Reborn in the 1980s: I became a stepmother in the 1980s

Part 21 Officer's fiancé's sister

"Do you...do you want some too?" Zhou Yuedong faced her with some hesitation, afraid that he might have done something wrong and might anger her. "I'll put in two more, then."

After all, he was just a boy in his early teens. Despite his aversion to women, fear still prevailed.

Zhou Yuedong was also quite handsome, with prominent features. His eyes were as big as Yapiao's, but sharper. However, at the moment, his eyebrows were furrowed, resembling an abandoned puppy, helpless and pitiful.

Sining sighed. "It doesn't taste good like this. Let me show you how to make it."

Glancing at the stove, she picked up a few large sweet potatoes from the corner and threw them in. The pot was almost ready. She scooped some out. "Help me peel off the skin and then mash it in the bowl."

Zhou Yuedong was a bit flustered, almost losing his grip on the utensils. He looked at her cautiously, his face turning red, and started peeling the sweet potatoes carefully when he realized she wasn't paying attention to him.

Though Sining didn't look at him directly, she could still hear his movements. She had made noodles with the flour she bought yesterday, but there wasn't much left. Mainly because this household was full of men with hearty appetites. They would finish the food in just two days.

The remaining flour wasn't enough to make noodles, but it was sufficient to make some pancakes for the children to take to school. The sweet potatoes were boiled until soft and mashed into a paste-like consistency. Within moments, Zhou Yuedong handed it over to her. Sining took it and mixed it with the flour, kneading it into dough.

Zhou Yuedong had never seen this method before and watched with curiosity as the white dough gradually turned orange-yellow, emitting a sweet aroma of flour and sweet potatoes. Sining only brushed a layer of oil droplets on the surface of the pan and shaped the dough into pancakes, pressing them onto the large pan to cook. One batch of dough made five large pancakes.

She stood by the stove, repeatedly flipping the golden-brown pancakes. When the surface became crispy and fragrant, she took them off the pan. Then, she poured some water into the pan and cracked a few eggs to boil.

By this time, the sweet potatoes in the pot were also ready. Sining took them out and handed each of them two large pancakes. "Eat the sweet potatoes for breakfast and save the pancakes for lunch. Otherwise, cold sweet potatoes can choke you," she said, without paying attention to Zhou Yuedong's complicated expression. Then, she walked away with the remaining pancakes.

Taking a bite of the pancake, Sining squinted her eyes as the sweet and fragrant taste filled her mouth. It was the perfect breakfast option.

Seeing the fragrant pancakes, Zhou Yueshan's eyes lit up with anticipation. Sining ate for a while before saying, "I'll take Yao Yao to the city later. I'm not sure when we'll be back in the afternoon, so if you come back earlier, you'll have to cook for yourselves."

Zhou Yueshan immediately became nervous. He wasn't as calculating as Zhou Yuedong, but upon hearing that his sister would be taken away, he felt anxious. After all, there were many people these days who kidnapped children for sale, especially girls. Many families couldn't afford to raise them and sold them to remote villages as child brides. Their neighbor, Auntie Tie Dan, was said to have been bought and beaten.

Subconsciously, he wanted to look at his brother, hoping he would speak up to stop it, but he heard Zhou Yuedong's voice instead, "Okay."

He was so shocked that the pancake in his hand almost fell to the ground. What had happened to his brother? Wasn't he the one who hated women coming to the house the most? How could he agree to let that woman take their sister away? Had he been threatened by her?

Zhou Yueshan's face was full of fear, feeling like they could only rely on their own wits in this household. Zhou Yuedong glanced at his dumbfounded expression and shoved a pancake into his mouth. Although still shocked, the delicious pancake silenced him as he unconsciously chewed on it.

Mmm~ it's so fragrant, so delicious!

When the two set off, Sining also gave each of them a boiled egg. After helping Yao Yao freshen up and feeding her some food, Sining tidied up herself and then boarded the bus to the city.

Yao Yao hadn't ridden in a car much before, so she was very excited, babbling all the way, her beautiful big eyes curious as she looked around.

The road wasn't in good condition, causing a lot of bumps. Sining felt drowsy from the jolting, but Yao Yao remained wide awake. However, she didn't cry; instead, she obediently sat on Sining's lap. People nearby praised her for being so well-behaved.

Sining smiled and kissed Yao Yao's soft face. When they arrived at the city station, she took the child off the bus. Since she didn't plan to go to Zhou's house, she headed straight to the radio station.

Just as she entered the building with the child, she heard a displeased voice from behind, "Sining? What are you doing here?"

Sining turned around to look.

In front of her was an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl dressed in professional attire, with short hair and delicate makeup on her face. When she saw it was indeed Sining, a disdainful look appeared in her eyes.

"Sining, weren't you kicked out of the Zhou family and sent to the countryside? How come you're back again? How... was life in the countryside not treating you well?" Her tone was filled with schadenfreude.

Sining carefully recalled the memories of the original owner and finally retrieved information about the person in front of her from the depths of her mind. This person was the younger sister of the military officer who was the original owner's fiancé, Fu Qianqian. They were the same age, but their relationship had never been good. The reason was simple: they both lived in the same military compound. The original owner was beautiful and intelligent, while Fu Qianqian always fell short in comparison. Over time, they naturally grew resentful towards each other. This resentment intensified after the original owner became engaged to her brother, feeling even more stifled.

Both of them only completed high school. The original owner gave up her studies to marry into a wealthy family, while Fu Qianqian simply didn't want to continue her education. When the opportunity to apply for the position of a radio broadcaster arose, coincidentally, both of them applied.

However, while Sining was selected as the radio host, Fu Qianqian could only work in logistics, which made her feel extremely frustrated. They often exchanged snide remarks and engaged in petty quarrels. They became enemies before even getting started.

Now, learning that Sining was not biologically related to the family and was from the countryside, Fu Qianqian felt a surge of satisfaction. But Sining didn't pay her any mind. After all, she had no relationship with Fu Qianqian's family anymore and didn't need to tolerate her like the original owner did just to marry the military officer fiancé.

Sining merely glanced at her and then turned to leave. Fu Qianqian, feeling ignored, hurried after her and blocked her path, glaring angrily.

"Hey, stop!" she demanded, her eyes burning with fury. "I'm talking to you, are you deaf or something?"

Sining halted and frowned, her gaze falling upon the girl who was half a head shorter than herself. The disdainful look from Sining irked Fu Qianqian, prompting her to instinctively raise her chin.

Despite having better background and conditions in every aspect compared to Sining, Fu Qianqian couldn't match her in height, appearance, or academic performance. The fact that Sining was chosen as the host over her was a sore point, especially considering it was allegedly due to her height. This left Fu Qianqian seething with anger.