Noble Son-in-Law - Chapter 63

Chapter 63: Elder Shen

Shen Qushenge was seventy-six years old.

The 76-year-old former cabinet minister was still in good health, but he was getting old, and that day would come sooner or later.

Shen Qushenge could only recall that he was teaching in the west wing of his house, surrounded by students from his village. The oldest among them was around ten, while the youngest was just six or seven. There was a mischievous boy named Li who was sneakily tossing caterpillars onto the neck of the student sitting in front. Shen Qushenge noticed it clearly and was about to stand up and scold him, but suddenly, everything went dark…

When Shen Qushenge regained consciousness, it was already nighttime. He noticed a copper lamp glowing on the table.

Mrs. Song turned back to him, pleading with the doctor, who was shaking his head repeatedly.

Upon seeing Shen Qushenge awake, the doctor quickly nodded and reminded Mrs.Song to look after her husband.

Even though it was midsummer, Shen Qushenge felt an unusual chill throughout his body. It was a strange coldness that didn’t hurt, and he felt light and airy, quite different from his usual self.

When Mrs.Song turned to face him, her eyes were filled with tears. She rarely cried, and Shen Qushenge immediately understood the situation. It caught him off guard; he had expected to fall seriously ill, be bedridden for a while, and then pass away.

Now that the time had come, Shen Qushenge felt no attachment to fame, wealth, or power. His only regret was leaving the people he cared for.

“Don’t cry,” he said casually. While he still had some strength, he urged Mrs.Song. “Write a letter and send it to the capital.”

Mrs. Song also felt a strong desire to see her descendants in the capital again, so she instructed the maid to fetch some paper and a pen. “I’ll write a letter right now. Just hang in there; our sons will be here soon…” she muttered while grasping Shen Qushenge’s hand tightly.

The families of the second and third sons were doing well in the capital, so Shen Qushenge didn’t want to burden them with worries. He urged his sons to come quickly, hoping they would take their mother back to the capital with them. He feared that if he passed away, she would be left all alone, which would be too lonely for her.

The little maid hurried back with the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Shen Qushenge encouraged Mrs.Song to write swiftly.

With tears blurring her vision, Mrs.Song wrote a letter home and sent a servant to deliver it to the post station.

At that moment, Shen Qushenge felt a wave of relief wash over him.

However, he soon realised that his legs had gone completely numb, and a light, tingling sensation was creeping up.

Time was slipping away.

Shen Qushenge held Mrs.Song’s hand tightly, mustering all his strength, and whispered, “If there’s an afterlife, I’ll marry you.”

Tears streamed down Mrs.Song’s face as she sobbed uncontrollably, clutching the old man’s hand.

Shen Qu wanted to wipe her tears away, but as soon as he raised his left hand, it fell down weakly.

*******

“Hey-hey……”

Shen Qushenge caught the sound of a woman’s laughter and couldn’t help but chuckle to himself, feeling a bit giddy as if he had stumbled upon something good.

Out of nowhere, a shadow loomed over him, causing Shen Qushenge to frown and blink his eyes open.

A hand briefly rested on his head, but before he could react, the person yanked it away and dashed off in a panic, leaving Shen Qushenge staring at a girl in a red dress and green skirt. The woman vanished through the door, and Shen Qushenge shifted his gaze to a simple farmhouse nearby, complete with an old cabinet and a wobbly wooden chair that reminded him of his childhood home.

But after bringing Mrs. Song back to the village, he had fixed up his family house. ‘So why does this one feel so much like the place I grew up in?’

Just then, he overheard a conversation outside.

“Didn’t Juan go to your cousin’s room to study? Why is he out here?”

“Cousin, cousin is awake.”

“It’s good that he is awake. You can ask him to teach you a few more words.”

Shen Qu frowned, puzzled. ‘Why did it sound like the voices of my mother, and my cousin, Feng Dujuan? Had I somehow ended up in the underworld to reunite with my mother and cousin who had passed away?’

Just as he was about to sit up, a figure darted past the door. Someone opened it and stepped inside.

“Yuan’s awake now? Look at you! If you can’t handle your drinks, just take it easy. Why drink with those folks? They’re just country people. You study hard all day; there’s no way you can outdrink them. You’ve been sleeping since noon! Hurry up and send your cousin home before it gets dark.”

Shen Qushenge stared in disbelief at the woman who had entered the room. It was his mother, Mrs. Fang, who was looking like she was in her early thirties.

Moments later, a young girl with a flushed face walked in. Shen Qushenge squinted and recognised her as his cousin, Dujuan.

As he looked at his mother and cousin, it suddenly clicked why the earlier conversation felt so familiar. It reminded him of the time he passed the imperial examination, and his family threw a banquet where he got drunk. When he woke up, his mother was scolding him just like this…

Shen Qushenge jolted awake, and the first thing that caught his eye was his right hand resting on the kang. It was pale and slender, with a flawless complexion—definitely not the gnarled hand of a seventy-year-old man, resembling a lifeless tree.

Without thinking, Shen Qushenge reached up to touch his face again.

Mrs. Fang and Fang Dujuan were both taken aback, especially Fang Dujuan. She knew her cousin was good-looking; she had been sneaking glances at him for a while, even wishing to caress his handsome face while he slept. But why was her usually serious cousin, who was always focused on his studies, now touching his face the moment he woke up?

It was strange.

When Fang Dujuan noticed her cousin looking at her, she panicked and shyly ducked behind her aunt. Earlier, she had overheard her aunt discussing with her mother that her cousin would marry her after he passed the imperial examination.

Although Fang Dujuan had a crush on the second son of Mr. Lu from town—mainly because the Lu family was wealthy and marrying him would make her a rich lady. However, her cousin was undeniably handsome and had a solid reputation. If he became an official, she could still enjoy the life of a wealthy official’s wife.

With that thought in mind, Feng Dujuan decided to set aside her feelings for Mr. Lu and fully embrace her cousin.

Feeling a warm flutter in her heart, she glanced back at Shen Qushenge.

Fifteen-year-old Dujuan had sparkling eyes, a bright smile, delicate willow-like eyebrows, and rosy cheeks. She was definitely attractive. While she couldn’t compete with the pampered and graceful ladies from the capital’s noble families, nor with the naturally stunning beauties of the Song family, in her village, Dujuan was well-known as a beauty, catching the attention of many wealthy young men.

When Shen Qushenge looked at his cousin, he couldn’t help but think of Mrs.Song. In his previous life, his biggest regret was marrying too young, which meant he had to take Mrs.Song as a concubine when he met her. Although he and Dujuan shared some affection, after passing the imperial exam, his mother insisted he marry his cousin. Shen Qushenge agreed, thinking it was time to have a wife to help care for his mother. Growing up in the village, his cousin had the typical traits of village girls. Shen Qushenge never felt the romantic love described in poems when he was with her. However, she was his first wife, bore his children, and looked after his mother. Even though he felt Mrs.Song was unfairly treated as a concubine, he never considered favoring her over his wife. He visited both their rooms equally each month. After his cousin passed away, the position of wife was left open, but due to the dynasty’s laws, a concubine couldn’t be elevated to the status of the principal wife, so Shen Qushenge had to keep Mrs.Song as his concubine.

Before he passed away, Shen Qushenge made a promise to Mrs.Song that they would marry in their next life if there was another life.

‘Did the Buddha sense my regret and grant me another chance at life?’

With that thought, he pinched himself secretly.

‘Ouch. That really hurt.’

He shut his eyes, reflecting on how he never truly honoured the Buddha in his past life. This time, he was determined to show his respect. After bidding farewell to his mother, Shen Qushenge walked his cousin home.

The Feng family lived just five miles away, not too far. As they strolled side by side, Dujuan seemed shy.

Shen Qushenge took a look around the village, confirming he was indeed eighteen again. His mind began to settle. Realising that his cousin wasn’t thrilled about their marriage, he paused and quietly said, “Cousin, I want to achieve something first. I don’t want to marry before I pass the imperial exam; it would just distract me. You should find someone else.”

Feng Dujuan halted, staring at him in disbelief.

Shen Qushenge met her gaze and continued, “You enjoy sweet words, but I’m not good at that. You like shiny things, but even if I become an official, I’ll be a good one, not the type to boss people around. Plus, I prefer women who are educated and sensible, and you’re not quite that. I like gentle, caring, and understanding women, but you…”

“You jerk!” Before he could finish, Feng Dujuan suddenly shoved him hard. Not stopping there, she hit him a few more times, exclaiming, “Fine, you don’t like me, and I don’t have to marry you! Why say all this? I wouldn’t want to be an official’s wife anyway. Who knows if you’ll even pass the exam this time! Ugh!”

Shen Qushenge: …

He couldn’t help but remember the day he first brought Mrs.Song home in his previous life. That day this cousin, who was his wife, had a meltdown and even hit him, saying that if she had known he would end up so broke after becoming an official, and if she had known he would dare to take a concubine, she would have married the second son of the Lu family and lived the life of a young lady. Even though Shen Qushenge felt really down about it, he realised it was his own fault for being so caught up in his desires and hurting two women at once.

He took Feng Dujuan’s punches and kicked in silence, waiting for her to cool off before sincerely apologising, “Cousin, I’m really sorry for what happened.”

“Bha!” Feng Dujuan spat in disgust.

Watching her storm off, Shen Qushenge followed her quietly, worried that she might do something drastic since she was still so young and had just been rejected for marriage. But as it turned out, he was overthinking it.

Feng Dujuan went home fuming, and a few days later, he heard that the Lu family had sent a matchmaker to propose to her. His uncle and aunt were on board with the marriage, and his aunt even came to his place to brag about it, seemingly to show off to his mother but really just to give him a lesson.

Shen Qushenge didn’t hold it against her; he knew it was all on him. Now that he knew his cousin was set for life, he started pondering his future.

Everything in the world could stay the same, but Mrs. Song…

Shen Qushenge chuckled to himself. Song was six years younger than him and still just a kid.

The following spring, Shen Qushenge decided not to head to Beijing for the exams. He had already passed the imperial examination and served as a cabinet minister, so making it through again would be very easy. But Shen Qushenge was principled; he felt that if he participated this time and succeeded, he would be taking a spot away from someone who truly deserved it.
Despite Mrs.Fang’s attempts to convince him, Shen Qushenge was determined not to go. Instead, he used the money meant for his trip to Beijing for the imperial exam to buy a little maid to help his mother.

Three years later, in late summer, Shen Qushenge headed to Beijing again for the exam. On his way through Tongzhou, he came to the rescue of Mr. Song, who had been robbed by bandits and had his goods tumble down a hill.

Mr. Song gradually regained consciousness and, upon realising Shen Qushenge was his savior, insisted on inviting him to the Song family as a guest.

Shen Qushenge happily accepted.

Meanwhile, Miss Song Lanzhi, who had been napping in the Song family mansion, suddenly woke up. Recognising her familiar surroundings, she was momentarily stunned. Once she confirmed she was truly back in her youth, she was about to step outside when she noticed a letter tucked under her pillow. After reading it, she smiled sadly. It was a letter from her father, who would return in a few days, bringing Shen Qushenge, the one who saved him.

Song Lanzhi sighed, wishing she could go back and help her father avoid this disaster and not cross paths with Shen Qushenge again. But now… it was too late; she just needed to stay out of sight. With Shen Qu’s stubborn nature, he wouldn’t consider taking a concubine unless he saw her.

End of chapter 63

Have a nice day!