The main branch of the Shen family wasn't idle either—except for the pregnant Liu Feifei, who stayed behind with Lingbao. Everyone else went into the woods to forage for food or gather firewood.
In this bitter winter cold, they couldn't afford to freeze to death.
Shen Yunyue and Mo Yiran walked deeper into the woods, listening intently for sounds. "Mother, we should go this way."
"Yuebao, you're just a child. How do you know so much?"
"Mother, Father and Uncle A-Si taught me a lot. Father said a girl should learn skills in daily life but also know how to hide her talents, and stand firm when the time is right."
Hearing this, Mo Yiran covered her mouth and burst into loud sobs.
She had been married for over a decade, and she and Shen Cixuan had always respected each other, never once exchanging angry words.
Now they were separated for a lifetime.
Never to meet again.
How could she not grieve?
"Yuebao, I miss your father. There are so many people in this world, but there will never again be a man named Shen Cixuan."
That refined and elegant man had walked into her heart, and over a decade of marital love—she could never find it again. Mo Yiran's heart had died the moment Shen Cixuan died.
Her beautiful mother cried loudly, and Shen Yunyue inwardly scolded herself for bringing up such a painful topic.
"Mother, Shen Cixuan's blood and his beloved still live on. We'll live the life he would have wanted."
"Father wants Mother to be happy."
"Without your father, how could I ever be happy?" Mo Yiran clutched her chest, sinking into anguish.
Shen Yunyue had no choice but to ask her to go back and keep an eye on Fu Xuanheng. "Father valued his promises. Since he chose to support the deposed crown prince, he would also want us to take care of Fu Xuanheng. Mother, go back—lest the He family and Feng Xiao'e cause trouble."
Mo Yiran hesitated for a moment. "Then I'll go back?"
"Yes. I'll return once I've fetched water."
Mo Yiran knew she wasn't in the right state of mind to work anyway, so she went back crying.
Shen Yunyue avoided the crowded areas and walked alone toward a secluded spot.
She found a pond, its surface frozen over with ice.
She took a Swiss Army Knife from her Space, cut a long, thin bamboo stalk, and sharpened the front end to a point. She twisted dry straw into a rope and tied a tight knot at the base of the bamboo.
Looking around, she grabbed a stone from the grass and hurled it hard at the ice.
With a splash, water sprayed everywhere.
The ice had broken open into a large hole. Shen Yunyue once again marveled at how useful this body's great strength was in this era.
She casually grabbed a handful of corn kernels from her Space and tossed them into the pond.
Soon, several fish swam up to the broken opening.
Watching the ripples in the water,
Shen Yunyue aimed and thrust at the largest fish.
She pulled back on the straw rope, and a fish weighing four or five jin was pierced through the belly.
Behind her came the sound of footsteps crunching on dead leaves.
"Miss Shen, you've got quite the skill."
Hearing the voice, Shen Yunyue smiled and replied, "Grandpa Lu, wait a moment—I'll spear another one for you." Consider it thanks for teaching Shen Yunfeng how to drive the cart.
"One should not accept gifts without merit. How could this old man take your fish?" Old Master Lu held a wooden bucket and came to the pond's edge to fetch water. His thin face bore a look of kindness and wisdom.
"Consider it a thank-you gift for your teaching." Shen Yunyue raised a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture.
She slowly shifted to a different position.
The last traces of evening glow faded away, casting the surrounding leaves in a beautiful, dreamlike light.
Shen Yunyue thrust the bamboo spear again with force.
She pulled up the fish—slightly smaller than the last, about three jin.
She casually plucked two stalks of straw, threaded them through the fish's gills, and handed it to Old Master Lu. "Grandpa Lu, take it. You might not have the strength to spear fish yourself."
Old Master Lu hesitated for only a moment, then thought of his many hungry family members. In the end, he accepted the fish. "Thank you, Miss Shen. Let me clean the fish—give me yours too."
Old Master Lu cleaned Shen Yunyue's fish first, then cleaned his own.
While he was gutting the fish, Shen Yunyue took a stroll nearby. She came back carrying a dozen or so sweet potatoes, still caked with mud.
Old Master Lu didn't ask where she had found them.
The sweet potatoes looked small—the thin ones barely bigger than a finger.
Naturally, they must be small ones the villagers had left behind.
Little did he know these were sweet potatoes Shen Yunyue had taken from her Space.
This variety didn't grow large, but it was sweet, fragrant, and soft.
The old man and the young girl walked back together.
Before they even arrived, Shen Yunyue heard loud shouting coming from where her family was staying.
"There are few of you—you don't need this much firewood. Why not give it to us? We'll return it once we gather more tomorrow." The woman speaking was around thirty-something, with a thick, stout build.
From a military family, the women of her household were more formidable than those of civil official families.
"No. Why should we give you firewood we worked hard to gather?" Liu Xiaoyun stepped forward to stop them from grabbing the firewood.
These people had gathered too little themselves, so they wanted to snatch theirs.
"Who do you think you are? Just because Fu Xuanheng is staying with your Shen family, this is what he owes us." The woman speaking shoved Liu Xiaoyun aside.
"Fu Xuanheng doesn't owe you anything." Shen Citong stepped forward in opposition.
The fat woman, seeing Shen Citong standing in front, grew even more arrogant. "You think a man like you would dare to raise a hand?" she taunted, deliberately bumping into him with her belly, startling Shen Citong into stumbling back several steps.
Shen Yunyue searched her memory but couldn't place which family they were from.
Elder Lu lowered his voice and said, "This is the family of General Peng, an in-law of the He family. You'd best just give them what they want. Don't try to clash with them on this journey."
Elder Lu was only a distant branch of the family and didn't dare oppose the Peng family either.
On top of that, the Shen family was weak and isolated, with no collateral branches to rely on.
They had no choice but to swallow this bitter loss.
Shen Yunyue could tolerate many things, but being taken advantage of was not one of them.
She let out a cold snort through her nose, stepped forward, and placed the fish and sweet potatoes beside Fu Xuanheng.
Fu Xuanheng bit his lip, watching the scene with a gloomy expression.
"Come on, take these firewood away," the fat Peng woman called to her family as they moved to act. The other families watched with the air of spectators enjoying a show—even the He family said nothing.
"You say take it away, so it's taken away? Who gave you that right?" Shen Yunyue walked over holding the bamboo stick she used for spearing fish, her still-chubby cheeks trembling with anger.
"Little girl, keep your useless cripple of a husband company and don't make me unhappy." The fat woman reached out her pudgy hand to pinch Shen Yunyue's cheek.
Shen Yunyue raised her hand, grabbed the woman's fingers, and bent them upward with force.
"Ah…!"
In the birch grove, the sparrows returning to their nests were startled and flapped their wings, flying away.
"You little wretch, you're asking for death!" The fat woman's face contorted in pain.
She lifted her foot and kicked out.
"Sister, watch out!" Shen Yunfeng came running from a distance, dropping his firewood in fright as he tried to block the kick aimed at Shen Yunyue.
Shen Yunyue's lips curled slightly upward as she sidestepped, dodging the fat woman's kick. She thrust the sharp end of the bamboo stick hard into the woman's thigh. "If you want to bully my Shen family, you'd better first ask if you'll live to see it!"
Shen Yunyue shouted, her youthful face twisting into a fierce expression.
The fat woman howled in pain again.
The watching families exchanged varied looks. They had thought the Shen family being bullied was just the beginning.
They never expected the tables to turn so quickly.
Elder Lu let out a sigh of relief.
With the Shen girl making this scene, at least it would intimidate them for a few days.
Mo Yiran rushed over in fright and pulled Shen Yunyue away. "Yue Bao, harmony is best. It's fine if we suffer a small loss. Don't stoop to their level." Mo Yiran was afraid of provoking these people, thinking only of enduring it herself.
After all, they should at least leave the Shen children a way to survive.
"Mother, you're wrong. The kind are bullied, the gentle are ridden." Shen Yunyue broke free from Mo Yiran's grasp, standing in front with a calm, proud expression.
Shen Yunfeng and Shen Yuncheng, the two little ones, ran over holding thick tree branches. Shen Yunhai also came running to lend his support with a show of bravado.
"No one is allowed to bully our sister."
Fu Xuanheng's eyes darkened as he looked at the few siblings before him—short in stature, still carrying childish airs.
Shen Yunzheng howled loudly to boost Shen Yunyue's momentum, but the little one tripped and landed flat on his face. He could only slink back to Fu Xuanheng's side, utterly embarrassed. How humiliating was that?
"I, Shen Yunyue, will say this plainly. If you want to bully us, I'll drag a few of you down with me even if it costs me my life. If you want to die early, feel free to try." Shen Yunyue snapped the bamboo stick in her hands. "The Shen family is not meat on the chopping block for anyone."
"Sister is right!" Shen Yunfeng tried to imitate Shen Yunyue, but the tree branch in his hand was too thick.
His little face turned red from the effort without the branch budging an inch. He secretly turned his head and stuck out his tongue. He thought to himself: I hope no one saw how pathetic I looked, right?
Officer Peng swept his cold gaze across the scene, finally settling his eyes on Fu Xuanheng, who sat beneath the tree.