Seeing that Su Yanxi showed no intention of taking the crab yolk pastries, Su Qinghuai grew somewhat anxious. “Little sister, are you upset that these weren’t specifically bought for you?”
“Although it was Shen Qingyan who pestered me into buying them for her… Between you and her, I genuinely want to give them to you.” This was the first time Su Qinghuai felt his words were failing him.
Su Yanxi realized he had misunderstood and smiled as she picked up a pastry. “No, I was just thinking how expensive these crab yolk pastries are.”
Su Qinghuai sighed and naturally continued, “They are quite expensive indeed. Five taels of silver per piece, nearly two months of my allowance. If Qingyan hadn’t kept insisting on wanting to eat them, I would never have spent so much on such luxuries myself…”
Halfway through his sentence, he noticed the solemn atmosphere and quickly added, “Let’s not talk about her anymore. Mother, little sister, please eat quickly!”
Su Yanxi took one and ate it – truly sweet, crispy, and melting in the mouth with a rich crab yolk flavor, quite delicious.
Lin Shi also took one but claimed it was too sweet and greasy for her age, saying she couldn’t handle such rich food anymore.
In truth, Su Yanxi could see she wanted to save the treats for her to eat. Though she had no intention of eating more either.
She said to Su Qinghuai, “Third Young Master… third brother, please put these away for now. Later when Houye… father wakes up, he’ll need something to eat too.”
Only then did the Marquis Family members remember that the two remaining crab yolk pastries in Su Qinghuai’s hands were currently their only food.
Su Qinghuai felt a wave of regret. “If I’d known this would happen, I should have used that money to buy steamed buns instead. Buns only cost ten coins each.”
Lin Shi’s eyes reddened slightly again.
Su Yanxi turned to look at Su Houye, who now had flushed cheeks but pale lips, his body trembling slightly unconsciously.
She quickly walked over and felt Su Houye’s forehead.
Only when everyone noticed her movement did they realize something was wrong with Su Houye.
“Father has a fever. What should we do?” Though Su Qinghuai was socially adept, he was still young and lacked composure in emergencies. His panicked eyes turned to Su Qinghe for help.
Su Qinghe’s calm gaze swept around the woodshed before he stood up and walked to the door.
He knocked on the woodshed door. “Brother guard, are you there?”
After calling three times with no response from outside, he withdrew his gaze. “It seems Li Si has gone out drinking with the other guards too.”
His eyes then fell on the woodshed window.
“Second brother, can you get out through the window?”
Su Qingyu immediately understood his meaning. After just one glance at the window, he nodded. “Yes, I’ll go to the kitchen to prepare father’s medicine.”
With that, he grabbed a packet of medicine and prepared to make a running leap through the window.
Su Yanxi stopped him. “Second brother, after you go out, could you unlock the door? I want… to see the Marquis Family.”
At her words, Lin Shi’s heart ached, her eyes reddening again.
Su Qinghe and Su Qinghuai looked at her with pity in their eyes.
Their little sister, who didn’t even know what the Marquis Family looked like, had to suffer the unjust punishment of exile with them.
Su Qingyu, though a military man, felt such heartache looking at her that his eyes slightly reddened. He nodded solemnly. “Alright.”
After Su Qingyu nimbly climbed out through the window, the sound of lock-picking soon came from outside the door.
Before long, the firewood shed door was opened.
“Sister, you can come out now!” Su Qingyu called from outside.
Su Yanxi stepped out of the Marquis Family’s firewood shed and said to Su Qingyu, “Thank you.”
Su Qingyu, who had always been a rough man who never cared for others, was now meticulously explaining the layout and directions of the Marquis Family to her.
Su Yanxi listened attentively but didn’t absorb much of it.
Because her goal wasn’t to tour the Marquis Family.
After parting ways with Su Qingyu, she quickly determined the direction, found a secluded spot, and climbed over the wall.
In her previous life, she had helped Xiao Lingyou conquer the realm and had many enemies. To protect herself, she had learned some martial arts.
She wasn’t exceptionally skilled, but it was enough for self-defense.
After leaving the Marquis Family, she went straight to Shen Jia.
The residence where Shen Jia now lived was one she had purchased herself, so she knew its layout better than anyone.
Even before entering the compound, she could see the courtyard brightly lit.
The Shen residence was merely a small two-courtyard house with a modest backyard. Once inside, she could clearly hear the laughter and cheerful voices from the main hall.
“Father, this toast is to celebrate our sister’s return home!”
“I always wondered how our family could have produced a sister as scheming and calculating as Shen Yanxi. Turns out she wasn’t even part of our family.”
“Exactly! She always acted so superior—scolding our eldest brother for not studying and berating me for not practicing martial arts. Now everything’s been set right. A kind and pure girl like Qingyan is what a true daughter of Shen Jia should be!”
“Hahaha, someone like Shen Yanxi deserves to be exiled!”
…
The voices of the three Shen brothers reached her ears.
Su Yanxi curled her lips coldly. Soon, they wouldn’t be laughing anymore.
Without wasting time, while the Shen family was enjoying their reunion and the maids were all busy serving in the main hall, she hurried to the storeroom.
The Shen family wasn’t wealthy; their so-called storeroom was actually just two large cabinets in Shen Hongxing and Yang Shi’s room.
Shen Hongxing was miserly—he preferred keeping his earnings as silver and copper coins locked in large chests rather than converting them to banknotes.
She had long since made spare keys for herself.
Swiftly, she opened the chests and transferred all the gleaming silver and copper coins into her Space.
She then searched the room, collecting all valuable jewelry and portable assets into her Space.
After clearing out Shen Hongxing and Yang Shi’s room, she moved to Shen Pengcheng’s room.
She hadn’t yet hired famous scholars for Shen Pengcheng, but all his books were ones she had painstakingly acquired.
The writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones Shen Pengcheng used were also purchased by her at great expense.
Naturally, she collected them all into her Space.
Next, she went to Shen Pengxing’s room. His room had fewer items than Shen Pengcheng’s, but hanging on the wall was a bow.
That bow was specially crafted for Shen Pengxing using the finest materials and the best artisans she could find.
She had to take that with her.
As for the rest, anything slightly valuable or useful, she collected as well.
Then came Shen Pengjie’s room. Shen Pengjie was currently managing the shops with her.
But Shen Pengjie was lazy and gluttonous, fond of leisure and play—he never bothered with shop affairs and only showed up to collect money.
Moreover, every time he settled accounts and collected silver, the numbers never matched.
Su Yanxi knew he was secretly hoarding a private stash. Previously, she had turned a blind eye because she thought the business would eventually be handed over to him.
But now…
“Sorry, but Shen Pengjie’s private stash was all going to be taken by her.”
After leaving Shen Pengjie’s room, she headed to the kitchen.
By this time, the meals for the Shen family had already been served.
The kitchen maids in the mansion had gone off to drink, play finger-guessing games, and slack with the other servants.
There wasn’t much left in the kitchen worth picking through.
Su Yanxi simply waved her hand and stored all kinds of ingredients, pots, pans, dishes, utensils, and seasonings into her Space.
After thoroughly looting all the valuable items from the Shen family, she returned to the backyard, ready to leave.
Just as she reached the backyard, she heard Yang Hongxing in the main hall excitedly repeating the word “good” three times: “Good, good, good! I always knew my sons were no ordinary talents.
It was your father and I who were foolish back then, swapping out your precious sister, causing you all these years to be suppressed by that ungrateful Shen Yanxi.
Otherwise, with your sister’s innate phoenix destiny, the eldest and second should have long become the Civil and Martial Arts Champions, and the family business, managed by me and the third, should have been thriving, bringing in wealth daily.”
Su Yanxi curled her lips slightly. It seemed her guess was correct—Shen Qingyan had also been reborn.
No wonder she could so promptly bring the officials to swap identities.
And she even knew to use the story of their past life as a tale of fate to win the Shen family’s trust.
But in the previous life, didn’t Shen Qingyan die early on the exile journey?
How did she know about the Shen family’s later outcomes?
Though somewhat puzzled, Su Yanxi didn’t dwell on it too much. After all, both she and Shen Qingyan had been reborn.
It wasn’t too surprising if Shen Qingyan had some other opportunities.
However, if Shen Qingyan had returned aiming for the Shen family’s past glory and success, Su Yanxi was curious to see what kind of favorable outcome she would ultimately achieve.
Before leaving the Shen family, Su Yanxi left them a grand “gift.”
She took one last look at the brightly lit, laughter-filled front hall of the Shen family.
They would likely meet again very soon!