Song Xingzhi lived during the reign of Emperor Huizong

Chapter 4

He Su Shi smiled and patted her head: "Little melon seed, don't bother with people like that. It'll only hurt your health. Just get some rest."

Not long after, Madam Zhang led her daughter He Yongjiao in, talking with the old shopkeeper Fu.

After examining the young lady, the old doctor smiled and said, "The young lady is fine now, but she is very weak and needs to rest more." Granny Sun hurriedly told him that the young lady didn't remember much of her past and asked if there was any remedy that could help.

Old Manager Fu shook his head: "It must be a great blessing from your ancestors that a child can be so clever. Fortunately, the child is still young and will learn things slowly. We can say that she will remember things little by little in the future."

Hearing this, everyone felt somewhat helpless but relieved. Zhang ordered someone to weigh out the silver for him and said, "I'm really sorry to have troubled you so much these past three days, old manager."

Manager Fu smiled and said, "Your household is a regular customer. No one else can treat this young lady's illness. We doctors have no choice but to save her life. There's no need for us to be embarrassed." After saying this, he bowed and left, taking his carriage back to his residence.

Zhang, worried that too many people would disturb her niece, said a few words to He Suchen after seeing that he was alright, and then called Granny Sun and He Suchen to the adjacent hall to talk. Her daughter, He Yongjiao, however, insisted on staying in the side room with her sister and refused to go over.

Seeing that everyone had left, He Yongjiao sent a maid out to make tea before moving a small stool to sit on the edge of the bed. Before she was even settled, she hurriedly asked, "Guazi, are you alright?!"

He Su replied, "I'm a little better, but I don't remember much..."

He Yongjiao was only thirteen years old. She was usually closest to her little sister, but seeing her sister's polite and distant attitude towards her like a stranger, tears welled up in her eyes. She cursed, "That bad older sister!! Why did she push you into the lake?! She's done such a mess to you, she'll get her comeuppance sooner or later!!!"

She was about to say something more when she saw He Suchen staring intently at the doorway, and she couldn't help but turn around—

He Su Shi stood outside the threshold with a dark expression, his eyes practically spitting fire.

Chapter Seven, Persuasion

The promotional function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join now! He Yongjiao, being close to He Suchen, naturally also had a good relationship with He Suchi. She had never seen her third brother so angry before, and was shocked, but she steeled herself and said, "Third brother, you've come at the right time! I was just about to tell you about this!"

He Su Shi took a few deep breaths, his expression softening somewhat. He Yong Jiao saw that although his complexion had improved, his voice was cold and devoid of emotion, even more frightening than before. She said with a heavy heart, "Yesterday I overheard the people in Third Aunt's room talking. They said, they said..." She gritted her teeth and blurted it out in one breath, "They said they saw Eldest Sister, for some reason, dragging Guazi to the lakeside, and even kicking Guazi, sending him flying into the lake!"

In fact, after hearing about this, she immediately went to find her mother. She had a strong sense of justice in her personality, and as a child, she also had a very strong attitude of punishing evil and promoting good that she had learned from watching plays. Moreover, she disliked He Yuanfang and was close to He Sucheng. She insisted that her mother step in and beat up her older sister, so that she would lose face and let everyone know what happened and call her a bad person.

To her surprise, her mother not only ignored her after hearing about it, but also scolded her, telling her not to spread the word.

He Yongjiao's position in the eldest son's family was quite peculiar. As the eldest daughter-in-law, her mother had to manage the household, care for the old lady, and look after her husband, inevitably neglecting her two children. He Suyi, being the eldest son, was naturally well-regarded, but Yongjiao received little attention. Zhang felt guilty towards her daughter for not fulfilling her responsibilities as a mother, so she consistently doted on her more than disciplined her, even with a touch of guilt.

Yongjiao, always praising her mother without ever being lectured, was annoyed by her mother's presence that day. When Zhang Shi, preoccupied with this matter, spoke harshly, Yongjiao was initially annoyed, but later felt wronged and shed some tears. Seeing He Suchen lying in bed, looking haggard and unrecognizable, she felt even more indignant and wronged, believing her mother was siding with the bad guy. She blurted out the gossip the servants only dared to pass on in private.

She explained the situation, but was still unconvinced, adding, "I don't think my eldest sister is a good person at all. She has a bad temper and can't stand seeing others do better than her! Even her own sister, who has such a good temper, gets beaten and scolded. My third aunt is no better either; she's always looking for trouble to make my mother uncomfortable! She doesn't seem like a good person at all!!"

She pouted and said, "I don't think there's any other reason. It must be that the older sister is jealous because she sees that the melon seed girl is smart and popular! And she sees that the guests only praise us and ignore her, so she's being so mean!!"

He Sucheng chuckled to himself upon hearing her analysis, and became a little wary of her cousin and aunt from the third branch of the family. He Sushi, however, felt a surge of hot blood rush to his head, and turned to go to the third branch to settle scores. The maids who had been watching the commotion at the door saw that things were not going well, and one of them had already gone to the hall to tell Zhang Shi, while the others desperately pulled him away, not daring to let him go.

He Su Shi, a boy, was being held back by several maids, so how could he possibly move? Just as he was struggling, Zhang Shi and Granny Sun arrived, followed by a bunch of maids and servants.

When the maids saw that someone in charge had arrived, they let go of their grip. When He Sushi saw Madam Zhang, he knew that she must understand what had happened but had kept silent. He was furious with her, but he could only greet her.

Zhang thought to herself, "Never mind," and went into the room to sit down. She said, "Brother Shi, come in. I have something to say." Granny Sun was an experienced woman. She dismissed the maids, went into the room herself, and closed the door. In the room, there was only He Su Chen lying down, He Yong Jiao biting her lip, and Granny Sun with a dark face and no expression.

Madam Zhang accepted the tea offered by Granny Sun and said, "Brother Shi, please sit down."

He Su remained silent, standing still. Madam Zhang sighed and said, "I know you resent me and feel that I didn't take good care of Xiao Guazi, which is my fault; besides, I clearly know that the third branch of the family is at fault, but I didn't say anything, so it's understandable that you're angry."

She paused, then continued, "Actually, this matter is Yuanfang's fault. Your third aunt is unreasonable and doesn't understand any rules. She should be properly talked to. But Shige'er, have you thought about this? If this matter gets out and it becomes public knowledge in the manor, how can we keep it from outsiders? If word gets out, what will become of Yuanfang's reputation? What will become of the He family's face?!"

“It’s shameful enough that the master mistreats the servants, let alone that the older cousin beat the younger cousin and almost killed her.” After she finished speaking, she felt a little upset, took a sip of tea, and continued, “If this gets out, not only will the eldest maid’s reputation be ruined and how will she be able to get married in the future? Our entire He family will be laughed at. Good news doesn’t travel far, but bad news travels fast. Do you want your family to be laughed at by outsiders? If this gets out, even when you go to school, your classmates will laugh at you in private.”

She glanced at her daughter and said, "Yongjiao, you're just trying to make your mother look bad, aren't you? Don't you realize that if we really punish your eldest sister to vent our anger, none of you three sisters will ever be able to marry into a good family again? Who would want to be related to such a shameless household by marriage?!"

Seeing that her daughter and nephew were standing there silently and in a daze, she knew that they were unwilling to accept it, but would eventually understand after thinking it through. So she went to the bedside to look at He Suchen.

He Suchen didn't flinch, looking directly at her aunt. She saw that the woman had regular features, fair skin, and especially beautiful, delicate willow-leaf eyebrows; she was indeed a beautiful woman. However, her eyes held a hidden authority, suggesting she was no ordinary person. She hesitated for a moment, then softly called out, "Auntie." Zhang Shi straightened her blankets and smiled, "Are you alright now? Be a good girl and rest. We'll play together when Grandma comes back."

She straightened the quilt and said, "Guazi, don't blame your aunt. Your aunt has always treated you like her own daughter..." She sighed and didn't say anything more. He Suchen felt that he could feel her concern and sighed slightly.

Madam Zhang stood up and said, "I still have things to do over there, so I can't sit any longer. Yongjiao, you keep your sister company." After saying that, she looked at Granny Sun and said, "Granny is an experienced woman. Help persuade Shige'er. Explain the reasoning to him. He's a sensible person."

She pushed open the door and went back to her room, and the maids hurriedly followed to serve her.

Seeing that He Su Shi and Yong Jiao remained silent, Granny Sun knew they were still unconvinced and said, "The eldest mistress also has her own hardships. After all, we are family. Do you really want to see the eldest daughter suffer for the rest of her life?"

Yongjiao said angrily, "Guazi almost lost her life! What's a little suffering to her?!" She was just venting her anger. It was impossible that she didn't understand what her mother had said. But after listening to her, she was even more annoyed and resentful.

He Su Shi remained silent. After trying to persuade her for a long time, she finally said angrily, "The young lady is still sick. Why do you all insist on meddling in this matter instead of going to keep her company? What do you expect your sister to think when you reveal this here?! She just woke up, and this incident could easily make her fall asleep again!"

He Sushi and Yongjiao exchanged a glance, and He Sushi quickly sat down by the bed to tell He Suchen not to overthink it. He also felt bad for himself, thinking only about things and forgetting that the patient was the most important person.

Although He Su Shi outwardly stopped mentioning the matter, he had already remembered it deeply in his heart. Moreover, having been independent for a long time, he was vaguely thinking of the saying, "A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years."

Yongjiao, however, was simple-minded. Once she let go of the past, she chattered away with Su Chen, asking him what interesting things happened when he went out with his teacher. He Su Shi was thoughtful and didn't want his sister to overthink things, so he smiled and said, "It's winter now, and the scenery isn't very beautiful, but it's still a trip, and there are many new things to do. I'll tell you all about it when I go out with my teacher next year."

Yongjiao asked curiously, "Third brother, will you be going out again next year? And will the teacher be taking you?"

He Su Shi smiled slightly: "After the New Year, when the flowers bloom in March, we will naturally go to Yangzhou."

Chapter 8, Siblings

The promoter function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join us now! </A> On a morning in early December, the winter sun shone softly. Although it wasn't very warm, it had a comforting, lazy feel to it.

Early in the morning, two armchairs were placed outside the west wing of the second house of the He family. The two siblings, He Su Shi and He Su Chen, each sat in one, holding the same version of the Diamond Sutra and reading it happily.

He Su said with a smile, "You used to be able to recite this passage of scripture when you were four years old. I taught you all night yesterday. If you still get it wrong, your brother won't let you eat the Longjing shrimp tonight."

"Brother bullied me!" He Su Chen pouted. After pretending to be a child for so long, she actually felt like she was a child herself.

After more than ten days of recuperation, the child, who had initially looked haggard, had regained some color in her face. Although she was still thin, she looked much better. He Su Shi happened to be on her husband's daughter's wedding day and had a three-day holiday. She wished she could spend every minute with her sister so that their relationship could quickly return to what it used to be.

Seeing how much he was being urged, He Suchen felt a little embarrassed to make a sound while reciting the text, but for the sake of the Longjing shrimp that evening, he obediently complied.