Chapter 101: A Family of Five Playing in the Snow

The next morning, Shen Yiyi and Li Chen got up early to prepare some mantou and pancakes for Mother Shen and the others to eat on the way. Mother Shen was deeply moved.

After breakfast, it was almost time to depart.

What Shen Yiyi did not expect was that the person most reluctant to part with Mother Shen was actually Mother Li. She held Mother Shen’s hand tightly, asking her to visit again next time.

Some of the elderly women in the village also came out to see them off, chattering in front of the ox cart, exchanging farewell words. As they talked, the conversation drifted further and further.

If Shen Yiyi had not reminded them, they might have missed the train.

The family of five took the ox cart to escort Mother Shen and Shen Yuxuan to the county town. The Three Baos were especially reluctant to part with their grandmother and Little Uncle, clinging to them and chattering along the way.

Mother Shen and Shen Yuxuan were also unwilling to part with the Three Baos, hugging them tightly for a long while.

Before Shen Yuxuan boarded the bus, Shen Yiyi pulled him aside and said: “Xiaoxuan, Eldest Brother and I can’t be by our parents’ side right now. Please take care of them and be more attentive to their needs.”

“Big Sis, I know.” The young boy patted his chest and spoke with a maturity beyond his years. “Sis, you should also live well with Eldest Brother-in-law. He’s a really good man!”

“Alright!” Shen Yiyi smiled. After chatting for a while longer, she finally sent them off on the bus.

Parting with family always carried a lingering sorrow.

“Wife?” Li Chen put his arm around Shen Yiyi’s shoulders. “You still have me and the Three Baos with you!”

Da Bao and Er Bao, who had been feeling a bit down due to their grandmother and Little Uncle’s departure, immediately latched onto Shen Yiyi’s legs upon hearing their father’s words. They both looked up at her and said: “Mother, we will always be with you!”

Xiao Bao chimed in: “With Mother~”

Shen Yiyi’s melancholy dissipated a lot, and she smiled. “Alright!”

Life continued as usual.

It snowed. A thick layer of snow covered the ground, rooftops, and trees. The swirling snowflakes painted the entire world white.

Early in the morning, the Three Baos woke up, all extremely excited. Er Bao rushed into the snow, gathered a lump of snow in his hands, and threw it at his eldest brother.

Da Bao was caught off guard by the snowball and got angry. He quickly scooped up a handful of snow and retaliated. Just like that, the great snowball war began.  

Er Bao was the kind who liked asking for trouble. It wasn’t enough for him to play with his eldest brother—his hands itched to provoke his father as well. As a result, he ended up being attacked by both his father and his eldest brother. He screamed, calling for his mother to help him.  

Shen Yiyi was afraid of the cold, but joy had a way of making people forget their fears. She joined the battle without hesitation.  

And so, the battlefield took shape—Da Bao versus Er Bao, Li Chen versus Shen Yiyi.  

The fight between Da Bao and Er Bao was a clash of equals, an intense back-and-forth that was thrilling to watch.  

But for the couple, the situation was quite different—at least for those expecting a real snowball fight.  

For anyone who enjoyed witnessing public displays of affection, however, the scene was nothing short of delightful.  

Shen Yiyi did not hold back. When it came to snowball fights, she played them seriously.  

Li Chen, on the other hand, cherished his wife and would never throw snow directly at her. But a snowball fight needed some back-and-forth to make it fun. So, instead, he scooped up handfuls of snowflakes and gently sprinkled them over his wife, making it look like a light snowfall drifting down on her.  

Shen Yiyi, annoyed, leaped onto his back and shoved snow down the collar of his coat.  

Li Chen shivered from the cold and immediately begged for mercy. But as soon as Shen Yiyi stopped, he grabbed her by the waist and spun her around in circles.  

Meanwhile, Xiao Bao ran alongside them, gleefully scooping up snow and randomly throwing it—sometimes at his father, sometimes at his mother, sometimes at his eldest brother, and sometimes at his second brother. However, he hit absolutely no one. Yet, he still laughed foolishly to himself.  

The entire courtyard was filled with laughter and joy. Even the old house next door could hear the commotion. Curious, the neighbors climbed onto benches and peeked over the courtyard wall.  

Excited by what they saw, the village children grabbed handfuls of snow from the wall and jumped into the battle, making the scene even more lively.  

Mother Li let out an exaggerated “Oh my!” Her face was glowing with an amused, maternal smile as she climbed down from the bench. “They’re really having the time of their lives!”  

Jiang Ailing, on the other hand, pursed her lips and muttered under her breath, making sure no one else could hear: “Hugging and cuddling like that in broad daylight… how improper!”  

She turned and walked back to her house, only to see Li Sanhong still lying on the kang bed. Thinking about the lively scene she had just witnessed, she suddenly felt a sense of imbalance in her heart. She yanked away his blanket.  

“Li Sanhong, why are you sleeping again? Get up right now!”  

“It’s winter—what else is there to do besides sleep?” Li Sanhong grumbled, pulling the blanket back over himself.  

“The water jar is almost empty!” Jiang Ailing huffed. “Get up and fetch some water!”  

Li Sanhong was utterly exhausted, and now someone was nagging in his ear. He impatiently covered his head with the blanket. “I saw there was still some water last night. Just use it sparingly for now. I’ll get more later!”  

“…” Jiang Ailing couldn’t get him to budge, so she had no choice but to stomp off angrily.

Meanwhile, over at the main house, their water jar had also run dry.  

Early in the morning, Li Dabin had gone out to fetch water. It wasn’t until half an hour later that he returned, carrying two buckets of water.  

“Why did it take you so long?” Mother Li asked.  

“There were a lot of people, and some of the roads were frozen over—it was hard to walk.” Li Dabin explained.  

Hearing this, Mother Li glanced at Father Li, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she held back.  

Jiang Ailing suddenly thought of the well Shen Yiyi had dug next door. She had wanted to fetch water from there for a while, but since even Li Dabin, who had been invited to help dig the well, never went, she hadn’t dared to go either.  

Now, seeing an opportunity, she eagerly suggested: “Doesn’t Second Sister-in-law have a well over there? Normally, we wouldn’t, but in this heavy snow, we’re all family—surely we can fetch water from her place, right?”  

Everyone knew exactly what she was trying to do.  

Mother Li rolled her eyes. Her shamelessness truly knew no bounds!  

As for fetching water from the well next door… When Shen Yiyi had the well dug, she had paid the workers for their labor. Anyone with common sense could see that she didn’t want others taking advantage of her. Because of this, neither Father Li, Mother Li, nor Li Dabin and his wife had ever brought up the idea of fetching water from there.  

However, Da Hua felt sorry for her father. She quietly ran next door and timidly asked Shen Yiyi if they could fetch water from their well.  

Shen Yiyi did not refuse. Back then, she had only paid Li Dabin wages because, at that time, the main and third branches of the family hadn’t officially split yet, and she didn’t want Jiang Ailing to take advantage of the situation.  

Now that the families had separated, and considering that Li Dabin was a decent person—most importantly, Father Li and Mother Li were living with them—Shen Yiyi had already planned to ask Li Chen to invite them over for water, even if they hadn’t asked themselves.  

And so, the main house naturally started fetching water from Shen Yiyi’s well.  

Watching them carry bucket after bucket of water back, Jiang Ailing was overjoyed. Without wasting a second, she grabbed a bucket and rushed over, eager to take advantage of the situation.  

But she was met with a closed door.  

Fuming, she cursed under her breath as she returned home.  

Mother Li had seen right through her intentions the moment she grabbed a bucket. So when Jiang Ailing came back empty-handed, she seized the chance to mock her.  

“Some people.” she sneered: “made all kinds of excuses when asked to help dig the well, but now they shamelessly want to use it. They don’t want to put in any effort but expect to reap the benefits—do they really think the world works like that? Pah!”  

Jiang Ailing was seething with frustration. Determined to get back at Mother Li, she made up her mind—she would send Li Sanhong to fetch water from now on. Let’s see if Mother Li, as his mother, wouldn’t feel distressed then!