Chapter 69

“Li Sanhong.” Jiang Ailing followed behind, prying at Li Sanhong’s hands, trying to rescue Li Tiezhu from his grip. “Tiezhu is your own son! If you drive him out, where do you expect him to go?”  

“Tiezhu, hurry and apologize to your father, quickly!” Jiang Ailing cried as she slapped Li Tiezhu.  

Dragged all the way outside, Li Tiezhu finally became afraid and shouted: “Father, I know I was wrong! I won’t dare do it again, sob sob…”  

“Do you think you should be apologizing to me? You should be apologizing to your grandmother!” Li Sanhong panted heavily, pointing at Mother Li, who had come out to see Shen Yiyi and his group off. He kicked Li Tiezhu. “Go, apologize to your grandmother! And you too!”  

The last sentence was directed at Jiang Ailing.  

How could Jiang Ailing dare refuse? She pulled along Li Tiezhu, who was bruised and swollen from the beating, still sobbing as they approached Mother Li. “Mother…”  

Before she could finish speaking, Mother Li’s face darkened. She turned and walked back inside Shen Yiyi’s house, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.  

She refused to accept such an apology.  

Jiang Ailing and Li Tiezhu were left standing outside, humiliated.

They turned back toward Li Sanhong in embarrassment.  

Li Sanhong hardened his heart. “If you can’t gain Mother’s forgiveness, then don’t bother coming back!”  

Then, he too turned and slammed the door shut.  

Jiang Ailing clenched Li Tiezhu’s hand, looking miserable as she turned her sorrowful gaze toward Shen Yiyi’s family of five.  

The onlookers, Shen Yiyi’s family of five, climbed onto the ox cart and headed into town!

Jiang Ailing: “……”

She felt so aggrieved that she wanted to cry.  

---

After entering the city, they first took the grain to the transport team.  

Li Chen’s friend in the transport team was Zhao Youliang. Seeing them, he greeted them warmly, calling Shen Yiyi “sister-in-law” with every sentence. He patted his chest and promised that he would make sure the grain reached her home.  

Shen Yiyi hesitated, wondering if she should give Zhao Youliang some money to deliver to her parents or if she should send it over in a few days instead.  

At that moment, Li Chen took out an envelope, slightly shifting his body to block her view as he handed it to Zhao Youliang. “Old Zhao, there’s some money inside. Please help me deliver it to my father-in-law and mother-in-law.”  

???  

Shen Yiyi looked at the envelope—it seemed like it had a story behind it.  

“Alright!” Zhao Youliang quickly took the envelope and stuffed it into his pocket. “Consider it done!”  

After safely tucking the envelope away, Zhao Youliang bid farewell. “Brother Chen, sister-in-law, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go take care of business now.”  

“Go ahead, go ahead.” Shen Yiyi said with a bright smile. Once Zhao Youliang left, she turned to Li Chen with a meaningful gaze.  

Li Chen: “……”  

Feigning composure, he coughed lightly. “Wife, shall we go shopping?”  

“Mm.” Shen Yiyi responded, glancing at Old Ox not far away, who was playing with the Three Baos. She then lowered her voice and asked: “Brother Chen, be honest—how much money was in that envelope?”

“Five hundred.” Li Chen glanced at his wife, not daring to hide even half a word. He answered honestly.

??? That much?

Shen Yiyi asked again: “Then can you tell me how much private savings you still have?”

“Seven hundred more.” Li Chen answered smoothly. “I’ll give you all the money when we get home!”

Smart man!

Shen Yiyi was quite satisfied. However, she found it strange that he had so much money. A suspicion was already forming in her heart, ready to break through the surface.

But now wasn’t the time to ask—too many people, too many eyes.

She would wait until they got home.

It was already four in the afternoon, and the family of five still wanted to stroll around the city. Meanwhile, Uncle Niu had to take his noon passengers back and couldn’t wait for them.

Li Chen handed Uncle Niu two yuan, and with that, the cart left.

By six o’clock, it would be dark. Walking back home with the Three Baos would take at least fifty minutes.

Shen Yiyi calculated the time and regretted bringing them along. If it were just her and Li Chen, they could get home in just over thirty minutes.

But she had a proper reason for bringing the Three Baos this time. They had never taken a photo before. Childhood was beautiful but fleeting, and Shen Yiyi wanted to capture some memories for them.

Besides, her parents had never seen Li Chen or the Three Baos. Once the pictures were developed, she could send them to her parents.

So, their first stop as a family of five was the photography studio.

The photography studio was brightly decorated. The walls and glass-covered tables were adorned with various black-and-white photographs. The subjects in the pictures either sat or stood in rigid, proper poses—nothing out of place.  

At this time, cameras were not yet widespread, and taking a photograph was considered both a luxury and a solemn occasion.  

Even the usually lively Er Bao became stiff and reserved in front of the camera. His eyes were fixed on the lens, lips pressed together, hands hanging straight by his sides, and legs firmly planted.  

The mischievous little rascal looked unbelievably adorable when he acted serious.  

The prices varied depending on the size of the photos. Shen Yiyi chose all five-inch prints, costing fifty cents each. They spent a total of ten yuan for twenty photos.  

There was a family portrait, a group photo of the Three Baos, a couple’s photo of Li Chen and Shen Yiyi, as well as individual portraits for each of them.  

Some photos were printed twice—one set was meant to be sent to Shen Yiyi’s parents.  

It would take a week before they could collect the developed pictures.  

After paying, the family of five headed to the supply and marketing cooperative.  

Previously, when they had dug a well, Shen Yiyi had come to the city twice. She had managed to barter thirty catties of grain in the residential district—not for money, but for ration tickets. She had collected quite a few that way.  

They gathered many supplies from the cooperative before preparing to head home.  

At some point, Li Chen had borrowed a sturdy 28-inch bicycle from somewhere. Thanks to that, they didn’t have to walk back.  

Da Bao and Er Bao sat in the front, while Shen Yiyi held Xiao Bao at the back. The strong bicycle carried the entire family of five as they made their way home.