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

Chapter 464

......Ever since their parents returned to their hometown, Second Child had been unhappy, finding no joy in anything he did.

In the past, he would wake up every day to jog and practice martial arts. After finishing his routine, he could eat breakfast. Seeing him work so hard, his mother would rub his head, praise him, and tell him not to overtire himself.

She was never as heartless as their father.

His mother's praise was the motivation that kept him going every day.

But with their mother away from home and their father no longer managing him, Second Child suddenly lost all his drive.

He decided that he would definitely sleep in the next day and specifically instructed his older brother not to wake him up.

No one was going to stop him from sleeping in.

Then he collapsed onto the bed and went Zzzzzz...

Zhou Zedong shot him a glance and completely ignored him.

He pulled out a notebook and began to write.

He never used to take notes, but ever since he took an interest in research, he developed a habit of recording things.

At first, he only recorded research processes and results.

Later, when he started cooking with his mother, he also enjoyed writing down the recipes, the flavors of each dish, and everyone's feedback.

Eventually, this evolved into keeping a diary.

Every night before bed, he would first jot down the key events that had happened during the day.

Only after writing would he go to sleep.

With Mom and Dad away from home, he was now the eldest brother in the house, and he had to take good care of his younger brother and sister.

Although he had been angry at his brother earlier and planned not to wake him up so he would be late and punished by having to stand in class...

...he was also afraid his brother would be scolded by the teacher.

So, after thinking it over, Zhou Zedong decided to let him off the hook this time.

His brother said he didn't want to exercise and wanted to sleep in, but he wasn't going to let him get his way.

When Mom was home, his brother always loved to show off, and Mom liked him best.

Slacking off as soon as Mom was gone—such a brother was not a good brother.

He had to correct his brother's bad habit.

However, his younger sister didn't need to jog and exercise; she could sleep a little longer, and he would wake her up after making breakfast.

His sister liked egg pancakes and millet porridge. His brother said he wanted noodles and didn't like vegetables—so picky. Therefore, it was better to make what his sister liked.

For lunch, he would pick up his sister and they would eat at the cafeteria. In the afternoon, he would cook at home.

When Dad left, he gave him a hundred yuan. Tomorrow, he would give his sister fifty cents to buy candy, leaving ninety-nine yuan and fifty cents. In the afternoon, he would go buy some groceries...

After finishing his record of today's events and tomorrow's plans, Zhou Zedong got up, changed into his little pajamas, and lay down to sleep.

Halfway through his sleep, he climbed out of bed again, feeling worried.

His sister was sleeping over there all by herself, and Mom and Dad weren't home. What if she wanted to go to the bathroom at night but was too scared to get up?

Thinking of this, he immediately got up, put on his little slippers, and ran toward his sister's room. He would sleep with his sister tonight.

Anyway, if his brother wet the bed, he would have to wash his own sheets.

In the middle of the night, Zhou Zehan urgently needed to pee. He groggily climbed out of bed and called out to Zhou Zedong, Brother, come with me to the bathroom. I want to pee.

After calling out for a long time with no response, he reached out to feel the spot next to him, but it was empty.

Second Child jolted awake.

His brother had disappeared.

His brother had been taken away by ghosts.

Terrified, Second Child immediately pulled his feet back under the covers, squirming around on the bed. When he really couldn't hold it in any longer, he shivering grabbed a flashlight and went out to use the bathroom.

Spirits of heaven and earth, Brother, I didn't mean not to save you. If you're gone, please don't haunt me. I haven't lived long enough yet.

Don't worry, Brother, I'll help you be filial to Mom and Dad and take good care of our younger siblings. You can go in peace.

His little legs were trembling. Before he even reached the bathroom, he couldn't hold it anymore, so he hurriedly pulled down his pants and squatted in the courtyard to pee.

A cold gust of wind blew by, making his bare bottom feel chilly.

Without even having time to pull up his pants, he ran back to the room like the wind and immediately shrank under the covers.

He groggily fell asleep and even dreamed that his brother was captured by monsters.

Second Child was very sad. Even though his eldest brother always looked down on him and didn't like talking to him, no matter how bad he was, he was still his brother.

Without his brother in the future, the family would have to rely entirely on him.

Second Child cried sadly, and cried until he woke himself up.

He even forgot all about sleeping in.

The clock nearby showed the time was six in the morning.

Having been trained by his father for almost a year, he had already developed a biological clock.

Now, he woke up on his own right on time.

After finishing his morning run and returning, he suddenly remembered that his brother was gone. That meant he had to cook for his sister, otherwise she wouldn't have any food when she woke up.

He didn't know when Mom and Dad would come back. Even though they had just left, Second Child already missed his mother very much.

He felt as if he had matured in an instant, and immediately went thumping off to the kitchen to prepare a meal.

As a result, before he even stepped into the kitchen, he smelled a delicious aroma.

Second Child twitched his nose, thinking he was hallucinating.

He moved in the direction of the scent, only to see his brother, who had disappeared overnight, right there in the kitchen.

At this moment, he was wearing their mother's pink apron and frying pancakes.

The aroma wafting out was exactly the scent of egg pancakes.

Second Child was a bit dumbfounded. He stepped forward and suddenly pinched his brother's butt.

Zhou Zedong was so startled that he almost threw the pan out of his hands.

Why did you pinch me! He turned around to see his brother covered in sweat with an expression like he had seen a ghost, and asked with a frown.

Brother, are you real? Second Child's eyes widened when he heard the voice.

Was it not a hallucination born out of missing his brother too much?

Realizing this possibility, Second Child immediately threw himself into Zhou Zedong's arms and started crying, wiping all his tears and snot on his brother.

I woke up last night and didn't see you, and I even dreamed that you were taken away by ghosts. I was scared to death.

Zhou Zedong: .....

Chen Haoran walked through the door carrying food and immediately smelled a delicious aroma.

He almost thought Si Nian and the others had returned.

Entering the kitchen, he realized it was just the two little guys. The younger brother was hugging his older brother, crying his heart out. He was a bit bewildered.

Oh my, why did you two brothers come into the kitchen? Children shouldn't be in such a dangerous place. Hurry up and get out. Didn't I say I would bring your food over from now on?

He thought the two children had gotten hungry, ran to the kitchen to make food, and ended up getting hurt.

His heart leaped into his throat.

He couldn't mess up on his very first day of babysitting.

Wouldn't he be scolded to death when Si Nian came back?

I know how to cook myself, I don't need you to look after us, Zhou Zedong pushed his brother away. With practiced ease, he shook the egg pancake in the pan with one hand, then with a deft flick of his wrist, the fragrant pancake flipped in the air and landed perfectly back in the pan.

Just this one pan-tossing move was enough to dumbfound Chen Haoran, a man who had never done any household chores in his life.

He had just heard the crying and rushed in without stopping, not even noticing the aroma wafting through the house.

He had thought it was someone else cooking next door.

Now he noticed that in a bowl to the side sat four or five perfectly uniform, mouth-watering egg pancakes, and next to it was a small clay pot filled with softly simmered millet porridge.

After finishing the last large pancake, Zhou Zedong took out a small bowl, picked out some pickled radishes that Si Nian had prepared earlier from among the various jars and pots, and carried it out.

Chen Haoran stood rooted to the spot like a block of wood, holding a bag of breakfast, watching him bustle back and forth.

Zhou Zedong methodically cleaned up the kitchen, wiped the countertops spotless, and then dried his hands before going to the bedroom to wake his younger sister. He changed her into fresh clothes, tied her hair, and supervised her as she brushed her teeth and washed her face.

The entire routine took no more than seven or eight minutes.

Chen Haoran: "..."

He suddenly felt like a third wheel, completely redundant.

Last night, he had been worried about oversleeping today, so he dragged himself out of bed bright and early to buy breakfast for the kids, afraid they might go hungry.

He had been full of confidence, imagining that when he arrived, the kids would swarm around him with adoration and joy.

Who knew that upon his arrival, let alone swarming around him, they wouldn't even have the time to spare him a single glance.

Having finished all the morning preparations, Zhou Zedong saw him still standing there and asked in confusion, "Brother Chen, is there something else?"

Chen Haoran: "..."

He wanted to say yes, but he couldn't quite articulate what it was.

Oh right, what about the breakfast he bought?

He looked down at the large bag of breakfast food in his hand.

He fell into a spiral of self-doubt. Did these kids really need him?

Eating the breakfast made by a little kid, someone as confident as Chen Haoran felt a sense of inferiority for the very first time.

He made up his mind. In order to take better care of these children, he was going to move in!

After heading to school with a full stomach, Chen Haoran tossed the breakfast he had bought to a few of his friends.

They were quite touched. "Wow, Brother Chen, how did you know I didn't eat breakfast?"

"Whoa, there's so much! What a feast!"

"Aren't these the buns from Yulongfang? I heard you can't even get them if you line up. Brother Chen is the best, so generous."

Chen Haoran picked his teeth, looking at them with a face full of disdain. "Look at you all, acting like you've never seen good food. What I ate today was way better than this."

In the past, he always found it too troublesome and never ate breakfast at all.

Having eaten it today, his stomach felt incredibly comfortable, and he was in a great mood.

He wondered what else that kid could cook. It seemed he needed to go pick them up a bit earlier this evening.

With this thought in mind, he immediately turned down all sorts of invitations from his rowdy friends. As soon as his afternoon classes ended, he drove his motorcycle over early to pick up the kids.

Seeing the children walking out of the school, Chen Haoran smiled sweeter than a blooming flower.

The kids passing by looked at the motorcycle he was riding with envious eyes.

His motorcycle was a limited edition model. Its bright red body was incredibly eye-catching.

What kid wouldn't covet such a cool motorcycle?

Coupled with Chen Haoran's trendy outfit, his hair spiked up towards the sky and dyed blonde, rumored to be the exact same hairstyle as a certain Hong Kong celebrity.

He also wore stud earrings, had a pair of headphones hanging around his neck, and a pair of sunglasses resting on his head. He looked ridiculously stylish.

Since he was also quite good-looking, let alone the children, even passing teenagers and young girls couldn't help but cast envious and shy glances his way.

When the kids came out, this was the scene they saw.

Seeing the three siblings emerge, Chen Haoran lifted his chin. "Little Dong, Little Han, I'm over here."

Zhou Zedong tilted his head and caught sight of the flamboyant Chen Haoran.

"..."

Second Child, on the other hand, let out an uncritical "Wow!" and said, "What a beautiful motorcycle! Brother, I want to ride it too."

Thinking of motorcycles, he couldn't help but miss his dad's motorcycle back when they lived in Xingfu Village.

Back then, their dad would ride his motorcycle bright and early every morning to take him and his older brother to school. It was so cool.

All his friends at school envied him.

Second Child would walk with his back straight and tall every single day.

Later, they moved to the city. Although their lives had improved, he still deeply missed their time in Xingfu Village.

He broke into a run, rushing over to touch the bike here and there.

Seeing his delighted expression, Chen Haoran knew that riding this motorcycle here was definitely the right choice.

He jutted his chin out and asked, "How about it? Is my ride cool or what?"

Second Child nodded. "So cool!"

"Want a ride?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Then I have to test you a bit. Do you notice anything different about me today?"

Second Child's attention was finally drawn away from the bike. He looked up at Chen Haoran in confusion.

Chen Haoran lowered his head, thinking he looked extremely handsome, and asked Second Child, "Do you see anything on my face?"

Second Child frowned, stared carefully for a moment, and suddenly came to a realization. "I see it."

The corners of Chen Haoran's mouth curled up. "Say it out loud."

Second Child yelled at the top of his lungs, "You have eye boogers!"

Chen Haoran: "..."

Yaoyao came running over with pitter-patter steps, opening her big, beautiful eyes, and said, "Second brother, let me see."

Then she said in an exaggerated tone, "There really are eye boogers! Brother Chen is dirty, he doesn't wash his face. Yaoyao washes her face every single day."

After saying that, she proudly lifted her little chin.

Chen Haoran almost fell off the motorcycle.

Watching his younger brother and sister diligently searching for eye boogers on Chen Haoran's face, Zhou Zedong's mouth twitched.

It was simply too embarrassing to watch.

Was this guy their parents found really reliable?

With a heavy heart, Zhou Zedong went to the wet market to buy groceries.

He was already very familiar with this place.

Sometimes when they ran out of vegetables at home, his mother would ask him to come buy some.

As a result, whenever the vendors saw him, they would greet him warmly.

"Little Dong, did your mom send you to buy groceries again?"

"My mom went back to our hometown, so I came to buy them myself."

Zhou Zedong replied politely while picking out fresh vegetables.

"Oh my, how impressive."

Everyone smiled and praised him for being so sensible.

They said that knowing how to buy groceries and cook at such a young age meant he would be incredible when he grew up.

Whichever girl married him in the future would surely be blessed.

Chen Haoran's stylish motorcycle was ultimately reduced to a grocery transport vehicle, with a few large green onions tied to the back.

Yaoyao sat in the front, while the two brothers, Zhou Zedong and Zhou Zehan, sat in the back.

Despite his excellent driving skills, navigating through the crowded wet market made him sweat profusely.

Zhou ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍Zedong was still very distrustful. "Maybe we should just get off and walk."

Chen Haoran's face flushed bright red in embarrassment.

Zhang Xue was out doing things with a group of friends as usual, when someone nudged her. "Hey, Xiaoxue, look quickly, isn't that Chen Haoran?"

Zhang Xue looked over in surprise. Sure enough, there was Chen Haoran, who had been so stylish and cool that morning, causing a sensation at school with everyone wanting to ride on the back of his bike. Right now, he looked completely flustered, hauling three little kids around with a few large green onions hanging off the back of his motorcycle.

Before she could recover from her shock, someone asked in confusion, "Didn't you say his family is really rich? He doesn't look like he has a lot of money right now."

"Yeah, what kind of rich person has to buy their own groceries? Also, doesn't he have a bit too many siblings?"

Zhang Xue was also puzzled in her heart. Why would Chen Haoran be taking care of Si Nian's children?

No wonder he left right after school every day recently; she heard he wasn't even going out to play anymore.

Thinking about how Si Nian was pregnant, could he be specially helping Si Nian take care of the kids?

If she managed to build a good relationship with Si Nian, she would definitely be able to interact with him more.

Zhang Xue felt a surge of excitement. Watching the motorcycle approach, she immediately tidied her hair. Everyone around her nudged her frantically, their gazes filled with teasing ambiguity.

Zhang Xue felt a bit shy.

Seeing him get closer, she was just about to open her mouth to say hello, but who would have expected Chen Haoran to speed off on his motorcycle without even looking back.

He hadn't seen her at all.