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

Part 28 Complain

"Yao Yao, where's Yao Yao..." he exclaimed.

"Big brother, Yao Yao, she's gone! Big brother, she took our sister..." his scream abruptly stopped when he saw Zhou Yuedong bringing his sister in.

The words "she took our sister" stuck in his throat.

Zhou Yuedong glanced at his brother.

Sini raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhou Yuehan. "What did I do to our sister?"

Zhou Yuehan trembled, quickly lowering his head and stuttering, "N-nothing."

"Come here," Sini spoke slowly.

Zhou Yuehan's eyes turned red, his legs trembling, he staggered and couldn't stand steadily, too scared to approach.

He didn't move. He knew if he went, that wicked woman would surely beat him. Sobbing, he realized he was going to get beaten.

Zhou Yuehan's pleading eyes fell on his older brother, hoping for help. But his brother remained silent. Sobbing, was his brother not going to help him either? Had his little sister betrayed him, and now even his brother was betraying him?

Seeing Zhou Yuedong's rejection, Sinan sighed. Who did he think he was? Some kind of supernatural being?

Just as Zhou Yuehan's legs weakened and he was about to sit on the ground, something was suddenly placed in front of him. He paused, rubbed his blurry eyes, and upon closer inspection, saw it was a blue backpack.

He recognized this type of backpack; he'd seen someone at school carrying one. He heard they were from a wealthy family, while others carried canvas shoulder bags. Only he could afford a backpack like that.

Everyone envied him. Zhou Yuehan rubbed his eyes again to make sure he wasn't seeing things, then widened his pupils in disbelief.

"I-is this...?"

"Your backpacks were both broken, and since I was going to town anyway, I bought one for each of you. You can pick whichever you like."

Sinan emptied the contents of her own backpack and placed it in front of the two boys. Zhou Yuehan, forgetting the trouble he had just gotten into, covered his mouth in excitement.

"You bought these for us?"

Tears of fear that had been threatening to fall moments ago now fell from his eyes due to disbelief and excitement.

"Yayaya~" Seeing her second brother cry, wobbling over, she stuffed the candy stick in his mouth. Zhou Yuehan, unlike Zhou Yuedong, couldn't hold back his tears as he cried while sucking on the candy stick.

Seeing his brother's lack of composure, Zhou Yuedong simply turned his head away.

Sinan didn't mock him either. She put away the items she had bought and went to prepare dinner. As soon as she entered the kitchen, she saw the chopped ribs in the pot, and her eyes lit up.

Good stuff! Pork is expensive these days, especially ribs. Most families can't afford them. Sinan was just thinking of asking Zhou Yueshen to bring back some meat, but he had already taken the initiative to send some. Right then and there, Sinan decided they would have rib hot pot for dinner tonight! Rib soup is nutritious and delicious, and hot pot is also very tasty. Plus, stewing them is very simple. Zhou Yueshen must be considerate; he probably worried she wouldn't be able to handle it, so he meticulously cut them into small, even pieces. In addition to stewing the ribs, Sinan also planned to make some sautéed ribs, which kids love. She washed the ribs, drained them, and then put them in cold water with ginger and scallions to remove any fishy smell. In no time, white foam floated to the surface of the pot. She skimmed off the foam and took the ribs out of the pot.

It's getting late now, stewing the ribs will take quite some time. Sinan plans to start by making sautéed ribs to fill the children's stomachs, then slowly stew the soup. She heats up the oil in the pan, adds white sugar to caramelize it. Then she adds the ribs to brown them evenly, being careful not to burn them too much, so she needs to control the heat. After the ribs are evenly browned, she adds scallions, peppers, garlic, and cooking wine, stir-frying for a minute. Then she pours in soy sauce and some simple seasonings. Since there's no soybean paste at home, Sinan skips that. She adds water to the pot, covers it, and lets it simmer over low heat for about fifteen minutes. In no time, an incredible aroma fills the Zhou family kitchen. Outside, Zhou Yuehan, hugging his new backpack, can't help but drool, his eyes lighting up, "Great, we'll have meat for dinner again tonight!" Zhou Yuedong glances at him, unable to bear breaking his brother's happiness. Indeed, they've eaten much better these past few days than they have in the past few years.

So blissful and dreamlike that it's hard to tell if it's reality or a dream. Zhou Yuehan happily spins around with his sister, and at that moment, he suddenly wishes that his stepmother could be like this all the time. As he spins, he finds himself at the kitchen door. Just as the fire is reducing, Sinan opens the lid of the pot. The rich aroma instantly fills the air. Zhou Yuehan swallows his saliva, unable to move his feet, and the next moment, he's standing in front of the pot, his eyes glued to the savory ribs inside. The ribs are stewed to perfection, with a bright golden sauce enveloping each piece, and the juices bubbling up enticingly... It's just too delicious!

Zhou Yuehan glanced at Sinan, hesitantly asking, "A-Are we having this for dinner tonight?" Sinan, busy cutting potatoes to stew with the ribs, replied, "Yes, are you hungry?" Zhou Yuehan's face turned red, stammering, "N-No, not hungry." After speaking, he hurriedly ran out while holding his sister, his face flushed. He didn't know why, but talking to his stepmother made him feel excited, with a faint sense of happiness and excitement that he couldn't quite understand. At his young age, he didn't understand these feelings, but he also knew that he didn't dislike them, and perhaps even found them somewhat enjoyable. He thought... if only his stepmother could be like this all the time.

Meanwhile, Aunt Liu followed Zhou Yuehan home, complaining all the way about how Sinan was spending money recklessly, not knowing how to manage her life, being with Zhou Yuehan just for money, and so on. She had bought a bunch of nice things for herself but hadn't bought anything for the children.

She knew that the children were Zhou Yuehan's Achilles' heel. While Zhou Yuehan wouldn't say much if things didn't go too far, Aunt Liu couldn't imagine any man putting up with Sinan's lavish spending right after marrying into the family.

As they approached the door of the Zhou residence, Aunt Liu caught a whiff of a tantalizing aroma, unmistakably the smell of ribs. Her eyes lit up immediately.

"I knew it! I just knew it! She must have kept all the good stuff for herself and secretly indulged, without leaving anything for the children," Aunt Liu exclaimed triumphantly.

Zhou Yuehan heard her words, glanced at her briefly, then pushed the door open and walked in without a word. Seeing Zhou Yuehan's silence, Aunt Liu thought he was angry, which pleased her as she followed him into the house, relishing in his supposed displeasure.

As soon as they entered, they saw numerous items laid out on the table. Before Aunt Liu could make out what they were, she began to complain, "See, Yuehan? I told you I wasn't lying. Look at how extravagant she is. She's only been here for a few days, and she's already bought so many things. She's just too wasteful."

"Dad!" Before she could finish her complaints, Zhou Yuehan ran over, excitement written all over his face, with his new backpack slung over his shoulders.