Chapter 341
Living a life like this, with a car and a house, was already incredibly comfortable.
She couldn't be too greedy.
Upon waking up, she first drank a cup of floral tea to nourish her skin and enhance her beauty.
Then she went downstairs to heat up some zongzi, boiled some sweet potatoes and eggs, and made a little white rice porridge.
A healthy and nutritious breakfast was complete.
Si Nian didn't eat out every day; most of the time, she was quite diligent.
If she woke up earlier than the children, she would make it herself; if she woke up late, the Eldest Child would make it.
The Eldest Child's breakfast-making skills were already perfected.
Si Nian recalled that when she went to the movies a few days ago, she saw Brother Chen and his friends squatting at the entrance of the cinema selling jianbing.
It was quite pitiful.
The Eldest Child had told her that these kids were orphans who had never been to school. As long as they could remember, they had made a living by picking up trash in the neighborhood.
Later, when the textile factory moved in, they would squat at the entrance every day, picking up fabric scraps to sell.
They didn't make much money, but it kept them from starving.
Now that they had started their jianbing business, they were actually making quite a bit of money.
Without any adults around, Si Nian initially worried that the kids, having tasted success, would squander their earnings on food and play.
But to her surprise, she saw them every day squatting in crowded places selling jianbing. When there was no one at the school, they went to the cinema entrance...
If someone tried to chase them away, they would just push their cart and run.
The kids ran fast and had never been caught.
Judging by the money her son brought back, they were definitely earning a lot.
If they didn't spend it recklessly, it would amount to a considerable sum.
There was still a lot of stewed mutton in the fridge. Because Zhou Yueshen had brought back too much, they hadn't finished it, so she froze it.
Eating mutton every day wasn't good; it caused internal heat.
So, Si Nian packed some in a bag along with some zongzi, and asked the Eldest Child to take it to the kids to try.
Since the Eldest Child considered them friends, they were definitely trustworthy.
Zhou Zedong took the mutton without refusing and rode his bicycle to deliver it.
Brother Chen and the others were currently preparing to set up their stall. They had a large pot filled with fermented dough. After some recipe development, they now had not only egg fillings, but also pork, chive fillings, and more... all placed in bowls and covered with a thin film.
Although the stall was an old one they rented, due to Zhou Zedong's requirements, they wiped it down every day until it was sparkling clean and reflective.
When Zhou Zedong came over carrying a bag of mutton and zongzi, it startled them.
"Brother Dong, what is this?" Fatty ran over first and took a sniff.
It smelled incredibly fragrant.
Zhou Zedong kept it brief. "This is mutton my mom cooked. It's been frozen, so you just need to heat it up to eat. She told me to bring it to you."
Brother Chen and the others exchanged glances, their faces full of astonishment.
Before they could ask more, Zhou Zedong got on his bicycle, ready to leave.
After riding a couple of steps, he thought of something and backed up.
A hint of conflict appeared on his usually expressionless little face: "Right, on the first of next month, come over to my house to play."
The three of them were still entirely focused on the mutton, so hearing this, they froze for a moment.
"Go to Brother Dong's house to play?"
"Why?"
"Brother Dong's house is so big, I'm scared to go."
Brother Chen was also surprised, because previously Zhou Zedong hadn't allowed them near his mother.
Thinking of Zhou Zedong's big house, he lowered his eyes, a trace of envy flashing in them.
Seeing his two brothers looking overwhelmed by the favor, he rolled his eyes at them.
"Useless. Who cares why we're going? Let's eat the mutton first."
The three had never eaten mutton before. As soon as they opened it, the perfectly marbled slices of mutton were embedded in the frozen fat, looking chewy and bouncy.
A rich meaty aroma flooded their noses, and all three couldn't help but swallow their saliva.
So much mutton, enough for them to eat their fill!
You have to know, they had seen people eating at restaurants, and in a one-yuan bowl of mutton noodles, there were only one or two paper-thin slices!
Brother Dong's mother was truly wealthy and generous.
The three were both envious and thrilled.
The Second Child was also thinking about his own birthday, starting to invite his good friends a month in advance.
Everything was going fine at first, and his classmates had all agreed to go to his house to play. But when he went to the tube-shaped apartment building, Zhou Zehan realized they were all ignoring him.
Now they only played with Fang Bowen.
They even called him stupid and said he loved to brag.
They told him that he and Jiang Jiu were no longer allowed to come to their apartment building.
If it was Da Zhuang who said this, Zhou Zehan definitely wouldn't care.
But being told this by people he considered good friends was hurtful.
He didn't understand. They were people who had hung out and played together every day, so how could they just suddenly say they hated him?
Was it just because he wasn't as great as Fang Bowen?
He had even confidently promised his mother that he was going to invite his friends from the apartment building to his house for his birthday.
Zhou Zehan was very upset. When he went home that night, he only ate three bowls of rice and stopped, saying he had no appetite.
"......"
These past few days, the Second Child didn't go to the apartment building to play, nor did he like going out much.
Jiang Jiu ran over to look for him to play, but was rejected, being told that playing with just the two of them wasn't fun.
Jiang Jiu looked at him for a while, hesitating to speak, but ultimately went home feeling disappointed.
Si Nian already felt that something was wrong with the Second Child, and seeing this, she couldn't help but focus her attention on him.
How did the little guy, who usually ran all over the place with Jiang Jiu right after school, suddenly become so quiet?
His mood seemed worse than before, and he wouldn't even go play when Jiang Jiu asked him to.
Si Nian was a bit curious about what had happened.
She asked, "Xiao Han, what's wrong? Why haven't you gone out to play these past few days?"
The Second Child sat on the threshold, propping his chin on his hands. He let out a heavy sigh like an old man and said listlessly, "Little Pig and the others won't play with me anymore. They only play with Fang Bowen, and they called me a liar who loves to brag."
Zhou Zehan felt he hadn't bragged, because everything he said was true.
But everyone treated him like a liar and hated him.
After coming to the city, everything had been smooth sailing for him, and he got along well with everyone.
Those people wouldn't scold him either.
Back in the countryside, because his previous stepmother had poisoned him, everyone stayed far away from him and refused to play with him.
He only had one good friend, Shitou.
Therefore, when Zhou Zehan came to the city and was able to make friends, he cherished it exceptionally.
He just didn't expect the boat of friendship to capsize so quickly.
Not only did everyone stop playing with him, but they also insulted him.
After hearing this, Si Nian fell silent.
Then, she patted his head and gently taught him, "Xiao Han, do you feel like you've lost a lot of things?"
Zhou Zehan nodded.
"Cherishing your friends is a good thing, but it's not right to only care about what you've lost while ignoring the people who are still by your side."
Zhou Zehan took his hands away and sat up straight. "The people still by my side?"
Si Nian said, "Yes, besides Little Pig and the others, do you not have any other friends?"
Zhou Zehan quickly shook his head and said, "No, Mom, I still have Jiang Jiu and my classmates."
"Exactly. Since you still have them, why be sad over the people who left you, and ignore the people who care about you?" Si Nian said. "There is a saying that you have to let go of something to gain something else. While you lost them, you also gained friends who trust you the most. The fact that they stopped playing with you after being provoked by a few words from someone else shows that they didn't trust you. But did Xiao Jiu and the others stop trusting you?"
Zhou Zehan shook his head blankly.
"Why are you wasting your tears on people who don't even trust you?"
"Mom..." Zhou Zehan bit his lip.
"Little Jiu came looking to play with you just now, but you ignored him because of those people who don't believe in you. He is the one who truly has a right to be hurt."