Shen Tingwen looked up but didn't answer the question directly. "After so many years, the only impression my sister and I have of our father is the sight of him covered in blood when he died."
His expression was sorrowful. "We just want to get our father's belongings. If you insist, do you want us to hate you?"
By the last sentence, his eyes welled up, and his voice trembled.
He actually had many questions he wanted to ask this woman, but now was not the time.
Because of his words, Qin Yijia's guilt that had accumulated over the years seemed to erupt at this moment. "It's my fault, my children..."
She quickly looked at the servant by her side. "Lianhe, go get the things left by the驸马ye."
"I want to get it myself," Shen Tingwen said quickly. "I want to pick out one or two things from my father's belongings to take with me."
Seeing that her attitude towards him was no longer so cold and distant, Qin Yijia naturally wouldn't refuse. "Alright, Mother will take you to choose."
Looking at the hand she extended, Shen Tingwen didn't move, still holding onto Li Yue Shu's hand.
Seeing this, Qin Yijia frowned, a hint of anger appearing in her eyes. "Wen'er, Mother just wants to spend some time alone with you."
Li Yue Shu naturally didn't want this. After all, if Qin Yijia tried to hide him, she might not be able to find Ah Wen in time.
But Shen Tingwen tugged at her hand. "Mother, you wait for me to come out here, and we'll go home together."
Li Yue Shu hesitated for a moment, then affectionately patted his head. "Go ahead, Mother will wait for you outside."
Shen Tingwen nodded obediently, then walked towards Qin Yijia, but did not take her hand.
Qin Yijia's expression changed several times. She glanced deeply at Li Yue Shu, let out a cold snort, and then turned to leave.
The direction they went was southeast of the monastery.
Li Yue Shu raised an eyebrow and met the gaze of the person beside her. Their eyes held a tacit understanding.
The day before, after deciding to bring Ah Wen, Li Yue Shu had specifically taught him how to identify the Scarlet Flame Vine.
The child was smart. As long as the item was in that secret room, he would definitely have a chance to find it.
But Li Yue Shu didn't expect that she would wait for nearly half an hour.
Li Yue Shu's gaze kept shifting towards the southeast, and her worry grew deeper.
Had Qin Yijia really used force and locked Ah Wen up directly?
This thought made Li Yue Shu unable to sit still. She was about to head directly southeast.
But just as she reached the doorway, she saw several figures approaching from not far away.
Shen Tingwen and Qin Yijia walked side by side, with no communication between them, giving no indication that they were mother and son.
And the servants behind them were carrying a lot of things, as if they were moving house.
Seeing Li Yue Shu waiting at the door, the distance on Shen Tingwen's face instantly vanished.
"Mother!"
He smiled and rushed towards Li Yue Shu, throwing himself into her arms.
Li Yue Shu reached out and caught him. Seeing that he was unharmed, her tightly strung heart finally relaxed.
Looking at her actions, Qin Yijia's expression turned unsightly, and her gaze towards Li Yue Shu became cold.
But the next moment, Qin Moyuan suddenly stepped sideways to block her view, a warning in his eyes.
Li Yue Shu could naturally feel that gaze, but she ignored it completely, instead looking at Shen Tingwen with a smile. "Did you get everything?"
Shen Tingwen nodded.
Li Yue Shu's lips curved slightly. "Then let's go home!"
Shen Tingwen held her hand, his smile and filial affection like needles piercing Qin Yijia's heart.
"Wen'er..." She wanted to scold the child for his estrangement towards her, but thinking of what happened back then, the words that came to her lips changed. "When will you come to see Mother again?"
Shen Tingwen was in a good mood. He kept holding Li Yue Shu's hand and looked at Qin Yijia with a smile, completely lacking the previous estrangement.
The one he held was his mother. As for the woman in front of him, he didn't want to waste any more energy resenting her.
Thinking this, Shen Tingwen's smile became even more amiable, just like how he treated the diners at Liuxian Wine House. "When I want to see you, I will come."
Meaning, when he didn't want to see her, he wouldn't.
Qin Yijia thought his attitude had finally softened and nodded with relief. "Okay, Mother will wait for you. Remember to bring your sister next time."
She was flattered and didn't hear Shen Tingwen's unspoken second half of the sentence, but Li Yue Shu did.
A smile played on her lips, her look of relief almost impossible to hide.
She had dressed elaborately today, mentally prepared for a tough battle.
But upon arriving at the Royal Monastery, she had only spoken a few words before Ah Wen's performance had completely defeated Qin Yijia.
Unfortunately, Qin Yijia was completely unaware, thinking that Shen Tingwen's foxy smile was a sign of his changed attitude towards her. She happily saw them off at the monastery gate.
In the carriage, Li Yue Shu was inspecting the Scarlet Flame Vine that Shen Tingwen had obtained.
The father and son sitting beside her didn't dare to breathe, watching her nervously.
Finally, Li Yue Shu closed the box and said with a beaming smile, "This is the Scarlet Flame Vine."
As soon as she said this, Qin Moyuan and Shen Tingwen's hanging hearts finally relaxed.
Shen Tingwen also rummaged through a pile of gifts and took out a few more boxes. "Mother, these are all for you that I specifically picked out."
Li Yue Shu curiously opened the boxes and saw that they were all filled with various precious medicinal herbs, no less rare than the Scarlet Flame Vine.
Li Yue Shu was shocked. "How did she give you all of this?"
Shen Tingwen proudly tilted his chin. "I told her that you often buy us tonics to nourish me and my third sister, and that you care about us more than our own mother."
Li Yue Shu burst out laughing and reached out to rub Shen Tingwen's face. "You really are a little fox!"
Looking at Qin Yijia's appearance today, she could guess how much damage Ah Wen's last sentence had inflicted. No wonder her gaze as they parted seemed as if she wanted to swallow her whole.
Seeing her so happy, Shen Tingwen was also happy. Even the chaotic thoughts caused by seeing that woman dissipated at this moment.
However, after all, it was a fixation of so many years. Although he didn't feel sad in his heart, Shen Tingwen still couldn't sleep that night.
He sat on the doorstep, a lantern at his feet, the night breeze blowing on him, carrying a hint of chill.
He stared blankly at the sky, his thoughts gradually drifting.
The next moment, a voice suddenly sounded beside him. "Second Brother, why aren't you asleep yet?"
Shen Tingwen came back to his senses and saw his third sister approaching with a lantern.
Shen Tingyi sat down on the doorstep like him, placing the lantern by her feet. "Second Brother can't sleep because you saw that woman today?"
Shen Tingwen, who was about to pull her clothes for her, paused. "You know?"
Shen Tingyi nodded.
Since returning to Chongzhou, her second brother had been almost inseparable from her. But today, she hadn't seen him all morning, and in the afternoon, she heard that Mother was researching the Scarlet Flame Vine.
She wasn't foolish, so she naturally guessed. Therefore, she couldn't sleep either.
Shen Tingyi hesitated for a moment, then asked, "After seeing her, did Second Brother ask?"