The Beautiful Stepmother from the Eighties: Marrying a Factory Director to Raise Kids

Chapter 402

"Little sister-in-law, what's wrong? What happened?"Si Nian, who was just about to open the door: "..."

Little sister-in-law? What kind of address was that?

She looked up at the door, only to see a woman who was actually a bit older than herself.

Calling her little sister-in-law, was it a unique local way of addressing someone?

Si Nian greeted her awkwardly, "Someone just climbed over the wall and fell down. My husband took him to the hospital."

Hearing this, the woman slapped her thigh exaggeratedly. "Oh my, was it that brat Wang Ergou climbing walls again? Are you alright?"

Si Nian asked blankly, "Sister, do you know him?"

The woman replied, "Of course. Wang Ergou used to be a petty thief around here all year round. Previously, he accidentally killed someone while stealing and was caught and locked up for ten years before being released. I didn't know where he ran off to, but I didn't expect that a leopard can't change its spots, and he's back to stealing again."

After saying that, the woman whispered, "Little sister-in-law, you need to be careful. That guy is greedy and lecherous. He used to harass pretty young girls a lot in the past."

She assumed that Si Nian was targeted because she was too pretty.

Si Nian's heart skipped a beat as she asked, "He killed someone?"

"Yes. We've been locking our doors tight at night these past few days, afraid he might come in the middle of the night. But nothing happened, so we thought he had turned over a new leaf."

"I just heard a scream, which is why I ran over. You guys just moved in, right? I've seen this house empty for a long time."

Si Nian nodded.

"Thank you for the warning, sister. You can just call me Si Nian."

"Oh, my name is Song Zhaodi, you can just call me Sister Zhaodi. I heard earlier that someone was moving in, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. I can tell your family is from out of town, you have a heavy accent. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me."

Si Nian nodded and thanked her.

After returning to the house, her expression became a bit more serious.

The security of this house was simply too poor.

It looked nice, but it wasn't practical.

If Da Huang hadn't come today and happened to bump into him, they probably wouldn't have even known someone broke into the house.

It would have been dangerous if the children had bumped into him.

The more Si Nian thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed.

Suddenly, she didn't yearn for this kind of big courtyard house anymore.

Second Child still didn't realize the severity of the situation. He waved his fist and said, "Mom, if a thief comes again next time, I'll send him flying with one punch."

Si Nian said seriously, "Xiao Dong, Xiao Han, we are not familiar with this area yet, so you cannot run around outside, understand?"

The two children exchanged a glance and nodded.

Si Nian rarely spoke to them with such a serious expression. If she did, it must be something very serious.

The thief really did scare their mom, right?

In the evening, the sun set in the west, and the sky gradually darkened.

Si Nian turned on the lights. Because of what happened during the day, she had lost many of her beautiful fantasies about this house.

Zhou Yueshen actually hadn't returned yet. It seemed the thief was probably injured quite badly.

The children were all tired and went back to their rooms to sleep, while Si Nian waited for Zhou Yueshen to come home.

It was almost seven o'clock when Zhou Yueshen finally walked in carrying some things.

Si Nian was dozing off with her head propped on the table. The TV still had no signal and couldn't be watched, which was boring to death. Of course, she wouldn't admit that she was waiting for Zhou Yueshen to come back because she was too scared to go to sleep alone.

"You're back. How did it go?"

The children had gone to sleep after dinner, and Da Huang, who was highly adaptable, was also sleeping soundly under the tree.

Only Si Nian was left in the room.

There were still dishes on the table, but they had gotten a bit cold.

Si Nian said, "I'll go to the kitchen to heat up the food for you, wait a moment."

Zhou Yueshen responded, put down the things in his hands, and went into the kitchen to help her carry the dishes.

"Are you sleepy? Do you want to go to sleep first?" Zhou Yueshen asked.

Si Nian shook her head, yawning as she watched him eat, and asked about the thief's situation.

Sure enough, Zhou Yueshen's expression became a bit more serious.

"His injuries were somewhat severe, and he didn't wake up until the afternoon. I contacted the people at the police station and found out that this guy is a repeat offender. He just got out not long ago and has a criminal record."

Si Nian initially thought that perhaps what the next-door neighbor Song Zhaodi heard was just a rumor and it wasn't actually that exaggerated.

She didn't expect it to actually be true, and her expression also became a bit more serious: "Has he killed someone?"

Zhou Yueshen was slightly taken aback, then nodded, "Yes, he accidentally killed a woman ten years ago and was just released from prison not long ago. However, since he was discovered before he could steal anything this time, he will probably just get a verbal warning."

After saying that, he realized that Si Nian might be scared.

He paused and looked at her. "Nian Nian."

Si Nian subconsciously responded, "Hmm?"

Zhou Yueshen put down his chopsticks and said in a gentle voice, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Si Nian was slightly stunned. When she reacted, she said awkwardly, "I'm not afraid. I'm just worried about the kids."

Zhou Yueshen reached out, patted her head, and said, "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out."

Si Nian hummed in agreement.

After he finished eating, the two of them cleared the table, washed up, and returned to the bedroom to rest.

After getting into bed, even though there was a mattress pad, Si Nian still wasn't used to sleeping on this kind of bed. She became fully awake and said, "Zhou Yueshen, let's change the bed. I'm not used to this kind of bed, it feels weirdly depressing."

Zhou Yueshen was slightly taken aback, then nodded.

This kind of wooden bed was still very expensive around here. They were handmade, and people usually only bought them to match the color of the house.

Moreover, it was extremely heavy.

Many older people liked it. Zhou Yueshen didn't really care about where he slept, but Si Nian cared a lot about these details.

So he said, "Okay, after I take you to school to register tomorrow, we'll go buy one."

Si Nian added, "I thought about it, and the layout of the courtyard is quite depressing too. Also, that wall is too low; any adult could easily climb over it. The tree by the wall can't stay either."

Zhou Yueshen listened quietly to her. Even though they might only live here for two or three years, Si Nian had high standards for her living environment, and he couldn't force her to settle.

She would always keep in mind these little things that Zhou Yueshen would never think of.

Zhou Yueshen actually admired Si Nian quite a bit.

Because the details she cared about were what made this house feel more like a home.

"Oh right, right, right, there's also the bathroom. If the wet and dry areas aren't separated, it will be easy for bacteria to breed in the future, and the smell will be heavy. It's best to separate them."

Speaking of this, Si Nian felt a bit helpless.

It wasn't that she was too picky, but every time someone took a shower, the place would get soaking wet, and over time, that wouldn't be good for their health.

Zhou Yueshen raised an eyebrow. Back at their old home, the toilet and the shower room were separated. Si Nian paid great attention to hygiene, and being a neat freak, she couldn't stand it otherwise.

Not to mention she also liked taking baths.

Zhou Yueshen couldn't help but chuckle softly, "I'll find some workers to fix it up. We'll build another washroom then, so it'll be convenient for washing clothes and bathing."

Hearing this, Si Nian was pleasantly surprised. In her excitement, she wrapped her arms around Zhou Yueshen's neck and planted a loud kiss on his cheek. "Zhou Yueshen, have I ever told you that you are a competent husband!"

Zhou Yueshen's body tensed, and his eyes darkened. "No, but this is the second time you've called me husband."

Si Nian was surprised. "Have I called you that before?"

She was so used to calling the older man by his full name, Zhou Yueshen.

At this moment, she really couldn't remember when she had ever called him that.

Hearing this, Zhou Yueshen gritted his teeth. "You really can't remember?"

Si Nian looked at him blankly and said, "I really, really can't remember."

Zhou Yueshen was a bit angry. Did this woman just use him and then forget about it?

Did she forget how she called him 'hubby' just to make another man jealous?

Zhou Yueshen's voice was hoarse as his arms wrapped around Si Nian, pulling her close. "Then I'll make you remember."

With no children sleeping next door, their movements were much louder.

Da Huang raised its head vigilantly, glanced around, and seeing no suspicious movement, closed its eyes and went back to sleep.

On August 30th, Si Nian planned to go to the university to register early.

She didn't plan to live on campus because she found out the university was actually only a ten-minute walk from their place.

It was only two stops away by bus.

Moreover, the road here was very flat. Although it looked a bit creepy at night, during the day, the interlocking ginkgo trees on both sides made for beautiful scenery.

Many people rode bicycles back and forth.

Si Nian was already missing her bicycle.

Zhou Yueshen held her hand. Si Nian's walking posture was still a bit unnatural. Second Child noticed something was wrong, looked up, and asked if she had sprained her ankle.

Si Nian pinched the man's hand while smiling and saying it was just a little sprain.

Second Child immediately supported her and said, "Then be careful, Mom. I'll hold you."

Zhou Zedong held his younger sister's hand. Watching his younger brother flatter their mother made his eyes hurt.

He simply looked away, out of sight, out of mind.

Zhou Yueshen didn't show any other expression despite being pinched; his face remained entirely righteous.

At the main gate of the university, as soon as they walked over, they could see the senior students welcoming the freshmen. Some had Volunteer pasted on their arms. Seeing Si Nian's family, they enthusiastically came over to greet them.

This family had young children and young adults. At first, people didn't quite understand the dynamic, but seeing the man and the young woman with their fingers intertwined, everyone seemed to understand.

To be honest, being married with children in college wasn't considered strange around here.

"Junior, this way please. I'll take you to register."

"Thank you." Si Nian was already feeling hot, but Zhou Yueshen refused to let go no matter what. Helpless, she could only glare at him. The family followed the senior inside. Hearing the other person ask if she was married, she directly replied, "Yes, I'm married. This is my husband and my three little burdens."

Second Child, holding Si Nian's other hand, asked curiously upon hearing this, "Mom, what is a burden?"

Si Nian laughed, "It means someone who holds you back."

"Mom, I didn't hold you back," Second Child said blankly.

The senior leading the way originally thought Zhou Zedong and Zhou Zehan were her younger brothers. After all, the two kids didn't look that young, and Si Nian looked like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old. How could she have kids around ten years old?

Hearing this, he looked at Si Nian in shock. Even though there were married students at their school, this was his first time seeing a situation like this. He even stuttered a bit, "Ju... Junior, you've been married for so long?"

Si Nian couldn't help but laugh. "Haha, did I scare you? I haven't been married for long. No matter how you look at them, they couldn't possibly be my biological children, right? They are my adopted sons and daughter."

The senior wiped away his cold sweat. Although he had heard that in some places girls married as young as thirteen or fourteen, it was still quite terrifying to encounter.

Si Nian chatted with him while holding Zhou Yueshen's hand, following him to her major's registration desk.

Handing in the admission notice, filling out her information.

The registration was quite simple. Originally, when dorms were being assigned, Si Nian didn't plan to take one. But thinking she could occasionally rest there and it would be convenient to store things, she applied for a dorm room anyway.

Dormitories from this era were very different from the future. It was just a five-story building with stairs, and the decoration was somewhat old.

It was a building with a lot of history.

Si Nian's dorm was on the third floor, not too high up. Four people lived in the room with bunk beds.

It was cleaned very nicely inside, and Si Nian was the first to arrive.

However, the downside was that there was no independent bathroom.

Fortunately, she would only come over occasionally to rest.

Looking at the dorm room, Si Nian felt like she had returned to her junior high school days.

Back then, when she studied in town, she had a dorm just like this. Going to the toilet meant crossing half the campus, which was extremely inconvenient.

But in this era, having a dorm like this was already pretty good.

One must know that in many schools, eight people shared a single room.

It was better than she had expected.

The bed was made of iron with wooden boards underneath. The bedding on top was distributed by the school, so she didn't have to go out of her way to buy it herself.

Second Child curiously touched the bed and said, "Mom, Mom, this bed is so small. It's not as big as Mom and Dad's bed."

Si Nian smiled and said, "Of course, because only one person can sleep here."

Second Child nodded in disappointment, feeling that this bed wasn't as good as the one at home.

So this was a dormitory? He didn't look forward to it at all anymore.

It was still better at home.

But ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‍since Mom said she would go home every night, he stopped worrying.

Although the bed was already set up, Si Nian still planned to clean it up a bit.

Zhou Yueshen fetched water for her and went back and forth wiping the bed and wardrobe.

Eldest Child helped sweep the floor and mopped the entire dorm clean.

When the other people arrived, they saw this family cleaning up.

They were originally a bit surprised, but when they looked up, they froze.

"Kid Bro?"

Zhou Zedong looked up in confusion, only to see a young man staring at him in surprise.

He frowned. "You are?"

The other party was stunned, then said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "You forgot already? I'm the brother who played Gobang with you on the train."

After saying this, he felt surprised. Why was this family at the university? Wasn't today registration day?

How strange.

Could it be that someone in their family was also studying here?

The two girls who were with him earlier also walked over carrying books.

Then they were all dumbfounded. "You guys are..."

Before they could finish speaking, the young man slapped his forehead and said, "Ah, I know! Were you hired by the school to clean up?"

"As expected of Jinghua University, the treatment is so good!"

Si Nian: "......"

"Thanks for your hard work, little brother. Coming out to work with your family at such a young age."

"Here, have some candy from big brother."

Zhou Zedong: "....."