Chapter 46 Taking Disadvantage of You to Ruin You!

The next day, Hong Ling held a basin of water and looked at Shen Ninghua curiously. After a while, she couldn’t restrain her curiosity and asked, “Miss, you’ve been smiling since you woke up. Did you see anything interesting?” She knew that Chu Junyi was here yesterday, but the young lady never treated him nicely. Why did she look so happy now?

Shen Ninghua couldn’t help but look into the mirror. She found that she was indeed curling her lips. Nevertheless, she didn’t pay much attention to it. “Nothing. Bai Ruo, have you prepared the medicinal ingredients for me?”

“Miss, they’re all ready.”

“That’s good. We’ll go to Songtao Courtyard to wait upon grandma.”

“Miss, I heard that the Old Lady has been in a bad mood recently. The maid Xue Zhu who waited upon her has been scolded by her many times.”

Shen Ninghua’s eyes turned cold. “It would be odd for her to be in a good mood after her hands were injured like that.” Originally, she didn’t want to do anything to Old Lady Xiao, but when she drank tea in Songtao Courtyard that day, she unexpectedly found that there was a drug in her tea that would make people weak. At first, she thought that someone else did this, so she pretended not to find anything unusual but left the tea there for some time without drinking it. Unexpectedly, Old Lady Xiao asked the maid to change the tea, and this time the tea contained sterilization medicine. She instantly understood that Old Lady Xiao was scheming against her in order to prevent her from becoming too powerful to control. Since that was the case, there was no need for her to care so much when dealing with the old lady.

Bai Ruo finished helping Shen Ninghua do her hair and said, “Miss, it’s done.”

Shen Ninghua nodded. “Let’s go,”

When they walked through the garden, Qing Que glanced with vigilance at the artificial hill behind the pond. “Miss, the youngest master is still there.”

In these past few days, for some unknown reasons, every time Shen Ninghua went out, she could see Shen Xuanlin dodging in the corner and looking at her like a small beast.

“Leave him alone.” Shen Ninghua didn’t care, but just as she finished speaking, she saw Shen Xuanlin suddenly rushed out from behind the artificial hill and ran straight towards her.

Qing Que hurriedly blocked in front of Shen Ninghua.

Shen Xuanlin stopped abruptly a few steps away. He tightly pursed his lips and stared at Shen Ninghua with his bright dark eyes. He opened his mouth a few times before finally shouting loudly, “Eldest sister!”

Perhaps because he was nervous, Shen Xuanlin’s voice was especially loud, and Bai Ruo was shocked.

Shen Ninghua looked at him and asked, “Brother Xuanlin, do you want to visit grandmother with me?”

Shen Xuanlin remained silent for a long time before he nodded heavily, “Yes.”

Shen Ninghua smiled. It seemed that the child had finally learned his lesson. “Bai Ruo, go to the youngest master’s courtyard and get a clean coat for him. By the way, get an extra 30 percent of our medicinal ingredients.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Shen Ninghua stretched out her hand to Shen Xuanlin. “Go with me to my Yingyue Courtyard first. If you visit grandmother wearing this coat, she will be unhappy.”

Shen Xuanlin stared blankly at Shen Ninghua’s hand. That hand was fair and slender, and its nails revealed a faint pink color, glowing brightly like the ephemeral flowers that he had stayed up all night to see. It was so beautiful that it shook his heart. He clenched his fists tightly and didn’t dare to reach out to hold that hand, fearing that his muddy hand would stain it.

Shen Ninghua did not notice his hesitance. Seeing that he was staring at her hand without moving, she thought that he was simply embarrassed. She bent down and pulled him up, and went to Yingyue Courtyard with him.

“Fortunately, I didn’t walk too far, so that we still have time to go back. Otherwise, if we are late for the greeting, grandmother will be unhappy.”

Shen Xuanlin allowed his hand to be held by Shen Ninghua without any response. He felt the warmth coming from her hand, and his eyes were slightly wet. Although he was still a lad, he understood things very early. He knew that he was in a difficult situation, so he obediently changed into whatever the First Lady wanted him to look like. Only by doing so was he able to survive safely.

However, after pretending to be crazy for a long time, he couldn’t tell if he was really a fool. When Shen Yulan secretly instigated him to make trouble for Shen Ninghua, he did know that it was inappropriate. However, in order to pursue the fake kindness and affection, he was willing to do it. Fortunately, Shen Ninghua’s words woke him up. Shen Yulan would never be the good sister he had imagined in his heart.

Bai Ruo went back with a coat, but her expression was not good. When Hong Ling brought Shen Xuanlin down to change clothes, she said, “I went to the youngest master’s courtyard, and those servants were all playing together. If I didn’t ask for clothes, they wouldn’t even know that the youngest master was no longer in the courtyard. Also, the coat is already a little small and the cloth is too thick. Wearing the coat at this time of year…”

Shen Ninghua stopped Bai Ruo from speaking with her eyes, but her expression sank. She was exactly in the same situation in her previous life. She had the lowest status in the Shen family and always wore old clothes. Only after she was offered to Baili Jinze did her condition slowly improve.

Shen Xuanlin walked in with a nervous expression, not knowing where to put his feet and hands. “Eldest…eldest sister, hurry up and greet grandmother. Or else we will be late.”

Looking at Shen Xuanlin’s upset expression, Shen Ninghua suddenly thought of herself in her previous life. She couldn’t help but feel a bit more pity for him in her heart. After all, he was just a child.

“Xuanlin, come here.”

Shen Xuanlin blushed slightly, and he approached Shen Ninghua with joy in his eyes.

Shen Ninghua held his hand and asked, “Are you afraid of pain?”

Shen Xuanlin shook his head. “No.”

“Alright.” After Shen Ninghua finished speaking, she raised her hand and slapped Shen Xuanlin in the face.

Shen Xuanlin widened his eyes and looked at Shen Ninghua in disbelief. Why did the eldest sister hit him? A burning pain came from his face. He felt that his cheeks were slowly swollen, and his eyes were almost unable to open. But he suddenly realized something was unusual.

“Eldest sister…you didn’t use much strength, but why is my face swollen?”

Seeing that Shen Xuanlin didn’t become angry and leave, Shen Ninghua appreciated him a little more, “Xuanlin, are you confused? I didn’t hit you. Those servants in your courtyard bullied you because you are too young to fight back. They didn’t give you money to buy medicinal ingredients for grandmother and they pushed you down. That’s why your face is swollen.” She had just applied something to her hand, and now, half of Shen Xuanlin’s face was swollen like a steamed bun.

Shen Xuanlin’s eyes suddenly lit up, “Eldest sister, I’m going to let grandmother give me justice.”

Shen Ninghua nodded in appreciation. Now that Old Lady Xiao was angry, she was happy to do something that could make Madam Zhao unhappy.

“Let’s go.”

Shen Ninghua pulled Shen Xuanlin to the door. However, Shen Xuanlin broke free from her hand and quickly ran forward. He fell to the ground and rolled several times before stopping. He turned around and looked at Shen Ninghua with a grin. “This is more like a heavy fall.”

Shen Ninghua was stunned. After restoring consciousness, she hurriedly went over to check his hand. His hand was broken and blood was oozing out. “You stupid boy, you can make do with a slight injury. Isn’t this painful?”

However, Shen Xuanlin didn’t care at all. He pulled his hand back and wiped it on his clothes. “It doesn’t matter.” If their scheme was found out, both he and the eldest sister would be in a lot of trouble.

Shen Ninghua gently touched his head and led him towards Songtao Courtyard.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw Xue Zhu running out of the main hall covering her face with her hand. When she saw Shen Ninghua, she saluted slightly and turned around to walk towards the side courtyard. She walked very fast, but Shen Ninghua could see a wisp of red through her fingers.

Feeling that Shen Xuanlin’s hand tightened, Shen Ninghua withdrew her gaze and lowered her head to comfort him with a smile. “Let’s go in.”

Shen Xuanlin nodded obediently. “Alright”

Just as they stepped into the main hall, Old Lady Xiao’s angry voice rang out. “Get out. Get out of here, all of you. What’s the use of raising you servants in the Shen family?”

In the hall, maids and nurses knelt on the ground and pleaded for mercy. “Old Lady, please calm down.”

Shen Ninghua didn’t seem to notice anything. She walked forward as usual and saluted the old lady. “Greetings, grandmother.”

Seeing Shen Ninghua, Old Lady Xiao calmed down a little. “Why are you here?”

“Grandmother, I brought some medicinal ingredients to you.”

“Heh, you are quite attentive at this time.” Old Lady Xiao said mockingly. Now, she felt unhappy with whoever she saw.

Shen Ninghua kept a smiling face. She ignored the mockery and found a stool to sit on. Old Lady Xiao seemed to be tired of venting her anger. She leaned against the bed and closed her eyes to rest.

Not long after, footsteps came from outside the door. Shen Ninghua’s eyes moved and she pulled Shen Xuanlin to the front to help him tidy his clothes.

When Shen Dong entered the door, he saw Shen Xuanlin dressed in dirty clothes. His face immediately sank. “Why are you here and dirty all over?”

Shen Xuanlin lowered his head and clenched his fists tightly. No matter what happened, an unloved child like him was always on the wrong side.

Shen Ninghua stood up and pressed down on Shen Xuanlin’s shoulder. She felt that the boy was trembling slightly. He must be afraid of Shen Dong, but at the same time, he still wanted to get close to Shen Dong. Unfortunately, Shen Dong had too little paternal love for him.

“Father, I just met Xuanlin outside Songtao Courtyard and saw that his body was covered in dirt and his face was also injured. So I called him over to inquire him. It turned out that he knew grandmother was sick and he came to pay his respects. He wouldn’t tell me how he got hurt. If I hadn’t grabbed him, he would have run away long ago.”

Shen Dong’s anger calmed down slightly. He looked at Shen Xuanlin seriously and discovered that his lowered face was actually swollen. He immediately frowned and asked, “How did you get this injury?”

Shen Xuanlin looked up at Shen Dong and stubbornly turned his head around without saying a word.

Shen Dong’s eyebrows shivered. “Why don’t you answer your father’s question? You must be naughty again and fell down, right?”

“Not at all!” Shen Xuanlin widened his eyes.

“Then how did you end up like this? You are the young master of the Shen family. Is it possible that someone bullied you?” Shen Dong was impatient.

Shen Xuanlin shouted. “That’s right. They bullied me!”

“Nonsense!”

“I’m not talking nonsense. Those servants skimped my monthly allowance and didn’t give me anything to eat. I wanted to use some money to buy medicine for grandmother. After they found out, they ganged up and beat me.” Shen Xuanlin stared straight at Shen Dong with his bright eyes. His face was filled with suppressed anger and sorrow, but he stubbornly didn’t let a single tear fall down.

Old Lady Xiao suddenly said, “How did Zhao fulfil her duty as a mother? Did she abuse Xuanlin because he wasn’t her own son? Does our Shen family need a reputation of being harsh with a concubine’s son?”

Shen Dong disliked Shen Xuanlin, but it was only because this son didn’t study hard and often caused trouble. However, he instantly became angry when he knew that his own son was bullied by servants. Hearing Old Lady Xiao’s words, he immediately became even more disgusted with Madam Zhao. “Tie up all the servants in Shen Xuanlin’s courtyard and send them here.”