When the doors of the ancestral hall were pushed open once again, Shen Yi was in the middle of fighting Shen Ruxu for the sacrificial fruits.
Shen Xun wasn't the only one who was hungry; none of the three had eaten before coming here.
"I got it first!"
"You got it first? If you got it first, why didn't you eat it? You've been clutching it in your hands forever—are you trying to keep it warm?"
Shen Yi's amber eyes widened into perfect circles as she declared loudly, "I'm not empty-headed like you, brother. I'm thinking."
"What takes so long to think about? Contemplating the past and present lives of this apple?"
Shen Yi choked for a second, then seized the moment Shen Ruxu opened his mouth to snatch the apple away. She took a huge, crunchy bite and mumbled, "There, now it's mine."
Shen Ruxu: "..."
Shen Wenta pushed the door open very gently.
He had expected to see a solemn scene.
After all, according to the rules, when punished to reflect in the ancestral hall, one should at least put on a show of remorse.
However, the expected sight of them kneeling properly in repentance was nowhere to be found.
Having secured the apple, Shen Yi was thoroughly satisfied. She sprawled out on the soft cushions with her limbs spread wide, looking just like a well-fed cat.
Shen Ruxu reached out and gently poked her stomach.
Tickled by the poke, Shen Yi rolled over and flopped flat on her stomach like a pressed duck.
Hearing the noise, the girl turned her head to look at him, the apple still in her mouth. "Why are you here?"
Shen Wenta: "To keep you company. What else, just passing by?"
"..." Damn it.
Would it kill this guy to speak nicely?
Annoyed, Shen Yi went back to lying on the cushion face down, completely motionless. Wearing a white jacket, she looked exactly like a flattened piece of rice cake.
Shen Wenta's mouth twitched.
He could see it now.
His entire family were probably hardcore materialists. To be able to lie flat so peacefully right in front of their ancestors' memorial tablets—their mindset was truly something else.
Sighing, the young man lowered his eyelashes and knelt down perfectly straight.
No matter what.
He still had to pretend for the time being.
The door to the ancestral hall was pushed open once more.
This time, it was Shen Zhizhao.
He stood at the doorway, not entering immediately, and let his gaze slowly sweep across the room.
Shen Yi was lying down munching on an apple, Shen Ruxu was sitting up playing on his phone, Shen Xun was crouching by the offering table gnawing on an apple, while Shen Wenta was kneeling with textbook posture.
—How lively.
Shen Zhizhao was slightly shocked.
He didn't dawdle, kneeling on a nearby cushion with a posture just as impeccably proper as Shen Wenta's.
"...Why are you here too?" Shen Ruxu had been messing with his phone, but when he unexpectedly caught sight of the person at the door, he suddenly felt an impending headache.
"To keep you company. Touched?"
Shen Zhizhao's tone was very mild.
Shen Ruxu: "...Then I really thank you."
Seeing him arrive, Shen Yi's eyes lit up. She scrambled up from the cushion and pattered over to him. "Big brother, are you joining us too?"
Shen Zhizhao nodded slightly. "But I didn't expect you guys..."
His tone remained flat, but his expression was slightly subtle: "...to be having a buffet in here."
Shen Yi stuffed the pastry in her hand into her mouth.
"Sorry, but I was hungry."
Shen Xun was hungry too.
He was munching on an apple.
Shen Zhizhao was speechless.
Whatever.
If the kids wanted to eat, let them eat. The ancestors had seen it all anyway; they wouldn't care about a little food.
Kneeling in the ancestral hall all night was supposed to be an agonizing ordeal. They had all spent plenty of time in here when they made mistakes as kids.
But now, with so many people, it felt lively, washing away much of the dark shadows from the past.
Shen Yi liked this kind of atmosphere. When she got tired of lying on her stomach, she would find someone to lean against, like a little cat with no sense of boundaries.
Seeing that her third brother—the best pretender of them all—was still maintaining his good-boy persona, Shen Yi sidled over, looked up, and asked Shen Wenta, "Are you really not hungry? I still have an orange here."
Shen Wenta's expression almost cracked.
He was kneeling on the futon putting on an act, his back ramrod straight, and then a little face popped up right next to him asking if he wanted an orange.
Shen Wenta reached out and poked her forehead, his knuckles using a bit of force. He lowered his head slightly and whispered, "Shen Yi, you've learned all sorts of bad habits from Shen Ruxu lately."
She never used to be this bold.
Shen Ruxu: "?"
He noticed that after Shen Wenta said that, Shen Zhizhao's gaze toward him turned somewhat unfriendly.
"You should behave yourself, Shen Ruxu," Shen Zhizhao said coolly, a hint of chill in his voice. "I don't want to have to clean up your messes every time I go out."
"Every time, you're the one causing trouble for me at home."
Shen Wenta turned his head. "Big brother, you really should just beat him up properly. That's the only way he'll behave."
Shen Ruxu was looking down at his phone. Hearing this, his head snapped up. Watching these two chime in together as if they were kindred spirits, he couldn't help but yell, "Why are you guys blaming me again?!"
Shen Yi hadn't expected the three brothers to still be chatting at this hour. She let out a yawn.
She pattered over to Shen Zhizhao and buried herself headfirst into his arms.
Shen Zhizhao was the most steady; Shen Yi decided to choose him as her backrest.
Shen Zhizhao was clearly caught off guard by her affectionate behavior. Seeing her snuggle up, he shifted from a kneeling position to sitting.
He reached out and half-embraced his little sister in his arms. His movements were gentle and steady. He quieted down, no longer lecturing his brother.
Shen Wenta turned his head to the other side. "Shen Xun, aren't you sleepy?"
Kids still got special treatment.
It would be totally fine if Shen Xun just grabbed any brother to use as a pillow to sleep.
But Shen Xun clearly had no intention of copying Shen Yi.
He didn't want to be cuddled by his brothers.
He was a classic little brat; when others treated him well, he only found it disgusting.
Seeing Shen Xun give no response, his expression tight and exceptionally resistant, Shen Wenta felt rebuffed and couldn't be bothered with this younger brother anymore.
Early the next morning.
When the butler arrived, even though he was mentally prepared, he was still mildly shocked by the mess the young masters and miss had made inside.
It was quite the sight, with people scattered about in every conceivable posture and angle.
Some were lying down, some sprawled out, some leaning against the wall, some sitting, and of course, there was one who was kneeling.
The one kneeling had probably heard someone coming and just dropped to his knees to put on a show and maintain his persona.
The butler simply pretended not to notice.
As a mere employee, it wasn't his place to manage all this.
However.
When his gaze swept over the offering table that looked like it had been ransacked by rats, he had no choice but to brace himself and ask, "Excuse me, but where are the sacrificial fruits that were just set out last night?"
Shen Yi answered quickly:
"They all got eaten."
The butler's mouth twitched faintly before he forced a professional smile. "Very well, I understand."
A short while later, he had someone bring in fresh offerings.
Having spent the night lounging against one person after another, Shen Yi had had an exceptionally comfortable night.
The butler could also tell she had probably slept very well. He smiled and said, "Miss Shen, the old master has asked for all of you to go over."
"Do we still need to kneel?" Shen Ruxu asked.
"There's no need."
The butler watched their backs disappear at the end of the corridor and let out a sigh of relief.
They were finally gone.
These kids could really eat.
