Seeing Lin Xiaoguai moved, Shen Xiu started, "Sister-in-law, can I talk to you about my family?"
Lin Xiaoguai nodded hesitantly.
In her previous life, she had never truly understood the Shen Family. Initially, she wanted to, but no one cooperated; later, after the loss of her child, she lacked the mental strength.
It seemed as if Shen Xiu was considering how to phrase her words. After a long time, she continued, "My grandpa and grandma had only one son, my father. The others were all aunts. As such, my father grew up spoiled. Though not a bad person, he was timid and lacked initiative. Knowing my father's nature, my grandpa and grandma arranged for a clever and fierce Mom to be his wife."
"Mom was competent, but my dad was too easily swayed by flattery. At the drop of a few kind words, he would lend out the family's money. Thus, despite being married for more than a decade, they accumulated little savings and barely managed to provide for basic needs. When my brother was fourteen and the family could no longer afford his schooling, he packed up and went to the city to work. He was clever and always had ideas for making money. He sent back a substantial amount each year. Since it was my brother's hard-earned money, Mom firmly refused to lend it casually, and gradually our family's situation began to improve."
"Later, as the Red Guards grew increasingly rampant, tightening everything, my brother enlisted in the military as soon as he turned eighteen and was directly involved in the Vietnam War while still a recruit. I was ten when Mom was severely injured by a large rock, and she hung on for half a month without seeing my brother return from the battlefield; she passed away without peace of mind."
Hearing this, Lin Xiaoguai was slightly stunned. Had Shen Chi's mom passed away? Then who was that so-called "mother-in-law"...
Unaware of Lin Xiaoguai's thoughts, Shen Xiu saw her look surprised and whispered, "Sister-in-law, my brother is a soldier, many things are beyond his control." She was referring to the incident where Shen Chi had left Lin Xiaoguai alone at home due to an emergency mission on their first day of marriage.
"What happened afterward?" Lin Xiaoguai asked, looking down.
"The next year, dad remarried Wang Zhaodi and brought along the troublesome Shen Zhu." Pausing, Shen Xiu gritted her teeth, "That woman Wang Zhaodi is so calculating. If it weren't for my brother's promising military career, why would she marry a simple and honest farmer? Only dad is blind to see her as a treasure."
"Not a few years of peace passed, and last year my brother, familiar with Vietnam, was sent to participate in a self-defense war. By the time he returned, he was already a Captain."
Her face full of resentment, "After Mom passed away, the money my brother used to send ended up in dad's hands. Before my brother could settle down, Shen Zhu had already married and had a child, with Wang Zhaodi eating an egg every meal not from my brother's money? And when my brother got married, Wang Zhaodi didn't want to spend a cent, with dad just smoking by the side."
"According to me, dad is also foolish, worrying that my brother might die on the battlefield one day, leaving no one to care for him in old age. Thus, he neglects his own son and favors this adopted son as if he's a treasure."
Lin Xiaoguai digested the information in Shen Xiu's words and after a while hesitantly said, "So Shen Zhu is not Shen Chi's real brother, and Shen Xiaobao is not his real nephew?"
As she asked this, she felt a sense of relief inside.
Reality isn't a fairy tale; a leading lady ending up with the son of her father's killer is an impossible plot. And not everyone can easily forgive and forget.
Even in this lifetime, although Wang Zhaodi and Shen Xiaobao had not caused irrevocable hurt to her, she couldn't easily forgive.
"Of course not." Shen Xiu sharply retorted: "Shen Zhu looks as plain as a block of wood, and Shen Xiaobao's face is always smeared with snot. From where could you tell that they have any blood relation to my brother?"
Lin Xiaoguai chuckled softly, her eyes softening.
Luckily, reality seemed much better than she had thought.
Seeing her like this, Shen Xiu, who had initially regretted speaking without her brother's consent, suddenly felt relieved, believing she had done the right thing.
While Lin Xiaoguai was out, Shen Chi aired out the bedding and wiped dust from every nook and cranny—Xiuxiu had mentioned Wanwan loved cleanliness.
When Lin Xiaoguai and Shen Xiu returned, what they saw before them was an entirely refreshed sickroom.
Lin Xiaoguai paused, surprised, then looked towards Shen Chi, who was carrying a dustpan out. Shen Xiu gave her brother two approving thumbs up.