"Mingyue is the illegitimate daughter your dad had with his mistress.
When I gave birth to your sixth brother and seventh sister, his mistress had just given birth to Mingyue a couple of days earlier.
Your dad secretly switched the babies, then heartlessly abandoned your seventh sister out in the wilderness.
If someone passing by hadn't found her and taken her in, your seventh sister would have died as a baby!"
At this point, Shen Shuyi clenched her fists, unable to contain her emotions any longer.
Xu Junshan was utterly inhuman. He had been so cruel even to his own daughter!
Had he not wanted her simply because she was Shen Shuyi's child?
Shen Jinyan shot to his feet, his eyes red with fury.
"That old bastard wants to wipe us out and take everything our family owns? I'll make sure he has no descendants left!"
"We're his descendants!" Shen Ruogu rolled his eyes and snapped.
"I was too angry to think straight!" Shen Jinyan instantly deflated and slumped back into his chair.
"Of all your brothers, only you two know.
Ruogu is naturally reserved, so I'm not worried about him. But Jinyan, you can't keep being this impulsive.
I stopped you from going inside today because I was afraid you'd ruin things.
Right now, we need to act as though we know nothing. Only then will Xu Junshan keep his guard down and continue with his plans.
I want to wait until he makes his move, catch him red-handed, and use that against him and the Xu family.
Otherwise, if all he's done is cheat, there's not much I can do to him," Shen Shuyi explained with a faint smile.
Shen Jinyan pressed his lips together and nodded. Though furious, he still had his reason. He understood that disaster was looming over the Shen Family, making it all the more important not to act impulsively.
"Mom, did our seventh sister know about this all along?" Shen Ruogu asked thoughtfully, watching his sister happily rowing a little boat on the lake.
"Your seventh sister truly is a blessing sent to our family by heaven. If it weren't for her, I'd still be in the dark."
Shen Shuyi also turned toward the lake, her expression softening considerably as she watched her daughter.
"Mom, can you hear our seventh sister's thoughts too, just like us?" Shen Jinyan asked tentatively.
"You can hear them too?" Shen Shuyi looked at her two sons in delighted surprise.
Shen Ruogu and Shen Jinyan exchanged a glance, then nodded.
"All of us brothers can hear them!"
"That's wonderful. Your seventh sister really is our family's savior.
I only discovered something was wrong after hearing her thoughts.
But she probably doesn't know we can hear them, which is why her complaints are so blunt and honest!
Whatever you do, don't let her find out that we can hear her thoughts," Shen Shuyi instructed solemnly.
"And we absolutely can't let Xu Junshan know about this!" Shen Ruogu added.
He called Xu Junshan by his full name. The man didn't deserve to be their father.
"Exactly. If he finds out, he'll definitely try to hurt Banxia. Nothing else can happen to her!" Shen Shuyi agreed, trembling with fear.
"Mom, don't worry. All of us brothers will protect our little sister.
We didn't know before, but now that we do, I'm not letting that old bastard off!" Shen Jinyan vowed.
"This started because of me, and I should be the one to end it myself. I don't want any of you brothers getting involved.
After all, no matter what, he's still your biological father. He's brought his own downfall upon himself, but I will never let you tarnish your reputations or dirty your hands.
It's good that you can now see him and the Xu family for who they really are. At least you know what to expect and can stay on guard, so their family won't be able to harm you.
Leave the rest to me. You have to trust me."
Shen Shuyi gave them these instructions solemnly.
"Mom, don't do anything illegal. Scum like him isn't worth it," Shen Jinyan said anxiously.
"Don't worry. I'm not that foolish.
I may have spent all these years at home looking after my husband and children, but that doesn't mean I'm a simple-minded housewife.
A mother finds strength for her children. That isn't just an empty saying.
Trust me. I'll handle this properly.
Just act as though you know nothing and do what you're supposed to do," Shen Shuyi reassured them with a smile, her tone firm.
"All right!" Shen Jinyan replied after exchanging a glance with his fourth brother.
Shen Banxia excitedly rowed the little boat back, holding something in her hand as she called out to them.
"Mom, Second Brother, Fourth Brother, look what I caught!"
Shen Jinyan and Shen Ruogu turned to look. At first, they couldn't make out what Shen Banxia was holding, but as she drew closer and they saw it clearly, their expressions changed instantly.
"Ah! Banxia, throw it away! Throw it away!" Shen Jinyan leaped up, waving his hands frantically.
"Quick, quick, throw it away!" Shen Ruogu, who normally wouldn't flinch even if a mountain collapsed before him, was so agitated that his voice turned shrill.
"Banxia, sweetheart, throw it away, quickly." Shen Shuyi had seen it too and coaxed her, her face pale.
Shen Banxia looked in confusion at the eel she had worked so hard to catch. She didn't understand why her brothers were so frightened and insisted she throw it away.
Seeing that her second brother's face had gone white and he looked ready to faint, Shen Banxia could only reluctantly toss the eel back into the lake. Then she dusted off her hands and kept rowing toward shore, complaining with a look of regret.
"Second Brother, why are you such a scaredy-cat? You're even afraid of eels!
I wanted to bring it back and grill it. It would've smelled so good, but now we won't get any!"
Yet the moment she reached the shore, her second brother hauled her out of the boat. He grabbed her ear and shouted.
"Are you an idiot? You caught a venomous snake and called it an eel!"
She had nearly scared him to death. To death!
"Did it bite you?" Shen Ruogu asked anxiously.
"No. What snake? Wasn't it an eel?"
"An eel, my foot! It was a black-and-white venomous snake! Which eye of yours saw anything resembling an eel?"
Shen Banxia wanted to say it had looked like an eel to both her eyes, but under her second brother's furious glare, she forced herself to keep quiet.
Shen Shuyi had been so frightened that she didn't even have the strength to stand. Only after hearing her daughter say she hadn't been bitten did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Since a venomous snake had appeared, they reported it to the farm's owner. They didn't stay any longer and drove back to the city.
The entire way back, Shen Banxia's two brothers lectured her from either side, insisting that she never touch any wild creatures again, especially anything long and slender like that.
Her second brother was hysterical on her left, while her fourth brother unleashed a relentless barrage on her right.
Shen Banxia looked at her brothers in alarm, with nowhere to hide.
Has Second Brother been scared out of his mind? He's traumatized.
Has Fourth Brother been possessed? Isn't he supposed to be known for being aloof?
"..." Her second and fourth brothers instantly shut down.
"Can't I touch earthworms either?" Seeing that her brothers had finally fallen silent, Shen Banxia cautiously asked for clarification.
"No, you can't! Do you hear us?" Her second and fourth brothers exploded at the same time.
Shen Banxia hurriedly covered her ears, which had nearly been deafened, and had no choice but to accept one fact-
Her two brothers really had gone crazy!
Before you continue