With this thought, a hint of mockery rose to Madam Xu's lips, quickly masked by her hand. "Xiaoyan, it's not that your father and I are heartless, but we truly can't manage. I'm unwell now, and old. It's already good if I can take care of myself. Xiao Wen and Xiao Lu are still young, and Xiao'e needs to prepare for her wedding. Your father is the only one tending to the fields. We simply have no one at home to care for Xiaoming."
Shen Xiaoyan saw the mockery on Madam Xu's lips clearly, but her expression remained unchanged. She said with difficulty, "Then what should we do? We can't just watch Xiaoming lie in bed, can we? If anything happens to Xiaoming, my deceased mother in the underworld wouldn't be at peace, would she, Father?"
Hearing this, Shen Cheng and Madam Xu felt a chill down their spines despite standing in the sun. They could only offer a dry chuckle and agree.
Silence fell upon the courtyard. Xu Xiao'e stood to the side, head bowed in thought. After a while, she suddenly looked up at everyone and said, "Father, Mother, the family is facing such hardship. I believe Sister can understand, right, Sister?"
Shen Xiaoyan merely looked at Xu Xiao'e coldly, remaining silent.
Xu Xiao'e felt no embarrassment. Still smiling, she continued, "Why don't you take Xiaoming with you, Sister? After all, there are only you and your husband at home, so no one will say anything. You can take good care of Xiaoming."
Shen Xiaoyan inwardly chuckled. This was exactly what she wanted. Her expression, however, feigned difficulty. "As a married daughter, how can I take my younger brother away? Besides, the family isn't without people. If the villagers find out, they'll surely gossip about Father and Mother."
When Shen Cheng heard Xu Xiao'e's words, a fleeting joy crossed his face, but he quickly suppressed it.
Madam Xu, on the other hand, felt a spark of hope. Her gaze towards Xu Xiao'e was filled with comfort. Truly her daughter, she knew how to share her burdens.
However, looking back at Shen Xiaoyan, the words of this troublesome girl were not wrong. Shen Xiaoming was still a son of the Shen family.
If Shen Xiaoming were to live with his married sister, the villagers' gossip would surely drown her.
If only this girl Shen Xiaoyan would offer to take Shen Xiaoming herself, then her responsibility would be gone.
Seeing Madam Xu's eyes darting around, Shen Xiaoyan knew what scheming thoughts were brewing.
"Father, Mother, there's no precedent for parents to send their son to live with his married sister. Therefore, I'll entrust Xiaoming's care to you from now on. Please take good care of him, give him his medicine on time, and feed him well. Otherwise, if anything should happen to Xiaoming, who knows what the villagers will say. Don't you agree?"
Shen Xiaoyan's lengthy speech stunned the three people in the courtyard into silence. Before they could react, Shen Xiaoyan continued, "Zheng Wei has gone to town to get the medicine. When he returns, please trouble Father and Mother to give him the payment for it."
"What? You, as a sister, are asking your parents for money to buy medicine for your younger brother?" Madam Xu immediately exclaimed.
"Mother, I wish I could pay, but I don't have any. My betrothal gifts are all with you, aren't they?" Shen Xiaoyan spread her hands helplessly.
Madam Xu merely glared, speechless. How had she not noticed before that this troublesome girl was so eloquent?
However, it was impossible for her to pay.
Shen Cheng walked to the side with his hands behind his back, lost in thought. Shen Xiaoyan, however, was not impatient.
Half an hour later, Shen Cheng walked back to Shen Xiaoyan and said with a heavy heart, "Xiaoyan, it's not that your father is unwilling to care for Xiaoming, but we truly have no one in the family to look after him. Why don't you have him live with you?"
Shen Xiaoyan inwardly scoffed. It wasn't that there was no one to care for him, but rather that they were unwilling to do so.
"Xiaoming can live with me, but I have one condition," Shen Xiaoyan said after a moment of silence.
Madam Xu immediately replied, "What condition? You're not asking for money, are you? He's your own younger brother; do you want money for taking care of him?"
Shen Cheng also frowned. When did this eldest daughter become like this? Truly, a child without a mother was very calculating.
"Xiaoyan, your mother is right. He is your own younger brother. You can't be like this. How sad would Xiaoming be if he knew?" Shen Cheng said earnestly.
A hint of a smile played on Shen Xiaoyan's lips. "Father, Mother, where are you getting that idea? I'm not asking for money."
"Not asking for money? Then what is your demand?" Madam Xu's face lit up when she heard it wasn't about money. If it wasn't about money, anything could be discussed.
"I want to have Xiaoming's household registration moved," Shen Xiaoyan said, exhaling deeply.
"What?" Shen Cheng's eyes widened in surprise.
He truly hadn't expected Shen Xiaoyan to make such a request. If Shen Xiaoming's household registration was moved, then he would no longer be considered a member of the Shen family.
"No, Xiaoming is a member of the Shen family. How can he have his household registration moved with you?" Shen Cheng immediately refused after some thought.
Madam Xu's eyes flickered. If Shen Xiaoming's household registration was moved, then in the future, he would have no claim to any of the family's assets.
With this thought, Madam Xu spoke softly, "Xiaoyan, what's your reason for moving his household registration?"
Shen Xiaoyan also smiled happily. "If Xiaoming is to live with me, there needs to be an explanation. We'll say that before my mother died, she said that Xiaoming was to stay with me until he got married."
Madam Xu beamed with joy. For the first time, she found Shen Xiaoyan so pleasing.
"His father, Xiaoyan has already said so, you should agree. When Xiaoming recovers, he can move back then," Madam Xu whispered to Shen Cheng.
Although she wholeheartedly supported Shen Xiaoyan's suggestion, she didn't want Shen Cheng to think she was driving his son away.
Shen Cheng looked at Shen Xiaoyan's earnest expression and finally nodded. He truly hoped that Shen Xiaoyan would take good care of Shen Xiaoming; he was, after all, his eldest son.
Shen Xiaoyan was also delighted to receive Shen Cheng's agreement. Was this what they called blessings in disguise?
Although Shen Xiaoming had fallen seriously ill, could escaping this family be considered a good thing?
Just as the matter was being settled, Zheng Wei entered the courtyard with several bags of medicine.
When Xu Xiao'e saw Zheng Wei enter, she instinctively took a few steps back. She always felt an invisible pressure emanating from Zheng Wei, making her feel breathless.
"The medicine has been bought," Zheng Wei said, handing the bags of medicine to Shen Xiaoyan.
Shen Xiaoyan took the medicine bags and said to Zheng Wei, "Perfect timing. Please trouble you to go to town with my father to have my household registration moved, and have Xiaoming's moved as well."
Zheng Wei looked at Shen Xiaoyan with surprise. In the time it took him to fetch medicine, she had already settled the matter?
"Alright, shall we go now?" Zheng Wei asked, his surprise subsiding.
Shen Xiaoyan looked at Shen Cheng. She wanted to get it done as soon as possible, but it primarily depended on Shen Cheng.
Madam Xu also wanted to resolve the issue quickly, fearing that any delay might bring about unforeseen complications. However, her words took a turn. "What's the rush? It's almost noon. Let's eat first."
Shen Cheng's face indeed showed a hint of a smile at this. Although he had agreed, he didn't want to appear overly eager.