Chapter 22: Interception at the Doorstep

Upon hearing this, Shen Yi’an’s eyes crinkled into crescent moons with laughter. “It’s not as exaggerated as you make it out to be!

“As long as there’s something to eat, Li Beichen definitely won’t complain.

“Besides, if he dares to have any opinions, I’ll just kick him out the door.”

As she spoke, she even raised her fist and shook it to show her determination that she wasn’t joking.

Seeing her like this, Deng Yaxin chuckled and tapped her forehead.

“You silly girl!

“I was just saying that, you should take it with a grain of salt.

“If we really dared to kick a guest out the door, how could our family continue living in the Family Compound after that?”

Never mind the strange looks from the neighbors, their own consciences probably wouldn’t allow it.

Catching the underlying meaning, Shen Yi’an nodded with a smile. “As expected of the Women’s Director of the Woolen Mill, my mom’s awareness is truly commendable.

“I’ll strive to follow in your footsteps in the future.”

The mother and daughter chatted idly for a few more moments.

Then Deng Yaxin said she would go check on the chicken soup in the kitchen, urging Shen Yi’an to quickly take a quick shower, change her clothes, and come out.

So she wouldn’t still be dawdling in the bathroom when the guest arrived.

Shen Yi’an expressed her absolute agreement with this suggestion.

Before departing from Jingshi, she had only thought that when Li Beichen said he would see her off, he simply meant sending her to the train station.

But as it turned out, he ended up escorting her all the way home.

Logically, this shouldn’t have been a big deal.

The problem was that all her luggage had already been stored in her Space beforehand. To explain things to Li Beichen, she had casually mentioned that her luggage had been mailed.

The moment she realized he would be accompanying her the entire way, she wished the new function after her Space’s upgrade could be time reversal, so she’d have a chance to rephrase her words.

But clearly, that wish wasn’t going to come true.

Left with no choice, she could only board the train with just her satchel and Li Beichen.

If it were winter, or if the weather had already cooled down, wearing the same clothes for over ten days on the train might have been tolerable.

But when they set off from Jingshi, it was already late August, the peak of summer heat.

Forget the outdoor temperature; the temperature inside the train carriage alone was enough to roast a person.

If the train hadn’t made brief stops at stations along the way, she and Li Beichen truly wouldn’t have had the chance to go out and buy things.

Because of this, the clothes they wore from Jingshi all the way to Lancheng were bought piecemeal at the stations they passed through.

Aside from toothbrushes, toothpaste, and face towels, none of the two sets of spare clothes they managed to buy fit properly.

For her, the clothes were too large; for Li Beichen, they were too small.

And to avoid looking too disheveled when they arrived in Lancheng, they hadn’t dared to wear the clothes they had on when boarding the train a second time.

They only changed back into them as they neared their destination.

Going over ten days in the peak of summer without bathing, only wiping themselves down with cold water from the train’s bathroom.

Now, hearing her mother’s suggestion, Shen Yi’an was nearly moved to tears. “Mom, I’ll go take a quick shower right away. Please keep an eye on the door for me.”

With that, she turned and skillfully entered her room to find a change of clothes, then moments later went into the bathroom with the clothes in hand.

Hearing the sound of running water start, Deng Yaxin first went into the kitchen to check on the chicken soup pot.

She poked the chicken with chopsticks to confirm the meat was tender and the soup was ready, then used the ashes under the stove to dampen the fire.

This was also to prevent the chicken soup pot from heating up again.

After finishing up in the kitchen, she promptly went to wait at the staircase landing.

Intercepting someone at the doorstep was more convenient than inside the house.

By deliberately raising one’s voice, the person in the bathroom could adjust their pace accordingly based on what they heard.

Once the footsteps in the living room faded away, Shen Yi’an knew her mother had gone outside to wait. Without hesitation, she slipped into the Space.

First, she drank a cup of Spirit Spring Water to refresh her mind before starting to wash up.

After finishing everything and emerging from the Space, she cleaned the bathroom and found the slightly ajar front door still silent.

It didn’t take much thought to guess that her father had likely gone downstairs to assert his authority.

Since she wasn’t involved, Shen Yi’an felt no guilt at all.

She let her half-dried hair down to air and strolled into the living room to look around.

The wall behind the rosewood sofa was covered with all the awards she had received since childhood.

Merit Student awards, All-Round Student awards, Outstanding Student awards, awards for caring for the collective and helping others, perfect attendance awards…

Various types of certificates were pieced together, covering the entire wall and eliminating the need for any mural decoration.

Looking at each award, she could almost recall the lively scenes of her family gathering around to admire them.

Opposite the award wall, the most eye-catching item was the color television set in the center.

The wall behind the TV was adorned with all the awards earned collectively by her eldest sister, second sister, third brother, and fourth brother.

With the two walls facing each other, it was easy to determine which side had the upper hand.

Faintly, she recalled her father’s words when he put up the awards:

“They all came from the same mother, so how can the gap between people be this big?”

“Look at my little daughter, then look at you all—I can’t even be bothered to scold you.”

“None of you are allowed to touch these awards on the wall. I’m keeping them for my grandchildren to see.”

“My little daughter is the one with real promise. How did I manage to raise such an outstanding girl?”

She vividly remembered how her father’s remarks had sparked unanimous opposition from the entire family.

Her mother objected because she felt her father was claiming credit for her labor, since the daughter had come from her womb.

Her sisters and brothers opposed because they thought displaying the awards on the wall was fine, but why should their future children have to see them?

In the end, as expected, her father had to compromise.

Overwhelming numbers prevailing was no empty saying.

In the blink of an eye, years had passed since those awards were put up.

Recalling those amusing memories, Shen Yi’an felt completely at ease.

It was the first time since her rebirth that she had genuinely felt this sense of security.

After taking another look around the familiar living room, she turned her gaze to the other parts of the house.

The Shen residence covered an indoor area of 90 square meters.

Under the careful planning of Comrade Shen Guozhong and his wife Deng Yaxin, it was divided into four bedrooms, one living room, one bathroom, and one kitchen.

Due to her frail health since childhood, one of the four bedrooms was exclusively hers.

Though only 15 square meters, the room was decorated in a very youthful style, clearly meant for a young girl.

To make it easier to care for her, her parents’ master bedroom was separated from hers by just one wall.

Her two sisters’ and two brothers’ bedrooms were located directly opposite theirs…

Just as Shen Yi’an was immersed in her “nostalgic tour,” her mother’s noticeably louder voice sounded at the door:

“Old Shen, what’s going on with you?”

“You went down to pick someone up and took half the day—I thought you’d gone to someone else’s house!”

“You’re something else!”

Hearing the sudden stream of reproaches, Shen Guozhong initially felt a pang of guilt.

A young wolf had come to steal his daughter, and as her father, he had to go down and teach him a lesson—regardless of whether things worked out between them or not.

But then it occurred to him that his Director Deng probably wouldn’t give him a hard time over such a small matter.

Could it be…? Having a guess, he glanced toward the bathroom with his eyes.

Seeing Deng Yaxin’s almost imperceptible nod, he instantly understood and quickly picked up the thread of conversation.

“Hey, it wasn’t as slow as you’re making it out to be!”

“This is Comrade Li’s first time visiting—I had to walk slower and chat a bit more.”

“Whatever the case, we need to make our guest feel our family’s warmth.”

After saying this, he immediately waved his hand dismissively. “Alright, we’re back now—surely you’re not going to block the doorway and keep us out?”

Hearing this, Shen Yi’an pattered over in her slippers and pushed the door open. “Mom, Dad, why are you all standing at the door chatting? Isn’t it hot?”

“Look, your clothes are all damp. Come in quickly—it’s cooler inside.”

At the sound of her voice, all four people at the doorway turned to look at the same time.