"Yet Liu Dongdong could recall every word Lin Sisi had said, but couldn’t remember when the heavy rain had started that day. She didn’t even realize that Lin Sisi had left in the afternoon, not the morning..."
The moment these words were spoken, both of them were shocked, their scalps tingling with unease.
"Nian... Nian, are you saying that the missing three thousand yuan really has something to do with Sisi?"
"Mom, you’ve watched Lin Sisi grow up. You know better than I do who she’s close to and who she isn’t."
Si Nian’s tone was indifferent.
That was true.
If Lin Sisi had truly been close to Liu Dongdong, wouldn’t they have known?
Even if the two had been close, why didn’t Liu Dongdong even know whether Lin Sisi had visited her in the morning or afternoon?
And why would she help Lin Sisi lie?
Could it be that the disappearance of the three thousand yuan was entirely orchestrated by Lin Sisi herself?
At the thought of this possibility, Lin’s mother felt a chill run down her spine.
Si Nian said calmly, "The truth is about to come to light, but we still need the right opportunity."
Lin Sisi had taken that three thousand yuan, forcing Si Nian to marry Zhou Yueshen and tarnishing the reputation of the Lin family, who had raised her for over a decade. They had suffered so much because of it.
Si Nian would never let her off easily.
"Mom, let’s go to the police station."
At the Si residence.
With the marriage arrangement settled, the Si family had been busy preparing for the wedding.
Finally, they were forming an alliance with the Fu family, and the Si family’s standing in the military compound had instantly risen.
More and more visitors came to pay their respects.
Si’s Father and Si’s Mother were delighted and generously gave Liu Dongdong extra money to prepare more food for the guests.
With someone else handling the cooking and cleaning, the couple enjoyed their leisure, taking Lin Sisi out to shop for wedding items.
Liu Dongdong finished preparing dinner, packed some soup into a container, and went into her room. She changed into her newly bought clothes and examined her new hairstyle in the mirror, biting her lip in quiet delight.
Liu Dongdong was a clever girl with a strong ability to adapt. Though she came from the countryside, she was quick to learn. After moving to the city, she had paid close attention to how others dressed and invested in herself whenever she had money, quickly finding her own style.
But today, after seeing Si Nian, she finally understood what true beauty was.
So, almost unconsciously, she had spent money on an outfit identical to Si Nian’s and straightened her previously curly hair to match hers exactly.
This style suited her much better.
She smoothed her hair, picked up the soup container, and headed out.
This was the time when Fu Yang usually returned home from work.
Uncle Liu had just driven the car into the compound.
From the rearview mirror, he stole a glance at Fu Yang’s condition.
Lately, their young master had been pushing himself relentlessly at work, returning exhausted every day.
It was as if something had provoked him.
His expression was grim, as though something unpleasant had happened.
Uncle Liu didn’t dare ask.
"Uncle Liu, if you have something to say, just say it." Fu Yang opened his eyes and shot him an irritated look, annoyed by the cautious scrutiny.
As if he were some fragile object.
He impatiently averted his gaze but suddenly noticed something and instinctively looked up.
There was a familiar figure.
"Stop the car."
Uncle Liu braked abruptly.
Looking ahead, he saw the back of a young woman carrying a food container.
At first glance, she resembled the Si family’s daughter, Si Nian.
In the past, when he drove back, he would often see Si Nian waiting at this spot, timing Fu Yang’s return. She would always bring soup or other treats.
But Fu Yang had always pretended not to see her, never acknowledging her presence.
But the next second, Uncle Liu dismissed the thought.
Si Nian was already married. There was no way she would be here.
Upon closer inspection, the figure was similar, but her figure and bearing were nowhere near Si Nian’s.
He quickly recognized her—this was the Si family’s maid.
She had once delivered nourishing soup for Lin Sisi.
He had seen her once before.
But last time, she hadn’t been dressed like this, so he almost hadn’t recognized her.
Fu Yang seemed to have realized it too, frowning slightly.
Hearing the car stop, Liu Dongdong turned around in surprise, her face flushing uncontrollably at the sight of the familiar vehicle.
Before, when she had delivered food, this car had always driven past without stopping.
But this time, it had stopped.
Liu Dongdong took a deep breath and walked over, feigning composure.
"Comrade Fu, hello. I’m here to deliver soup for Sisi. I heard you’ve been working hard lately, so I added some nourishing ingredients..."
She abruptly stopped, noticing his gaze, and lowered her head guiltily.
Fu Yang narrowed his eyes, studying her before his gaze fell on the container in her hands. He sneered, "Were the previous deliveries also made by you?"
Liu Dongdong hurriedly explained, "No, Sisi just isn’t very familiar with these things. I only helped her a little. She was the one who actually made the soup. I just assisted. Please don’t misunderstand, Comrade Fu. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to... Please pretend I wasn’t here today..."
"Wait." Fu Yang withdrew his gaze and said indifferently, "Leave the soup."
Liu Dongdong’s eyes flashed with delight, but she didn’t dare ask further. Handing it over, she quickly turned and ran away.
Her joyful demeanor was exactly like Si Nian’s in the past.
Fu Yang stared after her, lost in thought.
Sometimes, when he was in a good mood, he would accept the things Si Nian brought.
She, too, would be overjoyed, too shy to look at him, and would run off in embarrassment.
He watched for a long time.
Uncle Liu: "..."
By the time Si Nian returned, the sun had already set.
She rode her bicycle effortlessly, the front basket and rear seat laden with her purchases.
Though the villagers were used to Si Nian’s extravagant spending, they were still astounded every time they saw the amount of things she bought.
They regretted more and more not having arranged for their own daughters to marry into such a life.
Even without children, living this comfortably would have been worth it.
But by the time they realized it, it was already too late.
At the entrance of the Zhou residence, Second Child sat on the doorstep, covered in dirt, craning his neck to look outside from time to time.
Beside him sat Shitou, equally grubby and only reaching his shoulder in height.
Zhou Zedong came out in clean clothes and, seeing the two in this state, said nothing.
He adjusted his neat new outfit, touched the little red flower pinned to his chest, and, satisfied that everything was in order, picked up a broom and began sweeping.
Zhou Zehan and Shitou sat on stools, swinging their legs.
The sound of a bicycle rattling over the road reached them, and the two little ones slid off their seats like slippery eels, running toward the noise.
As Si Nian pushed her bicycle into the yard, the two immediately surrounded her.
"Mom, you’re back!"
"Auntie!"
"Hmm, why are you outside? Haven’t you eaten yet?"
Second Child pouted and said in a sweet, whiny voice, "We were worried about you. Couldn’t eat."
Si Nian was charmed by his expression and patted his head with a smile. "My little Zehan really knows how to care for people."
Shitou immediately chimed in, "Auntie, me too! I was worried about you. I didn’t even go back when Grandma called me."
Si Nian laughed joyfully, her eyes crinkling as she looked at the two little ones, then glanced at Zhou Zedong standing not far away with a broom in his hand. "Haven’t spoiled you for nothing. You must be hungry, right?"
The two children immediately took her hands, one on each side, and pulled her forward, pointing at the basin of loaches on the ground.
"Mom~ Look, the fish Brother and I caught~"
Shitou added eagerly, "Me too, me too!"
Si Nian gasped in surprise at the palm-sized loaches in the basin.
This was such a treasure!
Second Child sniffled and stared at Si Nian with hopeful eyes. "Mom, can we have fish for dinner?"
Si Nian nodded with a smile. "Sure, we’ll have fish tonight!"
She then turned to Zhou Zedong. "Zedong, help Mom pour some water into the basin, will you?"
As she spoke, she noticed a little red flower pinned to his chest and paused. "What’s this?"
Zhou Zedong immediately straightened his posture. "The teacher made me class monitor and gave this to me."
Seeing his serious yet nervous expression as he watched for her reaction, Si Nian couldn’t help but pinch his cheek affectionately. "That must be because you’re so amazing, right? That’s why the teacher chose you."
Zhou Zedong shyly lowered his head, staring at his toes, before finally murmuring a soft "Mhm" after a long pause.
~Please give me little flowers~
