Aunt Liu's mother-in-law scolded harshly.
Old Man Liu sat by the Zhou family's doorstep, puffing on his long-stemmed pipe, clearly impatient with the whole affair.
The Zhou and Liu families were somewhat related—Zhou Yueshen would even address Old Man Liu as "Grandpa" when they crossed paths. Yet, he had sent Aunt Liu to the police station, showing no respect for the elder!
The gossip circulating in the village had reached the old man's ears, and as someone who valued face, he could no longer keep his composure. He was itching to teach this disrespectful younger generation a lesson!
The two elders waited and waited until the sun began to set. Finally, they saw the family returning, chatting and laughing. Their arms were laden with bags—clothes, toys—and the sight filled the old couple with envy and resentment.
The Zhou family was the only one in the village that had risen above hardship. Back when Zhou Yueshen hadn’t yet enlisted in the army, they had been the poorest.
This village was originally called Liu Family Village before being renamed "Happy Village."
The Zhou family had once been down on their luck—struggling financially, with their eldest sister running off with a city man, Zhou Yueshen enlisting at a young age, and their younger sister marrying into the city and rarely returning.
After Zhou Yueshen was discharged from the army, his parents and grandparents had passed away, leaving only the three siblings.
Zhou Yueshen was capable. As soon as economic reforms began, he spent money to buy piglets at low prices from those secretly raising pigs in the mountains.
At the time, the entire village thought he had lost his mind.
After all, before the 1980s, "speculation and profiteering" was still illegal.
Around 1980, individual entrepreneurship began to emerge. With a surplus of rural labor and the country's economy in a tough spot, people yearned for private business opportunities—self-managed, self-marketed, bearing their own profits and losses while paying industrial and commercial taxes. This model, known as "individual household businesses," not only provided additional income but also contributed to the nation's economy.
Thus, the first brave souls struck it rich.
Those who had mocked Zhou Yueshen were soon proven wrong.
Once the Zhou family prospered, jealousy spread like wildfire.
The Liu family, leveraging their distant ties to the Zhous, had also benefited greatly. Otherwise, Aunt Liu wouldn’t have had such an easy time working as a nanny for the Zhou children while earning a hefty sum.
Yet the once-poorest family had now become the wealthiest in the village—the first to build a two-story house and the only "ten-thousand-yuan household" (a term for the newly rich at the time).
If not for Zhou Yueshen’s reluctance to have children, they would have already married their granddaughter off to him.
Now, seeing the family return with so many shopping bags, how could they not burn with envy?
But at this moment, their anger outweighed their jealousy.
They had waited all day, and here this family was, laughing and carefree.
This only confirmed their suspicion—the Zhou family, with their wealth, was deliberately looking down on them and bullying them!
The two elders wore stern expressions. Though their own family member had been in the wrong, they didn’t seem here to apologize—more like to pick a fight.
Zhou Yuehan dashed ahead, laughing triumphantly about being the first home, declaring his brother had lost. But the moment he turned around, he was met with the old couple’s withering glares, startling him so badly he nearly dropped his toy gun.
Zhou Yueshen and Si Nian also stopped in their tracks, eyeing the uninvited guests at their doorstep.
"Grandpa Liu, Grandma Liu, is there something you need?" Zhou Yueshen asked calmly, his dark eyes lifting slightly.
Hearing the address, Si Nian realized—these were Aunt Liu’s family members.
But they didn’t look like they were here to apologize. With their aggressive stance, they seemed ready for confrontation.
Si Nian shivered at their sour expressions. Did this whole family share the same unpleasant face?
The elders’ expressions softened slightly when Zhou Yueshen spoke first. But the moment they noticed Si Nian standing there unharmed, they sneered.
"If I hadn’t come, you’d still be blinded by this vixen! Aunt Liu took care of your children for so long—even if she wasn’t perfect, she put in effort! And yet, for the sake of this fox spirit, you sent her to the police station? Have you no conscience?"
They glared at Si Nian, as if she alone were to blame for everything.
Their eyes bore into her, as if they wanted to devour her.
If not for her, their granddaughter might already be with Zhou Yueshen by now.
"Xiao Zhou, tell us the truth—did this woman poison your mind against our Liu family? Is that why you treated Aunt Liu this way?"
At these words, not only did the two children frown, but Zhou Yueshen’s expression darkened.
"Xiao Zhou, Xiao Yuehan, are you blind? We’ve been standing here this whole time! Open the door and let us in. Fetch us some water!" the old couple snapped impatiently.
Si Nian gently stroked the sleeping Yaoyao and said to Zhou Yuedong, "Xiao Zhou, take your sister upstairs to bed first."
Zhou Yuedong hesitated for a moment before obeying, stepping forward to carry his sister inside.
He wasn’t stupid—these two were clearly here to stir trouble, all because of Grandma Liu.
Grandma Liu was the one who had stolen from Stepmom and framed them, even causing her injury. Why should he humor these two now?
The children’s defiance stunned the elders. In the past, the boys had been timid, obeying whatever they were told.
Look at them now—no manners whatsoever!
"Xiao Zhou, look at her attitude! Is this the kind of wife you brought home? If your parents were alive, they’d never allow such a woman into the Zhou family!"
Old Lady Liu complained to Zhou Yueshen, genuinely baffled as to why he would marry someone like this. She was from the city, yes, but with that fox-like face—how could she compare to their own well-mannered granddaughter?
Zhou Yueshen replied coolly, "I think I know her better than you do."
"Men are so shallow! Seduced by a pretty face, blind to what’s underneath. I’m not trying to ruin your marriage, but as someone who’s lived long enough, I can tell a wicked heart when I see one. You’ve been deceived!" Old Lady Liu scoffed, eyeing Si Nian’s stylish outfit with disdain. "Dressing so flashily in the countryside—who knows what she gets up to behind closed doors?"
"And look at her—perfectly fine, spinning lies about poor Aunt Liu. You’d think she was on death’s door the way she carried on, yet she had the nerve to send Aunt Liu to jail! How vicious!"
Si Nian: "…?"
If they were going to argue, why resort to personal attacks? What, was being beautiful a crime now?
After a brief pause, Si Nian decided to fight fire with fire. She casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled.
"Thank you for the compliment. I’m glad your eyesight is sharp enough to recognize beauty."
Old Madam Liu was so furious she nearly toppled backward: "When did I ever say you were pretty? I called you a fox spirit!"
