Chapter 339
After sending the kids, who were sleeping haphazardly on the sofa, off to bed, Si Nian was also exhausted. She washed up casually and lay down.
She had changed to a soft quilt today, which was light and comfortable. As soon as Si Nian lay down, she let out a comfortable sigh.
However, barely two seconds later, a pair of domineering and powerful arms wrapped around her waist. Si Nian then realized that Zhou Yueshen was actually awake.
She asked in surprise, "Did I wake you?"
Zhou Yueshen shook his head.
Then, under Si Nian's suspicious gaze, he said in a low voice, "Nian Nian, what clothes should I wear tomorrow?"
Si Nian was speechless.
Could it be that he hadn't slept until now because he was agonizing over what to wear to the movies?
Si Nian immediately felt both exasperated and amused. "You can wear anything. We're just watching a movie, not walking a runway."
Zhou Yueshen didn't have a good sense of style, and he was afraid that if he dressed poorly, he would embarrass her.
After all, movie theaters were places for couples. People going on dates would definitely dress up carefully.
Although he had never been, back when he was in the military, whenever his comrades went on a date, they would shave a day in advance and buy new clothes.
They were very particular about it.
They said it was a sign of respect for the woman.
Even though they were married, he couldn't just be careless.
He was afraid Si Nian would think he didn't value her.
Seeing the genuine struggle in his eyes, Si Nian didn't want to make things difficult for him. "How about this: I'll pick something out for you, and you can just change into it when you get back tomorrow."
Zhou Yueshen sighed, feeling that as a man in his thirties, he was somehow still so clumsy and foolish.
He didn't even know what to wear.
Si Nian stared at his expression and thought that this older man was actually quite cute.
Just because she mentioned going to watch a movie, he lost sleep over not knowing what to wear.
Anyone who didn't know better would think he had just started dating.
This adorable contrast really hit the spot for her, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of affection.
Self-consciousness really is a man's best dowry.
Si Nian's gaze shifted downward, landing perfectly on Zhou Yueshen's flawless jawline and rolling Adam's apple.
His bronze skin was full of masculine hormones.
This kind of skin tone was hard to pull off; after all, being too dark could ruin everything.
But Zhou Yueshen's tan was very even, not patchy.
His skin was also extremely firm and had a nice sheen to it.
Seduced by his masculine beauty, Si Nian swallowed hard. She deliberately patted his chest and kissed his chin. On the surface, she was comforting him, but in reality, she was taking advantage of him, as if their roles had been reversed.
Zhou Yueshen was amused by her.
His chest vibrated slightly, making the hand resting on it tingle.
Caught in the act, Si Nian flew into a flustered rage, raising her head to kiss Zhou Yueshen.
She blocked out his laughter.
Since she rarely took the initiative, Zhou Yueshen naturally wasn't going to let her off easy.
In a brief moment of distraction, Si Nian wondered if this man had been so worried that he got up to smoke a few cigarettes.
But there was no smell of smoke in the room—did he hide in the bathroom to smoke?
Zhou Yueshen never smoked in front of the children. When his nicotine craving hit, he always found a private place to deal with it.
He rarely let them see.
Given the nature of his work, it was impossible for him to completely avoid tobacco and alcohol.
However, he was a restrained man and not the type to get addicted.
After a long time, Zhou Yueshen released the now-weakened Si Nian. He pulled the blanket up to cover the scattered marks on her skin and pulled her into his embrace.
Si Nian drifted off to sleep in a daze, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she had gotten the short end of the stick.
She was the one who had tried to take advantage of the man, so how did she end up being the one devoured entirely?
Well, she had originally wanted Zhou Yueshen to go to sleep earlier, but instead of sleeping early, they ended up staying up late.
Zhou Yueshen didn't sleep at all. Once she fell asleep, he got up and prepared to head out.
Si Nian still remembered to remind him to take the zongzi. She grabbed onto him but was too tired to speak.
Zhou Yueshen looked down at his wife. After watching her for a while, he realized she was truly exhausted. Her fair, pinkish face still carried the afterglow of their intimacy. His throat couldn't help but bob, feeling dry and parched. With difficulty but great gentleness, he agreed.
He tucked the blanket around her before leaving.
Thinking about the upcoming movie date, Zhou Yueshen immediately got busy as soon as he arrived at work.
He moved faster than the others, but since there were more workers now, he didn't need to do much of the physical labor himself.
He just needed to keep an eye on things and manage them.
Today, as everyone arrived still yawning, they saw that he had already tossed a large bag of zongzi to Yu Dong to distribute, and had changed his clothes and started working with a cleaver.
Everyone was startled awake, all sleepiness vanishing instantly.
The miserable bleating of sheep rang out through the night, only ending when a white glow emerged on the horizon.
Zhou Yueshen tossed aside his blood-soaked sleeves and apron, squatting in front of the water pipe to wash his hands.
The bosses who received their meat bright and early were very happy. They even gave extra tips and gifted them zongzi.
Zhou Yueshen accepted a cigarette from them, exchanged a few polite pleasantries, and returned to his office.
Yu Dong walked over munching on two zongzi. "Boss, do you have any white sugar? The zongzi sister-in-law made are fragrant, but they aren't sweet."
Zhou Yueshen had already changed his clothes and washed his hair under the tap, leaving it still slightly damp and gleaming.
Hearing this, he shot him a glance. "No. Your sister-in-law doesn't like sweet zongzi."
Yu Dong nearly choked on his zongzi.
He peeled another zongzi and popped it into his mouth. As he was peeling a second one, Zhou Yueshen swept a glance over him.
Zhou Yueshen snatched the zongzi on the desk. Those were the ones he had saved for himself.
He had left in such a hurry that morning that he hadn't had time to eat.
He had chosen the two best-wrapped ones.
He could tell at a glance that Si Nian had wrapped them.
She was very deft and skillful.
After finishing his meal, Zhou Yueshen began grooming his stubble and hair.
A man's stubble grows fast; if not shaved for two days, it pops right out.
It made him look old.
As Zhou Yueshen shaved, he wondered if there were any hair salons on the way back where he could drop by for a haircut.
His hair grew fast.
However, he had gone a bit overboard last night, and he wondered if Si Nian was up yet.
Zhou Yueshen finished the two zongzi and dressed himself immaculately.
It made everyone else look rather sloppy in comparison.
Let alone everyone else, even Yu Dong felt something was off.
The way his boss was acting, it looked like he was going on a date.
Zhou Yueshen handed everyone a ten-yuan bonus and then dismissed them.
Yu Dong kept thinking about it, feeling that something good was going to happen today.
So, he brazenly followed Zhou Yueshen home.
Si Nian woke up early.
The children were wearing new clothes, and Zhou Zedong had even taken his younger brother to the barbershop at the entrance of Old East Street to get a haircut.
They looked much more handsome and neat.
Right now, they were sitting at the door, dipping their zongzi in white sugar and eating.
Da Huang also had two in its bowl.
It smacked its lips, seemingly finding them a bit sticky.
The early morning was filled with laughter and cheerful noise; it was incredibly lively.
Si Nian and Grandma Jiang were in the kitchen stewing lamb. They made a massive pot.
Lamb has a strong gamey smell, but with a little preparation, it becomes exceptionally fragrant.
With the addition of mint, the aroma was out of this world.
The entire street smelled of stewed lamb.
Lunch was served right as Zhou Yueshen arrived home.
Yu Dong managed to score a free lamb meal, praising Si Nian's cooking as being even better than a restaurant chef's.
After lunch, Fu Qianqian arrived, dressed to the nines and carrying a handbag.
Yu Dong, who had originally been sent away and made it to the door, circled back around and returned, claiming he forgot his keys and that his family had all gone back to their hometown.
Zhou Yueshen had pondered it all night, but he never could have imagined that the movie date Si Nian mentioned was actually a family outing.
It was one thing for the kids to be here.
But why were Yu Dong and Fu Qianqian here too?
The romantic date I had spent all night imagining was completely shattered, with two sons and a daughter wedged right between us...