Zhang Cuimei had been in a foul mood lately. The slow progress between her biological daughter and Fu Yang was driving her crazy, and she blamed it all on Si Nian.
So whenever she saw Si Nian, she couldn’t help but sneer.
Now, being mocked like this, she couldn’t hold back her anger. "You make it sound like the Si Family has been heartless to you, as if you can’t wait to cut ties with us."
With that, she shot a disdainful glance at Zhou Yueshen, who stood tall and broad behind Si Nian. Her daughter had told her he was a butcher, dealing with pigs all day—filthy and reeking.
And people from the countryside barely had proper hygiene. Many didn’t even bathe regularly...
The thought of Si Nian marrying someone like that made her stomach churn.
"And don’t bring outsiders into our compound anymore. What will people think if they see?"
Si Nian immediately caught the contempt in her tone toward Zhou Yueshen and nearly lost her temper.
But before she could snap, the man behind her gently tugged at her sleeve.
She turned and saw Zhou Yueshen step forward, his voice calm but firm. "Auntie, please cooperate with the household registration transfer. The Lin Family is waiting outside."
His words weren’t exactly polite.
Hearing this, Zhang Cuimei flew into a rage.
Typical country bumpkin! What kind of tone was that? Did he have no manners at all?
She was about to shoo them both away when Si Nian’s next words struck a nerve.
"Even if not for me, think about Lin Sisi. She’s been back for a while now, and if her household registration isn’t transferred soon, she’ll probably be upset. After all, she’s your real daughter."
"And if you’re worried I’m here with ulterior motives, I can promise you this—once the transfer is done, I’ll never set foot in this compound again. Happy now?"
Zhang Cuimei was stunned. She couldn’t believe Si Nian was being so accommodating.
The household transfer had been a point of contention between her and her husband.
She wanted it done quickly so Si Nian wouldn’t keep bothering them.
But her husband cared too much about appearances, saying it would look bad if they rushed the transfer right after sending Si Nian away.
He even claimed Si Nian had suffered enough and that forcing the transfer might be too harsh on her...
Zhang Cuimei was beyond frustrated.
To her, the biggest obstacle in this matter was Si Nian herself.
Now that Si Nian was bringing it up voluntarily, she couldn’t help but be suspicious. Was she wrong to doubt?
"If you don’t believe me, you can come with us and see for yourself," Si Nian added, noticing her hesitation.
Zhou Yueshen checked his wristwatch. "We have forty minutes left. I’ll have someone wait to finish this before closing time."
He rarely wore a watch unless traveling, preferring to keep track of time.
Zhang Cuimei’s eyes flickered to the silver watch on his wrist. It looked familiar—she remembered her boss had one just like it, an expensive piece he only wore for important occasions...
Then, recalling Zhou Yueshen’s background, she scoffed in disdain.
He didn’t seem like the pretentious type, yet here he was, flaunting a fake watch. How pathetic!
Being around someone like that, Si Nian would surely be led astray sooner or later.
Just now, he even had the nerve to say something about making the people at the station wait until they finished handling this matter before leaving work?
Acting all high and mighty—what a joke.
Zhang Cuimei couldn’t hide her disdain as she said, "No need. My cousin works at the station. I’ll call her instead. I won’t go with you—just head over there yourselves. Hand the household register to my cousin, and she’ll bring it to me later. Saves you the trouble of making another trip."
With that, she went inside to fetch the household register for them.
From start to finish, she never once invited them into the house.
Once the two left, Zhang Cuimei immediately called her cousin, urging her to keep an eye on things and make sure Si Nian transferred her household registration as soon as possible.
Her cousin replied, "Sis, transferring household registration isn’t under my jurisdiction. Besides, everyone’s about to leave for the day. If they want to get it done, it’ll have to wait until this afternoon or tomorrow. Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on it for you."
Though Zhang Cuimei was impatient, there was nothing she could do.
Still, it only deepened her contempt for that man who talked big without backing it up.
Her own cousin worked at the station and couldn’t do anything about it, yet he had the audacity to claim he could make people wait to help them out.
Acting like he had some kind of influence—ridiculous!
After leaving the compound with the household register in hand, Si Nian and Zhou Yueshen met up with Lin's mother, who was happily holding Yaoyao.
Si Nian said, "It’ll take about twenty minutes to get to the police station from here. We should hurry."
She reached out to take Yaoyao, who was stretching her arms toward her. The little girl had grown increasingly attached to Si Nian, clinging to her whenever she was around.
But Yaoyao was also well-behaved. When Si Nian was busy, she would quietly wait without fussing, letting others look after her.
Even Lin's mother remarked that she had never seen such a sensible child.
To save time, the family took a taxi.
But by the time they arrived at the police station, it was nearly closing time.
"You’re finally here! I waited here just because my sister insisted! It’s already lunchtime—go wait outside and come back in the afternoon!"
Zhang Xiaoyun had been instructed repeatedly by her cousin to keep an eye on things, which was why she had deliberately waited by the entrance.
She had met Si Nian before, but she didn’t care for her niece.
The reason was simple—Si Nian was far too striking, excelling in every way and completely overshadowing her own daughter.
At every family gathering, everyone would gush about how outstanding Si Nian was, making her own daughter seem inadequate by comparison.
On top of that, this niece of hers was arrogant, never sparing them a second glance no matter how much they tried to win her over. Zhang Xiaoyun disliked her even more for it.
Now that she’d learned Si Nian wasn’t even biologically related and was transferring her household registration, she couldn’t help but feel a little smug.
That once-lofty niece, the pride of the family, the one who was supposed to marry the son of a high-ranking official—now she was moving her household registration to some rural backwater. Tsk.
There was no need to suck up to her anymore.
Her tone was laced with impatience and disdain.
Hearing this, Lin's father and mother immediately stiffened. "But there’s still over ten minutes left?"
"Ten minutes? What can you even do in ten minutes? Expect us to skip the line and serve you exclusively?" Zhang Xiaoyun took one look at their plain clothes and weathered appearance and knew these must be Si Nian’s birth parents.
Her expression turned even more dismissive.
"Who is she?" Zhou Yueshen asked, glancing at Si Nian.
Si Nian said, "My foster mother's cousin works here."
Zhou Yueshen nodded but didn’t press further. Instead, he turned to the visibly flustered Lin's father and Lin's mother. "Uncle Lin, Aunt Lin, let’s head inside first."
Lin's father and mother were puzzled but didn’t dwell on it. Eager to comply, they quickly agreed.
Seeing the group ignore her and proceed, Zhang Xiaoyun flushed with anger and blocked their path.
"Are you deaf? I already told you the office is about to close! Come back in the afternoon—why can’t you listen?"
The group halted. Zhou Yueshen’s frown deepened, his voice icy. "It’s still working hours. We have every right to proceed with our business. Step aside."
"Who works here, you or me? Can’t you understand plain words?" Zhang Xiaoyun shrank slightly under his sharp glare but quickly straightened her back, emboldened by her authority.
"What’s all this shouting about?" A booming voice suddenly rang out from inside.
