Was my kneading really that bad? Do I just not have a talent for making mung bean cakes?
Zhou Zehan was feeling dejected when Si Nian came downstairs.
Her lips were glossy with lip balm, sparkling and beautiful.
Her entire face looked even more stunning.
Noticing the little boy talking to Zhou Yueshen with his head drooping, still holding a mung bean cake in his small hands, she raised an eyebrow and approached.
"Zehan, what's wrong?"
Seeing Si Nian return, Zhou Zehan anxiously asked, "Mom, mom, look! What animal does this look like?"
Si Nian glanced at the nearly collapsed mung bean cake in his hand and twitched her lips skeptically. "A rabbit?"
To her surprise, Zhou Zehan's eyes lit up, sparkling with excitement. "Yes! It's a rabbit! Mom, you're amazing—you recognized it right away!"
Then, he shot a resentful glance at Zhou Yueshen beside him.
Zhou Yueshen lowered his gaze to the shapeless lump in his son's hand and fell silent for a moment.
Even he had to admire Si Nian’s guess.
How could she tell that was supposed to be a rabbit?
Si Nian: Honestly, she had just taken a wild guess.
After all, if a child was making an animal, it would naturally be one they liked.
Lately, Zhou Zehan had been doting on a few motherless baby rabbits, cradling them like treasures. If it wasn’t a rabbit, she couldn’t think of anything else.
"Of course! Zehan made it so obvious—anyone could tell at a glance."
Si Nian believed encouraging a child’s interest in cooking wasn’t a bad thing, so she praised him.
This flattery made Zhou Zehan glance at his father again, convinced that Dad must have never seen an adorable little bunny before.
Otherwise, how could he not recognize it?
Mom said I did a good job!
Zhou Zehan was so happy he couldn’t bear to eat it. Cradling his little rabbit, the more he looked at it, the more it resembled one. Gradually, under Si Nian’s lavish praise, he lost all sense of self-awareness...
Watching his son descend into self-admiration, Zhou Yueshen remained silent.
In the city.
The Fu Family residence.
Fu Qianqian rushed home happily, carrying several large shopping bags.
She announced to her parents, who were sipping tea on the sofa, "Dad, Mom, I’m going to the countryside in a couple of days."
Mr. and Mrs. Fu were taken aback, turning to their daughter.
Her face was radiant with joy.
Suddenly, they noticed—her short hair had grown longer.
Before, she had always kept it cropped like a boy’s, with a fierce personality, always getting into fights, even wilder than her older brother.
Because of this, even at eighteen, no one dared to propose a match for her.
They had been so preoccupied with their son’s marriage prospects that they had overlooked their daughter’s changes.
Now, they were stunned.
Seeing her beaming like this only deepened their surprise.
Had their daughter, once as unyielding as iron, finally blossomed?
The countryside?
Hadn’t she gone there before, too?
For no apparent reason.
Could her sweetheart be a country boy?
At this thought, their eyelids twitched.
It wasn’t that they looked down on rural folk, but as parents, no one wanted their daughter to marry beneath her station.
Now, seeing her shopping bags filled with what looked like children’s toys and clothes, they were shocked.
Father Fu, who doted on his daughter, nearly spilled his tea.
Don’t tell me it’s a divorced man with kids!
They’d heard that the adopted daughter of the Si family had married some middle-aged man with multiple children.
Was their daughter about to follow in her footsteps?
At this horrifying thought, Father Fu slammed his cup onto the table.
His expression turned stern. "You—tell me the truth. Are you seeing someone?"
Fu Qianqian was startled, then rolled her eyes. "Dad, what nonsense are you spouting? When did I start dating? I didn’t even know!"
"Don’t play dumb! If you’re not seeing anyone, why keep going to the countryside?"
"And buying all this stuff—what kind of man makes you spend so much? Whoever he is, I won’t allow it! Give up now!"
Just as Fu Yang stepped into the living room, he overheard his father’s words. He gave his sister a surprised once-over before scoffing, "Someone actually wants you?"
Fu Qianqian: "?"
Father Fu: "You have the nerve to criticize your sister?"
Fu Yang: "..." Fine, he didn’t want to argue. He turned and headed upstairs.
Father Fu: "Break it off with him immediately!"
Fu Qianqian: "Dad, I’m serious—I’m not dating anyone! I bought these things to visit Si Nian!"
Father Fu: "Hah! Using Si Nian as an excuse? Do you think I don’t know how you two really get along?"
Fu Qianqian groaned. "It’s the truth! After Si Nian gave me her job, we buried the hatchet. I’m going to her wedding—she’s getting married on National Day! Didn’t you know?"
Father Fu froze. "R-really?"
Fu Yang, halfway up the stairs, halted. His eyes narrowed before he turned back, his expression icy.
Mrs. Zheng gasped. "Si Nian is really marrying that divorced man with three kids?"
Her reaction mirrored Fu Qianqian’s own shock when she first learned about Zhou Yueshen’s looks.
Fu Qianqian nodded, then smirked at her brother and deliberately raised her voice. "Of course! I ran into one of the workers from their farm yesterday—he told me and even invited me to visit. I didn’t want to go empty-handed, so I bought all this."
"Ah, Si Nian’s about to get married, while some people don’t even have a prospect in sight. How pitiful."
Mrs. Zheng panicked. "Old Fu, shouldn’t we hurry and set a date too? It’s been so long—people will laugh at us! Even Si Nian is married now."
Father Fu stroked his chin. "You’re right. We should discuss this with the Si family soon."
His son was already twenty-five—soon to be twenty-six. Father Fu was growing anxious.
At his age, Fu Yang had already been in elementary school.
Before he could finish, Fu Yang cut in coldly, "I’m not getting married. I have no interest in Lin Sisi!"
His parents nearly fainted from rage. "If not Lin Sisi, then who? The Si family sacrificed their daughter for an engagement that lasted over a decade, and now you just dismiss it? What will people think of our family?"
Fu Yang snapped, "You agreed to it—I never did."
"Think you’re so clever, huh? Fine! If you don’t like her, we won’t force you. But if you can find someone you actually want to marry, bring her home! If you do, we’ll call off the engagement immediately!"
Deep down, his parents knew their son wasn’t interested.
But for the sake of face, they had never pressed the issue.
Now, time was slipping away, and they were growing desperate.
If he truly didn’t like her, they couldn’t force him.
Still, they couldn’t help but feel bitter.
When he was little, he had adored Si Nian—the two were inseparable, even vowing to marry each other someday. That was why they had agreed to the engagement when the Si family proposed it.
Who would’ve thought he’d grow up to be a completely different person?
