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

Part 30 Drive Aunt Liu awa

Ah, this... Sinen was truly dumbfounded by this old woman. Fifty bucks a month? That's almost what I make as a radio announcer. Is this guy too extravagant or what? No wonder Aunt Liu isn't willing to leave. If I were her, I wouldn't want to either.

Aunt Liu's sharp voice frightened Yao Yao, who burst into tears. The commotion made Zhou Yueshen's head ache. His voice turned stern: "Aunt Liu, I've already said we don't need you anymore. If you keep this up, don't blame me for being rude."

Sinen hurried over to comfort Yao Yao, keeping her distance from Aunt Liu. These kinds of clingy people were the most frightening.

"Yao Yao, don't be afraid," she said, patting the child's back. As soon as Yao Yao felt her touch, she calmed down, clinging tightly to Sinen's neck, fearful of Aunt Liu's outburst.

Zhou Yuedong and Zhou Yueshan wore expressions of disgust.

"Little elder brother, little younger brother, why don't you say something to Grandma? She took care of you for so long. Even if she didn't have merits, she endured hardships. Don't you want to eat meat every day?"

Seeing that Zhou Yueshen was not swayed, Aunt Liu turned her attention to Zhou Yuedong and Zhou Yueshan. Zhou Yueshan swallowed nervously and said, "Aunt Liu, it's okay, I don't need your help. It's not that I'm saying your cooking is bad."

Aunt Liu: "..."

Zhou Yuedong remained silent.

"Aunt Liu, I don't want to repeat myself for the third time," Zhou Yueshen said, his tone growing more stern. "These past few days when Sinen came over, you didn't even bother to inform me before leaving. I hired you to work, but your performance speaks for itself. I haven't made a big deal out of it because we're from the same village, but if you insist on causing trouble, you should refund part of the money to me. If you don't want things to get ugly, please leave."

Aunt Liu choked up. Refund money? Wasn't that like asking for her life? Completely panicked, fearing that continued confrontation would expose her embezzlement, she left awkwardly.

Finally, the house quieted down.

Zhou Yueshen looked at Sinan, who was also staring at him, and said, "I'm sorry for not keeping her. It wasn't my intention to burden you with all the work. I'll do my best to help you in the future. If you find it troublesome, you don't have to specially send me meals. Just take care of Yao Yao."

He was worried that Sinan might think he was treating her like a nanny by dismissing Aunt Liu as soon as she returned. Although Zhou Yueshen hoped for someone to genuinely care for the children, he didn't want to mistreat the young girl.

"From now on, I'll give you 200 yuan as living expenses each month. After deducting the children's expenses, the rest is yours. If you need anything else, just let me know."

Sinan was stunned.

"Two hundred... Is that too much?" She feigned modesty, but her eyes gleamed with excitement. Zhou Yueshen couldn't help but smile faintly at her apparent modesty.

"Don't worry, I've saved up enough money to cover your expenses. Just focus on living your life well."

Zhou Yueshen's parents had passed away early, so he had been responsible for feeding the family since he was young. He joined the army at a young age and served as an officer for eight years. If he hadn't retired, he would have been a battalion commander by now.

However, due to some unexpected events, he had to leave. Over the years, he had saved up his money and hadn't spent much. His retirement pay was still intact. After returning, he established a farm, acquiring it at a low price from those who previously owned it. He didn't spend much money on it.

These days, as long as one had courage and avoided crossing the line, success was achievable. He just didn't want to expand too much, so Zhou Yueshen kept his operations within the village. However, his reputation had already spread, and he monopolized a large portion of the fresh meat market supply. The profits were substantial.

He only needed to wait for full-scale opening up. Despite earning so much money, he had no time to spend it, and he couldn't even properly care for his children at times. Sometimes, Zhou Yueshen doubted himself.

But today, when he saw his younger son, brimming with excitement, proudly introducing him to the things Sinan had bought, including the new backpack on his back, he suddenly found the meaning behind earning money.

"Rest assured! There's nothing in this world that money can't solve!" Sinan said with a smile.

Indeed, eighty percent of life's hardships stemmed from money. As long as the issue of money was resolved, what else could be difficult?

With Liu Shuoshan being driven away, Sinan breathed a sigh of relief. She always felt that Liu Shuoshan's presence was like a ticking time bomb, so it was good that she left now.

She checked the simmering pork rib soup in the kitchen. It still needed another half hour over low heat for the ribs to become tender and delicious; otherwise, the children wouldn't be able to chew them.

Sinan added another piece of firewood to the stove, then began washing the vegetables she had bought – some potatoes, tomatoes, and bok choy.

While she was busy, she felt someone entering behind her. Turning around, she saw Zhou Yueshen.

The kitchen was spacious, but his tall figure made it feel a bit cramped all of a sudden.

"Do you need help?" he asked.

Watching her busy figure, unlike the village women from other families, Sinan seemed elegant even when cooking, organized and neat, showing no signs of distress.

The slender figure was outlined by the halo of the setting sun, her delicate waist seeming like it could be snapped with just a little force. A girl like her should naturally live a life of luxury from birth.

"Sure, help me tidy up the kitchen. The pork ribs I washed just now made the floor a bit slippery," Sinan said without hesitation. She enjoyed cooking, but she detested the mess that followed. Cleaning up afterward was always a chore, but having someone to help made it more bearable.

Zhou Yueshen nodded slightly and took the broom to start sweeping. The kitchen was filled with the aroma of cooking, and the spacious house felt warm and inviting, unlike its usual deserted state.

Although the house was only built two or three years ago, it always felt empty and uncomfortable. Zhou Yueshen couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he felt like something was missing. Now, he realized what it was.

Sinan had been peacefully chopping vegetables, but she soon felt the gaze of the man on her. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, she wondered why he was staring at her like that. Although she admitted she was indeed attractive, being stared at so blatantly made her blush even if she had thick skin.

Perhaps in this era, Zhou Yueshen's tall and imposing appearance wasn't highly regarded. But in the future, such a macho man would be highly sought after. Sinan remembered seeing butchers back then, usually overweight uncles who liked to smoke.