"However, Liu Dongdong remembers everything Lin Si Si supposedly said, yet she doesn't remember when the heavy rain happened that day. She didn't even realize Lin Si Si went out in the afternoon, not the morning."

As soon as she said this, both of them were shocked, feeling chills down their spines.

"Nian Nian, you mean, the disappearance of that 3,000 yuan is really connected to Si Si?"

"Mom, you've watched Lin Si Si grow up. You know better than I do who she's close with and who she isn't," Si Nian said calmly.

That's right.

If Lin Si Si were truly close with Liu Dongdong, wouldn't they have known? Even if they were really good friends, why wouldn't Liu Dongdong know whether Lin Si Si came to see her in the morning or afternoon? And why would she help Lin Si Si lie?

"The disappearance of the 3,000 yuan, could it really be a scheme orchestrated by Lin Si Si?" Mom Lin felt a chill down her spine at the thought.

Si Nian replied calmly, "The truth will come to light, but we need the right opportunity."

Lin Si Si took that 3,000 yuan, causing Si Nian to have to marry Zhou Yue Shen and bringing disgrace to the Lin family, who had raised her for so many years. How could Si Nian let her off easily?

"Mom, let's go to the police station."

---

At the Si family.

Since the engagement was set, the Si family had been busy preparing for the wedding. The upcoming union with the Fu family significantly elevated their status within the military compound. As a result, more and more people were visiting to offer their congratulations.

Si Father and Si Mother were delighted and generously gave Liu Dongdong a lot of money to prepare more food for the guests. With someone handling the cooking and cleaning, the couple enjoyed their leisure time, taking Lin Si Si shopping for wedding items.

Liu Dongdong finished making dinner and packed up the soup. She then went to her room, changed into a new outfit, and admired her new hairstyle in the mirror. She bit her lip in excitement, feeling pleased with her appearance.

Liu Dongdong was a very clever person with strong adaptability. Although she came from the countryside, she was keen to learn. After moving to the city, she paid close attention to others' fashion styles and invested in herself whenever she had money, quickly finding her own direction.

However, after seeing Si Nian today, she realized what true beauty was. Almost impulsively, she spent money on an outfit identical to Si Nian's and straightened her curly hair to match Si Nian's hairstyle.

Indeed, this style suited her better. She adjusted her hair, grabbed the soup, and headed out.

This was around the time Fu Yang would be coming home from work. Uncle Liu had just driven into the compound.

Through the rearview mirror, he observed Fu Yang's state. For the past few days, their young master had been pushing himself to the limit at work, coming back every day looking utterly exhausted. It was as if something had deeply troubled him.

His complexion was poor, suggesting he had encountered some unpleasant situation.

"Uncle Liu, if you have something to say, just say it." Fu Yang glanced at him with irritation, feeling annoyed at being scrutinized as if he were some fragile object. He impatiently averted his gaze but then noticed something and instinctively looked up.

It was a familiar figure walking away.

"Stop the car," he commanded abruptly.

Uncle Liu slammed on the brakes.

Looking closer, he saw it was a young girl carrying a food container. At first glance, it resembled Miss Si Nian from the Si family. When he used to drive back, he often spotted Miss Si Nian in this spot, squatting here around Fu Yang's quitting time, carrying soup or various snacks.

But Fu Yang had always pretended not to see her, never acknowledging her presence.

However, in the next moment, Uncle Liu dismissed the thought.

Miss Si Nian was married now; how could she be here?

Indeed, she looked similar at first glance, but her figure and demeanor were completely different from Miss Si Nian's.

He quickly recognized her as one of the Si family's maids who had previously helped Lin Si Si deliver soup.

He had seen her once before, but she wasn't dressed like this last time, almost not recognizing her at first.

Fu Yang clearly noticed her presence and furrowed his brow. Hearing the commotion, Liu Dongdong quickly turned around and was pleasantly surprised to see the familiar car. She tightened her grip on the food container, her cheeks flushing uncontrollably.

The last time she had delivered soup, she had seen this car pass by, but it had never stopped before. However, this time, it did.

Taking a deep breath, Liu Dongdong walked over, trying to appear composed.

"Comrade Fu, hello. I'm here to bring you some soup from Si Si. I heard you've been working hard lately, so I added some nourishing ingredients."

She abruptly stopped, seeing his gaze fixed on her, and nervously lowered her head.

Fu Yang squinted at her, his eyes assessing as they landed on the food container. He mocked, "You made all the previous ones?"

Liu Dongdong hurriedly explained, "No, not at all. Si Si just doesn't quite understand these things. I only helped a little. Actually, the soup was made by her personally. I just assisted. Comrade Fu, please don't misunderstand. I'm sorry, it wasn't intentional. Please, just pretend I didn't come today."

"Wait," Fu Yang withdrew his gaze and calmly said, "Leave the soup."

Liu Dongdong's eyes sparkled with delight, but she didn't dare to ask more. After handing it to him, she quickly turned and ran off. The look of surprise on her face was just like how Si Nian used to be.

Fu Yang was mesmerized. Sometimes, when he was in a good mood, he would accept gifts from Si Nian. She always looked excited and shyly ran away without looking at him.

He stared for a long time.

Mr. Liu:

When Si Nian returned home, the sun had already set. She rode her bicycle, looking relaxed. The front basket and the rear seat were filled with things she had bought.

Although they knew Si Nian was lavish, people in the village still marveled at what she bought. They regretted even more why they hadn't let their daughter marry over there in the first place.

Even without children, being able to live such a good life would have been worth it. Unfortunately, by the time they realized it, it was too late.

At the door of the Zhou family's house, the younger brother sat dirty, occasionally sticking his head out to look outside. Beside him sat a stone that only reached his shoulder, equally dirty.

Zhou Zedong changed into clean clothes and came out to see the two behaving like this without saying anything. After adjusting his neat new clothes and checking the small red flower pinned to his chest, he picked up a broom and started sweeping the floor.

Zhou Han and the stone sat on the stools, swinging their legs. Outside, the sound of a bicycle clattering against the road surface could be heard. Like eels slipping off the stool, the two little guys ran over.

Si Nian had just pushed her bicycle into the yard when the two little guys surrounded her: "Mom, you're back."

"Auntie."

"Yeah, why are you outside? Haven't eaten yet?"

The younger brother pouted and coaxed, "Worried about Mom, can't eat."

Si Nian was pleased with his little expression, touched his head and smiled, "My little Han at home is always so caring."

Immediately, the stone on the side chimed in, "Auntie, and me too, I'm worried about you too. Grandma even called me, but I didn't go back."

Si Nian laughed heartily, looking at the two little guys, then glanced at Zhou Zedong standing not far away with a broom in his hand. "You must be hungry after worrying so much about me."

The two little guys immediately pulled her left and right, pointing to the pond on the ground.

"Mommy, look, we caught fish with big brother!"

"And me too, me too," Stone added.

Si Nian looked surprised at the palm-sized eels in the basin, somewhat taken aback.

"These are really good!" she exclaimed.

The younger brother sniffed and looked expectantly at Si Nian. "Mommy, can we have fish for dinner tonight?"

Si Nian immediately nodded with a smile. "Sure, we'll have fish for dinner tonight!"

She then turned to Zhou Zedong. "Xiao Dong, can you help Mommy fetch some water?"

As she spoke, she noticed the small red flower pinned to his chest and paused. "What's this?"

Zhou Zedong straightened his chest proudly. "The teacher made me monitor and gave it to me."

Si Nian chuckled at his earnest expression and nervously checking his own reaction. She pinched his cheek playfully. "That must be because our Xiao Dong is so amazing, right? That's why the teacher made you monitor."

Zhou Zedong shyly lowered his head, looking at his toes, and after a while, he murmured softly, "Yeah."