After saying that, Si Nian didn't even look at her contorted face. She turned to the two stunned little ones and said, "Go do your homework now. Let your aunt handle the chores. Your aunt is so diligent; you should learn from her, understand?"
Snapping back to reality, the two children immediately shouted in unison, "Thank you, Auntie!"
Little Lao Er's previously aggrieved little face was now beaming with delight. He said in an extra loud voice, "Auntie, since you're washing Da Huang's doghouse, could you clean out Xiao Bai and the others' rabbit hutch too while you're at it? Xiao Bai and the others have grown up, and they poop a lot every day. Mom says if it's not cleaned daily, it'll get stinky..." Having said that, he stuck his tongue out at Zhou Tingting.
Zhou Tingting's face turned livid with anger, and she nearly spat blood.
She turned her head angrily to glare at Si Nian, wanting to say something, but meeting Si Nian's smiling expression sent an inexplicable chill down her spine.
Gritting her teeth, she thought, fine! As long as I can stay, enduring a bit of hardship is better than being kicked out!
Zhou Tingting believed that when her elder brother saw how Si Nian was treating her, he would surely be furious.
With that thought, Zhou Tingting's heart instantly felt smoother.
Si Nian didn't care what expression she wore. Having someone to clean was a welcome leisure for her. She carried Yaoyao and went upstairs to read.
In the bathroom, Zhou Yueshen was cleaning up the remnants.
The bathroom was quite spacious. Previously, it had nothing in it except for two basins.
But since Si Nian arrived, many things had been added.
Bottles and jars, for shampoo or body wash, sat on a shelf to the side.
The bathroom was well-designed, even featuring a window.
It faced the direction of the wind; opening the window provided excellent ventilation.
For privacy, Si Nian had hung a white gauze curtain, tied with a bow. When the breeze blew, the curtain fluttered gently.
Looking up, it resembled a beautiful pastoral landscape painting.
Zhou Yueshen had placed the bathtub in the center. There was a drain hole at the bottom; pulling out the plug let the water drain away, making cleaning convenient.
To prevent slipping, he had also installed two small steps beside the tub...
The installed bathtub wasn't overly large, comfortably spacious for one person to soak in.
But it was very heavy, certainly too much for Si Nian to lift.
Zhou Yueshen cleaned it and tidied up the bathroom.
Hearing movement outside, he saw Si Nian carrying the child walk in. He raised his hand, gesturing for Si Nian to come over.
"Wow, you even installed a little platform."
Seeing the small steps, Si Nian was delighted.
Zhou Yueshen gave a slight nod, reached out his large hands to take Yaoyao, and looked at her, saying, "Try and see if it's stable."
Si Nian nodded, stepped onto it, and tested its firmness. The man's large hand supported her arm.
Perhaps because he had just been moving things, Zhou Yueshen's hand was very warm, the veins on his arm prominent.
Si Nian's hand looked particularly delicate in his palm.
After testing for a moment, it didn't wobble at all; it was very stable!
Immediately, Si Nian shooed the man away, saying she wanted to take a bath.
She had bought some sachets earlier. These sachets were used by wealthy young ladies and madams in the city. Putting them in bathwater could leave one fragrant for days.
They were also good for the skin.
She had bought them but hadn't had a chance to try them yet.
Seeing her eager expression, he gave a slight nod. "I'll go heat the water."
With that, the man turned and went downstairs.
...
Just as Zhou Yueshen entered the kitchen to heat water, Zhou Tingting walked in.
Seeing her elder brother actually heating water in the kitchen, her face immediately fell.
In their village, no men ever entered the kitchen. Everyone generally believed that only incapable men would go into the kitchen; kitchen work was for women.
Men who got the smell of cooking oil on them couldn't achieve great things.
Even though she lived in the city now, where men occasionally cooked, her own husband never entered the kitchen at home. It was always her or her mother-in-law who cooked.
When the family was poor before, it was one thing, but now that her elder brother was so wealthy, he still had to come into the kitchen to do such things.
What was the use of marrying a wife like Si Nian then?
Zhou Tingting also thought about how Si Nian had ordered her to do this and that. Feeling wronged, she pulled a long face and said, "Elder Brother, Sister-in-law is really too inconsiderate, making you come to the kitchen to heat water yourself. What is she doing? Earlier, she even made me sweep the floor and wash the doghouse. She's deliberately making things difficult for me."
If it were before, if Si Nian had asked her to do these things, she would have made a huge scene long ago.
Now, to stay, Zhou Tingting didn't dare push her luck and could only pretend to be wronged. Anyway, she just couldn't swallow this anger. For so many years, she had never suffered such hardship.
She was now hoping Zhou Yueshen would help her. After all, no matter what, she was his own younger sister.
As she thought this, Zhou Tingting gained confidence.
She looked at Zhou Yueshen indignantly, tattling.
Unfortunately, Zhou Yueshen's expression was indifferent. He didn't even look up at her, his voice low and cold. "Didn't you say yourself you wanted to help her with work?"
These words directly choked back Zhou Tingting's grievances.
She stared at her elder brother in disbelief. Sure enough, what others said was true: once there's a sister-in-law, the elder brother is no longer her own dear brother.
She had always thought her elder brother was hard to get along with, naturally cold-hearted and unfeeling. He never smiled at anyone, devoid of any warmth.
It made her feel not an ounce of closeness, even somewhat fearful, not daring to approach him.
Now, with Si Nian here, he was even more cruel!
He could actually endure an outsider bullying his own younger sister.
What on earth was he thinking?
Zhou Tingting didn't like this elder brother either. Back when she was marrying into the city, he had said the Li family was no good, putting on a sour face in front of her in-laws.
Causing her to lose face.
At that time, he was just a lowly soldier. No matter what, her in-laws were city folks with iron rice bowls (secure jobs). What was so bad about that? They were hundreds of times better than their Zhou family.
What right did he have to disapprove?
Zhou Tingting felt deeply ashamed, so when she married out, she thought she would never come back.
Who knew Zhou Yueshen would start a pig farm and make a lot of money.
The in-laws who had looked down on them immediately changed their attitude towards her.
That's why Zhou Tingting was willing to have contact with him again.
"But... but she can't make me do everything alone!" Zhou Tingting was full of pent-up frustration.
Only then did Zhou Yueshen glance at her, his voice calm. "If you can't do it, then go back."
Zhou Tingting was immediately speechless.
Watching Zhou Yueshen leave, her face twisted. She ran outside wanting to vent, but facing Da Huang's fierce dog face, she was scared into holding it back again!
Zhou Tingting was filled with rage but had nowhere to vent it.
She wanted to go back even more. A wretched place was just a wretched place; even if a big house was built, she couldn't bring herself to like it.
Zhou Tingting grew increasingly annoyed. Muttering curses against Si Nian and Zhou Yueshen under her breath, she picked up a firewood chopper and headed towards the mountains.
Si Nian read in her room for quite a while. Coming downstairs and not seeing Zhou Tingting, she thought the woman couldn't take it and had left.
But just after taking a couple of steps, she saw Zhou Tingting, sweating profusely and panting, returning with a few pieces of firewood on her back.
Her face was as long as an old cucumber. No need to guess, she had probably cursed Si Nian dozens of times in her heart.
"Auntie, why are you only coming back now? It's already noon. We're waiting for you to cook. Do you want to starve everyone to death?"
After saying that, Si Nian felt she was starting to sound like one of those shrewish village aunties.
Zhou Tingting was already fuming inside, and hearing Si Nian's words made her feel like she was about to cough up blood.
She hadn't done manual labor for years since moving to the city. The thought of going up the mountain to chop firewood now was practically a death sentence for Zhou Tingting.
Digging her nails into her palms, Zhou Tingting looked at Si Nian with a strained smile and said, "I got delayed a bit, I'm coming now."
Unexpectedly, Si Nian stepped forward, looked disdainfully at the few sticks of firewood in her basket, wrinkled her nose and said, "Auntie, you're really slacking off. Just these few sticks won't even last a day. You'll have to go gather more later, or else there won't be any firewood to cook with tomorrow."
Zhou Tingting's face twisted.
She couldn't hold back anymore. Not seeing Zhou Yueshen around gave her a bit more courage. "Sister-in-law, aren't you just bullying me? You're taking advantage of my brother being angry with me right now to push me around. Don't go too far. When my sister Yujie comes back, my brother will definitely marry her. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Hearing that woman's name, Si Nian raised an eyebrow but didn't get angry. "A man who can be snatched away by someone else is no good. Do you think I'd even want him?"
After saying that, Si Nian shrugged, yawned, and walked into the house, casually adding, "It's New Year's Day today, we should make something nice for dinner. It's my first time having a meal cooked by you, Auntie. Don't disappoint me."
Seeing how Si Nian completely dismissed her words, Zhou Tingting was almost driven mad.
Of course, she didn't dare act out.
Her big brother was still home. She had already made him angry last time.
If she got into another fight with Si Nian now, she would truly have no place left in this family.
Thinking that it was New Year's Day, if she cooked a good meal for her brother, maybe he'd be happy and stop being angry.
With that thought, Zhou Tingting suddenly felt a surge of motivation and walked into the kitchen.
Seeing the vegetables, fresh meat, and a slaughtered chicken on the kitchen counter, Zhou Tingting's eyes nearly popped out.
It's just New Year's Day, why make it seem like Spring Festival?
Many rural families can't even afford meat nowadays.
Even though Big Brother runs a pig farm, he shouldn't be this extravagant.
We had meat dumplings this morning, and now there's a chicken too. Their life is even better than mine in the city.
The more Zhou Tingting thought about it, the more bitter she felt.
Because when she used to live at home, the family's conditions weren't good at all.
The Zhou family was among the poorest. Forget meat, even rice was hard to come by. Back then, she ate sour soup with corn rice or dough drop soup!
Having a bowl of plain rice was the happiest thing.
Now the Zhou family has money, but she hasn't gotten to enjoy any of it.
Instead, an outsider like Si Nian is living the good life.
Those dresses she wears, so beautiful. Zhou Tingting had a sharp eye.
Even though she couldn't afford them, she kept up with fashion.
She could tell at a glance they weren't cheap.
Zhou Tingting thought to herself, Si Nian lives so well, and the family is getting better and better. It seems Big Brother is really making more and more money.
Could she get some money from here to take back?
She wouldn't aim for the bank book, but if she could get some money to send her son to a foreign language school...
It's only right for Big Brother to support his nephew's tuition.
With this in mind, Zhou Tingting's attitude towards her tasks became much more enthusiastic.
None of that half-dead look from before remained.
Hearing the clattering noises from the kitchen, Si Nian was a bit worried that Zhou Tingting might be so angry she'd smash the place up.
Who knew that when she entered, she'd see Zhou Tingting cooking with a serious look on her face.
That willing attitude was as if she'd been brainwashed.
Si Nian almost thought this aunt-in-law had truly turned over a new leaf and reformed.
"Auntie, you're quite quick with your hands. Looks like you don't need my help at all."
Si Nian watched and said with a smile.
She guessed Zhou Tingting must have come up with some new idea again.
But it didn't matter. Whatever idea she had, Si Nian wouldn't let her have her way.
Zhou Tingting put on an ingratiating expression and smiled, "It's been a long time since I cooked for Big Brother, Little Dong, and Little Han. It's rare for me to come back, so this is the least I should do. But Sister-in-law, you all are really extravagant, eating big fish and meat every day. Even though my family lives in the city now, our life isn't as good as yours. We haven't had meat for days. Now that Big Brother and Sister-in-law are living well, don't forget your poor relative."
Si Nian's expression remained perfectly calm. "You're too kind, Auntie. No matter how we live, how could we compare to you city folks? I'm actually hoping you'll bring us some nice things from the city. By the way, it must be easy to buy seafood in the city. The children have never had any, it's quite pitiful. Could you get some for us? Since you're from the city, getting some seafood should be simple, right?"
Hearing this, Zhou Tingting's face twisted, and her voice turned shrill. "Seafood? Are you dreaming? Seafood isn't something ordinary people can afford! Buying it for you? You should be grateful you have food to eat!"
Actually, Zhou Tingting's family conditions weren't that bad; they could occasionally taste seafood.
But something they themselves were reluctant to eat, how could they possibly buy it for Si Nian? What a dream!
After saying that, Zhou Tingting realized she hadn't controlled her emotions and hurriedly added, "It's not that I'm unwilling, it's just that my Little Yang is about to start fourth grade. His previous school wasn't good, his grades are poor, and the good schools are too expensive. I can't even scrape together the money. I'm so worried about sending my child to a good school that I can't sleep or eat..."
After finishing, she looked expectantly at Si Nian, waiting for her to respond.
Sure enough, Si Nian nodded in agreement and said, "That really won't do."
Zhou Tingting's eyes lit up, and she immediately said, "Right? You're from the city too, so you must understand a mother's good intentions. It's just the money... Sister-in-law, you are, after all, my child's aunt. Helping the child should be a given, right..."
Si Nian tapped her chin with her finger. "Alright then. Seeing as you're my auntie, I'll talk to Little Dong. I'll have him ask if their Hope Primary School homeroom teacher can take your son in..."
"What? Hope Primary School?" Zhou Tingting's face changed colors like a rainbow.
Her expression was twisted beyond recognition.
"Yes. I see Little Dong is doing very well in his studies here. Auntie, didn't you say your son's grades are poor? Then send him here. This place doesn't charge tuition either, which just solves your money problem."
"Who wants this broken-down primary school!"
Zhou Tingting's face was contorted. She thought Si Nian was a real idiot.
Actually suggesting she send her child to the countryside.
This place she worked so hard to escape from—how could she possibly send her son here? Was she crazy?
Si Nian asked innocently, "Then which place is good?"
"Isn't that obvious? Of course, the city!"
Si Nian seemed to have a sudden realization. "Oh, I see. Well then, Auntie, since you're sending your child to a city school, why not introduce Little Dong and Little Han as well? Aren't you their auntie? Helping them should be a given too, right?"
Zhou Tingting: "?"
—Seeking a wave of support for love's sake.
