Chapter 97: He Is Not I, and I Am Not He.

On the carriage, Lu Jin picked up the small booklet that Lu Caiwei had flung to the ground. He opened it and glanced inside, then nearly dropped it in shock.

"Dead girl! You meant to mislead your brother. You thought it was that sort of picture, didn't you—half-naked or something?"

Lu Jin flipped the pages again. Every illustration showed a woman, and from his modern eye they were strangely abstract.

One depicted a lady playing the lute, another stood upon some lofty tower, and yet another seemed to be stepping down from a carriage. The scenes were oddly complete.

He reached the final page and froze. Two lines of text were written there: "Better to be the Shen family son-in-law than the top scholar."

His mind reeled. After a long moment he kept turning, trying to decide if the figure was even female. Ancient line drawings of people could be so abstract.

"Caiwei, look—do you think these women are the same person?" Lu Jin passed the booklet to his sister-in-law.

"I refuse to look. I'm going to tell Aunt that you still have another woman in your heart." Lu Caiwei's voice trembled with indignation. Such a fine sister-in-law, yet she hid another woman.

"Look inside—don't you recognize her?" Lu Jin had already decided. The two lines and the original owner's strange behavior left no room for doubt.

Only then did Lu Caiwei accept the booklet and begin to study it.

"Brother, it really is Aunt." Lu Caiwei spoke softly.

"How did you recognize her?" Lu Jin sounded bewildered. How could such vague strokes reveal anything?

"Look at her hairstyle. Aunt wears it exactly like that, and this hairpin—I saw it in her own hair once..." Lu Caiwei chattered on. Lu Jin had stared for ages and still could not be sure. A few careless lines?

"Brother, you truly knew Aunt before?" Lu Caiwei asked.

"I wasn't the one who lost his memory. How could I possibly know? Otherwise, how would I recognize the person in this booklet?" Lu Jin ruffled his sister's hair. Having a little sister really was entertaining.

"Oh, right!" Lu Caiwei remembered the missing piece and fell silent.

No wonder. What had once seemed impossible now fell into place with perfect clarity.

This was a heartbreaking, trite, and strangely improbable tale. Who knew when the original owner had first met Shen Yanxi, only to be captivated by her transcendent beauty? Perhaps he had even followed her. According to reason, the original owner should never have crossed paths with Shen Yanxi, yet one day the woman from his dreams had bound him to her home and demanded that he come and live as her husband. For the original owner, that was nothing short of a dream fulfilled. What reason could there be to refuse? How bizarre could a situation get?

After the wedding, the original owner believed happiness had finally arrived. Instead Shen Yanxi held a grand ceremony and then fled, leaving the man behind like a complete laughingstock. In utter despair he took his own life that very night.

Lu Jin could hardly believe his ears, yet he felt strangely relieved. At least the things he had always considered impossible in the past now made sense. He had married her simply because he had loved her for a long time. After all, even the top scholar had refused to become one; he had chosen to be the Shen family's son-in-law instead.

But whether to tell Shen Yanxi about it was the question. If he confessed, Lu Jin would feel deeply awkward—after all, it was no longer his own memory. If he stayed silent, he would only feel sorry for the original owner.

"Word has it my husband acquitted himself quite bravely today?" Shen Yanxi stepped down from the pavilion beside the carriage the moment Lu Jin returned to Xiyuan, as though she had been waiting for him.

Lu Jin blinked, confused. "Bravely?"

"Beating the steward of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion and still claiming you were merely showing spirit?"

"Ah? How did you know about that?" Lu Jin stared. Did the Drunken Immortal Pavilion have such powerful backing?

"I know everything I need to know. This is...?" Shen Yanxi noticed the child clinging to Lu Jin's side.

"This is the child I took in today. Uncle Su, arrange for Ah Liang to live with Ah Nu." While Lu Jin spoke, Xiao Bai had already passed the slave contract to Shen Yanxi. She was the daughter of the Shen family and mistress of the Lu household.

Shen Yanxi glanced at the document and handed it to her maid Shu Qing. "Father is waiting for us in the Standing Snow Hall. We should go now."

The two parted ways. Uncle Su took Wu You and the children back to Yun Tai first, while Lu Jin and Shen Yanxi continued to the Standing Snow Hall.

They found Shen Hao seated in the main chair.

"Father." Lu Jin and Shen Yanxi bowed, then took the side seats.

"You went out today?" Shen Hao gave Lu Jin a cursory glance, his expression unreadable.

"Just a walk." Lu Jin answered.

"I heard my son-in-law showed considerable spirit today." Shen Hao sipped his tea.

The father and daughter were both being oddly sarcastic.

"You went to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion and beat their steward?" Shen Hao studied Lu Jin's bewildered face and cut straight to the point.

"Yes. The steward was rude, and I was angry, so I gave him a warning." Lu Jin was stunned. The man had not been exaggerating. He had no idea who the real backer was, yet even Shen Hao could be moved by the threat.

"Do you know the Drunken Immortal Pavilion is also family property?" Shen Hao pressed on.

Lu Jin was speechless. Every time it was the same disaster. Remembering that Shen Yanxi had kept quiet earlier, he shot her a glare.

Shen Yanxi promptly looked away, her flushed cheeks betraying her smile.

"Then tell me—which family is not ours? Next time be more careful..." Lu Jin topped off Shen Hao's tea. In private the two communicated with easy familiarity, no need for stiff formality. Everything depended on the moment.

"Probably difficult to remember. Besides, isn't this rather convenient? Better than destroying other families' shops..." Shen Hao replied.

"If outsiders heard that, they'd think I was a scoundrel. But father, that Drunken Immortal Pavilion cannot be treated so. If every steward is like that, no matter how vast our holdings, you would be ruined. How can one do business to become a gentleman, threatening the Shen family at every turn? Do we still want our reputation? Oh, I almost forgot—my wife said that jade pendant was worth more than ten thousand taels. Your black-hearted steward only gave fifty."

Lu Jin's teeth gritted. Too greedy!

Shen Yanxi, sitting below, could barely contain her laughter. This silly yet shrewd moment was utterly shrewd—such a fine jade pendant for only fifty.

"You still think running off with a jade pendant is justified?" Shen Hao's voice was icy.

"I only wanted to test whether our shops operate honestly. It turned out they don't." Although everyone knew the truth, Lu Jin refused to admit it aloud. No.

Shen Hao was stunned. Such nonsense came out so casually.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Ah? I meant this is quite acceptable. Wife, don't disturb Father any longer. We should return." Lu Jin stood, ready to drag Shen Yanxi away. He already had more than enough on his plate without managing anyone else's affairs.

"Very well. Tomorrow I will summon Shen Yi back." Shen Hao waved a hand as though dismissing the matter.

"Father, you cannot do that. I am only a son-in-law!" Lu Jin wailed.

"Have you such a son-in-law?" Shen Hao sipped his tea, puzzled.

Lu Jin: ... Can we continue the conversation normally?

"Then change to a younger batch. Those things are unacceptable. All of them have grown used to being lords. Let Jiang Shao give them training—one thing at a time, with proper fees. I will think of dishes that are not duplicated between the two households." The man who had been squeezed dry could only play the part of a beast of burden.

In the Shen residence, Xiyuan, Yun Tai.

"Uncle Su, tomorrow take Yuanfang and Sunian to the refugees and select some." Lu Jin suddenly remembered the homeless people he had seen often. Free labor was too good to waste.

"Missus, you intend to take in refugees?" Steward Su Bo asked.

"Yes. I need people, and they will have food. They will survive."

"But..." Steward Su Bo hesitated. Though the refugees were like withered grain in the fields, bringing them home was never simple.

"Uncle Su, follow my husband's instructions. I will inform the residence and the yamen." Shen Yanxi spoke from the side.

"So we cannot simply take in refugees?" Lu Jin understood only after listening.

"Yes. We must notify the state government, but the Shen family taking a few is no great matter. Besides, they do not wish to manage too many, which suits them perfectly."

"Very well, Uncle Su. I want only those aged eight to sixteen, in good health, without defects. Yuanfang and Sunian will accompany you, selecting only those with sturdy frames who can learn martial arts—take as many as you find. Children are the future; save one if you can."

"Then missus, where shall we place them?"

"First house them in the Ningwu Institute. Let Shen Qingyun arrange guards and ensure they receive proper meals." Before Uncle Su could finish, Shen Yanxi answered. After all, Lu Jin knew little of the Shen household.

"I am blessed to have such a wife. I truly do not know what blessing from three lifetimes has brought me." Watching Uncle Su depart, Lu Jin sighed. A wise wife was invaluable.

"My husband still intends to run away." Shen Yanxi laughed.

Lu Jin's face flushed crimson. You two really will never stop, will you?

"When was this picture drawn?" Lu Jin turned. Shen Yanxi was holding the small booklet and studying it.

Ah! That sister truly could not be wanted. I have not yet decided what to do with him, so I sold my brother first.

"It was probably drawn by him before." Lu Jin answered casually.

"Him?" Shen Yanxi looked puzzled.

"The old Lu Jin. I am the Lu Jin after amnesia—the so-called new Lu Jin."

Shen Yanxi had not expected such an explanation. It seemed reasonable. No matter what had happened before, he did not remember now and clearly had no desire to mention it. Yet today, when Lu Caiwei had told her, she had been stunned. What an astonishing coincidence the world held. She had also understood why the old Lu Jin had agreed to marry her. A deep warmth filled her. Her husband had loved her long before. Only the strokes of the drawing were a little different from today.

"If I had known this, I would never have left you." Recalling the wrongs he had suffered, she felt her past self had been cruel beyond measure, and now she hated herself for it.

Lu Jin heard and grew anxious. He rose from behind the table and cupped Shen Yanxi's face in his hands.

"Yanxi, listen to me. This is the most correct choice you have ever made in your life. If you had not done it, I do not know what the old Lu Jin would have become. But it is certain that I would never have become who I am now." His voice was solemn.

Shen Yanxi was completely bewildered. What had she done? Why did mentioning amnesia have anything to do with you?

"Then do you like him or like me?" Lu Jin gazed into her eyes. Shen Yanxi seemed frozen in place.