Chapter 37: Senior Brother, You Betrayed Me
Shen Chutang spoke, “I’d like to have this noodle again tomorrow morning. Could you make another serving?”
Lu Beiqin turned around, gazing into her clear watery eyes, and nodded, “Alright.”
Shen Chutang happily returned to her own room, throwing herself heavily onto the bed. But she knew she couldn’t let her guard down just yet; after all, finding so many rare herbs within three months would still be a daunting task.
Lu Beiqin went back to his room, where Shen Chutang’s personal file lay on the desk.
The file showed that Shen Chutang was merely an unloved eldest daughter of the Shen family. In such a vast estate, she had no share at all and had been raised in the mountains since childhood, her mind innocent and pure.
Yet this girl had managed to purchase this luxurious mansion, and even performed miraculous healing—where doctors had failed to cure Lu Yuebai’s poisoning, she succeeded.
This girl had suddenly appeared by his side—what was her true intention?
…
“Dad! Mom!”
After being held inside for ten whole days, Shen Tingting was finally released, utterly on the verge of collapse. She threw herself into Shen Xuejun’s arms and cried for a long time, “Dad, I was so scared in there!”
Liu Shuhua also shed tears, having herself been detained for five days. “It’s alright, now we’re home.”
A hint of malice flashed in Shen Tingting’s eyes, “It’s all Shen Chutang’s fault. If not for her, how could we have suffered so much?”
Right then, Liu Shuhua stomped her feet in frustration, “We were careless. There were no fingerprints of Shen Chutang on that watch! If only we’d waited for her to greedily stash it away before calling the police!”
“That’s enough!” Shen Xuejun barked sharply, his expression stern. “Just out of prison and already acting up, is that it?”
Shen Tingting protested unwillingly, “Dad, so we’re supposed to just swallow this humiliation and pretend nothing happened?”
Shen Xuejun’s voice was cold, “Do you realize that because of your reckless behavior, the company’s stock has plummeted, and the media is spreading wild rumors online? Who would dare arrange a marriage alliance with you now? You’ve barely gotten out and you still don’t know to keep your head down. Be careful, or you’ll end up in the news again!”
Shen Tingting was so frightened by his rebuke that she instantly dared not make another sound.
Liu Shuhua, distressed for her daughter, said, “But what should we do? It’s already happened. Tingting can’t carry this stigma for the rest of her life.”
Shen Xuejun’s expression softened slightly. “I’ve thought of a way. We’ll give Shen Chutang some incentive, and you two must cooperate fully.”
…
“Junior Sister, there’s news about the Snow Fox Nether Armor. It’s at the Capital Medical University.”
Shen Chutang’s eyes lit up instantly. “Thank you, Senior Brother!”
Ling You smiled, “No need to thank me. But you know, the professors and your master at Capital Medical are two stubborn old men, always at odds. He probably won’t hand over the Snow Fox Nether Armor easily.”
Shen Chutang wasn’t worried; her greatest fear was no news at all about the armor.
“It’s fine, I’ll go meet him.”
Ling You cleared his throat, seeming a bit hesitant. “Um, the other senior brothers heard about your flash marriage—they’re probably rushing over with their swords drawn.”
Shen Chutang, “??? Senior Brother, you betrayed me!”
Ling You immediately raised his hands in surrender, declaring his innocence. “Last time you asked for help in the group chat, everyone knew you’d left the mountain. Just a little digging and they found out you got married. It wasn’t me who told them!”
Shen Chutang propped her chin on the table, troubled. “It’s all Master’s fault, insisting I get married. Do they mean to rebel against our master?”
“Not quite to that extent.”
Shen Chutang thought for a moment, then took out her phone and sent a message to the group, explaining that her marriage was just a performance to help her master, merely a contractual arrangement. She reasoned with them, urging her senior brothers to behave, go to work, earn money, and promise to buy her fried chicken in the future.
After managing to calm her several senior brothers, she got up to leave.
Ling You handed her a card. “This is the money from the herbs you asked me to sell last time. It’s all in here, keep it safe.”
Shen Chutang nodded. “Thank you, Senior Brother. Fourth Senior Brother is always the best!”
Leaving Ling You’s place, Shen Chutang first went home and made a clay-baked Beggar’s Chicken. After packing it up, she took the address Ling You had given her and headed to Wei Dingshui’s residence.
She pressed the doorbell. Soon, the door opened. Wei Dingshui glanced at Shen Chutang and immediately turned inside. “What are you here for? Has your master, that hopeless chess player, finally decided to acknowledge me as his teacher?”
Wei Dingshui and Yin Fengmian had spent years playing chess together. Either Master would sneak off with a piece, or Wei Dingshui would regret his move—these two had been playing childishly for decades, never settling the score.
Shen Chutang followed, smiling, “Grandpa Wei, I’ve brought you something delicious.”
With that, Shen Chutang took out a yellow clay lump the size of an arm from the thermal bag. Wei Dingshui couldn’t help but swallow as soon as he saw it.
“Beggar’s Chicken!”
“Grandpa Wei, please try it and see if my cooking has declined.”
When she was little in the mountains, there was no shortage of wild chickens. Her senior brothers often caught them, and Shen Chutang honed her culinary skills. Whenever Wei Dingshui visited, this was always his favorite treat!