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

Part 132 Red envelope

The Si family was deeply resentful, feeling humiliated. They completely forgot that when Si Nian had mentioned bringing them over to introduce them, they had displayed faces of disdain and reluctance. Now, determined to confront Si Nian, they stormed into the Zhou family's living room, only to be stunned by the scene before them: a vintage-style decor, a massive sofa, a large TV, and a radio. Before they could recover from their shock, a familiar voice sounded behind them.

"Si Nian, where is Si Nian?"

They turned around to see Fu Qianqian, dressed festively, walking in with a man. Both parties froze upon seeing each other.

"What are you doing here?" Fu Qianqian, who had been smiling, immediately wore a different expression.

She remembered how the Si family had looked down on Si Nian marrying a man from the countryside, eager to sever ties. Now, seeing them at the Zhou household was surprising. Fu Qianqian doubted they had come out of goodwill to attend Si Nian's wedding.

Si Fu and Si Mu had originally come with stern faces to confront Si Nian, but now they couldn't maintain their expressions, especially not after seeing Fu Qianqian, with whom they had previously had a strained relationship. Forcing a smile, they said, "Is that you, Qianqian? What a surprise to see you here."

Fu Qianqian looked at them with a puzzled expression.

Just then, Si Nian appeared, warmly stepping forward and loudly saying, "Oh, Dad, Mom, you came! And you brought so many gifts! That's so kind of you!"

There were many people around, and hearing this, they all turned to look. They recognized this as the same family that had been condescending to Si Nian at the entrance. They had claimed to be here for the wedding but came empty-handed and spoke harshly on such a joyful day. Everyone had been criticizing Si Nian's foster parents, thinking they were terrible people. But now, seeing them with an additional person and carrying so many gifts, they wondered: were they perhaps misunderstood?

People began to whisper among themselves, "Maybe the Si family isn't as bad as we thought."

"Yeah, I was feeling they were too much just now."

"We're sorry, members of the Si family. We didn't realize you were so thoughtful, bringing so many gifts. Looks like they're all high-quality items."

People started to warm up, "See, I knew it. A family that raised a wonderful girl like Si Nian can't be all that bad."

"Wow, they really went all out. Those cigarettes, that wine, and those pastries must be expensive!"

Everyone gathered around. Fu Qianqian was dumbfounded. How did the gifts she brought become something attributed to the Si family? Did Si Nian mistakenly think the gifts Fu Qianqian was holding were from the Si family?

Looking at the Si family, who had come empty-handed, Fu Qianqian was furious. In front of the equally confused Si family, she loudly exclaimed, "What do you mean they brought these? I bought these gifts, what do they have to do with them?"

"Huh?" The cheerful expressions of the onlookers froze. They looked at Fu Qianqian and then at the Si family, whose faces had turned pale with confusion.

Fu Qianqian continued sarcastically, "Oh, isn't this Uncle Si and Auntie Si? You came to see Si Nian off for her wedding and didn't bring anything?"

The crowd, initially thinking Fu Qianqian was with the Si family, realized they were separate groups. Their expressions turned peculiar.

"So, it wasn't them who brought the gifts."

"I knew it. They came empty-handed before."

"Here I was, feeling a tiny bit guilty for criticizing them earlier."

"They look decent, but coming to a wedding without bringing anything is just shameless."

Si Fu and Si Mu were embarrassed by the crowd's scolding and couldn't lift their heads. They were confused, not understanding what had transpired. They had come in to confront Si Nian, but now they were the ones being reprimanded.

Feigning shock, Si Nian exclaimed loudly, "What? It wasn't from you, Mom and Dad?" She covered her mouth in surprise.

This statement made the Si parents, who had come to cause trouble, feel ashamed. They had come in a hurry and felt embarrassed, intending to just make a brief appearance and leave quickly. They hadn't anticipated such complications.

With so many eyes on them, not showing any gesture would be too much.

Si Fu gritted his teeth and said, "Although this wasn't from us, Mom and Dad knew that you've been having a hard time here. These things wouldn't be of much use to you, so we gave you some red envelopes."

Si Nian, pleasantly surprised, exclaimed, "I see! I knew Mom and Dad cared about me the most. Of course, you don't have to give too much. Otherwise, I'll feel too embarrassed to accept it. I'm already feeling embarrassed about Qianqian giving me so much."

Si Fu's hand, ready to take out money, paused. He gritted his teeth, feeling a bit resentful towards Fu Qianqian for giving so many gifts. He had initially planned to casually give a hundred yuan as a token, but now, with Fu Qianqian giving so much, if he only gave a hundred yuan, it would seem too stingy.

So, he nudged his wife, who was standing beside him in a daze, and said, "Hurry up and take out the money I asked you to get yesterday for Si Nian's red envelopes."

Zhang Cuimei didn't react at first, wondering why they suddenly needed money again. Before she could finish her sentence, her husband interrupted her, saying, "Of course, it's for Si Nian's red envelopes. That's why I asked you to get the money."

In fact, it was money intended for Lin Sisi's foreign language class. Recently, there was a trend of studying abroad in the city, and every family was boasting about their daughters going to study abroad. However, their daughter, Lin Sisi, wasn't very good at English.

The couple only just thought of spending some money to enroll her in a class. Originally, they had planned to attend the wedding and then go, so she had brought the money with her. They didn't expect her husband to snatch it away and hand over a thick stack of bills to Si Nian.

"Nian Nian, this is the money Dad gives you. Keep it. If it's not enough, let Dad know," he said, passing over the money, which had just been taken out, neatly and freshly in thirty bills.

Si Nian reached out to take it. "How can I accept this, Dad? You're too kind to me. Xiaodong, Xiaohan, come over here. Grandpa has red envelopes for you."

Upon hearing about the red envelopes, a group of children rushed over excitedly and surrounded Si Fu's family. Although Si Fu couldn't muster a smile, faced with the expectant expressions of the children and the gazes of the people around him, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and fork over the money.

"Xiaodong, Xiaohan, here are the red envelopes from Grandpa!" He handed each child ten yuan.

The two children glanced at each other. Si Nian, looking at her pained father, burst into laughter and said to the two children, "Xiaodong, Xiaohan, quickly thank Grandpa."

The two children looked at each other again and said in unison, "Thank you, Grandpa."