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

Part 17 Old man's past

Sinen's smile turned exceedingly gentle. "You're welcome, you're welcome. It's my pleasure to cook for you."

"Hmm... Maybe dealing with men isn't so bad after all," she thought. "I'm sorry for raising my voice earlier. I admit it was uncalled for."

After all, even if she was planning for the future, Sinen couldn't earn this much money in a day. As long as she didn't have to work too hard, what harm was there in being a bit superficial?

Her mood swings were quite drastic, leaving the man somewhat amused. He didn't say anything as he handed her the money.

With a wave and a radiant smile that could outshine flowers, Sinen bid farewell. Her face was aglow with happiness, and her hands trembled as she clutched the bundle of cash.

Even though she felt embarrassed to count the money right in front of him, just a glance gave her a rough estimate of several hundred bucks! Wasn't this the legendary generous man?

Her wish from the comment section, "Encounter a generous transfer guy," finally came true?

Once Sinen was certain there was no one around, she took out the money to count. A bunch of various bills and coins, the stack was as thick as a small pile of ten thousand yuan notes. It seemed her childhood observations of the neighbor always carrying bundles of money were indeed true.

To give her even the loose change, how could anyone be so generous? Sinen was astonished as she counted.

In total, it was six hundred and seventy bucks! It felt like getting rich overnight, even though it was just a modest sum.

Back in the 80s, six hundred bucks could buy a lot of things. No wonder the man didn't even blink an eye at a dowry of several thousand yuan. In the countryside, he could indeed be considered wealthy.

But it also made her wonder, just how much money had Auntie Liu actually pocketed?

Inside the breeding farm, after seeing off Sinen, everyone gathered around gossiping.

"How was it, boss? How was the chat?"

"Boss, you're not being fair, hiding such a beauty. Are you afraid we'll snatch her from you?"

"Quick, let's see what goodies your sister-in-law brought you. I was sitting close just now, and the aroma hit my nose first. It made my mouth water."

Ignoring the banter, Zhou Yueshen took the seat where Sinen had just been and opened the lunchbox. Inside were three dishes, packed to the brim.

The braised pork was still emitting wisps of steam, with droplets of oil glistening on its surface. Just looking at it made one's appetite soar.

The other two dishes, although vegetarian, were generously coated in oil, giving them a glossy appearance that looked refreshing and appetizing. The rice was cooked to perfection, each grain plump and fragrant.

It was a feast for the eyes and the stomach. Those who had just finished their meal couldn't help but swallow their saliva, staring with envy and jealousy, almost wearing their emotions on their faces.

"Wow, braised pork? Did your sister-in-law really make this? I've only had this kind of braised pork in upscale restaurants, and it costs a fortune. And it doesn't even look as tasty as this."

"Can't be Liu Auntie's cooking, right? Liu Auntie's meals are so bland and unappetizing, just looking at them makes me lose my appetite."

"Yeah, only the boss isn't picky, he eats everything. Such good meat, I feel like Liu Auntie would ruin it."

"Indeed, luckily the sister-in-law is here now. The boss will have a good time from now on."

Zhou Yueshen's eyes lowered as he remembered the meat buns from this morning. Indeed, she had made them. Because there was no reason for Sinan to deceive him by getting someone else to make them, especially since she was new to the area and unfamiliar with everything.

She seemed different from what he had heard before.

When Sinan returned home, both kids were asleep on the sofa. Zhang Auntie was sitting beside them, mending shoes. Seeing Sinan return, she stood up and said, "You're back. I noticed these two fell asleep. It wasn't convenient to carry Stone back first, so I waited here for you. Now that you're back, we can leave."

Sinan thanked her, "Thanks, Auntie, for waiting. Sorry for the delay."

"No problem, no problem. Thanks to Yueshen's kindness, we get meat at the lowest price. We owe him for being able to afford meat. Taking care of the kids is the least we can do."

Sinan also clearly felt that although Zhou Yueshen seemed a bit aloof, his popularity in the village was quite high. At least, there shouldn't be any issues with his character. But if he was such a good person, why did his ex-wife divorce him? She must have known about the three children before coming and must have accepted them. It shouldn't have been because of them.

Unable to resist her curiosity, Sinan asked, "Zhang Auntie, if you don't mind me asking, why did Mr. Zhou's ex-wife divorce him?"

Zhang Auntie paused for a moment, then her expression changed, becoming very serious. "Ah, you don't know about this yet." Sinan paused, remembering Zhou Yueshen's frowned expression when his ex-wife was mentioned earlier. "If it's not too much trouble, could you please tell me?"

Zhang Auntie nodded and spoke in a solemn tone, "It's not really a secret. There was quite a scandal when they divorced."

"That woman, she's simply inhuman," Zhang Auntie sighed. "Before she entered the door, everything seemed fine. Three children, and Zhou Yueshen didn't intend to have children of his own, and she agreed to it."

"You've seen the situation at the Yueshen's house, right? Such a big house, for miles around, there's just this one family. With such a big farm, not only do they raise animals, but they also slaughter pigs themselves. I've heard that even the fresh meat markets in the town and county come to him for supplies. He's one of the first private businessmen to make big money."

"That woman probably didn't expect the Yueshen family to be so wealthy. At first, everything seemed fine, and she treated the children quite well. Everyone thought she was a good person. Who would have thought that she'd lose her mind and think that since Yueshen didn't want children, he intended to leave the family fortune to the children."

"She might have thought that if something happened to the three children, Yueshen would definitely want children of his own. So she actually poisoned the food the children ate. If the eldest hadn't discovered it early, the second child might not have made it."

"After this incident, she still refused to admit it. It was only when Yueshen found someone who sold agricultural chemicals to testify against her that she confessed. Even though the child was saved, Yueshen was very angry. He sent her straight to prison and she was sentenced to several years. She hasn't come out yet."

"So you know now why, even though Yueshen is so wealthy, no one is willing to marry into the family. Because of his ex-wife's actions, everyone can see that Yueshen really doesn't intend to have children. Without his own children, having to raise someone else's, the family fortune would all go to someone else. Of course, no one would be happy about that."

"It's been lingering until now."

"The children are pitiful. They're so sensible and obedient, yet they were almost killed."

"I'm not trying to gain your sympathy, but I just feel that as long as you're good to the children, Yueshen will definitely treat you well too."

Sinan had no idea about this incident, and her face was full of shock. She recalled last night when the eldest child resisted so much when she tried to feed the second child. Now she understood the reason behind it. It was because of the deep fear instilled by their previous stepmother, causing the eldest child to have such a strong aversion to her. At that time, she had thought the child was overly sensitive and had been a bit annoyed. But now she realized that it was just the child's protective instinct.