Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

"It's okay if you don't stay."

Shen Qiongju turned away, no longer looking at them. "Then please let Second Uncle and Third Uncle figure it out yourselves. Although the Shen family is wealthy, once I marry into the Pei family, I am a Pei family woman. I cannot touch a single penny of my maternal family. That is the rule."

After she finished speaking, she looked at the furniture scattered all over the floor.

"Besides, it's getting dark. If we don't move these things back inside, we'll have to sleep on the snow tonight."

"Shen Song and I are going to the clinic to pick up my aunt, so we don't have time to pack."

"Uncles, please lend a hand."

After saying that, Shen Qiongju took Shen Song and left without looking back.

Behind him came the angry curses of two old men, yet he had no choice but to bend down his noble back to move the heavy tables and chairs.

After all, it really can freeze people to death.

Inside the carriage, Shen Song looked at his cousin with admiration.

"Sister Qiongju, you're amazing! Those two old guys usually act all high and mighty, but you've completely subdued them today!"

Shen Qiongju leaned against the car wall and closed her eyes wearily.

She touched the gold ingot in her sleeve pocket, which she hadn't even warmed yet, and sighed.

After deducting the cost of brewing wine some time ago, we need to renovate the tavern, repair the old house on Pei Family Manor, and settle this large family. This amount of money is not enough now, and we have to be very careful with every penny.

.

Inside the clinic, the aroma of medicine was bitter.

Pei Junlan lay on her sickbed, her face sallow. Her usually meticulously combed hair was now disheveled, revealing many more strands of silver hair.

"The doctor said that my aunt's condition is caused by a sudden surge of anger and a relapse of an old illness, so she needs to rest."

Pei Zhiyan held the medicine bowl, his eyes red and swollen.

He was Pei Junchan's illegitimate son, but he grew up with his grandfather from a young age. He was also the only capable person among the younger generation of the Pei family, besides Pei Zhihui.

Shen Qiongju took the medicine bowl. "Go and rest for a while. I'll feed you."

Pei Junlan's eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Upon seeing Shen Qiongju, a glimmer of expectation flashed in her cloudy eyes. "Qiongju... how's the house?"

"Don't worry, Aunt."

Shen Qiongju quickly pressed her down and placed a soft pillow behind her back. "Shen Mo is here. He said the paperwork wasn't complete, so he gave us a two-week grace period."

Upon hearing this, Pei Junlan's tense body relaxed, and she let out a breath.

"Aunt, the house...it's doomed to perish."

Shen Qiongju didn't want to lie to her; a short, sharp pain was better than a long, drawn-out one. "Since the Housing Authority has taken action, they won't give up easily. These two weeks are just giving us time to catch our breath."

Pei Junlan's eyes dimmed instantly.

This is the house that she built herself after the Pei family came to the Northern Border. Especially her own courtyard, every plant and tree was carefully maintained.

Her voice was hoarse. "I understand."

.

The night was deep and the old Pei family mansion was filled with a deathly stillness.

In the backyard, several old wooden crates lay open, and clothes were scattered all over the ground, but no one bothered to clean them up.

Liu slumped in a chair, clutching a worn handkerchief in her hand, her eyes red and swollen.

"What's there to tidy up?"

She threw the handkerchief in her hand on the ground, her voice irritated.

"Since we're moving anyway, to some godforsaken place, what's the point of living like this? I'm not going to bother cleaning up."

Pei Jundai squatted at the door, smoking his old pipe, listening impatiently to his wife's complaints.

Pei Zhiyan stood silently by, helping his mother pack her things, carrying box after box into the house.

The whole room was filled with an atmosphere of decay.

This is the scene that Shen Qiongju saw when she helped Pei Junlan step into the backyard.

She didn't say anything, but first settled her aunt on the soft couch and covered her with a blanket.

She turned around, picked up the handkerchief from the ground, and gently patted off the dust.

"Second Aunt, you're mistaken."

Shen Qiongju spoke lightly, as if she hadn't seen the gloomy atmosphere in the room.

"Why can't we live like this? In my opinion, life would be more comfortable if we went to the estate."

Liu sneered and glanced at her sideways.

"Comfortable? Living in a mud house and eating coarse food, is that what you call comfortable?"

"Second Aunt, you are unaware of this."

Shen Qiongju walked to the charcoal brazier and poked at the nearly extinguished embers with fire tongs.

"Although that estate is in the countryside, the courtyard is very large, much more spacious than this old house. It was also renovated by a greedy steward. Although it is not as good as our current house, it has its own unique rustic charm."

She straightened up, her gaze sweeping over everyone in the room, a smile playing on her lips.

"Now that we're in this county town, we're afraid of being stared at if we go out, and staying home is boring too. With the doors and windows closed all day, what's the difference between this and being in prison?"

"Things will be different once we get to the village."

"In winter, when the snow is heavy, we can light a small red clay stove under the eaves, brew a pot of old tea, roast some oranges and sweet potatoes, and sit around chatting as a family. Wouldn't that be better than staying here and having to put up with other people's attitudes?"

Liu's eyes flickered, as if she was captivated by the scene, and even Pei Jundai, who was squatting at the door, quietly pricked up his ears.

Shen Qiongju seized the opportunity and turned her gaze to Pei Zhiyan, who had remained silent.

"Zhiyan is at the age where he is growing, and he is getting restless from being cooped up in this house."

"Behind the estate are mountains and forests, teeming with wild rabbits and pheasants. Zhiyan can ride freely and practice his archery skills. The game he hunts can be used to nourish his aunt and second aunt, a perfect opportunity to show filial piety."

Pei Zhiyan suddenly raised his head, his eyes instantly lighting up.

Since the Pei family's misfortune, his bow and arrows have been put away and he has never touched them again.

"Sister-in-law, is it really possible... to go hunting?"

"Of course." Shen Qiongju nodded. "You are a man of the Pei family, you can't stay cooped up at home forever."

Pei Zhichun, the little girl who had been hiding behind Liu, also peeked out.

Those round eyes were full of curiosity.

"Then... what can I do?"

Shen Qiongju walked over, squatted down, and gently scraped her nose, which was red from the cold.

"Our Zhichun, in spring we can fly kites on the paddy field ridges, and those kites can fly higher than the clouds. In summer, your sister-in-law will take you to the stream to fish and catch crabs, okay?"

"Fishing! Fishing!"

Pei Zhichun clapped her hands excitedly, a smile finally appearing on her little face. "I'm going to catch a big crab!"

Children's happiness is most contagious.

The suffocating silence in the room seemed to be dispelled by these few words.

Looking at her daughter's joyful cheers and then at her son's eager expression, Liu felt a great deal of resentment dissipate.

She sighed, stood up from the chair, and tidied her sideburns.

"Fine, since we're going anyway, let's just pack and put them in our bags. We can't let the kids get there without even a blanket."

Pei Jundai also stood up and patted the dust off his bottom.

"Zhiyan, move my book box over here. Be careful not to bump it."

Shen Qiongju stood aside, watching everyone get busy, the smile in her eyes fading slightly.

That's how people are; as long as there's a glimmer of hope, they can find a hint of sweetness even in bitterness.

Even if this sweetness was something she created.