Volume 1, Chapter 14: Bearing the Responsibilities of the Eldest Son and Grandson

Mother Shen directed Father Shen to hang the starched cloth under the eaves to dry.

"Well, I'm a bit sleepy, so I'm heading off to bed. Tiantian, you and brother Heng should get some sleep early too!"

It was hard to call Father and Mother Shen foolish; they could clearly see when they had displeased Cui Heng. At such moments, they were quite perceptive and knew enough to keep their distance.

Yin Tiantian brought a brazier into the room, followed by a basin of hot water.

"Young Master, let me help you wipe yourself down."

He had not bathed once since arriving at this home, only ever dabbing at his hands and face with water. If she hadn't seen him watching her wash Mother Shen's feet today, she might have overlooked it entirely. In the Marquis's estate, he surely would have bathed daily!

Cui Heng looked up at her. Yin Tiantian felt her face heat up.

"Young Master, I don't mean anything else by it. I just thought that you must have developed the habit of bathing daily at the Marquis's estate..."

Cui Heng stared at the basin of clear water on the floor and suddenly laughed. It was unclear if it was self-mockery or something else, but it made Yin Tiantian feel she dared not look him in the eye.

He suddenly reached out and undid his garments. The thin fabric slipped from his shoulders, revealing his lean, sturdy upper body.

Yin Tiantian heard herself gulp audibly. Good heavens, her Young Master had such a fine physique? Without his clothes, Cui Heng’s entire aura seemed to shift, becoming incredibly imposing and making Yin Tiantian’s hands and feet tingle.

She gritted her teeth, dampened the cloth, and began to wipe him down from the neck. Even though she kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, she still felt uneasy in every limb. *Just treat him like a vase, treat him like a vase,* she told herself. It made things less awkward; after all, in her past life at the Marquis's estate, she had been ordered around to do manual labor plenty of times...

When she reached his waist, her hand was suddenly gripped by Cui Heng.

"Young Master, I..."

"Get out. I'll do it myself!"

Yin Tiantian helped place the basin on the *kang* bed and hurried out. Standing in the courtyard, the cool breeze finally helped lower her temperature.

She actually had a secret. In her past life, she had consummated her marriage with Shen Fuzhu. Later, when they arrived in the capital, the Marchioness despised her low status. She wasn't even qualified to be a menial maid, but Shen Fuzhu had been homesick and couldn't do without her. The Marchioness, left with no choice, made her Shen Fuzhu's *tongfang* maid—a servant who slept with the master.

So, having lived two lives, she was no naive maiden ignorant of the ways of the world. On the contrary, because she knew so much, she could clearly sense Cui Heng’s morning reactions and understand his tossing and turning at night.

She dared not make a sound. While wiping him down earlier, her mind had involuntarily wandered in that direction. Although she had been reborn in time in this life to preserve her innocence, how could she ever be worthy of her Young Master? It was wrong of her to harbor such thoughts!

After struggling to compose herself for a long while, she heard the Young Master call her. She pushed the door open to find the room filled with the scent of steam. Her Young Master was tying his sash. She carried the basin out, not daring to take another look.

By the time she returned, Cui Heng was fully dressed, his cool, refined, and distant aura restored. There was only one quilt in the room. Yin Tiantian sat by the brazier, dawdling over her embroidery. She didn't know how much time passed, but after completing most of the pattern, she looked up to see Cui Heng had fallen asleep, and only then did she dare climb onto the *kang* to lie down beside him.

Cui Heng turned over, facing her directly. She stiffened, not daring to move a muscle.

"Why are you not asleep yet? Are you not tired?"

Cui Heng's breath brushed against her cheek, and Yin Tiantian felt her left cheek begin to burn. She quietly shifted toward the edge of the quilt and, in the darkness, saw that Cui Heng had opened his eyes.

"Would you only feel at ease if you truly became mine?"

His pitch-black eyes fixed on Yin Tiantian, leaving her mouth parched. She wanted to climb up to get a drink of water, but was pulled into the quilt by Cui Heng.

"Go to sleep."

He closed his eyes. It was a long time before Yin Tiantian drifted off. Surrounded by his warmth, she had a dream, and when she woke, the day was already bright.

Cui Heng sat at the head of the bed, watching her flushed face with a strange smile. "Did you dream of me last night, Tiantian?"

How did he know? Yin Tiantian scrambled out of bed, slipped into her shoes, and fled.

Outside the window, the morning light was brilliant; it was another beautiful day. Unfortunately, there were always people to spoil the mood. Old Madam Jiao had come to call again.

"Da-lang, your father is ill, yet you haven't even visited. Let the neighbors judge—is this not unfilial?"

Yin Tiantian had just gotten up and gone to the kitchen to put the bones on to boil. The savory aroma wafted out. Jiao sniffed the air, drew a deep breath, and stood with her hands on her hips, pointing at Father Shen.

"Da-lang, you have meat in your house, yet you don't even think to send a bowl to your father and mother. We all live in the same village, just a stone's throw from one end to the other. Not to mention the usual filial offerings, you don't even provide anything during holidays. Now that your father is sick, you don't even ask after him. Do you know that if we go to the magistrate to report you, you could end up in prison!"

Father Shen looked at Yin Tiantian, distressed, and seeing that she did not object, he said, "Mother, calm your anger. Brother Heng has a broken leg, and the doctor said he needs to drink bone broth. When the soup is ready, I will send a bowl to Father!"

Unexpectedly, this glance made Jiao unhappy.

"What is the meaning of this? What is that look you're giving her? Do you not only listen to your wife, but now your daughter-in-law as well? You don't listen to your own mother at all!"

Jiao poked Father Shen in the forehead in frustration. "If you had listened to your mother, our family would be prosperous by now! Would we still be huddled in this poor ravine being bullied? The wealth I fought tooth and nail to secure for you flew right out of our mouths!"

Yin Tiantian returned to the kitchen to add firewood, and Jiao, thinking she was trying to escape, shouted, "Yin Tiantian, you stand right there! Give me the money!"

"What money?"

"Are you playing dumb with me? I heard that a few carriages came to the county a few days ago, and someone gave you ten taels of silver! Hand it over!"

So, this was the reason for Cai’s visit today!

"That money was earned by my father kowtowing to others. I won't give it to you!"

"Have you lost your mind?"

Without another word, Jiao slapped Yin Tiantian across the face. "I'll say it again: bring me the money! Otherwise, I'll sell you off!"

"Mother, what are you doing! Our family relies on Tiantian to hold things together. If you sell her, are you trying to force our whole family to our deaths?"

Father Shen, naturally weak-willed, only knew how to resist when pushed to the brink. The original split of the family had happened because Jiao disliked Mother Shen and Shen Fuzhu, refusing to give them enough to eat. Watching his wife and child nearing death, the eldest son had finally proposed the separation. By rights, he should have received land and property, but due to his cowardice, he received no land and no money—only two quilts and a few clothes. It was effectively a clean break.

For the sake of his wife and child's survival, he had steeled his heart and avoided the ancestral home for years. Later, he had secretly sent things to the old house, and Mother Shen had turned a blind eye. Little did he expect Jiao to become even more insatiable.

"It's just a child bride; sell her if you must. If you can't survive, just come back to the ancestral home with me!"

"I was bad to Fuzhu before because he wasn't my biological grandson; as long as he had enough to keep from starving, that was enough. Who knew you would make such a fuss about splitting the family! Now that my real grandson is back, he should recognize his ancestors and fulfill his duties as the eldest son and grandson!"

Her words left Father Shen feeling a flicker of temptation.