Chapter 16: A Subtle Smile Conceals a Flying Dagger

Lu Jin followed Shen Yanxi to the table and stood still.

His father-in-law, Shen Hao, didn’t even look at him, focusing solely on his tea, gulping it down as if parched. The mother-in-law, on the other hand, showed a measure of loyalty—she turned away and began speaking to a teenage boy by her side, never once glancing his way.

Lu Jin felt rather awkward—how was he supposed to handle this? Should he call him “Father”? “Dad”? “My esteemed District Chief father”? Ah, what nonsense, he thought, mixing up the roles in his mind.

Truth be told, he had no wish to acknowledge Shen Hao at all. Even if he hadn’t been beaten, he had been made to kneel in the rain without reason and had fallen seriously ill as a result. How could he not harbor some resentment?

Yet the current scene was impossible to ignore: elders surrounded him on all sides. If he couldn’t at least manage the proper formalities, what good would come of it?

Besides, he wasn’t so dense as to confuse basic social rituals with the shallow provocations of internet trolls; he could distinguish between inner feelings and the demands of etiquette.

In his previous life, he had refused to fawn or curry favor, but that didn’t mean he was ignorant of basic courtesy.

“Papa!” Shen Yanxi, unable to bear the tension, coquettishly called out to her father.

“Papa!”

The air suddenly grew still and quiet. Shen Yanxi glanced sideways at Lu Jin, cheeks flushed—why had he echoed her call?

Lu Jin was mortified, feeling as if he could scratch a hole in the floor with his toes. Why did you have to act so coy, he thought, caught off guard right in the middle of his anxious calculations.

With a sudden, explosive laugh, Pei Yunrui—seated at a nearby table—spewed tea all over. So much for this young man’s composure!

Shen Hui shot Pei Yunrui a warning glare, making him quickly suppress his amusement.

Shen Hao’s expression darkened. “Just address me as ‘Father.’ Are you feeling better?”

“Thank you for your concern, Father. I am much improved now,” Lu Jin replied.

“Good. You’re still so young, yet your health is rather frail. In the future, you ought to take greater care.” Shen Hao lifted his teacup again as he finished speaking.

In truth, Shen Hao felt a twinge of guilt. No matter how little he thought of Lu Jin, the young man’s amnesia and illness were inextricably linked to his own daughter, or even himself.

But as a patriarch of the old order, Shen Hao could not be expected to fuss over his son-in-law or express remorse the way later generations might. A few extra words of concern were the most he was willing to offer.

Lu Jin, however, clearly did not intend to accept such a perfunctory gesture. He had his own attitude to uphold. If everyone was insistent on saving face, then so be it—he would play along.

“Father, I’ve heard that too much black tea can cause excessive liver heat. You should drink more chrysanthemum and goji berry tea, to clear heat, soothe the liver, and brighten the eyes.”

Shen Hao, halfway to sipping his tea, froze. The cup hovered at his lips—he could neither drink nor put it down. His cheeks twitched involuntarily.

This son-in-law was clearly doing it on purpose. Could he really not tell black tea from eucommia?

“This is eucommia tea…”

“Is Father feeling unwell?” Lu Jin feigned surprise, his tone anxious.

Shen Hao realized too late that he’d walked straight into the trap his son-in-law had set. His cheeks twitched even more violently.

Lu Jin’s outcry immediately drew the attention of everyone in the room. Only Zhou Manyun kept her head down, face flushed, saying nothing.

Moments ago, the rest had been chatting and hadn’t caught Lu Jin’s remarks about the tea. Now, hearing his anxious exclamation, they genuinely wondered whether Shen Hao was unwell.

“Is my son feeling ill?” The old lady, hearing Lu Jin’s alarm, looked over as well.

“Mother, I’m fine, nothing’s wrong!” Shen Hao hurried to reassure her, but before he could finish, Lu Jin exclaimed again.

“Father, I’ve heard that eucommia is mainly used for weak knees and sore backs. Who would drink it for no reason? If you’re unwell, you shouldn’t try to hide it…”

Shen Hao looked as though he might shatter his teacup in his grip, and Zhou Manyun’s face was scarlet with embarrassment. Was this really a fit topic for public discussion? The atmosphere could hardly have been more awkward.

Only now did the others realize what was going on. So it was just eucommia tea? Seeing Lu Jin’s anxious face, they couldn’t be sure if he was feigning ignorance or not. After all, he’d just married, hadn’t even entered the bridal chamber, so perhaps it was natural for him to be oblivious to such matters.

“My dear grandson-in-law, eucommia is good for replenishing vital energy and strengthening the bones and muscles. It’s fine to drink it regularly,” the old lady interjected to smooth things over.

“Oh, I see! I must have been misinformed—I thought Father was unwell,” Lu Jin said, wearing an expression of embarrassment so lifelike it was almost theatrical.

Seeing Lu Jin’s performance, Shen Hao managed a look of satisfaction on the surface, but inwardly he was grinding his teeth in rage.

Others might believe Lu Jin’s innocence, but Shen Hao now understood: this boy had dug a pit for him, waiting for him to fall.

First, he’d implied that Shen Hao was hot-tempered and needed to clear his liver and brighten his eyes. Then, as soon as Shen Hao explained, Lu Jin was ready to jump in with another feigned concern, this time about weak knees. In the end, he’d claim it was all a misunderstanding. With that earnest look of concern, how could anyone be angry?

Never in his life had the head of the Shen family suffered such a loss.

Father-in-law and son-in-law exchanged a few more insincere pleasantries, all smiles on the surface while seething within, thus ending this brief and awkward formal greeting.

Guided by Shen Yanxi, Lu Jin turned to the beautiful, blushing middle-aged woman beside Shen Hao.

“Mother!” Lu Jin bowed.

“Spare me—I can’t accept it,” Zhou Manyun replied, her tone icy, not even raising her head.

This young man was something else. In a matter of days, he’d already caused Yanxi grief, and just now had nearly embarrassed her beyond redemption. Better to feed him to the fish sooner rather than later.

Lu Jin was secretly amused. This mother-in-law was quite something—at least wait for your blush to fade before speaking so coldly, or you’ll leave people feeling rather odd.

“Mother…” Daughters always liked to act spoiled before their parents, and Shen Yanxi was no exception.

“All right, all right, I’ll say no more. Let’s see how you handle things. Truly, a grown daughter is no longer her mother’s own…” Zhou Manyun’s voice trailed off, pointedly ignoring even Shen Yanxi, as if sulking.

“This is my younger brother, Shen Yanlun. My eldest brother and sister-in-law are away at the moment, but I’ll introduce you when they return,” Shen Yanxi said, pointing to the boy beside her mother.

So this was the fabled brother-in-law—a rakish air about him, looking every bit the mischief-maker… Lu Jin thought to himself.

So this was my brother-in-law? He looks so frail and delicate. How could he possibly be worthy? Clearly not a good sort… Shen Yanlun thought to himself in turn.

Lu Jin nodded briefly to his new brother-in-law, who ignored him. In that fleeting exchange, both sized each other up, their silent contest ending in a draw.

“Call him brother-in-law!” Zhou Manyun snapped, smacking Shen Yanlun with her fan. The boy had no manners at all! She herself could treat Lu Jin coldly because she was an elder, but her children could not—this was the discipline of a noble house.

“Brother-in-law,” Shen Yanlun muttered, dodging the fan, resignation in his voice. You don’t even acknowledge him yourself, so why make me?

“All right, all right, you’ve met everyone. Yanxi, bring my grandson-in-law over here to sit,” the old lady said, beckoning Lu Jin after he had finished his round of greetings.

At last, it was over. Lu Jin was drenched in sweat, feeling more nervous than he ever did on the battlefield.

Sitting beside the old lady, he saw her face light up with wrinkles as she smiled, busying herself instructing the maids to bring more food, urging Lu Jin to try this and that.

The pavilion soon regained its lively atmosphere—the men discussed current affairs, while the women chatted about family matters.

Lu Jin took a few sips of tea to calm himself, when he overheard his uncle-in-law spouting opinions about the ailing emperor and the empress dowager’s lack of authority.

Such matters were too distant to concern him; what mattered most to Lu Jin was how he might extricate himself from the Shen family.

He made small talk with the old lady, Shen Yanxi occasionally chiming in to lighten the mood, the two of them coaxing laughter from the matriarch.

Time slipped by quietly, until his elder cousin once again began to stir up trouble.