Chapter 19

Today, Dahua stayed at home to cook. Naturally, breakfast was also prepared by her since she was the first to wake up.

However, she was not as sharp as Jiang Ailing and did not think to set aside a portion for herself. By the time she went to eat, only a bowl of sweet potato porridge water remained, without any sweet potatoes or rice.  

After finishing her meal, she busied herself with cleaning the house, washing dishes, fetching water, and tending to the small plot of land. That bowl of porridge water had long been digested.  

“I plan to make noodles for the Three Baos. Come and have some.” Shen Yiyi said.  

“No need.” Dahua quickly replied, but Shen Yiyi had already turned and walked away, not giving her a chance to refuse.  

Dahua had no choice but to follow her.  

When they returned home, Shen Yiyi woke up the Three Baos and asked Da Bao and Er Bao to help their younger brother wash up and get dressed.

Meanwhile, she had Dahua help with stoking the fire. She took the dough that had been prepared in the morning and cooked it, adding eggs and preserved meat. The sight of it made Dahua’s mouth water.  

Once the noodles were cooked, she divided them into four portions and carried them to the main hall with Dahua, placing them on the table. The Three Baos, fully dressed, eagerly ran over.  

Da Bao and Er Bao had already started eating. Shen Yiyi picked up Xiao Bao and sat him on a stool. He had just woken up and was still a little dazed.  

Dahua stood to the side, clearly feeling uneasy.  

“Dahua.” Shen Yiyi called her and gestured toward the remaining bowl. “Eat up.”  

“This… is really for me?” Dahua swallowed hard, still unable to believe it. “But what about you, Second Sister-in-law? What will you eat?”  

“Your Second Brother and I already ate in the morning. This bowl is for you. Go ahead and eat.”  

Da Bao also chimed in to persuade his eldest cousin. Only then did Dahua sit down, though she still appeared uneasy.  

Shen Yiyi paid her no mind. Such a personality had developed over a long time, and it was not something that could be changed with just a few words. The best way to help her relax was to simply not acknowledge it.  

After they finished eating, Shen Yiyi told the Three Baos that she needed to go to the county. Upon hearing this, they all insisted on going with her, and she had to coax them for a long time.

In the end, it was Da Bao who took charge, telling Er Bao and Xiao Bao not to make a fuss and to listen to their Mom. Only then did they finally settle down.  

Xiao Bao, however, still looked listless. He clung to his Mom, unwilling to let go. It wasn’t until Shen Yiyi handed each of them two pieces of White Rabbit Creamy Candy that he reluctantly said: “Then, Mom, you have to come back early, okay?”  

“I’ll be back by noon and bring something delicious for the Three Baos.” Shen Yiyi coaxed.  

In the past, when she had traveled through different worlds, she had seen mothers treat their children like the most precious treasures, afraid they would fall if held too tightly, or melt if placed in their mouths. Some mothers would even wish they could pluck the moon from the sky for their children.  

Back then, she couldn’t understand it and thought such behavior was spoiling the children. But now that she had children of her own, she truly wished she could give them all the best things in the world.  

Of course, it was also because they were such well-behaved children.  

Dahua was completely stunned by what she saw. Was this really the Second Aunt-in-law she knew?  

Before leaving, Shen Yiyi reminded Da Bao and Er Bao to drink plenty of water.  

Since Xiao Bao was still young, Shen Yiyi entrusted Dahua with the task of keeping an eye on him. She handed her two pieces of White Rabbit Creamy Candy before hurriedly setting off.  

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Qingshui Brigade wasn’t too far from the county town, but it was still a good six or seven li away. If one walked at a slower pace, it would take forty to fifty minutes; at a faster pace, at least half an hour.  

Usually, the village had an ox cart that made trips to the county twice a day. However, since it was harvest season, few people were going to town, and the ox carts were busy transporting grain. As a result, there was no cart available that day.  

Fortunately, Shen Yiyi was in luck. Grandpa Niu, who drove the ox cart, happened to be delivering several sacks of corn to the county leadership on behalf of the team. When he saw Shen Yiyi, he offered her a ride.

It took about twenty minutes to reach the county. After getting off the cart, Shen Yiyi handed Grandpa Niu five cents, the usual fare for taking the ox cart.  

Grandpa Niu gladly accepted it.  

Shen Yiyi first went to the post office. The main purpose of her trip was to collect the package her family had sent. As for buying things, she already had everything she needed in her personal space.  

Of course, even if she had supplies in her space, she still had to make a trip to the county to make things look legitimate.  

Her family had sent her a letter, ten yuan, some ration tickets, and a package.  

Inside the package were a sweater, a pair of cotton pants, and two pairs of socks. The sweater was hand-knitted by her Mom, while the cotton pants and socks were store-bought—both the latest styles.  

The letter was also from her Mom, filled with chatter about daily life, reassuring her that everything at home was fine and reminding her to take good care of herself in the countryside. Blah blah blah. Toward the end, her Mom, in an apologetic tone, mentioned that they only had ten yuan to send this month and subtly suggested that she should be more frugal with her spending.  

Reading this made Shen Yiyi feel a little heartbroken.  

If she were still bound by the original storyline, she would have been furious at this moment, immediately writing back to scold her Mom for being stingy.  

After all, in the original plot, her character was a spoiled princess, doted on by her family.  

Her Dad was the director of a machinery factory, earning over sixty yuan a month. Her Mom was a director at the street office, bringing in more than thirty yuan per month. Her brother was in the military and sent home more than twenty yuan every month.  

Altogether, their household income exceeded one hundred yuan per month. Even if they sent her fifteen yuan, she would still complain it was too little. Ten yuan? That was completely unacceptable.

In her past life, that was exactly what she did—she threw such a fit that she ended up angering her Dad to the point where he was hospitalized.  

In reality, her family’s financial situation had long since deteriorated.  

After she was sent to the countryside, her Dad suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and was hospitalized. From that point on, he experienced speech impairment, limb coordination issues, and hearing loss, which forced him to retire from his position.  

Meanwhile, her Mom, who had to take care of her Dad, frequently arrived late to work, left early, and handled personal matters during office hours. This led to a major mistake at work, which ultimately cost her her job.  

For years, the only source of income in the family was the salary that her eldest brother sent from the military. Upon learning of the family’s situation, he lived frugally and could only afford to send thirty yuan per month as a stipend.  

The family had some savings, but her Dad needed expensive medication every month, and her younger brother was still in school. These expenses continuously drained their funds.  

Yet, despite all these hardships, her parents had never once told her about their struggles. Instead, they still worried that she was suffering in the countryside, doing their best to save and send her fifteen yuan each month, along with food and clothing.  

Now that the amount had dropped from fifteen yuan to ten, it meant their situation had reached a critical point.  

In her past life, bound by the storyline, she had been unable to help them in any way.  

But this life was different. Though she couldn’t go back and support them just yet, at the very least, she wouldn’t burden them anymore.  

So, Shen Yiyi didn’t take the ten yuan. Instead, she sent it back home. She also took out forty yuan from the fifty yuan Li Chen had given her and included it in the envelope.

Then, she wrote a letter to her Mom, assuring her that she was doing well and that there was no need to worry.  

She also told them that she had gotten married and now had three sons. In the letter, she apologized for keeping it a secret all this time.  

In the original storyline, she had never told her parents about her marriage to Li Chen or about having children. This wasn’t just because she didn’t like Li Chen and was still fantasizing about being with Lin Jiadong, but also because she was afraid that once her parents knew she was married, they would stop sending her money.