DDR – Chapter 79

Chapter 79: Return to the capital

All credit to original author: 独步云霄

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“Are we leaving tomorrow?” Shen Jingshu asked. She had spent most of her life in Jiangnan and her memories of the capital from her previous life were all extremely bad. Now that she was leaving, she was really reluctant.

“Mm, it’s almost New Year’s now. If we go back now, it would be just in time to prepare and we can avoid the roads being blocked with snow.”

“Really reluctant!” If it was possible, she would rather live here forever and be carefree but with her memories, it was impossible for her to give up. What’s more, even if those people said they didn’t care, would they stop?

Of course not!

“I can’t bear to leave,” Shen Wenhua agreed, “if the opportunity comes in the future, we should come back. This is our home after all!” He knew that his daughter had deep feelings for this place so of course he had nothing to say about her reluctance.

“Good!” Shen Jingshu smiled, putting down her hesitation. Now was the time to say goodbye and she was ready to leave. The only thing she couldn’t bear to part from was these people here.

Shen Zihan looked between his sister and father: “Sister, are we going to the capital? Are we not coming back in the future?” He was now eight years old and was very adorable. He had been hearing about their departure for the last few days and the most reluctant was him.

He had lived his whole life in Jiangnan and he really didn’t want to leave.

“Yes, we’re going back to see our grandmother and will live in the capital in the future.”

Shen Zihan frowned: “Then, when will we come back?”

His sister smiled: “If there is a chance, we will. Zihan, are you unwilling?”

“Well, I am a little.” Shen Zihan admitted, “But I heard from Teacher that there are better schools in the capital and the teachers are the best in the nation. I also want to go and see.” This was his first time leaving a familiar place and naturally he was nervous.

Shen Wenhua touched his son’s head: “Your teacher is correct. You are getting older now and going to the capital will be good for you.” Shen Zihan had always been a smart child and though he had never been to the capital, as Shen Wenhua’s eldest son, his education had never been lacking. Shen Wenhua put a lot of hopes on Shen Zihan’s future and would naturally never fail him.

His current teacher was a very talented scholar who specialized in the first few years of study. Although Shen Zihan was only eight, he had already participated in the Tongsheng exams and won first place. He was very well known in Jiangnan!

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However, Shen Wenhua didn’t want his son to stand out too much so he didn’t let Shen Zihan continue the exams. Instead, he had him stay at home and study a wider variety of subjects to become more well-rounded. Moreover, Shen Wenhua attached a lot of importance to his own relationship with his son and their communication. Compared to many other wealthy children, Shen Zihan had learned more than just what was in his books.

Shen Zihan looked at his sister, “Are we really leaving tomorrow?” When she nodded and repeated that they needed to avoid the snow, he sighed: “Alright, then I will have a good rest today as to not be too tired tomorrow.”

Shen Jingshu chuckled: “That is a good idea. Today, all of the servants will be dismissed and I’m afraid the house will seem very deserted. Don’t be scared!”

Her brother immediately pouted: “Sister, I’m already this old!” He knew that, since they were leaving, many of the servants had gone to find other jobs and Dan Yuerong had not stopped them. Now, only a handful of servants remained to guard the house while they were gone and the others had all left. It was indeed a lot more deserted than usual.

Looking at his brother’s growing face, Shen Jingshu smiled: “Okay! Our Zihan is a big child now!” In her previous life, there was no one to help her. She had been so scared and lonely, wasn’t it just because she didn’t have any close family? That’s why she now understood the importance of kinship. Otherwise, there would be no one to protect her, no one to help her or discuss her problems with. That life would never happen again!

In this life, she had the ability to protect herself and Zihan was getting bigger and bigger. Those people who wanted to calculate them would just have to see if they had the ability!

…

The day before they were to leave, Dan Yuerong distributed some money to the servants who were leaving and let them go their separate ways. The whole Shen manor was very quiet. Dan Yuerong looked at the empty courtyard and sighed. “Everyone is gone, let’s go. The house is empty and there are only a few people. I’m afraid that even more may leave in the future.”

She knew that the possibility of returning was extremely low and her memories of this place were very good. Dan Yuerong’s heart ached.

“Mother,” Shen Jingshu said, tugging on Dan Yuerong’s sleeve, “we will be back in the future!” No matter how far they went, this was her home.

“Ah, you’re right. We will be back eventually. I just don’t know when it will be.” Dan Yuerong smiled faintly.

Shen Jingshu smiled, holding her arm intimately: “What are you talking about? If there is a chance in the future and you want to come, just have Dad accompany you? Don’t worry, there are people guarding it. We can come back anytime we want.” After all, their businesses here couldn’t be abandoned. “Mother should rest early.”

“Alright, let’s rest. We’ll be on our way soon!”

Dan Yuerong returned to her room where Wenhua was waiting. After a few months of packing, almost everything was gone. Except for a few things that could not be taken, Dan Yuerong had sold or packed nearly everything. Dan Yuerong looked around and couldn’t help but sigh again: “Wenhua, we are leaving tomorrow and haven’t been back for many years. I don’t know what the situation in the capital is like now? I can’t even remember what our house looked like.” There were too many bad memories there, she had deliberately chosen to forget everything.

Wenhua took her hand. “I don’t remember either, we won’t know until we go back. Don’t think about it for now! This place will always be our home. If you want to return in the future, we will come back and live. Or we can move here when we are old.” When he resigned from his office, wouldn’t the family be able to travel as they wished?

Dan Yuerong laughed: “That’s a great idea, I’m looking forward to it.” Although Shen Wenhua put a nice face on it, she knew that once they returned to the capital, many things would be out of their control. Especially when they were older, how would they stand the journey to Jiangnan? However, since Wenhua could say that, Dan Yuerong was happy and naturally wouldn’t pick out the flaws.

“Rest early,” Shen Wenhua told her gently. “The journey tomorrow will be hard, it’s better to sleep a little more.”

Dan Yuerong agreed but there were too many things on her mind and her sleep that night was uneasy. The next day, everyone woke up early for the long drive.

Everyone who needed to say goodbye had said goodbye but there were still many people who came to see them off. The crowd on the street surrounded them on either side, which surprised Shen Wenhua. “You…”

“Master Shen, we heard that you are leaving and came to see you off!” Some of the people told him. Shen Wenhua was an honest and fair official and had solved many practical issues in Jiangnan over the years. The people were naturally very grateful and hearing that he was going to leave, they were reluctant to see him go. It was just that he had already stayed too long for them, how could they continue to hinder him?

“Thank you,” Shen Wenhua told them warmly, “you should go back. It’s cold, be careful not to freeze.” From the looks of everyone, it was clear they had been waiting for a long time. His heart was warm. Looking at these people and the bustling city, and then at the scene when he first arrive, Shen Wenhua felt like a lifetime had passed.

“Master Shen, walk slowly!” The people shouted, “Master Shen is blessed! Master Shen, have a smooth journey!” All the people along the road knelt, showing the prestige of Shen Wenhua in the hearts of the people. It was thanks to him that they had lived a good life these last ten years. Moreover, Jiangnan was in good condition and the people were well-fed. Shen Wenhua had done this for them and they were all grateful in their hearts.

“Thank you! Go back, go back!” The Shen family got into the carriages and left. When they arrived at the city gate, they saw Yang Huilan and Kong Xinhe had come to see them off. Yang Huilan in particular looked like she was living more comfortably than before.

She smiled at Shen Jingshu and said: “This parting is too sad. I didn’t want to come but if I didn’t, who knows if I will see you again so of course I had to come. You will meet many people in the capital, so don’t forget about me in the future!” The rims of her eyes were red. Yang Huilan really couldn’t bear to see her go.

“Idiot,” Shen Jingshu said affectionately, “how could I forget you? Take good care of yourself! If you have the opportunity to visit me in the capital, come! I will also come visit you. We are good friends for life!” Shen Jingshu couldn’t help wiping away tears. “Okay, you’re already a mother now, so don’t cry anymore and make people laugh. It’s not like we can’t meet in the future, like parting from life and death!”

“What did you say!” Yang Huilan smacked her, “That is not auspicious, take it back!”

Shen Jingshu laughed, dodging her: “Okay, I’ll take it back! But don’t cry anymore. Remember to write to me if you have something to say, don’t carry everything by yourself, understand?”

Yang Huilan nodded: “I understand, don’t worry.”

“And don’t always feel wronged!” Shen Jingshu continued, “Sometimes you have to say what needs to be said and you have to win for yourself. In my heart, you’ve always been the most straightforward. Don’t let me down! If I see you living a hard life in the future, always wronged,  I won’t recognize you as my friend!”

“Okay, I get it! You’re so long-winded!” Yang Huilan complained, stopping her tears. She smiled: “Go talk to Xinhe, I won’t delay you anymore. I’ve figured things out for myself, I even wrote you a letter!”

Shen Jingshu looked at Kong Xinhe: “Did you have something to tell me?”

Kong Xinhe smiled: “We will come and find you in the spring of next year. Don’t worry about Huilan, I will stay and help her here. Be careful in the capital!” Although Kong Xinhe and Chen Feng wanted to go with Shen Jingshu and her family, the business in Jiangnan still needed to be organized and handed over to the new manager and it was currently impossible to leave.

“I understand,” Shen Jingshu assured her, taking her hand. “You take care too! Write if you have anything to say.”

Kong Xinhe nodded tearfully. “Alright, I don’t have anything else to add and we won’t keep delaying your trip.” They had already said their goodbyes but now that she was actually leaving, their eyes were inevitably red.

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Saying a final goodbye, Shen Jingshu got back in the carriage and didn’t look back as it directly left.

“Goodbye! Safe journey!” Yang Huilan called. Seeing that Shen Jingshu was really gone, she couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. “Xinhe, is she really gone?” She whispered, “I really won’t see her again? I’m so unwilling!”

Kong Xinhe took her hand and smiled: “If you really want to see her, of course you can, don’t worry!”

“I really envy you,” Yang Huilan admitted, “You can follow her to the capital but I will be alone.”

“You can go too! We will always welcome you!” Kong Xinhe said firmly, “But even without us, you still have your children and your husband, you aren’t alone.”

Yang Huilan took a deep breath. “You’re right! We’ve sent off Jingshu and we will met again, though I don’t know when.”

“Right!” The two girls exchanged smiles.

Back in the carriage, Shen Jingshu was staring out the curtains. Although she didn’t look back, her heart was really sour. She was so familiar with grass and trees here, seeing them pass by made her even more hesitant when she thought of the capital.

Was she really going to go back? Go back and take back everything that was stolen by those people: Second uncle, second aunt, and her cousin. In her past life they had taken everything from her but in this life, she would never let them succeed.

She would give them a taste of a life worse than death!

…

Despite leaving early, they still encountered a snowstorm so the journey was very slow. It took almost a month to finally arrive at the capital. Shen Jingshu and her family were all tightly wrapped in thick padded jackets. When they reached the city, it was snowing and everything was covered in a layer of silver. There were few people out walking around. Compared to Jiangnan, it was very different.

Jiangnan was much warmer than the capital and people were used to walking around. Coming here, Shen Jingshu felt that it was extremely cold and the north wind was like a knife cutting at people’s faces. Dan Yuerong had known the weather in the capital would be cold and had prepared thick clothing for everyone in advance. Just putting on one of the heavy cloaks made a person feel more alive! But after getting off the carriage, Shen Jingshu still felt cold.

“Sister, the weather in the capital is much worse than Jiangnan,” Shen Zihan said thoughtfully. “It hasn’t snowed like this in Jiangnan for many years. Everything is white and it’s so cold, my mouth feels like it’s full of ice!” As someone born and raised in Jiangnan, it was really hard to adjust to this kind of cold. It was good that he was older, otherwise he might not have been able to survive the journey.

“Don’t talk for now, it’s still snowing.” Shen Jingshu told him, adjusting his cloak. “Stay in the carriage and pull the curtain down, don’t let in the wind and snow or you’ll freeze and be sick later.” Although his body had always been strong, Shen Jingshu was still a little worried.

After all, the south and the north were different. In her previous life, she had been unaccustomed to the weather and was often sick for over a year, off and on. News of her poor health got out and she got a reputation for being weak, so many people didn’t care about her.

In this life, she wouldn’t make this mistake again.

“Sister, I’m just curious about the capital. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine!” Shen Zihan was not a weak scholar, he had also learned marital arts and his body was naturally stronger than the average person.

Shen Jingshu sighed: “Okay, okay. It’s just that your body might be hurt if you aren’t used to it. You will need to drink some ginger soup when we get there.”

Shen Zihan was very obedient to Shen Jingshu: “Good sister, I understand!” Knowing that his sister was proficient in medicine, he was no longer naughty. He sat in the carriage and felt that even with the burner, the carriage was very cold. “This weather really freezes a person to death! I don’t know how the people here can stand it. I like the weather in Jiangnan, it’s like spring all year round. Much better.”

“Don’t mention this when we get back, otherwise Grandmother will hear you and she won’t like it!” Shen Jingshu warned him. Along the way, she had talked for a long time with Shen Zihan about their grandmother. She wanted him to understand what kind of person she was so that the Old Madam Shen couldn’t come between them.

He nodded seriously: “I understand, I won’t say it.” Know that Shen Zihan knew that his grandmother was dissatisfied with his mother, he was also not satisfied with his grandmother. However, Shen Jingshu had taught him to be respectful to his elders since he was little, so he wouldn’t be rude.

After reading books for so many years, he understood some truths. Don’t look at how he was just eight years old, he knew a lot about the world.

“It’s good to be reserved.” Shen Jingshu nodded. “We haven’t seen grandmother in a while, so be sure to salute properly and don’t neglect anything, alright?” Old Madam Shen was partial to the second branch and these two siblings hadn’t been home in a long time, so naturally they didn’t have any closeness with her.

Shen Jingshu was already prepared for this and wanted to cultivate a good relationship with Old Madam Shen so that she would not blame their alienation on Dan Yuerong.

In the end, she was their paternal grandmother. Although the Old Madam Shen in her previous life did not value her as much as the second branch, she had been an orphan and needed constant support until she married out. To the Old Madam Shen, Shen Jing Shu was a complicated matter.

Shen Zihan nodded. Since grandmother didn’t like their mother, of course he couldn’t cause more trouble for her.

…

The two siblings talked all the way to the Shen Manor. When they arrived, a servant called: “Eldest Master, First Madam, Eldest Miss, Eldest Master, we have arrived!”

Everyone got down from the carriages and looked at the gates of the Shen residence. As expected of a century old scholar family, the Shen’s main residence and the Shen residence in Jiangnan were completely incomparable. Even just the two stone lions at the gate, which were exquisite and gave people a sense of awe.

As soon as they got off, the news spread. After a few minutes, someone came to the gates and called: “Big brother, big sister-in-law, you are back!” This was Shen Wenhua’s younger brother, Shen Wenli. The two brothers were somewhat similar. However, Shen Wenhua was taller and, maybe because of his personality, Shen Wenhua gave off a refined feeling. Shen Wenli was relatively looser and when he joked, he seemed unreliable.

“Second brother!” Shen Wenhua nodded. His relationship with his younger brother was neither good nor bad. Although the two were full brothers, their personalities were not well matched.

Shen Wenli smiled widely: “Mother has been waiting for big brother and big sister-in-law for a long time, please come quickly! Mother is very happy to hear you are back!” He motioned for them to enter the door. His attitude made him seem like a host inviting in Shen Wenhua and the others as guests. Shen Wenhua had not been home for many years and Shen Wenli had been living happily in the Shen residence.

“Okay, we will see Mother first, go put everything away.” Shen Wenhua said to his servants.

“Hehe, big brother has been in Jiangnan for many years, I’m sure you’ve collected a lot of good things?” Why don’t you let me take a look sometime? Let me expand my knowledge!” Shen Wenli’s eyes were glued to the carriage as if he could see through them to the big boxes inside. His eyes were very bright and it could be seen that this was a man who was good at calculating.

Shen Wenhua smiled faintly: “What is second brother saying? Jiangnan is rich but I’m not a corrupt official, so where would I get a lot of good things?” Even if there were some good things, they were bought by Shen Wenhua himself. Those were things that he liked very much and wouldn’t want taken away by this tacky younger brother.

“What does big brother mean! How can family be so polite? I just wanted to take a look, I didn’t ask big brother what he had. Why is big brother so nervous?” After listening to Shen Wenhua, Shen Wenli was a little disdainful. In his opinion, an official that was not greedy was just stupid. Who would not gain any benefits being in Jiangnan for so many years?

His brother refused but since he wanted to, this didn’t matter. Shen Wenli would find a way!

“Let’s go see Mother first,” Shen Wenhua changed the topic. “I haven’t seen her for many years and I am overdue.” He was well aware that his younger brother was greedy for money and very petty so Shen Wenhua wouldn’t bother over this matter. Shen Wenli also knew that it was useless to say more and didn’t press.

“Yes, Mother has missed big brother these last few years. Since she knew you were coming back, she has been looking at the moon and stars. Where is there room for me in her eyes?” In fact, Old Madam Shen loved her younger soon very much. Her eldest son had been very intelligent and independent since he was a child and was mostly raised by Old Master Shen, so her relationship with him was weaker. On the other hand, her younger son depended on her a lot and had a sweet mouth. He was very good at coaxing her, so she naturally felt much closer to him.

“Let’s go!”

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Though the party’s steps were calm, their pace was a quicker than normal. At the same time, Old Madam Shen was waiting for Shen Wenhua. She hadn’t seen this son for many years and was a little worried, asking: “Is Wenhua back? Didn’t they say he was at the door? Why isn’t he here yet?”

“Don’t worry, Old Madam.” One of her maids coaxed, “Second master has already gone in person to pick them up and will be here soon.” Seeing Old Madam Shen like this, her old maid knew what she was worrying about. “Old Madam, the eldest master is at the door and will be here soon!”

“Really? Quick, help me sit down over there. I need to be ready for him to kowtow.” After not seeing her son for many years, Old Madam Shen’s thoughts were deep. He hadn’t seen her for a long time and, feeling uncomfortable, she wanted to show off.

“Yes, Old Madam!” The maid helped the elderly woman to sit down. When Shen Wenhua arrived, it happened that he was just in time to see her sit down but he couldn’t see her expression. He quickly knelt down and said: “Son greets Mother, I hope you are in good health!”

Dan Yuerong, who was at his side, saw him salute and quickly brought her children to follow him. “Mother is well, daughter-in-law greets Mother!”

“Grandmother is well, grandson and granddaughter greets Grandmother!” The two siblings called.

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Chapter 78

Chapter 80