Chapter 121: Li Chen Was a Hopeless Romantic  

“What’s so impressive?” Shen Yiyi responded with a modest smile. “Sister-in-law Wang, you’re overpraising me. I’m really not that capable! It’s true that I introduced my eldest sister to the textile factory.”  

Shen Yiyi did not deny knowing Qian Xiaoling. After all, they had dined together several times at the state-owned restaurant. She had encountered many people, so there was no way to hide it.  

However—  

“But I don’t have the ability to make the textile factory accept my eldest sister. The reason she got in was because the factory’s trade union director appreciated her pure background, her honesty, diligence, and hardworking nature. He admired her courage in standing up against Chen Jianjun’s misconduct, her efforts in defending women’s rights, and believed that her strong ideological awareness could inspire the female workers in the factory to be more independent.”  

“Besides, she really is skilled—everyone here knows that, right? It’s not surprising that she got into the textile factory! And she’s only a temporary worker. Whether she can become a permanent employee will depend on her performance later on.”  

“If you’re asking whether I can help you all get in, then of course not!” Shen Yiyi grinned. Just as she noticed the displeased expressions on their faces, she changed the direction of her words—  

“But I can introduce you to someone. However, everything still has to go through the proper procedures. Whether you can actually enter the textile factory will depend on your own abilities.”  

“As for my husband joining the transport team, that has nothing to do with me! He got in purely based on his own abilities, passing multiple assessments. The procedures were strict, and his skills were acknowledged and praised by the leadership. You can’t just dismiss all his hard work in one stroke—that would be unfair to him.”  

“Also, our family is not some wealthy or privileged one. Whether it’s my eldest sister or my husband, they are both bricks in the revolution, ready to be placed wherever they are needed! Whether working in the village or heading to the city, they are committed to contributing to the country’s development. They are not, as you say, living in luxury and enjoying special treatment.”  

“So, Aunties and Sisters-in-law, please don’t say such things in the future. I know you don’t mean any harm, but if someone with bad intentions hears this and reports our family for some fabricated wrongdoing, then I’ll have no choice but to report you for defamation at the Public Security Bureau. What happens after that won’t be up to me.”  

“……”  

Shen Yiyi rattled on, and the previously noisy scene suddenly fell silent.  

Everyone, dumbfounded by her words, exchanged glances—this…

“They didn’t even say anything, did they? Weren’t they just complimenting her? How did it turn into such a big deal, and now she’s even talking about suing them for defamation?”  

Among the crowd, a few with impure intentions had a flicker in their eyes.  

Wang Yan did feel a bit jealous, but she was mostly just loose-tongued. She had no intention of placing such a heavy accusation on Shen Yiyi’s family. After all, she still remembered the two extra pieces of candy she had received last time.  

Now, hearing the underlying meaning in Shen Yiyi’s words, she suddenly felt a wave of fear. She had always been someone who knew how to read the situation. Without hesitation, she raised a hand and pretended to slap herself a few times.  

“Aiyo, look at my mouth, it really is too careless! Li Chen’s Wife, you’re absolutely right. I really didn’t think about how my words might cause trouble for your family if those bad people overheard. I deserve to be punished! I really do! Slap, slap! Hehe, Li Chen’s Wife, please don’t hold it against me!”  

Seeing this, the others quickly followed suit, pretending to slap themselves while apologizing to Shen Yiyi.  

Only after they had all finished did Shen Yiyi smile and say: “Sisters-in-law, Aunties, you’re all being too polite. I know you didn’t mean anything by it. I never blamed you—just be more careful next time. Why go so far as to slap yourselves?”  

The crowd: “……”  

Even if the slapping was just for show, wasn’t her remark a little too late? They had their dignity too!  

Whether they truly believed Shen Yiyi’s words or not, at least on the surface, no one dared to question them.  

After exchanging some polite words, they hurriedly dispersed, as if something was chasing them from behind.  

Only then did Mother Li realize that perhaps they had been too high-profile. She looked at Shen Yiyi with a face full of fear, stumbling over her words: “O-old… Second Daughter-in-law, did I cause trouble?”

“Not exactly causing trouble, but Mother.” Shen Yiyi looked at Mother Li and said: “after all, words can be powerful. Even something white can be twisted into black. Our family already stands out quite a bit, so we should try to remain humble in our words—at least on the surface, we shouldn’t give others a chance to pick out faults. Do you understand?”  

“U-understood.” Mother Li did understand, but she didn’t trust her own mind. Sometimes, she just couldn’t think things through quickly enough. She was afraid she might say something wrong without even realizing it. Swallowing nervously, she muttered: “I’ll try to speak as little as possible from now on!”  

Her overly cautious expression made Shen Yiyi laugh. “Mother, you don’t have to be too careful. After all, the fact that Brother Chen and Eldest Sister found jobs in the county—whether we say anything or not—people will find out. A wave of gossip is unavoidable.”  

“But we aren’t stealing or robbing. Yes, we did pull some strings, but so have plenty of others. There are so many cases of people buying jobs or children replacing their parents at work—it’s all within the policy framework. There’s nothing wrong with it. Besides, Brother Chen and Eldest Sister both got their jobs through proper procedures. Even if someone investigates, they won’t find anything against us. The only thing we need to avoid is responding to people who say things like how we’re ‘living the good life’ or ‘getting rich’—those kinds of sensitive topics. Just don’t engage with them.”  

“Alright, alright, I got it.” Mother Li nodded repeatedly, looking like a student absorbing a valuable lesson.  

“That’s good, then. Mother, take Xiao Bao back inside. It’s too cold out here.” Shen Yiyi crouched down and rubbed the little boy’s hand as he ran over and clutched hers upon seeing her return. She handed him a White Rabbit Creamy Candy. “Be good and stay home with Grandma today, alright? Mother just needs to grab a hat and then I’ll go meet up with your father.”  

Xiao Bao had been pouting, reluctant at first, but the moment he saw the candy, his eyes lit up. He took it eagerly, peeling off the wrapper as he obediently replied: “Okay~”  

“You little foodie.” Shen Yiyi poked at his puffed-up cheeks as he chewed on the candy, then stood up and said a few words to Mother Li before heading inside to grab her hat.  

Mother Li then took Xiao Bao back to the old house.  

Meanwhile, Shen Yiyi had just picked up her hat and was about to go find Li Chen when, the moment she stepped outside, she saw him riding his bicycle back.  

“Wife?”  

“Why are you back?” Shen Yiyi jogged toward him. “Didn’t I say I’d grab my hat and go find you?”  

“I saw that you hadn’t come after a while, so I came back to check.” Li Chen said as he turned the bicycle around.

“I ran into a few aunties and sisters-in-law and got caught up chatting with them for a bit.” Shen Yiyi explained as she climbed onto the bicycle. She glanced at him and asked: “Were you getting impatient?”  

“No, I just thought something might’ve happened to you, so I came back to check.” Li Chen replied. Once she was seated securely, he started pedaling.  

Shen Yiyi wrapped her arms around his waist and praised: “Not bad, you’re a qualified partner!”  

Li Chen chuckled. “I’m your husband!”  

“Not much of a difference.”  

“There’s a big difference.” Li Chen insisted on his rightful title. “Before marriage, it’s called a partner. But we’re already married, so I’m your husband!”  

So domineering!  

But the next moment, Shen Yiyi’s mind drifted elsewhere. “Speaking of which, we never actually dated before getting married.”  

“……” Li Chen hadn’t expected her to bring this up and hesitated for a moment.  

“What?” Shen Yiyi didn’t mention why they skipped the dating phase and instead put on a deliberately dramatic tone. “So, don’t you think you owe me some compensation?”  

Hearing her playful tone, Li Chen relaxed. His voice was full of indulgence as he asked: “What kind of compensation do you want?”  

Shen Yiyi knew he had caught on to her meaning and grinned. Jokingly, she said: “Whatever I ask for, you’ll give me?”  

“Mm!”  

“Even your life?”  

“That too!” His answer came without the slightest hesitation.  

“……” Shen Yiyi was momentarily speechless. This guy is a total love-struck fool! She gave him a playful slap. “You’re really generous, huh? Even your life is up for grabs!”  

“As long as it’s for you.” Li Chen said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.  

Shen Yiyi: “……”  

Normally, she would have scoffed at such cheesy words. But at this moment, she actually felt—no, she was really moved.  

After a brief silence, she muttered: “I don’t want your life. I want you to live well… Alright, alright, let’s drop this topic. What I actually wanted to say is—after you finish reporting in, let’s go watch a movie, okay?”  

“Okay!” Li Chen answered. Whether he was responding to her first statement, her last one, or both, was unclear.