Upon hearing his name called, Shen Ying was momentarily stunned, his face slightly blank, and his expression towards Jiang Yu was extremely complicated.

The clothing store was opened entirely by this woman on her own. Whether it's about sourcing inventory or other matters, Jiang Yu should rightfully make the decisions himself. This inquiry, however, undoubtedly granted him the authority as a man and the head of the household.

Of course, Jiang Yu had her reasons for doing this. Years ago, because of the original owner of this body, she kept all the man's money to herself, preferring to waste it rather than help him out. This forced her sister-in-law to go out to work at a young age to pay off the family's debts, and she didn't dare to speak up even when she was bullied.

Now that a better opportunity has presented itself, and in a very lucrative field at that, she naturally thinks of Shen Wan first.

“Jiang Yu is right, Mom, you don’t need to chime in.”

After saying this, Shen Ying reminded his younger sister.

"Wanwan, it's time to toughen up. Just be bold and move forward. If you really encounter difficulties, your brother and sister-in-law will support you."

The words had barely left his mouth when he realized his mistake, but it was too late to take them back. He glanced at Jiang Yu out of the corner of his eye, but thankfully the woman's expression was calm and she didn't seem to mind at all.

If it were someone else, they would probably say: "Why should I stand up for your sister?"

After dinner, when Jiang Yu returned to the east room, the man was already reading a book, looking meticulous, and occasionally taking out a small notebook to write something down.

Driven by curiosity, I took the opportunity to steal a glance while picking up my teacup, and there were four big characters written on it: 'Solid Geometry'.

The book wasn't new; in fact, it could be said to have been read for quite some time. A flicker of shock crossed Jiang Yu's mind:

'Could it be that he's going to take the college entrance exam? Or does he have other plans?'

At this moment, the man noticed something amiss in the room. He glanced up and met Jiang Yu's bewildered gaze, and his expression softened considerably. He himself didn't understand when he had let his guard down around her.

Jiang Yu was startled by Shen Ying's sudden action. In her haste to dodge, she dropped the teacup in her hand to the ground, spilling water that soaked the notebook on the table.

The man quickly caught the damaged book in his hand, frowning.

"I'm...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Jiang Yu looked around, pulled down a rag hanging on the wall, and lightly dampened it. She hadn't expected things to develop this way. If that man misunderstood her again, she probably wouldn't even have a chance to explain.

"It doesn't matter."

As Shen Ying watched the woman's flustered movements, the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up slightly, and he remained unconscious for a long time.

Jiang Yu thought she had misheard, stopped what she was doing, and re-examined the man. Normally, he would have reprimanded her. Of course, the original owner of this body wasn't one to be trifled with either. An argument might even have broken out.

Shen Ying's smile faded, and he returned to his usual demeanor. His movements were so swift that Jiang Yu almost thought she was seeing things.

......

For a week, Jiang Yu and Shen Wan worked tirelessly on costumes for the performing arts troupe, their sewing machines practically smoking from being used so much.

Until the last piece of clothing was finished, the two checked all the clothes and folded them up. They lay sprawled on the bed, motionless.

If you can finish a month's worth of work in just a few days, it's time to take a good rest.

Zhao Meiyun brought some washed fruit and placed it on the table, inviting the two to have some. Shen Niannian followed her grandmother around, not even noticing the sweat on her brow.

Because construction began on the north-facing rooms, everyone moved to the east-facing rooms. With more people and more breathing, a thin layer of steam appeared on the windows at some point.

Looking out the window, the sky was a hazy gray, looking like it was about to snow. The north house was beginning to take shape, and Shen Ying told the workers to go home and rest early, so that it wouldn't be unsafe on the roads if it snowed later.

In the courtyard, Zhao Meiyun saw her son still busy at work, pulled him aside, and gently reminded him.

“It looks like it’s going to snow heavily today. Why don’t you talk to Jiang Yu and bring Sui Sui back as soon as possible? What will we do if it starts snowing and there aren’t even any buses?”

In the past, the bus station would close whenever it snowed and the roads became slippery. Few people in the village could afford bicycles, so the lack of public transportation was very inconvenient. Taxis were only available in the city; there were none in the village.

Shen Ying understood her mother's worries. Without saying much, she put down the wooden stick in her hand, dusted off her hands, lifted the curtain, and went inside alone.

Seeing that Jiang Yu and Shen Wan were lying on the bed with their backs to him, and the fruit on the table was untouched, he knew just how busy the two of them had been these past few days.

"elder brother?"

Shen Wan, being closer to the door, was the first to sense someone entering. Seeing that it was Shen Ying, who seemed to have something to discuss with her sister-in-law, she obediently went to the outer room.

“The weather isn’t very good today, so Mom is thinking of picking Sui Sui up early. I’m also worried that if there’s no car, the child will be scared to be alone at school.”

Jiang Yu hadn't checked the clock and assumed the gloomy weather meant it was evening. Upon hearing that it was going to snow, she sat up abruptly and nodded.

She'd been busy working at home these past few days, and her husband had been picking up the child most of the time. The teachers at school all knew he was Shen Suisui's father and wouldn't make things difficult for her. So she thought she'd lie down a little longer and not go with him.

Shen Ying took a thick coat from the closet and turned to leave. Just then, the village loudspeaker blared:

"Comrades, comrades, pay attention. We just received a call from the city. There will be heavy snow in the next few days. Everyone should prepare food as soon as possible and avoid going out unless necessary."

Over the loudspeaker, Shen He'an's voice sounded extremely anxious. With snow about to fall, this was only just being announced; even if they went to the city to stock up on supplies, they might not make it in time.

"I'll go with you."

Upon hearing the urgent notification, Jiang Yu hurriedly put on her coat and went out to find Shen Ying. She needed to pick up the child and prepare the groceries. It would be faster if the two of them went their separate ways. Otherwise, if it rained for ten days or half a month, the whole family would be starving.

"I'll go too."

When Shen Wan saw that her sister-in-law was about to go out, she also rushed out in a hurry, afraid that she would be left behind if she was a step too late.

In an instant, not only Zhao Meiyun volunteered, but even Shen Niannian jumped up and raised her hand, worried that her parents couldn't see her.

"Mom and Dad, I want to help move things too. Niannian is so amazing, she can carry two big cabbages!"

Shen Niannian's sweet, childlike voice held a certain strength, but unfortunately, the two of them didn't need it. While Jiang Yu knelt down to comfort her son, Shen Ying explained the situation clearly.

"Mom, you stay home and take care of Niannian with Wanwan."

“Mom can take care of Niannian by herself at home. I’ll go with you.”

Shen Wan felt that the two of them were making a mountain out of a molehill at home, and besides, they had bought too many things, which would be difficult for her brother and sister-in-law to carry.

"You have other chores to do. You need to dig up the cabbages in the backyard and put them inside."

After giving their instructions, Shen Ying and Jiang Yu hurriedly left.

Just as the whole family was worried, an uninvited guest arrived.