"That two-story building you built, Aunt Yao wants to sell it."

"Really? How much is she selling it for? Is anyone buying it?"

"I don't know how much she sold it for. She applied to the village committee and see if anyone buys it. But I don't think it's possible. Houses in the village can only be transferred within the collective. Now everyone has their own house. If they have that much money, they might as well renovate their own house instead of buying someone else's, don't you think?"

"Yes." Shen Huanxi said.

Just as she and Xiao Shanhe had expected, who would like to live in someone else's house when they are from the same village?

Rural people are superstitious and believe that the roots of their ancestors are also in their own old houses. Living in someone else's house means living under the eyes of their ancestors. Anyone who lives in this house would feel uncomfortable.

"She only thought of selling the house because she had nowhere else to go. She said she wanted to protect Feng Shenghui. I think she deserved it. The Feng family didn't cherish you, so you ended up like this. If you marry Li Cuixiang, they will regret it. I'm afraid you can't sell the house even at a low price."

"It's very difficult to sell. I guess the feng shui of that house is bad. Feng Shenghui got divorced while living in that house, then remarried and got back a woman like Li Cuixiang. Now he's moving in again. These things happened one after another. It's hard not to suspect that the feng shui of that house is bad." Shen Huanxi said with a sigh.

After hearing what she said, Xiaohua's mother started to think about Feng Shui.

"Yeah, after hearing what you said, I also think that there must be something wrong with the house. Well, if you are not extremely lucky, you should not buy that house casually.

Oh, I won’t talk to you anymore. I’m going to buy some pork fat to fry in lard. Xiaohua is waiting to eat the lard rice I made. We’ll have a chance to talk later.”

"Yeah." Shen Huanxi didn't say much and said goodbye to Xiaohua's mother.

Xiao Hua Niang is popular in the village. Young girls, young wives and old ladies all like to play with her, and she is also someone who can talk to people. When she goes back this time, won’t she have to spread the rumor that the Feng family’s house has bad feng shui?

In this way, it will be even less likely that the villagers will buy the house, and Yao Cuihong will definitely lower the price.

Shen Huanxi went to buy some sweet potatoes and peanuts before going to find Zhang Guifen.

Zhang Guifen bought a piece of pork belly and a rooster. When she was about to pick out a duck, Shen Huanxi came. Shen Huanxi specially picked out a big fat duck and said he would make roast pork in the evening.

Shen Huanxi spent decades of her life living and earning money in the Cantonese-speaking area, and is very good at Cantonese cuisine. She plans to make roasted dried duck, which is not available in the Northwest these days.

Roasted duck is the main dish for tonight. Shen Huanxi is the chef and Zhang Guifen makes the rest.

Shen Huanxi put the processed fat duck into the oven to roast. Not long after, the white duck skin began to turn a little brown. After the moisture on the surface was slightly dried up, she took the duck out, coated it with a layer of honey and soy sauce, and put it back in to continue roasting.

Soon, the duck's thick skin was sizzling with oil, exuding the sweet aroma of roasted pork.

Four children were playing in the yard. When they smelled the fragrance, they curiously surrounded her and asked what delicious food she was going to make today.

Changan and Xiao Yutang were older and more stable, and they pretended to be calm, but Changning and Xiao Yuzheng were already swallowing their saliva hard.

"Roasted dried duck." Shen Huanxi replied.

"What is that?" The four children surrounded Shen Huanxi with curious looks.

"It will be ready in a while, and you will know then. Go out and ask your grandma if she needs your help. Go and help her."

"Okay!" Xiao Yutang took Changning and Xiao Yuzheng and ran out, while Changan stayed to look after Shen Huanxi.

"Mom, why are your eyes red? Are you unhappy?"

Shen Huanxi shook his head.

"How could mom be unhappy? She's not happy but she's still making delicious food for you. It's just that the fumes here are too heavy, so Changan, you should go out too, so you don't get choked by the fumes."

"Then we will never eat roasted congee duck again. Mom won't smoke our eyes when she makes other dishes. She only makes this dish and we will never eat it again!"

"No, it's because mom's roasting method is wrong. Mom will improve it and it won't be like this next time." Shen Huanxi said with a smile, "Hurry out, or you will be smoked. Mom will be worried."

"Okay, then mom, be careful."

Shen Huanxi persuaded Changan to leave. She was really a little sweetheart, thoughtful and caring about her mother.

It is true that Shen Huanxi's eyes were irritated by the smoke, but the bigger reason was that she remembered some things from her previous life.

In her previous life, Chang'an and Changning died at the same age in the same year. Chang'an died first, and Changning kept it a secret from her. She only learned the news after Changning also died.

She went to pack up her two daughters' shabby rental house and saw the sisters' wishes written on note papers and taped to the wall.

One of my wishes is to eat roast duck during the Chinese New Year.

In the 21st century, when ordinary people were already striving to become well-off, her two daughters could only dream of having a roast duck during the Chinese New Year.

Think about it, the two girls were already ill at that time, how could they afford to eat?

Shen Huanxi remembered that she came out of the rental house crying. Not long after she came out, she saw Su Chaoyang holding his son who was born through in vitro fertilization with another woman, and was going to buy a house for his one-year-old son.

However, whether it was for in vitro fertilization or buying a house for her son, all the money she spent was from her own earnings.

It was so ironic to think about it. She spent her whole life preparing wedding dresses for other people's good lives, but her own daughter ended up with such a miserable end, never enjoying any glory or wealth in her life.

Shen Huanxi sniffed. She didn't want to recall too much about her past life.

The duck was roasted, and she didn't wait for other dishes to be served before calling the whole family in to see her cooking skills. Shen Huanxi was very confident in making roast pork.

The roast duck was roasted into a caramel color and was still sizzling with oil. The aroma spread. Xiao Yutang and Chang'an, who had been able to resist swallowing their saliva just now, could no longer hold back.

"Give the duck legs to Chang'an and Changning. Zhengzheng, you should be more considerate of the girls." Xiao Yutang said while looking at the duck.

This boy has a bad temper when facing his stepmother, but he is quite gentlemanly to his two half-sisters.

Shen Huanxi made this roasted duck specifically for Changan and Changning. Since Xiao Yutang was so anxious that he offered to give it up, she didn't hesitate to break off two duck legs and gave one to Changan and the other to Changning.

Then break off the two duck wings from the base and give them to Xiao Yutang and Xiao Yuzheng.

"Try it."

"tasty!"

“It’s delicious!”

“I’ve never eaten such delicious duck!”

“It feels like Chinese New Year!”

The four children are really the ones who support us.

When Shen Huanxi heard Changning say "It seems like the New Year", his eyes almost got wet again.

This was Chang'an Changning's New Year wish in my previous life.

Fortunately, Chang'an Changning has no memory of her previous life, so she has to bear all the pain alone.

The next day was Sunday, and she still didn't have to go to work. After breakfast, she went into the house to do the accounts. Xiao Shanhe passed by and saw her, so he asked her to go to his study.

"The desk in the study is big enough. There's no need to squeeze it in here on the dressing table."

"This..." Shen Huanxi felt a little embarrassed after hearing what Xiao Shanhe said.

In her opinion, a study, like a bedroom, is also a person's private space.

The first time she met Xiao Shanhe, she was locked up in Xiao Shanhe's study by Zhang Guifen, together with Xiao Shanhe.

She had been feeling uneasy at the time. Besides the fact that she felt a little awkward being alone with strangers, another reason was that she felt like she had intruded into someone else's private space.

"We are husband and wife, so my study is your study, right? Don't want to go? That's fine, I'll go buy you a desk." Xiao Shanhe said when he saw her hesitation.

"No, no, I'll go!" Shen Huanxi said, picked up the form and pen, and went to Xiao Shanhe's study.

She then realized that when she first got married, Xiao Shanhe bought her a dressing table, a kang, and a wardrobe, but not a desk.

Did that mean that from that time on, he tacitly agreed that she could use his study?

Xiao Shanhe's study faces south and the large windows on both sides of the south door are made of glass. It is very bright and the lighting is much better than her bedroom.

As soon as Shen Huanxi entered, he heard Xiao Yutang calling the other three children.

"Let's go play by the old locust tree. I'll show you how to play with glass beads."

"Why do we have to go to the old locust tree? Aren't we having a good time here?" Xiao Yuzheng didn't understand.

"Chang'an and Changning's mother is at work, why are we arguing about it?" Xiao Yutang explained.

The other three children nodded like little chicks pecking at rice, and followed Xiao Yutang out.

The corners of Shen Huanxi's mouth slightly lifted up. She remembered what Xiao Shanhe said, that Xiao Yutang actually liked her very much, but he was too proud to admit it. It seemed to be true.

Shen Huanxi sat down at Xiao Shanhe's desk and couldn't help but look around the study.

The first time she entered Xiao Shanhe's study, her attention was all on Xiao Shanhe. She even helped him pick up the mortise and tenon structure box that Zhang Guifen had thrown on the ground. How could she have carefully observed his study?

Xiao Shanhe has an entire wall of bookshelves filled with many books, including world classics, traditional classics, and many books related to mechanical power.

Shen Huanxi remembered that Xiao Shanhe studied a major related to mechanical power in college, and after graduation he went to work in a state-owned agricultural machinery factory. It was not surprising that there were books related to mechanical power in his study.

On the other wall hung a brush calligraphy that read "extending in all directions, unobstructed, safe and on time, do a good job", the calligraphy was written in a flamboyant style, and the signature was actually Grandpa Xiaoping?

Shen Huanxi was shocked. Could it be true?

There is also a portrait of Zhan Tianyou.

Why is there a portrait of Zhan Tianyou hanging in his study?

Shen Huanxi didn't think much about it. She still had work to do. She didn't ask Xiao Shanhe until she finished the accounts and went out.

"Why is there a portrait of Zhan Tianyou in your study?"

"Someone gave it to me."

"Then that calligraphy...was it really written by Grandpa Xiaoping?"

"Um."

"Ahem... ahem..." Shen Huanxi almost choked out. What kind of guy did she marry?

"It was also given to him by someone else." Seeing that Shen Huanxi was so surprised that he coughed, Xiao Shanhe added.

Only then did Shen Huanxi breathe a sigh of relief.

Come to think of it, Xiao Shanhe's monthly pension is only 20 yuan, so how could he have any connection with Grandpa Xiaoping?

…

Early the next morning, Shen Huanxi went to work with the account form she had prepared.

On Monday morning, the command center holds a routine general meeting.

Director Cao was very happy and said that the Propaganda Department had just been established for less than half a month, but the work results were very significant. Now many people have voluntarily joined in the tree planting work.

She also asked if anyone had any comments or suggestions on the development of their work.

When the conference room fell silent, Shen Huanxi picked up the account that she had spent the whole day to prepare yesterday.

"Director Cao, I have made a bill here and I want to talk to you and everyone about it."

"Comrade Xiao Shen, you go ahead." Director Cao respected Shen Huanxi very much and made a "please" gesture.

"This is the money allocated by the state to our Yunnan Sanbei Command this year. Our biggest expense is on buying and planting saplings.

I looked and found that a sapling costs one cent, and the planting and subsequent maintenance of each sapling costs about fifty cents, but the survival rate of the saplings is less than one in ten.

As a result, we lose a lot of government funding every year, but the results are very low..."

"We all know this. This is one of the biggest challenges in our Three Norths Project," said Director Cao.

The leaders of the unit also sighed.

Although everyone knows that the low survival rate of trees is due to the harsh environment in the Northwest and severe desertification, it is a pity to think that the funds allocated by the state are wasted in this way.

They did not choose to do business to make money, but chose to do a career that was not for making money. Isn't it out of their love for this country and this land?

No one wants to waste the country's money, and no one wants to see a low survival rate of trees.

"So I thought of a way to save costs for the country and increase the survival rate of trees," Shen Huanxi said loudly.

"Xiao Shen, you say." Director Cao's eyes lit up. She trusted Shen Huanxi very much.

"We can mobilize the people to get saplings to plant at home, at one cent per tree. When they come to get the saplings, we check their IDs and register their information, including who has adopted how many trees and where they are planted.

After one year, if the saplings survive, they will be rewarded with 20 cents per tree. After another year, if the trees are still in good condition, they will be rewarded with 30 cents. This will greatly motivate the people, and if they take good care of the trees they have adopted, the survival rate of the trees will be greatly increased.”

Shen Huanxi expressed her thoughts.

As soon as he finished speaking, Director Cao and several leaders of the command center applauded, and the rest of the employees, no matter which department they were from, also agreed.

In the past, after they planted trees, they needed to send people to take care of the seedlings, which would consume a lot of energy and might not necessarily provide adequate care.

Now that this part of the responsibility has been transferred to the people, the effect will definitely be much better than having their own specialists to supervise it.

It is not free for ordinary people to adopt saplings. Instead, they have to pay one cent. This cost can also prevent some people who do not want to plant trees seriously from adopting trees.

It just so happened that a batch of tree seeds had just been shipped from the capital, and they would be planted next spring.

After discussion, Director Cao and his colleagues decided to set the price of this tree species at two cents, and to advertise for it to be available in every village starting tomorrow.

Shen Huanxi took the initiative to propose returning to Taolin Village, and both Director Cao and Director Zhou approved it.

However, she did not wait until the next day to go back. Instead, after get off work today, she went back to the village and went back to her mother's old house.

She had something to do and it was inconvenient for her to do it in the presence of her colleagues, so she came back early.

Shen Huanxi will not return to the city tonight. She left the child in the care of Zhang Guifen and Xiao Shanhe. After leaving her luggage at home, she went to the village committee immediately.

She brought back some things: a bottle of Fenjiu and a pack of Hongmei cigarettes.

When they arrived at the village committee, Director Li was there, so Shen Huanxi went in carrying his things.

When Director Li saw what was in Shen Huanxi's hand, he immediately knew that she was here to do something, so he quickly pushed the thing back, but Shen Huanxi put it directly on the table.

"I've already brought it here, Uncle Li, please don't refuse. It's not about anything else, I'll just say it straight. Doesn't Yao Cuihong want to sell the two-story building of the Feng family? Uncle Li, can you help me transfer it to my name?" Shen Huanxi stated the purpose of his visit directly without any hesitation.

Director Li laughed.

"I thought it was nothing. You don't need to ask me for help. The Feng family's house is not easy to sell. Now everyone in the village says that the house has bad feng shui. Aunt Feng has lowered the price several times, from one thousand yuan to the current six hundred yuan, but still no one wants to buy it. If you want to buy it, just go directly to her, without going through me."

"I don't have to buy it directly." Shen Huanxi shook his head.

If she could buy it directly, why would she come to Director Li?

"If Yao Cuihong knew that I was the one who wanted to buy it, she might not be willing to sell it, or she might not be willing to sell it at such a low price. I asked Uncle Li for help, and I wanted Yao Cuihong to sell the house to the collective first, and then I would apply for it from the collective. Do you think it's okay?"

The price of this house has been reduced to 600 yuan, and I don't know how much it will drop further. I will give you 600 yuan, and when the price is determined, I will refund you if there is more and pay you if there is less. But I have to trouble you to follow my instructions." Shen Huanxi said, handing over the money.

This was also the solution Xiao Shanhe came up with for her.

Seeing that Shen Huanxi had said so much and had already brought the money, Director Li had no reason to refuse.

Besides, it's not a big deal. If this house is really transferred to Shen Huanxi, it will solve Yao Cuihong's urgent problem and satisfy Shen Huanxi's wish. Why not do it?

When Shen Huanxi came out of the village committee, he met Xiaohua's mother.

It looks like Xiaohua Niang will be here for a while.

"Huanxi, you also said a few days ago that the Feng family's house has bad feng shui. Now everyone in the village is avoiding it. No one dares to buy it. How dare you buy it?" Xiaohua's mother was a little worried.

Shen Huanxi smiled and shook his head.

"Sister, think about it, the Feng family's house has bad feng shui, which caused Feng Shenghui to get divorced and marry a woman like Li Cuixiang. Now he's moving in again, but this is only bad for him.

That was my house before, so I got divorced. But my life is much better after the divorce, and I even bought a bicycle. So no matter how bad the feng shui of that house is, it is good for me. "

"You can't say that... Didn't your life get better after you left that house? Now people in the village shake their heads when they mention that house. Not to mention living in it, they don't even dare to get close to it, for fear of being contaminated by bad luck.

Huanxi, don't be impulsive. I know you worked hard to build that house, but you can still make more money. It's hard to get rid of the bad luck once you get involved."

"It's okay, I don't believe in those things." Shen Huanxi said with a smile.

Anyway, she was the first one to spread the news that the Feng family’s house had bad feng shui, so what was she afraid of?

After hearing what she said, Xiaohua's mother didn't know what to say to her anymore.

After Shen Huanxi left, she went into the office of Director Li of the Village Committee.

"Dad, Huanxi grew up under your care. Now that she has come to your house to talk about this matter, you have to help her well. It would be best if you can ask Old Lady Yao to lower the price.

The house was originally bought with Huanxi's hard-earned money. It's ridiculous enough that Huanxi has to pay for it back. Don't let her spend too much money. Anyway, the lower the price, the better."

"I know. Huanxi has sent the gift. I will definitely help her get this done."

"Why don't we do it as soon as possible? I'm afraid something unexpected will happen. Who knows if Old Lady Yao will be able to borrow money suddenly? We should help Huanxi transfer the house back as soon as possible. It will be better for us.

I also had a selfish motive. The Feng family's house is not far from ours, and we always run into Old Lady Yao when we go home. You don't know how rude she is to me every time she sees me, just because I gave birth to a daughter like Xiaohua."

…

After Shen Huanxi returned to her parents' home, she took a shower and went to bed early.

Her parents passed away early and there were not many relatives in her family. She used to think that each of her brothers and sisters were lonely, but since she had Chang'an and Changning, she no longer thought so.

Chang'an and Changning gave her the family affection that she had lost since her parents passed away. She didn't need any more family affection.

She has no brothers at home, so she wants to move back to her parents' home, and she is not afraid of being disliked by her brother and sister-in-law and being chased away.

This was always her home, forever.

The next morning, the people from the Propaganda Department also took a motorcycle back to Taolin Village to do new promotions.

This time they were divided into five propaganda groups, each with four people. The group that went to Taolin Village was Shen Huanxi, Tang Haifan, Yue Danqing and Wei Zhongcheng.

The three men came back in a three-wheeled vehicle and brought back some tree seeds to be planted next year.

We advertised in the village that it would cost two cents to plant a tree, and if the tree survived in the first year, we would get a 20-cent reward, and if the tree was still alive in the second year, we would get another 30 cents as a reward. The villagers were very excited to hear this.

Shen Huanxi and his team's first campaign showed initial results. Many people realized the importance of afforestation. They no longer wanted to be unable to go out due to the yellow sand, or have their crops buried by sandstorms.

Therefore, many ordinary people have spontaneously joined the Three Norths Project's tree planting campaign.

Now that I know that I can adopt tree seeds, and that I will be rewarded if they survive, and that I can make a positive difference to my hometown, and save some money, why not do it? Even if the tree doesn’t survive, it’s only two cents for a tree seed, so I won’t lose much money.

In just one day, Taolin Village, which has a population of just over 500, received more than 10,000 tree seeds. Everyone was very enthusiastic and said they would work hard to make the seedlings survive.

Shen Huanxi and three other colleagues almost shed tears.

There are more than 10,000 saplings. According to the survival rate of trees planted in Yunnan City in previous years, only 100 trees can survive at most. But now tree planting is different from before. Now it is the people who take care of the trees they planted themselves, so the survival rate will definitely increase a lot.

Even if the survival rate only increases to 200 trees, 200 trees will still survive.

If ordinary people adopt more than 10,000 tree seeds, 200 trees can survive. If they adopt more than 100,000 trees, wouldn't that be more than 2,000 trees?

This is a huge project that will take decades, so they are taking it one step at a time and there is a long way to go.

…

After completing the promotion and tree adoption work in Taolin Town, Shen Huanxi and his team returned to the city.

She rode a bicycle by herself, and the three men rode on scooters. The village road was rugged, and the scooters were not much faster than her.

When we returned to the unit, several other publicity teams had also returned, and each team had distributed more than 10,000 saplings.

Director Cao was so happy that tears welled up in his eyes.

"When the villagers plant the seeds in the spring of next year, we will see thousands of saplings in a year! We will plant one tree after another year after year, and one day we will be able to defeat the yellow sand for our motherland and give the three northern regions of our motherland a green belt!"

Director Cao spoke passionately, and many of Shen Huanxi's colleagues were wiping tears. They were all willing to dedicate their lives to the Three Norths Project...

Before leaving get off work, Director Cao rewarded Shen Huanxi with a commercial voucher for a TV in front of all the employees.

The private economy has developed in this era, but many things still require commercial bonds, the most representative of which is home appliances.

As far as Shen Huanxi remembers, it was not until the mid-to-late 1980s that household appliances such as televisions truly no longer needed a business circle.

"Xiao Shen, this time we have made such a big breakthrough in our work, you have played a big role, we should reward you, but we are just a poor government office, we can't give you anything, I got this TV ticket by chance, you can take it."

"Thank you, Director Cao." Shen Huanxi took the TV coupon ecstatically, then looked at other colleagues, "You..."

"You take it, you take it. Even if we have TV coupons, we can't afford it." Li Shaohua said, and the other colleagues also said they couldn't afford it.

Shen Huanxi thought about the 30 to 40 yuan a month salary that everyone earned and thought it was reasonable, so he happily put away the TV coupons.

When she got home, before she had time to share with her children the news that she had won a TV ticket, she saw a woman wearing a turmeric knitted long skirt, a black leather jacket and big wavy hair waiting at her door.

The woman wore delicate makeup and bright red lipstick, looking fashionable and flamboyant.

"Hello, Comrade Xiao Shen. I live nearby. My name is Jiang Xiaomei, and I'm Luo Chenchen's mother. Our Chenchen likes to play with your Changan very much. I wonder if Changan has ever mentioned him in front of you."

"I've mentioned you before. So you are Chenchen's mother. Hello." Shen Huanxi was happy to see Chenchen's mother so enthusiastic and responded enthusiastically.

"Mother Chenchen, do you have something to talk to me about? Come in and sit down." Shen Huanxi greeted.

She looked around her yard and saw no one there.

I looked down at the time and it was almost time to go home from school. I thought Zhang Guifen had gone to pick up her children.

Xiao Shanhe has been very busy lately and is away from home most of the time. He only returns home before dinner every night.

Shen Huanxi also knew that he went to the major machinery factories in Yunnan City to make extra money, so he ignored him. Jiang Xiaomei seemed to have something to ask her, so Shen Huanxi simply invited her to play at home, adhering to the principle of having more friends, more options.

Jiang Xiaomei followed her in without hesitation.

Shen Huanxi asked her to go into the living room and poured her some tea, and Jiang Xiaomei sat down with Shen Huanxi.

"Xiao Shen, I will tell you the truth. I came to you because I wanted to learn from you. My husband runs a canning factory and he doesn't let me work. My kids are taken care of by their grandmother, so I have nothing to do all day long. I just like to make some food.

Chenchen came back and told me that Changan's mother makes delicious snacks, so I wanted to learn from you. I wonder if you are willing to teach me. Here, I also brought you some gifts. These are canned foods produced by my husband's canning factory. They are not as delicious as the snacks you make, but they are just my little gifts. I hope you can accept them. "

After Jiang Xiaomei finished speaking, Shen Huanxi realized that she was carrying a box.

"If you want to learn how to make snacks, just come to my house when you are free and learn from me. Why bring any gifts? I have just married to Guixiang Village not long ago and I don't have many friends. I also want to make more friends. Teaching you how to make snacks is just like making a friend. You don't have to be so polite." Shen Huanxi said with a smile.

"Since we are making friends, consider it as a meeting gift from me to my new friend. Actually, today is the first time we meet. Xiao Shen, just accept it. They are all from my man's factory, and I didn't spend any money on them. Why are you being so polite? I learned from him, so I have to give you something. Otherwise, I will feel bad."

"Well then." Shen Huanxi couldn't refuse the hospitality, "Then I won't be polite."

"Okay, when are you free to make snacks? I'll come over and learn. I know you work in a government agency and you don't have time on weekdays. How about this, I come over on the weekends?"

"Okay, since you live nearby, you can come over on the weekends. Even if I don't make snacks when you come, we can still chat."

"Okay!" Jiang Xiaomei was very happy to see Shen Huanxi agreed, and then she went out.

Not long after she left the house, she saw Zhang Guifen coming back with her four children.

Zhang Guifen also asked the children to say hello to her, and she praised the name to each child before leaving.

When the four children came back, Changan, Changning and Xiao Yuzheng talked to Shen Huanxi about their experiences at school for a while before going back to their rooms to do their homework.

Shen Huanxi and Zhang Guifen went to the kitchen to cook together. When Zhang Guifen picked the vegetables and took them to the yard to wash them, Xiao Yutang suddenly came in.

"Why are you playing with Chenchen's mother?" Xiao Yutang said while frowning, as if he didn't like Jiang Xiaomei very much.

"Huh? Why can't I play with Chenchen's mom?"

"Chenchen is very rich. His father runs a canning factory."

"I know."

"So Chenchen's mother is a rich lady. She dresses up gorgeously every day, like a fancy rooster. Her lips are red and look like a bloody mouth that will eat children."

"Tangtang, how can you say that about other aunts? I think Chenchen's mother is quite pretty and fashionable." Shen Huanxi said.

She used to think that Xiao Yutang was a gentleman who would give in to Chang'an and Changning and would also think about her. For example, he would not let Chang'an, Changning and Xiao Yuzheng disturb her work, and would take Chang'an, Changning and Xiao Yuzheng out to play.

She never thought that the little boy, whom she thought was very gentleman, would actually have such a masculine side and not allow women to dress up properly.

Xiao Yutang seemed not to have heard what Shen Huanxi said, and he repeated what he had just said: "Why are you playing with Mrs. Kuang?"

"Hmm?" Shen Huanxi was really confused by Xiao Yutang's words, "Why can't I play with Mrs. Kuang?"

"My mother also used to like playing with rich ladies. She made friends with many of them. Later, she disliked my father and insisted on divorcing him." As Xiao Yutang talked about these things, his brows became more and more furrowed.

After listening to this, Shen Huanxi realized that she had just misunderstood Xiao Yutang.

Xiao Yutang is not a straight male chauvinist. He may be unhappy when thinking about his parents' divorce.

She knew the child must be sad when thinking about these things, but she didn't know how to comfort him.

"Forget it, you can play with whoever you want, I have no right to control you." Xiao Yutang said as he turned and walked out.

Shen Huanxi looked at the little boy's back and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"Tangtang!" Shen Huanxi stopped him, "I will not divorce your father."

Xiao Yutang had originally wanted to turn around, but after hearing what Shen Huanxi said, he paused and finally did not turn around.

"You are not my mother. It is none of my business whether you and my father get divorced or not. You don't have to tell me."

After Xiao Yutang finished speaking, he ran out.

Shen Huanxi could hear that his tone was very cheerful.

She also didn't know whether Xiao Yutang suddenly told her that Lan Linxiang disliked Xiao Shanhe after she had sex with Mrs. Kuang, because he was blaming Mrs. Kuang for "corrupting" Lan Linxiang, or because he was afraid that she would suddenly look down on Xiao Shanhe like Lan Linxiang.

Maybe it was both, otherwise his tone wouldn't have become so cheerful after he heard her say that she would not divorce Xiao Shanhe.

…

Shen Huanxi made apple-roasted lamb chops for the children.

She doesn’t dare to say anything else about things from the Northwest, but the beef and mutton must be good.

She bought the lamb chops, which were fatty and lean.

Mash apples, ginger and garlic together, add chili powder, cumin powder, soy sauce, salt, cooking wine and a little sugar. Mix into a paste and wrap the paste on the lamb chops. Wrap it with softened dried lotus leaves and grill on charcoal for an hour.

She turned the lamb chops frequently to ensure that they would not get burnt. Before they were done grilling, the children playing in the yard were attracted by the aroma of the lamb chops grilled with apples. The four children stood in a row to watch her grill the lamb chops.

Xiao Shanhe also came back. Shen Huanxi put the roasted lamb chops on a plate and uncovered the lotus leaves. The fragrant roasted lamb chops were sizzling and steaming. The aroma of garlic and apple wafted up along with the fresh fragrance of the lamb, and the four children were salivating at the sight.

"Huanxi is very versatile and can do everything. What she made today is something we have never seen before." Zhang Guifen praised Huanxi again.

Shen Huanxi is not humble at all.

"Mom, I know more than this. Don't worry. Wait, I will do the same thing in the future."

"Okay, okay." Zhang Guifen smiled and became more and more satisfied with her daughter-in-law.

Seeing that the children were so hungry, Shen Huanxi asked them to sit down and start eating. Xiao Shanhe also sat over.

Shen Huanxi was happy to see him coming back so late tonight and knew that he must be out making money again.

She had already returned his passbook. He had to make some extra money anyway, so if he really wanted to give her the money, he didn't have to give it to her every time he made some extra money. He could just give it to her after a while.

In fact, Shen Huanxi didn't care about his money at all.

"I saw a box of canned food in the living room." Xiao Shanhe said suddenly.

"Well, Luo Chenchen's mother Jiang Xiaomei came to visit and said that she wanted to learn how to make snacks from me as tuition." Shen Huanxi said.

Chang'an and Changning were so happy to hear her say this, their faces were filled with pride.

"Mom's cooking skills are amazing! They're famous! Chenchen's mom even came to learn from her!"

"Mom is so great! I love being your daughter. Being your child is definitely the happiest child in the world!"

"I also like being my mother's son!" Xiao Yuzheng said after listening to what Chang'an and Changning said.

Xiao Yutang said nothing, frowning.

Xiao Shanhe smiled faintly, glanced at the children, and then looked at Shen Huanxi.

"She gave you a can and you took it."

"Huh?" Shen Huanxi's heart skipped a beat when he heard Xiao Shanhe say this.

She thought of what Xiao Yutang said, that Lan Linxiang had too much contact with those rich ladies, so she was dissatisfied with Xiao Shanhe and wanted to divorce him.

Could it be that Xiao Shanhe has the same idea as Xiao Yutang and doesn't like her playing with Mrs. Kuang?

"Those canned foods are not cheap, five dollars a box. Since you have accepted a favor from someone, you should teach them well and treat it as making a friend," said Xiao Shanhe.

"Oh, okay." Shen Huanxi nodded. So this is what Xiao Shanhe meant.

However, when Shen Huanxi heard that the canned food cost five yuan a box, his brows wrinkled slightly.

It’s not that she felt she couldn’t afford a gift of this price, but she remembered that she had seen Li Cuixiang eating canned food of this brand, which was bought for her by Feng Shenghui.

Where did Feng Shenghui get the money? It was all her own money.

She was really stupid in her previous life.