After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 87 The Shen Family Undergoes a Dramatic Change

The couple, wrapped in heavy coats, stepped out of their house and finally saw the entire exterior of Shen Yi's house.

The courtyard wall was originally ten feet high, which was considered a large and deep courtyard in the village. Now it has been raised another ten feet, making it impossible to see inside.

Xu clicked her tongue in amazement: "The tallest wooden ladder in the village is less than ten feet high. How did he manage to do that? And where did he get the stones in the dead of winter?"

Heavy snow blocked the mountains and rivers, and even a pit on the ground was not visible.

The couple were full of questions, but when they arrived at Shen Yi's house, they found that even the front door had changed.

The previous door had a wooden frame, but now it had been replaced with a stone frame. Although it was still the same door, the two of them felt that something was different.

Just as Shen Zhuang was about to knock on the door, Madam Xu stopped him, saying, "Look at this wall and this door. Do you think they can hear you knocking from inside?"

As she spoke, she shouted at the top of her lungs around the outer wall of Shen Yi's house. After shouting for a while, the door finally opened.

"Second Uncle and Second Aunt, come in quickly."

Shen Yi opened the door and immediately invited them in.

When the couple entered, they found that the courtyard was still the same as before, except that the courtyard wall had been raised by one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters), and the courtyard gate had been changed to two gates, one wooden gate on the outside and one stone gate on the inside.

This stone gate was clearly made by an expert; it's meticulously crafted in every detail.

"Ah Yi, this door must have cost you a lot of money!" Shen Zhuang stepped forward and carefully touched the stone door, his eyes practically glued to it.

Madam Xu hurriedly stepped forward and pulled him into the main room, saying, "Don't look, even if you do, our family won't know how to fix it."

That door was clearly not something an ordinary farmer could afford.

The three entered the main room, and Shen Yi poured them water before explaining, "It's just me and Xiao Tai at home. I can stay home in winter, but I'll be busy after spring. There will be more things in the house, and Xiao Tai can't take care of everything by herself. It would be troublesome if thieves broke in. I've built the walls up to two zhang high and raised two dogs to guard the house, so we don't have to worry."

As for the stone gate, my father-in-law paid for it with money and effort; I didn't spend much money myself. With this stone gate, I don't have to worry about my family if I come home late or can't come back at all.

From now on, when my second uncle and aunt come over, they only need to pull on the wooden door, and the people inside will hear them.

Upon hearing this, the Xu couple realized that it was indeed the case. In fact, they had specifically chosen this location to build their house so that they could take care of the young couple nearby. Since Shen Yi had taken everything into consideration, they no longer needed to worry.

Before leaving, Shen Zhuang stood on the wall of the research institute, pointing to the hollow bricks and asking in confusion, "Those aren't stones from the river, are they? From the mountains?"

Shen Yi's back was soaked with sweat. He nodded vaguely and quickly changed the subject. "A few days ago, the village chief asked me to prepare some fish. The villagers will buy them at the end of the year. I've saved two three-pound carp for you. Second Uncle and Second Aunt, take them back and raise them for a few days. They'll be just what you need for the Spring Festival."

Xu's eyes lit up, and she excitedly ran into the kitchen to see the two fish, so happy that she was incoherent.

Shen Zhuang sighed, "I had heard before that you were catching fish to sell for money, but I thought it was just small-time stuff. I never expected it to be such a big fish! Your parents would be so proud of you if they knew in the afterlife."

Madam Xu nodded frantically in agreement, "Now all that's missing is children. Once Xiaotai gives you a few children, we can really face your parents!"

"What do you want to explain?" Su Tai came in from outside, looking at everyone with a puzzled expression.

Madam Xu chuckled and said, "We were just saying that Shen Yi is capable and successful now! All that's missing is having a child. You two have been married for two months, it's about time you decided to have one." Su Tai blushed and fell silent.

Shen Yi quickly came to her rescue, "Second Aunt, we're not in a hurry."

Madam Xu's expression changed, and she scolded, "Carrying on the family line is a major event, how can you not be anxious? Think about how those two scoundrels in Ximen Village laughed at you back then."
Now you've built a better life for yourselves, bought land, built a big courtyard, and even have a donkey cart. You're better off than them in every way, except for the children, which they can still gossip about. You need to be more ambitious and have children early to spite them!

Speaking of Xu Shi of the Mo family who broke off the engagement, she gets angry. She wants Shen Yi and Su Tai to live a prosperous life and make that wretched woman from the Mo family regret it for the rest of her life.

The young couple didn't dare to breathe loudly, staring at the indignant Xu.

Seeing that Madam Xu was still insistent, Shen Yi quickly promised to have the child immediately before sending Madam Xu and her husband away.

As soon as the door closed, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Su Tai looked at her flat stomach, then at Shen Yi, and blinked innocently, "Should we go see a doctor?"

Neither of them used contraception, so I don't know why she didn't get pregnant. Could it be that there's something wrong with her health?
Shen Yi was both amused and exasperated, and pulled her into his arms. "Don't overthink it, it's just that our time hasn't come yet."

Seeing that Shen Yi really didn't care, Su Tai immediately put the matter out of her mind and went to the Time-Space Gate Transfer Station after returning to her room.

She had previously ordered a high-temperature resistant marble door from a brick kiln for 10,000 coins. After it arrived and was installed yesterday, she has already spent over 10,000 coins in Fire Time and Space, and her Fire Time and Space level has been upgraded to level two.

She hasn't even gone inside yet!

When she pushed open the door to the Fire Time and Space, she discovered that a fireworks shop had appeared opposite the brick kiln. The orange-yellow lights shone on the fireworks, instantly creating a New Year's atmosphere.

She went in excitedly for a look, but found that there was nothing she could use, so she came out dejectedly.

She checked the Fire Time-Space upgrade rules at the transfer station and almost swore in anger.

She couldn't understand why it only required spending 10,000 virtual coins to upgrade from level one to level two, but 100,000 virtual coins to upgrade from level two to level three. What could fireworks and firecrackers possibly do?

Frustrated, Su Tai returned to her room and, unable to contain herself any longer, sought Shen Yi's help, asking, "What do you think fireworks and firecrackers can do?"

"Naturally, it's about cleaning up the impurities of the New Year. Before the drought, every household would set off firecrackers before having their New Year's Eve dinner. In the first year of the drought, the first firework shop in town had an accident, blowing up two shops next to it. The fire burned down half a street, causing Ma Yuanwai to suffer heavy losses, so he closed his firework shop."

That was the only shop in town that sold fireworks. After it closed, no one wanted to buy it. It might be related to the drought; stockpiling fireworks during that time is extremely dangerous. If one exploded, there wouldn't even be water to put it out. You were sick before, so you probably forgot about it.”

Shen Yi spoke casually, as if chatting.

Su Tai's eyes lit up. "Were fireworks and firecrackers very expensive before?"

Shen Yi paused for a moment, then nodded slightly. “It’s not cheap. I heard that the raw materials for making fireworks and firecrackers are not easy to obtain. Firecrackers are a bit better, costing ten coins each. As for fireworks, I’ve only seen them once before. The cheapest ones cost fifty coins, and they’re gone in a flash. I’ve also heard that there are some that cost several taels of silver and can last longer. There aren’t many rich people here, so I haven’t seen any.”

Su Tai got useful information from Shen Yi and immediately ran to the fireworks shop to order a batch of goods from the owner. She didn't want any patterns, or she wanted them to be made into ancient-style, festive designs.

Sorry, the upgrade fee for Fire Time and Space has been changed to 100,000 virtual coins.