He usually keeps his distance from his mom at mealtime. How come the second brother is different? Zhou Zedong glanced at his younger brother. The younger one was always competing for their mom's attention. He, as the older brother, wouldn't compete with him. He carried his meal and sat on the other side of Si Nian.

Stone: "..."

Si Nian served a piece of braised pork to the children and another piece to Zhou Yueshen. She watched him eat it before asking, "Is it good?"

Zhou Yueshen took a bite. Despite being fatty, it melted in his mouth, rich but not greasy, with a lingering aftertaste... No wonder Yudong always wants to come over for meals. He paused and said, "Delicious."

"Try this one too, it's even better, more chewy." Si Nian served him a piece of large intestine.

Zhou Yueshen glanced at her.

The dish she had made before, but not much. Back then, Zhou Yueshen hadn't thought much of it, just remembered it tasted really good. Watching Si Nian's expectant gaze, Zhou Yueshen looked at her and said in a low voice, "Si Nian, I'm older than you by a bit, but still sturdy."

Si Nian nodded.

She knew this man was as strong as an ox.

Perhaps because he was so tall, his muscles didn't stand out.

But only she knew how scary he looked without clothes.

She had been worried about him staying up late every day, but she found that he was fine as long as he slept for six hours a day.

Zhou Yueshen's expression became a bit strange.

Did she really understand?

There were some things you couldn't say in front of children.

Zhou Yueshen hesitated for a moment, then started eating.

Soon, he raised an eyebrow.

This flavor, if not for body nourishment, was indeed surprising.

It surpassed the last time.

"Delicious, isn't it?"

Zhou Yueshen nodded slightly. "Are these things selling well at your pig farm?" Si Nian asked.

Zhou Yueshen paused for a moment, then shook his head. "We have quite a bit left over every day. Since we can't finish them, sometimes we give away the meat to everyone, but some people find it troublesome to deal with and don't want it."

Si Nian's eyes lit up. "What if I turn these leftovers into braised dishes? Would they sell well?"

Zhou Yueshen actually had this idea when she asked just now, so he agreed, "Yes, but it might be tiring for you."

He wasn't short of money, and he didn't want her to earn this money by suffering.

In his eyes, Si Nian was supposed to be a girl who enjoyed life. Taking care of several children was already tiring enough.

"It's okay, I'll let my mom and them help me," Si Nian said.

Zhou Yueshen nodded slightly. "That works too. But it's not easy to sell in the village. I'll find a channel for you. Just focus on making them."

With this flavor, there was no worry about not being able to sell them.

Zhou Yueshen felt that it was indeed a waste for Si Nian's culinary skills to be limited to cooking for them alone.

Si Nian's eyes brightened, nodding eagerly. "Alright, I'll discuss it with my family."

In this era, making money was good. Even though she didn't lack money herself, who would complain about having more? Now that her life was good, she definitely wanted to support her family.

It was better than letting her skills go to waste.

Si Nian at this moment felt fortunate that she had learned these culinary skills for the sake of good food. In the future, tutorials for these things could be found with a simple search on Baidu. However, in this era before widespread internet access, such knowledge was a precious treasure.

While her elder brother, parents, and herself were still a family, she knew that eventually her elder brother and sister-in-law would separate, leaving just her and her two younger brothers. Therefore, Si Nian decided to have her sister-in-law focus on making pastries while her mother learned to cook braised dishes.

After dinner, under the relentless scolding from her grandmother, Shitou reluctantly left the Zhou household. Each of the children went back to their rooms to sleep.

Si Nian prepared to take a bath. Now covered in the scent of spices after cooking the braised meat, she regretted having only one large basin at home, making bathing inconvenient. She planned to find someone to make a larger wooden tub so she could enjoy soaking in it.

As she bathed, there was a knock on the bathroom door. Outside, a deep voice called, "Si Nian, your nightwear..."

It was then that Si Nian realized she had forgotten to bring her change of clothes. She quickly approached the door, opening a small gap and reaching out her hand.

Zhou Yueshen raised an eyebrow, his broad hand gently pushing the door wide open. In the dim light, her slender, fair hand could be seen, exuding a subtle beauty. His eyes held a hint of depth. The air was filled with a rich scent of bath oils, pleasant but not overpowering.

With a slight push, the door swung open, leaving no barrier between them. His tall figure squeezed into the bathroom.

Si Nian startled, nearly slipping. "Oh! Zhou Yueshen..."

Zhou Yueshen reached out, pulling her close, pressing her head against his chest, holding her tight. Si Nian's body was still damp with water, while Zhou Yueshen, in light clothing, felt the immediate dampness against his abdominal muscles, his breath carrying a faint scent of tobacco.

Si Nian looked up at him. In the dim light, their eyes met.

Zhou Yueshen's gaze was deep and dangerous, like a wild beast on the verge of awakening.

Si Nian's eyelashes trembled.

Zhou Yueshen stared at her intensely. "Are you hot?"

Si Nian shook her head.

He asked, puzzled, "Are you hot?"

Zhou Yueshen smirked slightly, tilting his neck closer, his throat moving as he leaned in, lips almost touching hers. "A bit, feeling a bit fiery."

Si Nian's eyelids twitched. As he leaned closer, kissing her lips gently, his breath was warm.

Si Nian involuntarily tilted her chin upward, a move that unwittingly ignited the man's desire.

The man deepened the kiss, and her soft lips responded eagerly, their tongues intertwining instantly. The bathroom was quiet, well-insulated against sound, with only their breaths audible. Si Nian enjoyed this space, feeling like it belonged only to the two of them. She reached up, hooking her hand around his neck, tilting her head back on tiptoe.

Zhou Yesen's large hand pressed against her waist, their bodies close, the kiss deepening. Her long, thick lashes trembled slightly, and the scent between their breaths was intoxicating. Her breathing intensified as Zhou Yesen moved his lips away, tilting his head to lightly kiss her neck...

Inside the bathroom, heat intensified, while outside, a quiet stillness enveloped everyone lost in their dreams.

The next day, Zhou Zedong woke up. After tucking his sister in, he changed into his clothes, skipping his usual morning routine, and prepared to go downstairs. Seeing that downstairs was still dark, indicating his mother hadn't gotten up yet, he instinctively glanced towards the second floor and noticed a faint light peeking through the crack of a door. Without thinking much, he walked into the kitchen, reheated some food, and packed it up. Before long, his younger brother, groggy from sleep but enticed by the smell, came downstairs.

"Mom?" he rubbed his eyes, his first instinct to glance towards the kitchen, only to see his brother standing there instead of Si Nian.

The young boy immediately woke up fully. "Breakfast?"

Zhou Zedong glanced at his messy appearance, shaking his head. "How old are you? Every day, you either wear your pants inside out or your shoes the wrong way."

"Quick, wash your face and eat," he said sternly, packing up the lunch box and heading out to eat. After they finished their meal without seeing anyone come down from upstairs, they couldn't help but feel puzzled. However, thinking about how hard their father worked every day, they decided not to disturb him.

Today, it seemed they would have to walk to school by themselves. The two boys didn't mind; they were used to walking there.

With their backpacks on, they set off. There were quite a few people on the road. Someone noticed the little red flower pinned to Zhou Zedong's chest and exclaimed, "Hey, what's that you're wearing, Big Brother? It looks cool!"

Zhou Zedong glanced at the person with a neutral expression on his young face. "It's a little red flower," he replied flatly, then continued walking without any emotion.

The person wondered, "I didn't even know it was a little red flower?"