Chapter 9: The Shen Family Compound (Part 2)

  Although I have a good impression of silence, after all, family rules are more important than heaven.

  Furrowing his brow, Shen Lao Ye said in a deep voice to the Fourth Young Master standing beside him, "Fourth Son, you brought this person here. Tell your father what's going on?"

  "Yes, Father." The Fourth Young Master was as obedient as a kitten, lowering his head and speaking in a gentle tone: "This afternoon, I was studying in my room when Seventh Aunt's family suddenly came to report that this young man had injured her daughter-in-law." He glanced at his father, seeing that his expression didn't change, before continuing cautiously: "Father told us to take care of our relatives, so I followed that intention and went to the Huan Tai courtyard to take a look. That's when I saw Seventh Aunt, who was injured, and this young man living upstairs."

  "Get to the point." Old Master Shen said with a dark face: "Don't always brag about yourself."

  "Oh, I see." The Fourth Master nodded and said concisely: "The child knows that Seventh Sister was indeed injured, but this young man has been bedridden with illness and hasn't left the house until now. The child can't figure out how he could have hurt Seventh Sister? Not daring to take matters into his own hands, he brought him here to ask Father to make a clear judgment."

  "Consider yourself knowing some rules." Mr. Shen's face slightly cleared up, and he gave a faint approval. He turned his head to ask Shen Mo: "Was it you who beat Seventh Young Lady?"

  "The student dares to swear," Shen Mo denied bluntly: "If I were the one who beat Seventh Young Lady, then let me never pass the imperial examination in this life." This was an extremely heavy oath for a scholar, but indeed it wasn't him who did it, so swearing didn't matter.

  Shen Lao Ye indeed believed it and asked strangely: "If it wasn't you who did it, how were Qi Gu Niang's bones broken?"

  "This... you can ask Qiū Niáng. Shen Mo coldly smiled and said: "As long as she also makes an oath, guaranteeing that what she says is the truth."

  Mr. Shen nodded and said to Seventh Sister: "Make a vow."

  The seventh girl had no choice but to swear an oath, saying that if she uttered even half a false word, she would let herself be disembowelled. Only then did she say in a wronged tone: "Today was the first time my daughter went upstairs, and as soon as she pushed open the door, she was hit on the head by a chamber pot; the second time she went upstairs, she stepped on a piece of watermelon rind and fell down from the stairs."

  The Fourth Master Si, who was eavesdropping on the side, didn't think this matter would be so interesting, and couldn't help but let out a snort, bursting into laughter.

  Mr. Shen also couldn't help but stifle a smile and forced himself to ask seriously: "Shen Mo, why did you put... a chamber pot on top of the door?"

  "Anti-theft." Shen Mo said seriously, "There is a saying: 'Do not have the heart to harm others, but do not lack the heart to guard against others.' He spread his hands and said, "The student is currently ill, with no strength to even tie up a chicken. Moreover, he often becomes dizzy and confused. By placing a basin on top of the door, it can serve as both a warning and a way to catch an intruder off guard."

  "What you said makes some sense." Old Master Shen said with a hint of a smile: "But what if we wrongly accuse an innocent person?"

  "As long as it's not malicious, he'll knock on the door and come in, and the students will remind him." Shen Mo said calmly.

  "Has anyone knocked on the door?" Mr. Shen asked Seventh Sister.

  "No." Seventh Young Lady lowered her head and said: "Just push the door open and go in directly."

  "Why didn't you knock on the door?" Mr. Shen said in a deep voice: "Entering without permission is impolite, don't you know that?"

  Silent heart says, okay, so I was molested.

  "Alright, I'll let you off the first time." Mr. Shen stared at Shen Mo and said in a deep voice: "What about the second time? Putting watermelon rinds on the ground again, isn't that...". The four words 'heart not kind' couldn't be easily spoken, as it would lead to resentment.

  "That wasn't me who put it there." Shen Mo shook his head and said, "It was Seventh Young Lady who threw it here the first time she came up."

  "What?" Old Master Shen couldn't help but laugh and say: "Seventh Young Lady, it really was you who threw away the melon rind and hurt your own foot, wasn't it?"

  "It seems to be the case..." said Seventh Young Lady, her two index fingers together.

  "Alright, the facts are clear." Mr. Shen said in a deep voice: "This time's incident was caused by Shen Mo being too cautious and Seventh Young Lady being not careful enough, resulting from a series of misunderstandings." Just as Shen Mo thought he would use a conciliatory approach to end the matter, Mr. Shen continued: "But today's consequences must have yesterday's causes. Neighbors should get along harmoniously, but it has escalated to this point, what is the reason? Seventh Young Lady, you tell me."

  "This kid scolded me." Seventh Girl stammered: "Said that Sun girl is a shrew."

  "What did he mean by saying you're a shrew?" Mr. Shen asked.

  "Because... because..." The seventh girl lowered her head and said: "Because I scolded him first."

  "Why did you scold him?"

  "Because he cheated me," said Seventh Sister grievously: "He said he had tuberculosis..."

  "Have you ever said so?" Mr. Shen asked Shen Mo.

  "No." Shen Mo spread his hands and said, "The student originally told her, 'Please close the door when you leave.' But she only heard the word 'please' and fled in a flurry, perhaps it was a misunderstanding."

  Mr. Shen thought for a moment and had already guessed about 80% of the reason behind the incident. He suspected that Seventh Young Lady had deliberately stirred up trouble because he had taken in Shen He and Shen Mo, and let them move into the attic that originally belonged to her. As for Seventh Young Lady's temperament, he had heard something about it, and estimated that after several rounds of disturbance and scolding, she had provoked a counterattack from this clever young man...

  He was particularly fond of the elegant and refined young man, Shen He, but he deeply despised Seventh Sister, a coarse and boorish woman. Once he understood the situation, he deliberately helped Shen He and his father occupy the building, driving Seventh Sister's family out of the Shen household.

  In the Shen family compound, Old Master Shen was like heaven, like the law of kings, a god or demon who decided everyone's fate.

  "Listen up," Shen Lao Ye said with a serious tone after making up his mind, "In the Shen family, harmony and friendship are of utmost importance. If there is anyone who is narrow-minded, selfish, and cannot tolerate others, they will not be tolerated in the Shen family!"

  Although these harsh words did not mention names, they were indeed directed at Seventh Young Lady. Even if she was a fool, she could still hear the accusatory tone in Master's words.

  "Get out! Get out of the house!" The four big characters kept swirling in her mind, scaring her so much that she was covered in cold sweat and stuttered unable to speak.

  Old Master Shen spoke again in a warm voice to Shen Mo: "Shen Mo, tell me, what is the origin of your dispute?"

  She glanced silently at the seventh girl kneeling on the ground, seeing that her left eye was swollen into a slit, one big and one small, with pleading eyes full of tears staring at herself.

  He knew that Old Master Shen was intentionally being biased, as long as he told the truth, Seventh Young Lady would likely be driven out of the house. If he left the Shen family, he still had a thatched hut to live in, but these two probably wouldn't have a home to return to.

  "Never mind, we're all poor people, it's just an internal conflict among the people, why make things difficult for each other? After a moment of thought, Shen Mo smiled awkwardly and said: "There wasn't any big conflict before, just some minor friction in daily life. Even when our teeth clashed, there was no big deal, not as serious as you think, sir."