On top of being beautiful and from the city, she wasn’t at all pretentious or impractical.
Everyone’s opinion of Si Nian, the Lin Family’s own daughter, immediately improved. They all praised her for being sensible.
No one thought she had done anything wrong in the recent incident.
In this era, people valued family ties deeply. Some even believed that when there were good things, relatives sharing together was only natural.
Sometimes, if you didn’t share, people would think you were stingy, hoarding everything for yourself.
But Si Nian felt that sharing should only happen when everyone lived in harmony—when you help me, and I look out for you in return.
Families like Uncle Lin’s, who loved to morally coerce others, she would confront each time—one comes, she deals with one; two come, she handles both.
She refused to compromise.
Because once was bound to lead to a second time.
Sometimes, if you tried to keep the peace, the other side wouldn’t be satisfied. Instead, they’d think you were easy to bully and only get worse.
Soon, everyone forgot about that little episode.
Lin Xue, who had been eavesdropping outside expecting Si Nian to be scolded, saw that not only was Si Nian not being accused of stinginess, but everyone was actually surrounding her with praise, treating her like the center of attention. She was so furious she ground her back teeth until they ached.
Especially when someone mentioned her with a look of disdain, her face darkened to the extreme.
At this moment, no one cared what she thought; nobody paid her the slightest mind.
The wedding day was approaching, and the families were discussing when to register the marriage.
They finally settled on two days from now.
The Lin Family decorated the house with lanterns and banners, celebrating joyfully all day long. Si Nian talked so much her lips felt dry.
When she got home, she didn’t even want to wash her face—she just collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.
Zhou Yueshen quietly entered the room and saw her lying on the bed, her long black hair cascading like a waterfall across the sheets, resembling a beautifully serene sleeping beauty.
He moved softly, walked over to the desk, took out a key, and opened a locked drawer.
Inside, he found the household registration book and ID card.
Besides those, there were countless medals and military officer credentials.
Then, holding the key again, he opened the wardrobe and pulled out a neatly pressed green military uniform.
These were things he hadn’t touched since leaving the army.
Glancing at the defenseless woman on the bed, Zhou Yueshen closed the wardrobe door, walked over, and gently pulled the blanket over her...
**
Because she was about to marry, Si Nian had to go back home for a few days.
So both families agreed that after registering the marriage, Si Nian would return home and come back on the wedding day.
Zhou Yueshen was quite busy these days, so he thought of asking someone to help take care of the three children.
He couldn’t let the kids suffer during such a time.
Of course, after the incident with Aunt Liu, he was more cautious about this.
Besides, it was only a few days; anyone with ill intentions wouldn’t dare to cause trouble.
Everyone was happy to help.
At the dinner table, Zhou Yueshen brought up this plan, and Si Nian agreed. After all, with two children going to school, it would be hard to take care of Yaoyao. She also couldn’t bring the kids back home; Zhou Yueshen probably worried about others gossiping and speaking ill of her.
Having someone look after Yaoyao for a few days was reasonable.
So she had no objections. But when the two children saw this, their expressions turned pale. Both were scared to the point that they lost their appetites.
Just as Zhou Yueshen was about to step out the door to head to the pig farm, the two children suddenly stopped eating and hurried after him. They ran up beside Zhou Yueshen and spoke loudly.
“Dad, we don’t want anyone to take care of us.”
“Granny Liu is bad—she steals things and hits my sister. We don’t want her anymore.”
“I only want Mom. Mom can’t leave.”
Si Nian, who had followed them out with a puzzled look, overheard the little second child’s tearful words and instantly felt her heart shatter.
Hearing his son’s words, Zhou Yueshen’s face turned cold, his dark eyes flashing with anger—utterly devoid of warmth.
In the past, if the kids saw him make that expression, they would have been terrified and wouldn’t dare say another word.
But lately, they had changed a lot. Now, they spoke anxiously, their faces full of panic and fear.
The shadows cast by Aunt Liu and that woman on their lives were like a sealed nightmare, suddenly torn open and laid bare in the depths of the children’s minds—impossible to forget.
Since Si Nian came into their lives, everything had changed drastically.
Happiness, warmth, joy…
Having tasted sweetness, they were even more afraid that the past would repeat itself.
On top of that, with Si Nian planning to leave, the thought of being with others made them even more frightened.
The eldest child remained relatively calm, but the younger one was on the verge of tears.
“Mom’s cooking is delicious. I don’t want to eat anyone else’s.”
“We don’t want Mom to leave.”
“Granny Liu’s cooking is awful, and she scolds me. Mom never scolds me.”
“Granny Liu even hits my sister. I hate her.”
“Waaah, I don’t want anyone else—I only want Mom…”
Hearing his son cry, Zhou Yueshen’s heart ached.
He got out of the car, crouched down his tall frame, and gently patted the little boy’s head. “Mom will be back in a few days. Yuehan, you have to be good.”
Tears and snot streaming down, Zhou Yuehan sniffled, “Then I want to go with Mom. I don’t want to stay with anyone else.”
Zhou Yuedong pressed his lips tightly, his eyes hollow and empty.
Si Nian sighed and stepped forward. “Alright, no more crying. Mom’s not going back.”
Hearing that, Zhou Yuehan immediately stopped crying and turned to look at her. “Really?”
Si Nian nodded. “Yes, really.”
She then looked at Zhou Yueshen and said, “I’ll stay a few more days. I’ll only go back the night before the wedding. Besides, it’s not far, and my parents understand.”
Zhou Yueshen stood up, his eyes deep and filled with guilt, his voice low and husky. “You’ve been through so much.”
Si Nian shook her head.
Then she looked at the two hopeful children and smiled. “No more crying, okay? I told your dad we’re not going back. No one else will take care of you.”
The two little ones stopped crying immediately. Zhou Yuehan happily hugged his dad’s leg and beamed, “Dad, you’re the best!”
Watching the children’s joy, Zhou Yueshen looked up at Si Nian.
The kids had never been this close to him before.
Si Nian also reached out to gently stroke Zhou Yuedong’s head before turning back to Zhou Yueshen. “Alright, you go ahead and get busy.”
“Yuehan, come here. Let your dad go to work.” This man had been so busy these days.
Zhou Yuehan happily ran back over and took her hand without hesitation.
—
That morning, a heavy rain had just passed, leaving the ground slick and wet.
The mountain was shrouded in thick white mist.
The village shrouded in white mist rose with wisps of cooking smoke, and from a distance, it looked like a beautiful ink wash painting.
Si Nian sat behind on the motorcycle, gazing at this backward village before her.
At this moment, her heart felt a surprising sense of peace.
Soon, the two arrived at the town.
Zhou Yueshen stopped the motorcycle and led Si Nian to the police station first.
Si Nian was a bit puzzled. "Why are we coming to the police station?"
Could it be that in this day and age, you get your marriage certificate at the police station?
Let the author quickly check Baidu... After checking, it’s actually the Civil Affairs Bureau!
Zhou Yueshen halted, his tone serious: "According to readers’ feedback, having two children in the same generation as me just doesn’t sit right. So, to save the author from getting scolded, I plan to take advantage of getting the marriage certificate to change the names of the two children..."
