When he happily sat down with a bowl of goji berry soup, Si Nian glanced at him and nearly spat out her mouthful of soup.
"Little Yuehan, what are you doing?"
Zhou Yuehan was chewing on the red goji berries, finding the taste strange and not particularly pleasant.
Hearing this, he blinked in confusion. "Drinking soup."
Si Nian: "Those are for cooking the soup, not for eating." Not that they couldn't be eaten, but they certainly weren’t meant to be consumed like rice!
"But Dad has a lot in his bowl too..." Little Yuehan looked at his father, his tone unexpectedly tinged with envy.
Si Nian: "..."
This silly boy.
"Just listen to me and drink the soup."
When she had prepared the soup, her intention was to add extra goji berries for their health benefits—specifically to help Zhou Yueshen replenish his energy...
She never expected her stepson to mistake them for a delicacy.
Zhou Yuedong shot a glance at his foolish younger brother, unable to bear the sight.
Little Yuehan also realized the taste wasn’t that great and obediently nodded.
But then he grew worried—had he taken too much for himself, making his stepmother unhappy and stopping him from eating more?
The thought made his little brows furrow.
Si Nian noticed Zhou Yueshen’s complicated gaze and suddenly felt a pang of guilt. She quickly coughed and changed the subject.
"By the way, does your factory have any leftover pig trotters, pork kidneys, intestines, or bones?"
Zhou Yueshen gave a slight nod. "Yes. Do you want them?"
These items were plentiful. The best-selling cuts were always pork belly and fatty meat, with lean meat coming in second. Most of the stock was butchered and shipped directly to the city.
Villagers only bought them occasionally as a treat, so not much was kept in stock.
But the things Si Nian mentioned were indeed the most leftover items.
Pig trotters had little meat and were troublesome to prepare, so no one wanted them. Intestines, if not cleaned properly, had a strong odor—though people still enjoyed eating them when well-prepared.
As for pork kidneys...
Zhou Yueshen frowned for some reason.
This was something usually consumed by men—a tonic for vitality...
His gaze dropped to the goji berry soup in his bowl.
Zhou Yueshen: "..."
Si Nian nodded eagerly. "Yes, I want them. If you have extra, the more the better."
Braised pig trotters, stewed intestines, rich bone broth, pork kidneys... She hadn’t cooked the last one before, but she’d heard it was great for boosting energy—perfect for him!
Zhou Yueshen watched her bright, shining eyes and withdrew his dark gaze with a strange expression.
"I’ll have someone deliver them tomorrow."
Si Nian nodded in satisfaction.
"What? Sending these to the Zhou family? Boss, when did you become so stingy? These things are such a hassle to deal with."
Yu Dong stared at the bag filled with pig trotters, intestines, and bones—items that were usually hard to sell and went cheap.
Normally, the boss would send back the best ribs or pork belly.
Why was he being so tight-fisted today?
Had he fought with his wife?
Was he deliberately sending her these troublesome ingredients to make things difficult?
If so, that was downright mean!
Since when was the boss this kind of person?
"Enough talk. Just deliver them." Zhou Yueshen lit a cigarette, clamping it between his lips, his tone impatient.
Yu Dong muttered under his breath but peeked inside the bag and realized everything had already been cleaned—even the hair on the trotters had been thoroughly singed off.
Still... these weren’t exactly premium ingredients. Had he been too harsh on the boss earlier?
He hoisted the heavy bag onto his bicycle and pedaled out of the farm.
But after just a short ride—BANG!—his tire blew.
Dismounting, he saw that some brat had scattered thumbtacks on the road, puncturing his tire into a sieve. Infuriating!
Fuming, he carried the bag and was about to walk the rest of the way when a truck pulled up beside him.
He glanced over and saw Li Mingjun.
Raising an eyebrow, he noted how the man insisted on wearing a leather jacket in the sweltering heat—clearly prioritizing style over comfort.
"Old Yu, where you headed?" Li Mingjun had overheard Zhou Yueshen instructing Yu Dong to deliver the goods, so he’d seized the chance to follow under the pretense of going home.
Luck was on his side—Yu Dong’s bike had broken down!
Heaven’s blessing!
Ever since he’d laid eyes on that woman, Li Mingjun felt like he’d lost his mind. Her stunningly beautiful face haunted his thoughts day and night.
Even after being rebuffed, his desire only grew stronger.
He’d become relentless, visiting the area more frequently than usual. Normally, he’d leave right after deliveries, but now he lingered, hoping to catch another glimpse of the young missus.
The more she ignored him, the more obsessed he became.
"Delivering meat to the boss’s place. What brings you here?" Yu Dong was puzzled—this wasn’t the usual route out.
"Just killing time, thought I’d take a stroll. Your bike broke? Want me to take the stuff for you?"
Yu Dong glared at his punctured tire, still seething.
"Some rotten kid left nails on the road—my tire’s full of holes now. You heading that way? Mind giving me a lift?"
"You should go get your tire fixed! I’ll handle the delivery for you." No way was he letting Yu Dong tag along. Li Mingjun’s eyes darted schemingly.
Yu Dong considered it. He didn’t suspect anything—Li Mingjun might be a bit unreliable, but he did his job well enough.
Sure, the guy had an air of superiority, but he was from the city—that was just how they were.
Handing over the bag, he said, "Alright, take it to the Zhou family. Tell the missus the boss sent it."
Honestly, he was a little embarrassed to claim responsibility for delivering such low-grade goods.
Still, he didn’t understand why the boss wanted these sent over.
Li Mingjun grinned eagerly. "No problem, I’ll make sure it gets there."
Yu Dong handed the bag over without another thought.
Soon, the truck rumbled its way back to the Zhou residence.
These past few days, because of Zhou Tingting and Aunt Liu’s gossip, people had started viewing Si Nian with some prejudice.
