17th year of the Jiayou Era.
A biting cold wind blew through the end of the tunnel. White lanterns and mourning banners swayed on the ground, while the window ledges clattered loudly.
Shen Hua knelt in front of the spirit, dressed in her white robe.
A high-pitched voice sounded in her ear.
"Your father was a heartless person. If he's gone, he's gone. Shen Hua, be obedient to me and you'll be fine."
Her stepmother, Madam Shen Xue, was secretly delighted. She stood at the side condescendingly and pretended to cry loudly a few times, not showing any real pain of losing her husband.
When Shen Wei was still around, she played the role of a loving mother and put on a virtuous front every day, but Shen Hua still would not get close to her, nor did she ever receive a good word from Shen Wei.
Now that she was in charge, it was a great thing.
Shen Hua's eyes trembled as she continued to burn the paper money. She watched unblinkingly as the paper was devoured by the flames and turned into ashes.
Madam Shen Xue was furious when she did not receive a response. She stretched out her finger and roughly poked Shen Hua's skinny back.
"I'm talking to you. Are you deaf?"
Shen Hua's body was weak, and she almost fell to the ground from that. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead and her pale lips were tightly pursed.
When Madam Shen Xue saw this, the turmoil in her heart turned into relief.
"A sickly person who relies on medicinal herbs... Your father is the only one who treats you like a gem."
Now, she was still at her mercy.
Shen Hua struggled to get up and looked straight into Madam Shen Xue's eyes. Her pale lips curled up into a faint and cold smile.
"Ever since you entered the sect, Stepmother, you have never received any favor from my father. Until now, you have not given birth to any children. It's inevitable that you would feel resentful."
This was prodding Shen Xue's sore spot!
"You!"
"Father left too soon. He only regrets that our First Branch doesn't have a son. I heard that Stepmother is planning to adopt a bastard son from the Second Branch?"
Her tone was calm, without the slightest fluctuation. Her pitch-black eyes seemed to bear a sadness that others could not understand.
Madam Shen Xue was shocked. She felt goosebumps all over her body from the gaze of this girl who had yet to reach adulthood.
Shen Hua was well aware of Shen Xue's.
After Shen Wei died, Shen Xue's family was desperate to have children.
However, she did not understand why they would choose Shen Qu from the Second Branch, who was a year older than her.
Madam Shen Xue glanced at her from the corner of her eye and was rather impatient. "If we don't adopt, who will handle your father's funeral? How could the First Branch not have any descendants?"
Shen Hua withdrew a handkerchief from her sleeve. The pattern sewn on it was of a magnolia. It was a color she had only liked three years ago.
She was in a daze for a few seconds before wiping away the cold sweat on her forehead. Her thin lips parted slightly as she said three words, but it was powerful.
"I forbid it."
She had turned the world upside down.
"What did you say?"
Shen Xue rolled her eyes furiously.
"This was set by the Elder of the Shen Family! The Second Branch has also approved of it. How can you make your own statements?
"Your father dotes on you so much, but you're an ingrate!
"Shen Hua, you're engaged to someone else. In a few years, you'll be a married woman of the He family. What about the Shen family? What does this decision have to do with you?"
Shen Hua was physically and mentally exhausted, but she patiently listened to her stepmother's raised voice.
Her attitude was rather strange. When she the He family was mentioned, disgust and repulsion were seen in her eyes.
The girl was in a sickly state, but her back was upright.
"After Grandma passed away, Second Uncle married the daughter of the magistrate. He stubbornly ignored Father's advice and insisted on leaving the family. He was afraid that our First Branch would take his good fortune.
"After that, Shen Wei had worked hard and relied on his business acumen to make a name for himself in the embroidery business. He became the richest merchant in Fengzhou.
"But what about Second Uncle? He doesn't have any achievements, but he thinks highly of himself and looks down on merchants. He even thinks that Father stinks of money. Despite that, throughout the years, whenever he lacked money, he would borrow from Father and never return it. Who knows what kind of wishful thinking goes on inside the mind of a despicable and shameless person like him!"
Shen Qu was currently 15 years old and was already at a mature age. If he entered their family, the family business of the First Branch might fall into the hands of the Second Branch one day.
Shen Hua continued in a sincere tone, "It doesn't matter if you can't find any younger sons in the side branches. Even if there are five servers, they're from the same sect. Anyone is more suitable than Shen Qu."
She hoped that Madam Shen Xue would change her mind. She wanted to take advantage of the fact that the family tree had not been changed yet.
After all, no matter how incompatible she was with Shen Xue, the women of the First Branch should stand in the same boat in this matter.
Shen Xue was slightly startled. She did not know if she was feeling guilty or not.
Then, am unknown fire rose within her.
"Are you telling me how to do things?"
"I'm just asking my stepmother to reconsider."
Shen Hua looked at her quietly. However, even if she were to point out the flaws, she was only a girl who had yet to reach adulthood. She had no power.
As expected, Madam Shen Xue waved her hand dismissively. "Girl, you're confused from illness. Keep that in check for me."
Before Shen Wei could be laid to rest, Madam Shen Xue could not wait to bring all the people from her family over.
That nephew of the Xue family kept trying to get close to Shen Hua with that chubby face of his. It was obvious what he was thinking.
When the servants in the household saw the change in the Shen family, they immediately changed their expressions and followed the flow. They all listened to Madam Shen Xue's orders.
The entire Shen family was about to bear the surname Xue!
As soon as she gave the order, four or five old maids walked toward Shen Hua. Without any explanation, they picked up the noblest girl in the family.
Shen Hua's body was very weak and she could not struggle at all. She could only be dragged away. Soon, she was thrown out of the mourning hall.
"Mistress!"
The maidservant, Yi Cui, who was extremely anxious outside but could not enter the hall, cried out in shock and hurriedly rushed forward to support her.
She was so angry that her face flushed red. When she saw the mark on Shen Hua's wrist, she wanted to shout at these old women who did not know how to control their strength.
Shen Hua leaned against Yi Cui weakly. "Let's go back for now."
Her head hurt so much it felt like it was going to explode.
Her chaotic thoughts were like a dense net that bound her mercilessly.
Scenes appeared in front of her frame by frame. There was Second Uncle Shen Hewen's despicable greed, Shen Qu's wolfish ambition, and the cold ruthlessness of the eldest son of the He family who was engaged to her.
Other than that, she was also sent by Shen Hewen to serve the provincial judge's father-in-law. She had vomited blood in anger and died.
However, she returned to the timeline three years ago. All of these scenes have yet to happen, but she was about to repeat the same mistake.
Yi Cui helped Shen Hua back to the courtyard and took her to rest.
Through the curtains hanging above the ground, one could vaguely see the thin figure of the woman in the bed. Shen Hua was so fragile that she seemed to shatter with the slightest of touches. Her situation would probably become more and more difficult.
Her vision was blurry. She remembered that in her previous life, Yi Cui did not have a good ending.
In order to protect her mistress, Yi Cui was defiled by Zhu Zheng.
Yi Cui was about to get married at that time.
Shen Hua propped herself up. Her throat was extremely dry and itchy, and she could not stop coughing softly.
Seeing this, Yi Cui hurriedly brought another cup of warm water.
Shen Hua took a few sips of water to absorb some warmth before tightening the blanket around her. She looked around with an obscure expression, but did not see the other servants working in the courtyard.
Noticing what Shen Hua was looking at, Yi Cui was so angry that her eyes turned red and she stomped her feet.
"Those fence-sitters have all gone to the stepmother's courtyard to get on her good side."