"Old Master Shen. As the head of the family, this isn't right of you. How can you let a married girl throw her weight around? My eldest daughter-in-law was just joking with you all—do you have to be so harsh?" Old Madam Peng walked over, leaning on her cane.
She first cast a contemptuous glance at the fat woman, her eyes full of the word "useless."
Old Master Shen hunched his back, looking even more pitiful. "An old man like me, already half-buried in the earth, has no ability to be the head of the family. In my household, little Yuebao is the one who calls the shots."
"If your family had a capable granddaughter, you could let her call the shots too." At the end, Old Master Shen added faintly.
The cane in Old Madam Peng's hand shifted slightly. Was it her fault that she didn't have a capable granddaughter? Killing someone with words—she wanted to beat this old bastard to death.
The fat woman was helped back by her family.
A woman wearing a green ru skirt with a plain-colored jacket, a white velvet flower pinned in her hair, looked at Shen Yunyue. Her gentle eyes were as clear and shallow as spring water.
Shen Yunyue glanced at her and noticed that the woman's spring-water gaze had landed on Fu Xuanheng. The woman's lips moved slightly, but in the end, she covered her mouth with a hand that was twisting her handkerchief and turned her head away.
Shen Yunyue searched the original body's memories but couldn't figure out who this was.
She instructed Shen Yunfeng to use a flint to light a fire and build up a pile of firewood.
The firewood pile wasn't far from the unloaded carriage, making it convenient for the whole family, young and old, to huddle together and sleep on the carriage.
Fu Xuanheng propped himself up and used a branch to help tend the fire.
With one hand, he brushed away Shen Yunzheng's mischievous little hand.
Shen Yunzheng wanted to help too. The little fellow puffed out his chubby cheeks in anger. "Brother-in-law, bad, bad."
Shen Yunzheng, brushed away mercilessly again, expressed that he was very upset.
He turned his back to Fu Xuanheng, crossing his two little hands on his lap. But his body unconsciously inched toward Fu Xuanheng, thinking to himself, Why hasn't brother-in-law coaxed me yet?
If he doesn't coax me soon, what if I forget?
Fu Xuansheng timidly didn't dare get too close to them, huddling in a spot farther away.
"Yun Yue, where did the fish come from?" Fu Xuanheng used a branch to poke the fish over and cut it with the dagger at his leg.
There was a clay pot on the carriage that Shen Yunyue had placed there.
She took the clay pot down and poured water into it. Then she put the fish head that Fu Xuanheng had cut into it. Hearing Fu Xuanheng's question, she looked up and smiled: "There's a pond to the northwest. I speared them with bamboo inside."
Fu Xuanheng raised an eyebrow. That would require a great deal of strength.
Mo Yiran and the other members of the Shen family sat on the ground. She pinched her brow and sighed: "In the past, I thought Yuebao's great strength wasn't ladylike enough. Now we're lucky that Yuebao is strong."
Old Master Shen borrowed the dagger from Fu Xuanheng. Holding the dagger, he and Elder Master Shen went to find wood to make a few wooden spoons and wooden bowls.
The Shen family counted as a prepared household—everyone was wearing thick, warm clothes.
Almost everyone had also brought a cloak, which in this winter weather was no less useful than a blanket.
Other families had long harbored thoughts of robbery.
But seeing Shen Yunyue's crazed behavior, and unable to gauge the constable's intentions, they all suppressed their thieving hearts.
Shen Yunfeng and the other little ones gathered around the fire with eager eyes, placing the chestnuts they'd picked up into the flames.
The people of the Shen family's main branch had gathered quite a few chestnuts, lighting two fires in total.
"Sitting so far away—afraid of being eaten?" Fu Xuanheng glanced at the timid Fu Xuansheng. He rarely had contact with this younger half-brother.
He had been raised since childhood as the crown prince's successor, with no time to play at all. He had study companions, but no playmates.
Fu Xuansheng was clearly very afraid of this older brother and obediently moved closer to the fire.
"Big sister, this chestnut is for you and Grandmother to eat." Shen Yuncheng sucked in a breath of cold air, his fair little hands covered in mud.
"I forgot I picked some chestnuts earlier too." Shen Yunyue smiled, revealing a row of pearl-white teeth. She reached into her sleeve and pulled out two handfuls of chestnuts, placing them in the fire.
She also put sweet potatoes at the edge of the fire to roast.
Little Yunzheng had long forgotten about being angry with Fu Xuanheng. His little hands reached over to tug at Fu Xuanheng's arm. "Brother-in-law, I want to eat."
"If you behave and listen, I'll give you some." Fu Xuanheng, who had never liked children, was especially patient with Shen Yunzheng. This little fellow could always overlook your mood.
"I'm very good." Shen Yunzheng sat up straight on his own, propping his chubby cheeks with both little hands as he stared at the fire, drooling.
Feng Xiao'e arrived gracefully with Fu Xuanting.
She had spoken a great deal at the He family's place earlier and was now very thirsty. The fish soup smelled delicious—rubbing her empty stomach, she quickened her pace.
"Little one. Shell a few of those chestnuts over here to fill my stomach." Feng Xiao'e rolled her eyes at the several adults of the Shen family.
Not a single capable adult among them. The Shen family was surely headed for ruin.
Shen Yunfeng shelled a few chestnuts and glared at her angrily.
"My grandparents and great-grandparents haven't eaten yet. Only after they've eaten can we share."
"Concubine Feng, don't even think about it. There's none for you. I said it before—those who don't work don't get to eat." Shen Yunyue stood up and called for Old Master Shen and the others to come over.
Feng Xiao'e pointed a finger at herself, her face full of surprise. "You say I can't eat? Who told you to do this? How dare you be unfilial to your elders?"
"I will naturally honor Grandfather, Grandmother, and Mother. As for you, I don't recall you being any elder of mine." Shen Yunyue transformed from a cute, charming little girl into a fierce young woman.
Old Master Shen came over leaning on his cane, and the others found it hard to speak.
They silently sat down around the fire.
Leaving Shen Yunyue to contend with Feng Xiao'e.
"Fu Xuanheng, have you forgotten your mother's words? She told you to consult me on everything and respect me as an elder." Seeing that Shen Yunyue was a thorn in her side, Feng Xiao'e turned her hopes toward Fu Xuanheng.
Fu Xuanheng's mouth twitched, and he let out a cold laugh. "Do I look like someone who can make decisions? I have to rely on the Shen family to survive. Better keep your wits about you and obediently listen."
"If you had gone to the He family, how could you have fallen to such a state?"
"Can the He family even guarantee everyone a full stomach and warm clothes?" Fu Xuanheng was no fool.
From just now until this moment, every family had caused several scenes. The He family had the most instances of the strong bullying the weak.
What could the He family do anyway?
"You… you all just know how to bully me. At least let Xuanting have something to eat—she's still a child."
"That 'child' of yours is already thirteen. Our Yunfeng is only nine, and Yuncheng is only eight." Liu Xiaoyun retorted coldly without mercy.
"And me, I'm four!" Shen Yunzheng was drooling over the chestnuts, and upon hearing about ages, he hurriedly raised his hand to answer.
Lingbao refused to be outdone. "Lingbao is three."
Feng Xiao'e hadn't expected the Shen family to be so heartless.
How dare they? How dare they bully the two of them, mother and daughter?
Fu Xuanting pitifully twisted her sleeves, her big watery eyes not daring to look at the unpredictable Fu Xuanheng. She only cast her aggrieved gaze at Mo Yiran.
It made Mo Yiran's heart ache, and several times the words at her lips were swallowed back down.
She couldn't cause trouble for her own daughter—Yuebao already had it hard enough.
"Lend me some first, and I'll pay you back tomorrow." Seeing that the hard approach wouldn't work, Feng Xiao'e had to try another way.
Shen Yunyue turned her head and pointed at the He family. "You've been sucking up to them for so long and haven't even gotten a single meal out of it. That's pretty pathetic."
She paid no attention to Feng Xiao'e and her daughter.
They had to learn that if you don't work, you go hungry.
Shen Yunyue took the initiative to walk over to the officers' fire and gave a slight bow. "Honored officers, my family has cooked fish soup. The fish from the pond are delicious. A bowl will ward off the cold on a winter's day. Would you do us the honor of a taste?"
Officer Peng remained cold and silent. But the young man beside him, Monkey, laughed heartily. "You're a clever little girl. Fine, bring us half a bowl."
Monkey was only seventeen or eighteen, lean and wiry.
Though they called it a bowl, it was more like a basin.
Shen Yunyue suppressed the urge to look back and carried the bowl back anyway. She filled it half full with fish soup and scooped in two or three chunks of fish.
Before Shen Yunyue could bring it over, Monkey ran over himself to take it.
The Shen family sat around the fire drinking fish soup. In the winter cold, the soup warmed their stomachs all the way down.
Two people shared a bowl, using wooden spoons to divide the soup. The eldest branch and the second branch of the Shen family ate together, and Shen Yunyue said nothing.
As long as they hadn't done anything wrong, she couldn't make Old Master Shen lose face.
The fish from the pond had no fishy taste—it was quite delicious.
Fu Xuanheng, who usually had maids and servants set out his meals, ate with great relish. His expression was blank, he made no sound, and his pace was neither fast nor slow.
He carried an air of noble reserve and cold elegance.
Shen Yunyue thought to herself: What a demon. Even eating a meal, he has to charm people to death.
Feng Xiao'e and Fu Xuanting shivered, clutching their growling empty stomachs and cursing inwardly. Fu Xuanting's hateful gaze swept over the Shen family one by one.
It finally landed on Fu Xuansheng, whose eyes were fixed only on the food in the fire.
Shen Yunyue paid them no mind.
After everyone was full.
Someone came to borrow a clay pot, and Liu Xiaoyun said it was Elder Lu's daughter-in-law.
"Miss Shen, we'll wash it and bring it back. We'll follow your example and cook some fish soup too."
Shen Yunyue knew it was Elder Lu.
Afterward, everyone wanted to go to the pond, but the sky had already darkened. In the distance, the sounds of wild beasts could be heard, and it was said that at night, beasts often came to the river to drink.
No one dared to go over.