Zhou Zehan didn't pay much attention to his brother's expression. He bounced excitedly towards the door, holding onto his backpack straps.

"Mom! Little sister! I'm back~"

Hearing the noise, Yaoyao, who was sitting on the sofa hugging her teddy bear and watching TV, immediately slid off and ran out with a clatter of her little slippers.

Although she couldn't call her brothers by name, Zhou Zedong and Zhou Zehan were the people she spent the most time with in her short life. When she was alone at home, her days consisted of eating, sleeping, and playing with the big yellow dog. The time spent locked inside the house was incredibly dull for a small child. The most exciting part of her day was waiting for her brothers to come back from school because only then did she have someone to talk to. It made her feel less lonely.

Zhou Zehan quickly dropped the things he was carrying onto the floor, wiped the dirt from his hands, and stretched out his arms, waiting for his sister to come into his embrace.

Seeing his sister so happy to hear her name must mean she really missed her brother. After all, she hadn't seen him for an entire night.

Zhou Zehan, grinning widely and revealing a big gap-toothed smile, eagerly awaited his sister's embrace. But Yaoyao seemed to ignore him completely and bypassed him to run straight into their older brother's arms.

Zhou Zehan's smile froze as he turned his head to watch his sister snuggle into Zhou Zedong's embrace, looking rather comical with his big grin stuck on his face.

Zhou Zedong, holding Yaoyao and ruffling her hair, noticed his younger brother's dazed expression and frowned slightly. "Why are you just standing there?"

At that moment, Si Nian came out with the dishes, and seeing the scene, she couldn't help but smile. She placed the steaming Dongpo pork and potato cakes on the table and called out to the kids, "Go wash your hands and get ready for dinner."

As soon as the food was set on the table, Zhou Zehan's earlier embarrassment was forgotten. His eyes followed Si Nian's every move, finally settling on the delicious-looking dishes.

He rubbed his hands on his clothes, then ran up to Si Nian with a bit of dirt still on his little hands. Pointing at the potato cakes with curiosity, he looked up at her and asked, "Mom, what is this?"

Si Nian bent down, gently patting the little guy on the head. With a warm smile, she replied, "This is a potato cake. Do you want to try it?"

Zhou Zehan immediately nodded vigorously, practically showing "I want to eat it" on his face.

"Then go wash your hands before dinner. If you don't wash your hands, you might get worms in your belly, okay?" Si Nian reminded him carefully.

In the countryside, child-rearing wasn't as meticulous. With many children and limited access to water, rural parents were often busy with farm work and had little time or energy to focus on hygiene. Some even believed that "if it's not clean, it doesn't matter, as long as you don't get sick."

Baths were rare, and washing hands before eating was seldom practiced. Kids often ate wild fruits without washing them and didn't think about cleaning their hands. Their hands were usually dirty, with mud under their nails, but they didn't care, grabbing food and stuffing it into their mouths. This lack of hygiene made it easy for roundworm eggs to contaminate their hands or food, leading to intestinal worms if ingested.

That's also why many children in the countryside used to suffer from stomachaches and intestinal worms. It's closely related to their living environment. Si Nian had observed this village; while some people were clean, most children lived in a "free-range" manner. They would either be up in the mountains catching birds or down by the river catching fish.

They wore the same clothes all year round. Some children's clothes were so dirty they had become caked with grime, but they still wore them. Si Nian, who had a cleanliness obsession, didn't want to see the children being so dirty. Thankfully, Zhou Zedong was quite clean and usually washed his own clothes. However, the younger one had less awareness in this regard; he'd come home from being out all day, dirty from playing, and his hands and nails were often still grimy, stained with wild vegetable juices.

Hearing this, the younger one immediately responded, "I know, I know. Before, Shitou had a worm that was—so long. It was so gross!" He shuddered at the memory.

After saying that, he looked at his dirty hands, wrinkled his little face in disgust, and hurried off to wash his hands in the kitchen. Shitou was always dirty and didn't like to bathe, which is why he ended up with worms.

If you brush your teeth, wash your hands and face, and wear clean clothes every day, you won't get worms!

With that thought, the younger one's eyes gleamed with confidence.

Si Nian smiled slightly. Although the younger one was careless, he was very obedient and followed instructions well.

After washing his hands, the little one grinned widely and served the rice. He used a large bowl for himself, as his small stomach needed more food. Carrying a bowl nearly as big as his face, he placed one in front of Si Nian.

"This is Mom's. This is mine."

Then he turned and ran back to the kitchen to fetch two more bowls.

"This is Brother's. This is Sister's."

"Time to eat~"

Today, Zhou Zehan ate his meal with a particularly ravenous appetite, as if he hadn't eaten in days. He gobbled down potato cakes and meat, spooning sauce-covered rice into his mouth with delight.

Si Nian had heard that eating with someone who enjoys their food could increase your own appetite. She used to be puzzled by this, but now she understood perfectly. Although she usually ate only one bowl, today she found herself eating more than usual.

She wondered why the child was so hungry after just one day apart. She glanced at Zhou Zedong, who was sitting upright with a calm demeanor, eating slowly and deliberately. It was hard to believe this was the same child from the countryside, with such refined manners at the table.

Si Nian sighed, marveling at the stark difference between the two brothers. Her gaze shifted to Yaoyao, who still couldn't use chopsticks and was eating with a spoon.

The rice was soaked in sauce, with finely chopped lean meat mixed in and a whole piece of meat on top. Zhou Zehan had put the meat on Yaoyao's plate, but she struggled to catch it with her spoon, eventually giving up and biting directly into it.

After dinner, the two children automatically took on household chores. Zhou Zedong washed the dishes in the kitchen, while Zhou Zehan swept the floor. Their clear division of labor had the place tidy in no time.

Si Nian, feeling relieved and at ease, took Yaoyao outside for some fresh air after their meal. The small patch of land they had cultivated at the front was now a vibrant green.

The cabbage had grown as tall as a person's hand. The tender, juicy leaves were perfect for making noodles in the morning.

After the rain, the sky was bathed in the glow of the setting sun, casting a fiery red hue across half of it.

"Buy a car? For what? Didn't you just get a motorcycle?" Yu Dong was astonished by Zhou Yue Shen's request to look for a car in the city. He almost dropped his cigarette in surprise. What kind of family was this? They had just gotten married and bought a motorcycle, and now they were talking about getting a car too?

Since when did the eldest brother become so materialistic? If he remembered correctly, Zhou Yue Shen had spent a fortune on the wedding. The pig farm was running smoothly now, but that didn't mean money should be spent recklessly. Especially on a car—how much was that going to cost?

Of course, Yu Dong's confusion was natural. To him, Zhou Yue Shen wasn't the type of person to buy a car unless it was absolutely necessary.

Every day, Zhou Yue Shen only goes to the pig farm, which is close to home, and deliveries are made with a large truck. The pig farm is busy year-round, with long hours from dawn to dusk, making a small car seem like a waste.

Could it be that the car was meant for his sister-in-law? Yu Dong looked at Zhou Yue Shen and immediately understood. Zhou Yue Shen confirmed with a nod, saying, "It's for convenience."

Since Zhou Yue Shen didn't need it himself, it was clear that the car was for his sister-in-law. Yu Dong had heard that his sister-in-law was still studying. With December nearly here and the new school year approaching, it wouldn't make sense for her to ride a bicycle alone on mountain roads. She was as beautiful as a celestial being, and it was too dangerous for her to make that journey alone.

Yu Dong quickly grasped Zhou Yue Shen's thoughtful intention. He immediately promised, "Got it. I'll go find Xiao Pang tonight. He should have the connections, so it shouldn't be a problem."

Zhou Yue Shen acknowledged with a soft "Hmm," and didn't elaborate further.

Yu Dong had just left when Zhou Yue Shen suddenly changed his mind. "Wait."

Yu Dong turned around in confusion, asking, "What?"

Zhou Yue Shen lit his cigarette, looked at him, and said in a low voice, "I'll go with you."

Yu Dong was taken aback, feeling slightly insulted. He looked at Zhou Yue Shen in disbelief and asked with a hurt tone, "Boss, you don't trust me?"

Zhou Yue Shen, holding the cigarette between his fingers, cast him a cold glance but said nothing.

They got into the car, and it drove away from Xingfu Village. Throughout the journey, Yu Dong's mood was downcast. He felt like his fragile heart had been hurt.

As they approached their destination, Yu Dong snapped out of his melancholy when he realized the direction was all wrong. He looked at the truck as it slowly stopped in front of a department store and asked in confusion, "Boss? What are we doing here?"

Aren't we supposed to be buying a car? What does a department store have to do with it?

Zhou Yue Shen ignored him and got out of the car. Yu Dong, curious and eager to know what was happening, followed closely behind. However, he soon regretted his decision and experienced firsthand the saying "curiosity killed the cat."

Who could have told him that a rugged man like Zhou Yue Shen, standing at 190 cm, could walk into a lingerie store with such a serious and shameless demeanor?

Yu Dong slammed on the brakes and stopped at the door, his face turning bright red. "B-Boss, wait..."

The last two words were so faint that even he could barely hear them. Women entering the store shot him puzzled looks, and Yu Dong felt like his face was on fire, his whole body no longer feeling like his own.

Inside, Zhou Yue Shen quickly found the dress Si Nian had bought. Although the color was out of stock, the same style was available. He pointed to it and, under the astonished gaze of the store clerk, asked her to wrap it up.

Then, realizing he had forgotten his wallet, Zhou Yue Shen glanced at Yu Dong outside and gestured for him to come in.

Yu Dong pretended not to hear. The store clerk came over and said, "Sir, they're calling you."

Yu Dong, flustered, stammered, "We don't know each other, really."

Zhou Yue Shen remained unbothered, just waiting for Yu Dong to come over.

With the "Little Fragrance" bag in hand, Zhou Yue Shen calmly lit a cigarette and said, "Let's go."

Yu Dong, still dazed from the experience of buying a nightgown in a lingerie store, couldn't believe what had just happened. He, a grown man, had entered an underwear shop and bought a pink nightgown for his boss? The teasing and flirtatious glances from the store clerks were still vivid in his mind.

Yu Dong wished he could find a hole to hide in.

Zhou Yue Shen returned home in the early morning. The clothes that had been hanging outside were already put away. Since the dress had been ruined, he had hoped that if Yu Dong went to the city, he could pick up a new one.

Si Nian doesn't like to wear the same clothes all the time; she changes and washes them daily. After buying a new dress with great effort, Zhou Yue Shen felt guilty when it got ruined. Spending the entire day distracted, he finally felt a bit better after buying a replacement dress.

He held the bag as he entered the house, and soon after, the sky began to lighten. Zhou Yue Shen grabbed a basin, went to the door, and started washing clothes.

Aunt Zhang, along with a few of her friends, was heading out with a hoe to dig the fields. As they passed by Zhou's house, they saw him sitting at the door washing clothes.

She was surprised. "The factory manager is washing clothes for his wife again?"

Her exclamation immediately drew the attention of the others. They turned to look and saw that the usually commanding Zhou Yue Shen was now crouched in front of the faucet, carefully and skillfully scrubbing an unfamiliar lace fabric with a serious expression, as if he were performing a delicate task.

Everyone was astonished. They hadn't expected the usually authoritative Zhou Yue Shen to be so attentive to his wife in private.

Zhou Yue Shen paused his scrubbing, glanced up, and immediately met the curious and somewhat flirtatious gazes of the four aunties at the door. He hesitated for a moment, then looked down at the fabric in his hands, and with a deep, calm voice, he responded, "Yes."

The aunties broke into mysterious smiles.

"Wow, Mr. Zhou is really a caring husband. Our Si Nian is so fortunate!"

"Indeed, even with your busy schedule, you still make time to wash your wife's clothes. You're so thoughtful."

Zhou Yue Shen didn't see what the fuss was about. Washing clothes was no big deal to him. He usually just tossed his own clothes in water, wrung them out, and they were ready to wear in a few minutes. It wasn't physically demanding.

He didn't say much, fearing that he might accidentally damage the clothes if he wasn't careful. Each movement was done with utmost precision and care.

Finally, Zhou Yue Shen hung the delicate fabric on the hanger and let out a sigh of relief. He wiped the sweat from his brow, cleaned up the water stains at the door, and was about to head to the pig farm. However, he suddenly glanced back at Si Nian's room and then at the dress hanging nearby. After a moment of hesitation, he turned around and left.

As soon as he left, Si Nian woke up. She instinctively reached out for her husband, but the spot beside her was cold, indicating that he hadn't come to bed last night. Had she imagined hearing Zhou Yue Shen's voice earlier?

The man had been uncharacteristically quiet since he damaged the dress. Si Nian hadn't dared to speak much, fearing that he might think she was blaming him. Now, he had gone to the pig farm and still hadn't returned.

Was he still upset about what happened yesterday?

She frowned and got up. Pulling back the curtain, her gaze was immediately drawn to the pink dress hanging directly outside her window.