flstandardbreds Chapter 177 Fog
Chapter 177 Fog
Shen Fuhan suddenly opened his eyes, waking up from his dream.
Outside the window, a faint, soft white hue had already appeared on the horizon, slowly swallowing the night.
In the dim light, he looked at the person lying on the bed.
Wen Jiayue was facing away from him, with one hand on the red quilt, protecting Zhaozhao.
My wife died young, and my daughter died young too.
The words from his dream floated into his mind, prompting him to step down from the couch and stand beside it.
Wen Jiayue slept peacefully, her breathing even and deep.
Zhao Zhao twisted her body and clenched her little fists while whimpering.
As if sensing her daughter's restlessness, Wen Jiayue gently patted her in her sleep, as if to soothe her.
Shen Fuhan quietly watched the mother and daughter.
The bed was spacious, and they only took up a small area; there was more than enough room for two more of them to lie down.
Shen Fuhan listened to his heart and lay down under the covers.
He brushed aside her disheveled long hair and pressed his thin lips against the back of her neck.
It is warm.
The turbulent thoughts in his mind settled down, and he pondered calmly.
The first dream was just a portrait of Wen Jiayue, so let's ignore it for now.
In the second dream, her memorial tablet appeared.
In his third dream, he learned from his own version of himself that she had died young.
Shen Fuhan sighed.
However, based on this information alone, it is impossible to deduce the age at which she died young, let alone the cause of her death; the mystery remains.
He thought that by bringing forward the matter of changing his surname, he could avoid it, but now it seems that this is not the case.
Everything in his dream didn't follow his thoughts; it was as if nothing he did could stop it.
A soft knock came at the door, reminding him that it was time to go to his shift.
Shen Fuhan snapped out of her daze, washed up, and left.
After a busy day at Dali Temple, as it was nearing the end of his shift, his superior, Lord Li, invited him to a banquet.
Shen Fuhan couldn't refuse, so he agreed.
As he walked out the door, he looked at Sibai and instructed, "Go back to the manor first and tell Madam that I will be back later."
Sibo nodded in agreement.
“Oh, right, there’s one more thing,” Shen Fuhan called out to him, “Go and find someone who can read lips these next two days.”
Sibo responded, completely bewildered. It was strange that the Dali Temple needed to be proficient in lip reading to handle cases.
He returned to the Marquis's residence ahead of schedule and told Wen Jiayue.
Wen Jiayue nodded. She felt more at ease without Shen Fuhan.
Just as I was about to send someone to Chang Le Yuan to inform them, I didn't expect that Shen Funian had already brought Shen Chengyao over.
Wen Jiayue said in surprise, "You've arrived early today. I was just about to send someone to tell you that the Marquis has a social engagement today."
Shen Chengyao's dejected mood vanished, and his eyes lit up. His uncle wouldn't need to teach him today!
But with his mother present, he dared not show it, looking up at the sky and down at the ground, barely suppressing his smile.
Shen Fu said, "Then Yao'er and I will go back after we have dinner."
Wen Jiayue readily agreed.
Halfway through the meal, Shen Funian discussed with her, "My elder brother is very busy, so I was thinking of hiring a tutor to teach Yao'er. He can teach Yao'er when he has time off. What do you think?"
She had come up with this plan long ago, but hadn't implemented it yet.
After all, Yao'er is not even five years old yet, so starting his education a bit early. But with his older brother's guidance these days, she feels that her son has become much more perceptive.
She felt bad about troubling her older brother every day.
Running errands every day is tiring enough, but having to take half an hour to teach Yao'er to read is just too exhausting.
Wen Jiayue advised, "I think the Marquis seems quite pleased with it. If he brings it up himself, it's not too late for you to invite the tutor."
She had gotten used to having dinner with the mother and son every night; at least she had someone to talk to.
She felt a little uncomfortable if Shen Fuhan was the only one left at the dinner table.
Shen Funian thought for a moment and said, "That's true. Let's wait until Yao'er is five years old and let him be exposed to more influences."
Shen Chengyao, who had been listening intently to their conversation, suddenly looked displeased. He had thought he wouldn't have to see his uncle every day anymore.
The blow was too heavy, and he quietly wiped away his tears.
Shen Funian was serving food to her son when she turned her head and saw him sobbing. She angrily said, "Why are you crying!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Chengyao immediately burst into tears, crying and making accusations.
"Uncle, Uncle is too fierce... I don't want Uncle! Waaaaah..."
Shen Funian slammed her hand on the table: "Shut up!"
Shen Chengyao immediately shut his mouth, his shoulders trembling, while tears streamed down his face.
Wen Jiayue frowned and said, "Third sister, speak properly."
She took out a handkerchief to wipe Yao'er's tears and asked with concern, "Did your uncle scold you?"
“He…he was yelling at me with every word he said,” Shen Chengyao couldn’t help but cry again. “My uncle is so scary!”
Shen Funian pinched his ear: "You little brat, even if your uncle scolds you, it's for your own good. You should be grateful."
Wen Jiayue, however, was not quite convinced by this explanation; Shen Fuhan was quite patient with the child.
When facing Zhao Zhao, a faint smile would even appear on his face.
"Yao'er, don't cry," Wen Jiayue said gently. "When your uncle comes back, I will definitely ask him a good question, and I promise I will never scold you again."
Shen Chengyao's face lit up with hope: "Really, Aunt?"
Wen Jiayue nodded and asked the maid to take him to wash his face.
Seeing that Yao'er had left, she then looked at Shen Funian with a serious expression.
"Third sister, don't always speak ill of the Marquis in front of Yao'er, or he will be even more afraid of him."
“I’m doing this for Yao’er’s sake, okay?” Shen Funian sighed. “He grew up without a father to discipline him, and I’m afraid he’ll become wild when he grows up. It’s good to have an uncle to discipline him.”
Wen Jiayue frowned and said, "But if he's suppressed too much, he'll develop a rebellious streak. What if he says one thing to your face and another behind your back just to please you? Wouldn't that be even more terrifying?"
Shen Funian said thoughtfully, "What you said makes sense."
“He’s still young, don’t push him too hard,” Wen Jiayue said. “I will also advise the Marquis to be gentler with Yao’er in the future.”
After seeing the mother and son off, Wen Jiayue washed up and then lay down on the bed with her daughter in her arms.
Zhao Zhao played for a long time during the day today, and got sleepy after playing for only a short while in the evening.
Wen Jiayue gently patted her back to lull her to sleep.
Just as Zhao Zhao was about to fall asleep, the sound of bowing suddenly came from outside.
Wen Jiayue glanced at her daughter and, seeing that she hadn't woken up, breathed a sigh of relief and continued to coax her back to sleep.
Shen Fuhan quickly entered the house and went straight to the inner room.
Wen Jiayue shushed her and said in a low voice, "Zhao Zhao is almost asleep."
Shen Fuhan paused for a moment, then walked towards her quietly.
The strong smell of alcohol quickly wafted over, and Wen Jiayue frowned slightly.
"My lord, please go take a bath first, lest the stench bother Zhaozhao."
Shen Fuhan did not respond, but stood by the bed watching her.
Her usually aloof expression seemed to have cracked, and her eyes held emotions she couldn't decipher.
Wen Jiayue asked curiously, "What's wrong, Lord Marquis?"