Shen Yunxi: ……
What does “meat stew, soup, and all that” even mean?
She was still a minor!
She didn’t understand it at all.
“Big brother is proper and disciplined. Things like ‘try first before buying’—he would never do something like that!”
Only Shen Yunhuai would do such ridiculous things.
A man like their eldest brother—upright and self-restrained—would never casually give away his innocence.
Shen Yunxi felt awkward and forced her voice to steady.
“Then about what she said regarding Mother… Third Brother, you believe that too? Mother has always been so good to us. How could she possibly be that kind of person? It must be that sister-in-law dislikes her and is deliberately slandering her!”
“And what about her saying Mother sold our late mother’s belongings? Don’t you think that’s ridiculous? Our birth mother’s things are locked in the storeroom. Mother already said that everything left by my biological mother would be kept as my dowry—she would never take my things!”
“It must be Sister-in-law framing her on purpose.”
She didn’t believe a single word of it.
Shen Yunhuai’s expression darkened.
“How do you know there are still things in the storeroom?”
When the stepmother was in charge, they had never once been allowed into the storeroom.
Whatever they needed, the stepmother would simply provide for them.
Shen Yunhuai suddenly laughed.
It was almost as if the one surnamed Shen wasn’t him—but Madam Meng.
He had never even stepped into his own family’s storeroom.
“Fine! You believe Sister-in-law, I believe Mother. Then let’s go see for ourselves who is right. If everything in the storeroom is still there, I’ll make Sister-in-law apologize to Mother!”
Shen Yunxi turned and stormed off.
But Shen Yunhuai didn’t move.
Nor did he refute her.
He also wanted to confirm whether their late mother’s belongings were still there.
However, without Sister-in-law’s approval, this likely wouldn’t be possible.
Seeing he didn’t follow, Shen Yunxi turned back.
“What? Not coming anymore? You already know Sister-in-law is talking nonsense, so you’re afraid to confront me?”
Shen Yunhuai looked at her like she was an idiot.
“Right now Sister-in-law is managing the household. The key is with her. Do you think you can even enter the storeroom?”
Shen Yunxi: ……
Why didn’t you say so earlier?!
So now they had to go back and ask Wen Jiushu for the key?
She couldn’t bring herself to swallow that pride.
“Mu Si, come here.”
Shen Yunhuai motioned him over and whispered into his ear:
“Go tell Sister-in-law I need a writing inkstone and want to pick one from the storeroom. Ask her to lend me the key.”
A perfectly reasonable excuse. Sister-in-law should agree.
Mu Si wanted to say: Third Master, writing uses paper and brushes, not inkstones.
But he didn’t dare. “Yes, I’ll go request the key.”
Wen Jiushu listened calmly after hearing the request.
“So Third Brother has finally turned over a new leaf. If the Marquis knew, he would surely be pleased. Yuanbao, give him the key… what’s your name?”
Mu Si froze. “This lowly one is Mu Si.”
Wen Jiushu nodded. “Take it.”
Yuanbao handed over the key.
Mu Si accepted it and thought: Third Master’s ‘reform period’ is getting longer.
Usually he couldn’t even last an hour.
This time he’s been well-behaved for two days?
He actually hasn’t gone out causing trouble since yesterday.
A record.
Wen Jiushu lightly shook her head and sighed.
Regardless of whether Shen Yunhuai suspected Madam Meng, she only hoped he would open his eyes and properly examine what was inside the storeroom.
When the storeroom was opened, it was filled with treasures—antique paintings, jade artifacts, gold and jewels—so dazzling it was overwhelming.
Shen Yunxi snorted.
“So this is what Sister-in-law calls Mother emptying the storeroom? Hah. Sister-in-law, coming from a merchant background, must have a shallow vision, so she assumes others are as petty as she is.”
Shen Yunhuai glanced around—and something felt off.
He picked up an exquisitely carved jade toad and let go.
Smash!
It hit the ground and shattered.
Shen Yunxi was startled.
“Third Brother! Why are you breaking things? Sister-in-law—”
But Shen Yunhuai had already picked up a night pearl.
He squeezed hard.
It shattered in his palm.
Shen Yunxi was stunned.
“Third Brother… have you been taking some kind of strength tonic recently?”
Shen Yunhuai gave her a cold glance.
“These are fake.”
He opened his hand—the shattered “night pearl” was just powder.
Shen Yunxi froze.
“How is that possible?!”
It was just plastic molded into a bead with fluorescent powder on the outside.
She looked down at the broken “jade” pieces again—even she could tell they weren’t high-quality jade.
Poor color, poor texture, poor translucence.
“Low-grade jade, counterfeit,” Shen Yunhuai said coldly.
He picked up a painting, glanced at it, and tossed it aside. “Forgery.”
Shen Yunxi’s eyelid twitched.
Almost nothing in the entire storeroom was real.
“Do you still think Sister-in-law is wrong now?”
Shen Yunxi couldn’t speak.
The storeroom had truly been emptied.
Shen Yunhuai walked deeper inside. At the back were several large boxes—the belongings left by their late mother.
He opened them one by one.
Silks and brocades, gold hairpins, jade ornaments—full and neatly stored.
Shen Yunxi leaned in and sighed in relief.
“Good… Mother’s dowry is still here.”
“Look again carefully. Is it really all still there?” Shen Yunhuai’s tone turned icy.
Shen Yunxi looked more closely.
Something was wrong.
She exploded in anger.
“Where’s the phoenix hairpin?! Mother left me a phoenix hairpin! And the ruby step-swinging hair ornament? And the pair of imperial-green jade bracelets?! They’re gone!”
Those jade bracelets were her mother’s dowry—rare, top-grade ice jade.
She remembered clearly there had also been her favorite phoenix hairpin.
All gone.
She searched box after box.
Nothing.
Her heart sank.
“Who took my jewelry?!”
“The key has always been with Madam Meng. Who else could have entered?” Shen Yunhuai’s eyes were filled with killing intent.
“Could it really be Mother…?”
Shen Yunxi’s face went pale.
After leaving the storeroom, Shen Yunxi looked utterly lost.
Shen Yunhuai glanced at her.
“I’m going to see Sister-in-law. Are you coming?”
Shen Yunxi blinked.
“Why see her? She can’t help us recover the things anyway!”
“Now that she manages the household, we should report this to her properly. That’s basic respect.”
He also wanted to hear whether Sister-in-law had any further insights.
He patted Shen Yunxi’s head.
“Don’t be sad. Whatever Madam Meng took, Third Brother will make them spit it all back out for you.”
Shen Yunxi’s eyes reddened.
She had trusted her stepmother so much—only to find out she might have been eyeing her inheritance all along.
Their eldest brother had said clearly: everything left by their birth mother belonged to the daughters.
Her two elder sisters had already taken their shares when they married. What remained was hers alone.
Madam Meng had not only deceived her feelings…
She had stolen her money too.
Unforgivable.