On this first night of marriage, I slept deeply and sweetly.
Shen Er didn't do anything to me. He seemed not to care about me at all—but that's fine too. I'll take care of him for the rest of my life, and he'll provide me with food for the rest of mine. He doesn't like me, and I don't like him. Perfect.
But why—why did I wake up in the middle of the night with my arm around Shen Er's waist? My head against his shoulder? My leg draped over his?
I opened my eyes and saw his reddened ears. I was too embarrassed to move, so I pretended to still be asleep and quietly tried to pull my leg back...
"Yuan Yuan..." Shen Er suddenly placed his hand on my waist. In the dim candlelight, his lips parted and closed, murmuring: "Yuan Yuan..."
I felt completely helpless. I thought about that poor scholar who used to call me Yuan Yuan. Do we both have someone we love but cannot have?
I reached out and touched his soft earlobe, whispering very quietly: "Forget her. From now on... I'll be your Yuan Yuan, okay?"
His hand trembled slightly. After a very, very long time, he finally agreed: "Mm."
The next day was the new daughter-in-law's meeting with her parents-in-law.
Old Master Shen was so busy with business that he didn't even return for Shen Er's wedding day. I started to feel something was wrong.
Shen Er's stepmother was a very young woman with a kind-looking face. She had a son who was the youngest, and in between there was a second young master whose biological mother was unknown.
I wasn't really mistreated by the stepmother, but I felt unfair for Shen Er. He was also a legitimate master of the Shen household, yet he was clearly not well-liked. His Autumn Leaf Courtyard was already the farthest and most remote—and now even the concubines were telling us not to run around randomly!
I smiled sweetly and pretended innocence: "Yuan'er will certainly stay with her husband and not run around. But I wonder why the Shen family concubines are so considerate? This new daughter-in-law really doesn't know how to conduct herself."
The concubines' faces turned purple with rage. They looked at Madam Shen, then glared at me.
So they were testing the waters for Madam Shen. I sneered internally—Madam Shen is certainly not a kind person.
Shen Er seemed somewhat surprised. Ignoring everyone else, he slowly stood up and walked over to take my hand.
"I won't come out—but why can't Yuan Yuan leave the Autumn Leaf Courtyard?" He usually seemed quiet and unassuming, but when questioning and criticizing, he was quite sharp: "Are we prisoners of the Shen household? Is that why the concubines have to watch us so carefully?"
Madam Shen quickly explained: "Of course not. They're just worried about your health. That's why they wanted you to rest properly. The roads are slippery in cold weather—what if you got hurt? How would your mother explain this? Yuan Yuan must take good care of you."
The morning tea ended in discord.
As soon as Shen Er entered the room, he immediately closed the door, keeping the servants outside. He said urgently: "They are definitely not good people. You must be on guard in the future and protect yourself."
I naturally knew—the outside world called Young Master Shen proud, cold, quick-tempered, and unapproachable. And Old Master Shen's remarriage not only didn't dislike his blindness but showed concern for everything, appearing virtuous and loving. But now I saw—the rumors are never the whole truth.
What I cared more about was Shen Er's illness. "What illness do you need to rest for? Are you sick?"
Shen Er didn't expect me to ask this, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond: "It's... my eyes. Father looks for doctors every year, hoping to cure my blindness."
Born unable to see—was there any chance of cure?
"Can I see your eyes?" Without thinking, I couldn't help but say this.