Chapter 90

Lin Daniu looked at Shen Yiyi in surprise before handing the child in his arms to her.  

Shen Yiyi tried to hold the child as she had seen him do, but the soft and limp little body made her nervous. Afraid that the baby might slip from her arms, she held on a little tighter.  

Little An An waved her hands twice, seemingly uncomfortable, and let out a small whimper.  

Shen Yiyi quickly loosened her hold a bit.  

Seeing her nervous expression, Lin Daniu laughed and said: “Why do you look like you’re holding a baby for the first time?”  

To be honest, even though Shen Yiyi had already given birth to three children, it was indeed her first time holding such a tiny baby!  

However, she found it inconvenient to explain the reason to Lin Daniu. Fortunately, he seemed to recall some rumors about her from the past and changed the topic, instead teaching her how to hold the child properly.  

Shen Yiyi fumbled awkwardly, and in her clumsy attempts, little An An ended up crying.  

Hearing the cries, Chen Qiang walked in. When he saw his daughter crying in Shen Yiyi’s arms, he gave her a glance—his expression carrying a hint of reproach.  

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Shen Yiyi quickly handed the baby back to him and awkwardly touched her nose.  

Looking at Chen Qiang—who had gone from being completely flustered, running to find Li Chen in the middle of the night for help, to now skillfully soothing the baby—Shen Yiyi suddenly thought of Li Chen.  

Back when she had her first children, she had given birth to twins. At the time, how had the new father Li Chen taken care of Da Bao and Er Bao?  

She didn’t know, but she was certain it hadn’t been any easier for him than it was for Chen Qiang.  

After sitting for a while at the Chen family home, Shen Yiyi got ready to return to her parents’ house. Seeing this, Lin Daniu handed her a bag of dried vegetables that she had sun-dried earlier.  

Shen Yiyi understood that it was her way of expressing gratitude, so she did not refuse the gift.  

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When she arrived home, the Three Baos, who had been eagerly waiting for her return, immediately brightened up upon seeing her. They rushed forward and surrounded her excitedly.  

“Mother, let me carry that for you!” Er Bao ran over enthusiastically and took the bag of dried vegetables from her hands.

Da Bao brought out a small wooden stool and said: “Mother, sit!”  

Xiao Bao clung to Shen Yiyi’s leg, tilted his head up, and grinned at her.  

The moment Shen Yiyi saw this, she knew it was Er Bao’s idea. As for the purpose, she didn’t even need to guess. She sat down and asked with amusement: “What do you want?”  

“Mother~” Er Bao giggled as he leaned in, massaging her shoulders while acting spoiled. “Take us to Maternal Grandparents’ house~ We’ll be very well-behaved! Big Brother, am I right?”  

“Yes, yes!” Da Bao quickly chimed in, his handsome little face serious and earnest. “Mother, I also want to visit Maternal Grandparents!”  

“Maternal Grandparents!” Xiao Bao raised his hand in agreement.  

Shen Yiyi picked Xiao Bao up and looked at Da Bao and Er Bao’s expectant expressions, feeling a little helpless.  

Originally, she hadn’t planned on telling the Three Baos about her trip to her parents’ house because she knew they would insist on going with her.  

But Er Bao had overheard the conversation.  

Knowing that their parents were trying to keep it a secret, Er Bao had initially thought himself clever, threatening them—either they took him along, or he would tell his big brother and little brother about it.  

Little did he know that he was actually the one his parents were most wary of.

Naturally, his request was rejected.  

So, in his frustration, he rebelled and told Da Bao and Xiao Bao everything.  

Even though Da Bao was the most sensible of the three, he was still just a six-year-old child.

Of course, he longed to go to his Maternal Grandparents’ house with their parents.  

As for Xiao Bao, he didn’t fully understand what it meant for their parents to be gone for half a month. But since his second brother egged him on, he simply followed along, standing firmly on Er Bao’s side.  

So, for the past few days, Er Bao had been leading Da Bao and Xiao Bao in finding every possible opportunity to pester Li Chen and Shen Yiyi, begging to go with them.  

By now, they had tried everything—except throwing themselves on the ground and throwing a tantrum.  

However, Shen Yiyi suspected that tomorrow, when she and Li Chen were about to leave, that exact scene would unfold.

How could Shen Yiyi not want to take them along? After all, they had never met their maternal grandparents, and her parents had never seen their grandchildren either.  

Even though the issue of the introduction letter had been resolved, it was the end of the year, and the trains were not only overcrowded but also filled with all sorts of people. Traveling with the children would be extremely inconvenient.  

Not to mention, the journey was long and exhausting. Even adults would struggle with the fatigue, let alone young children.  

She could only harden her heart and refuse them. “Mother will take you with me next time, okay?”  

The Three Baos responded in unison: “Not okay~”  

“I’ll leave lots of delicious food for you at home.” Shen Yiyi coaxed.  

Da Bao and Er Bao: “We don’t want it!”  

Xiao Bao’s eyes instantly sparkled. “I want candy!”  

As soon as he finished speaking, he was met with the furious glares of his two older brothers.  

Er Bao immediately corrected him: “Xiao Bao, if you go with Mother, you’ll get even more delicious food! You have to tell Mother you want to go to Grandmother’s house!”  

Xiao Bao’s eyes lit up again. Hugging his mother’s neck, he declared: “Mother, I want to go to Grandmother’s house!”—to eat lots and lots of delicious food.  

Shen Yiyi: “……” Her second child was truly not easy to fool!  

That night, when Li Chen returned home, Shen Yiyi discussed the plan with him. “Brother Chen, let’s leave early tomorrow morning, before the Three Baos wake up.”  

Their train was scheduled for 4 PM the next day. It took about half an hour to get from Qingshui Village to the county, and nearly three hours by coach to reach the city. Realistically, they could leave around noon.  

But Shen Yiyi knew the Three Baos would cry if they saw them leaving, so she wanted to avoid that.  

Li Chen understood her concerns and agreed.  

---

Early the next morning, they got up and washed up. Mother Li also came over to see them off.  

Shen Yiyi showed her where the food was stored in the house. “Mother, the Three Baos prefer fine grains. The rice and flour are here—you can cook rice or make steamed buns for them.”

“The meat is here. The chicken and pork need to be eaten within the next two days. Even though the weather isn’t hot, they’ll still spoil if left too long. The dried meat, cured meat, and sausages can be saved for later.  

There are 50 eggs, and I’ve filled the oil barrel to the brim—it’s all here, more than enough. I’ve also prepared plenty of snacks, but don’t let the Three Baos eat too much, especially candy. One piece per day, no more than that.  

As for the nuts, Mother, you and Father should eat more of them—they’re really good for your health…”  

Shen Yiyi went on and on, listing every detail carefully.  

Mother Li stared at the food in front of her, dumbfounded. She swallowed and asked in disbelief: “Is… is this all for just half a month?”  

These fine grains alone were enough to last her three months, not to mention the meat. In the past, they barely had a few chances a year to eat meat, but now there was enough to last for years!  

“It’s not that you have to finish it all.” Shen Yiyi explained. “I just want you to know that with all this food, you don’t need to be frugal.”  

She understood Mother Li’s habits well. While she would never let the Three Baos go hungry, she was so used to living frugally that even with all this food, she might still be reluctant to eat it.  

Mother Li nodded stiffly. She had always known that Li Chen’s family was doing well, but she hadn’t realized it was this good.  

Shen Yiyi thought for a moment and, finding nothing else to add, solemnly said: “Mother, thank you for taking care of the Three Baos for me.”  

Mother Li was caught off guard by her formal tone and instinctively responded in kind: “N-no need to thank me.”  

With that, Li Chen and Shen Yiyi set off.  

Shen Yiyi glanced back at their small home, a trace of melancholy in her expression. “I wonder if the Three Baos will cry when they wake up.”  

Li Chen carried their luggage and stated with certainty: “Da Bao and Er Bao won’t.”  

He wasn’t sure about the youngest, but the older two knew how to act depending on the situation—especially Er Bao, who only pretended to be pitiful in front of his mother.  

Shen Yiyi shot him a look and pursed her lips, feeling a little down. “But they’ll definitely be sad. And Xiao Bao will cry for sure.”  

“…” Li Chen felt a bit helpless.

In his opinion, this wasn’t a big deal at all. But since it mattered to his wife, he could only go along with her feelings and offer some comfort.  

What neither of them knew was that this trip… wasn’t going to happen.