bullyxtreme Chapter 237 A Bolt from the Blue
Chapter 237 A Bolt from the Blue
Shen Yunrou has been living in the Jiang residence for almost a year and hasn't felt uncomfortable at all.
Her aunt always greeted her warmly with a friendly smile.
"Rou'er, from now on, settle down here and treat this place as your own home."
Every time her aunt met her, she would say the same thing, and she actually believed it to be true and did just that, treating this place as her own home.
Therefore, whenever her aunt mentioned something, she would always generously give it to her.
"Rou'er, your eldest cousin wants to find a Chengni inkstone, but alas, he has been searching for a long time without success," his aunt said regretfully.
"Chengni inkstone?" Shen Yunrou remembered that she had brought one with her, and she quite liked that inkstone.
"Aunt, I have one here. Why don't you let my cousin use it first?" In the end, Shen Yunrou decided to give the inkstone to her cousin. As her aunt had said, this was her home, and her cousins were her family.
"Oh dear, how could I accept this? When your older cousin comes back, I'll make sure he thanks you properly!" Aunt Shen said, holding Shen Yunrou's hand with gratitude in her voice, but her eyes gleamed with greed.
Unfortunately, Shen Yunrou was so engrossed in the family atmosphere that she didn't notice.
The next day, Shen Yunrou not only gave the Chengni inkstone to her eldest cousin, but also sent him a lot of writing implements.
And whenever she saw her aunt sighing, she would always ask why.
"It's all because of your cousin. She said that the young lady from the capital invited her on an outing, but she didn't have any nice jewelry, so she's throwing a tantrum at me! Rou'er, why don't you lend your cousin your set of ruby jewelry?"
Ruby jewelry? It was a birthday gift from her mother, and Shen Yunrou didn't want to lend it to anyone else.
“That ruby jewelry set was a birthday gift from my mother, so I can’t lend it to my cousin. How about this, Aunt, I have another set of pearl jewelry. Why don’t you give this to my cousin? This pearl jewelry set is in the style of Jiangnan. You definitely won’t find this kind of style in the capital. It won’t be embarrassing for my cousin to wear it out.”
Shen Yunrou thought she had thought things through very carefully, but she didn't notice her aunt's cold attitude after she failed to get the ruby jewelry.
There were many similar requests: the jeweled dagger her younger cousin wanted, the fabric for her aunt's clothes, and the rare ancient book her uncle wanted—Shen Yunrou gave them all to him.
Until a month ago, her aunt asked her if she would like to marry her cousin and become a real family.
A real family, how could Shen Yunrou not long for it?
Since her parents passed away, she no longer had a real family in this world. Shen Yunrou lowered her head and nodded shyly.
He was overjoyed to have his aunt, and happily hugged her, saying, "Good child, such a good child."
Even though her aunt asked for another 10,000 taels of silver to fund her wedding, Shen Yunrou felt it was worth it.
For the past month, every time she saw her charming older cousin, she would imagine what their future together would be like.
She thought she would be a good wife and mother, respect her maternal uncle and aunt, love her younger cousins, and manage the entire Jiang family with her maternal aunt.
She thought that they would have a good life together.
However, her aunt said that her eldest cousin was going to take the imperial examination soon and asked her not to disturb him, which Shen Yunrou silently accepted.
She waited for the day he would graduate high school so he could come pick her up on a tall horse.
Shen Yunrou hadn't been this happy in a long time. She was so happy that when she heard that her older cousin had returned home for a day off, she wanted to secretly go see him.
Before she could even see the person, she heard words that were enough to break her heart.
"Mother, are you really going to let me marry my cousin Yunrou?"
My cousin called me Yunrou. Shen Yunrou secretly covered her shy face with a handkerchief outside.
"What are you thinking! Absolutely not!" The next second, her aunt's words struck her like a bolt from the blue.
"Shen Yunrou, the daughter of a merchant, how dare she enter our household!"
"Mom, Cousin Yunrou is a good girl!" the older cousin explained quietly.
Shen Yunrou didn't know why her aunt had suddenly changed her mind, but her cousin spoke up for her, so he must still care about her.
“Ling’er, once you pass the imperial examination, you will marry a noblewoman, or at the very least, a daughter of an official. Your cousin is just a merchant’s daughter; she is not worthy of our family’s status. If you really like her, then after you get married, I will arrange for you to take your cousin as a concubine.” The eldest aunt did not want to fall out with her son, so she came up with a solution that would satisfy both sides.
Jiangling's older cousin only thought Shen Yunrou was quiet and gentle. He didn't really like his cousin that much. It was just that she was very generous, which made Jiangling feel a little embarrassed.
His mother was right. Of course, he should marry a woman of equal social standing. His cousin's social status was too low, so he could only make do with her.
He secretly made up his mind that if he were to take his cousin as a wife in the future, he would definitely treat her well.
"I'll leave it to Mother to decide!"
"Good, good! Just don't let your cousin know these days!" The aunt was overjoyed; her son deserved better.
Shen Yunrou didn't listen to the rest of the conversation between the mother and son; she hurriedly went back to her room.
She felt nauseous as she recalled the words she had heard.
Being a concubine? Shen Yunrou would never want that!
How could someone she considers family be so shameless!
At that moment, she realized that all the kindness her aunt had shown her was nothing but deception.
Tears streamed down her face as she thought of her parents.
Why do they leave themselves alone to suffer injustice in this world? Why?
Despite the grandeur of the mansion, Shen Yunrou felt utterly alone.
She was like a rootless duckweed, drifting aimlessly in this unfamiliar environment, not knowing where her home was.
She finally managed to grab a piece of waterweed, thinking it would be her support, but little did she know that the other party just wanted to eat her.
Shen Yunrou cried for a while, then wiped away her tears and composed herself.
No, she can't do that. She is Shen Yunrou, the daughter of the Shen family. She has also done business with her father and worked on ships. She can't be defeated so easily.
She looked at the pavilions and towers in the mansion, which were arranged in a well-organized manner, with carved beams and painted rafters.
But all of this now feels strange and alienating to her.
Lin Liuyi's novel arrived at this time, and Shen Yunrou calmly accepted it. She could accept being deceived by her own family, so what else couldn't she accept?
Romance novels? What is love? It's all an illusion. After reading it, Shen Yunrou felt nothing.
Upon seeing the tip, she casually sent the money bag as a tip.
Her cousin had been eyeing this purse for a long time, but since it was a gift from her father, Shen Yunrou didn't want to give it away.
Now, it's better to give it to this unknown book than to be deceived by her hypocritical relatives.