Chapter 324
"If nothing else works, you might as well eat something good," Fu Qianqian said, seeing his twisted expression and realizing she had gone too far.
Whether it was Lin Sisi or Liu Dongdong, each one was more bizarre than the last.
She really didn't know what kind of taste her brother had.
While others attracted admirers, he only seemed to attract the crazy and unhinged.
Maybe it was because Si Nian had been too good to him in the past and he hadn't respected her, so now he was getting his retribution.
How did the saying go? A pitiful person must have their hateful aspects.
Although she pitied her brother, she had to admit that he had once been even more cruel to Si Nian.
Fu Yang's expression turned even uglier.
The family compound was huge, housing a school, a preschool, and more.
The buildings were mostly three or four stories high.
Since Zhou Yueshen was alone, the apartment assigned to him wasn't large. It had one bedroom, a living room, and a cooking area inside.
The house was quite old. Having been unoccupied for a while, it smelled of dust.
Zhou Yueshen hadn't brought much with him when he arrived.
Si Nian hadn't brought much either, and with Yu Dong helping them, they barely had to carry anything.
The residents of the family compound originally wanted to treat Zhou Yueshen to a meal when they heard he was discharged from the hospital.
Although they had grown distant after not seeing each other for so many years, he had saved them after all, and they couldn't just do nothing to show their gratitude.
Who knew they would instead learn the news of Zhou Yueshen's retirement from the army.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Zhou Yueshen had made such a great contribution, and with the chief's high regard for him, if he stayed, he might have become a brigade commander just like Wang Jianguo.
His future could be described as bright and promising.
Yet, at such a crucial moment, he unexpectedly retired.
Furthermore, it was rumored that the chief had intended for either him or Wang Jianguo to be his successor.
No one could understand it.
They even asked Si Nian to persuade him not to be impulsive.
Si Nian expressed that she respected Zhou Yueshen's decision. She could actually guess some of his reasons; staying might have its benefits, but it wouldn't necessarily be a good thing.
Besides, he still had a pig farm. If he didn't go back, the pig farm would go bankrupt.
Others might think they were being too impulsive and that it wasn't worth it.
But in Si Nian's eyes, they no longer needed such fame and fortune.
Seeing that they wouldn't listen, everyone found it hard to say anything more.
After all, they weren't very familiar with each other.
Moreover, looking at Si Nian's temperament and attire, anyone could tell she wasn't someone who lived a hard life.
Perhaps her family was wealthy, and they simply didn't need to risk their lives for fame and wealth.
On the one hand, they envied Zhou Yueshen. They had heard he came from a rural background, yet he had found such a young and elegant wife.
He had truly reached the pinnacle of life.
Zhou Yueshen interacted with few people, and he didn't tell anyone about his departure. He only went to visit Wang Jianguo, who was still in the hospital.
After having Yu Dong buy train tickets for the next day, the group packed their luggage and left the Northwest.
It was two days later when they arrived in Yunguichuan City.
Before they even entered the house, Si Nian realized that their Da Huang was missing.
The whole family's expressions changed.
They anxiously contacted Grandma Jiang, only to learn that Da Huang had fallen ill. Worried that something bad might happen, she had searched for a long time before finding a veterinary station and sending him there.
The family didn't even have time to rest and hurried over.
Grandma Jiang said with a face full of guilt, "After you left, Da Huang stopped eating and drinking. The next day, his leg went lame. I was scared to death and hurried to take him to the animal hospital, but whenever strangers approached him, he became extremely aggressive, and no one dared to touch him."
"The doctor said there's no hope. Da Huang has lost his will to live. You... you need to be mentally prepared..."
After Grandma Jiang finished speaking, tears of guilt fell from her eyes.
She also liked Da Huang. If something happened to Da Huang, she would never find peace for the rest of her life.
Hearing this, Si Nian's face turned pale, and her heart leaped into her throat.
Da Huang wasn't an ordinary dog; he was a Tibetan Mastiff, and a fully grown one at that.
Even if someone in the city could treat dogs, there was nothing they could do for a large, fierce breed like a Tibetan Mastiff.
Zhou Yueshen also furrowed his brows tightly. Da Huang had never been sick since they brought him home.
This was the first time, and it was unexpectedly this serious.
The children's eyes instantly turned red upon hearing the news.
"Mom, is Da Huang really going to die?"
"Waaah, Da Huang, please don't die~"
Grandma Jiang didn't know what to say and could only lead the group of three over.
From a distance, the family saw Da Huang locked in an iron cage. He was lying there listlessly, as if he had lost all his vitality, looking like he was on his last breath.
They couldn't even tell if he was still breathing.
They hurriedly ran over, but before they could get close, Da Huang in the cage seemed to sense something. He suddenly opened his eyes wide, scrambled to his feet, and looked in their direction.
Then, under the group's astonished gazes, his tail started wagging. He paced frantically back and forth in the cage, letting out whines toward them.
Just a moment ago, they thought he was gone, but the next second, he resurrected on the spot.
This completely startled the old doctor nearby.
He had just issued a notice of death, and the very next second, the dog came back to life?
The family quickly ran over. Da Huang let out eager whines and sniffed all over them.
It was as if the terminally ill dog from a moment ago hadn't been him at all.
When the doctor learned they were Da Huang's owners, he seemed to understand what had happened.
He explained that Da Huang thought they had gone on a long trip without him and had abandoned him. Unable to cope, he developed various negative emotions, which led to his loss of the will to live.
The word "depression" wasn't commonly used yet, but Si Nian guessed that was probably what it was.
She felt deeply guilty toward Da Huang.
At the time, she had thought they wouldn't be gone for long, so she overlooked how heavily their departure would impact Da Huang.
This oversight had led to today's situation.
Filled with remorse, she wiped her tears of guilt and apologized to him.
However, Da Huang didn't seem angry at all. As long as they were back, he forgave them without hesitation.
The world of dogs was just that pure and kind.
As long as you turn around, they will always be there.
The family took the dog back home. To make it up to Da Huang, Si Nian had the factory deliver a large piece of bone and stewed a big pot for him.
Da Huang regained his original, vibrant self.
It seemed a new family had moved into the house next door; Si Nian noticed the lights were on at night.
But she didn't think much of it.
Once back, she was busy getting ready for her classes.
After all, having taken such a long leave of absence, she felt a sense of shame if she didn't proactively return to work.
The two children also returned to school for their classes.
Zhou Yueshen stayed home to recover from his injuries, keeping Da Huang company and soothing his wounded little heart.
However, the incident where Eldest Child took first place, as well as the abduction case involving Second Child, had spread during the time they were away.
It was unknown who had dug up the fact that the two were brothers.
The two children were targeted by reporters.
As soon as Si Nian returned to the school, she heard from the vice director that reporters wanted to interview the two children.
Si Nian naturally disagreed. The two children were still young, and she didn't want their peaceful lives to be disrupted.
The vice director—no, the vice director who had already been promoted to director—expressed his refusal, also not wishing for the two children to be disturbed.
But Si Nian never expected that these reporters would find their way to her home.
And drop a bombshell on her.
"Zhou Zedong and Zhou Zehan aren't your biological children, are they? Someone approached us, claiming to be their true blood relatives."