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

Part 254 Hard-hit

"What are you doing?" A low, cold male voice interrupted Li Fenghua's outburst. Startled, she almost choked on her words; she hadn't expected anyone to hear her.

Turning around, she saw a towering man, resembling a mountain, with sharp features that seemed even colder in the dimming light. Initially, she thought he was just another passerby sticking his nose into her business, dressed like a simple rural worker.

"Who are you? What I do is none of your business," she shot back.

Just then, from inside the large iron gate came a cheerful shout, "Daddy—!"

Before Li Fenghua could react, the very child who had almost made her blood boil rushed out and hugged the man's leg tightly.

"Daddy, you're back!" Little Brother exclaimed, then loudly complained, "This person is a liar! She tried to trick me, but I saw through her scheme right away." He beamed with pride. "Aren't I clever, Dad?"

Zhou Yue Shen's expression turned cold. In recent years, there had been many cases of child abductions in the city, and he had heard quite a few. When they first moved here, he thought the proximity to the school and the busy area would be safe. But hearing his son's words made him realize how dangerous it was to leave him alone.

Li Fenghua nearly exploded at this. "You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting? Do you want to get hurt?"

Little Brother immediately hid behind Zhou Yue Shen. "Daddy, she's scary."

Zhou Yue Shen's gaze turned even colder. Though he hadn't said a word, Li Fenghua felt a chill run down her spine. She had intended to give the boy a good talking-to, but the words wouldn't come out. It was infuriating.

"Shen, what's going on?" someone approached, looking concerned.

Zhou Yue Shen shifted his gaze to the newcomer. "You're just in time," he said, his brow furrowed with anger. "I suspect this person is involved in illegal activities. She was intimidating my child."

"What?" The visitor, Captain Li, was taken aback. He had come over for a casual visit, having heard Zhou Yue Shen had moved nearby. He hadn't expected to walk into a situation like this. With several recent cases of abduction in the area, this was no small matter. Given the sensitivity of the situation, they couldn't overlook suspicious individuals.

Before Li Fenghua could react, Captain Li signaled for his men to apprehend her. He handed Zhou Yue Shen a small gift. "I was just here to share a drink, but with this going on, I'll have to leave. Since there's a suspicious person involved, I can't linger. Let's catch up another time."

Dazed, Li Fenghua was escorted away, still trying to process what had just happened.

"Daddy, that was amazing!" Little Brother exclaimed, eyes wide with excitement as he watched Captain Li take her away.

Zhou Yue Shen turned his attention to his son, his voice low and serious. "Let's go home. From now on, don't wander too far on your own, okay?" Back in the village, everyone lived close together, and they knew each other well. But here, things were different.

They had only moved in a little over half a month and didn't know many people yet. Little Brother loved to play and would venture out alone, which was quite dangerous.

"Daddy, Daddy! Look, this is my new school uniform! Isn't it nice?" he said eagerly, pulling at his clothes for Zhou Yue Shen to see. The uniform consisted of a white shirt and long trousers, giving him a fresh, youthful appearance. It fit him perfectly.

Zhou Yue Shen felt a tug at his heart as he noticed the change in his son. He reached out to ruffle Little Brother's hair. "It looks good."

"Right? I think it looks great too!" Little Brother beamed, lovingly patting his uniform.

As they entered the house, Si Nian had just come downstairs with Yao Yao.

"I heard the iron gate clanging outside earlier. What happened?" she asked.

Zhou Yue Shen recounted the incident, and Little Brother animatedly added, "Mom, she looked super scary, just like Grandma Liu! But don't worry, I won't let her in again—Daddy made her go away!"

Si Nian fell silent. "Did she look like she was in her forties or fifties, with small beady eyes, and wearing a suit?"

Zhou Yue Shen nodded slightly. "Do you know her?"

Si Nian nodded. "That's our school's director."

Zhou Yue Shen was taken aback, and Little Brother was wide-eyed.

...

Instead of welcoming Si Nian back to school, they ended up with the news that Li Fenghua had been arrested for suspected human trafficking. To prevent the situation from escalating, the school quickly sought to clarify the matter, which led to her release from the police station.

The principal was furious over how this incident had tarnished the school's reputation. Li Fenghua, who had caused more trouble than she had solved, faced a harsh reprimand and was even stripped of her annual bonus. Normally, the school would distribute year-end bonuses to teachers at the beginning of each school year, but now she found herself nearly fainting from the combined shock and anger of losing her bonus.

In the end, she reluctantly approached the vice principal for help. He scoffed, clearly reluctant to assist her, but he knew that if Si Nian didn't return the next day, it would be a significant problem for the school.

He immediately reached out toward Li Fenghua, mimicking a gesture for money.

Li Fenghua's expression darkened. "What do you mean? Are you trying to embezzle and take bribes at school?"

The vice principal's face soured at her words. "Don't be ridiculous! If you're coming to apologize, you should at least act like it. If everyone spoke like you, it's no wonder you got caught as a trafficker."

Li Fenghua turned pale, her face alternating between shades of green and white. Yet, recalling the principal's harsh words, she reluctantly fished out some money to give to the vice principal. She had initially hoped he would handle it himself. That old fox!

She was furious enough to fall ill.

...

The vice principal, having bought some fruit and a few White Rabbit candies, rode his bike over to Si Nian's house.

"Teacher Si, this situation was mishandled by our school. Don't worry, Director Li has already received a severe reprimand from the principal and lost her year-end bonus..." He couldn't help but chuckle at that last part.

Handing her the gifts, he said, "I brought these as an apology. You must come to work tomorrow! The students really like you and say you're like a fairy."

"If you teach well, I'll talk to the principal about giving you a raise!" He had high hopes for Si Nian.

But she looked disappointed. "What's wrong, Teacher Si? If you have any concerns, you can tell me directly."

Si Nian shook her head and sighed, "It's nothing. I just thought you were here to give me a breach of contract fee." She had almost believed she could skip work and still receive three months' salary.

The vice principal was taken aback. He had thought she was just venting her frustration, but she genuinely seemed to hope for it! Was he getting old? How could such a good job not retain people in this era?

Feeling disheartened, he suddenly understood Li Fenghua's struggles. After all, someone like her wouldn't end up begging for help if she were capable.

Si Nian didn't press him, recognizing that the situation wasn't his fault. She politely declined the money but accepted the fruit, promising to come to work. Only then did the vice principal leave.