Chapter 61

After returning home, Shen Yiyi went to the old house to pick up Xiao Bao. She saw He Zhaodi playing with Xiao Bao, and when He Zhaodi noticed her, she greeted her with a smile.  

Since one should not reject kindness offered with a smile, Shen Yiyi responded politely with a gesture of acknowledgment.  

After bringing Xiao Bao back, the family had meat buns for lunch and did not prepare anything else.  

When Shen Yiyi woke up from her afternoon nap, she started making jerky from the fifteen pounds of lean meat.  

Li Chen helped her, while the Three Baos sat in the courtyard looking at picture books. Wangcai also ran over to join them.  

As Shen Yiyi busied herself, she shared her plans with Li Chen. When she mentioned making dried small fish, Li Chen said,  

“Small fish? There are plenty at the river mouth a few hundred meters upstream from the village entrance. With a net, you can catch a whole bucketful. If you want, I can set up a net later, and we’ll have them by tonight.”  

Shen Yiyi’s eyes lit up. “Really? If it’s that easy, why doesn’t anyone catch them?”  

“Small fish have little meat and a lot of bones, and they have a strong fishy smell. Many people don’t like them.” Li Chen explained.  

Shen Yiyi understood. In these times, people generally ate food with little oil and salt, and without seasonings, the fishy smell of small fish couldn’t be masked. It was understandable that people avoided them.  

She then said: “Then go and catch some. I’ll make dried small fish—they taste really good!”  

Li Chen agreed without hesitation.  

That afternoon, he went to cast the net. After dinner, he went to retrieve it… Chen Qiang went with him. When they reached the village entrance, the two split up—Chen Qiang went to collect the net on his behalf, while Li Chen carried a small box containing a wristwatch and headed in another direction.  

Four hours later, Li Chen returned. Chen Qiang was waiting for him at the village entrance, with two buckets full of small fish at his feet. As soon as he saw Li Chen, Chen Qiang hurried toward him.  

“Brother, did it work?”

Li Chen’s lips curled into a slight smile, and he nodded. “It worked! The profit is 40 yuan per piece.”  

“What!” Chen Qiang was overjoyed. “Brother, did I hear that right? 40 yuan?”  

Li Chen nodded again, then picked up the two buckets of small fish from the ground. “I’m heading back now. You go find Old Zhou and deliver the goods tonight while it’s still dark. I’ve already explained everything to him, just make sure to put on some disguise.”  

“Got it!” Chen Qiang nodded eagerly, grabbed his flashlight, and rushed to the county town overnight to make the delivery with Zhou Fengshou.  

Meanwhile, Li Chen carried the two buckets of small fish back home.  

The Three Baos had already gone to sleep, and the lights in the other rooms were out. However… the small house still had its lights on.  

Seeing the faint glow seeping out, warmth filled Li Chen’s heart. He recalled the words she had spoken to him on the bicycle that afternoon, and a gentle heat spread through his chest.  

Inside, Shen Yiyi, who had been knitting a sweater, yawned and glanced at the time. She couldn’t help but feel a little worried. Why was he still not back? Could something have happened?  

She suddenly remembered stories of fishermen who had accidentally fallen into the water and drowned. The thought made her uneasy, and the more she dwelled on it, the more restless, anxious, and frightened she became…  

Just then, she heard movement outside. Her eyes lit up. Without even stopping to grab a coat, she rushed to open the door. The moment she stepped out, she saw Li Chen in the courtyard, pouring small fish into an old water tank.  

“Brother Chen!” Shen Yiyi called out.  

Hearing her voice, Li Chen turned around. Seeing her dressed so lightly, he quickly put down the bucket and strode over. “Why did you come out wearing so little?”  

“I was worried about you.” Shen Yiyi said, finally feeling at ease now that she saw him. Without caring that he was covered in dust and grime, she wrapped her arms around him. With a hint of guilt, she murmured: “From now on, don’t go fishing at night anymore. We don’t really need these small fish that badly.”  

Li Chen had been about to warn her that he was dirty, but he froze for a moment. Then, he reached out and hugged her back, lowering his head slightly.  

“Worried about me?”

“Mm!” Shen Yiyi nodded. He was quite tall, and she struggled to stay on tiptoe, so she simply hooked her arms around his neck and climbed onto him.  

Li Chen could hardly withstand such enthusiasm from her. His breathing grew heavier as he bent down, cupped her hips, and carried her into the room.  

The moment they entered, he instinctively sought her lips.  

Shen Yiyi had only wanted to hug him—she hadn’t expected him to be so impatient. His hair brushed against her, making her itch and want to laugh. She held his head, stopping him from moving. “Wait a second!”  

Sensing her resistance, Li Chen paused at the crook of her neck. He nudged against her slightly, as if urging her to hurry up and say whatever she needed to—so she wouldn’t delay him any further.  

Shen Yiyi clearly felt the changes in his body and quickly pushed him away.  

Li Chen was displeased at being pushed back, but he still followed her lead and maintained some distance. Before Shen Yiyi could even speak, his hoarse voice carried a hint of grievance as he asked: “Didn’t you say tonight was for me?”  

His words were far too blunt. Shen Yiyi’s face turned red, almost dripping with embarrassment. She muttered softly: “I’m on my… thing.”  

???  

Li Chen didn’t process it right away.  

Since people were more reserved in this era, Shen Yiyi clarified: “My period.”  

At that moment, it felt like a bolt of lightning struck Li Chen from a clear sky.  

Seeing his dumbfounded expression, Shen Yiyi wanted to both laugh and feel sorry for him. Holding back her amusement, she reached out and patted his head with an innocent look. “I forgot the date…”  

Li Chen took a deep breath and gently placed a hand on her stomach. “Do you feel uncomfortable?”  

Shen Yiyi shook her head. People in this era generally followed an early-to-bed, early-to-rise routine and mostly ate whole grains, so menstrual pain was relatively rare.  

She was no exception. Since she was afraid of the cold, she always kept herself warm and mostly drank hot water, so she barely felt anything—just a little sluggish.  

Li Chen was relieved, but the fire inside him showed no signs of subsiding.

In the end… well, that was left to the imagination.  

All that could be said was that Li Chen’s gaze toward his wife grew increasingly heated.  

The next day, the temperature dropped again.  

Shen Yiyi refused to get out of bed, reluctant to leave the warmth. Li Chen took the initiative to prepare breakfast.  

By the time Shen Yiyi finally got up, he had just returned from fetching a load of water.  

Seeing him sweating despite the cold weather, Shen Yiyi felt a pang of heartache. “Brother Chen, why don’t we dig a well in the courtyard?”  

Qingshui Village had over ninety households, but only two or three had private wells in their courtyards. The rest relied on the three public wells in the village, where people often had to queue for water during the day.  

The closest well to the Li family’s home was about five or six hundred meters away. Making the trip back and forth was both time-consuming and physically exhausting—especially in winter. If the ground froze over, it became even more treacherous.  

Moreover, in their family of five, the Three Baos were too young to carry water, and Shen Yiyi couldn’t manage it either. That meant the responsibility fell solely on Li Chen.  

Providing water for a family of five was already a heavy burden, not to mention the additional water needed for irrigating the small plot of land in the backyard.  

It would be much more convenient to dig their own well.  

Li Chen fully supported Shen Yiyi’s suggestion. He didn’t mind the effort himself, but he had recently noticed that she was using significantly less water than before.  

He knew she was trying to lighten his burden.  

That thought warmed his heart. He was happy that she cared for him, but he didn’t want her to change her lifestyle just for his sake.  

“After breakfast, I’ll head to town and find a professional to take a look. If our courtyard is suitable for a well, we’ll have one dug.” Li Chen said.  

“Great!” Shen Yiyi beamed. She had read a little about well-digging and knew there was water beneath their courtyard. “I won’t go with you. While you’re there, can you also stop by the post office and check if there’s any mail for me?”  

“Alright.”