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

Part 35 Something is wrong with Lin Sisi

Sunnie squinted her eyes. "Stolen?" she echoed skeptically. Such a statement seemed too implausible; it would hardly be believed by anyone unfamiliar with the Lin family's character. After all, three thousand yuan was indeed a considerable sum in those days.

"Yes, I... I don't know how to explain it to you, but I'm truly sorry..." Although Zhou Suisui knew that an apology wouldn't suffice, at this moment, she couldn't think of anything else to say.

Fortunately, upon hearing that Zhou Yuanshen had come knocking, the Lin family hurried back from the fields. Due to the hot weather, rural farming activities commenced early in the day, often before dawn. Even though it was only nine o'clock, the family was already covered in dirt.

As Lin's parents approached their home, they noticed several villagers gathered at the entrance, engaged in animated discussions about the dowry issue. Clearly, news of Zhou Yuanshen's visit had spread like wildfire within the community.

It was understandable. Taking three thousand yuan as a dowry and then failing to marry off their daughter, only to claim that the money had been stolen, was a story that strained credulity. Seeing Zhou Yuanshen finally show up at their doorstep was a relief to those who had previously envied the Lin family.

"Who said the Lin family was honest? Just look at them now, their true colors are showing! They thought they could get away with it when Comrade Zhou didn't show up, but now that he's here, let's see how they handle it!"

"Yeah, Comrade Zhou used to be a soldier. Do they really think they can take advantage of him like this?"

The murmurs and whispers around them made the Lin couple's faces flush with embarrassment. They dared not utter a word and hurriedly retreated into their house. Seeing their reaction, everyone became more convinced that the Lin family was guilty of hiding the three thousand yuan.

Not only would rural people be looked down upon in the city, but such situations also occurred within rural communities themselves. The wealthy often looked down upon the poor, and it seemed that the Lin family was no exception. However, while people might gossip behind their backs, openly berating them like this was still a step too far.

No one wanted to see the Lin family, who had been living the worst life in the village, suddenly rise to prosperity by getting close to Manager Zhou and turning their fortunes around. Finally, Sine was able to see her original parents clearly. They were much older than she had imagined. By all accounts, they should have been around the same age as her parents at the Lin family, in their mid-fifties. However, they appeared to be in their early sixties. Their hair was half white, and their faces were lined with wrinkles, bearing the marks of a hard life.

The man, though not short, was weighed down by the burdens of life, unable to lift his head, with a stooped back and a limp that made him look even older. The woman, while somewhat better, was still very frail, looking as if life had beaten her down. Yet, upon closer inspection, there was a striking resemblance in their features to the original owner of Sine's body. Undoubtedly, they must have been quite the beauties in their youth.

Sine sighed. Although she wasn't adept at reading people's faces, it was evident that these two were honest and simple folk just by looking at them. The three thousand yuan must have indeed been stolen. However, Sine felt that there was more to this matter than meets the eye.

"Comrade Zhou, you've come. We're really sorry," the two of them, hunched over, approached Zhou with a humble expression on their faces.

Zhou Yueshen quickly rose to his feet, stopping the two from almost kneeling down. His voice was heavy with concern, "Uncle Lin, Aunt Lin, what are you trying to do?"

"That money, we didn't mean to not return it to you. It's just that we really can't come up with that much money right now..." Lin's father said with guilt.

"We're not asking for your forgiveness, just asking for some time. We will definitely repay you the money," Lin's mother added, pleadingly.

Zhou Yueshen sighed softly, "Uncle Lin, Aunt Lin, I didn't come here about the dowry."

"What?" The two of them froze for a moment, exchanging a glance filled with disbelief.

Only then did they notice the large basket of pork, rice, and various other goodies Zhou Yueshen had brought along, as well as the lively young girl standing beside him.

At the sight of Sine, both of them seemed to be momentarily stunned, then their eyes widened suddenly.

Although they had never seen their own biological daughter, sometimes blood ties were just that miraculous.

In that instant, the two of them were almost certain that the graceful and elegant young girl before them was their true biological daughter! Sine!

The child they had tried three times to see in the city but had been unable to meet!

Sine took the initiative to speak, "Mom, Dad, I guess I should call you that now."

This address stunned Zhou Suixui, who was standing nearby. This beautiful, ethereal-like girl was calling her in-laws "Mom" and "Dad"?

She was taken aback for a moment, then seemed to realize something and widened her eyes suddenly.

Could it be that this was the biological daughter of the in-laws who had been mistakenly taken in the city?

She had just thought she was a relative of Zhou Yueshen.

She hadn't really thought much about it at all.

Too afraid to stare too much, after all, the other party was too glamorous. She had only seen such beautiful women in the city, and she didn't have the courage to look at them directly.

"You... you are Neinei?" Hearing Sine's voice, Lin's father and mother were shocked and choked back tears several times.

They had thought their daughter would never recognize them, but they never expected her to show up at the Lin family one day on her own.

Sine nodded, "Yes, I'm Sine. You went to see me before, but at that time I was too stubborn and couldn't meet with you. I'm really sorry."

Lin's mother covered her mouth, almost bursting into tears, "How... how could this be? This happened so suddenly, we know you must not be able to accept it, after all, our family's conditions are really... I'm sorry, daughter, we couldn't give you a good life."

"It's okay, I'm doing fine now, thanks to you arranging a good marriage for me." Sine smiled calmly.

Upon hearing this, not only Lin's father and mother, but even Zhou Yueshen looked at her with a lifted eyebrow, with a hint of indescribable emotion in his eyes.

"What... what did you say, you and Mr. Zhou?" Lin's father and mother were a bit confused.

While they wanted to reclaim their biological daughter, they never thought about marrying her off. Their original plan was to return the money if Lin Sisi was unwilling. However, things took an unexpected turn too quickly; the money was stolen, and Lin Sisi had returned to her biological roots, having no relation to the Lin family. They only wanted to gather enough money to repay the debt and had never considered marrying her off.

Seeing the bewildered expressions of Lin's parents, Sine guessed what was going on. Seeing that Lin's family was completely unaware of the forced marriage plan, Sine realized it was Lin Sisi's solo scheme. She had convinced Sine's parents but kept it secret from Lin's family. What exactly was Lin Sisi planning? Was she seeking revenge? But aside from the identity switch, there was no animosity between them.

When reading novels, Sine used to categorize characters into protagonists and antagonists, believing that restoring her identity was only fair. However, now that it was happening to her, she felt something was amiss.