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

Chapter 465

Her smile froze instantly."Hey, what's going on? Why didn't he say hello to you? Aren't you good friends?"

"Yeah, I even heard people say he was pursuing you," everyone asked in confusion.

Zhang Xue's face didn't look too good. Hearing this, she forced a smile and said, "M-maybe there were too many people and he didn't notice?"

Everyone looked at each other.

He had just ridden his motorcycle right past their faces. If he couldn't see them, he was either blind or they just weren't close at all.

The way everyone looked at Zhang Xue became a bit strange.

After all, Zhang Xue often mentioned in front of them that she knew Chen Haoran, and boasted about how rich his family was because they ran a company.

Anyway, he was a young master from a wealthy family in Jing City.

They didn't quite believe it at first, but after noticing that Chen Haoran frequently switched between different motorcycles and always wore famous designer brands, they had to believe it.

You have to know that nowadays, a motorcycle costs around ten thousand yuan.

A household with ten thousand yuan was already considered very wealthy where they came from.

Plus, Zhang Xue and Chen Haoran seemed to have a pretty good relationship before and were often seen walking together, so they thought there was something going on between them.

Therefore, they had been very flattering towards Zhang Xue.

But now, watching him pass right in front of them without even sparing a glance...

They couldn't help but overthink it.

Could it be that their relationship wasn't as good as Zhang Xue claimed at all?

Looking at everyone's strange and suspicious gazes, Zhang Xue bit her lip, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

They all looked as if she had been lying.

But she hadn't lied! Chen Haoran had indeed been very enthusiastic towards her before.

He just gave her hope, only to disappoint her.

But no matter what, they were acquaintances. Was it really necessary to not even say hello when they saw each other?

Zhang Xue always felt as if someone had been speaking ill of her behind her back.

That was why Chen Haoran's attitude towards her had suddenly changed so drastically.

She bit her lip, and for some reason, Si Nian's face popped into her mind.

Because only Si Nian had had friction with her.

And she was the only one who had a relatively good relationship with Chen Haoran.

Coupled with the fact that Chen Haoran had started acting cold to her right around the time she misunderstood his relationship with Si Nian, it was really hard for her not to overthink.

...

If Chen Haoran knew that just because he hadn't noticed Zhang Xue, she had conjured up such a massive dramatic plot in her head, he would definitely look up at the sky in sheer speechlessness.

Because taking three little kids through a crowded vegetable market...

Making it out safely was already a great achievement for him.

How could he possibly notice who was standing nearby?

At this moment, even if his own mother stood in front of him, he would only be able to focus on the road ahead and look after the three kids around him.

After one trip, his back was covered in cold sweat.

Grocery shopping was truly not easy at all.

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect.

To ensure the vegetables were fresh, Eldest Child always calculated the number of people before cooking and buying groceries.

He bought just enough to finish without wasting any, which meant they had to go shopping every day.

After running around for a few days, Chen Haoran became thoroughly familiar with the vegetable market.

He also got to know the routes well.

Every day, he was the most proactive about going grocery shopping.

He didn't even go out when his friends asked him to hang out.

Zhang Xue had also asked people to look for him several times, saying she had something to talk to him about.

But by now, Chen Haoran had long lost any good impression of Zhang Xue, so naturally, he didn't plan on interacting with her.

Thus, he didn't take it to heart.

He thought these happy days would last for a long time—if not a month, then at least ten days.

However, a week later, the children's father appeared at the door.

Zhou Yueshen entered the house carrying some local specialties and gifts he had brought back from his hometown.

Chen Haoran slurped the ramen made by Eldest Child, feeling incredibly guilty.

After all, aside from helping buy groceries these past few days, he hadn't done anything else.

He was supposed to be here to take care of the kids, but in the end, he became the one being taken care of.

Not to mention, this kid's cooking skills were excellent; everything he made was delicious.

In just a few days, Chen Haoran felt like he had gained a layer of fat.

After eating his fill, he could even take Da Huang out for a walk.

What boy wouldn't like such a handsome, fierce dog?

Not to mention, Da Huang was a Tibetan Mastiff that could afford to wear LV.

Every time he walked the dog, he felt extremely proud.

Before he could react, the kids beside him dropped their chopsticks and sprinted outside.

Mom is back! Mom, Mom!

Several excited cheers rang out.

Zhou Yueshen paused his steps and said in a low, gentle voice, Your mom isn't back yet. She has to stay at home for a while longer.

Hearing this, the excited children instantly stopped in their tracks. Their smiles froze, and when they realized what he meant, their eyes widened. Mom isn't back? Only Dad came back?

Zhou Yueshen gave a slight nod. Mom still needs to stay there to keep your grandma and grandpa company for a few days. Once I finish my work here, I'll go back and pick her up.

The children were still not very happy, and Second Child was even more suspicious: Dad, did you really not have a fight with Mom and leave her in our hometown?

Yaoyao also widened her eyes. Dad is bad!

Not to mention his younger siblings, even Zhou Zedong couldn't help but cast a suspicious glance at his dad.

After all, Mom was pregnant now. Given how much Dad cared about Mom, how could he possibly let her stay in their hometown alone while he came back by himself?

Zhou Yueshen was slightly taken aback, then didn't know whether to laugh or cry. What nonsense are you talking about? Mom really needs to keep your grandma and grandpa company.

This time, it was truly because their family members were either sick or injured, so it wasn't appropriate for them to leave so soon.

The main reason was that the matters on the Si family's side hadn't fully settled down yet.

To avoid any other situations from occurring, Si Nian suggested staying a few extra days.

She asked him to come back first.

Hearing this, the children breathed a sigh of relief.

That was fine then. As long as they hadn't argued.

Otherwise, if Mom didn't come back, what would they do?

The children had just gotten a complete family and had only just begun to live happily with their family members. If Mom fought and wanted to divorce Dad, they would be doomed.

Maybe Mom would marry someone else in the future, take care of other people's children, and quickly forget about them.

Just thinking about this possibility, the children suddenly felt a wave of sorrow rise in their hearts.

Remembering something, Zhou Yueshen dug out a letter from his bag and handed it to the kids. This is a letter your mom wrote to you. It contains what she wants to say to you.

The children took it, and it was indeed their mom's handwriting.

Because Mom's handwriting was so beautiful, they could recognize it at a glance.

Mom wrote that Grandma and Grandpa were sick and needed taking care of, so she had to stay there for a while longer. If there was anything they wanted to eat or have, they could call her.

She told them not to worry about her, to study hard, and that she would be back soon.

She had written a long, flowing letter, entirely filled with words of care for the children.

The kids gathered around to read it and finally felt at ease.

Zhou Yueshen looked at his ignored self and said helplessly, Are you relieved now?

We're relieved, Dad. But you need to hurry up and work so you can bring Mom and our little sibling back quickly.

Yeah, without me, Mom will be lonely over there by herself.

Zhou Yueshen sighed and said okay.

Only then were the children satisfied.

Time passed quickly. Over the following month, Lin Sisi and Zhang Yanmei were sentenced to three and five years in prison, respectively.

The sentences were so long because the injuries sustained by the Lin family's eldest brother and Father Lin were severe, coupled with the fact that the two women had hired thugs to carry out the attack, making the circumstances particularly grave.

It really went to show that they were mother and daughter; their ways of doing things were exactly the same.

Though the mother and daughter were promptly locked up, the Si family was significantly affected by the fallout.

This was especially true because, as family members of a government cadre, repeatedly committing such scandalous acts was highly frowned upon.

The atmosphere in the family compound grew tense. People were forbidden from discussing these matters, and anyone caught gossiping would be forced to write a formal self-criticism.

There were even investigators coming and going specifically to conduct random checks on the backgrounds and identities of the family members, reviewing household registers, and so on.

Since Si Nian had moved away a long time ago, she remained unaffected by all this.

Instead, a slight hiccup occurred regarding Father Si's adoption of a child.

Because Father Si couldn't look after the adopted baby himself, he hired a nanny.

As it happened, this nanny was the older sister who had previously substituted for Liu Dongdong to take care of him.

Father Si's explanation was that he originally wanted to ask Liu Dongdong for help, but since she had found a job, she was unavailable, so she introduced her sister to help out instead.

Of course, no one really believed this excuse, but it wasn't their place to say anything.

The investigators also discovered that Liu Dongdong's sister had actually been divorced twice.

This revelation put everyone's minds at ease.

Even if Father Si really had something going on with her, marriage would be impossible.

After all, not only had she been divorced twice, but rumor had it that the reason was her inability to have children.

Back then, Zhang Cuimei was despised by her in-laws precisely because she couldn't give birth to a son.

Now, she had even been abandoned by her husband.

Therefore, everyone believed that Father Si would definitely not take a fancy to someone with such a background.

Although Si Nian wasn't living at the family compound, the incident had such a huge impact that the military arranged for representatives to visit and console her parents, checking on their injuries.

They also took the initiative to ensure the Si family cooperated with paying compensation.

This time, Father Si raised no objections.

Si Nian also heard about the Si family's situation from these visitors.

She heard that Father Si doted on the child, caring for him as if he were his own flesh and blood.

Every day after work, he would go straight home and stroll around the compound carrying the baby.

It seemed he had absolutely no intention of bothering them anymore.

Father Lin was finally discharged from the hospital. Si Nian genuinely missed her children; she had originally planned to stay for ten days or half a month at most, but a whole month had somehow slipped by.

During this time, the children called her often, telling her that their dad dropped them off at school every day. However, Brother Chen still hadn't gone home; he came over for free meals every day, insisting he wouldn't leave until she returned.

They urged her to hurry back.

Si Nian packed her things and prepared to say goodbye to her parents.

Seeing her growing belly, her parents initially wanted her to stay and give birth there before going back.

That way, they could also take care of her during her postpartum confinement.

But then they considered that their hometown was full of drama and trouble. With Zhou Yueshen not around, they could barely protect themselves, let alone their daughter.

So, they agreed to let her go back.

Si Nian took the train back this time. It was the off-season, so it wasn't crowded.

She bought a sleeper ticket and secretly headed back.

Zhou Yueshen had told her to let him know in advance so he could pick her up, but Si Nian felt that was too much trouble.

Not only would the round trip take a long time, but it would also cause unnecessary delays.

It was better to just go back on her own.

She had planned to rush home and give the children and her older man a surprise, but just as she reached the door, she ran into an uninvited guest.