As they were talking, they heard chaotic footsteps approaching from afar. Shen Hua's heart skipped a beat and she looked up.
Shen Qu was walking at the forefront. He was also wearing mourning clothes. His appearance was ordinary and there was nothing outstanding about him. However, the material of the mourning clothes was extremely high-quality, making him look elegant.
Shen Hua remembered that Shen Qu had a marriage arranged by the Second Branch's Madam Shen Zhu.
Madam Shen Zhu had no feelings for this illegitimate son of hers. The new wife she found for him was not outstanding. She was afraid that Shen Qu, who was good at studying, would be inferior to her biological son.
Now that Shen Qu had become the son of the First Branch, this marriage arrangement was canceled privately.
In the other timeline, Shen Qu had been overambitious and tried to marry an official's daughter. How could he be interested in an ordinary woman?
Currently, Madam Shen Xue was walking behind him. Her expression was ugly and there was a hint of anger between her brows.
Behind them were Steward Wu, Mrs. Wang, Mrs. Xu, and the other servants.
"Madam, Young Master!"
The servants in the courtyard acted like they have seen their savior. One by one, they stepped forward and bowed respectfully as though they have been granted salvation.
"Madam, please make a decision.
"We'll…"
Before she could complain, she happened to meet Shen Qu's gaze, and the words in her mouth inexplicably disappeared.
Shen Hua sat steadily, her body slumped against the chair as if she had no bones. She crossed her legs and rested her arms weakly on the handle, vividly showing an aura of arrogance and rudeness.
"It's snowing outside. Why aren't you staying in the house, Yangyang? Why aren't you taking care of yourself?"
Shen Qu walked closer and pretended to be worried. As he approached step by step, Shen Hua secretly tightened her grip on the handle.
Shen Qu said, "Last night, you had a fever, but I was busy with work and couldn't rush over. I'm here to apologize to you. Yangyang, are you throwing a tantrum because of me?"
As he spoke, he raised his hand to touch her forehead affectionately.
The current Shen Hua was still young and had yet to mature. She was sickly and did not have the softness and beauty of a noble girl.
At this moment, Shen Qu did not have any other thoughts about her.
Shen Hua raised her hand in disgust and slapped it away.
The slap made a crisp and ringing sound.
Shen Hua's eyes were fiery and bright.
"Stepbrother, don't blame me. I don't like outsiders touching me, especially people like you."
Her words were not polite at all, but everyone in the courtyard was used to it.
The young mistress of the Shen family had been arrogant since she was small!
Even Madam Shen Xue choked on Shen Quxin's behalf.
However, Shen Qu acted as if nothing had happened, like a hypocritical snake. His smile did not diminish, as if he was tolerating Shen Hua's unreasonable behavior.
"It's fine. I'm not hurt."
Shen Hua smiled sweetly at him.
"Of course. You have thick skin."
Madam Shen Xue, "???"
However, when she thought of Shen Qu's instructions, she felt extremely aggrieved. She wanted to punch a wall.
She walked over stiffly and raised her hand at Shen Hua.
The servants who were about to be sold were all excited. "Hit her! Hurry! Hit her!"
The Young Master was new here and should not administer punishment. The Madam had to quickly teach her a lesson!
However, in the next moment, they saw Madam Shen Xue purse her lips tightly. She took out a stack of paper from her sleeve and threw it heavily at Shen Hua's leg.
Was that the indenture that Shen Hua wanted?
Shen Hua ignored Madam Shen Xue's look of exasperation. Instead, she hummed a tuneless song and leisurely lowered her eyes to count.
There were fifteen cards; not a single one was missing.
Shen Qu suppressed his temper and said gently, "Since Mother sent the servants over to serve you, you can just deal with them if you're not happy with them. It's a trivial matter. Although you're young and inexperienced, you can still make the decision yourself."
"With Brother and Mom around, you're still the most favored daughter in the residence."
Shen Hua was useful to him, and he was willing to give her some benefits.
She could still live for a few more years if her mental state was fine. If she was angered to death, the gains would not make up for the losses.
Madam Shen Xue gripped her handkerchief tightly and smiled insincerely. "Yes."
Shen Qu deliberately did not want to have a public falling out with Shen Hua. He was willing to act like a caring brother to her.
Shen Hua did not bother to look at them. She shifted into a comfortable position and continued to speak. Her words were hard and false.
"Ah, I'm so touched."
Even Shen Qu was slightly stunned.
Madam Shen Xue's eyes twitched in anger. Ahhh!!! This Little b*tch!
'Be proud of yourself now. I'll make you cry one day!'
The air froze for a few seconds. In a moment, panicked pleas for mercy and miserable cries filled the entire courtyard.
Not long ago, these servants were still confident that they would be protected by Madam Shen Xue, but reality had turned around and slapped them hard.
The fifteen servants fell to the ground, rolling and crawling in fear. The snow was dense, making their bodies sink in, but they did not feel the cold at all.
"Mistress, please forgive us. We won't dare to do it again."
"Madam, we're your people. We've worked hard all these years even if we didn't contribute…"
Madam Shen Xue's eyelids twitched.
She was already forced to lower her head for them. Now, these lowly dogs were still reminding her about it!
How embarrassing!
She turned around angrily and gritted her teeth. "Can't you guys move?! Tie these people up and gag them!"
The steward behind her hurriedly nodded and bowed. He raised his hand and gave an order. Soon, more servants came forward and tied the fifteen people together tightly.
Shen Hua's smile did not leave her face even as the wails were drilled into her ears.
Yi Cui took the indentures from her hand and handed them to the broker. The broker took them deftly and verified them one by one.
In the end, she bowed to them and led them out.
How could the fifteen servants be willing to go quietly? They refused to leave no matter what.
However, they were shoved out of the Shen residence by the steward's subordinates.
Seeing that these people were still being insincere, the broker no longer put on a flattering air. Without a word, she used the thin stick she carried with her for many years to ruthlessly whack them.
They could not be resold if they were crippled, so the thin stick made a whooshing sound in the air and only targeted the body.
Accompanied by a shrill cry of pain, the broker's hands did not stop moving. She was not moved. She slapped the people a few more times and said with a fake smile.
"Over the years, I've met more than a hundred stupid people. You're from a big household. How many beatings can your delicate skin and tender flesh withstand?
"Why aren't you leaving yet? Do you all not have legs? I'll go easy on you now! You can beg on the streets if you want. Who asked you not to live such a good life? You brought this upon yourself."
If she could not beat Broker Cheng, it was still nice to whip these people.
"That old thing came to rob me after her man died? Isn't it enough that she snatched one man? Now, she even wants to seduce my son. Pfft! Old vixen.
"Don't use your good looks to cause trouble. Do you believe that I'll sell you men to the brothel to serve men in iron chains? The women can be sold to the poorest mountains. I'm trying to scare you, but all the men in the mountain village can only pool their money to buy one wife. If you can withstand this kind of torture, go on and continue making trouble for me!"