Si Nian remained unfazed by such matters. "Aunt Zhang, I know you mean well, but I’d rather let things take their course. If Zhou Yueshen is the kind of man who can only be tied down by having a child, then he’s not someone I want in the first place."
Aunt Zhang was left speechless.
Though the reasoning sounded unconventional, it wasn’t entirely without merit.
After all, Si Nian was from the city—her perspective was broader than theirs.
As Aunt Zhang looked at Si Nian’s still radiant face even after marriage, she suddenly felt all her worries were unnecessary. With a sigh, she said nothing more.
Si Nian didn’t dwell on the issue either, since having children wasn’t part of her plans at all.
When she arrived home, the little ones were sitting on small stools by the door, eagerly watching the gate. The moment they spotted her, they jumped up joyfully and rushed over, crowding around her.
"Auntie, you’re back! What’s that you’re holding?"
"Mom, I’ve finished memorizing all my words! Can I help you with something?"
"Mommy~ hug~"
Yaoyao clung to Si Nian’s leg, cooing sweetly.
Amused, Si Nian picked up the little one and patted each child’s head in turn.
"Shitou’s here too."
"This is osmanthus. I’m planning to make some osmanthus cakes for you."
Originally, Si Nian had only taught her family how to make osmanthus cakes and mung bean cakes, thinking it was the season for osmanthus blossoms.
By the time others realized they wanted to learn, it was already too late—after all, osmanthus wasn’t available year-round.
The moment the children heard she was making osmanthus cakes, they immediately trailed after her like little ducklings.
As she stepped inside, Zhou Zedong hurriedly wiped his hands and emerged from the kitchen.
Seeing Si Nian return, he flustered, "Mom, I haven’t washed the ribs yet."
After watering the vegetable patch, he had remembered that Si Nian mentioned making sweet and sour ribs for dinner, so he’d rushed into the kitchen to wash the vegetables and cook the rice. He’d just put the rice on and washed the vegetables, leaving the ribs for last since he wasn’t sure how to handle them. He hadn’t expected Si Nian to finish washing up so quickly.
"It’s fine, I’ll wash them later."
Carrying the osmanthus inside, Si Nian was followed by the children, who knew another delicious treat was on the way. They clustered around her, eyes wide with curiosity.
Since there were so many kids, Si Nian decided to make extra.
Osmanthus cakes were fragrant and soft, never cloying.
Compared to mung bean cakes, they were better suited as a sweet snack.
After rinsing the osmanthus, she set it aside to dry.
She mixed rice flour, glutinous rice flour, and sugar in a bowl, adding water and stirring until smooth.
The kneaded dough was sifted, then mixed with the osmanthus.
The next steps were similar to steaming rice.
Once the rice was ready, Si Nian cleaned the steamer and lined the bottom with a damp cloth.
She poured in the osmanthus cake mixture, spreading it evenly. To keep the texture light and fluffy, she avoided pressing down too hard.
When steam began to rise, she cut the mixture into four sections.
Finally, she covered the steamer and let it steam over high heat for fifteen to twenty minutes before serving.
With a small amount of glutinous rice flour left, Si Nian added water and kneaded it into a dough. After the osmanthus cakes were done, she fried the dough into small balls.
Luckily, there was still sesame left from the previous banquet. The golden fried glutinous rice balls were rolled in a generous layer of sesame, turning them crispy and aromatic.
Si Nian skewered them like candied haws on bamboo sticks and handed them to the drooling little ones gathered nearby.
With their treats in hand, the children finally left the kitchen, thoroughly satisfied.
Si Nian was just about to start preparing dinner—steaming cakes, frying meatballs—working so hard that beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
But seeing how happy the little ones were, she felt the effort was worth it.
The thought startled her.
She had never considered herself fond of children before; in fact, noisy kids used to annoy her. Yet here she was, willingly toiling away to cook for them.
For a moment, she fell silent.
Then, in the next instant, she felt a tug on her sleeve.
Looking down, she saw Little Han, who had sneaked back inside.
"Mom, here," he said, pressing a crumpled handful of bills into her hand.
Si Nian was surprised. "Little Han, where did you get this money?"
"Dad gave it to me. I didn’t spend it. It’s for you. From now on, all my money will go to Mom." With that, he stuffed the cash into her pocket.
Si Nian smiled. "But if you give it all to me, what will you do?"
"I’ll earn my own! When I grow up, I’ll be like Dad and make lots of money for Mom!" He gestured excitedly with his hands.
Laughing, she replied, "Deal! I’ll wait for you to spoil me then."
Little Han grinned shyly, nodded emphatically, then dashed off, clutching his little meatball.
Watching him go, Si Nian felt a pang of guilt for her earlier doubts.
How could she have questioned whether being kind to these children was worth it?
If they grew up well, wasn’t that a good thing she’d done?
At the very least, the way things were going, the two boys wouldn’t grow up resenting her or going down the wrong path.
And in return for her kindness, they clung to her, filling her dull life with warmth and joy.
Giving and receiving went hand in hand—there was nothing "not worth it" about it.
Her expression softened into a gentle smile.
Just then, a familiar voice called from outside.
"Auntie, Mom sent me with eggs for you."
Si Nian turned to see her sister-in-law, Zhou Suisui, holding a basket of eggs and rice.
Frowning slightly, she said, "Why are you bringing more? We still haven’t finished the eggs Mom sent last time."
Zhou Suisui smiled shyly. "Mom said it’s to thank you. We can’t just take your skills for free. Please accept it."
Si Nian sighed but knew refusing would put her sister-in-law in an awkward position.
So she packed half the spare ribs and some osmanthus cakes into the basket. "Fine, I’ll take them. But you have to bring these back for Little Yu and the others."
Zhou Suisui looked flustered. "No, such good food—"
"If you won’t take it, neither will I."
That shut her up.
Si Nian then asked, "When are you planning to start selling?"
"Mom’s preparing today. We’ll try at the market tomorrow," Zhou Suisui replied nervously.
Nodding, Si Nian said, "Alright. I still have some osmanthus here—take it back and steam more cakes with Mom. They’re cheap and sell well."
"You remember how I taught you, right? What time are you going tomorrow? I’ll take you on my bike and go with you."
The Zhou family had never done business before, and Si Nian didn’t want them to get cheated.
Hearing she’d join them, Zhou Suisui visibly relaxed.
She nodded repeatedly.
To be honest, it was her first time venturing into business, and she had no confidence at all.
But with Aunt Zhang around, she felt much more at ease.
Si Nian planned to go with her family the next day, which meant she wouldn’t be able to bring Zhou Yueshen his meal. So she stayed up late waiting for him to return, wanting to let him know.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Yueshen came back even later than usual, and before long, she had already fallen asleep.
Not long after, the door quietly opened, and a tall man walked in, carrying the chill of the night with him.
