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

Part 239 Fainting

The woman, in her thirties, looked at him with surprise. "It really is you! I almost thought I had the wrong person."

Si Nian's father paused for a moment. "Who are you?"

He instinctively sized her up: she was dressed quite plainly in gray linen, with a slightly tanned face but a great figure. He couldn't help but glance at her a bit longer.

The woman continued, "You probably don't remember me. I'm from Linjiacun. I saw you at the Lin family wedding before. You drove a white car then, and everyone was so envious!"

Si Nian's father usually didn't bother with strangers, but seeing someone younger than him looking at him with admiration, his vanity kicked in. He smiled, "Yeah, I got rid of the old car and got a new one."

In reality, he had sold it, but he didn't want to admit that. This car was actually rented. After all, walking to the countryside would surely invite ridicule. Plus, Linjiacun was so remote that it would take one or two hours to walk there—far too inconvenient.

Sure enough, the woman's gaze towards him became even more envious, mixed with a hint of embarrassment.

Si Nian's father immediately asked, "Where are you headed?"

"I'm going back to the village," she replied with a苦笑 (bitter smile). "It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but I got scammed while working outside. I only have enough for the fare to get here, so I got off."

"I heard a car coming from far away, and when I turned around and saw it was you, I decided to flag you down. If it's inconvenient, I can keep walking. Sorry about that."

She glanced into the car, not seeing anyone else, and her eyes flickered.

"It's on my way, just hop in," Si Nian's father said without hesitation. Normally, he wouldn't bother with such things as a big man, but he was the type who was moved by someone's vulnerability. When he saw someone in need, he felt a surge of importance, as if he could be their savior.

He couldn't help but think of his wife. When they first met, it was also an arranged situation with no real feelings involved. But those years were tough; surviving day by day was enough—there wasn't much room to think of anything else. This era, however, was different.

After the reforms, many people's mindsets gradually changed. If this were a decade ago, even if they were acquaintances, he wouldn't have dared to offer a ride—it could lead to gossip.

Liu Yu, the woman from Linjiacun, expressed her gratitude as she got into the car.

At first, Si Nian's father thought they wouldn't have much to talk about, but as they drove, he found her quite interesting. Liu Yu had married a villager in her teens, but after a couple of years, he passed away. With no children, she was sent back home and faced constant disdain.

She eventually had a suitor, but it turned out to be an old man. Pressured by her family, she married him, only for him to die shortly after. People began to label her a "cursed woman," and her in-laws tossed her out, leaving her without a place to go. She had no choice but to seek refuge with her sister in the city, but when she arrived, she found no one and ended up getting scammed. That's how she found herself back in the village, encountering Si Nian's father on the road.

Listening to her story, he felt a pang of sympathy. In this day and age, he certainly didn't believe in notions of cursed fate. He offered to help her find her sister. But when he heard that her sister's name was Liu Dongdong, he was taken aback.

Meanwhile, Zhang Cuimei, filled with rage, arrived at the Lin family's house to inform them about the scheme she believed Si Nian had orchestrated against them. The Lin family was taken aback.

"Since you said that Nian Nian and Si Si were on stage together, how could Nian Nian have taken her spot? Isn't it because Nian Nian is just too talented?" Lin's mother said innocently. "Of course, I don't mean to say that Si Si isn't good."

Zhang Cuimei nearly spat blood in anger at this response. "If my daughter hadn't been stuck in the countryside, she would be just as good, if not better! It's your rural education that has harmed her!"

Lin's mother bristled. "Yes, I admit our village is lacking. But our family has gone to great lengths to help your daughter attend high school. Do you know how few families in this village send their daughters to school?"

"I don't believe this has anything to do with Nian Nian. Stop dragging her into it," she insisted, feeling a surge of irritation. "My sons, Xiaofeng and Xiaoyu, don't need her charity!"

It infuriated her to think that they had pushed to get Lin Si Si into high school, while her sons had already been in school for ages. Now, they were being blamed. Lin's mother felt she had raised an ungrateful child.

Zhang Cuimei sneered, "That sounds nice, but have you ever considered your sons? Why don't you ask them if they want to go to school?"

Lin's mother paused, glancing at her sons. Lin Feng and Lin Yu looked stunned, clearly taken aback by the question. They instinctively protested, "No way! Mom said she stole the money; she's a thief and is in jail!"

"Right! She wouldn't even let us eat an egg when we were little, so why would she send us to elementary school?" They nodded in agreement, convinced of their sister's unkindness.

For a long time, they had believed that their sister was like that. But ever since Si Nian returned, they realized that the things Lin Si Si had once been unwilling to share seemed completely normal to Si Nian. She rarely spoke to them but was always kind, giving them food, gifts, and clothes.

Lin Si Si just liked to brag!

Zhang Cuimei was furious, her nostrils flaring in anger. "You... you're so ungrateful!" Her expression reflected a mother's hurt, as if her daughter had been deeply insulted.

She let out a cold laugh. "Forget it! I was thinking of helping Si Si fulfill her wish. Even if she couldn't go to the foreign language school, I could still send you to a better school. I didn't expect your family to be so ungrateful!"

Upon hearing this, the two brothers exchanged glances before turning back to her. "We don't want to go!" one of them declared.

"Yeah, our sister said if we study hard, she'll send us to school in the city soon," the other added.

"Right! We'll go with Xiaolao and Xiaolaoer," they said defiantly.

"Humph! We won't go with you!"

Zhang Cuimei felt as if she might faint from anger.