“Wen He! Shut your mouth.”
“Fine. You said it yourself.”
Master Shen and Madam Shen spoke in unison.
Shen Wenhe glanced at Master Shen and, ignoring his attempts to stop him, said firmly: “Yes, I said it.”
“No, I disagree. Wen He is my son. How can he leave the house with nothing and sever ties?” Master Shen retorted loudly.
“Master, it’s not that I want him to leave with nothing and sever ties. It’s your precious son who wants to break off relations.” Madam Shen, who finally had hope of driving out Shen Wenhe, the thorn in her side, was unwilling to agree.
“If you hadn’t treated him harshly, why would he want to sever ties with the family? You still refuse to reflect on your actions. Do you really think I didn’t know how you’ve targeted Wen He all these years?” Master Shen roared in anger.
“Why should I reflect? What have I done wrong? Back then, you promised my parents you wouldn’t take a concubine. But what did you do? In just ten short years, you fell in love with someone else—a lowly maid who climbed into your bed. You spent every day whispering intimately with her in the study. Did you ever think about how heartbroken I was? I was pregnant at the time! I worked hard to bear your children, and then you told me you wanted to take that wretched woman as your concubine. Where did that leave me? Were the vows you once made nothing but empty words?” Even now, Madam Shen could not calm down when she recalled her feelings back then.
“What man doesn’t have multiple wives and concubines? Why should I be the exception? Yes, I promised your father I wouldn’t take a concubine, but that was only because your family forced me with your power and influence. All these years, I’ve only taken Wen He’s mother as my concubine. Don’t think I don’t know how much abuse Jinxiu suffered at your hands. If it weren’t for your jealousy, how could Jinxiu have died so young? And Wen He—although he’s the son of a concubine, he’s still my son. How have you treated him all these years? Do you really think I knew nothing? What happened to Wen He’s wet nurse? And the maid in his room?” Master Shen, disregarding propriety, confronted Madam Shen.
“It was you? You did all that? I wondered why the wet nurse suddenly resigned for no reason, and why that maid suddenly broke out in rashes and had to seek treatment outside the estate. So it was all you.” Madam Shen said in shock.
“Of course it was me. If I hadn’t been vigilant, Wen He would have long been harmed by you, you vicious woman. How could he have survived until now?” Master Shen also detested Madam Shen deeply.
As the couple exposed each other’s secrets, Shen Wenbo and his brothers were dumbfounded. They hadn’t expected that a simple discussion about separating the family would lead to their parents arguing—and about matters the younger generation shouldn’t even hear.
“Father, Mother, what are you talking about? Aren’t we discussing separating the family? Why are you bringing up these old, irrelevant matters?” The eldest, Shen Wenbo, couldn’t stand it any longer and stood up to speak.
Only then did Master Shen and Madam Shen remember that their children were still in the room. They immediately fell silent.
“Right, right. Let’s get back to discussing the family separation. Old Fourth, if you think half a share is too little, then each of you three brothers can have one full share.” Master Shen, feeling that he and his wife had argued too harshly, quickly steered the conversation back on track.
“Father, if we’re to separate the family, let it be fair. Otherwise, let me leave with nothing and sever ties with me.”
“I know exactly how much property this family possesses. What you mentioned isn’t even one-third of it.” Shen Wenhe didn’t insist on leaving with nothing, knowing that as long as he stood firm for fairness, someone would grow restless.
“Absolutely not! Why should it be divided equally? He’s just a son of a concubine—giving him half a percent is already generous enough. How dare he expect an equal share?” Madam Shen immediately objected.
Tolerating Shen Wenhe all these years had been her limit. She had originally thought of sending him away with just a few taels of silver.
Never did she expect Shen Wenhe to be so greedy as to demand the same treatment as her own son. How could she possibly agree?
“Wen He, you…” Master Shen wanted to say more, but under Shen Wenhe’s gaze, he swallowed the rest of his words.
Shen Wenhe remained silent, simply staring at Master Shen. He didn’t care about the others, but he still held some affection for this father of his.
Yet Shen Wenhe knew that his father would ultimately compromise.
Not for any other reason, but because although his father had feelings for him, Shen Wenbo and the others were also his sons—legitimate sons at that—and his father still valued them more.
Seeing Shen Wenhe’s expression, Master Shen knew this son was determined to sever ties with the family.
He was aware that he had indeed wronged this son over the years, but he had no choice. Flesh of his flesh, bone of his bone—for the sake of family harmony, even though he knew Fourth Son had a hard life, he couldn’t intervene too much to help him.
This had led to Shen Wenhe’s weak attachment to the family; one might even say he harbored some resentment toward them.
Suddenly, Master Shen no longer wished to say anything more. Since Wen He had already drifted apart from the family and was determined to leave with nothing and cut all ties, he might as well let him have his way.
“Very well, since you insist, so be it.” After saying this, Master Shen felt as if his back had bent with age.
Madam Shen and her children never expected Master Shen to actually agree to let Shen Wenhe leave with nothing.
“Fourth Brother, you must think carefully. Leaving with nothing is no trivial matter.” Although Shen Laoda had little affection for this half-brother Shen Wenhe, for his father’s sake, he still offered a word of advice.
“That’s right, Fourth Brother, you mustn’t act impulsively.”
“Life outside won’t be easy, Fourth Brother. You really need to think this through.”
Shen Laoer and Shen Laosan chimed in as well.
Shen Wenhe looked at their hypocritical faces and sneered, “Fine, I don’t really want to leave with nothing either. Since you all say so, how about we divide the family property equally then? Giving me just half a percent—what difference does it make from leaving with nothing? You all get to enjoy the benefits, and now you have the nerve to pretend to be magnanimous here.”
At Shen Wenhe’s words, Shen Wenbo and the others fell silent.
They had only said those things for show—Shen Wenhe leaving with nothing would actually benefit them.
“Fine, you said it yourself. Don’t come crying with regrets later.” Seeing that Shen Wenhe wasn’t taking their advice, Shen Wenbo’s face darkened.
Madam Shen now forgot her anger toward Master Shen and said softly, “Master, since Wen He insists, let him have his way.”
“Enough, since that’s how it is, so be it.” Master Shen suddenly seemed to have aged ten years.
“Then, Fourth Son, when will you move out? Don’t say I’m stingy—the family has a small residence on Changning Street.”
“Though it’s not large, it’s sufficient for your family to live in. I’ll give it to you,” Madam Shen said with feigned generosity.
“No need. Since I said I’m leaving the house with nothing, I meant it. Don’t worry about me clinging to the house and refusing to leave. I’ll move out tomorrow,” Shen Wenhe said.