“Shen Yunhai has at least passed the tongsheng exam. If you keep making a scene like this, how will he continue studying once word spreads?” Shen Yunzhi forced herself to speak calmly. No matter what, she had to stabilize Mother Shen tonight. The rest could wait until tomorrow.
“Your son stole my grandson’s apprenticeship spot. If you’re not afraid of ruining reputations, why should we be?” Mother Shen’s shrill voice drew a crowd.
Hearing the noise, Su Jingci stepped out, worried Shen Yunzhi might suffer alone.
On the way home earlier, he had anticipated something like this. But he hadn’t expected his grandmother to go this far.
“Apprenticeship depends on ability. Besides, Shen Yunhai is already a tongsheng. If he loses to Ci-ge, who doesn’t even hold a degree, wouldn’t that be embarrassing? Or are you saying Shen Yunhai’s talent is fake — that he only succeeds because others step aside for him?”
“Bullshit!” Mother Shen spat.
Her Haige studied diligently. Even the academy headmaster had praised him.
“If that’s the case, why should Ci-ge step aside for him?” Shen Yunzhi pressed on.
Mother Shen was rendered speechless.
“If you came for anything else, we could discuss it. But not this. If you keep forcing me, then we’ll all burn together. No one will walk away unscathed.”
Shen Yunzhi’s resolve hardened.
She grabbed a kitchen knife.
“No one will stand in the way of my son’s future!”
“Y-you… you’re not thinking of killing me, are you?” Mother Shen panicked. For a moment, she believed Shen Yunzhi might truly do it. “If you kill me, you won’t live either!”
“I’ve only been a burden to my children while alive. If I die, they’ll have one less burden.” Her voice turned cold. “It’s not as if I’ve cared for them much all these years.”
Mother Shen was finally out of moves.
Then Su Jingci stepped forward.
“I can give up becoming the teacher’s disciple — but you must agree to one condition.”
Shen Yunzhi grabbed his arm. “What nonsense are you saying? What could possibly be more important than your future?”
But Su Jingci looked determined, waiting for Mother Shen’s answer.
With the sudden turn of events, how could Mother Shen refuse?
“Speak.”
“Where is my sister?” Su Jingci’s eyes filled with tears.
Shen Yunzhi’s heart sank deeper and deeper.
Not long after Su Jinhuai left, she had given birth to a daughter.
When the girl was two years old, Mother Shen said it was too hard for her to raise two children alone. A family wanted a daughter and was willing to pay ten taels of silver. Shen Yunzhi agreed without a second thought.
Such things were not uncommon in the village. Many families couldn’t afford to raise daughters — some newborn girls were even drowned at birth.
Su Jingci had once made a scene over this. Shen Yunzhi had threatened her own life to force him to stop mentioning it. After that, he never brought it up again — but he never let it go in his heart.
Because of this incident, Old Madam Su had fallen gravely ill. After that illness, her health never truly recovered.
Mother Shen avoided his gaze. “Your sister died of illness long ago.”
“Rubbish!” Su Jingci shouted sharply. “If you don’t tell me where she is, then this time I took Shen Yunhai’s apprenticeship slot — next time I’ll take something else from him.
From now on, whenever he competes with me, whether I need it or not, I’ll take it. I’ll make sure he’s utterly defeated. I’ll ruin his entire scholarly future.”
Mother Shen’s voice trembled. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“I’m studying precisely to deal with Shen Yunhai. To deal with the Shen family. Do you think I wouldn’t dare?”
Su Jingci looked gentle and refined, but beneath that was a streak of iron stubbornness. That was why Mother Shen didn’t dare provoke him directly — she preferred to bully Shen Yunzhi instead.
Thinking of the daughter who had been sent away, Shen Yunzhi’s eyes reddened.
“Ci-ge, I know where your sister is. I’ll bring her back.”
She had always known.
It was just that some things were difficult to handle.
That was why she had been so determined to earn money. Only with money would she have the leverage to bring her daughter home.
Mother Shen panicked. Su Jingci dropping out of school no longer mattered. Compared to that, Shen Yunzhi going to that household to cause trouble was far more dangerous.
“Shen Yunzhi, have you forgotten what you said back then? If you dare go, I’ll hang myself at your door!”