In a flat tone, Zhou Yuandong replied, "No."

"But there's one here, isn't there?" Yu Dong initially thought so. But the next moment, he noticed a rather small umbrella hanging on the wall nearby.

Hastily approaching, just as he reached out, the umbrella was snatched away faster.

Turning his head, he met his boss's narrowed, dangerous eyes.

Swallowing hard, he whispered, "It's just an umbrella, was that necessary?"

Ignoring him, Zhou Yuandong placed the umbrella on the table, casually changed his vest, and glanced up, vaguely saying, "You're on night duty tonight."

Yu Dong: "?"

"Isn't it your turn tonight?"

A man who usually treated his work as his wife was now pushing his 'wife' duties onto him?

Brothers should never deceive each other, he wouldn't stand for this!

Zhou Yuandong coldly added, "I covered for you before; you owe me one."

Yu Dong: "?"

"So now that you have a woman, you're neglecting your brothers, huh?" His trembling finger pointed accusingly at Zhou Yuandong.

Yu Dong always felt that Zhou Yuandong had been acting strangely recently. He used to spend almost every waking hour at the fish farm. But now, whenever he had some free time, he'd sneak home!

When did he become so family-oriented?

The only possibility was that it was for that charming and beautiful little sister-in-law!

Zhou Yuandong raised an eyebrow, his voice icy. "I'll be dropping the two little ones off at school tomorrow."

He woke up early, and so did the two little ones. Every day, they had to travel quite a distance to get to school.

Growing up, Zhou Yuandong's family wasn't well-off. He had faced hardships more than the two children ever had. However, he never let these things bother him.

Family members always saw him as an emotionless, cold-blooded machine. But the two children saw a different side of him. Riding around on the motorcycle with them today made Zhou Yuandong realize how important his behavior was in front of the children.

Yu Dong opened his mouth but found no excuse to give. He watched helplessly as Zhou Yuandong disappeared into the rain.

The next morning, Si Nian was awakened by the sound of a motorcycle.

Zhou Yuandong came back last night?

She had gone to bed quite late and assumed Zhou Yuandong would be late too, thinking he wouldn't come back that night.

Hearing the noise, she got up and looked out the window, surprised to see Zhou Yuandong lifting the two children onto the motorcycle.

Zhou Yuehan sat in front of him, and Zhou Yuandong was behind.

Both children looked excited.

The rain had stopped, but the roads were still wet.

Walking would definitely leave their pants covered in mud.

Both children had deliberately put on their old clothes, not expecting Zhou Yuandong to take them to school. Sometimes, they would see classmates' fathers riding bicycles to school with their kids, and they always envied them.

But today, they too had a father to send them to school!

The two children touched the warm eggs and pancakes in their arms. Their stepmother had made these the previous night, and they could just reheat them for breakfast.

Their stepmother had also prepared milk powder for them, which tasted sweet and rich. After drinking a cup, their stomachs felt warm.

Every morning, they had two eggs; one to eat at home and one to take to school.

Oh, and there were apples and bananas too. Their stepmother loved fruits, saying they provided essential vitamins. Although they didn't know what vitamins were, they knew they were good for their health.

Their stepmother said eating these would make them grow tall, just like their father!

At first, they were hesitant to drink the milk powder. In their memories, it was something only their younger sister could drink, a precious commodity they were reluctant to consume.

But after hearing that it would help them grow taller, the first thing they did every morning was make and drink the milk powder.

They wanted to grow as tall as their father to protect their younger sister and stepmother!

As the sound of the motorcycle faded into the distance, Si Nian turned and descended the stairs.

The radishes she had pickled overnight were finally ready. They were sour and sweet with a hint of spiciness, delightfully crisp and sweet. Since it was just her and Yao Yao at home, she cooked a simple porridge and ate it with the radishes.

Soon, unexpected guests arrived. It was Old Man Liu and Old Lady Liu. Seeing them, Si Nian didn't even feel like opening the door for them. She wasn't the kind to appease others just to avoid trouble.

She had thought they had come because of Aunt Liu's matter, but unexpectedly, the two seemed to have changed entirely, their faces full of flattery.

"Little Zhou's wife, we were wrong before, misunderstanding you," Old Lady Liu said, trying to be nice.

Si Nian raised an eyebrow, thinking that those who are overly solicitous have ulterior motives. Sure enough, their true colors were revealed soon after.

"Little Zhou's wife, we know we were wrong about Aunt Liu's matter. The police told us that as long as you're willing to reconcile, they'll go easy on the punishment. We'll even kneel down for you. Can you let Aunt Liu off this once?" Old Man Liu pleaded.

Si Nian crossed her arms and said expressionlessly, "Aunt Liu not only stole from me but also withheld the children's food expenses. Didn't the police tell you?"

The couple's faces stiffened.

They didn't know that the situation wasn't that serious before. Unexpectedly, Liu Dongmei had caused trouble again yesterday. Now, with Zhou Yuandong having evidence against them, she had been taken back into custody.

Initially, Zhou Tingting had agreed to help, but Liu Dongmei couldn't stay out of trouble, stealing someone's jade pendant. Zhou Tingting had given up on her.

The police had called, saying they had to return the embezzled money to the Zhou family first before a lighter sentence could be considered. Unless they settled privately, they would have to repay the money, or Liu Dongmei would face a harsher punishment.

The couple had no choice but to swallow their pride and ask for forgiveness.

Although they didn't think much of Liu Dongmei, she was essential for taking care of their son and grandson. If she went to jail, who would manage the household chores? Plus, it would be a disgrace to the Liu family.

Si Nian knew this, sneering coldly. "I've got my stuff back. Whether to forgive Aunt Liu or not is up to Zhou Yuandong and the kids. Why are you bothering me? I can't make that decision for them."

With no other choice, the couple reluctantly took out more than a hundred yuan from their pockets and handed it to Si Nian. "Here's 120 yuan. It covers what Aunt Liu took. Is this acceptable?"

Looking at their pained expressions, Si Nian took the money without hesitation and smiled brightly, "Of course, but whether or not to forgive her, you still need to talk to Zhou Yuandong."

"What? We gave you the money!" They stared at her.

Si Nian chuckled, "This is your debt to begin with. If you want to bribe me, sure, give me another hundred, and I'll think about it."

The couple were furious, "You're dreaming!" They stormed off, enraged.

Giving her another hundred? That would bankrupt them!

This money was coerced by the police, intended to bribe Si Nian. But this clever woman wasn't so easily swayed.

Si Nian was in a good mood after pocketing the money.

That evening, when Zhou Yuandong returned home, Si Nian placed the money on the table, her eyes sparkling, "This is the money returned by the Liu family. It's for you."

Zhou Yuandong wiped the sweat from his forehead. Despite his short crew cut, his sharp features and deep-set eyes made him remarkably handsome.

He glanced at the crumpled money and said calmly, "Keep it. You don't have to give it to me."

Si Nian nodded without hesitation and went inside to serve dinner.

"I made soup for you. Try it," Si Nian handed Zhou Yuandong a bowl of soup with wolfberries and Chinese yam, "You burn the midnight oil every day. This will help."

Zhou Yuandong glanced at the soup and took the chopsticks, nodding slightly.

Zhou Yuandong's son, Zhou Yueshan, stared curiously at the red wolfberries in his father's bowl. He didn't know what they were, but seeing that his stepmother had served his father so much, it must be good. He wanted some too.

So when Zhou Yueshan went to the kitchen to serve the soup, he carefully scooped some of the red wolfberries into his own bowl.