TIPS – Chapter 68

“Please, sister, I know I was wrong. I’ll never take advantage of you again, and I won’t insult you anymore. Please save me, okay?” Yang Shuangjiao was nearly on her knees, begging Yang Shi. She knew the consequences of being taken back—she would be skinned alive even if she didn’t die.

“If you knew this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? Eldest sister, I can’t save you,” Yang Shi said, not mentioning that she had already pleaded for her earlier. Seeing Yang Shuangjiao’s expression now, it was clear she had no real remorse.

Wang Chunxing, seeing that her mother’s pleas were useless, also fell to her knees before Yang Shi, crying, “Aunt, please save us! We don’t want to be taken back. They’ll definitely beat my mother and me to death!”

Yang Shi replied, “They won’t kill you.” After that, she said nothing more.

The Wang family matriarch turned to the servants behind her and commanded, “Seize them!”

Hearing this, Yang Shuangjiao and Wang Chunxing desperately tried to run inside the house, screaming, “No! Don’t take us!” But the servants swarmed them and quickly subdued them.

As they were being dragged away, Yang Shuangjiao glared viciously at the Shen family, cursing through her tears, “You heartless bastards! I curse you all to die miserable deaths! I curse the child in your belly never to be born!”

“Slap!”

Song Jingwei walked over and struck Yang Shuangjiao across the face. He could tolerate her insulting him, but he would not allow her to curse his child.

Yang Shuangjiao was stunned. She never imagined that Song Jingwei would actually hit her.

“Take them away!” the Wang family matriarch ordered. A servant quickly covered Yang Shuangjiao’s mouth, and the group left the Shen family’s house in a grand, imposing manner.

The farce had come and gone in the early morning, leaving only those inside the house standing there with complicated feelings. Some pitied Yang Shuangjiao, some resented her, and some simply looked down on her. They pitied her for her tragic end, resented her for being heartless, and despised her for sinking so low. But now that everything was over, no one wanted to mention her again.

“Daughter-in-law, don’t take it to heart… those were just empty words,” Yang Shi said cautiously. She watched as her daughter-in-law stood there, exuding a cold aura, and felt uneasy.

Even Shen Junxi didn’t dare to get too close. After a long moment, he finally moved forward hesitantly and tugged at Song Jingwei’s sleeve.

“I’m fine,” Song Jingwei said coldly, then turned and left the rarely-used guest room.

The three remaining Shen family members exchanged glances, seeing helplessness reflected in each other’s eyes.

Shen Dongming sighed. “This is all because of my sister-in-law. Why on earth did she insist on being a concubine? And then she even ran off with money… Ever since she came to our house, we haven’t had a single peaceful day.” His daughter-in-law hadn’t smiled at all since then. Though, to be fair, he never smiled much before either—but at least he didn’t always have a stiff expression.

“It’s all my fault, okay? She’s my sister,” Yang Shi grumbled, feeling frustrated. It wasn’t her fault that her sister turned out so disgraceful.

“It’s not your fault. You can’t be blamed for this,” Shen Dongming quickly comforted her. If he upset his wife, his days wouldn’t be easy.

Shen Junxi, seeing his mother’s distress, signed, “Mother, don’t be angry. It’s over now, and no one cares about it anymore.”

Yang Shi sighed. “I don’t even dare to say I don’t care. Your wife definitely took it to heart… Sigh, I should have kicked Yang Shuangjiao out sooner. If she had stayed for fewer days, maybe none of this would have happened.”

“No, my wife isn’t petty,” Shen Junxi signed, reassuring her. “I’ll go check on hijm and comfort him.”

Yang Shi agreed, “Yes, go coax him. He listens to you.” Deep down, the Shen couple hoped that Song Jingwei would actually listen to their son and be comforted.

“Alright.” Shen Junxi smiled. Though, in reality, Song Jingwei didn’t really listen to him. But with enough patience, maybe he would. After all, his wife wasn’t the petty type… just a little sharp-tongued.

“Go on then,” Yang Shi said, watching her son rush after his wife. She still felt uneasy. “Old Shen, what do you think…?”

“Let’s just trust our son,” Shen Dongming said, taking his wife’s hand and leading her back to their courtyard.

Since it was still early, Song Jingwei returned to his room, lay on the bed fully clothed, and tried to rest a little more. He had just closed his eyes when Shen Junxi sneaked in, peeking around. Seeing that Song Jingwei was lying on the bed, he quietly walked closer and leaned over to check if he was really asleep.

“Something wrong?” Song Jingwei opened his eyes and looked at him coolly.

Shen Junxi quickly signed, “No, nothing.” He sat down carefully on the edge of the bed, hesitated for a moment, then signed again, “Are you angry?”

“I’m just in a bad mood,” Song Jingwei exhaled lightly, closing his eyes again. This morning’s commotion had been exhausting. Lately, he had been feeling more irritable than before —anything displeasing would instantly get under his skin.

“Don’t be mad,” Shen Junxi signed softly, waving his fingers playfully in front of Song Jingwei’s eyes.

Song Jingwei said, “She cursed your son. How do you feel about that?”

Shen Junxi signed, “She deserved to be slapped. You were right to hit her. She’s hateful, but I don’t want you to be angry.” Facing his sulking spouse, he was a little scared too.

“Tch, she’s the first woman I’ve ever hit,” Song Jingwei remarked. But what really troubled him wasn’t that—it was the feeling that he had changed.

“It doesn’t matter,” Shen Junxi signed, then leaned in, intending to give him a hug, because his wife looked like he needed comfort.

“What are you doing?” Song Jingwei asked, blocking him with a single finger to stop him from coming closer.

“I want to hug you,” Shen Junxi signed honestly.

“Get lost…” Song Jingwei nudged him off the bed with his foot and said, “I just woke up and I’m starving. Go see if there’s anything to eat.”

Shen Junxi got up from the floor, dusted off his clothes, and grinned. “Okay.”

In the kitchen, Yang Shi saw her son coming out so soon and anxiously asked, “How did it go? Did your wife not let you in?” Maybe he had been blocked at the door the whole time.

Shen Junxi signed, “No, he’s fine now. He’s just hungry and shouting for food.”

“Pfft…” Yang Shi burst into laughter, her mood instantly lifting. “He’s pregnant—of course he gets hungry fast! Hurry and help me wash some vegetables. I’ll make him some noodles.” Truthfully, her daughter-in-law preferred the millet porridge she usually made, but since everyone had gotten up early today, the porridge wasn’t ready yet.

“Okay.” Shen Junxi rolled up his sleeves and picked out the freshest baby bok choy for his wife’s noodles, leaving the rest for their own meal.

“This morning really scared me,” Yang Shi muttered while preparing the noodles. “Your aunt didn’t tell us anything beforehand.” If she had known what kind of person she truly was, she would have dealt with her sooner. But even after more than twenty years, she hadn’t changed—she’d only gotten worse.

Shen Junxi, busy with his task, just smiled and nodded, showing he was listening. His mother rarely complained, and when she did, it was usually just to him.

“Thankfully, your wife has a broad heart, or who knows how he might blame us,” Yang Shi said with relief. In Chashan Village, there were plenty of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law feuds. Every time she heard about a fierce daughter-in-law fighting with her husband’s family, she felt uneasy, wondering what she would do if she ended up with one like that.

Shen Junxi shook his head. His wife didn’t seem resentful at all.

“I know he doesn’t blame us—that’s why I feel relieved,” Yang Shi said, finishing up the noodles. “Are the vegetables washed? Hand me two eggs.”

Shen Junxi quickly handed her the greens and then picked out two large, good-looking eggs for her.

Yang Shi skillfully cracked the eggs into the pot, stirring them with long chopsticks. Once they were cooked, she ladled everything into a big porcelain bowl, steam rising from the hot noodles.

“Here, take it to him. Be careful.”

Shen Junxi carefully carried the bowl, walking steadily through the small vegetable garden, past the veranda, and into their courtyard before reaching their room.

On the bed, Song Jingwei had already caught the scent. Even though he was sick of eating noodles all the time, he was truly hungry. He got up just as Shen Junxi turned around to look at him, flashing a bright smile.

“Such a big bowl,” Song Jingwei muttered, eyeing the oversized bowl that was even bigger than the one from the previous days. Was Yang Shi really raising him like a pig?

Shen Junxi pulled out a chair for him and signed, “Eat more.”

Song Jingwei didn’t hold back, sitting down and digging in. After a few big bites, he finally felt some relief in his stomach. No wonder Yang Shi was feeding him so much—his appetite had increased lately, and he was eating more than two grown men.

Shen Junxi stood aside, thinking to himself that two eggs might not be enough. Next time, he’d cook three for his wife.

By the time the rest of the Shen family sat down for breakfast, Song Jingwei was already too full. He had eaten an entire big bowl of egg noodles and was now feeling stuffed.

Shen Junxi was heading out to check on the construction site when Song Jingwei said, “I’ll go out for a walk with you.”

Yang Shi reacted strongly, saying, “Jingwei, where do you want to go? The ground outside is uneven—you shouldn’t go!”

“I’ll be careful. It’s fine,” Song Jingwei replied. If it were Shen Junxi worrying about him, he would’ve ignored it, but since it was Yang Shi, he felt a bit helpless.

Shen Junxi quickly squeezed his wife’s hand and then signed to his mother, “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll take good care of him.”

Since he insisted, Yang Shi had no choice but to reluctantly agree. “Just be extra careful! Don’t let anything happen!”

After countless reassurances, she finally let them leave.

Song Jingwei walked ahead with his hands behind his back, striding confidently, showing no sign that he was carrying children. Meanwhile, Shen Junxi followed anxiously behind, holding his hand, his face full of worry. The ground here was farmland, soft and uneven, and he was terrified that his wife might trip.