Shen Lingwei saw the familiar carriage and felt her heart tighten.
It was Chen Shitou, with a neatly dressed old maid following behind him.
Chen Shitou jumped down from the carriage. Seeing the mess all over the ground, his expression darkened immediately. “What is going on here?”
The landlady sized him up. “Who are you?”
Chen Shitou ignored her and walked straight to Shen Lingwei, bowing politely. “Madam Shen, we’ve finally found you!”
The landlady froze.
The neighbors began whispering among themselves, speculating about Chen Shitou’s identity.
Chen Shitou turned around and displayed a waist token. “Look closely. It’s from the Marquis Dingyuan’s residence!”
“Madam Shen is a guest of the Marquis’s household. From now on, her lodging will be taken care of by the Marquis’s residence!”
The landlady’s expression changed, and she hurriedly forced a smile. “So it’s someone from the Marquis’s residence. Oh dear, it’s all a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding.”
Chen Shitou paid her no mind and instead said to Shen Lingwei, “Madam Shen, this servant has come under the Old Madam’s orders to invite you to the residence. The Second Young Master ate your food and has shown improvement, but the cooks in the residence cannot recreate that taste, and he refuses to eat again.”
“The Old Madam said to invite you to stay in the residence for some time. You will be given separate accommodations, a monthly wage of five taels of silver, with food and lodging included.”
This待遇 startled all the surrounding neighbors.
One had to know that even an accountant who could read and write only earned two to three taels a month, which was already considered high.
Yet Shen Lingwei, merely cooking food, could earn as much as five taels!
This was no different from a windfall.
Many present were so envious they practically bubbled with jealousy, wishing they could step forward and recommend themselves.
At this moment, Madam Zhang personally stepped forward. “Madam Shen, after entering the residence, you will only be responsible for the Second Young Master’s meals. You won’t need to do menial labor. If you agree, you can get on the carriage now.”
Shen Lingwei lowered her head and looked at An’an in her arms.
The five-year-old girl’s eyes sparkled, carrying a hint of timidity and longing.
After a moment, Shen Lingwei raised her head and bowed to Madam Zhang.
“Madam, I have only one condition.”
“Go ahead.”
Shen Lingwei tightened her hold on An’an. “I want to bring my daughter with me.”
Madam Zhang was momentarily stunned, her gaze falling on the thin little An’an.
An’an instinctively shrank into her mother’s arms, but encouraged by Shen Lingwei’s gaze, she straightened up again.
The surrounding neighbors began discussing again. “Bringing a burden into the Marquis’s residence? Will they agree?”
“Exactly. What kind of place is the Marquis’s residence? Can you even bring a child?”
Madam Zhang fell silent for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. You can bring the child. I will speak to the Old Madam.”
Shen Lingwei felt a weight lift from her heart. “Thank you, Madam.”
Next, Madam Zhang explained some rules to her, and Shen Lingwei agreed to each one.
…
As the carriage slowly drove away, Shen Lingwei, together with her daughter, finally left the place where she had lived for half a year.
Inside the carriage, Madam Zhang explained some of the main circumstances of the Marquis’s residence.
The Marquis Dingyuan’s residence was hereditary. The current Marquis, Pei Jinzhi, was the Prime Minister of the court and was usually busy with official duties.
The mistress of the residence had passed away five years ago due to complications in childbirth, leaving behind three sons. The eldest, Pei Shuo, was seven years old.
The second son, Pei Ke, and the youngest, Pei Ye, were twins, five years old.
The Marquis and his late wife had shared a deep bond. Combined with his busy official duties, he had not remarried. Therefore, the household affairs were currently managed by the First Branch’s Madam Bai.
The Old Madam was the highest elder. Advanced in age, she only worried about her three grandsons.
Madam Zhang spoke the most about the young master Shen Lingwei would soon serve—the Second Young Master, Pei Ke.
From a young age, he had been sensitive to food and extremely picky. As an infant, he would not even drink his wet nurse’s milk and was raised on goat’s milk instead. He did not like to speak and had little interest in people or things around him. He was especially sensitive to sounds and smells.
Within twenty zhang of Jinghe Courtyard, incense was not allowed. If others approached or touched him, it would easily trigger resistance and aggression.
This time, his illness was severe. His aversion to food had reached the point where even the imperial physicians were helpless, and they had even vaguely suggested that the household should begin preparing for his funeral.
The residence had spent a great sum of money to locate a wandering healer, Master Hu, and invited him to treat the illness. There had been some improvement, but in the past two days, he had begun refusing food again. With no other options, the Old Madam thought of Shen Lingwei.
When Madam Zhang spoke of this, her tone carried a trace of pity. “Our Second Young Master is also a pitiful child. Aside from the Old Madam, the Marquis, and a few close attendants, if anyone else comes even half a step closer, he will make a fuss for quite some time. So when you work in the residence, try not to go near the main courtyard, so as not to stimulate him. Do you understand?”
Shen Lingwei nodded, but suspicion began to rise in her heart.
She could basically conclude that the Second Young Master of this household likely had autism.
When she was a special education teacher in modern times, she had encountered many children like this—withdrawn, sensitive, picky eaters, with weak digestion, sensitive to sounds and smells, rigid in behavior. Once their routine was disrupted, they would emotionally collapse…
Pei Ke’s symptoms were almost identical.
“Madam Zhang,” Shen Lingwei began carefully, “regarding the Second Young Master’s daily meals, are there any particular requirements?”
Madam Zhang’s expression stiffened slightly, somewhat evasive. “I will have someone prepare a list for you later. You must memorize it. Do not violate any taboos. Do you understand?”
Shen Lingwei did not think too much about it and nodded. “Alright. Thank you for the guidance, Madam.”
Madam Zhang agreed readily, feeling somewhat reassured.
But very soon, Shen Lingwei understood what Madam Zhang’s expression had meant.
The list given by the servants spanned more than ten pages, all detailing Pei Ke’s various taboos. From clothing, food, housing, and travel, to strict environmental requirements—even the person delivering his meals must not wear any fragrance or carry the scent of soap pods. Areas he designated as forbidden were not to be entered by anyone.
Not a single line stated what he liked.
Only what he could not tolerate.
To Shen Lingwei, it felt like a manual designed specifically to avoid triggering an “anomaly.” It was something the Marquis’s residence had compiled over five years—through countless failed cooks, broken-down servants, repeated emotional outbursts—trial and error, recorded bit by bit.
It was suffocating.
They were not teaching her how to cook.
They were teaching her how to survive beside a child who could explode at any moment—without making a mistake.
Shen Lingwei closed the list and remained silent for a long time.
An’an leaned closer and asked softly, “Mother, this older brother seems so hard to take care of.”
Shen Lingwei lowered her head and smiled. “He’s not hard to take care of.”
She pulled An’an into her arms, her gaze falling outside the window. “It’s just that no one has yet found the door into his world.”
An’an seemed half-understanding. “Then can you find it, Mother? What is his world like?”
Shen Lingwei gently rubbed her daughter’s head and pointed to a line on the list. “Look here—it says he never makes eye contact. Do you know why?”
An’an shook her head.
“Because his eyes are brighter than others’. When he looks at things, he sees more clearly and hears more distinctly than we do. The sound of wind brushing past window paper might just sound like a ‘whoosh’ to us, but to him, it could be as loud as thunder.”
An’an widened her eyes, full of disbelief.
“He’s just too tired from living. Every day, every moment, there are things we can’t feel constantly impacting him. So he has to shut himself away and set many, many rules just to feel a little more comfortable.”
An’an seemed to understand a little, and after a while, she asked softly, “Then… can we help him?”
Shen Lingwei held the heavy “list of taboos” in her hand, her gaze shifting slightly.
“Yes.”
“As long as someone is willing to understand him.”
There were many cases of autism recovery in modern times. Though she did not know Pei Ke’s exact situation, behind every “cannot” was an unmet “need.”
Patience and care would always be the best keys.
Just as she finished speaking, a sound of footsteps came from outside, followed by Chen Shitou’s voice drifting in.
“Madam Shen, the Second Young Master has awakened. He’s still quite weak. Madam Zhang asked this servant to inform you—could you prepare some light dishes and send them over first?”