They were still too young, especially the younger one, who had just started first grade.
Simply because of greed, they had let someone in—never imagining that this person would steal from others and then pin the blame on them.
They hadn’t stolen anything!
But after enduring such oppression for so long, the two children didn’t even dare to defend themselves. They could only stare at Si Nian in fear.
Si Nian wasn’t a fool—she wouldn’t fall for such a cheap trick.
Under the terrified gazes of the children, she said coldly, "Aunt Liu, do you take me for an idiot? My things would be useless to the kids, but not to you. Should I call the police, or will you hand them over yourself?"
Aunt Liu hadn’t expected her to remain unmoved by her words. Now that her scheme was exposed, her face darkened. "I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have dinner waiting at home—I’m leaving."
Si Nian let go of the frightened Yaoyao and stepped in front of her. "Give back what you stole, or when Zhou Yueshen returns, he won’t be as polite as I am."
"Who—who are you threatening? I told you, I didn’t take anything!" Aunt Liu shouted.
Si Nian smirked. "Zhou Yuedong, go unleash Da Huang."
Zhou Yuedong snapped out of his daze and hurried off to find Da Huang.
Grandma Liu was a shameless troublemaker—they couldn’t fight her, and they couldn’t outshout her, but Da Huang could.
The moment Aunt Liu heard they were releasing Da Huang, she panicked.
With a sudden shove, she pushed Si Nian aside and bolted for the door.
Si Nian hadn’t anticipated the move. Caught off guard, she was knocked back, her head slamming hard against the leg of the sofa. The pain made her dizzy, her vision swimming.
Zhou Yuehan screamed in fright, and Yaoyao burst into tears. The two children rushed to her side.
Blinking away the dizziness, Si Nian saw them standing over her, wailing. She weakly reached out and patted their shoulders to comfort them. "Don’t cry, I’m fine."
Then she passed out.
The news of Aunt Liu stealing from the Zhou household and pushing Si Nian spread quickly.
She had been chased by the family’s Tibetan Mastiff, howling as the dog tore at her pants, sending stolen jewelry scattering across the ground.
When Si Nian woke up, everything before her was a blur of white, the sharp scent of disinfectant filling her nose.
As she opened her eyes, a nurse’s voice reached her. "You’re awake. Any discomfort?"
Her head still throbbed dully, but she quickly realized she was in the hospital.
"I’m alright. Am I okay?" She remembered being shoved by Aunt Liu and hitting her head—hopefully, it wasn’t a concussion.
"You suffered a blow to the back of your head, but there’s no serious damage. I’ll call your family in."
The nurse gave her an envious glance. A man had carried her in, followed by three children. They had waited outside the whole time she was unconscious—what an enviable family.
Si Nian nodded.
Soon, the door to the ward swung open.
A tall, broad-shouldered figure approached, carrying food in one hand and holding the stumbling Yaoyao with the other.
"Yayaya~" The moment Yaoyao saw her, she let go of Zhou Yueshen’s hand and dashed forward, struggling to climb onto the bed with her short legs.
Zhou Yueshen sat beside the bed, setting the food down. His deep eyes held a trace of concern as he asked, "How are you feeling? Any pain?"
Si Nian shook her head. She was about to ask about the children when she noticed two small, thin figures lingering at the doorway, watching her hesitantly from a distance.
"Did it bleed?" She reached up to touch the injury, but Zhou Yueshen caught her wrist.
He released her just as quickly. "No bleeding, but there’s a bump."
Si Nian exhaled in relief. "What about Aunt Liu?"
"She’s been handed over to the police." His voice was low and firm. "Next time something like this happens, protect yourself first. Leave the rest to me. Don’t confront people head-on like that again."
She was from the city—no match for the brute strength of a country woman. And someone like Aunt Liu, when cornered, wouldn’t hesitate to lash out violently.
In the end, she would be the one hurt.
Si Nian flushed slightly in embarrassment.
She really hadn’t expected Aunt Liu to react so drastically. She’d only meant to scare her with the dog, to make her return the stolen items.
She hadn’t anticipated such panic.
What Si Nian didn’t know was that, in the past, someone had once sneaked into the Zhou household, unaware of the dog.
Da Huang, then roaming freely in the yard, had bitten the thief’s leg clean through.
After that, he had been chained up.
That was why no one dared to steal from the Zhou family.
When chained, Da Huang might just bark and intimidate.
But once unleashed, he was no different from a wild beast.
Rumor had it that Da Huang was from the Tibetan plateau—a stray Zhou Yueshen had picked up during his military service in Tibet.
Raised by him, the dog recognized only Zhou Yueshen as its master.
It might not bark at familiar faces, but the moment it sensed danger, it became terrifyingly fierce.
Unlike ordinary dogs, Tibetan Mastiffs were massive, with a fearsome appearance.
No wonder Si Nian had nearly collapsed in fear the first time she saw it.
Everyone else was just as terrified—Aunt Liu included. That was why she had reacted so violently.
Of course, her fate hadn’t been much better.
Da Huang had torn through her pants, leaving a long gash on her leg. Her screams had echoed through the entire village. She had been so scared she wet herself—a pitiful sight.
Before she could recover, she was arrested for theft.
"I understand," Si Nian said obediently, making it hard for him to scold her further. Sensing his own sternness, Zhou Yueshen softened his tone. "Eat something first."
"Thank you." She was indeed hungry and accepted the food gratefully.
It was from a state-run restaurant—decently tasty.
Glancing out the window, she realized they were in the city and brightened. "When can I leave the hospital?"
"The doctor said once you wake up."
"Then let’s go shopping! Since Zhou Yuedong and Zhou Yuehan are here too, we can buy them some clothes."
She had been meaning to get them new outfits but hadn’t known their sizes. Only Yaoyao had gotten new clothes, which had left her feeling guilty.
She worried the sensitive boys might think she didn’t care for them.
Zhou Yueshen picked up a fruit and began peeling it, his fingers long and defined, veins faintly visible.
"Alright."
Outside the door, Zhou Yuehan’s eyes, already swollen like walnuts from crying, welled up again.
"It’s my fault for letting Grandma Liu in. She stole from Stepmom and pushed her."
Yet, even after waking up, she hadn’t blamed him—instead, she wanted to take him and his brother shopping.
Choking back a sob, he whispered, "Big brother… am I a bad person?"
