The Beautiful Stepmother from the Eighties: Marrying a Factory Director to Raise Kids

Chapter 494

Liu Dongdong never expected that after surviving for hundreds of chapters by Lin Sisi's side, fancying herself clever enough to play the Si family for fools, she wouldn't even last two chapters against Si Nian before being written off.She was still in a state of utter bewilderment.

They had hotpot for dinner. It had to be said that hotpot was best enjoyed with a large family sitting around together. It was fragrant and spicy, complete with the beef tripe Mother Lin had bought and cleaned early that morning.

The texture was fresh, tender, and crisp.

The children ate to their hearts' content. As they ate, they chattered away to Si Nian about going shopping with their grandmother earlier in the day, their lively voices filling the room.

Looking at the cheerful children, Si Nian's heart softened unconsciously. When she turned her gaze to Zhou Yueshen, her face held a touch more gentleness. What time are we leaving tomorrow?

Around nine. We'll head back early. I have to return in the evening, but you all can stay and play in our hometown for a few more days. Zhou Yueshen still had that serious, dedicated, and meticulous demeanor he showed at work.

But he was different from before; he would now make time for his family.

This time, he didn't actually need to go back in person.

But she said she wanted to go, so he was willing to accompany her.

Because as long as he was there, even if he didn't say a word, the children were happy just seeing him.

Zhou Yueshen didn't mind making a couple of extra trips either.

Si Nian smiled and nodded, then looked at the kids who were still talking non-stop. Alright, alright, I know all about it now. Hurry up and eat. After you finish, rest for a bit and then go to bed. Dad said we have to get up early tomorrow. If anyone can't wake up, we won't call them. They can stay here and watch the house all by themselves.

The children instantly zipped their lips and began racing to see who could eat the fastest.

Si Nian shook her head helplessly.

They ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‍had bought a lot of things, and with such a large family, taking a taxi was inconvenient, so they simply decided to drive back themselves.

Father Lin drove a tricycle himself, and right now he was driving his beat-up tricycle to transport Da Huang and some goods.

The children wanted to ride with him, but Da Huang was big now, and with all the cargo, there was no room for them.

They could only watch enviously as Da Huang lay in the back, wagging its tail as they drove off.

Meanwhile, they had to squeeze into the crowded little car.

Zhou Yueshen placed the inspected products into the truck bed, and the family got into the car to head home.

Chen Haoran had heard that the Zhou family came from the countryside.

But he figured that no matter how rural it was, they couldn't be too poor.

It wasn't until he watched helplessly as the car entered the deep mountains, where there wasn't a single household or person in sight, surrounded by mountains on all sides, that he fell silent.

Having lived in a magnificent home since childhood, the poorest people he had ever seen were just the students from less privileged families at school.

This was his very first time truly entering a remote rural village.

After winding past mountain after mountain, they finally saw some yellow mud houses and thatched cottages, along with dirty children herding cows by the roadside, looking at them with curiosity.

Some other regions had developed quickly, and many rural families already had small flat-roofed houses, or at the very least, tile-roofed houses.

He had only ever seen these kinds of mud houses and thatched cottages in books.

And those were documentary photos from the sixties and seventies.

Perhaps he was just too sentimental, but he felt a bit distressed.

Second Child in the passenger seat saw his red eyes and asked in confusion, Brother Haoran, why are you crying?

Chen Haoran replied, I'm not crying. I just got some sand in my eye.

Second Child looked around at the tightly closed car windows...

Soon, after the car navigated eighteen bends on the mountain road, making even Chen Haoran, who considered himself an experienced driver, feel weak in the knees, they finally reached a bright, open road.

He was surprised to find that this road was different from the others.

Everywhere else had been muddy dirt roads, but upon driving over, it had actually turned into a concrete road.

Although it wasn't perfectly smooth, it was much easier to drive on.

However, looking at the various forks in the road, only this particular path was this nice; the other roads were as terrible as ever.

The car soon arrived at a beautifully scenic mountain village.

At a glance, he saw the main gate of Xingfu Village. The three large characters for Xingfu Village were carved into a stone beside the gate, and several peach trees were planted nearby.

The roads leading inside were all paved with smooth concrete.

Moreover, the village had none of the thatched cottages or mud houses they had seen earlier.

Many of the homes were built with blue bricks and ceramic tiles, or were small flat-roofed houses with whitewashed walls, looking as if they were decades ahead of their time.

Chen Haoran remained silent for a long while. After confirming that this was indeed his master's hometown, he suddenly understood.

Previously, when he heard that there were many people from Zhou Yueshen's village working in his company, he hadn't quite understood it.

He figured that with so many people in the city, it should be very easy to recruit employees at that salary.

He didn't understand why he would bring villagers all the way over to work.

But now, seeing the conditions of these homes, what was there left to question?

His master wasn't like his own father, who only wanted to make money for himself and get rich in secret.

He was an open-minded and broad-hearted man.

He hadn't forgotten his hometown after striking it rich.

Instead, he worked hard to change and drive the local economy.

That was how today came to be.

He felt an immense sense of admiration in his heart.

They hadn't driven much further before they saw a large crowd waiting at the village entrance.

Boss Zhou was back, and almost everyone in the village had come out.

Everyone's faces beamed with smiles and excitement. Children chattered and played, all wanting to catch a glimpse of the big boss from their village.

Village Chief Huo looked incredibly spirited. He used to need a walking stick, but he didn't need it anymore. As the saying goes, rural folks lack nothing but money.

Now that they had money, ninety-eight percent of their life problems and worries were solved. Seeing his village repeatedly selected as the top among the ten major economic villages, a model village, and himself as an honorary village chief... his back no longer ached and his legs no longer hurt.

Now that the most accomplished man in the village had returned, he naturally had to lead everyone to welcome him.

He had somehow found a piece of red cloth from somewhere, on which was written with a brush: Welcome our Factory Manager Zhou and his family on their honorable return to the village! Thank you for contributing your strength to the development of our hometown. Wishing you smooth work and a happy family!

Seeing this grand display, Si Nian burst into a giggle and tilted her head to look at her husband.

Zhou Yueshen remained expressionless. What is it?

Si Nian shook her head. Nothing, they set it up quite nicely.

Zhou Yueshen sighed helplessly and stopped the car.

He had only given the village chief a brief heads-up about his return.

He hadn't expected so many people.

Boss Zhou, welcome home! Hurry, come to my house for a meal. I've already set up the banquet. We won't go home until we're drunk today.

Village Chief Huo held the sign in his hands, smiling so widely his face wrinkled like a chrysanthemum.

Zhou Yueshen said in a low voice, Thank you, but I have to rush back to the company this afternoon, so I can't drink.

Village Chief Huo's face was full of regret, but he still said, That's fine, that's fine. Work is important.

Having no other choice, the family went to the village chief's house to eat.

Back when he opened the pig farm, everyone had been enthusiastic, but not to this extent.

Now, as soon as they arrived, the men surrounded Zhou Yueshen, the women surrounded Si Nian, and their children were swarmed by a group of village kids.

Even Chen Haoran found himself surrounded in the center by a group of young, pretty girls.

He didn't even dare to move a muscle, only looking helplessly toward the children for help.

But when he turned his head, he saw Second Child was also surrounded by a group of little girls.

"Wow, your hair looks so good!"

"It's so unique."

Second Child: "Hehehe."

Chen Haoran: "..."

Fortunately, it was soon time to eat. Everyone was busy digging into their food, so they finally stopped crowding around, though they still had to sit at the same table.

Shitou, who had specially washed his hair, came over carrying his little sister. His sister had just been born a couple of years ago and was about the same age as Little Four.

Her name was Little Yuanzi. Little Yuanzi didn't know them and curiously stared wide-eyed at Little Four, who stared right back.

Shitou stared at the heart shape on his second brother's head in amazement and couldn't help but ask Second Child, "Second Brother, how did you get your hair like that?"

Second Child told Shitou, "My mom took me to get it cut. A lot of people outside are getting this haircut; it's super popular."

Shitou didn't understand what "popular" meant, but he found it very interesting and asked in wonder, "Are all the boys outside wearing this hairstyle?"

"Yeah. Not only is it fresh and cool, but it's also easy to wash. One wipe and it's dry. It's super comfortable."

Hearing this, Shitou was instantly filled with envy and couldn't help asking Second Child, "Then can Auntie give me the same haircut?"

Before Second Child could say anything, Si Nian came over holding a bowl to feed Little Four. Shitou immediately lunged over, hugged Si Nian, and cried out, "Auntie, Auntie, I want the same hairstyle as Second Brother!"

Si Nian looked at the neat and proper Shitou in surprise. Hearing his request, she immediately burst into laughter, reached out to rub Shitou's head, and said, "Alright, alright, tomorrow Auntie will take you to get the exact same one."

Shitou cheered, and the children gathered around, chattering away once more.

After finally finishing the meal, Si Nian could at last head back home.

The house was still relatively clean, but the courtyard was empty and bare. The vegetables planted before had died off. Seeing them dried up, Aunt Zhang had cleared them out, leaving the area completely bare now.

The inside of the house was swept clean, but there was still a lingering smell of dust.

Si Nian dug out the cleaning tools, preparing to do a thorough sweep.

The children didn't just run off to play; seeing her cleaning the house, they quickly came in to help.

While the whole family was bustling about, people from the neighboring village who heard the commotion also came over carrying baskets.

Some came hoping to ask for a favor to get their own family members a job at the company.

Others came to apologize.

The one apologizing was, naturally, Liu Dongdong's mother.

The things her daughter had done at the factory had been spread back by the people of Xingfu Village just last night. Now, the relationship between the two villages was as incompatible as fire and water.