Nine-layer armor-breaking

Chapter 81 Choice
Xing Mansion, backyard, Yuqing Garden.

There are various seasonal plants and dead out-of-season plants in the garden.

Under the eaves, a woman dressed in fresh and simple clothes, with an elegant posture, sat upright in front of a narrow desk, waiting for Xing Yue's arrival.

She was wearing a smoky purple robe and a plum-patterned cloak of the same color, which made her skin look as smooth as fat.

The woman was thin and her cloak was thick, but it seemed a little loose on her. Her face was not particularly beautiful, but her extraordinary temperament was so captivating that it was hard to look away.

This woman with extraordinary temperament is Shen Heyue, the wife of Xing Rufeng, the head of the Xing family.

Shen Heyue is the daughter of Shen Ting, a wealthy merchant in Yingzhou City. The Shen family primarily operates a restaurant business in Yingzhou, making them one of the two most famous merchants in Yingzhou, alongside the Cheng family. Even children in Yingzhou know the name "Yao Cheng Jiu Shen."

The current Yingzhou Chamber of Commerce had not yet been established during the era of "Yaocheng Jiushen".

Shen Heyue is Shen Ting's only daughter. She is obsessed with calligraphy and painting and has no intention of taking over her father's business. However, under Shen Ting's influence, she has also been exposed to business matters.

Ever since Shen Heyue was just learning to speak, Shen Ting has been instilling business knowledge into little Shen Heyue intentionally or unintentionally. After Shen Heyue grew up, Shen Ting taught her even more deliberately, preparing for Shen Heyue to take over the Shen family business in the future.

However, although Shen Heyue was familiar with the ways of doing business, she had no intention of running the family business. After Shen Ting failed in his repeated proposals to let his daughter take over the Shen family business, he was unwilling to force his daughter anymore and let Shen Heyue do what she liked.

Once, Shen Ting was a little unhappy because he couldn't find a suitable successor, and accidentally discovered Xing Rufeng who came to apply for a job at Shen's new restaurant.

Facing the newly planned large restaurant of the Shen family, Xing Rufeng was not at all timid. Despite the unfriendly gazes of everyone, he still resolutely insisted on applying for the position of restaurant manager. All of this was seen by Shen Ting.

Xing Rufeng was tall and handsome. His handsome and elegant manner when applying for the job made Shen Ting unforgettable.

From then on, Shen Ting began to deliberately cultivate Xing Rufeng.

As the head of the Shen family, other Shen family managers and employees always try their best to cater to Shen Ting and try to please him when they meet him. However, Xing Rufeng is the opposite. When talking with Shen Ting, he is always confident and calm, and dares to express different opinions. The more they get along, the more they are attracted by Xing Rufeng's personal charm.

In this way, Shen Ting trained Xing Rufeng for three years, and thought the time had come, so he decided to introduce Xing Rufeng to his daughter.

After the two met, Xing Rufeng couldn't help but feel yearning for Shen Heyue, who had an extraordinary and unworldly temperament, when he saw her for the first time. However, Shen Heyue had no interest in Xing Rufeng. Or rather, Shen Heyue had not considered marrying anyone at all, so she didn't want to pay attention to her father's proposal.

Despite this, although Shen Heyue ignored his father's suggestion, Shen Ting was diligent and took the trouble to increase opportunities for Xing Rufeng and Shen Heyue to meet and spend time together, and often brought Xing Rufeng home.

Although Xing Rufeng wanted to marry into the Shen family, after getting along with her, he could not feel any more attraction to a quiet and indifferent woman like Shen Heyue, except for a little admiration when they first met. Over time, he began to treat Shen Heyue as his sister.

And all these changes originated from Shen Ting's sudden death.

Xing Rufeng follows Shen Ting's last words and takes over the Shen family business, protecting and taking good care of Shen Heyue. Shen Ting's only last wish is that his daughter will seriously consider marrying Xing Rufeng, after all, Xing Rufeng is Shen Ting's preferred son-in-law.

Just like that, after the mourning period, Xing Rufeng married Shen Heyue with the highest standards he could.

From then on, the legendary Shen family came to an end in Yingzhou City, and was replaced by the Xing family.

It was also because of the demise of the Shen family that the Cheng family's status was no longer what it used to be, and the Yingzhou Chamber of Commerce was initially formed.

In addition to the medicinal materials store controlled by the Cheng family, the Chamber of Commerce carried out a comprehensive integration and segmentation of the industries in Yingzhou City. The Yingzhou Chamber of Commerce grew stronger step by step until the entire Cheng family was exiled some time ago, and the legend of the Yaochengjiushen era came to an end.

……

Xing Rufeng was the first to arrive at Shen Heyue's residence, followed closely by Xing Yue.

Xing Rufeng was not invited, he just happened to come to Shen Heyue to calm down, but since he was here, Shen Heyue did not let him leave.

After everyone arrived, Shen Heyue ordered the servants to bring the food to the small pavilion in the garden and invited the father and son to eat.

As the delicious dishes were served, the family of three sat down in the pavilion. Xing Yue carefully examined each dish. From fruits and vegetables to fish and crabs, they were all made with the freshest seasonal ingredients. Even the plating and decorations used seasonal flowers.

"Wow!" Xing Yue couldn't help but exclaim.

He had changed his previous somewhat lonely state. It seemed that every time he came to his mother's place, he could calm down. He could feel the breeze, see the little insects, and be close to his mother. He could temporarily let go of his distracting thoughts and feel his soul purified.

Xing Yue was very flattering and continued, "The meal is so sumptuous, does Mother have anything good to tell us?"

For Xing Yue, his mother was a calm and composed person who never interfered with his thoughts, yet she showed him the same care and concern. Therefore, he treated his mother the same way, always caring for her with care.

Shen Heyue smiled and shook her head, saying, "Just having a meal together."

Xing Yue looked at his mother's happy face and nodded. Although he felt that things were not that simple, he did not ask any more questions.

……

Seeing that the father and son had almost finished their meal, Shen Heyue walked down the stone steps and went to the garden.

Watching Shen Heyue walk out of the pavilion, the two of them followed him out as if they had a tacit understanding.

Shen Heyue just walked around the garden, stopping occasionally, and finally stopped at one place.

"What are you looking at?" Xing Rufeng stopped with Shen Heyue, glanced around at the nearby scenery, and asked Shen Heyue.

"Dried flowers." Shen Heyue said.

Xing Rufeng was puzzled. "Why would we care about withered flowers? There are so many blooming trees in the garden. Shouldn't we take a closer look at them?"

"Blooming flowers will wither, and withered flowers will bloom again. Evergreen flower trees are not that conspicuous when viewed alone." Shen Heyue's tone remained calm.

Xing Rufeng didn't answer. Xing Yue stepped forward and went to his mother's side.

Shen Heyue looked at the evergreen tree beside the withered flowers and said to Xing Yue, "Yu'er, no matter what decision you make, your mother will support you. The seasons change, and sitting alone is inconspicuous. Sometimes, you don't have to think too much, just follow your heart, and the result may not be bad."

Although Xing Rufeng understood Shen Heyue's words, he still said: "When you need to fight, you still need to fight. People must seize the opportunity."

Shen Heyue said slowly to the colorful flowers in the garden, "No one stays on the top of the mountain forever."

Xing Rufeng disagreed somewhat and said, "But the way up the mountain and down the mountain is just a matter of one's thoughts. Just one wrong choice is enough to destroy the entire family."

Shen Heyue smiled faintly, feeling somewhat helpless about Xing Rufeng's persistence, and said, "Maybe so, but you still can't go against your heart."

"Mother..." Xing Yue didn't know how to start the conversation in the face of his parents' argument. He looked at his mother and whispered softly.

Shen Heyue smiled and said to Xing Yue, "If you think it's right, then it's right. You may regret it in the future, but if you choose something you don't agree with now, if you make the wrong choice and regret it, it will become a thorn in your heart, pricking you from time to time."

Listening to Shen Heyue's persuasion to Xing Yue, Xing Rufeng frowned slightly, but still listened carefully to what Shen Heyue continued to say.

"Before making a decision, no one knows which option will lead to the grand road. Perhaps both are broad, perhaps both are narrow, and it's not uncommon for one to be good and the other bad. But no matter which path you choose, most people will question it when things don't go their way in the future."

"Would it have been better to choose another path? Would my life have been different if I had made different choices?"

"But you can't go back to the past, and you can't make choices for your past self. But once you've made your choice, stop worrying about it. Who knows what the future holds? Think positively, and maybe everything will work out. Many times, you have to forge your own path. If you don't put in the effort, even if you make the best choice, the outcome won't change much. So, Yue'er, listen to your heart."

After listening to his mother's words, Xing Yue nodded thoughtfully. He seemed to have made up his mind and had an answer...

(End of this chapter)