Chapter 27

Mother Li was among them, holding and comforting Da Bao, who was crying and wanting to find his Mom, as well as Er Bao and Xiao Bao, who had just returned with firewood and had heard the news.  

Jiang Ailing noticed that Mother Li was not working, so she took the opportunity to slack off as well. With a sneering tone, she said: “Oh dear, how unlucky is Second Sister-in-law? She went up the mountain and ended up encountering a wild boar. With her small frame, how could she possibly withstand a wild boar’s attack?”  

Da Bao and Er Bao understood her words, and their tears flowed even more fiercely. Xiao Bao, not fully grasping the seriousness of the situation, saw his older brothers crying and began to cry as well.  

Mother Li tried to comfort one child but couldn’t calm the other, growing increasingly frustrated. She glared angrily at Jiang Ailing and snapped: “If you don’t speak, no one will think you’re mute! Now get back to work!”  

Jiang Ailing stomped off in frustration, muttering under her breath: “Shen Yiyi might as well be killed by the wild boar.”  

The village main gossiper, Wang Yan, had been watching the commotion. Seeing that the people involved still hadn’t come down the mountain and that his own work wasn’t finished, she decided to follow Jiang Ailing to the fields. Still intrigued, she couldn’t resist asking: “Tiezhu’s wife, why is your Mother-in-law so harsh with you?”  

“In her eyes, the second branch of the family is precious, while our third branch is nothing but weeds. How could she not be harsh with me?” Jiang Ailing scoffed. “Just look at Shen Yiyi—ever since she married into the Li family, when has she ever worked in the fields? But if I rest for just a moment, I get scolded.”  

Wang Yan sensed some gossip and eagerly continued the conversation. “I also noticed your Mom-in-law treats you quite harshly. But why do you say the second branch is precious?”  

Jiang Ailing, having finally found someone who agreed with her, began complaining incessantly.  

Not long after they left, Chen Qiang and a few others emerged, carrying a massive wild boar. Behind them, Li Chen carried Shen Yiyi on his back.  

The sight of such a huge wild boar astonished many people, and they rushed forward to help.  

Da Bao and the others were far more concerned about their Mom. When they saw her, they immediately burst into loud, uncontrollable sobs.

Shen Yiyi felt a little embarrassed. Because of the children’s crying, the crowd, which had initially been focused on the wild boar, shifted their attention to her instead.

Their expressions turned ambiguous, making Shen Yiyi, who was clinging closely to Li Chen, blush. She instinctively wanted to get down.  

Mother Li quickly stepped forward to stop her. “Yiyi, are you hurt? Ah, what are you getting down for? Don’t! Let Li Chen carry you.”  

“Mom, I’m fine. I was just frightened and my legs feel a little weak.” Shen Yiyi forced herself to lie, gritting her teeth.  

Mother Li also noticed the suggestive looks from the surrounding women and shot them a glare. “The one carrying you is your husband. What does it matter to them?”  

She then patted Li Chen’s firm arm. “Carry your wife properly.”  

Just as Li Chen was about to respond with an “Mm.” the Three Baos chimed in, their eyelashes still wet with tears, each solemnly instructing their Dad—  

Da Bao: “Dad, you have to carry Mom properly.”  

Er Bao: “Dad, I’ll carry Mom when I grow up, but I’m too small right now. You help me carry her for now.”  

Xiao Bao: “Dad, carry Mom~”  

Li Chen: “…Mm.”  

He adjusted the woman on his back, securing her more firmly.  

He was only worried that she might resist being carried. As for the gazes of others, he didn’t care in the slightest.  

Shen Yiyi: “…”  

The women: “…”  

Today, they had truly witnessed something—this second daughter-in-law of the Li family was indeed well-loved.  

They had always heard rumors that Li Chen was utterly devoted to his wife, almost obsessed, but many had found it hard to believe.  

Given Li Chen’s infamous past reputation, even now, he carried an air of hostility, cold and unapproachable.

For the villagers, trying to picture Li Chen acting tender and attentive in front of Shen Yiyi was truly a challenge to their imagination.  

But now, they had seen it with their own eyes.  

Though he wasn’t exactly fawning over her like a submissive servant, beneath his tough and rugged exterior, his indulgence and protectiveness toward her were unmistakable.  

And then there were the Three Baos—wasn’t it rumored that Li Chen’s wife didn’t care for his three sons?

Why, then, did the Three Baos cling to her with such reliance and affection?  

And what about Mother Li? She was known for being a fierce Mother-in-law, yet she treated Shen Yiyi so well.

She even allowed her son to carry his wife in front of everyone—wasn’t she worried that this would damage his image?

That he would be seen as weak or humiliated?  

The villagers were stunned. Shen Yiyi wasn’t even injured—she had only been frightened.

Why was everyone treating her so delicately and with such caution?  

There were women in the village who had given birth and gone back to work the very next day just to earn labor points, and even they weren’t this pampered.  

The women who were around Shen Yiyi’s age, already married with children, couldn’t help but compare their own chaotic, exhausting lives to hers. The difference was staggering.  

Shen Yiyi, who had initially wanted to get down from Li Chen’s back, no longer insisted.  

In this era, relationships between men and women were still quite strict. If an unmarried couple had behaved this intimately in public, there would have been endless gossip—possibly even serious consequences.  

But she and Li Chen were husband and wife. They had already had several children. At most, people might mutter something like: “Shameless.”  

But so what?  

Life wasn’t meant to be lived for others.

The village chief soon arrived upon hearing the news. When he saw the massive wild boar, he was visibly shocked. He offered a few words of comfort to Shen Yiyi and even praised her, saying she was impressive for managing to take down such a large wild boar.  

Village Chief Li Shan was already in his seventies and belonged to Li Chen’s grandfather’s generation. He was a highly respected elder of the Li family, though his small and thin frame, along with the sickly look on his face, made him seem frail.  

Shen Yiyi, in a soft and delicate voice, replied: “Village Chief, you flatter me. It was just luck. The wild boar crashed into a tree and fainted, and that’s how I managed to escape. My legs were so weak from fear that if Brother Chen and Comrade Qiang hadn’t come looking for me, I wouldn’t have known what to do once it woke up.”  

Then, she continued: “Village Chief, this wild boar is quite big, and Comrade Qiang and the others worked hard carrying it down the mountain. Why don’t we find a few people to butcher it? They could use the nourishment, and so could the rest of the villagers. Everyone’s been working hard on the autumn harvest lately—sharing the meat would give them more strength to keep going.”  

This was exactly what the village chief had been considering. Nowadays, everything in the mountains belonged to the collective. Smaller animals like wild chickens and rabbits could sometimes be overlooked, but a large animal like a wild boar definitely had to be turned in.  

Still, since Shen Yiyi had contributed the most to bringing it down, it was best if the suggestion came from her.  

“Alright.” the village chief nodded approvingly, his gaze toward Shen Yiyi carrying a hint of satisfaction.

He had always heard that Li Chen’s wife was a pampered city girl—spoiled, delicate, and ignorant of rural life. He had even worried she might do something foolish.  

But wasn’t she quite sensible?  

Seeing that she was still shaken and noticing the Three Baos with tears still clinging to their lashes, the village chief thought for a moment before turning to Li Chen. “Ah Chen, you don’t need to go to work today. Take your wife home and take good care of her. Don’t let her get too frightened.”  

Li Chen nodded. That was exactly what he had intended to do. “Thank you, Village Chief.”  

With that settled, the village chief instructed Chen Qiang and another villager to carry the boar to the market and arranged for a butcher to slaughter it. Then, he went to inform the brigade leader about the situation.  

The brigade leader quickly reorganized the villagers’ tasks. Although some were initially unhappy about the adjustments, once they heard there would be meat to eat tonight, they all picked up their pace, working much more efficiently.