Chapter 22: Living Through the Days in Tranquility The following year, the Shen family welcomed a new addition.

At this moment, Miss Xu, bare-skinned and flushed, felt her face burn with embarrassment. Fearing someone might be eavesdropping outside the wall, she hurried to dress herself. Young Master Shen also quickly put on his clothes, consoling his wife in a manly tone, "I’m here, don’t be afraid!"

Those words instantly filled Miss Xu’s heart with warmth. Her parents had always said such things to her, but now the most important man in her life spoke them as well. How could she not feel endlessly grateful?

In Ming Dynasty custom, marriage was always arranged by parental command and the matchmaker's word. If not for enlightened parents on both sides, men and women would never meet before marriage. Such arbitrary pairings left many with lifelong regrets.

At this moment, Miss Xu truly felt blessed. She dreamed of bearing children for the Shen family in the coming year.

"Son, daughter-in-law, it’s Mother," Madam Shen called kindly from the corridor, smiling as she stood outside the door, considerate and caring. "You must be hungry. I saved some food for you. Come out and eat."

"Thank you, Mother," Miss Xu replied, changing her address.

"Daughter-in-law, from now on we’re family. No more 'thank you' between us," Madam Shen grinned and walked to the front yard.

The sound of her new daughter-in-law calling her 'Mother' was sweeter than honey to her heart!

A thousand-year canal, a hundred years of vicissitudes. The ancient town of Hexia, a bridge between past and future. It inherited imperial favor above and connected the canal transport below. Merchants have always thrived here, bringing prosperity to the common people. Millennia of human relations, a legacy for eternity.

The auspicious appearance of Qinglong Mountain and the descent of literary and martial stars—such omens, blessings for the ancient town of Hexia!

The Shen family’s wedding banquet was held at the most popular Imperial Huaiyang Restaurant on Hexia Street. Guests praised the Huaiyang cuisine for its authenticity.

With a joyous event in the family, Master Shen’s face radiated happiness. As the saying goes: "When good things come, the spirit soars." Though he drank a couple more cups than usual at the banquet, his mind remained clear. Humming a tune, he entered the Clear Water Bath as was his custom.

The bathhouse owner greeted him with a beaming smile, "Oh, Boss Shen—no, Master Shen! Your son has married the beautiful Miss Xu. You look positively glowing today. Congratulations!"

"May Boss Chen’s business flourish and wealth multiply. I’ll come here often," Master Shen staggered into the bathhouse, "Bring a pot of Dragon Well tea, and…"

"And a pear," the waiter chimed in cheerfully. "Is that right, Master Shen?"

"You clever rascal, what are you waiting for? Go prepare it!" Master Shen laughed.

"Right away!"

Stripping off his clothes, Master Shen donned wooden clogs and hummed his way into the bath. The Clear Water Bath had a long history, with seventy or eighty years behind it. It was a place frequented by locals traveling north and south, as well as boatmen busy with imperial canal duties.

Soaking in the clear, rippling water, Master Shen felt utterly relaxed.

"Brother, did the girl in the secret room last night please you?" whispered a slick-haired man to a chubby fellow beside him.

"Her skin was so soft—I finally understood what true allure means."

"Ah, brother, you only play around outside. Don’t spend the night with prostitutes, or how will you face your wife and parents at home?"

"Come on, haven’t you heard? The red flag stays at home, the colorful flags wave outside."

"Well said, well said."

Listening to the bathers’ conversation, Master Shen felt disdain. Yet he understood that Hexia was a place of both refined and common tastes. Its magic lay in embracing all. He sympathized with the canal boatmen, whose journeys from wealthy Jiangnan to bustling capital could last weeks or months. These humble folk, drifting year after year, would relax in Hexia on their way home from the capital—a bit of respite entirely understandable.

Recently, Master Shen was elated as his business grew steadily. In a couple of months, he would travel the canal route with the big boats, and the Shen family’s enterprise was poised to expand. So, soaking in the shimmering water, he imagined the happiness of coming years, shouting toward the pool’s edge, "Back-scrubbing!"

"Master Shen, I’ve been waiting for you," the bath attendant replied.

Hexia’s bathing culture was as rich and deep as Shanyang’s authentic Huaiyang cuisine. Master Shen enjoyed the Yangzhou-style scrub—a true indulgence.

"Why so inconsiderate? You come here to enjoy yourself and don’t call me?" As Master Shen squeezed a towel, suddenly someone slapped his back, hard.

"Who’s there? No sense of gentleness?" Master Shen was about to get angry, but turning around, he saw it was Wu Rui, Boss Wu, who had just become a grandfather.

"I just said a few words, and you disappeared. I figured you must be at the Clear Water Bath—and I was right," Wu said.

"Boss Wu, that slap!" Master Shen couldn’t stay angry. "Look at it, you made it red."

"Sorry, sorry. After drinking at your family’s wedding, I forgot my strength," Wu replied with a smile. "May you soon become a grandfather yourself."

"Thanks for your kind words. Your son is quite a character, isn’t he?"

"Indeed, blessed by imperial favor, my family’s fortune is truly heaven-given," Wu answered, glowing with pride.

"You—don’t I know you well? If you hadn’t married the beautiful young Lady Zhang, would you have had that son? Now, the grand sedan chairs of Hexia can barely fit on the stone streets. They won’t be enough for you!"

"Nonsense," Wu Rui said shyly. "I don’t know what fate awaits my son. Pity me, useless as I am; the Wu family’s decline is my fault."

"Wu, how can you say that? I know a bit about your family. Your widowed mother had it hard, and your father died early. Otherwise, would your family have fallen? Am I right?"

"Yes, so much sorrow."

To know what happens next, stay tuned for the following chapter.