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

Part 51 protect her

"Fox spirit is synonymous with beauty. Nowadays, who isn't called a fox spirit if they're attractive? Take someone like you, you might have been called a fox spirit your whole life. It's really unfortunate. But don't worry, if there's a next life, try being born prettier. Just because you missed out this time doesn't mean you won't get another chance," Sinian quipped, casting a disdainful look at Mrs. Liu's appearance, wrinkling her nose as if saying, 'What a shame, but ugliness isn't your fault.'

"You shameless girl!" Mrs. Liu was fuming, pointing her finger at Sinian, struggling to string together a complete sentence.

Zhou Yueshen's eyes twinkled with amusement but remained calm. "Since when does the Liu family need to meddle in Zhou family affairs?" he asked.

Mrs. Liu's face turned red. "I didn't mean it that way."

"What did you mean, then?" Zhou Yueshen pressed.

"I, I meant..." Mrs. Liu stammered, trying to find an excuse. Suddenly, she remembered her purpose for coming, realizing she had been so flustered by Sinian that she had forgotten why she came in the first place.

Regaining some composure, she glared at Sinian and accused, "She intentionally framed your Aunt Liu! Are you so heartless to let Aunt Liu bear this injustice?"

A trace of mockery flashed in Zhou Yueshen's eyes. "Framed? What about the things that fell from her?"

Mrs. Liu responded defiantly, "That must be planted as well! Perhaps she secretly put them in Aunt Liu's pocket and deliberately set a dog on her to make it look like someone was stealing from her, all to damage the relationship between the Zhou and Liu families."

"Aunt Liu has known your family since you were kids. How could she, after all these years, suddenly become a thief targeting the Zhou family? Clearly, someone is trying to frame her!"

Mrs. Liu glanced pointedly at Sinian before speaking.

"Alright." Zhou Yueshen nodded, then turned to Zhou Yuehan who had been eavesdropping. "Little bro, you were at home with me. What really happened?"

Zhou Yuehan shrunk back, casting a fearful glance at the two elders before mustering the courage to speak. "Granny Liu tricked me, saying she had treats for me, so I let her in. Then she went into stepmom's room and accused me and my brother of stealing, but we didn't..."

Mrs. Liu choked for a moment, stammering, "How can we believe what a child says?"

Zhou Yueshen let out a cold laugh. "If I can't trust my own family, should I trust strangers like you?"

"If she didn't steal anything, why did she run away?"

Mrs. Liu was silenced by his retort.

"There must be a misunderstanding here. Aunt Liu isn't that kind of person."

"What kind of person she is, you should know better than I do," Zhou Yueshen retorted.

"Before, I gave her money for groceries every month, plus her salary, totaling fifty yuan. Where did all that money go? We need to settle accounts."

Zhou Yueshen wasn't naive. Since Sinian returned, the children noticeably gained weight.

Despite giving Aunt Liu so much money every month, the children were being cared for poorly. He might have turned a blind eye if she had just been a bit greedy. But Aunt Liu was clearly more than just a bit greedy.

The two elders were shocked. "What? Fifty yuan? Wasn't it forty?"

Seeing their surprised expressions, Zhou Yueshen realized Aunt Liu had been hiding some money. His face darkened immediately.

So, she dared to stash away money, probably to support her poor family. That's over a hundred yuan a year. Just the thought made his heart ache. He felt the urge to rush over and slap her.

Such a greedy person.

Although they were angry, thinking of their grandson's future, they didn't want to admit their daughter-in-law's fault. Besides, they didn't think highly of Sinian either. After all, they couldn't even get their usual forty yuan now.

They had to convince the Zhou family to drop the charges and release Aunt Liu.

Their confidence had waned, adopting a pleading tone. "Yueshen, your aunt didn't mean it. For the sake of us, two lonely old folks, please let her off this time. We're all family, why make it so ugly?"

"Grandpa and Grandma Liu, whether she did it intentionally or not, wrong is wrong. If an apology would suffice, why involve the police?"

If they blamed Sinian this time, what about the next? Only minor injuries could be forgiven?

Zhou Yueshen remained cold and unmoved by the elders' words. Sinian thought to herself, "Good, this man is different from those who just want to save face and keep the peace."

At least he wasn't easily swayed.

Sinian wondered where this family got their confidence. They seemed to think that being relatives gave them the right to act however they pleased. Did they even realize that it was Zhou Yueshen who had called the police?

Sinian hadn't even considered calling the police herself. Being from this remote village, theft was common, and the police might not even bother to investigate. It was just troublesome.

Of course, she wasn't about to let Aunt Liu off easily either.

Yet, she had underestimated the audacity of these two elders. She thought that with Zhou Yueshen taking this stance, they would back down. But instead, they directed their indignation at Sinian.

"You're willing to break ties with our Liu family for a woman you've only known for a few days?"

Sinian thought, "Is your family that important?"

Zhou Yueshen's voice was low and icy. "Why would I mistreat my wife for someone I've just met? Can you give me a reason?"

With that statement, Sinian's opinion of him soared instantly!

Almost applause-worthy, well said!

The faces of the two elders turned green.

"You, you..." They pointed trembling fingers at Zhou Yueshen and Sinian, their faces fluctuating between pale and red.

Zhou Yueshen reached out to lightly grasp Sinian's shoulder, shielding her as they walked past the two, "The police will handle this matter. If you want to resolve it, go to the police station, not here."

With that, they entered the gate of the Zhou residence without looking back. The two elders wanted to follow but seeing a massive dog, taller than a person, glaring at them fiercely from inside, their legs went weak and they quickly retreated.

Feeling ignored, the two elders grew anxious.

"What should we do? Zhou Yueshen is completely enchanted by that Sinian!" Liu Grandma exclaimed.

Liu Grandpa took a few puffs from his pipe, his eyes cold and calculating, "I remember, our neighbor Xiao Zhang Qian was very close to Zhou Tingting. Do they still keep in touch?"

Zhou Tingting was Zhou Yueshen's sister.

After marrying and moving to the city, she hadn't come back much.

Xiao Zhang Qian was Liu Grandma's cousin's granddaughter. She used to come over often to play with Zhou Tingting.

"Yes, I'll have Xiao Zhang Qian call Zhou Tingting right away and ask her to help, to give that little fox... that cunning girl a good lesson!"