Even though An Jing Online Supermarket's transaction volume had increased considerably, it didn't mean it was profitable. In fact, it wasn't that simple. The company had too many people to support, and its daily expenses were far greater than its income. The distribution centers, logistics centers, and delivery personnel scattered across the city cost a fortune each day just to operate. How could it possibly make a profit by only providing services within Shenzhen City?

If making money were that easy, internet companies wouldn't need round after round of financing, eventually raising tens or even hundreds of billions of US dollars. Yi Anguo had no expectation of turning a profit in the short term, nor did he plan to raise additional funds for the time being. At the very least, he wanted to burn through the ten million US dollars he had invested before considering his next move.

When Yi Anguo had some free time, he found his niece, Fu Huanhuan, to ask if she was dating someone.

"Uncle! Don't listen to my mom's nonsense. I'm not dating anyone!" she firmly denied.

"Tell me about this guy. Where's he from? What does he do?" Yi Anguo pressed.

"Uncle! I already told you, there's nothing going on! I'm not dating anyone. Why are you asking so many questions? How would I know what he does?" Fu Huanhuan replied impatiently.

"Alright, I won't ask anymore," Yi Anguo nodded. "When summer vacation starts, you're coming home. I have to go back anyway, so I'll take you with me."

"Uncle! I...! I don't want to go back for summer vacation! I want to get a job and earn money!" Fu Huanhuan said with a pained expression.

"Enough! I can't manage you anymore," Yi Anguo said, his face hardening. "I'm sending you back to your parents! From now on, I'm not getting involved in your affairs. You can discuss them with your own mother and father!"

"Uncle! How can you do this to me? I don't want to go back! I want to stay in Shenzhen forever. I never want to go back there again," Fu Huanhuan said, looking as if she were about to cry.

"What about your parents? They don't want you marrying someone from out of province!" Yi Anguo stated.

"Why not? Just because I'm their eldest daughter?" Fu Huanhuan challenged. "I'll marry whoever I want, wherever I want. What era do you think this is? We have freedom in marriage and relationships! Do I have to listen to them about everything? If I listen to them, have a bad marriage, and end up unhappy, can they take responsibility for that?

"Aren't they just afraid no one will be there to support them in their old age? I can bring them to Shenzhen to live with me. Why must they retire in our hometown?

"Uncle! When you're old, will you go back to your hometown to retire? Will you demand that your daughter also return to her hometown to get married?"

"Why are you yelling at me? If you've got the nerve, go yell at your parents! I'm not the one denying you freedom in your marriage or relationships," Yi Anguo said helplessly.

"Uncle! You've always been the best to me. You've held me in your arms since I was a baby! Please, won't you try to persuade my mom and dad for me?" she pleaded, beginning to appeal to his emotions.

"Do you think I can really persuade your parents? Would they even listen to me if I tried?" Yi Anguo said, a headache forming.

Changing his sister and brother-in-law's minds would be no easy task. He truly didn't want to get involved in Fu Huanhuan's affairs. The best outcome would be for her to obediently acquiesce, return home to be a substitute teacher, get married, have children, and let everything fall back onto its original track. But now, it was clear that Fu Huanhuan had no intention of accepting her fate. She wanted to rebel, to break out of her hometown's small circle and settle down in Shenzhen for good.

It was perfectly normal for Fu Huanhuan to have such thoughts. Anyone who had experienced the vibrant, wider world and lived a better life would be reluctant to return to hardship. Although going home wouldn't necessarily mean a life of hardship, the conditions there could never compare to those in Shenzhen. Her job and income alone would take a massive hit. Being a substitute teacher in a rural elementary school paid next to nothing and couldn't be compared to the salary of an elementary school teacher in Shenzhen.

"Uncle! You haven't even tried, so how do you know my mom and dad won't listen to you?" Fu Huanhuan argued. "You're not the person you were before. My parents will definitely listen to you now. Even if they don't agree with everything, they'll at least consider your opinion."

"Even if I agree to persuade your parents, you still have to come back with me to face them and clear things up. You can't just decide you're never going home again, can you?" Yi Anguo reasoned after a moment.

"No, that won't work. You go back and talk to them first, then I'll go. If I go with you now, they might never let me leave again," Fu Huanhuan said shrewdly.

"If you don't want to stay home, could your parents really tie you up? If you don't want to marry someone, are they going to tie you up and drag you to the altar?" Yi Anguo couldn't help but laugh.

"You never know. What if they really do tie me up and lock me in the house? What am I supposed to do then?" Fu Huanhuan retorted, laughing along with him.

Clearly, even she didn't believe her parents would go to such extremes.

After Yi Anguo's persuasion, Fu Huanhuan finally agreed to go home with him during the summer vacation. She would face her parents and explain everything clearly, so as not to put her uncle in a difficult position.

As long as she was willing to go back with him, everything would be manageable. Based on her history, Fu Huanhuan would most likely bow to her parents' authority—obediently staying home to teach, marry, and have children.

After half a year of trying, Ding Jing finally got pregnant. Yi Anguo was both happy and exasperated. Before, none of them had gotten pregnant. Now that one had, it was as if everyone was competing to get pregnant too. The only exception was Li Sisi, who, after a car accident, was left permanently infertile, though she was otherwise unharmed.

Now that the others were pregnant, Yi Anguo spent a great deal of his time with Li Sisi, but she couldn't seem to find any joy in it. What was the use of him being with her every day? She still couldn't get pregnant or have children; she was destined to be alone in the future. Despite Yi Anguo's repeated assurances, Li Sisi refused to believe him.

Li Sisi threw herself into her career. After the second Chuan Yu Restaurant opened, the third was already set to launch soon. Yi Anguo had thought of every possible way to console her, but nothing seemed to work. Even having his daughter, Yi Xinyi, live with her—eating and sleeping under the same roof—only slightly lifted her spirits. It wasn't enough to resolve her deep-seated sorrow.

I'm about to have four children. Am I really going to have to adopt another one just for Li Sisi to raise? Yi Anguo wondered.

He was sitting dazedly in his office when Zhou Mengdie walked in with Li Shanshan. Li Shanshan was carrying a lunchbox she had prepared for her brother-in-law, having come specifically to deliver his meal. Chen's Enterprises had its own canteen, and Yi Anguo's meals were certainly not bad, so there was no need for her to do this. But Li Shanshan enjoyed it, and what could Yi Anguo do? If he refused, she would only get upset.

"Brother-in-law, your own company keeps you busy enough. Why work so hard for someone else, coming here every day?" Li Shanshan asked, watching him eat intently.

"I was forced into it. I had no choice but to come. It's... complicated," Yi Anguo said between bites.

"Brother-in-law! Will you still marry my sister in the future?" Li Shanshan asked again.

"Why do you ask that?" Yi Anguo replied, slowly putting down his chopsticks.

"Because my sister can't have children anymore. I've noticed she hasn't been in a good mood lately! Did you two have a fight?" Li Shanshan asked after a moment's thought.

"No. You're still young, so there's a lot you don't understand," Yi Anguo explained. "Your sister is feeling depressed because she can't have children, and she's become fixated on it. No matter how I try to console her, nothing seems to work.

"When you have the chance, you should try to talk to her. Help her see things more clearly and not to dwell on being unable to have children. Having kids is just one part of life; it's not everything.

"Even if she can't have children, she should still live a happy life, not waste it on pointless brooding. Her infertility is an unchangeable fact, so overthinking it is meaningless. It's better to try and live each day with a little more joy."

"Brother-in-law, you're the one who can best convince her. What good would it do if I tried? You're the one she cares about most," Li Shanshan said. "If even you can't persuade my sister, then who can?"

"How else can I persuade her? She's infertile. I can't magically give her a child!" Yi Anguo said, exasperated.

"Then let me try talking to her," Li Shanshan offered. "If nothing else works... I could have a baby for my sister in the future. I'll give the baby to her to raise, and the child can call her 'Mom'."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.