Chapter 95

Mother Shen had traveled a long distance, and it was her first time visiting. Naturally, the Li family had to offer proper hospitality.  

Mother Li immediately went back to discuss the matter with the old man. Li Chen, being perceptive, knew that his mother-in-law and his wife must have more to talk about. So, he found an excuse to take the Three Baos outside.  

Shen Yuxuan also understood the situation and left as well.  

Now alone with her daughter, Mother Shen no longer felt at ease. She anxiously said: “Daughter, tell me, what exactly is going on? How did you suddenly get married and even have several children? Why didn’t you tell your father and me?”  

The day Mother Shen found out her daughter had married and given birth had been a complete shock. It would have been one thing if her daughter had simply gotten married, but the shocking part was that she had not married Lin Jiadong—she had married someone else!  

Her heart was filled with worry and fear. She suspected that her daughter had either been deceived or suffered some grievance. As soon as Shen Yuxuan returned home from school, she had sent Father Shen to her daughter’s in-laws’ house before hurriedly making her way to the countryside.  

Shen Yiyi knew she could not hide the truth from her mother. So, she concealed the part about following a scripted storyline but told the rest honestly.  

After hearing everything, Mother Shen exclaimed: “…So, you originally planned to drug Lin Jiadong, but Li Chen accidentally consumed it instead, and the two of you ended up having a relationship, which led to your marriage. But throughout this time, you had been wanting a divorce, which is why you didn’t tell us. Then, about a month ago, you finally figured things out and decided to live a good life with Li Chen and the Three Baos, so you are only telling us now?”  

Shen Yiyi looked at her mother cautiously, feeling extremely guilty. “…More or less, that’s the gist of it!”  

“You—!” Mother Shen almost choked on her breath. She had initially thought her daughter had suffered some terrible injustice, but it turned out that her daughter was the one who had caused someone else great suffering!  

What kind of sin had she committed to have raised such a daughter?

She wanted to scold her daughter, but she was afraid that, just like in the past, her daughter would react dramatically, as if life and death were at stake. Holding back her anger, she found herself stuck in frustration, neither able to vent nor fully suppress it.  

Shen Yiyi feared that her mother might make herself ill from holding it in. She took the initiative to lean over and said sheepishly: “Mom, if you want to hit me or scold me, just go ahead! I won’t get angry, and I definitely won’t fight back!”  

Her submissive attitude softened Mother Shen’s anger.  

After all, having gone through so much, her daughter had finally matured a bit.  

Sighing, Mother Shen patted her daughter’s hand and said: “Since you’ve realized your mistakes, and since Li Chen loves you so much, and the Three Baos are all so well-behaved, you must live a good life with them from now on. You can’t be like before anymore, understand?”  

“Mm-hmm.” Shen Yiyi nodded quickly, obediently replying: “I understand, Mom!”  

The mother and daughter then had a heartfelt conversation, but before long, a noisy commotion came from outside.  

Mother Shen suddenly remembered something and grabbed her daughter’s hand. “I almost forgot! Daughter, I brought your dowry over as well. We need to unload everything from the car first and let Old Xu head back.”  

Just as Shen Yiyi returned home with Li Chen, she saw a car parked at the entrance, with large bags and bundles piled up behind it.  

She didn’t even need to think—her mother had clearly brought all this to give her prestige and support. If this had happened before she moved to the countryside, she wouldn’t have been surprised at all that her mother would go to such lengths to uphold appearances.  

But now, she was fully aware of her family’s current situation. Having lived through an entire lifetime before, she knew it all too well. So, she quickly grabbed her mother’s hand. “Mom, wait a moment.”  

“What is it?” Mother Shen was confused.  

“Tell me first, where did the car come from? And what about all these large packages? I even see a bicycle! These things must have cost a lot of money. Where did it all come from?”

“T-This… of course, your father and I prepared these for you! Do you think our family can’t afford these things?” The roles had suddenly reversed, and Mother Shen’s tone wavered with guilt.  

“Mom, you’re still not telling me the truth.” Shen Yiyi frowned. “Both you and Dad lost your jobs. Where would you get this much money?”  

Mother Shen’s eyes widened. “How do you know that?”  

“Xiao Li wrote me a letter and told me!” Shen Yiyi lied without hesitation.  

Xiao Li was their neighbor. They had gotten along well before, but after Shen Yiyi moved to the countryside, Xiao Li had stayed in the city, and they had lost contact.  

However, that didn’t stop Shen Yiyi from using Xiao Li as an excuse to support her lie.  

Mother Shen believed her, hesitating slightly.  

“Mom, Xiao Li also told me that Dad is sick. Losing your jobs and not telling me is one thing, but how could you not tell me that Dad is ill?” Shen Yiyi pressed.  

“Your father is much better now.” Mother Shen replied weakly.  

“…” Shen Yiyi felt awkward asking why she hadn’t been told before. After all, in the past, she had been following a scripted storyline, and even if her parents had told her, it wouldn’t have mattered.  

However, she knew her mother was telling the truth. In her previous life, her father had indeed started recovering this year. By the time she returned home, he had already been almost fully recovered.  

“Alright.” Shen Yiyi said. “But you both have been unemployed for years, and Dad’s medical treatment and medication must have cost a lot. So where did you get the money to buy all these things? And where did this car come from?”  

Mother Shen realized that her daughter had not only matured but also become more assertive. Facing her, she actually felt guilty, so she could only tell the truth.

“The money was borrowed from your grandparents.”  

Shen Yiyi’s grandfather had been a mid-ranking military officer during the war. After the country’s founding, he had retired instead of continuing in politics. Because of this decision, he had avoided the political upheavals that followed and was instead highly respected. Now, he received a monthly state subsidy, so it wasn’t surprising that he had some money.  

“And what about the car?” Shen Yiyi asked again.  

“The car was borrowed from a friend who studied in Su Country with your father. We only recently found out that he’s now the Factory Director of the Machinery Factory in the city, so we got in touch with him.”  

“He’s a regional-level cadre, and the state allocated a car to him. He happened to be coming from the city to the county for official business, and when he learned that we needed to transport so many things to you, he lent us his car to help with the delivery.”  

Shen Yiyi nodded. After the country’s founding, heavy industry had been a major focus, and many elites had been sent to Su Country for training. Her father had been one of them, so it wasn’t surprising that he knew the Factory Director of the city’s Machinery Factory.  

Mother Shen carefully observed her daughter’s expression and continued: “I just thought, since you married so far away, if someone were to bully you, we wouldn’t be able to support you. Coming here in a car at least shows people that you have backing. If anyone wants to give you trouble, they’ll have to think twice. So, I figured we might as well borrow it.”  

Shen Yiyi felt both touched and heartbroken. She hugged her mother tightly. “Mom, thank you for being so good to me!”  

Mother Shen patted her back. “What’s there to thank? I’m your mother—if I don’t treat you well, who else would I treat well?”  

Just as she finished speaking, a middle-aged man walked in, smiling at Mother Shen. “Madam Shen, I may need to head back now.”  

“We’ll unload the things right away.” Mother Shen said immediately.  

Shen Yiyi let go of her mother, linked arms with her, and walked outside.  

Outside, a large crowd had already gathered, drawn by the sight of the car.