I was just playing tricks, how come I became Bai Yueguang

Chapter 803: Landslides and Earthquakes Pave the Way for Successors

If you want to buy sweet-scented osmanthus with wine, it doesn't seem like you are a teenager.

Shen Jun stared at the figure standing outside the window, hands behind his back, stunned for a long moment. Time seemed to overlap and intersect in this moment. He turned around and stumbled back to the door. His old, wrinkled hands trembled slightly as he pressed against the mottled, faded wooden door and gently pushed it inward.

"come in."

At noon decades ago, he invited the young man again as he did back then.

*

The afternoon light and shadow slanted down on the threshold, the old wooden bed, the faded window paper, the eight-immortals table in the corner... time seemed to have frozen here.

Shen Zhuang's eyes slowly wandered around the room, with a kind of indescribable emotion: "Your room is still exactly the same as it was decades ago."

"It's old," Shen Jun smiled and shook his head, "but everything has a touch of the old days, and I can't bear to throw it away."

As he spoke, he shakily walked to the bedside and expertly pulled out a rusty iron box from a hidden drawer at the head of the bed. The color on the lid had peeled off, and the original bright pattern was almost invisible.

"Sit down." Shen Jun pointed to the cleanly wiped eight-immortal table in the corner of the room, took the iron box, and walked over slowly. "It's good that you are willing to come. I was afraid... I wouldn't have the chance to hand these things to you personally."

"What are you talking about?" Shen Zhuang's brows immediately furrowed, and he glared at Shen Jun with disapproval, but still reached out and solemnly took the iron box from his hand.

The cold touch coming from the fingertips instantly opened the floodgates of memory.

Shen Zhuang remembered this iron box.

That year, his father returned from the distant country of S, bringing gifts for every child in the clan, including a box of exquisitely wrapped exotic candies. He was used to seeing good things and had never taken these gifts seriously. Seeing Shen Jun staring at the colorful tin box in a trance, he casually slipped his own candy box into Shen Jun's patched-up "schoolbag."

The giver had no intention, but the receiver fell into the abyss because of it.

It was not until a few days later that he heard people whispering in the clan school that the taciturn cousin from the fourth room had been beaten half to death for stealing and had not come to school for a long time.

He casually asked, "What did you steal?"

"A box of candies that the clan leader brought back from abroad. They are really precious!"

Seven-year-old Shen Zhuang was furious at the time. He didn't even go to school and rushed into the cold and gloomy old house with four rooms.

In the cold twelfth month of that year, he wore a brand new brocade fur coat, and a thick cloak that Grandma Wu had insisted on adding to it. Meanwhile, Shen Jun, clad only in a thin, polished-to-a-gleam shirt, knelt stiffly beside the icy stone well.

Under the eaves, a well-dressed woman was holding a three or four-year-old boy in her arms. She was teasing the child with a colorful candy while pointing her other hand at Shen Jun and swearing. The box of candy that had caused the trouble lay open on the stone bench next to her.

He was furious. Without thinking, he rushed over, snatched back the box of candy, and shouted at the woman, "I gave it to him! You! You must apologize to him!"

The woman was wary of his status as the eldest son of the family, but she did not take the words of a seven-year-old child seriously. She insisted that he was lying to protect Shen Jun, and politely but firmly "asked" him to leave the courtyard on the grounds of "dealing with family affairs."

Just as the gate closed, the dull thud of sticks hitting flesh and the woman's scolding could be heard from inside: "Don't think you're strong just because you're in the eldest wife's family! In this family, I still have the final say!"

Anxious and furious, he braved the biting cold wind and ran for more than three miles in one breath, finding his father and brother who were attending to clan affairs. Soon, all the male members of the first house were alerted by him, and the group returned to the fourth house in a mighty procession.

Seeing this, the stepmother immediately fell to the ground crying, holding her young son and throwing a tantrum. But in the end, Shen Jun's biological father, fearing the power of the eldest son, forced the woman to apologize. Shen Zhuang insisted that they apologize to Shen Jun personally, but was stopped by his own father.

In that era, a father apologizing to his son was considered "extremely unfilial." The father said that Shen Jun was young and could not resist this heavy old custom.

Father Shen's wisdom went far beyond this. From then on, he often invited Shen Jun to stay with the First House, teaching him as if he were his own son, personally instructing him in reading, reasoning, and socializing. The Fourth House, wary of this connection, gradually shifted from harsh treatment to cautious flattery. Even when the First House declined, Shen Jun, relying on the skills he had learned from Father Shen, had firmly established himself.

Their relationship started with candy, and now Shen Jun returned the iron box to him, and the circle of fate was closed.

Shen Jun's eyes were slightly moist, and he seemed to be lost in the same memories.

He pointed at the iron box and said in a low but clear voice, "Inside this is the detailed situation of the thirteenth branch of the Shen family in recent years. I have written down every detail, clearly, who has dirty hands and what problems they have. You are the head of the family. It is up to you to decide whether to reward or punish, whether to let someone stay or go."

Shen Zhuang stroked the cold iron box, his heart filled with complicated emotions that were difficult to describe.

Shen Jun has been guarding this old house for him for his entire life, and finally sorted out this heavy family fortune.

But the price of this...

"It's not just me." Shen Jun seemed to see through his thoughts. His eyes were gentle and there was no regret on his face. "There are also things that my great-grandmother painstakingly researched and supplemented. And..."

His fingers tapped lightly on the inner layer of the iron box. "You must read the red letter carefully. It mentions promising children like Ali, the future hope of our Shen family. I am old and can no longer leave this old house. I can no longer take them to see the vast world outside. I entrust all these children to you."

Back then, Father Shen had shown great kindness, supporting the impoverished yet ambitious members of his clan, giving them the strength and a new life to break free from the shackles of fate. Now, Shen Jun reflected the light that had once shone upon him without reservation, and he understood Father Shen's kindness.

Shen Zhuang knew full well that what he held in his hands was the foundation and bargaining chip for the family's future for the next hundred years. He took a deep breath, nodded solemnly, and promised, "I swear on my life that I will lead them out of the old house and live up to their trust."

Shen Jun knew Shen Zhuang well, and had no doubts about this. The burden of a lifetime had finally been lifted, and he let out a long, relaxing breath, his shoulders and back seemingly relaxing a bit.

"There's one more thing..." He suddenly stopped.

"Is it about Ah Hang?" Shen Zhuang understood.

After all, they are blood relatives, connected by blood. How can I easily give them up? He looked at the iron box in his hand, was silent for a moment, and then his tone softened. "Ahang didn't make an irreparable mistake this time. Perhaps..."

"Chu Tang." Shen Jun raised his head. His cloudy old eyes clearly reflected the moment when Shen Hang bit his finger tightly. "He doesn't know his mistake."

Shen Jun's heart ached, but his mind was remarkably clear. "You cared about me and were willing to let him off the hook. But he doesn't know he's wrong, and if he doesn't know he's wrong, he won't change. Forgiving him this time might not guarantee there won't be another. The children of our family need a stable environment to thrive. You're the clan leader, and you understand this better than I do. There's no need... no need to make an exception for me again."

Shen Zhuang remained silent. This was exactly what he was worried about. The family's hidden dangers could not be dealt with with a soft touch.

Shen Jun sighed softly and said no more. He stood up and walked to the bed again. He fumbled under the pillow and pulled out another thick, tightly sealed envelope and handed it over.

"If a son is not taught well, it is the fault of his father. At this point, he certainly doesn't want to see me again. This letter," Shen Jun's voice trembled slightly, "can you please pass it on to him for me?"

Shen Zhuang is also a father, and at this moment he can best understand the grief and helplessness in Shen Jun's heart. He stretched out his hand and was about to take the letter that seemed to weigh more than a thousand pounds.

Suddenly, Shen Jun's skinny hand grabbed him and patted the back of his hand twice.

In that gesture, there were instructions, reluctance to leave, and thousands of words that were difficult to express, but in the end, they were just one sentence: "Go. I'll be here, waiting for you."

……