Chapter 3

Shen Yiyi lifted the lid of the large water vat. The water inside had been carried back by Li Chen, and there was still a little less than half a vat remaining.  

Since the children had just returned from the fields, they were covered in dirt. 

Shen Yiyi washed their hands for them.  

Er Bao said: ”Mom, scoop me some more water.”

Thinking that his hands were not clean yet, Shen Yiyi scooped some water, ready to pour it over his hands.  

Er Bao quickly cupped his hands together. “Mom, I want to drink it.”  

As he was about to lower his head to drink, Shen Yiyi reacted quickly and took the water away. “This is well water, freshly drawn. It’s raw and hasn’t been boiled yet. You can’t drink it.”  

“It’s fine!” Er Bao insisted, reaching out again to take the water.  

“No, you still can’t.” 

Shen Yiyi began to coax him. “This kind of water has a lot of bacteria. If you drink it, worms will grow inside your stomach!”  

“Are they loaches?” Xiao Bao asked seriously, his face full of curiosity.  

Roundworms did indeed resemble loaches.  

Sensing an opportunity to persuade them, Shen Yiyi quickly said: “Something like that, but not exactly. They’re called roundworms.”  

“That’s great!” Xiao Bao clapped his hands excitedly. “Tiezhu said he once passed a long roundworm, and they even roasted it to eat! Second Brother, hurry up and drink the water—then we’ll have meat to eat!”  

Shen Yiyi: “…” 

Children truly spoke without a filter.  

Shen Yiyi felt a little nauseous. “Don’t. Roundworms aren’t edible. Think about it—if there were worms crawling around inside your stomach, they’d eat all the food you eat. And when there’s nothing left for them to eat, they might just eat your stomach empty…”  

Fearing that the children might actually think of roundworms as food, Shen Yiyi described the scene in vivid detail.  

As expected, the Three Baos immediately grew fearful upon hearing this. 

Xiao Bao started crying on the spot and clung to his second brother. “Second Brother, I don’t want to eat meat anymore. Don’t let there be worms in your stomach…”  

Da Bao, looking mature beyond his years, said solemnly: “Er Bao, you have to listen to Mom.”  

Er Bao, now visibly frightened, said: “I won’t drink it. I’ll never drink it again.”  

Only then was Shen Yiyi satisfied. She found a bucket and filled it to the brim. “Wait here. Mom will boil the water for you to drink. I’ll boil extra so you can also take a bath.”

The children were filthy, and their clothes reeked of sweat. It was unclear how many days had passed since they were last washed.  

Shen Yiyi quickly fetched some water and carried it toward the kitchen.  

Er Bao originally wanted to suggest that they could bathe in cold water, but Da Bao pulled him aside and whispered in his ear: “Drinking cold water is bad for you, so bathing in cold water must be bad too. Just listen to Mom.”  

Hearing this, Er Bao dropped the idea.  

“Stay here and watch Xiao Bao. I’m going to help Mom.” Da Bao said before running off toward the kitchen.  

As soon as Xiao Bao heard this, he called out: “Second Brother, I want to help Mom in the kitchen too!”  

Er Bao immediately grabbed Xiao Bao’s hand. “Let’s go, we’ll all help Mom in the kitchen!”  

Just as Shen Yiyi poured the water into the pot, Da Bao ran inside.  

“Mom. I’ll start the fire for you.”  

Shen Yiyi tried to stop him. “No need. Da Bao—”  

Before she could finish her sentence, Xiao Bao’s childish voice rang out as well. “Mom, I want to help too!”  

Shen Yiyi turned around and saw Er Bao and Xiao Bao standing at the doorway. 

The two little ones, looking identical with their big, round, grape-like black eyes, gazed at her expectantly, their expressions utterly adorable.  

“Starting a fire is dangerous. Children mustn’t play with fire.Er Bao, take your little brother outside. Da Bao, you should go play too. Mom can handle this alone.”  

Da Bao let Er Bao take Xiao Bao outside to play, but he himself refused to leave. He insisted on lighting the fire, his expression serious. “When Dad cooks, I always start the fire for him. I’m really good at it.”  

Shen Yiyi, who had been about to coax him out, was momentarily speechless. She patted Da Bao’s head and said: “Our Da Bao is such a good boy.”

Da Bao smiled shyly.  

While he boiled the water, Shen Yiyi began tidying up the kitchen.  

There was little firewood left, and the place was a mess. She only managed to clean up a small portion before the water came to a boil. 

Then, she scooped some out for the children to drink before preparing their bath.  

Da Bao and Er Bao were already older and refused to let her bathe them, so Shen Yiyi focused on washing Xiao Bao instead.  

Since the children were covered in layers of grime, she even took out a bar of soap from her personal stash.  

Now that they had separated from the main family and had their own courtyard, Shen Yiyi wasn’t afraid of being discovered.  

The children were curious about where the soap had come from, but she brushed off their questions with excuses.  

———

After their bath, it was time to change clothes. Shen Yiyi had decent looks herself, and Li Chen was one of the rare men who were both rugged and handsome. 

Their children had inherited the best of both parents. 

Though they were thin and frail, they were undeniably cute and good-looking.  

Seeing the Three Baos so clean for the first time, Shen Yiyi suddenly felt a pang of sadness.  

She had always taken a hands-off approach, leaving the children entirely in Li Chen’s care. 

However, Li Chen was a rough man who barely took care of himself, let alone the children. 

As long as they were alive, that was good enough for him.  

As a result, despite their naturally handsome and adorable features, the Three Baos had always been dirty and unkempt, ridiculed by other children countless times.  

Shen Yiyi silently vowed to keep them clean and presentable from now on—turning them into a sight to behold!  

Having never been this clean before, the children walked carefully, afraid of getting dirty again.  

By the time she finished bathing them, it was nearly noon. 

Shen Yiyi figured the children must be hungry, and Li Chen, who had gone to work, would likely be back soon. She decided to start cooking.  

However, when she lifted the lid of the grain vat, she was met with a depressing sight.  

There was only about one bowl of old rice left, roughly five pounds of sorghum, and a few scattered sweet potatoes and potatoes on the ground. The oil supply was running low, and the only seasoning available was salt.  

Shen Yiyi: “…”

The book did mention that before the Main Villain became successful, life had been miserable—barely managing to feed three children, with no certainty of the next meal.  

But reading about it was one thing; witnessing it firsthand was entirely different.  

Shen Yiyi let out a sigh.  

She discreetly took out twenty pounds of white rice and twenty pounds of flour from her storage space, placing them into the grain vat. 

She also retrieved thirty eggs, some dried kelp, five pounds of cured meat, additional oil and salt—pouring them into the respective containers—along with soy sauce, ginger, and garlic.  

Since she had always cooked separately, apart from the rations provided by Li Chen, her maternal family also sent her 15 yuan every month. Because of this, her life had been fairly comfortable.  

Having these supplies wasn’t strange, so she wasn’t worried about Li Chen becoming suspicious.  

However, other items wouldn’t be as easy to explain, so she decided to wait for a better opportunity.  

There were five people in the household—two adults, two six-year-old children, and one two-year-old. Shen Yiyi tried to estimate their appetites but couldn’t figure it out exactly, so she simply decided to cook three and a half pounds of premium white rice and set it to steam.  

The supplies from her space were of exceptional quality. Even before cooking, the rice was crystal-clear with a beautiful sheen. As soon as it started steaming, a rich and enticing fragrance filled the air.  

The aroma quickly lured the Three Baos over. They clung to the doorframe, their big, eager eyes fixed on her.  

“Are you hungry?” Shen Yiyi asked with a gentle smile. She searched her storage but didn’t find any ready-made buns or similar items. Instead, she said: “Babies, can you wait a little longer? Mom will cook some dishes soon, and then we can all eat together.”  

Unexpectedly, the Three Baos widened their eyes in shock.  

“Mom made food for us too?” They asked in disbelief.  

“Yes.” Shen Yiyi’s voice grew even softer. “And also for your Dad—I’ve prepared everything.”  

The Three Baos were stunned with joy. Da Bao, too excited to contain himself, rushed inside.  

“Mom, I’ll start the fire for you!”  

“Mom, I want to start the fire too!”  

“Mom, I want to start the fire as well!”  

Er Bao and Xiao Bao eagerly chimed in, each scrambling to help.