Chapter 107: Li Chen Was Deeply Moved  

By the time Shen Yiyi returned home, it was already afternoon. To her surprise, Li Chen was at home.  

He was squatting by the water tank, doing something she couldn’t quite see. Curious, she quietly walked over—only to find that he was scrubbing her dirty shoes!  

She was overwhelmed with emotion. Unable to hold back, she threw herself at him. “Brother Chen~”  

Li Chen was caught off guard by her sudden pounce and almost lost his balance. After steadying himself, he said: “Wife, you scared me to death!”  

“You won’t die from that.” Shen Yiyi teased as she clung to his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her cold hands slipped into his collar to warm up.  

Li Chen shivered slightly from the chill but did not push her hands away. Instead, he stood up to help her find a more comfortable position. Then, he placed the shoes on the stone table and continued scrubbing them…  

Her weight seemed to have no effect on him at all.  

Shen Yiyi was delighted. This was both his recognition of her and hers of him! Unable to resist, she leaned in and kissed his ear.  

His body instantly tensed, and his ears turned red in an instant. His voice became slightly hoarse. “Wife, don’t mess around!”  

Heh heh.  

Shen Yiyi chuckled, deciding not to tease him further. “Why are you home so early today?”  

“You like eating beef, don’t you? I brought some back.” Li Chen replied. “Ten pounds of it. You and the Three Baos can eat to your heart’s content.”  

Beef was more tender than pork and contained less fat, making it the preferred choice for someone like Shen Yiyi, who wanted to maintain her weight and figure.  

She had brought out beef before, but since it was in short supply on the market, she usually only took out about a pound each time—just enough for a single meal. Every time, the Three Baos would eat it with great relish, always wanting more.

The beef Li Chen brought back was actually supplied by Shen Yiyi. However, she had only given him ten pounds, never expecting that he would bring all of it home.  

“Then let’s make a beef hotpot!” Shen Yiyi suggested. “I’m really craving it!”  

Li Chen didn’t know how to make it, but whatever his wife said was what they would do. “Alright.”  

Just as he agreed, something came to his mind. “Wife, Qiangzi said he wants to treat us to dinner tonight.”  

“Why is he treating us to dinner?” Shen Yiyi asked curiously.  

“Back when his daughter turned a month old, he wanted to invite us to celebrate. But since your mother was still here at that time, they decided to postpone it.” Li Chen explained.  

“Got it.” Shen Yiyi responded. “Then let’s make the beef hotpot tomorrow instead. It just so happens that tomorrow is Xiaonian.”  

Li Chen had no objections.  

Shen Yiyi looked around but didn’t see the Three Baos. She asked: “Are the Three Baos at Qiangzi’s house right now?”  

“Yes.”  

Shen Yiyi nodded, then rested her chin affectionately on his shoulder. “Brother Chen, aren’t you curious about where I just went?”  

“What did you do?” Li Chen asked casually, still focused on scrubbing the shoes. In the past, when he washed the Three Baos’ clothes, he had been quite rough. But now, when washing her clothes and shoes, he was incredibly meticulous—because he knew she liked things clean.  

“I ran into Jiang Wanrou in town. She was having a meal at the state-run restaurant with the son of the textile factory’s deputy director.” Shen Yiyi said.  

Li Chen paused for a moment. He knew about Jiang Wanrou and Lin Jiadong’s situation, but he didn’t understand why his wife was bringing it up now.  

Without revealing his thoughts, he simply followed along with her words. “Oh? And then?”  

“And then she said that our relationship is bad.” Shen Yiyi said deliberately. “I was so mad that I threw a bowl of soup on her!”  

She huffed. “Who says our relationship is bad? We’re doing great! Right, Brother Chen?”

“Did you get hurt?” Li Chen put down the dirty shoes and turned to look at her.  

…?  

That was his focus? Shen Yiyi quickly shook her head. “No, I didn’t get hurt, didn’t suffer a loss. I had a fight with them, and I won!”  

Only then did Li Chen breathe a sigh of relief. He turned back and continued scrubbing the shoes.  

“I said our relationship is great.” Shen Yiyi repeated, dissatisfied that he hadn’t answered her. “I’m asking you, isn’t it?”  

“It is!” Li Chen’s lips curled up slightly. He knew she was coaxing him.  

Only then was Shen Yiyi satisfied and returned to the main topic. “I wasn’t trying to talk about Jiang Wanrou. What I actually wanted to say was that the woman I threw the soup at is actually the head of the textile factory’s union. Her husband is the factory director.  

“I helped her out, and she said she could offer me two job positions. She even put down a deposit of a thousand yuan with me. I think she’s likely to keep her promise.”  

Li Chen was puzzled. “What kind of help did you give her?” To promise two job positions—it had to be something significant.  

Shen Yiyi briefly explained the grudge between Director Xu and Yang Pengshan, omitting the real reason she knew that Yang Pengshan was selling products on the Black Market. She only gave a rough explanation.  

“…I just reminded her that Yang Pengshan’s so-called channels might have hidden risks. She immediately caught on. Of course, she probably also thinks my background could be useful to her, so she wants to curry favor with me. That’s why she promised me the two jobs.”  

Li Chen nodded. Since his back was to her, Shen Yiyi couldn’t tell whether he believed her or not. But at least he didn’t press further.  

Shen Yiyi then asked: “Brother Chen, if we do get job positions, do you have any thoughts on it?”  

“You want me to work at the textile factory?” Li Chen immediately understood what she meant.  

Thinking he was unwilling to weave fabric, Shen Yiyi quickly explained: “You don’t have to work as a weaver. The textile factory has other jobs too, like mechanical repair or auxiliary work…”

Li Chen remained silent, but he also stopped scrubbing the shoes. Instead, he picked up the soap and began washing his hands.  

Seeing that he wasn’t responding, Shen Yiyi continued: “I just think this is much better than farming in the countryside. I don’t want you to work so hard.”  

Li Chen still didn’t say anything, focusing intently on washing his hands.  

Shen Yiyi didn’t notice anything unusual and went on: “Besides, working in the city would be much more convenient for what you want to do… Didn’t you say you didn’t want to be just a countryside man who only knows how to dig in the fields?”  

Li Chen dried his hands, then gripped her legs and adjusted her position on his back. Carrying her, he walked back toward the house while asking: “So, because I once said I didn’t want to be just a countryside man who only knows how to dig in the fields, you specifically went out of your way to find me a job?”  

Shen Yiyi answered matter-of-factly: “Of course. But actually, I wasn’t planning to look for a job at the textile factory. This opportunity just came to me. Originally, I was thinking of…” The transport team.  

Before she could finish, Li Chen had already carried her into the house. He patted her on the backside, cutting her off. “Wife, get down first.”  

?  

Shen Yiyi didn’t understand but obediently slid off his back. “What’s—”  

Before she could finish her sentence, a sudden wave of dizziness hit her. The next second, she fell into the blankets. The second after that, an overwhelming scent of his presence surrounded her. And in yet another second, his lips were already sealing hers.  

???  

Why was he suddenly so intense?  

After a long while, Li Chen rested his forehead against hers, breathing heavily. “Wife…”  

Shen Yiyi’s face was slightly flushed. She nestled obediently in his arms and playfully scolded: “Were you so moved that you lost control?”  

“Mm.” Li Chen’s voice was hoarse. “I never even dared to dream…”  

Shen Yiyi’s eyes became slightly misty, but she didn’t want to turn the mood sentimental. Cupping his face, she kissed him lightly and looked into his eyes. “Let the past stay in the past. From now on, let’s live a good life together, okay?”  

“Okay.” Li Chen tightened his arms around her.