At this moment, inside the house.
Si Nian had already been escorted to the second-floor bridal chamber, which had been specially decorated.
Though the wedding dress was beautiful, it was undeniably heavy. In this weather, she had broken into a sweat from the heat.
After changing into the red qipao she had bought herself, her already slender figure was accentuated, appearing graceful and alluring.
The expensive dress was worth every penny—its fabric was light, comfortable, and soothing.
Wearing it made her look both noble and dignified, exceptionally captivating.
Si Nian’s hair had already been styled into an updo, and the addition of red floral hairpins didn’t come across as excessive. Instead, they highlighted her radiant beauty even more.
She stood up and walked to the second-floor window. Just as she opened it to let in some fresh air, she caught sight of the Si family standing at the entrance.
Lin Sisi was the first to snap out of her daze.
Seeing her parents’ bewildered expressions, she quickly reassured them, "Mom, Dad, Uncle Li and the others probably just came because they saw the wedding banquet. After all, the Zhou family is the village’s biggest pig farming household. It’s normal for them to drop by."
The Zhou family didn’t have many relatives, so there was no way they could be close with such important figures.
But Lin Sisi knew that Zhou Yueshen’s role in boosting the village’s economy was common knowledge.
He was a representative figure of Xingfu Village.
When high-ranking officials came to inspect the countryside, the Zhou family would naturally be their first stop.
So it wasn’t surprising that they knew Zhou Yueshen—but that didn’t mean they were close. At most, they were just showing face.
Hearing this, Si’s Father and Si’s Mother, who had been momentarily stunned, finally regained their composure.
Zhang Cuimei let out a sigh of relief first. "I was just thinking, why would Director Li come here? So that’s the reason?"
For a brief moment, she had actually believed that Director Li and that Zhou fellow knew each other.
How ridiculous.
Her daughter was right—Director Li and the others must have been passing by during their inspection and decided to join the banquet after seeing the celebration.
She had heard before that Director Li loved joining in on festivities.
Now it seemed that was indeed the case.
"In that case, we should hurry inside and remind Si Nian and that Zhou guy not to offend them out of ignorance," Zhang Cuimei urged.
Si’s Father snapped back to reality at her words.
Though something still felt off, he didn’t dwell on it since his wife and daughter seemed so sure.
For a second, he had even thought Director Li and the Zhou family were relatives.
What a scare!
No matter how successful the Zhou family was, they were still just pig farmers from the countryside.
There was no way they could be acquainted with a city official like Director Li.
Let alone have him personally attend their wedding—that was simply impossible.
These three figures wouldn’t even all show up for the Fu family’s banquets, much less the Zhou family’s.
Once he made sense of it, Si’s Father patted his chest in relief and hurriedly led his wife and daughter into the Zhou residence.
The doors were adorned with festive decorations, and the place was packed.
Not only had villagers from the area come, but people from neighboring villages had also shown up in droves.
Though they weren’t relatives, many had bought pork from the Zhou family. Since Zhou Yueshen, the owner of the pig farm, was getting married, they naturally wanted to get on the new mistress’s good side.
Even more had heard that Si Nian was kind and easygoing, so they were curious to see for themselves.
Compared to Lin Sisi’s wedding in her past life—which had been sparsely attended and devoid of any liveliness—this was like night and day.
Lin Sisi was fuming.
Just in the short walk over, she had already heard several people praising Si Nian.
What a show-off.
She sneered inwardly. No matter how well Si Nian acted in public, it wouldn’t change anything. The real challenge in the Zhou household was those three children.
The youngest one was still naive and not a threat, but the older two—Zhou Yuedong and his brother—were strange, especially Zhou Yuedong.
That kid had an eerie aura about him.
Rumor had it that their mother and Zhou Yueshen’s previous woman had poisoned them, leaving them deeply resentful of women.
In her past life, after she married into the family, those two had treated her like an enemy.
Lin Sisi had despised them.
Zhou Yueshen might be generous now, but Si Nian would soon realize she wasn’t getting off easy.
Once she married in, the real suffering would begin!
As if on cue, she suddenly spotted Zhou Yuedong walking coldly toward a certain direction, holding a bowl of soup.
Following his path, her eyes landed on Si Nian, dressed in her red qipao.
Her spirits lifted. Just as she thought—the narrow-minded Zhou Yuedong would never let Si Nian have an easy time marrying into the family.
Especially since Zhou Yueshen was treating Si Nian so well.
He would surely worry about his siblings’ place in the household.
That kid was selfish and vindictive. When it came to his brother and sister’s safety, he was capable of anything.
Even after her divorce from Zhou Yueshen in her past life, she had heard rumors years later that Zhou Yuedong, by then a successful researcher, had his first stepmother thrown back in prison the moment he returned...
Si Nian thinking she could thrive in the Zhou family? What a joke!
The more triumphant she was now, the more miserable she’d be later!
Who knew—maybe Zhou Yuedong was planning to frame her right now?
Given how much Zhou Yueshen doted on his children, he would undoubtedly side with them.
The thought excited Lin Sisi. She tugged at her parents’ sleeves, eager for them to witness the scene. "Mom, Dad, look! There’s Sister Si Nian. She looks so beautiful today."
She pointed in Si Nian’s direction.
The Si couple had been busy searching for Director Li and the others, but at her words, they instinctively turned to look.
Just then, they saw a child approaching Si Nian.
It was a boy around ten years old, with an aloof demeanor and an indifferent expression—unusual for someone his age.
"Mom, Dad, that’s Zhou Yueshen’s eldest son, Zhou Yuedong. I heard he was abused by his mother and has a strange personality. I wonder if he’ll cause trouble for Sister Si Nian..." Lin Sisi feigned concern.
Si’s Father and Si’s Mother were taken aback.
"That’s Zhou’s son? No wonder he looks so odd. At such a young age, he’s already so gloomy—it’s unsettling!" Zhang Cuimei remarked.
Seeing him carrying soup toward Si Nian, she fretted, "That look on his face... Is he planning to dump it on her?"
Being a stepmother these days wasn’t easy. Some kids were downright malicious. She recalled a woman from her workplace whose stepson had pushed her down the stairs, breaking her leg. It had been horrifying.
And in the countryside? It was probably even worse.
The mere thought sent a chill down Zhang Cuimei’s spine.
Si’s Father frowned. His first concern wasn’t his daughter getting splashed but the potential embarrassment on such a joyous occasion.
Under the watchful eyes of the trio—some gleeful, some disdainful, some anxious—Zhou Yuedong finally reached Si Nian.
Lin Sisi held her breath.
Si’s Father took a step forward—
Then, in the next moment, Zhou Yuedong lifted the bowl with both hands and looked up at Si Nian.
"Mom... Mommy... Dad asked me to bring you some soup..."
Before the sentence could even be finished, the face of the young boy—who had just moments ago appeared cold, indifferent, and selfish in the eyes of the Si family trio—flushed bright red, his small hands trembling so much he could barely hold onto the bowl.
Lin Sisi: "?"
