Chapter 122: A Couple’s Movie Date  

There was no need for a formal check-in since Liang Jun was there.  

Li Chen simply had to fill in his personal information, and that was it. Afterward, he went to the dormitory to arrange his bedding.  

The transport team provided dormitories, which consisted of shared bunk beds. However, they were not free—each bed space required a monthly rent of twenty cents.  

Shen Yiyi insisted that Li Chen rent one. Although he would return home at night when not on missions, he would not be coming back for lunch. Shen Yiyi wanted him to have a place to rest at noon.  

Li Chen felt it was unnecessary, but whatever his wife said was final.  

So, Shen Yiyi brought quite a few items from home—quilts, pillows, slippers, cotton shoes, a washbasin, towels, and other essentials.  

Since it was working hours, the dormitory was empty when they arrived. Shen Yiyi entered while Li Chen wiped down the bed frame. She made the bed and arranged his belongings neatly.  

Everything was put in order, but the only problem was the walls—they were too dirty. Shen Yiyi could not stand it. Even if Li Chen did not move around much in his sleep, the quilt would undoubtedly touch the walls.  

The mere thought of it was unbearable. She asked Li Chen to check with the dormitory guard to see if there were any old newspapers so they could paste them over the walls.  

Just as he stepped out, a commotion arose at the door. The returning team members had just finished their mission.  

As soon as they entered, they saw a delicate and beautiful young woman. For a moment, they thought they had walked into the wrong dormitory. But when the woman turned her head to look at them, they were instantly stunned.  

Shen Yiyi was just about to greet them when Zhao Youliang emerged from the group and exclaimed in surprise: “Sister-in-law?”  

Sister-in-law? He’s married?  

The men who had been in shock felt their hearts shatter into pieces.  

“Youliang.” Shen Yiyi responded with a smile, nodding warmly to greet the others.

“Why are you here? Did Brother Chen come to check in? Where did he go?” Zhao Youliang was visibly excited. Then, he smacked the shoulder of the man beside him. “What are you thinking? This is Brother Chen’s wife! Quickly put away those messy thoughts, or else when Brother Chen returns, you’ll suffer the consequences!”  

“This is Brother Chen’s wife?” The men instantly abandoned their earlier thoughts, blurting out in shock: “So young and beautiful?”  

“Obviously!” A voice interjected. The group turned their heads and saw a tall, well-built man stride into the room.  

The dormitory instantly erupted into a commotion.  

“Damn! Brother Chen, it’s really you! You finally decided to join us?”  

“I heard rumors a few days ago that you were coming, but I thought it was fake. Didn’t expect it to be true!”  

“How long has it been? Brother Chen, you’ve bulked up even more!”  

“It’s been ages since we last hung out. How about going out for a drink tonight?”  

Shen Yiyi watched as Li Chen was surrounded by the enthusiastic crowd and was momentarily speechless. “……” It seemed her husband was quite popular in the transport team.  

While exchanging greetings with his comrades, Li Chen did not neglect his wife. He walked over to her and formally introduced her to everyone. “Let me introduce you all—this is my wife, Shen Yiyi.”  

Then, he introduced each of them to Shen Yiyi. Once the introductions were done, his eyes narrowed slightly. “Now, who was having improper thoughts about my wife just now? Step forward.”  

The group collectively shrank their necks and let out awkward chuckles. Then, putting on exaggerated expressions of anger—whether directed at others or themselves was unclear—they shouted: “Who dares to have thoughts about our sister-in-law? Huh? Who? Step out right now! Forget Brother Chen—his brothers will beat you to death first!”  

Shen Yiyi: “……”  

She could not help but laugh. After greeting them, she pulled out a bag she had prepared earlier and took out some nuts, handing each of them a handful.  

The men immediately grinned with flattery. “Oh wow, thank you, Sister-in-law!”  

Shen Yiyi smiled. “No need to be polite. These were just some snacks we prepared for the New Year. We haven’t finished them yet, so I thought I’d share some with you all. Hope you don’t mind.”  

“Mind what? We’ve never had such plump nuts before—crispy and fragrant, they taste amazing!”  

“Sister-in-law, where did you buy these? My wife loves them! I bought several pounds for her in Beijing before, but she kept complaining about finding bad ones. We’ve eaten so many of yours, and not a single bad one yet!”  

“Got them from the supply and marketing cooperative.” Shen Yiyi lied effortlessly. “During the New Year, they had a lot of good stuff. I just happened to snatch some up! But I doubt they have any left now.”  

“Hahaha, well, if they’re gone, then so be it.”  

“Sister-in-law, these must have been expensive, right? We feel bad making you spend on us like this. Look at us, we don’t even have anything to offer you in return…”  

“What are you talking about? We’re all family here. Besides, I’ll have to trouble you all to take care of our Brother Chen in the future.”  

“Sister-in-law, you’re too polite! Brother Chen is the capable one—if anything, he’s the one taking care of us!”  

Shen Yiyi smiled. “Then let’s just look out for each other!”  

“Hahaha, Sister-in-law, you really know how to talk!”  

The group then started teasing Li Chen again.  

“Brother Chen, where exactly did you find such a virtuous, understanding, and sweet-talking wife? Not to mention, she’s so beautiful! Any more like her? Introduce one to us!”  

“Get lost!” Li Chen scolded with a laugh.  

After chatting for a while and pasting newspapers over the walls, Li Chen and Shen Yiyi declined the group’s dinner invitation. Under a wave of knowing, teasing glances, they rode off on their bicycle.  

It was around three in the afternoon. The couple headed straight to the cinema. Films in this era were limited in variety, mostly focusing on historical and war stories, and the audience mainly consisted of young couples.  

They chose a film about a young woman from Hong Kong entering the music industry. Before heading in, they bought a bucket of popcorn.  

Compared to later generations, the film’s production quality was naturally inferior, but it had a compelling story, strong performances, and a rich period atmosphere that immediately immersed the audience.  

Shen Yiyi watched with great interest. Li Chen, on the other hand, was not particularly engaged but forced himself to sit through it—he feared that if his wife started discussing the film later, he would have nothing to say.  

After the movie ended, the two walked out hand in hand. Unexpectedly, they ran into a pair of familiar faces—ones they had not anticipated seeing.

Lin Jiadong and Jiang Wanrou!  

Jiang Wanrou sat on a cinema bench, her face filled with worry.  

Beside her, Lin Jiadong asked: “Wanrou, what’s going on? How could you be dismissed? Didn’t you say you were likely to be made permanent this year?”  

“I was supposed to be.” Jiang Wanrou replied, her gaze flickering. “But the Deputy Factory Director’s son was pursuing me, and the Factory Director thought I was siding with them. So he fired me as well!”  

In truth, she had been dismissed before the Deputy Factory Director’s downfall because of how she had deceived Yang Xiong. However, she dared not tell Lin Jiadong the real reason, fearing that he would think she had tried to use Yang Xiong to climb the ranks and end up resenting her.  

“But you never even paid attention to Yang Xiong, right? Why would the Factory Director misunderstand?” Lin Jiadong questioned.  

“It was all because of Shen Yiyi!” Jiang Wanrou simply shifted the blame onto Shen Yiyi.  

Li Chen and Shen Yiyi had originally intended to walk past them, but upon hearing this, they abruptly halted.  

The two remained unnoticed as Lin Jiadong continued: “Shen Yiyi? What does she have to do with this?”  

Jiang Wanrou explained: “You know about the eldest Li sister joining the textile factory, right?”  

Li Daya’s divorce had caused quite a stir, and the fact that she had managed to secure a job in the city was currently a hot topic in their village. Naturally, Lin Jiadong had heard about it.  

“I heard that the Deputy Factory Director’s downfall was caused by Shen Yiyi reporting him to the trade union director. The trade union director, Qian Xiaoling—who happens to be the Factory Director’s wife—promised her two job placements, and Li Daya got one of them!” Jiang Wanrou’s eyes burned with resentment. Yang Pengshan’s corruption had been her last trump card, yet Shen Yiyi had used it before she could. “Not only that, but she also made Qian Xiaoling fire me.”  

“What? How could she be so vicious?” Lin Jiadong fumed.  

“And all because of you!” Jiang Wanrou lightly hit Lin Jiadong. “She likes you, but you like me. Of course, she resents me! Naturally, she would ruin my job. Now how am I supposed to go home? If my sister and my uncle find out I lost my job, they’ll kill me… Ah?!”  

BANG!  

A small wooden stool came flying straight at Jiang Wanrou. Catching sight of it from the corner of her eye, she swiftly dodged. Lin Jiadong reacted even faster, pulling Jiang Wanrou behind him and shielding her with his body.  

The stool struck him squarely on the back with a heavy thud. He let out a muffled groan from the pain.  

“A’dong!” Jiang Wanrou cried out in alarm. “Are you okay?”