"Crack!"
With a clap of thunder, Lu Yu's eyes snapped open.
A flood of memories, like venomous snakes, surged into Lu Yu's mind.
"Hiss..." Lu Yu shook his head. "What is all this mess?"
Getting out of bed and looking around, Lu Yu found it hard to believe. "I've transmigrated?" Such a fantastical thing actually happened to me?
Adhering to the principle of accepting what has happened, Lu Yu still had to secure his living situation. He couldn't just starve or freeze to death right after transmigrating. If that were the case, it would have been better to be struck dead by that lightning bolt.
After carefully examining the room he was in, Lu Yu found it wasn't too bad. There were some valuable decorative items, but they seemed to have not been cleaned for a long time, with a layer of dust obscuring their original luster. The overall atmosphere felt rather stuffy.
However, these environmental issues were things he could change with his own efforts. It was a small matter, a triviality.
Lu Yu slowly smoothed his chest with one hand, "Hoo... hoo..." Lu Yu took deep breaths, calming his somewhat excited mood, and sat on the edge of the bed to roughly organize the jumbled memories.
Lu Yu stared blankly ahead, then calmly accepted the information that this was a female-dominated world and other related details. After all, having gone through so much, he wouldn't be surprised even if he were told he had changed sex.
Finally, Lu Yu pursed his lips, took a deep breath, and grudgingly accepted his current situation.
"Rumble."
The thunder was accompanied by a bright flash of lightning, making one suspect that heaven was punishing those who had done evil.
Startled by the thunder, Lu Yu scrambled out of bed. Following the memory of where things were kept, he found a few candles and lit them using the already burning one.
He lay back down on the bed, his thoughts drifting. He wondered if the delicate-looking young husband-to-be, who was about to marry him, would be afraid.
Meanwhile, the fiancé Lu Yu was thinking about, Shen Xuan, was currently kneeling in the rain.
"Scoundrel! Scoundrel!" The floor inside was littered with broken teacups. Shen Mu's face was ashen as she furiously berated Shen Xuan in the rain.
"You are truly something else, Shen Xuan! You've completely disgraced the Shen family!" Shen Mu clutched her chest, breathing with difficulty, as if about to faint from anger.
"Wife, your health is important. Don't be angry with Xiao Xuan for now. Xiao Xuan surely didn't do it on purpose for others to see."
Zhao Liu anxiously tried to calm Shen Mu, but as he turned, he subtly hooked his lips and glanced at Shen Jia. Shen Jia immediately reacted, "Mother, my second brother, he, he might have had some hidden difficulties?"
The father and son's synchronized words ignited Shen Mu's rage. She rushed to the door and shouted at Shen Xuan, "Then you shamelessly seduced your own brother's wife? How could I have a son as shameless as you!"
"Mother, please don't be angry. Although Lu Yu is my betrothed wife, if second brother likes her so much, I can give her to him."
"Wife, why don't we let Xiao Xuan come in first? This matter needs a solution. It's raining so heavily, if Xiao Xuan catches a cold, how can he get married the day after tomorrow?"
"You, get in here!" Shen Mu commanded sternly.
Shen Xuan pushed himself up from the ground, swaying slightly before finally standing steady. He stumbled into the main hall.
A bolt of lightning suddenly flashed across the dark sky, illuminating the entire room before being swallowed by darkness in an instant, as if it had never happened.
In this brief moment, Shen Xuan's pale face and wet hair were clearly visible. Zhao Liu was startled and tightly grasped Shen Mu's sleeve.
Shen Mu acted as if she hadn't seen anything. She ordered the servants to close the doors and windows, light more candles, and watched Shen Xuan continue to kneel on the ground with cold eyes.
Shen Xuan knelt quietly below. Seeing this, Shen Mu's heart felt like it was doused with oil, burning hotter and hotter. "Shen Xuan, as a man, do you have any sense of shame? You throw yourself at any attractive woman you see. Now that it's common knowledge, where am I supposed to put my old face!"
"Why can't you learn from your brother and give me less trouble!"
"You've been like a mute since you were little." Shen Mu kicked Shen Xuan to the ground.
"I don't know her." A hoarse voice slowly emerged from Shen Xuan's mouth, a stark contrast to his original voice.
The slap mark on his face still ached. Shen Xuan, kicked to the ground, was a picture of utter dejection.
Shen Jia, suppressing a laugh, spoke up, "Second brother, if you like her, tell your brother. I will definitely give her to you. Why sneak around to see her and ruin your reputation, only to deny knowing her now?"
"Shen Xuan, it is an undeniable fact that you have not upheld your wifely duties. You will go over the day after tomorrow. Your brother still needs to be married off to a good family, and he cannot be delayed by you."
Shen Mu gave him an impatient glance. Seeing that he remained silent, she simply sent him back to his room to reflect and await his marriage.
"Truly, misfortune befalls this family, misfortune!" Shen Mu watched Shen Xuan trudge away in the heavy rain, her eyes filled with anger.
She then slowly sat down in a chair, sighed, and looked at Shen Jia tiredly. "Jia'er, thankfully I have you, who is obedient and sensible. Don't worry, Mother will surely find you a good marriage, and this matter will not affect you."
With that, she waved her hand, signaling Zhao Liu to help her back to her room.
Shen Xuan returned to his room and slowly sat down on a chair, leaning on the armrest. Afu followed closely behind.
"Plop." Afu knelt on the ground, not daring to look up. The room was eerily quiet, with only the occasional thunder from outside and the patter of raindrops on leaves and the ground. The temperature in the room had dropped to freezing.
After a long while, Shen Xuan looked down at Afu and gave a soft, bitter smile. "Afu, boil some hot water for me, and get me a clean set of clothes." Afu looked up at Shen Xuan, then quickly lowered his head and bowed in assent.
The room was dimly lit. Shen Xuan seemed to be staring intently at one spot, but his mind had gone blank.
Shen Xuan knew that this entire affair was a trap set by Zhao Liu to help Shen Jia escape his engagement with Lu Yu. However, he couldn't refute it, and his words were difficult to articulate.
Moreover, since the matter was widely known, his mother would surely marry him off to Lu Yu to preserve their reputation.
What was most important to him now was his maternal grandfather's illness. Nothing else mattered.
Ever since his father's difficult childbirth and death, his maternal grandfather had been bedridden, and his maternal grandmother's health had also declined significantly. The family business had plummeted. His maternal grandmother had sought all sorts of medical treatments for his grandfather, spending all their wealth, but his grandfather's condition showed no improvement.
His mother forbade him from contacting his maternal family. Each time, he could only have Afu impersonate him and stay in the courtyard, while he secretly went out to visit his maternal grandfather. Fortunately, few people ever came to this courtyard, so no one would notice.
Upon hearing that his maternal grandfather's health was deteriorating rapidly and he was on his deathbed, Shen Xuan was consumed by anxiety and lost his composure.
Just then, Afu overheard his father mentioning a divine doctor in the northern part of the city who could cure all illnesses. Shen Xuan had no time to spare and continued to use his usual methods, sneaking out through a hole in the wall to find the divine doctor and secure a glimmer of hope for his maternal grandfather.
Unfortunately, Afu's father had long been bribed by Zhao Liu, who deliberately spread this news to lure him to the northern part of the city.
Now, he could only hope that this news would not reach his maternal grandfather's ears. His grandfather was already so frail; he feared he couldn't withstand such a blow.
"Young Master, Young Master?" A trembling voice brought Shen Xuan back to his senses.
Afu stood by with his head bowed, holding clean clothes, but not daring to look up. Shen Xuan, standing three steps away, could almost feel Afu's rapid breathing.
"Young Master, the hot water is ready, and here are the clean clothes. I, I will leave now." Afu's voice was so low it was almost inaudible.
"Mm," Shen Xuan responded faintly. He took the clothes and set them aside, then turned to enter the adjoining room to bathe.
After Afu left, he did not return to the servants' quarters but went directly to find his father.