A tone neither cold nor warm: "No."
"There's one right here, isn't there?" Yu Dong had initially thought the same, but the next second, he noticed a small-looking umbrella hanging on the wall nearby.
He hurried over and reached out, only for someone to snatch the umbrella away faster.
Turning his head, he immediately met the narrowed, dangerous gaze of his boss.
Swallowing hard, he muttered under his breath, "It's just an umbrella. What’s the big deal?"
Zhou Yueshen didn’t even glance at him. He placed the umbrella on the table, casually changed into a tank top, and lifted his eyes, speaking vaguely, "You’re on night duty tonight."
Yu Dong: "?"
"Wasn’t it supposed to be your turn?"
The man who usually treated work like his wife was now pushing his "wife" onto him?
A brother’s wife is not to be touched—he wouldn’t take this!
Zhou Yueshen replied indifferently, "I covered for you before. Time to pay it back."
Yu Dong: "?"
"Fine! Now that you’ve got a woman, you’re willing to throw your brother under the bus, huh?" He pointed a trembling finger at Zhou Yueshen.
Yu Dong had noticed something off about Zhou Yueshen lately. In the past, he’d spend almost every waking hour at the farm.
But now, he seized every spare moment to rush back home!
Since when had he become so family-oriented?
The only possible explanation was that delicate, captivating sister-in-law of his!
Zhou Yueshen lifted his eyelids slightly, his voice cool.
"Tomorrow, I’m taking Xiao Lao Da and Xiao Lao Er to school."
He woke up early, and so did the two boys, who had to walk a long distance to school every day.
Zhou Yueshen had grown up poor, but he was resilient, enduring hardships far worse than what the children faced.
Yet he never let such things bother him.
His family had always seen him as an emotionless, cold-blooded machine.
But the two boys were different.
After taking them for a ride on his motorcycle earlier, Zhou Yueshen realized just how much his actions meant to them.
Yu Dong opened his mouth but couldn’t find a retort.
He could only watch helplessly as the man’s figure disappeared into the rain.
The next morning.
Si Nian was startled awake by the sound of a motorcycle.
Had Zhou Yueshen come back last night?
She’d stayed up quite late and assumed he wouldn’t return after leaving so late.
Hearing the noise, she got up and looked out the window.
To her surprise, she saw Zhou Yueshen lifting the two children onto the bike.
Zhou Yuehan sat in front, Zhou Yuedong behind.
Both boys looked thrilled.
The rain had stopped, but the roads were still wet.
Walking would have covered their pants in mud.
The boys had deliberately changed into their old clothes.
But they never expected Zhou Yueshen to take them to school.
Sometimes, they’d see classmates being dropped off by their fathers on bicycles.
Everyone envied them.
Now, they finally had that too.
They were kids with a dad who took them to school!
The boys clutched the steaming eggs and flatbread in their arms—prepared by their stepmother the night before and reheated that morning.
She’d also made them milk, sweet and fragrant.
A single cup warmed their bellies.
Every morning, they got two eggs—one to eat at home, one for school.
And apples and bananas too! Their stepmother loved fruit, saying it provided "vitamins." They didn’t know what that was, but it was good for them.
She said it would help them grow tall, just like their dad!
At first, they’d been hesitant to drink the milk.
In their memories, such luxuries were only for their baby sister.
They couldn’t bring themselves to indulge.
But after hearing it would help them grow, they made it a daily ritual.
They wanted to be as tall as their father someday!
That way, they could protect their sister and stepmother.
As the sound of the motorcycle faded, Si Nian turned and went downstairs.
The pickled radishes she’d soaked overnight were finally ready—sweet, sour, and slightly spicy, crisp and refreshing.
With only her and Yaoyao at home, she simply cooked some porridge and enjoyed a big bowl of white rice congee with the radishes.
Soon, unexpected visitors arrived.
Old Man Liu and Old Lady Liu.
Seeing them, Si Nian couldn’t even muster the courtesy to let them in.
She wasn’t the type to suffer silently for the sake of appearances.
She’d assumed they were here to cause trouble over Aunt Liu’s situation, but today, the two seemed like different people—their faces plastered with ingratiating smiles.
"Xiao Zhou’s wife, we were wrong before. We misunderstood you."
Si Nian raised a brow. Unsolicited kindness? There had to be an ulterior motive.
Sure enough, their true intentions soon surfaced.
"Xiao Zhou’s wife, we know we messed up with Aunt Liu’s situation. The police said if you’re willing to reconcile, her punishment could be lighter. We’re begging you—please give her another chance?"
Si Nian crossed her arms, expressionless. "Aunt Liu didn’t just steal from me. She skimped on Xiao Lao Da and Xiao Lao Er’s food money. Did the police not tell you that?"
Their faces stiffened.
Of course they knew. Initially, Si Nian’s case alone wouldn’t have been so severe.
But yesterday, that idiot Liu Dongmei had come back to stir trouble, and Zhou Yueshen had seized the opportunity to send her straight back to the authorities.
Zhou Tingting had even agreed to help, but that fool couldn’t keep quiet for a few days and ended up stealing a jade pendant.
Now Zhou Tingting wanted nothing to do with it.
The police had called, saying they had to return the embezzled money to the Zhou family for Liu Dongmei to get a lighter sentence.
Unless they settled privately, they’d have to pay regardless—and if they didn’t, Liu Dongmei would suffer even worse.
With no other choice, they’d swallowed their pride and come begging.
They might not care much for Liu Dongmei, but their son and grandson still needed her.
If she went to jail, who’d do the housework?
Plus, a criminal record would shame the entire Liu family.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t care if she rotted in prison.
Si Nian smirked. "I’ve already gotten my things back. Whether or not to forgive Aunt Liu is up to Zhou Yueshen and the kids. Why come to me? I can’t make decisions for them."
Desperate, they gritted their teeth and pulled out over a hundred yuan, handing it to Si Nian.
"Here’s 120 yuan—everything Aunt Liu took is here. Is this enough?"
Seeing their pained expressions, Si Nian snatched the money without hesitation, her smile brightening. "Works for me. But forgiveness? You’ll have to take that up with Zhou Yueshen yourselves."
"What? We just gave you the money!" they protested.
Si Nian scoffed. "This was always your debt. What, trying to bribe me? Fine—give me another hundred, and I’ll think about it."
They nearly choked on their rage. "In your dreams!" they spat before storming off.
Another hundred? That would’ve been the death of the Liu family!
This sum of over a hundred was forced out by the police. The original plan was to use the money to bribe Si Nian into helping, but who knew this woman was as sharp as a fox.
Si Nian pocketed the money, her mood lifting instantly.
When Zhou Yueshen returned home that evening, she placed the cash on the table, her eyes sparkling as she said, "This is the money the Liu family returned. It's for you."
Zhou Yueshen wiped the sweat from his forehead. His hair was cropped short in a buzz cut, his features sharp and strikingly handsome. Even with such a simple hairstyle, he looked breathtaking.
With a casual swipe of his hand, he glanced at her, then at the crumpled bills, and replied calmly, "You keep it. No need to give it to me."
Si Nian didn’t stand on ceremony and nodded in agreement.
She then headed into the kitchen and brought out the dishes.
"I made you some soup. Try it," she said, handing Zhou Yueshen a bowl filled with goji berries and Chinese yam. "You’ve been staying up late every night. You should nourish yourself more."
Zhou Yueshen lowered his gaze, pausing briefly as he reached for his chopsticks.
Zhou Yuehan, curious, stared at the red goji berries in his father’s bowl. He didn’t know what they were, but since his stepmother had given his father so many, they must be delicious. He wanted some too.
So when he went to the kitchen to serve himself soup, he carefully scooped the little red berries into his own bowl.
