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

Part 224 I am really not a human being

Lin Xiao, squatting at the door to wash pig's trotters, sneezed twice in quick succession.

Zhou Yuenshen, who was chopping pork ribs nearby, glanced over at him.

"Big brother, not feeling well?"

Lin Xiao smiled innocently. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I'll just take this in to my wife first."

Zhou Yuenshen nodded slightly, finishing up with the ribs and carrying them inside.

Just then, he overheard Si Nian asking why Zhou Suisui and the others didn't have children.

As Lin Xiao stepped inside, the two women immediately fell silent.

Si Nian turned to size up her brother. He was tall, but thin. She wondered if it was from working too hard—he looked extremely lean. His skin was dark, almost like a telephone pole. Was he feeling weak?

It seemed her brother needed some nourishment too.

Zhou Yuenshen caught the look in her eyes, finding it strangely familiar.

He cleared his throat and asked, "Nian Nian, why are you here?"

Si Nian redirected her gaze to him. "Those aunties were being too clingy; it's better to come in and cook."

Zhou Yuenshen thought that made sense; she always disliked trouble.

He set the ribs down and squatted, while Si Nian brought over scallions, ginger, and garlic. "Marinate this to reduce the fishiness," she said.

He nodded, took the ingredients, and pulled a stool over for her. "Since I'm not going to the factory, you should take a break."

With that, he focused intently on his work. Si Nian didn't hesitate, plopping down on the wooden stool, leaning back comfortably against it.

The discomfort in his body eased significantly.

Lin Xiao turned to glance at the pair.

The usually meticulous Zhou Factory Director was now squatting in front of his sister, focused on his task, while she relaxed, eyes squinted in enjoyment.

He shifted his gaze back to his wife, who was sweating as she cooked.

Lin Xiao felt a pang of guilt. "Wife, you should take a break. Let me handle dinner."

Zhou Suisui blinked in surprise.

His wife's reaction made him feel even worse, and despite fumbling for words, he finally echoed Zhou Yuenshen's earlier sentiment: "I rarely take a break, so you should rest."

At that, both Si Nian and Zhou Yuenshen turned to look at him.

Lin Xiao's face flushed bright red, hot against his dark skin, though it was hard to tell.

Inside the room, several kids sat together doing homework.

Lin Feng and Lin Yu weren't interested; they had been happily playing until Zhou Zedong unexpectedly pulled out a notebook to study.

This prompted the adults to gather the kids to join him, leaving them feeling disheartened as they stared at the assignments.

Zhou Zehan proudly flaunted his limited vocabulary. "You guys don't know? My mom said this is called ABCD, not 'Abozide'! It's a foreign language, and she says it's really beneficial for me."

The others looked at Zhou Zehan, feeling like he had been brainwashed by their sister.

Lin Feng glanced over, surprised. "I know! That's called English; Lin Sisi learned it before."

Lin Yu added, bewildered, "Aren't you supposed to learn this in middle school?"

Zhou Zehan puffed out his chest and declared, "My mom said we should start learning early, work hard in secret, and amaze everyone!"

Lin Feng and Lin Yu could only stare in disbelief.

"I wanted to learn back then, but Lin Sisi wouldn't teach me," Lin Yu sulked.

"Why didn't she come back earlier?" he wondered. Why did she return just to get married?

The two brothers weren't naïve; Zhou Zehan hadn't been like this before. Ever since their sister married his dad, it felt like the brothers had transformed. Now, they heard every day how nice Si Nian was to them, and while they didn't say anything, they couldn't help but feel envious.

More and more people gathered in the yard, including Lin Mama's sister-in-law, Lin Fang, and her mother-in-law. Lin Fang had come over after hearing about the situation but found no one to welcome her.

As soon as Lin Mama returned, Lin Fang exploded. "Second sister-in-law, what's the meaning of this? You leave us all sitting here waiting for you while nobody's eaten! Do you want us to starve?"

With that, she leaned forward to peek at what Lin Mama was holding—quite a bit of fine wine.

Her eyes turned green with envy, and she almost blurted something out.

In the yard, Liu Mei rushed over and spoke up, "If you're hungry, why didn't you eat first before coming here? Does your family not have enough to eat? Your daughter just got engaged and received five hundred in betrothal gifts—are you really that starving?"

With that, Lin Fang fell silent. After all, it was Liu Mei who arranged her daughter's marriage. If she offended Liu Mei, who could say what might happen to the engagement?

She was puzzled as to why Liu Mei, who usually clashed with her, was defending her now. Meanwhile, her mother-in-law glared at Liu Mei and retorted, "This is our family's business; mind your own."

"Don't think we don't know—you just want to curry favor now that her daughter's marrying into a wealthy family. You used to insult her more than anyone, and now you're acting shameless!"

Liu Mei scoffed, "So what? I just see how capable Miaomiao is and want to acknowledge it. We may argue, but we're not enemies—I've apologized, and she forgave me."

"Unlike some people who want benefits without lifting a finger, expecting to be treated like royalty! Bah!"

"Who do you think you are? Why should they entertain you? You act so high and mighty that it's laughable."

Liu Mei chattered on before grabbing the snacks and candies she'd brought and heading back home.

"Here, Miaomiao, I bought these for your kids, take them!"

Lin Mama was left speechless, wondering what on earth was happening.

She quickly pushed the snacks back.

"Liu Mei, you're too kind! You should take these back; they're too valuable."

At Lin Mama's words, Liu Mei looked hurt. "Miaomiao, are you still upset with me?"

Lin Mama wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. Since Liu Mei was apologizing and being polite, she couldn't hold a grudge without looking unreasonable. "Not at all."

Liu Mei immediately broke into a grin, casting a triumphant glance at Lin Fang and her mother-in-law, nearly driving them mad.

She had never seen someone so eager to curry favor while looking so smug. It was baffling.

"I should get back to work; everyone's waiting for dinner," Lin Mama said, wanting to escape the tension.

Liu Mei clapped her hands. "Cooking? That's my specialty! Let me help!"

Seeing her enthusiasm, others chimed in with eager smiles, further infuriating Lin Fang and her mother-in-law.

Just then, a knock at the door interrupted the scene.

"Hello, is this Si Nian's home?"