Junhe couldn’t stop thinking about the letter that Shen Junxi had taken. On one hand, he reassured himself that Shen Junxi wouldn’t figure out it was from him. On the other, he couldn’t help but worry—what if he did find out?

Lost in his thoughts, he looked visibly troubled.

His mother, Wang Shi, noticed and asked, “He’er, what’s wrong? Is your schoolwork too much?” Since Shen Dongying was very strict with him, Wang Shi always worried that her son was under too much academic pressure.

Shen Junhe replied absentmindedly, “Mother, I’m fine…” But his mind was filled with one person—so much so that he was nearly obsessed. If only that person could marry me, how wonderful that would be. He had never met anyone else who captivated him like that. The people in Chashan Village were all coarse farm girls and peasants—not a single one caught his eye.

“You look completely lost in thought…” Wang Shi grew suspicious. “Tell me honestly—have you fallen for some girl?”

Shen Junhe immediately shook his head in denial. “No.” How could he possibly be interested in the village girls? Ridiculous.

“Then… could it be a young man?” Wang Shi asked.

“Uh…” Shen Junhe opened his mouth but turned his head away, refusing to answer.

Wang Shi suddenly understood—her son was lovesick. No wonder he had been so absent-minded lately. But he still had to focus on his studies and prepare for the scholar’s exam. This distraction wasn’t good for his academics. She said, “Who is it? Tell me, and I’ll arrange a match for you.” If it was a good family, she wouldn’t mind whether it was a man or a woman.

Shen Junhe grew even more troubled. If only that person weren’t already married… If he were still single, Shen Junhe could marry him right away. But now, he could only watch helplessly as his cousin—whom he looked down on—married the person he wanted.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? You don’t want to tell me?”

“Mother, please don’t ask. Just let me be alone for a while,” Shen Junhe muttered as he lay on the table, covering his ears in frustration.

“Ah…” Wang Shi sighed. She couldn’t do anything about it but didn’t want to push him too hard either.

The next day, Shen Junhe couldn’t resist skipping school again and sneaking near the Shen family’s main house to spy. Yesterday, he hadn’t seen his beloved, nor had he managed to deliver his letter. He had spent the whole night restless because of it.

Today, he was lucky. That morning, he finally saw the person he had been thinking about day and night. Just like the first time they met, that person was standing outside, feeding the little dog. The scene was so warm and gentle that even the dog—whom Shen Junhe usually disliked—seemed cute to him.

As he watched in a daze, completely entranced, something unexpected happened. A dirty sack suddenly dropped over his head, trapping him inside, blocking his vision completely.

“Who?! What do you want?!” Shen Junhe panicked and shouted, struggling frantically.

His answer wasn’t words—but a flurry of punches raining down on him… or rather, an attempt at a beating. The person hitting him was still inexperienced, landing punches awkwardly here and there while also trying to keep the sack from slipping off.

At first, his punches were clumsy, but soon he learned, aiming at the fleshy parts of Shen Junhe’s body and hitting him hard. Shen Junhe’s screams were as miserable as a slaughtered pig’s, echoing endlessly near the Shen family’s main house. When he finally stopped yelling, the sack on his head was removed—but the attacker had already vanished without a trace.

With tears and snot streaming down his face, Shen Junhe clutched his swollen cheeks and chin, running home with his tail between his legs, like a beaten stray dog. He was too scared to stay any longer, afraid that the assailant might come back to beat him again.

“He’er, what happened to you?” Wang Shi spotted her son from afar, limping as he walked home. When he got closer, she saw his bruised and swollen face—it was a shocking sight. She was nearly hysterical. “Your face—who hit you? Tell me, who dared to do this to you?”

“Mother…” Shen Junhe threw himself into Wang Shi’s arms. The fear of being inexplicably beaten finally overwhelmed him, and he burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. His sorrowful cries were enough to break anyone’s heart.

“My poor He’er! Tell me who did this to you!” Wang Shi was so distressed that she almost fainted. Her precious son! Besides his father, Shen Dongying, no one had ever dared to discipline him. But even Shen Dongying had never physically punished him. Now that her son had returned home covered in bruises, how could she possibly accept this?

Shen Junhe himself didn’t know who had attacked him, but there was only one possibility in his mind—it had to be someone from the Shen family’s main house. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Mother, it was Uncle!” In the Shen Dongming household, only Shen Dongming would hit someone. As for his quiet and refined cousin—would he even dare?

“What?! The eldest brother hit you? Why would he do that?” Wang Shi asked in shock. She couldn’t believe that Shen Dongming had laid hands on her son—how was that possible?

“I… I don’t know. I was just passing by the corner of their house when he suddenly threw a sack over me and started beating me…” Shen Junhe covered his aching face, feeling that even his backside hurt terribly. No, in fact, his entire body was in pain!

“That damn eldest brother! I’m going to confront him about this!” Wang Shi gnashed her teeth in rage. However, for now, treating her son’s injuries was the priority. “Come, let’s go inside and apply some medicine.”

When Wang Shi saw the bruises all over Shen Junhe’s body, she was so furious that she wished she could tear Shen Dongming apart. She cursed the entire Shen Dongming family, wishing them dead. She had always said—her son was her most treasured possession. As long as no one touched him, she could be reasonable. But if anyone dared to hurt her precious son, she would stop at nothing to get revenge.

That same day, Shen Dongying received a letter from his second brother, Shen Dongqi, stating that he would return soon to settle matters. Upon reading it, Shen Dongying’s mood finally lifted, and the gloom on his face dissipated. Feeling better, he suddenly remembered that he hadn’t checked on his son’s studies in a while, so he decided to visit Shen Junhe’s private study.

But when he arrived, the room was completely empty.

Frowning, Shen Dongying called a servant to ask, “Did Junhe step out for a moment?”

The servant replied, “No, young master Shen Junhe left the private school altogether.”

“That ungrateful son!” Shen Dongying cursed. The autumn exams were approaching, yet his son still showed no ambition—how could he not be furious? “Do you know where he went?”

The servant shook his head. “I’m not sure. Maybe he went home?”

Shen Dongying thought for a moment. That’s probably it. He doesn’t have anywhere else to go. But if he had gone home at this time, did something happen? Feeling a bit uneasy, he decided to head home as well.

As soon as he stepped into his courtyard, he heard Wang Shi furiously cursing Shen Dongming, with the occasional soft words of concern for Shen Junhe’s pain.

What’s going on?

Shen Dongying entered the house and saw his son lying on the bed. His bare back was covered in bruises, blue and purple patches scattered across his skin. The sight made Shen Dongying gasp sharply. “Who did this?”

Seeing her husband return, Wang Shi became even more aggressive. Furious, she declared, “It was Shen Dongming! You must stand up for our son and get justice for He’er!”

Shen Dongying’s face darkened. He had just been pleased about his second brother’s imminent return to deal with the main house, and now this—his son had been beaten! How could he possibly swallow this insult?

“Come! We’re going to confront the main house and demand justice!” Shen Dongying roared, storming out in anger right after stepping through the door.

“Wait! Husband, we need Father to intervene! Tell Father and Mother!” Wang Shi called after him. If only Shen Dongying went alone, he wouldn’t stand a chance against the main house.

Realizing she was right, Shen Dongying changed direction and went to find his father, Old Master Shen, and his mother, Old Madam Shen. As expected, upon hearing the news, the elderly couple’s expressions turned grim, and they cursed Shen Dongming furiously. It was no surprise—among all their grandchildren, they favored Shen Junhe the most. Now that he had been beaten, how could they not be furious?

“How is He’er now? Is it serious?” Old Madam Shen asked anxiously.

“His mother is applying medicine to him, but his injuries look quite severe,” Shen Dongying reported. Turning to Old Master Shen, he pleaded, “Father, you must intervene in this matter and seek justice for our Junhe.”

Old Master Shen declared, “Of course!”