Chapter 67

“Then go ahead and burn it.” Shen Yiyi did not refuse.  

She was not upset by Mother Li’s uninvited actions. After all, today’s matter was somewhat related to her.

Besides, Mother Li was her mother-in-law, Li Chen’s biological mother, and the grandmother of the Three Baos.

She could still afford to be tolerant.  

However—  

Even though their relationship was that of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, it was a relationship by marriage, not by blood.  

Because of this, Mother Li would not treat her like her own daughter, and she, in turn, could not truly regard Mother Li with the same love as she would for her own mother.  

So, it was best for them to maintain some boundaries. When those boundaries were crossed, it was necessary to let the other party know that there were conditions attached.  

“Alright!” Mother Li nodded quickly and sat down in front of the stove.  

Looking at the kitchen filled with firewood, Mother Li felt a sense of relief.

The second son’s family was finally learning how to manage their household properly.  

Just as this thought emerged, her sharp eyes caught sight of the pork belly in the pan, frying out a considerable amount of oil. But the second son’s wife did not scoop out the excess oil. Instead, she directly grabbed the pre-cut dried string beans beside her and tossed them in.  

That amount of oil could have lasted her three or four meals! And yet, the second son’s wife was using it all in just one dish?  

“Hey, you—” This wasteful girl!  

Mother Li instinctively wanted to scold her. The words were already at the tip of her tongue when she suddenly realized that this was the second son’s household, not Old Li’s Family.

The person cooking was Shen Yiyi, not someone who would listen to her. She quickly swallowed the words back.  

Shen Yiyi feigned ignorance. “Mother, what’s wrong?”  

“Hehehe~” Mother Li forced a laugh, coughed a few times, and said: “Just clearing my throat.”  

“Oh.” Shen Yiyi suppressed the corners of her lips from curling up, trying her best not to laugh out loud.  

Even from the corner of her eye, she had seen how Mother Li’s eyes widened in shock when she saw the amount of oil in the pan.

There was no need to guess—she was certainly thinking that Shen Yiyi had used way too much oil and was being wasteful.

In fact, the amount of oil she used was not excessive at all. Dried string beans needed more oil to taste good.

Mother Li was simply too used to being frugal and was making a fuss over nothing.

Her heart ached over the wasted oil all the way until mealtime.

Li Chen had yet to return, and just as Shen Yiyi was about to set aside a portion for him, she saw him walk in.

She hurriedly went to greet him, asking expectantly: “Brother Chen, how did it go?”

Li Chen smiled and nodded. “My friend said yes. He happens to be making a delivery to the capital tomorrow.”

“Really?” Shen Yiyi instantly beamed like a blooming flower, eagerly stepping forward to take the things from his hands.

The items were not heavy, so Li Chen handed them to her without hesitation. “But he’s leaving early in the morning, so we need to transport the grain over to him today.

On my way back, I stopped by to see Uncle Niu. He said after he makes a trip into town this afternoon to drop off some passengers, he should be able to return and help us haul the grain.”

After a moment of thought, Li Chen added: “If he doesn’t make it back in time, I’ll just use the wooden cart to pull it myself. Don’t worry, we’ll definitely get the grain sent to your parents.”

“I’m not worried.” Shen Yiyi replied.

With a man who always thought of everything for her, what was there to worry about? “I’ll go with you.”

“Alright!” Li Chen smiled indulgently.

Only then did Shen Yiyi glance at the items in his hands. Although not heavy, it was a large, bulging package. “What did you buy?”

“Steamed buns.”

???

“I told you I was going to cook! Why did you buy so many buns? We won’t be able to finish them.” Shen Yiyi scolded lightly.

“You like them. I happened to pass by, so I bought some.” Li Chen explained. “It’s fine, if we don’t finish them, they’ll last long in this weather. I’ll eat the rest later.”

“…” Shen Yiyi’s lips curled slightly. She did like steamed buns, of course, but she was more accustomed to eating rice for her main meals. Perhaps because she always bought buns whenever she went to town, this man had assumed she preferred them as a staple food.

“Alright, actually, I didn’t cook much rice today. Since Mother is here, the buns will come in handy.” Shen Yiyi said.

By now, she had figured out the eating habits of the whole family, so she always cooked a fixed amount.

She had already started cooking when Mother Li arrived, so she didn’t make extra rice. However, she had prepared a bit more of the side dishes.

Li Chen hadn’t had the chance to ask why his mother had come over when Mother Li, who was in the kitchen serving rice with the Three Baos, called out to them. “Second son, Yiyi, the rice is served. Come eat.”

“We’re coming.” Shen Yiyi responded, then turned to Li Chen. “Brother Chen, let’s go eat first.”

Li Chen nodded, but as he got closer, he noticed scratches on his mother’s face and hands. His brows furrowed. “What happened?”

Mother Li touched her wounds uncomfortably. “It’s nothing, just a small matter.”

“It was Tiezhu who did it!” Er Bao, who always had a grudge against Li Tiezhu, wouldn’t miss a chance to tattle.

Shen Yiyi pinched her little son’s chubby cheeks—such a vengeful little fellow.

She then explained the whole situation to Li Chen, concluding: “I already gave both Li Tiezhu and Jiang Ailing a beating. You don’t need to go looking for trouble with them now. Sanhong knows about it, so let’s wait and see how he handles it.”

Upon hearing this, Li Chen immediately rolled up Yiui’s sleeves. “Did you get hurt?”

“Nope.” Shen Yiyi let him check her hands, looking rather smug. “I was holding a wooden pole at the time. They couldn’t even get close to me!”

“Wow!”

Before Li Chen could respond, Er Bao’s eyes lit up in admiration. He circled around his mother, exclaiming: “Mother, did you really beat up Tiezhu? Are you really that good at fighting?”

“Not too bad, not too bad.” Shen Yiyi said modestly.

“Then, Mother, can you teach me? I want to defeat Tieshu too!” Er Bao clenched his fists, looking eager to fight.

“If you don’t eat properly, I’ll defeat you first!” Li Chen picked him up. “Eat your food!”

Er Bao huffed at his father but then leaned in close to whisper in his mother’s ear: “Mother, next time you fight Tiezhu, can you take me with you? I’ll pass you the wooden pole!”

“…” Shen Yiyi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She picked up a piece of meat and put it in his bowl. “Hurry and eat, or else your father will really beat you up.”

Er Bao shot a side glance at his father, only to meet Li Chen’s dark, menacing gaze. He shuddered and obediently started eating.

Finally, after settling Er Bao down, Shen Yiyi looked up—only to see what was in Mother Li’s bowl…

Porridge.

Or rather, something that barely qualified as porridge, because the bowl was filled mostly with water, with only a few scattered grains of rice floating inside.

She pressed a hand to her forehead and pulled out the steamed buns that Li Chen had bought earlier. “Mother, you don’t have to worry about running out of food. I made extra dishes, and Brother Chen also bought a lot of buns.”

“No need.” Mother Li refused. “I had a big breakfast, I’m still full.”

Yeah, right.

Even if she had eaten a lot in the morning, it would have been digested by now. Not to mention, she had spent the morning hauling grain—physical labor that burned through energy quickly.

Not knowing how to convince her, Shen Yiyi decided to leave it to Li Chen.

Li Chen grabbed two meat buns and shoved them in front of Mother Li. “Stop being stubborn. Just eat.”

“…Alright, alright.” Mother Li accepted the buns and obediently started eating in silence.

Shen Yiyi glanced curiously at the mother and son, especially at Mother Li. This was a completely different attitude from how she acted around Li Sanhong.

There was a reason for that.

Li Chen and Li Sanhong were close in age. Not long after giving birth to Li Chen, Mother Li became pregnant with Li Sanhong. Balancing pregnancy and labor-intensive work left her with no energy to care for Li Chen, so she had to leave him in his grandmother’s care.

After giving birth to Li Sanhong, things only got worse. She had even less time and energy, so Li Chen was often neglected. As a result, he never grew close to her. On top of that, Li Chen had gained a fierce reputation over the years, making it impossible for Mother Li to assert any authority over him.