"Have either of you seen Awen and Ayi?" Li Yue Shu asked, puzzled.
"Madam, I saw the second young master and third young lady heading to the storeroom," Shen Chen replied, having just finished with a customer.
Upon hearing this, Li Yue Shu excused herself to Chen Dafu and went to the storeroom.
Meanwhile, Shen Ting Wen and Shen Ting Yi were hiding in the storeroom with serious expressions.
"Second brother, did you really see Elder Xu?" Shen Ting Yi asked, frowning as she squatted on the ground, hugging her knees.
Shen Ting Wen nodded, "I'm sure it was him, but why is he still here?"
Shen Ting Yi pursed her lips, a little nervous. "Does he know we're here? He's one of the Crown Prince's men. If he knows Eldest Brother and Father are here, then..."
Her face turned a little pale, and she nervously clutched Shen Ting Wen's hand.
Shen Ting Wen's expression was also a little flustered, but he still put on his older brother's demeanor and comforted her, "Don't be scared, it'll be alright. We... we'll go find Eldest Brother!"
He seemed to suddenly find a backbone. "Yes, let's go find Eldest Brother. He'll definitely have a way. Let's go to the academy!"
Just then, the storeroom door was suddenly pushed open. The twins, startled like birds, immediately tensed up.
Seeing the terrified pair, Li Yue Shu instinctively looked around.
Not seeing anything amiss, she slowly walked towards them and squatted down. "What happened?"
Shen Ting Yi breathed a sigh of relief and shook her head, but her face was still a little pale.
Li Yue Shu had a feeling that the two children were acting strangely. She thought she had heard them talking before she entered.
Li Yue Shu pondered for a moment and asked, "Were you just talking about the academy?"
Shen Ting Wen's heart skipped a beat, unsure how much she had heard.
The twins looked at each other, not knowing how to speak.
Li Yue Shu noticed their difficulty and, after a moment of thought, slowly said, "Awen, do you want to go to the academy?"
Shen Ting Wen froze, staring at her, unable to react for a moment.
Li Yue Shu sighed, "It was my oversight. A Yu is at an age for enlightenment, and you should have gone to the academy with your Eldest Brother long ago."
After she transmigrated, she had been focused on being good to the three children and improving their family's life, but she had forgotten such an important matter.
"Ah? I..."
Shen Ting Wen wanted to deny that he wasn't thinking about going to the academy, but he didn't know how to explain what he and his third sister had been discussing, leaving him speechless.
Li Yue Shu, unaware of his inner turmoil, began planning to send them to the academy.
Today's earnings were enough for the three children's tuition for a month. Ayi was a girl, and no academy would accept female disciples, but she would still need to buy some books to study at home.
Li Yue Shu was a doer. With a plan in mind, she left the pharmacy that afternoon and took the twins to the academy.
Along the way, Shen Ting Wen was very conflicted. He thought of many ways to change his mind about going to the academy, but he didn't have the courage to say them.
When they arrived at the academy, while Li Yue Shu was looking for a tutor, he immediately ran to find his Eldest Brother.
Upon hearing Shen Ting Wen's news, Shen Yi Min frowned. "Are you sure it was Elder Xu you saw?"
Shen Ting Wen nodded affirmatively, "I'm sure. The last time, our stepmother rescued an old man by the roadside who had a heart attack. It was him. My third sister and I both saw him. We thought he was just passing through, but I didn't expect him to still be here after so long."
"Eldest Brother, does he know our whereabouts?"
Shen Yi Min frowned and remained silent for a moment, then shook his head. "If he knew our whereabouts, there's no reason for him to have been silent for so long."
Shen Yi Min couldn't figure out the reason, so he said, "I'll have Chai Yang investigate. You and your third sister, be careful to avoid him. Elder Xu knows us. He can't recognize us."
Shen Ting Wen's eyes lit up. "Eldest Brother, you've contacted Chai Yang?"
Shen Yi Min nodded. "I've already asked them to find the divine doctor Ji Mo Bai."
"That's great! Father will be saved!" Shen Ting Wen exclaimed with joy, then his expression fell. "Eldest Brother, stepmother wants me and fourth brother to go to the academy."
Shen Yi Min glanced at him, knowing what he was thinking.
"Fourth brother is indeed at an age for enlightenment, and you've fallen behind on your studies quite a bit these past few years."
Shen Ting Wen pouted. "We built houses, opened a pharmacy, and adopted seven orphans. Where do we have money to pay tuition!"
Shen Yi Min ruthlessly exposed him. "Since she brought you to the academy, it means she can afford it."
Shen Ting Wen looked aggrieved. "But I don't want to..."
"Then do you want to go back to Chongzhou?" Shen Yi Min suddenly interrupted him. "Or do you plan to stay here forever, letting your mother keep vigil by the cold lamp and ancient Buddha?"
His words were a bit harsh, and Shen Ting Wen's face instantly turned pale.
Shen Yi Min knew his words had hurt him, but he insisted, "Even if you want to be a merchant, without talent and ability, how far do you think you can go?"
"Awen, if you want to walk back with your head held high, you'll inevitably have to endure more than others."
His words seemed to instantly shatter Shen Ting Wen's shell of self-protection.
He knew he should go back, but he had been weathered by life for too long. He had forgotten the sharpness and unwillingness he had when he left Chongzhou.
Seemingly having figured something out, Shen Ting Wen lowered his head. "Eldest Brother, I'm sorry. I understand..."
Seeing his expression, Shen Yi Min sighed softly and gently patted his shoulder, like a steady and responsible elder brother.
...
Li Yue Shu was unaware of the brothers' conversation. After leaving the tutor, she clearly felt that Shen Ting Wen was different, though she couldn't pinpoint exactly how.
Perhaps the child was just happy to finally be able to attend the academy!
Thinking of this, Li Yue Shu gently stroked his head. "Tomorrow, when I come into town, I'll bring you and A Yu to the academy. From now on, you'll study with your Eldest Brother and come home every ten days for rest. A Yu is young, so I'll pick him up from the pharmacy each day and bring him back to the academy the next."
She had arranged everything meticulously, showing she genuinely cared about the children's future.
Shen Ting Wen seemed accustomed to her head-stroking gesture and didn't shy away. "Thank you, stepmother."
Li Yue Shu smiled and left the academy with the twins, but they didn't head home.
The pharmacy wasn't large enough. Shen Tan and the other seven returned home together every day, while Chen Dafu and the others stayed in town to look after the pharmacy.
Li Yue Shu hitched the ox cart and took the nine children directly to a bookstore.
Seeing such a large group, the young attendant at the bookstore was startled. "What would this madam like to buy?"
Li Yue Shu glanced at the dazzling array of bookshelves, unsure where to start. "I'd like a few sets of beginner books for three-year-olds, two sets for five-year-olds, and four sets of writing implements."
Shen Yi Min and Mo Lian's writing implements needed to be replaced. When she had asked them to help write labels a few days ago, their brushes were shedding.
The young attendant looked at the children behind her with surprise and shock.
Without delay, he quickly went to fetch the books.
Shen Ting Yi looked puzzled. "Stepmother, why are you buying so many books?"