Chapter 46

Shen Yiyi turned her head and saw Li Chen walking toward her.  

He was wearing a white tank top, revealing his muscular arms, broad back, and bronzed skin. His sharp and well-defined facial features, along with his short, slightly damp hair, indicated that he had just washed his face. A simple towel hung around his neck in a down-to-earth manner. But—  

He looked incredibly handsome!  

Especially with his tall, well-built frame, his strides long and steady, exuding a powerful presence.  

Thinking that this was her man, Shen Yiyi couldn’t stop the grin that stretched all the way to her ears. She called out excitedly: “Brother Chen!”  

She walked toward him, carrying her things. “Why did you come over?”  

Li Chen stopped in front of her and naturally took the cotton from her hands. With his other hand, he reached for the straps of the basket on her back, his voice calm and unreadable. “I figured you’d be back soon, so I came to help you carry your things.”  

Shen Yiyi let the basket slide off her shoulders. Li Chen took it and said: “Wife, let’s go home.”  

Shen Yiyi was about to agree when she suddenly froze.  

What did he just call her?!  

Wife?!!  

Ever since she was reborn into this life ten days ago, he had never called her that. Even the last time, when she encountered a wild boar and he came looking for her, he had only called her by name!  

In their previous life, the only time he had ever called her “wife” was when they were in bed, caught in an intense moment. But back then, she had been following the script, filled with resentment, and had snapped at him: “Don’t call me that. It’s disgusting!”  

That was the night she conceived Xiao Bao. She hadn’t paid attention to his expression at the time, but from that moment on, he never called her “wife” again.  

So why was he calling her that now?  

Shen Yiyi looked up at Li Chen, meeting his deep, dark eyes. They were like whirlpools, unfathomable, swirling with complex emotions.  

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Lin Jiadong standing behind them. A realization struck her—  

Li Chen was jealous!  

Seeing that she hadn’t responded for a while, Li Chen’s gaze darkened even more. He shot a cold glance at Lin Jiadong before shifting the basket to one shoulder. Then, with his now free hand, he firmly grabbed Shen Yiyi’s arm, his tone leaving no room for refusal.  

“Wife?”  

“Going home, going home!” Shen Yiyi grinned and wrapped her arms around his, acting intimately as she nudged him in the direction of their home.  

Li Chen’s brows relaxed slightly, and he walked forward in sync with her push.

As Shen Yiyi walked, she “complained.” “Brother Chen, do you know? I was almost knocked over just now! And the person who nearly ran into me even questioned why I just stood there watching him fall. Emmm, he’s such a big man, and I’m just a small woman—was I supposed to stand still and be his cushion?”  

She quickly clarified: “Besides, I’m already married and have a child. Of course, I have to keep my distance from other men! Does he not understand that? And it’s not like we’re even close—what right does he have to expect me to break his fall? Brother Chen, don’t you think so?”  

Lin Jiadong who was behind them: “……”

Li Chen didn’t show whether he believed her or not. He simply responded with a neutral “Mm.”  

Shen Yiyi wasn’t discouraged and continued: “Brother Chen, I bought meat buns again this time. We don’t need to cook lunch today. Oh, and also, I got braised pork!”  

Speaking of braised pork, she looked particularly proud. “It was the last portion from the state-run restaurant today, and I managed to grab it!”  

As she spoke, Li Chen listened attentively, without any sign of impatience.  

When they arrived home, the Three Baos were still at the old house next door. Li Chen put down the things and took the initiative to call them back.  

Meanwhile, Shen Yiyi took two meat buns from the basket and handed them to him. “Take these to Father Li and Mother Li.” she instructed. “I’ll make some malted milk at home, so bring the Three Baos back as soon as possible.”  

“Alright.” Li Chen nodded, took the buns, and walked out.  

The meat buns were still slightly warm, but the braised pork had cooled down a bit.  

Braised pork tasted best when hot—it wouldn’t be as greasy that way. So, Shen Yiyi placed it in the steamer to heat it up.  

She then took out five bowls, rinsed them with clean water, and prepared the malted milk.  

It wasn’t difficult. Every morning before making breakfast, she would boil a pot of water and store it in a thermos. Now, she just had to pour some out and mix it.  

Just as she finished stirring, excited voices of Er Bao and Xiao Bao rang out from afar—  

“Mom!”  

“Mom!”  

Shen Yiyi looked up and saw them running back with excitement, followed closely by Li Chen and Da Bao.  

“Slow down, be careful not to—” fall.  

Before she could finish, a soft, childish voice let out a startled cry—  

“Ah!”  

Xiao Bao, who had been eating well and growing rounder lately, tripped over his own feet and fell.  

Shen Yiyi’s heart tightened—she hoped he wasn’t hurt!

In the next second, Xiao Bao lifted his little head, his chubby face breaking into a wide grin. “Hee hee~”  

Shen Yiyi: “…”  

Behind him, Li Chen walked up, grabbed Xiao Bao by the back of his collar, and lifted him up with one hand. After checking him over and finding no injuries, he casually patted the dust off his clothes before putting him down again. Xiao Bao immediately scurried off inside.  

His two older brothers followed right behind him, pressing themselves against the edge of the table, their eyes locked onto the braised pork, drooling. “Meat~”  

Shen Yiyi picked up a piece and popped it into Xiao Bao’s mouth. He ate it eagerly, his lips smeared with oil. “So yummy~”  

“Mom, I want some too~” Er Bao leaned in.  

Shen Yiyi fed both Da Bao and Er Bao a piece of braised pork before sending them off to wash their hands and eat their buns.  

The Three Baos ran off excitedly.  

Li Chen noticed some water on the table and wiped it up with a cloth.  

Shen Yiyi glanced at him, then picked up a piece of braised pork with her chopsticks and held it up to his lips.  

Li Chen paused when the piece of meat suddenly appeared in front of him. He lifted his gaze to meet hers.  

“Taste it.” Shen Yiyi said with a smile, her actions natural and affectionate, as if feeding him like this was part of their daily routine.  

Li Chen opened his mouth and took the piece of braised pork. The corners of his lips curled into a faint smile. “It’s delicious.”  

Throughout the meal, Shen Yiyi found every opportunity to coax Li Chen. And no matter what she did, Li Chen went along with it, giving her no reason to be discouraged.  

After finishing their buns, he automatically started clearing the table. Meanwhile, Shen Yiyi took his water bottle and filled it for him.  

Once he finished cleaning up, it was almost time for him to head to work. Shen Yiyi handed him the water bottle and watched as his figure gradually disappeared into the distance. She let out a small, frustrated sigh.  

Even though Li Chen seemed the same as usual, Shen Yiyi could keenly sense that his mood was far from good.  

And the reason for his bad mood was obvious—Lin Jiadong.  

Even though she had just explained everything to him, Li Chen clearly didn’t fully believe her.  

Honestly, if she weren’t a fast-travel worker and was just an ordinary person, she wouldn’t believe it either.

How could someone who had once loved another, treated him coldly, and even insisted on divorce suddenly, out of nowhere, declare: “The one I truly love is you, and I want to live a good life with you from now on”?  

Anyone would assume either they had an ulterior motive or there was something wrong with their head.  

But if he didn’t believe her now, she could slowly prove it to him over time.

He was jealous. If he had shown it outright, she could have found a way to coax him.

But he was the type to keep it all bottled up, not showing the slightest hint of his emotions, swallowing all his negative feelings by himself. That left her completely at a loss—how was she supposed to coax him when she didn’t even know how to start?

Shen Yiyi felt both helpless and conflicted. When she had first met Li Chen, he had been known as the “tyrant” of Qingshui Village.

It was love at first sight for him, and he had pursued her aggressively. Every day, he would block her at the Educated Youth station to bring her food and help her with chores. If anyone so much as tried to bully her, he would personally ensure that person got beaten up.

His straightforwardness had been so overwhelming that, back then—when she was still following the scripted plot—she had found it difficult to handle. She had constantly worried that if she misstepped even once, she would derail the entire storyline.

Who would have thought that after marriage, he would become so restrained and cautious?

Of course, Shen Yiyi could guess the reason. It was because he loved her. He was afraid. Afraid that if he made a fuss, she would become angry, grow resentful, and then return to the way she was before—fighting with him over divorce.

Her heart ached for him, and at the same time, she deeply regretted everything.

As her thoughts swirled into a mess, she suddenly came to a decision.

---

The scorching sun beat down mercilessly. The vast fields of rice swayed under its relentless heat. The hardworking farmers, their skin darkened and reddened by the sun, wiped the sweat off their faces with the towels draped over their shoulders before bending down once more to continue their labor.

Chen Qiang, parched to the point where his throat felt like it was burning, paused his work and walked over to the field ridge, grabbing his water bottle. He took a few deep gulps of the scalding water, then tossed the bottle back down.

Grabbing another water bottle beside him, he casually threw it forward. “Brother Chen, catch!”

Li Chen reached out and caught the bottle mid-air. He took a few swigs before tossing it back to Chen Qiang, who caught it and dropped it onto the ridge before returning to work in the fields.

As he walked back, he muttered curiously: “Brother Chen, Shen Yi—uh, Sister-in-law!”

Noticing the chilly look Li Chen shot his way, Chen Qiang swiftly changed his words. “Sister-in-law didn’t bring you mung bean porridge today?”

“You sure have the time to worry about other people’s business. Want me to hand over my work to you too?” Li Chen glanced at him.

Chen Qiang immediately shut his mouth and scurried back to his tasks.

Li Chen turned his gaze toward the main road but didn’t see the figure he had been anticipating.

Then, he looked up at the sun. Based on the pattern of the past few days, she should have arrived with the porridge by now. But today, there was still no sign of her. Was she delayed by something?

Or…

A thought crossed his mind, and his heart sank.

His expression darkened, the coldness in his eyes deepening.