Chapter 87: Self-made, self-study
All credit to original author: 独步云霄
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Chun Mei sighed: “Isn’t it? In the Jiangnan, it wasn’t so cold as it is now! Look at that maid outside, she’s wearing such a thick jacket, she can’t bear it. It’s still some time before spring, though, so what can we do?” The snow outside had been falling more and more in the last few days and Chunmei was a little worried.
“It’s freezing cold, it’s not surprising that people are lazy and don’t want to move.” The other maids complained. “This climate it really unbearable!”
They were all used to the southern weather in Jiangnan. This weather was so wet and dirty, of course they would be dissatisfied.
Getting up, Chun Mei went to adjust the blankets around Shen Jingshu. “Miss, be careful not to go out in the next few days. The roads are slippery and the wind is too strong. It’s better to stay indoors, don’t catch a cold!”
Her young miss smiled. “Alright. But where is Chun Ye? Is she feeling better?” Although all of the maids had good health, Chun Ye had caught a cold and was still sick. She had been staying in her room every day, unable to go out.
“Thank you for your concern, Miss!” Chun Mei said, touched. “Chun Ye is feeling much better. It’s just that the wind and cold are bad for her healing, so she is taking it easy.”
“Is the charcoal in her room enough?” Shen Jingshu asked. “If not, remember to go to the storeroom and get more. We can’t let her freeze.” This winter seemed extraordinarily cold but she wasn’t sure if it was just because this was their first year after returning to the capital.
“Don’t worry, Miss! These servants will be careful!”
Shen Jingshu nodded and looked out the window, lost in thought as she watched the snow. “I heard the road was blocked by the heavy snow.” She said eventually. “I don’t know how the war in the north must be going…” Thinking of the people guarding the border in the north, the atmosphere in the room became a little heavy.
Chun Mei had heard a little news outside and confirmed Shen Jingshu’s thoughts. “Yes, the roads were blocked by the snow. I don’t know how many people are suffering from cold and hunger! I hope there will not be many victims this year…” People falling ill was inevitable.
Shen Jingshu nodded. “Is there any news from the north?” Although she tried her best not to think about this too much, she still had the occasional nightmare.
Such a harsh environment.
There was so much wind and snow in the capital, what was it like in the North?
She didn’t know what would happen.
Chun Mei shook her head. “I don’t know. The roads are not easy to travel and there has not been any news. I did hear that because of the wind and snow, the fighting has ceased. I just don’t know when the soldiers will return.”
“This battle has dragged on for a long time,” Shen Jingshu mused. “The invasion was probably because they were worried about the lack of winter supplies and wanted to grab some.” There were always problems at the border but this year seemed particularly severe.
“Yes, the supplies in the border nations were very scarce this year, especially on the northern side. Many people were lacking food. This year’s winter came so early too, and it’s so cold. It’s not surprising…” Chun Mei looked outside and frowned.
The room was silent as Shen Jingshu thought. Then she said: “It seems this snowstorm will last for a long time. We should prepare early. We need to remind Second Aunt to stock up on food and supplies, just in case.” They had just come to the capital and there were many things that she was not clear on yet but Shen Jingshu knew the importance of food, so naturally she wanted to have reserves. Otherwise, she couldn’t be relaxed.
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Chun Mei nodded but her expression was hesitant. “What the eldest lady said is right… it’s just that the Second Madam is in charge now and we can’t make any decisions on this.”
Shen Jingshu waved her hand. “It’s fine, we’ll just remind them when the time comes. It’s their business whether they take action or not. We should prepare some for ourselves so as to avoid problems when the time comes.”
“Miss is clever!” Chun Mei exclaimed.
…
Soon the snow on the ground was extremely thick and the temperature was freezing. Not used to the cold, it was expected that the first branch would spend all day inside but Shen Jingshu insisted on visiting Old Madam Shen every morning.
In this kind of weather, even the second branch would not want to get up and go out to greet her but Shen Jingshu was out every day. Eventually, Shen Jingya couldn’t help but criticize her.
Grandmother pitied them for their hard work and allowed them to skip paying respects every winter. This year was no different but Shen Jingshu was still acting like this. It made it impossible for Shen Jingya to stay home, so annoying!
Shen Jingya and Shen Jingshu didn’t have any relationship previously but since Shen Jingshu had come back, she had taken away a lot of Shen Jingya’s light and now she even had to get up early, she was so angry!
“Grandmother!” It was another morning and several people had come one after another to greet Old Madam Shen.
These days, Shen Jingshu’s performance was excellent. Her attitude was sensible and diligent, and her skills in massage were very good. Naturally, Old Madam Shen treated her well. It was very different than the alienation she had experienced in the beginning.
Old Madam Shen smiled at her granddaughters as they came in. “Shu’er, Ya’er, you came over? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t come when it was so cold? Sit down, you must be freezing! Come and warm yourselves by the fire.”
She motioned for them to sit down and quickly handed over the handwarmer in her hands to Shen Jingshu. “Is Shu’er cold? Come, warm your hands. Don’t get sick!”
“Thank you, grandmother!” Shen Jingshu accepted it with a smile. She had spent so much time with Old Madam Shen in her previous life, of course she knew what she liked. If she wanted to make Old Madam Shen like her, it was a very simple matter.
“Look at you, your face is so red from the cold!” Old Madam Shen laughed. “Come closed! Ya’er, you come too.”
Shen Jingya pouted, “Grandmother, you are so partial! You only gave a handwarmer to my sister. Why didn’t you give one to me, I’m so cold!” In the past, she had gotten used to acting like a baby with Old Madam Shen and her grandmother had always felt that she was innocent and cute. But if you used this method too often, it was inevitable that eventually…
“If my sister is too cold, you can have it. I’m already warmed up!” Shen Jingshu said, sensibly handing over the handwarmer. She had always acted well-behaved and mature in front of Old Madam Shen, knowing that the older woman liked such children.
It was a pity that Shen Jingya still didn’t quite understand this and declined immediately: “Eldest sister, this was given to you by grandmother, I don’t dare take it!” Her hostility towards Shen Jingshu was becoming more and more pronounced. After all, in Shen Jingya’s view, Shen Jingshu was her enemy. After her older sister had come back, her life had become much more bumpy.
Now even the love of her grandmother was gradually being taken away by Shen Jingshu. Of course she hated her in her heart!
“Sister, you…” Shen Jingshu looked hurt and puzzled, as if she didn’t know what to do. Truthfully, she had been doing many such thing to annoy Shen Jingya over the last few weeks to encourage the other girl to reveal her selfish, greedy nature bit by bit, to prevent Old Madam Shen from being confused.
The despair of sinking to the bottom of the lake in her previous like still haunted her. How could she let go of the person who killed her?
Seeing Shen Jingya’s jealous expression, Shen Jingshu smiled and mouthed: ‘Grandma loves me, are you jealous? Hehe, no matter how jealous you are, grandma doesn’t love you anymore…’
Reading the shape of Shen Jingshu’s lips, Shen Jingya immediately bristled like a hedgehog and directly pushed the other girl: “I don’t need your fake kindness!” Who knew if Shen Jingshu had expected Shen Jingya to do this but as soon as she was pushed, she fell to the ground and scraped a layer of skin off her palm. “Ow…”
Old Madam Shen nearly jumped up out of her chair: “Jingya, what are you doing! That is your older sister, how could you be so rude?” Seeing Shen Jingshu on the floor, she hurried to help her granddaughter up. She was very disappointed in Shen Jingya.
When there was no comparison, Old Madam Shen had loved Shen Jingya very much but now that she could see the demeanor of both granddaughters, she could see that Shen Jingya was a bit petty. At least her older granddaughter was elegant and generous, every bit a real young lady!
“Grandmother, I…” Looking aggrieved, Shen Jingya knew she had been too impulsive. But before she could apologize, Shen Jingshu added fuel to the fire.
“Grandmother, don’t blame Jingya!” Shen Jingshu called softly, “She was just playing now, I’m fine, don’t worry!”
Looking at Shen Jingshu’s pitiful appearance, Old Madam Shen’s heart was distressed. “You say you’re fine but look, you’ve peeled off a layer of skin!” She always expected the young ladies in her family to be gently and polite and now one of them dared to hurt someone, of course Old Madam Shen was angry!
Shen Jingshu shook her head: “It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt.”
“What doesn’t hurt, it’s bleeding!” Old Madam Shen cried, carefully pulling Shen Jingshu to sit down. “Quickly, call the doctor, don’t let it scar!”
She ignored Shen Jingya completely.
Seeing her grandmother treasure Shen Jingshu so much, Shen Jingya was unreconciled. “Grandmother, I…” She wanted to explain that Shen Jingshu had deliberately provoke her but where was her evidence? She didn’t even hear her words, just read her lips.
But, but…
“How can you be so vicious at such a young age? Shu’er is your elder sister, how could you be so disrespectful?” Old Madam Shen rebuked her, frowning fiercely.
“But, grandmother…” Shen Jingya tried to explain but when Old Madam Shen looked at her, the words froze in her mouth.
“Apologize to your cousin!” Old Madam Shen ordered. She used to think this granddaughter was just lively and cute but now it seemed that she was a little rebellious!
That second daughter-in-law of her’s was really blind, it seemed that she needed to pay more attention to the second branch’s education.
“Grandmother!” Shen Jingya whined aggrievedly, she didn’t feel like she had done anything wrong.
Old Madam Shen opened her mouth but Shen Jingshu responded first. “Grandmother, I’m fine! Just forget it, I know Jingya didn’t do it on purpose.”
The more Shen Jingshu was like this, the more Old Madam Shen felt that Shen Jingya had gone too far. She glared at her younger granddaughter and said: “Are you still not apologizing? Are you wanting for me to teach you?”
Although Shen Jingya was not reconciled, she knew that it would be terrifying if Old Madam Shen got truly angry. It was best to give in. Reluctantly, she looked at Shen Jingshu and said: “Eldest Sister, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it! I was just impatient and accidently hurt you.”
Shen Jingshu smiled magnanimously. “What is Jingya saying, it’s alright! I don’t mind!” She really didn’t mind at all!
When the doctor arrived, her prescribed some medicine but Old Madam Shen was still a little nervous. “There won’t be any scars?”
The doctor was used to this and smiled. “Old Madam Shen, don’t worry! The young lady’s wound is not serious, just be careful and it will heal soon.”
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Old Madam Shen sighed with relief: “That’s good, that’s good. It would not be good for my family’s daughter to have scars!”
The doctor said a few good words and was sent off, satisfied. Seeing that Shen Jingshu was injured, Old Madam Shen would not allow her to give Old Madam Shen her usual massage. Instead, she urged Shen Jingshu to leave early and not come back tomorrow. Shen Jingshu needed to rest!
Shen Jingshu smiled without speaking but the next day, she would be back again. Her actions convinced Old Madam Shen that Shen Jingshu was indeed a very obedient child and her old grudges naturally faded away.
This is what would happen in the future.
Presently, the two girls stayed to talk with Old Madam Shen for a while before leaving. As soon as they stepped out of the door, their smiles collapsed.
Shen Jingya glared at her older cousin: “Eldest sister, you are really good at tricks!”
Shen Jingshu smiled faintly: “What do you mean?”
This was like lighting a fire under Shen Jingya! “What do I mean?! If my eldest sister didn’t provoke me just now, would I have acted like that!”
“Jingya! Did you misunderstand me?” Shen Jingshu asked, looking hurt. “When did I provoke you?”
“You know it in your heart!”
Shen Jingshu sighed heavily: “Jingya, you think too much.” Her expression was so innocent that even Shen Jingya started to feel doubts.
Was it possible? But she had clearly seen her mouthing words just now!
“Hmph!” Turning her face away and ignoring Shen Jingshu. She hated Shen Jingshu fiercely! Ever since her eldest sister had come back, her own status had declined greatly. Now even Old Madam Shen treated her worse than before, how could Shen Jingya be comfortable?
Shen Jingshu smiled sincerely, unbothered: “Jingya, we are sisters. There can be no misunderstanding. If I did something wrong just now, it was my fault. Don’t mind it!” Looking at the younger girl, Shen Jingshu was a little baffled. She really didn’t know how such an arrogant, stupid person managed to bully her so badly in her previous life.
“I’m too lazy to bother with you!” Shen Jingya snapped, not bothering to pretend to be elegant. She was willing to pretend in front of Old Madam Shen but why would she be willing to now?
“Jingya…” Seeing the other girl leaving directly, Shen Jingshu called out to her but the other party ignored her so Shen Jingshu let it go.
“Eldest Miss, Second Miss…” Chun Mei saw Shen Jingya acting like this and felt that her behavior was too much.
Their young lady was so good, the second miss was really a bully!
Shen Jingshu smiled. “It’s fine, let’s go back! Let’s go and visit my mother.” Dan Yuerong’s body had recovered a lot and her complexion had improved. She still couldn’t get out of bed but Shen Jingshu could visit her every day.
“Yes, Miss!”
…
Naturally, the relationship between Shen Jingshu and Shen Jingya became worse and worse. Shen Jingshu didn’t care but Shen Jingya was furious.
Eventually, the temperature outside warmed up and there was no new snow. Shen Zi Qi, who was very mischievous, could finally go outside. He insisted on playing in the snow and argued with his mother for a long time. Though Guo Yuanshuang was worried he would get sick, in the end she couldn’t win against her son and had no choice but to agree.
Shen Zi Qi was very playful and now that he was allowed outside, he was extremely excited and took his servants out to play in the snow. Shen Zi Qi was also a ruthless, spoiled child and hit hard with the snow. Unfortunately, his servant could only endure it. They were really afraid of this little devil!
“Haha, come on, come on, give that one to me!” Shen Zi Qi shouted, running around to grab handfuls of snow. “Don’t hide, let me hit you! Hit, hit, hit!” He was having a great time but the servants who folloed him were all in a mess.
Though they were smiling, they were actually desperately wishing he would finish soon.
“Haha, that one is really big! Throw it! Hit the center!” Taking people as targets, Shen Zi Qi’s strikes were quick and accurate. Don’t look at him as a five-year-old child, his intentions were a bit cruel.
While he was playing vigorously, Shen Jingya and Shen Jingshu were just leaving Old Madam Shen’s residence.
Shen Jingya had been very neglected by her grandmother lately and her anger towards Shen Jingshu was getting deeper and deeper in her heart. Hearing Shen Zi Qi’s laughter in the distance, she immediately had an idea.
“Eldest sister, Fourth brother is playing over there. Let’s go over and take a look!” Shen Jingya knew what kind of personality her younger brother had. He was the eldest legitimate son of the second branch and their mother spoiled him terribly. This is what caused Shen Zi Qi’s lawless personality until he was completely out of control!
Shen Jingshu looked bored. “Really, on such a cold day? Why is Qi’er playing outside? Aren’t you afraid he will freeze?”
“It’s alright! Qi’er has always had great health since he was a child!” Shen Jingya had heard her parents praise him many times. She didn’t care, anyways the family would always pamper him and never hold him back too much.
She had suffered enough these last few days. Today, she must find some justice for herself, no matter what!
“What is he playing? He sounds very happy.” Shen Jingshu couldn’t be more clear about Shen Zi Qi’s temperament. She had often been bullied by him but not many people would protect her.
She wouldn’t be so stupid to fall for this trick.
“We’ll know when we go over, let’s go!” It was rare for her to smile at Shen Jingshu. If she didn’t already know Shen Jingya’s plan, Shen Jingshu would have still been suspicious. In her previous life, Shen Jingya had often used Shen Zi Qi’s hand to punish her.
But in this life, it was not certain who would punish who!
“Alright!” Shen Jingshu followed Shen Jingya, smiling at the young girl’s malicious expression.
When they reached the garden, Shen Jingya stepped inside and called loudly: “What is Qi’er playing, is it fun?” As soon as she said this, she tried to step to the side but she didn’t expected that Shen Jingshu was too close to her. In the end, she could only watch helplessly as a huge snowball flew towards her face with no chance to avoid it. “Ah! It hurts!” She screamed. Though Shen Zi Qi was young, his strength was great.
Her younger brother laughed with delight: “Haha, hit, hi! Big sister, I hit you!” Shen Zi Qi was not afraid of hitting someone, no one would scold him for it. When he had heard Shen Jingya speaking, he had thrown it over without hesitation. Hitting someone made him happy, especially when he saw his sister’s painful expression. “Big sister, you are so slow and stupid!” Seeing her in such a mess, he didn’t feel guilty at all.
The relationship between these two siblings was not deep and he basically had no respect for Shen Jingya.
“Why are you throwing snow?” Shen Jingya cried, annoyed. She hadn’t expected that Shen Zi Qi would miss Shen Jingshu at hit her!
Shen Zi Qi didn’t care at all. “Who told you to come in, you deserve it! Haha, let’s go! Let’s go play!” After speaking, he turned and ran away. He didn’t like her very much.
“You wait! Don’t leave!” Seeing that Shen Zi Qi was leaving, Shen Jingya hurriedly called him back. She had already suffered a loss today, this loss could not be taken for nothing.
“What do you want?” Shen Zi Qi frowned, shaking her off. He wanted to play, not waste time with her!
Shen Jingya smiled: “Qi’er, let’s play together!”
Shen Zi Qi stared at her. “Together? With you?” He looked at the two girls in front of them, they didn’t look like someone he could play with.
“Of course! We saw you having fun and wanted to join you! Eldest sister, don’t you agree?” She smiled at Shen Jingshu encouragingly.
Shen Jingshu smiled back. “Sure.”
Shen Zi Qi frowned: “If you hurt from being hit, you can’t cry!”
“Of course, we won’t cry! Don’t worry!” Shen Jingya promised quickly. Anyways, it wasn’t certain who would be crying when the time came.
“Okay, then it’s settled!” Shen Zi Qi announced. “Let’s start!” He didn’t object to playing with more people. Picking up a snowball, he immediately threw it over. This time, he threw it at Shen Jingshu. However, Shen Jingshu had already noticed and easily dodged.
Shen Zi Qi did not find this interesting and so the next snowball was aimed at Shen Jingya.
“Qi’er! We haven’t started yet, give us time to prepare!” Shen Jingya complained, furious.
But Shen Zi Qi didn’t care. “I already said it’s started, don’t complain so much!” He always acted according to his own temper. Picking up another snowball, he threw it at her. This time, Shen Jingya was vigilant and quickly avoided it. Secretly, she reached down and formed her own snowball.
“Eldest sister, this is very fun!” Shen Jingya said, pulling Shen Jingshu over. “There is no entertainment in the winter but this is just right, don’t you think?”
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Shen Jingshu could see through Shen Jingya’s plan to fix her but she wouldn’t miss this opportunity. “It looks fun, should we start?”
“Of course!” Holding the snowball she made before, Shen Jingya planned to make a surprise attack. But Shen Jingshu had already expected this and dodged it, sending a big snowball back at her.
“Hehe, you aren’t the only one who can sneak attack! I can do it again.” She turned and rand with a big smile on her face.
At this point, Shen Jingya had been hit by a number of snowballs and she felt cold and painful. Even more so, she was angry. She laughed angrily: “Haha, it’s fine! But if I hit you later and it hurts, don’t be angry with me!” She would remember this account.
“That’s natural! Come on!” Taking advantage of Shen Jingya’s distraction, Shen Jingshu threw another one and hid behind a tree. Shen Jingya had not expected Shen Jingshu to have another one prepared so quickly and was a little flustered.
She turned to one of the servants for help: “When my eldest sister comes over later, take some snowballs and throw them at her, understood?”
The servant hesitated. “But Second Miss, isn’t this bad?” After all, she was the eldest daughter of the first madam.
Shen Jingya scoffed. “What are you afraid of? It’s just a game! It will be fine, just do what I say. Quickly, go find my cousin!” Her voice was cold.
However, she didn’t expect that Shen Jingshu, who seemed gentle and quiet, reacted very quickly. Every time someone seemed about to hit her, she dodged it very cleverly. In the end, it was Shen Jingya who was left angry and anxious.
She grabbed a huge snowball, aimed it at Shen Jingshu, and threw it. However, the next scene stunned her.
“It’s not good, the second young master is bleeding!”
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