Chapter 49

Shen Yiyi entered the house, changed into a different set of clothes, and when she came out again, she was carrying a package in her hand. She first handed three yuan to Mother Li.  

Mother Li had gone to exchange something for the cotton. She must have given something in return, and Shen Yiyi could not let her suffer a loss.  

In reality, Mother Li had secretly bought the cotton with her own money. Since Shen Yiyi was offering her money, she had no intention of refusing, but three yuan was too much. She took out thirty cents and returned it to Shen Yiyi. “This is too much!”  

Shen Yiyi did not take it back. Instead, she handed the package in her hand to Mother Li. “Mom, this is some yarn I bought before. I got too much, so take it and knit something for yourself and Dad.”  

Mother Li was caught off guard by the generosity. “This… I can’t accept it. You should keep it for Li Chen and the Three Baos…”  

Shen Yiyi directly stuffed it into her hands. “Take it. I heard this winter will be colder than usual. You and Dad are getting older, so you need to dress warmly.”  

Unable to refuse, Mother Li accepted it, her smile almost reaching her ears.  

Xiao Bao came over, stretching his arms towards his Mom, asking for a hug. Shen Yiyi bent down and picked him up.  

Hugging his Mom’s neck, Xiao Bao suddenly pointed at her neck and said: “Mom, pain pain!”  

Hearing this, Da Bao and Er Bao became worried and rushed over to check. They exclaimed: “Mom, did a mosquito bite you?”  

“What mosquito?” Mother Li frowned upon hearing that. Although mosquitoes were common in the countryside, the weather was gradually getting colder, and they had not seen many mosquitoes lately. She leaned in to take a closer look.  

When Shen Yiyi had changed clothes earlier, she had already noticed a hickey on her neck from Li Chen. That was why she had deliberately chosen a high-collared shirt. However, Xiao Bao had pulled it down, exposing the mark. She quickly reached out to cover it.  

But she was not fast enough, and Mother Li saw it clearly.  

Mother Li chuckled: “Oh my, that’s no mosquito bite. That’s from your husband’s…”—kiss.  

“Mom!” No matter how thick-skinned Shen Yiyi was, she could not withstand such teasing. She quickly interrupted Mother Li.  

Realizing that this was inappropriate to say in front of the children, Mother Li immediately stopped talking but still gave Shen Yiyi a playful, knowing smile.  

Shen Yiyi: “……”

Mother Li’s words, however, were overheard by Da Bao and Er Bao. Though they missed the latter part, they mistakenly thought she meant their Dad had hit their Mom. They immediately panicked. “Mom, did Dad hit you?”  

“No.” Shen Yiyi denied at once. “Your Dad didn’t hit me!”  

“Then how did you get hurt?” Da Bao and Er Bao remained unconvinced.  

“…” Shen Yiyi had no idea how to explain and turned to look at Mother Li.  

You started this mess—now clean it up!  

Mother Li gave an awkward smile, smacked her forehead, and said: “Oh dear, look at me! Your Dad and the others will be home from work soon, and I haven’t even started cooking! I need to head back and make dinner!”  

With that, she bolted out of the house.  

Shen Yiyi: “……”  

Da Bao and Er Bao, however, were now convinced they had guessed correctly. Their Dad must have bullied their Mom, even driving her to sleep next door!  

Er Bao’s eyes welled up with tears. “Mom, don’t worry! Big Brother and I won’t let Dad bully you! When he comes back, we’ll get revenge for you!”  

Shen Yiyi was both embarrassed and amused. What a little drama king!  

She decided not to say anything further and simply let Li Chen deal with it himself—after all, it was his fault!  

She still held onto a tiny hope that by the time Li Chen returned, the Three Baos would have forgotten about the matter.  

But Shen Yiyi had underestimated them. Not only did they not forget, but they kept thinking about it, unable to even focus on their picture books. They dragged a small stool to the doorway and sat there, waiting to settle the score with their Dad.  

Feeling inexplicably guilty, Shen Yiyi slipped into the kitchen to cook.  

When Li Chen returned from work, he was immediately blocked at the entrance.  

Er Bao demanded: “Dad, why did you bully Mom?”  

Da Bao, who was helping Shen Yiyi tend the fire in the kitchen, also poked his head out, glaring at their Dad with an angry expression.

Li Chen looked completely baffled. “When did I ever bully your Mom?”  

“You’re still trying to deny it?” Er Bao was so anxious that he jumped up. “Do you dare say the mark on Mom’s neck wasn’t your doing?”  

“Your Mom has an injury?” Li Chen’s expression changed instantly. Just as he was about to go inside to check, Xiao Bao’s soft voice piped up: “Yes! It’s all red!”  

Li Chen’s steps halted. He suddenly recalled something, and an unnatural look flickered across his face.  

To Er Bao, this reaction was as good as a confession. His anger flared. “Dad, you bullied Mom! You’re a bad person!”  

With that, he marched forward and began hitting his Dad.  

Xiao Bao also ran over, mimicking his second brother’s movements.  

Li Chen might act meek in front of Shen Yiyi, but in front of his sons, he still held authority. He easily lifted them up, one in each hand. “Getting bold now, huh? You dare hit your Dad?”  

Er Bao flailed and screamed, but he couldn’t so much as ruffle a hair on his Dad’s head.  

In the kitchen, Da Bao saw that both his younger brothers had been subdued. Without hesitation, he dashed out, his little face filled with righteous fury. For the first time ever, he was angry at his Dad. “Dad, how could you bully Mom?”  

As Da Bao stormed out, Shen Yiyi tried to grab him, but she missed.  

She didn’t dare chase after him either. Instead, she shrank back into the kitchen like a quail, her face flushed as she struggled to hold back her laughter.  

Li Chen had hurried home right after work, eager to see his beloved wife, only to be ambushed at the doorstep by his three unfilial sons. He was both amused and exasperated. “I did not bully your Mom!”  

“Then why does Mom have an injury?”  

“That’s not an injury!”  

“Then what is it?”  

“Why do kids like you need to know so much? Move aside!”  

“So you did bully Mom!” Er Bao refused to let it go. “Unless you tell us why Mom has that mark!”  

Li Chen was so frustrated he nearly coughed up blood. “That’s because I…” sucked on it…  

In the kitchen, Shen Yiyi had been eavesdropping on their conversation outside. Her mind nearly exploded when she realized what Li Chen was about to say. Fearing that he might blurt out something inappropriate for the children, she quickly rushed out to stop him. “Brother Chen!”  

Li Chen immediately shut his mouth and met her gaze from a distance.  

The events of the previous night replayed in Shen Yiyi’s mind like a movie, causing her face to heat up instantly.

She shot him an annoyed glare before spending quite some effort reassuring the Three Baos that their Dad had not bullied her.

Only then were they finally pacified.  

Since lunch was still unfinished, Shen Yiyi returned to the kitchen.  

Da Bao followed behind her to continue tending the fire.  

Li Chen entered shortly after, sending Da Bao off to play and taking over the task of stoking the fire himself.  

At first, Shen Yiyi tried to maintain a composed demeanor, but under his burning gaze, her face gradually grew hot.

Unable to stand it any longer, she turned to glare at him. “What are you looking at?”  

“You.” Li Chen replied.  

Shen Yiyi: “……”

This man…

After last night, he’s starting to act completely unrestrained!  

Deciding to ignore him, she focused on cooking instead.  

For lunch, she was making stir-fried shredded potatoes with pork. First, she stir-fried the pork until it was about seventy percent cooked, then added the potatoes, giving them a quick toss before covering the pan with a lid to let them simmer.  

As she waited, she couldn’t help but press on a sore spot at her waist.  

The next second, a pair of large hands covered hers, replacing her touch with a gentle massage. A deep voice murmured beside her: “Still sore?”  

Shen Yiyi quickly dropped her hand and let out a displeased huff. “Whose fault do you think it is?”  

“My fault.” Li Chen admitted without hesitation.

Then, he took a step closer, his dark eyes locking onto hers. In a low voice, he asked: “You said you’d live a good life with me from now on, didn’t you?”  

“After what happened last night…” Shen Yiyi glared at him, her cheeks flushed with a mix of annoyance and shyness. “You still don’t believe me?”  

After a brief hesitation, she finally gave him a firm answer. “Yes.”  

The corners of Li Chen’s lips curved into a smile. His deep, affectionate eyes instantly brightened, gleaming like scattered stardust, as if the night sky had been filled with dazzling stars.  

Shen Yiyi was also touched by his joy, but before she could fully immerse herself in the moment, the unmistakable smell of burning food filled the air.

Snapping back to reality, she quickly lifted the lid and stirred the contents of the pan. Fortunately, it wasn’t too burnt.  

She turned to glare at the culprit, her tone exasperated. “Watch the fire!”  

Li Chen obediently sat back down.