Chapter 81

“Dear?” Li Chen clearly sensed that something was off with Shen Yiyi’s emotions.  

“Hmm?” Shen Yiyi looked up.  

“What’s wrong?” Li Chen asked with concern.  

“Nothing, I’m just too happy.” Shen Yiyi sniffled. “My man is actually so smart and capable!”  

Being praised by his wife, Li Chen’s lips curved slightly.

He climbed back onto the kang and continued eating.  

Shen Yiyi hugged the money and returned to the kang. She glanced again at the bag of things on the floor and asked: “Where are you going to put these?”  

These things couldn’t be left out in the open. If someone with ill intentions saw them and tried to pin a crime on them, it would be disastrous.  

Just as Shen Yiyi was about to suggest that she hide them herself, Li Chen leaned in and whispered: “There’s a hidden door in the cellar. We can store things inside.”  

???  

Shen Yiyi had been in the cellar many times but had never noticed any hidden door.  

Seeing her confusion, Li Chen revealed a smug expression as if to say: “See? Even you didn’t notice it, so others definitely won’t either.”  

His expression bore an uncanny resemblance to Er Bao when he was showing off—it was somewhat childish yet innocent at the same time.  

But while Er Bao could act like this in front of anyone, Li Chen only showed this side of himself in front of her.  

Shen Yiyi chuckled softly in amusement. “Hurry up and eat. We’ll hide everything inside later.”  

“Alright!” Li Chen replied with a doting smile.  

Suddenly remembering something, Shen Yiyi excitedly ran to the next room and came back with a sweater. “I finished knitting the sweater! Quick, try it on!”  

Li Chen’s eyes lit up. He followed his wife’s movements and put on the sweater, then adjusted it himself before eagerly looking at her. “Does it look good?”  

They always said that clothes made the man, just like gold adorned the Buddha, but in Li Chen’s case, it was the man who carried the clothes.  

The uneven stitches became even more noticeable once he wore it, with some loose threads sticking out as if the sweater had been clawed by a cat.  

Fortunately, his good looks made up for it. At least, at first glance, people would notice his face before they noticed the sweater.  

She really wasn’t suited for needlework.  

Shen Yiyi twitched the corner of her lips. “It looks terrible!”  

“I think it looks great!” Li Chen countered.

He looked around and hesitated for a long time before finally adding: “At least, you can tell it’s a sweater!”  

Shen Yiyi tried to hold it in but couldn’t. “…Would it have been just a piece of fabric otherwise?”  

Li Chen laughed as well and replied confidently: “As long as my wife made it, it looks good!”  

Shen Yiyi couldn’t stop the smile tugging at her lips. She mumbled: “You’re just sweet-talking me.” and reached out to take the sweater off him.  

Li Chen thought she disliked it and didn’t want him to wear it, so he dodged. “I want to wear it!”  

“I know.” Shen Yiyi insisted: “But wash it first before wearing it!”  

Oh.  

Li Chen obediently let her take the sweater off. Then, he leaned in close to her ear, pointed at the last layer of clothing he had on, and whispered: “Take this one off too.”  

The moment she saw his expression, Shen Yiyi immediately understood his intentions.

Flustered and annoyed, she punched his firm chest. “You haven’t even finished eating!”  

“I’m full!” Li Chen declared.

Without hesitation, he picked up the small table with the half-eaten food and set it on the floor.

Then, he turned back, lifted the blanket, and covered them both underneath.  

---

For now, the matter of making money had come to a temporary halt.  

Li Chen had been leaving early and coming back late for the past few days, to the point where the Three Baos hadn’t even seen him.  

Today, when they woke up and saw their father, they were overjoyed. They clung to Li Chen, chirping excitedly for a long time.  

At that moment, Mother Li stormed over, cursing under her breath. It was clear that she had gotten into another argument with Jiang Ailing.  

As for what the argument was about, Shen Yiyi didn’t even need to think about it.

Every morning and afternoon for the past few days, she had been hearing the angry shouts of Mother Li and Jiang Ailing.  

And as for why they were arguing?

Of course, it was because of the kitchen.

Even though the family had split, no matter how clearly they divided everything, there was still only one kitchen. Whoever used it first meant the other had to wait.

The problem was that both Mother Li and Jiang Ailing were stubborn.

Last time, Mother Li saw that Jiang Ailing had deliberately occupied the kitchen for an extended period.

The next day, she copied her and went into the kitchen early, purposely dragging out her time and refusing to come out.

And just like that, the two of them locked horns.

Whenever Jiang Ailing delayed, Mother Li would scold her outright.

But when it was Mother Li’s turn to stall, Jiang Ailing didn’t dare to curse directly at her, so she turned her anger on Li Sanhong, using indirect insults to target Mother Li.

The conflict kept escalating, and Shen Yiyi could hear everything loud and clear from her side.

Mother Li, filled with grievances and unable to endure it any longer, came over to seek comfort from her three beloved grandchildren.

Since Li Chen had been out all day for the past few days, he had no idea what had been going on. Seeing his mother’s furious expression as she approached, he frowned and asked: “What happened?”

At that, Mother Li immediately started pouring out her frustrations as if she had been holding them in for ages.

Shen Yiyi and Li Chen exchanged a glance before Shen Yiyi slowly said: “Mother, there are three possible solutions.”

Mother Li’s eyes lit up—Second Daughter-in-law always had good ideas! “Second Daughter-in-law, tell me!”

She looked completely ready to listen carefully.

Shen Yiyi then said: “First, you endure it and say nothing.”

Mother Li: “…” She already despised Jiang Ailing.

Asking her to endure it?

That was absolutely impossible!

“Forget it, next! What’s the second option?” Mother Li asked eagerly.

“Second, you just keep arguing. One day, when the argument gets out of hand, just fight it out.” Shen Yiyi suggested. “If you can’t win, you still have two sons. Call them over. Li Sanhong definitely won’t be able to take them both on!”

Mother Li: “…”

What kind of ridiculous ideas were these?

“The third option is to build a new kitchen.” Shen Yiyi said.

Mother Li shot her a resentful look. Did she think building a kitchen didn’t cost money? She wasn’t as rich as Shen Yiyi!

“Isn’t there another way?” Mother Li asked, unwilling to give up.

“There is!” Shen Yiyi replied. “Let Li Sanhong get a divorce!”

Mother Li: “…”

Did she not already know that was an option? If divorce were possible, wouldn’t it have happened by now?

Still, Mother Li seriously considered the choices…

The first option was immediately ruled out!

The second one—though crude—wasn’t entirely unreasonable. If it really came to a fight, Jiang Ailing might not even be able to beat her!

At that thought, a sly grin appeared on Mother Li’s face.

Shen Yiyi didn’t need to guess to know exactly what she was thinking. “…”

To prevent their household from turning into complete chaos, Shen Yiyi advised: “Mother, you should seriously consider the third option. Building a kitchen would make things much easier. If you’re reluctant to spend money, have the eldest and third families split the cost, or let the third family pay more. After all, the old kitchen was built by you and Father, so it’s only fair that they pay for the new one.”

As for their second household, Li Chen had built their house with his own money, so the cost of a new kitchen had nothing to do with them.

If something was supposed to be covered by the eldest and third families, then they should pay for it themselves.

Of course, if it was about showing filial respect to the elders, Shen Yiyi wouldn’t mind giving them an iron pot once the kitchen was built.

That being said, iron pots weren’t cheap either. She only had one because of her access to certain resources. In reality, buying one would require industrial vouchers!

Mother Li, though tempted to have a brawl with Jiang Ailing, knew deep down that fighting wouldn’t actually solve anything. So, she seriously considered the third option.

And, to be honest, she was quite tempted—especially because it gave her a legitimate reason to squeeze some money out of Jiang Ailing!

With that thought, Mother Li couldn’t sit still any longer. She quickly rushed off to discuss it with Father Li.