This scene, Zhang Jian could only describe with four words in his mind: "Time flows gently, all is well."
So this is love.
It was at that moment that he truly accepted Shen Li as his brother-in-law.
His sister had endured half a life of hardship, and perhaps Shen Li was sent by heaven to redeem her. No matter how difficult life may be, there is always someone in this world who comes just for you.
Only for you.
Later, Zhang Jian told this story to Shen You’an with a tone of wonder, jokingly saying that she was born so beautiful, it must be because her parents were too deeply in love.
She was unfortunate, losing her parents at a young age.
But she was also fortunate because she was the crystallization of her parents’ love, brought into this world filled with expectations and tenderness.
Shen You’an had once imagined that scene: her father embracing her mother, reading poetry to her under the lamplight—how romantic and moving.
It turns out, the romance of a lover stems from the power of inheritance.
Shen Qiunong was stunned: "Your father?"
Yu Yisen looked up from his poetry book and smiled at the young woman who had entered the room: "He must have been a gentleman."
Shen You’an chuckled: "Like you."
Her eyes felt warm, but she lifted her head to suppress the tears. She placed the tray on the bedside table.
"Drink your medicine."
She handed the bowl to Yu Yisen, "Drink it while it’s warm."
Then she picked up another bowl, stirring it carefully with a spoon before offering a spoonful to Shen Qiunong’s lips.
Shen Qiunong hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, and said, "This is an extremely rare ginseng soup, it’s likely to be centuries old. The Yu family wouldn’t spare such a valuable treasure for us."
Shen Qiunong was born into wealth and privilege; she had tasted and seen the finest of things since childhood. After losing her sight, her hearing and sense of smell became acutely sensitive—no one could deceive her.
"The Yu family wouldn’t spare it, but I would."
Shen Qiunong’s hollow eyes searched forward: "You..."
Shen You’an took out the Golden Core again, splitting it in half and handing one piece to Yu Yisen.
"Take it with the ginseng water."
Yu Yisen accepted the Golden Core and studied it carefully.
Shen Qiunong’s nostrils flared slightly: "This is the Leng family’s Rejuvenation Golden Core."
Years ago, when she was still the daughter of wealthy overseas merchants, rumors about the Leng family’s miraculous pharmaceuticals had spread among the affluent circles abroad.
Especially the Leng family’s exclusive Rejuvenation Golden Core, refined from incredibly rare celestial treasures, it was exceptionally scarce, worth a fortune.
One of her father’s friends, as wealthy as a nation, had gone to great lengths to obtain one, yet couldn’t bear to use it. When visiting her uncle’s residence as a guest, her uncle had proudly displayed the Golden Core to her.
She could never forget the scent of the Golden Core.
This Golden Core in front of her was even purer and more refined than the one her wealthy uncle possessed.
Yu Yisen’s pupils trembled, and he abruptly looked up at Shen You’an.
There was absolutely no way the Yu family would offer such a precious item to them. Who was this girl in front of him, to possess something so valuable and give it to them with such ease? Why would she do this?
After all, what use could two elderly people, abandoned by the world and on their deathbeds, possibly have?
He couldn’t understand.
Shen Qiunong suddenly smiled lightly, without saying anything, placing the Golden Core in her mouth and swallowing it with the ginseng water.
Seeing his wife do this, Yu Yisen silently followed suit.
"It’s late, you should rest early."
Shen You’an checked their pulses and left the room after ensuring their wellbeing.
Her footsteps gradually disappeared into the snowstorm as Yu Yisen sat on the bed and said to Shen Qiunong: "Isn’t that girl a bit peculiar?"
Shen Qiunong turned over in bed: "I only know she would never hurt us. Get some sleep."
"But..." Yu Yisen wanted to say more, but Shen Qiunong closed her eyes.
Yu Yisen was deeply immersed in academic achievements, yet in life, he was somewhat dense, unlike his wife’s perceptiveness. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been harmed so badly by Mei Lvge.
When the lights went out, he lay down, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make sense of it.
Yet that night, fuddled as he was, he slept more soundly than he had in years—a deep and satisfying slumber.
After leaving the room, Shen You’an ventured out into the snowy night.
Chong Ming’s eyes brimmed with tears: "Boss, are you leaving me again?"
"Be good. I’ll be back soon, and then we’ll spend the New Year’s Eve together."
Chong Ming’s eyes widened: "Really, really?"
Shen You’an gazed at the swirling snow, her pitch-black irises icy and shadowed.
"Some people have enjoyed their freedom for too long. It’s time they paid for their sins."
With those words, her lean and slender figure disappeared swiftly into the snowy expanse.
Four Seasons Manor was blanketed in snow. In the distance, Wansui Mountain loomed like a majestic, snow-covered peak, the landscape growing even more desolate.
The snow fell all night, finally ceasing by morning.
In the northwest corner of the manor, within Songhe Courtyard, there was an atmosphere of tension.
Servant girls dared not breathe too loudly, their movements slowed down, fearing to disturb the master inside.
"Aaaah! A ghost...!"
A piercing scream tore through the skies, sending shivers down spines.
Since midnight, she had been tormented by relentless panic, alternately crying out about ghosts and mumbling incoherent nonsense, appearing utterly deranged.
Mei Lvge lay on the bed, her hair dry and completely white, her wrinkled face now unable to hold up her features. The dark circles under her eyes were severe, and her eye sockets were deeply sunken. Once a spirited and robust matriarch, she now looked as though she had aged ten years overnight, her skeletal frame frighteningly gaunt.
In the past, the old lady had been so vain. Among women her age, most were shriveled and unkempt, but she would dye her hair, lift her skin, and paint her nails, refusing to let age define her—a woman fiercely admired for her vitality.
But now, she was delirious and screaming like a madwoman, trapped in a terrifying nightmare from which she could not awaken.
Han Yue was panicking, pacing in circles: "Has the doctor still not arrived?"
Doctor Wu had always stayed at the manor to care for the matriarch’s health. She had been kept strong by a regimen of potent medicines and never needed much attention. Who could have expected her sudden attack of terror in the dead of night, while Doctor Wu lay drunk and incapacitated?
Han Yue tried contacting her husband, asking him to fetch a doctor from Mingren Hospital, but the snowstorm had been too fierce last night, making travel impossible, delaying their arrival all this time.
If the situation dragged on any longer, the matriarch could be in grave danger.