Chapter 137: This Is Probably What Favoritism Feels Like

"If my cousin were to cut her hand and Mother found out, I would certainly be the one to be punished."

Wu Miaofu: "..."

Clearly, Shen Nanyuan was the one learning.

Before she could speak, Shen Jinyu continued, his tone nonchalant: "Sister is learning this because I know that if her hand were injured, Mother would be distressed. As long as Sister says a few words in front of Mother, I won't be punished."

The smile on Wu Miaofu's face did not waver: "Then I suppose I won't learn it, so as to avoid you getting into trouble, Cousin."

However, her hand hidden beneath the table tightened involuntarily.

Shen Nanyuan felt it was best to remain silent for now; after all, one should respect a child's own wishes. If he didn't want to teach her and she forced him, that wouldn't be right.

She said, "Qingrui, Uncle Li mentioned he was going to make some snacks. Go and see if they are ready."

"No need, Cousin. I have some here."

Wu Miaofu opened her food box, which contained exquisite snacks. She had originally intended to take them to Lady Shen, but after a moment's thought, she had brought them here instead.

"I liked the bird that Cousin made, so I also sent some to Qingfeng Pavilion."

Shen Nanyuan paused, her gaze lifting slightly to fall on Wu Miaofu's face, and she nodded: "I see."

Hearing this, Shen Jinyu looked up and smiled: "Thank you, Cousin."

Having said that, he lowered his head and continued working on his project.

The smile on Wu Miaofu's face stiffened. She pursed her lips, picked up her teacup for a sip, and after scanning the two of them, fell silent.

In any case, there would be plenty of time in the future.

Shen Jinyu worked for a while, glancing up at Shen Nanyuan from time to time. Seeing the half-finished, wood-carved twin fish beginning to take shape in her hands, he was pleasantly surprised: "Sister is amazing! To do so well on your first attempt."

"..." Shen Nanyuan looked at the object, which had only just begun to take on a rough shape. She mused that if Shen Jinyu lived in the modern era, he would certainly be a key member of a social media "praise group."

However, this truly did make her feel more confident, and a faint curve appeared at the corners of her mouth: "Is that so?"

"Yes!" Shen Jinyu nodded vigorously, continuing his sweet-talk, "As expected of Sister, you can do anything well."

He smiled and added, "If you practice for a while longer, you'll surely be better than me!"

He knew when to stop, and after saying this, he returned his focus to his own work. Seeing how harmonious and close the two siblings were, Wu Miaofu recalled how she had just been ignored by Shen Jinyu. She couldn't help but lower her eyes, her hand gripping the teacup tightening.

The snacks in the food box remained untouched; both Shen Nanyuan and Shen Jinyu had sawdust on their hands and couldn't eat. Wu Miaofu felt awkward sitting there, yet couldn't bring herself to leave. Fortunately, after a short while, Shen Sinian arrived.

He looked at the three people sitting neatly in the courtyard, clearly quite surprised, and said with a laugh, "Why are you all here in Shaohua Pavilion today?"

Shen Nanyuan looked over; it was indeed rare. Even before Wu Miaofu had arrived at the Duke’s Mansion, the three of them had rarely been gathered together like this.

Shen Sinian smiled and continued, "Then let's all stay and have dinner here in Shaohua Pavilion."

"..." Shen Nanyuan was quite speechless. "You are so greedy for Uncle Li's cooking; why don't you just ask to have Uncle Li moved to your courtyard next time?"

"I wouldn't dare. If Mother found out, she'd scold me."

Shen Nanyuan said, "Hey! Don't make yourself sound so pitiful!"

"I am pitiful, but you won't even let me say it," Shen Sinian replied, "Right, Jinyu?"

He clicked his tongue and sighed: "It’s been like this since we were little; Father and Mother have always favored you, and we’ve grown used to it."

Shen Jinyu nodded: "Big Brother is right."

Goodness, what kind of day was this? The two of them were teaming up against her.

Shen Nanyuan felt that the more she said, the more they enjoyed teasing her. She simply huffed and lowered her head to continue her craft, ignoring them.

Wu Miaofu, who was completely left out by the three of them, hurriedly pointed to the snacks in the box and spoke in a quiet, slightly nervous voice: "Cousin, these are snacks I bought specifically from the capital. Would you like to try some?"

Shen Sinian waved his hand: "Let's eat them after dinner. I need to save room for Uncle Li's cooking."

Wu Miaofu: "..."

Before she could speak further, Shen Nanyuan suddenly let out an "Ouch!" The tip of her flat chisel had slipped and pricked her skin. A bead of blood the size of a soybean immediately welled up. She frowned, not thinking much of it, and prepared to wipe it away with a handkerchief. But as soon as Shen Sinian and Shen Jinyu saw it, it became a major ordeal.

"You're bleeding!" Shen Jinyu quickly put down his tools, stood up, and leaped to Shen Nanyuan's side in one stride. His brow furrowed tightly, as if something catastrophic had happened. "Quick, quick! Get some gauze to wrap it up!"

Shen Nanyuan was still stunned and hadn't reacted when Shen Sinian grabbed her injured hand, looking very worried: "We should call a doctor immediately! How could you be so careless? Tsk, I was worried something like this would happen earlier, but seeing you having fun, I didn't say anything. If I had known, I would have taken the chisel away from you."

Shen Jinyu chimed in: "Sister, does it hurt a lot?"

Shen Sinian urged: "Call for a doctor, quickly!"

Shen Nanyuan: "..."

The two young masters of the prestigious Duke’s Mansion were panicked over this tiny scratch?

Especially Shen Sinian; since becoming a captain, he must have seen injuries far worse than this. This was truly an eye-opener.

She couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth: "Yes, do call a doctor quickly. If they arrive any later, my wound will have already healed."

After saying this, Shen Nanyuan rolled her eyes, took out a handkerchief, and wiped the blood bead off her finger in one motion. A little more welled up, but after another wipe, it stopped. She handed the handkerchief to Qingrui.

"What doctor? If a doctor comes, they'll surely die of laughter. I can't afford that kind of embarrassment."

Shen Sinian: "..."

Shen Jinyu: "..."

Qingrui stood by, suppressing a laugh, and cleared her throat slightly: "Miss, the two young masters are just worried about you."

Although those two shouts had startled her, making her think her mistress had been severely injured, she had peered through the gap between the two men and realized it wasn't as serious as she had imagined, which had eased her mind.

Wu Miaofu's eyelashes fluttered, and a moment later she echoed, "That's right, Cousin, Brother and Jinyu are just worried about you."

This was, perhaps, what it meant to be favored.

Shen Sinian had always claimed that Lady Shen and Shen Yi were biased, yet he himself was the one most concerned about Shen Nanyuan.

The entire Duke's Mansion held Shen Nanyuan in the palm of their hands.

Even the flamboyant Shen Jinyu, who had always been full of hostility toward her—to the point that it was rumored throughout the capital—was no exception.