Shen Yunyuan left much earlier than Su Xiaoqi knew.
He carried his maternal grandmother, Old Madam Yu, back home and, finding that Su Xiaoqi hadn't returned with him, immediately went out to look for her.
When Zhao Hai'e turned with Su Xiaoqi towards the path leading to the ancestral hall, he followed them all the way.
He saw everything that happened between the three of them there and heard everything that was said.
Zhao Hai'e plotted with malicious intent, Su Xiaoqi boldly walked into the trap, and Su Jiamo remained persistent in his wicked designs.
Furthermore, Zhao Hai'e's mention of keeping watch was actually a ruse to come to the Shen family to catch him in the act.
All these events revealed to him Zhao Hai'e's sinister intentions.
Su Jiamo's selfishness and hypocrisy, and Su Xiaoqi's…
He couldn't quite describe how she was at that moment, but she was certainly not the selfish bride he had married.
She seemed to have transformed into someone else, someone a thousand, even ten thousand times better than before.
But who was she, and where did she come from?
As dawn broke, Su Xiaoqi woke to find Shen Yun already awake and writing at his desk.
She knew that in the book, Shen Yun's calligraphy and paintings were unparalleled, surpassing all scholars. With a cheerful smile, she went forward to admire his work.
Upon seeing it, his handwriting was elegant and flowing, with sharp brushstrokes, truly possessing the style of a master.
"You write so beautifully!" Su Xiaoqi exclaimed, her mind already formulating a plan.
She remembered that in the book, after Shen Yun became a high-ranking official, his paintings and calligraphy sold for thousands of taels of silver each.
Later, they became exceedingly difficult to obtain because he no longer lacked money and stopped selling his artwork.
The pieces circulating in the market were all masterpieces.
A thought struck her, and she licked her dry lips before stepping forward to ask, "Could you give me one?"
Shen Yun looked up, his gaze meeting Su Xiaoqi's direct, covetous eyes.
Of course, it wasn't covetousness for carnal matters; what it was for, Shen Yun couldn't quite grasp at the moment.
But his intuition told him that Su Xiaoqi harbored ulterior motives. He asked casually,
"What do you want it for?"
"Uh, nothing in particular. I just like looking at your beautiful writing, so I wanted to see it every day," Su Xiaoqi fabricated an excuse.
Shen Yun replied with mock seriousness, "That's simple. From now on, when I write, you can grind the ink for me, and then you can see it every day."
Su Xiaoqi's delicate eyebrows furrowed. "That might not be suitable. I'm clumsy; I can cook and manage the fire, but grinding ink isn't really my forte."
Damn it, she hadn't gotten the calligraphy and paintings, and now she was saddled with arduous labor. She wouldn't have it.
Shen Yun finished writing a long couplet, put down his wolf-hair brush, raised his hand, and took Su Xiaoqi's, turning it over to examine.
Her fingers were long and slender, but there were calluses at the base of her fingers.
This was definitely not the hand of the eldest daughter of the Su family, the wealthiest merchant in Mianzhou City.
He became even more certain that the woman before him was not the eldest daughter of the Su family to whom he was betrothed.
But did it matter? As long as she was his wife, it was enough.
"Is it unsuitable, or are you unwilling?" Shen Yun knew her thoughts as soon as he held her hand.
Su Xiaoqi rolled her eyes, feeling as though Shen Yun could see through her thoughts. She decided to be forthright,
"It's not that I'm unwilling, it's just that I'm too busy. Ah, if you don't want to give it, then forget it." She would find another opportunity to ask later.
One painting at a time, she would collect them and wait for their value to appreciate.
Shen Yun suddenly relented, "If you grind ink for me, I'll give you as many as you want."
"Alright." Shen Yun's offer was too generous, and Su Xiaoqi readily agreed.
She withdrew her hand and hooked her finger, calculating. Shen Yun's paintings sold the best, fetching thousands of taels.
If he painted one a month, she would have to stay for at least a few more months to collect seven or eight.
Tsk, tens of thousands of taels of silver would be hers. The thought alone made her heart race.
Fortunately, Shen Yun did not see her inner thoughts this time and was unaware of her calculations, or he would have been so enraged he might have spat blood.
For several days, Shen Yun continued to write and paint until he exhausted all the Xuan paper and ink sticks at home, then he headed to the county town.
It was both to deliver his work and to replenish his writing supplies.
Su Xiaoqi's back injury had just healed, and she didn't want to walk much, so she stayed home with Shen Erdan and Shen Xiaomei to dry medicinal herbs.
"This is Sanqi, yellowish-black, looking like dry Rehmannia root, the easiest to identify. It's very useful, good for reducing inflammation and stopping bleeding.
This one with roots like connected pearls and a yellowish color is also easy to recognize; it's called Huanglian."
"I know, I know! Sister-in-law added Huanglian to the soup she made for my elder brother that day," Shen Xiaomei exclaimed loudly.
Su Xiaoqi recalled Shen Yun's plight of suffering in silence after being forced to take Huanglian, and she couldn't help but smile.
Her smile was pure and unadulterated, causing Shen Xiaomei to become lost in thought and involuntarily exclaim, "Sister-in-law is truly beautiful."
"Clap, clap, clap..." The sound of applause echoed from the doorway.
Su Xiaoqi glanced sideways and saw Su Jiamo leaning against the doorframe. Her face immediately turned cold, and she said unhappily,
"What are you doing here?"
Su Jiamo was unfazed by her attitude and chuckled.
"Good sister, I am your second brother; there's no harm in me visiting, right?" He then turned to Shen Xiaomei, "You're right, my sister is indeed beautiful."
Otherwise, why would he be so constantly smitten!
Su Xiaoqi's expression soured. She took a step forward, intending to close the door. "You are not welcome here."
She had finally managed to establish herself in the Shen family and regain the trust of Madam Zhao and her two children.
At this moment, she absolutely did not want this detestable fellow to appear before them, reminding them of the foolish things the original owner had done.
"Sister, I have no other intentions. I really just came to see you, and I've brought some food for you.
Look, these are sweet potato cakes, and these are chestnut cakes that you like…"
Su Jiamo had indeed come with gifts, bringing a pile of flashy but unsubstantial pastries. He pushed them into Su Xiaoqi's hands as he spoke.
In Su Xiaoqi's mind, she wanted to take the pastries and hurl them at his head.
She intended to drive him away before Madam Zhao heard any commotion.
As she raised her hand to strike, she happened to see Madam Zhao coming out with Old Madam Yu on her back to get some sun.
Su Jiamo quickly held up the small pastries and rushed over, showering Old Madam Yu with flattery.
He praised her good spirits, her youthful appearance, and her good fortune.
Old Madam Yu listened and laughed heartily. After a while, she remembered to ask who this person was.
Madam Zhao naturally recognized him, and her face immediately fell.
However, she had to respond to her mother-in-law's words.
"Xiaoqi's elder brother from her maternal family." She emphasized the word "brother" and her gaze towards Su Xiaoqi also turned somewhat displeased.
Some things she thought she had selectively forgotten.
But seeing him now, she realized she couldn't forget.
"Oh, my dear, it's a relative from your in-laws' side. You are too kind. You didn't have to go to such expense to visit." Old Madam Yu's eyes lit up at the sight of the colorful gift boxes, and she eagerly reached out to accept them.
Su Jiamo cast a triumphant glance at Su Xiaoqi.
She turned her face away, thinking that earlier, when she saw Old Madam Yu scolding Madam Zhao and others, forbidding them from using her dowry, she had thought her to be a righteous person.
How could she have lost her principles upon seeing these miscellaneous pastries?
After accepting the gifts, Su Jiamo was invited to stay for a meal at the Shen household.
Su Xiaoqi reluctantly hid the white rice and meat, and steamed black bean buns.
She had now recovered all of the original owner's memories and knew that the Su family had never provided her with any respectable dowry.
Therefore, she could not use the excuse of using her dowry to buy rice in front of Su Jiamo.
During the meal, Su Jiamo was glib-tongued and eloquent, chatting happily with Old Madam Yu, who had benefited from his attentions.
Madam Zhao and Su Xiaoqi, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, both found him displeasing.
Shen Xiaomei and Shen Erdan, sensing the awkward atmosphere at the table, like tools, silently buried their heads in their black bean buns.
After lunch, Old Madam Yu was going for her midday nap. With no one to protect him, Su Xiaoqi immediately turned hostile, drove him out of the main hall, and pushed him towards the courtyard entrance.