Chapter 17: The Unlucky Guy Becomes a Cannon Fodder

  Shen Zian's words scared Shen Han so much that her heart skipped a beat, and she wondered how his fainting had anything to do with her. And the culprit? These four words were never good no matter when you heard them. As she felt anxious, she also glanced at her mother out of the corner of her eye, but in the moment when her mother lowered her head and smiled slightly, she sensed that there might be some hidden scheme behind this matter.

  "What's wrong with you, I'm trying to help you think of a solution here!"

  Shen Zian may look like a little adult, but he's still just a teenager, and his mind won't be mature enough to be that calm. At this moment, hearing that Shen Han seems to have a way, he immediately forgets to pretend to be very angry, and with shining eyes, he leans in close to her, grinning and saying: "Second sister's ideas are the most, quickly tell me what method can help me?"

  Shen Han felt a bit helpless towards his reaction, so he simply put down the clothes in his hand and tapped on his forehead: "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "Hey, I'm saying that Second Sister is clever and intelligent, one of a kind in the world, with both beauty and wisdom combined. Who dares to claim second place when you're the first?"

  She couldn't help but laugh at Shen Zian's words, but in her heart, she was still a bit depressed. This guy still hadn't told her how he got this dizzy blood disease, and she had to know the reason to find the root of her psychological shadow. But she couldn't directly say that she didn't remember, so what should she do?

  Fortunately, at this moment, Fang finally couldn't bear it and rushed to Shen Zian with a smile, showing all the doting on her face to the two children, and said: "You just bully Haner, she will indulge you."

  "What can you do? He's the youngest in the family after all..."

  Seeing Shen Huan so hesitant, Shen Zian was the first to lose his patience. He immediately grabbed Shen Huan's hand and asked, "What's wrong?"

  Judging from Fang's expression and Shen Zian's tone, Shen Huan thought that although he was involved in the incident, it wasn't something serious enough to make the mother and son worry. So, could she try to deceive him a bit and see if she could get Shen Zian to reveal why he fainted and what was behind his dark expression?

  "Why don't I have a deep impression of your fainting due to anemia?"

  As they spoke, Shen Huan raised an eyebrow and blinked her eyes, making a somewhat playful expression, in order to prevent any unexpected events from happening. Relying on her intuition to judge things was one way of doing it, but that didn't mean her intuition was always accurate. So she made preparations for both possibilities: if she really hadn't been involved in Shen Zi An's accident, then there would be no need to make excuses or explanations; and if she had unfortunately gotten herself into trouble, she could use this expression to muddle through.

  "It's none of your business from the start, what impression can you have? You two are really, when you're not arguing, this family is too peaceful."

  As expected, Shen Han responded to her mother's teasing with a smile: "If we really didn't argue, you'd be complaining that the house is too dull and boring, wouldn't you, Mother?"

  "It's just that, Second Sister, you don't know, when you weren't back, Mother was worried, especially Eldest Sister-in-law..." Shen Zian stopped talking here. Not to mention they were currently at the silk store, even if they were at home, as a younger uncle, it wasn't something he should say out loud. He had seen Hu Xiaoyan's temper at home before; if his words weren't right, it would be his parents and eldest brother who would suffer the consequences of his loose tongue.

  "You two have grown up and become tough now you know how to bully your mother, hurry up and see if there's anything you like, then ask the boss to take measurements and make an order."

  Reminded by her mother, Shen Huan also stopped being ambiguous. While thinking about how to get information out of Shen Zi An, she was also carefully selecting fabrics and from time to time picking up a piece to compare it on Fang Shi's body, which made Fang Shi constantly remind her: "Now is the time for you to buy, don't just think about showing me."

  "Mom, I have enough clothes to wear."

  "It's not that just because there isn't a representative, we won't make new ones. Zi An, you take a look too and see if there's anything you like, or help your dad and big brother pick out two pieces of fabric as well. Han Er, you're about the same age as your sister-in-law, so take a look and see if there's something suitable for her, and we'll pick some out together!"

  Having received her mother's orders, Shen Huan couldn't help but exert herself. Exchanging a glance with Shen Zi'an, they both collected their thoughts and began selecting fabrics, which took up quite some time.

  "Mom, I heard that there's a theatrical troupe from Beijing performing by the river today. Do you want to go and join in the fun?"

  As soon as Shen Zian left the silk shop, he became a little restless. He pulled Fang Shi's arm and pointed to the front not far away, which was his favorite opera troupe. If it weren't for the landowner's birthday party being held at this crowded ferry river, where would he have had the chance to watch?

  Just thinking about it is already exciting, Shen Zian seemed to hear the shouting voice, seeing Fang Shi had no reaction, he continued to say: "Anyway, we don't have any purpose, let's go take a look?"

  Perhaps Shen Han's personality was not introverted to begin with, or perhaps under the influence of her mother and younger brother, she also became more relaxed. Although the Shen family had a difficult-to-deal-with older sister, it did not hinder her fondness for her relatives - that was an instinctive feeling. As a result, now when speaking and thinking, she couldn't help but have some playful and lively words: "No wonder you were reluctant to come out with us this morning, I suppose you had planned to come here to watch the excitement all along?"

  "Second sister, how can you say that? I'm thinking of you and mother having a heart-to-heart talk."

  "You just pick the good-sounding ones and say them."

  Shen Huan connected Shen Zian's current reaction with his earlier one, couldn't help but tease him out loud, yet didn't make things difficult for him. Her mouth was smiling and joking, but her feet were also following the direction Shen Zian pointed to.

  Several people walked closer before realizing that the crowd was not just large, but Shen Huan and his group couldn't squeeze in. Later, someone shouted loudly that the landowner who invited the theater troupe had arrived, and the crowd automatically parted to make way. Shen Zi'an didn't care about anything and ran inside, while Shen Huan and Fang Shi had no choice but to follow him into the temporary stage area.

  Because it was by the river, this son was also built quite large. She hadn't even had time to take a closer look around her when suddenly everything fell silent behind her. She couldn't help but turn her head and look back, and what caught her eye was a man in his forties with a fairly even build, who could even be said to have a certain air about him.

  The age of the person was somewhat different from what Shen Huan had imagined. Originally, she thought it would be a fifty-year-old fat-headed and big-eared man with a fleshy face, which seemed to fit the image of a wealthy landowner in her mind.

  As these thoughts flashed through her mind, the other person had already walked onto the stage, smiling and sizing up the sea of people at their feet. After a pause, they cleared their throat loudly, making Shen Huan feel somewhat annoyed - can't you just speak without making such a big noise?

  "Everyone be quiet for a moment, everyone be quiet for a moment!"

  At the words, Shen Han seemed to see a few thick black lines emerging from his forehead. Obviously, during the time he appeared and walked onto the stage, everyone had already been silent, probably waiting for him to appear so that the theater troupe could perform, otherwise who would want to watch him talk on stage? Although you don't look like you're affecting the environment's beauty...

  "Today is the sixtieth birthday of my family's old master, and he has specially invited the famous 'Hua Hua' theater troupe from Beijing to perform for everyone. Of course...the leading lady, Hua Rong Yue, has also come..."

  Before he could finish speaking, whispers came from below. Shen Huan didn't know what kind of person this leading lady was, she just felt it was very cliché. The difference between the local tyrant she imagined earlier and the one she saw now was already a lot to take in, but she had accepted it. Who knew that after accepting, she discovered that this child was actually an imposter?

  "Wu Guanshi, you can come down now!"

  "Come down, come down..."

  As soon as someone shouted, the shouting voices behind were endless. Wu Guan Shi's face immediately looked bad, but he couldn't refute the voice of the crowd and could only come down with his tail between his legs. Just as Wu Guan Shi stepped down from the last step, another voice appeared on stage.

  "Hello everyone, I am the host of 'Jie Hua', and you all call me Lao Ban. Today, I've come to offer my apologies, please forgive me!"

  The host said a few brief words and left, winning applause from the audience below, because the performance they most wanted to see was about to begin.

  Shen Han had never been a fan of opera, and when the music started, she felt an urge to leave, but couldn't say it out loud. She could see that her little brother and mother were enjoying it immensely. So she pulled on Shen Zi An's sleeve, whispered something in his ear, said a few words to Fang Shi, and then moved to the side to find a less crowded spot to wait for them.

  Just a few steps after turning around, I heard voices coming out of the crowd: "So this is the famous Huā Xuěyuè? Look at her figure... Tsk tsk tsk!"

  "What would she look like after washing off the rouge on her face?"

  "It goes without saying, it's definitely a beauty that will keep you awake after seeing her..."

  The words that followed were slightly indecent, so Shen Huan stopped listening and became somewhat interested in Hua Juan Yue. As he withdrew to a less crowded area, he couldn't help but glance back, and at this time, there was only one female dan on stage, who should be the aforementioned Hua Juan Yue. She was using her handkerchief to cover her tearful eyes as she watched her husband leave, and when her gaze shifted slightly, her sorrowful expression met Shen Huan's direction.

  Shen Han's whole body trembled, and even she, as a woman, felt an unbearable sense of sorrow and reluctance, yet was involuntarily drawn to feel a thread of tender affection, unable to help but secretly blush in her heart: "I never thought that this kind of beauty, who only appears in novels, I would actually get to see with my own eyes."

  Finally found a spot where I can still see the stage and my family, but it won't be too noisy. Shen Huan was about to take out his handkerchief to sit on the stone when he heard a cold voice behind him: "Young Master, if this person is not taken care of, Old Master will..."

  The other party's words were not finished, and Shen Han could also feel a tense atmosphere behind him. Just as he was about to make a silent retreat, he heard the person called Young Master speak up in an icy voice: "I'll take care of this matter myself. As for this person... there's no need to bring them back, they're useless!"

  At these words, Shen Huan's heart skipped a beat. This useless person neither brought him back nor had any use for him. The meaning of this sentence... could it be that he really stumbled upon some assassination organization? Then wouldn't he, who unintentionally overheard the secret, become cannon fodder in vain?

  "Hmm, the progress of my writing has been slow, but I promise to do my best. Hope you guys support me, if you have PK votes, please spare some, and also give me some pink... stuff."

  Wide noodles with beef filling...