After returning home, Zhou Zuizui was exhausted.
Her physical strength seems to be much worse than before; she often feels sleepy and has no energy at all.
As soon as she got home, she took a shower and went to sleep.
Shen Nan frowned and took the initiative to ask about his mother's condition.
Mother Shen was both amused and exasperated: "Pregnant women are all like this. She's probably just too tired from the day. Don't worry." She looked at Shen Nan teasingly: "Your wife is fine."
Hearing this, Shen Nan finally felt relieved.
"good."
Shen's mother was both amused and relieved. Now that Shen Nan had a wife, he was more thoughtful than before.
She thought for a moment and said earnestly, "Didn't you have a lot of vacation days that you didn't get to rest? If there's nothing urgent, you can stay home and spend more time with Zui Zui." As someone who had been through it, she advised, "Although it's not necessary now, it will be relatively difficult for pregnant women in their sixth or seventh month. They won't be able to sleep comfortably then, etc. You should think about it yourself."
Shen Nan nodded and looked at his mother: "Okay, Mom, don't worry, I know what to do."
"OK."
Back in the room, Shen Nan looked at Zhou Zuizui sleeping, leaned down and kissed her, then washed up and hugged her as they fell asleep together.
...
The next day, Zhou Zuizui didn't go anywhere. Completely exhausted, she rested at home. With only two days until the Lunar New Year, her mother was busy buying New Year's goods. Zhou Zuizui went with her and was startled by the crowds at the supermarket.
She had never bought any New Year's goods before. Back in the ancient town, Lin Mu and the others would usually do the shopping for the New Year. She and Qiu Qiu would occasionally go out for a stroll and buy some trinkets. To be honest, Zhou Zuizui hadn't experienced this kind of lively New Year's atmosphere in a long time.
It really does feel a bit different.
Shen Nan was still busy. He wanted to take a break during the Chinese New Year and spend some time with Zhou Zuizui.
By the afternoon, Zhou Zuizui collapsed at home to rest.
As luck would have it, Duan Bowen called her. Since that incident, Duan Bowen hadn't contacted her much, so this sudden call made Zhou Zuizui's nerves tense up instinctively.
"Hello." Zhou Zuizui's voice was soft, slightly nervous: "Is something wrong with Wei Yi?"
Duan Bowen hummed in agreement, his tone a little anxious: "Did she go looking for you?"
"No." Zhou Zuizui paused for a moment, then immediately replied, "I didn't see her. Why?"
Duan Bowen quickly explained: "She seems to have seen your medical report in Ziyu's study and knows that she is your younger sister, but we don't know exactly when she found out. However, she disappeared today. At first, she said she was going out to buy something with her classmates and wouldn't let Ziyu come with her, but the driver took her out. She just hasn't come back yet."
He whispered, "Something's not right with the little girl."
Zhou Zuizui immediately tensed up: "Where's Duan Ziyu? Did she go looking for someone?"
"I called her and asked her classmates."
Zhou Zuizui was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, it's my fault."
"No," Duan Bowen chuckled, "This isn't your fault either."
He frowned. "Based on my understanding of Wei Yi, she won't go far. She's not the kind of person who would do anything without a care in the world. She'll definitely come back. But the problem now is that Zi Yu is worried something might have happened to her and wants to know where she is."
Did she contact you before she left?
“I texted Tzuyu and told her I wouldn’t be home tonight.”
Otherwise, they wouldn't have known she was missing. After all, Duan Weiyi had gone out shopping alone before, and it was normal for her to come back late at night. Duan Ziyu valued her, but she didn't completely deny her any space. However, sleeping outside, especially near the end of the year, was something that had never happened before.
She knew she was adopted, and to some extent she still felt some resistance towards the Duan family. Or perhaps it wasn't resistance, but rather a certain reservation in her heart; she dared not fully trust them.
Even though Duan Bowen, her parents, and Duan Ziyu treat her very well, like a younger sister, giving her all the good things, she still can't feel at ease. Perhaps it's because she was abandoned once, but she doesn't dare to give too much of her heart. She is good to Duan Bowen and her parents and very obedient, but this kind of obedience is like that of a guest. Ten years after being adopted, she only acts coquettishly and gets angry with Duan Ziyu. She doesn't express her emotions excessively to anyone else.
Zhou Zuizui frowned and said in a low voice, "Then don't worry, does she have any places where she goes by herself?"
She thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I felt that the way she looked at me was a bit strange yesterday. Logically speaking, she couldn't have only noticed it today. Maybe she knew a few days ago. So why did she only leave today?"
Duan Bowen: "Yes, so I wanted to ask you, what special day is today for her?"
"No way..." Zhou Zuizui herself wasn't sure either. To be honest, she was still young when she was taken away, and she was sick and hospitalized at the time, so the time of her being taken away doesn't match up.
Duan Bowen: "Okay, if she contacts you, remember to contact Ziyu immediately. I'm worried he'll go crazy."
Zhou Zuizui responded with an "Eh," and then suddenly shouted, "I have a question for you."
Duan Bowen was taken aback, then suddenly asked, "You want to ask about the relationship between the two?"
"Um."
It's obvious to anyone with eyes that their feelings for each other are not just simple brother-sister affection. Duan Bowen's feelings for her are definitely like that of a sister, but Duan Ziyu's are not.
Duan Bowen chuckled: "Are you trying to ask what my parents think?"
"I guess so."
After all, many parents can't accept having an adopted child live with their own biological child, let alone a family like the Duan family.
Duan Bowen was both amused and exasperated: "Our whole family has no objections. My parents love Weiyi very much, both when she was a child and now. If the two of them really have feelings for each other, my parents will be happy no matter what. They are even happier that Weiyi will not leave them. We don't care about other people's opinions on this matter. It's just that the two of them... have personality differences and can't explain it to each other."
One lacked the courage, and the other dared not make a promise.
Previously, Duan Bowen thought that Duan Ziyu might take action after the only one came of age, but now it seems that nothing has happened.
As his older brother, he couldn't offer any advice; their personalities were too different.
Hearing this, Zhou Zuizui felt relieved.
"Thank you. If you feel that the identity is inappropriate, I can reclaim the only one I've acknowledged."
Duan Bowen: "Let's talk about it later, let's find someone first."
"good."
As soon as she hung up the phone, Zhou Zuizui received the only message from Wei Yi.
Sister, could you come out for a moment? I'm at the door.
Zhou Zuizui's eyes lit up, and she immediately went outside.
Duan Weiyi didn't really intend to go far; she just wanted to wander around and didn't want anyone following her.
She had known Zhou Zuizui's true identity for some time, and she had also searched for news from a while ago. After finding out who had kidnapped the two of them, she was honestly very upset, but her distress was not as deep as Zhou Zuizui's.
She had been living a nomadic life since childhood and had no feelings for those two people. But Zhou Zuizui was different. She grew up at home and was kidnapped by her own father. She knew how much pain she had suffered. So she suddenly understood why she was in such a bad mood when she was hospitalized recently.
What she actually wanted to ask me when we met yesterday was...
Why doesn't she acknowledge herself again? Is it because she doesn't want to, or what? Later, she figured it out. Actually, Zhou Zuizui was afraid of disturbing her current life, so she preferred not to acknowledge herself. But she still wanted to be with her, so she would occasionally chat with her to find out about her recent situation.
When she went to the frontier, she would occasionally ask about her studies and things at school. They were all trivial little things, but Zhou Zuizui was willing to take the time to find out, and she was also willing to share them with Zhou Zuizui.
Previously, she couldn't understand why she felt a sense of familiarity with Zhou Zuizui. It wasn't until she saw the report that she understood where that familiarity came from.
She's my older sister.
Actually, I really couldn't hold back today.
She wanted to see Zhou Zuizui and ask her if she really didn't plan to acknowledge herself back.
Duan Weiyi didn't know what she was thinking. She just wanted some peace and quiet. It was fine as long as Zhou Zuizui wasn't back; she could wait for her to return. But once she came back, she couldn't hold back anymore.
I wanted to come and ask her something, to come and see her.
…………
She stood at the doorway, with soldiers standing guard not far away.
Zhou Zuizui hurriedly came out and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that everyone was safe.
"The only one".
Duan Weiyi raised his eyes and looked at her.
The two looked at each other for a while before Zhou Zuizui asked, "Don't you want to come to your sister's place?"
Duan Weiyi was stunned for a moment, and tears suddenly fell down her cheeks. But she didn't move an inch.
Zhou Zuizui felt sorry for her and walked over to hug her tightly, saying, "I'm sorry."
The three words "I'm sorry" are the most powerless, but at this moment, Zhou Zuizui didn't know what else she could say besides "I'm sorry".
Duan Weiyi just kept crying, hugging Zhou Zuizui and sobbing uncontrollably. She couldn't control her emotions at all. If Zhou Zuizui hadn't said the word "sister," she might have been able to hold back, but as soon as she heard "sister," she couldn't help herself.
So, she does have relatives.
She wasn't abandoned; she wasn't abandoned.
At least, she has an older sister who is still searching for herself.
Duan Weiyi seemed to be crying out all the grievances she had suffered over the years. She hugged Zhou Zuizui and stood by the roadside crying. A sentry not far away watched and frowned. He recognized Zhou Zuizui, but he couldn't go up to her now. He could only call Shen Nan to inquire about the situation.
After Wei Yi had finished crying, Zhou Zuizui had also managed to hold back her tears.
She patiently coaxed and comforted him, "Little baby, are you still crying?"
The only thing he did was look at her with a pitiful expression and say, "Cry."
Zhou Zuizui: "..."
She pinched Wei Yi's cheek and said with a smile, "How about we talk inside? People will be coming over to see our little crybaby soon."
Wei Yi simply hummed in agreement.
Zhou Zuizui smiled and led her inside.
Mother Shen had just learned of the situation, but seeing the two of them come in, she didn't ask any questions. She looked at Zhou Zuizui: "Would you like something to drink?"
"No need." Zhou Zuizui thought for a moment and said, "Mom, just pour me a glass of water. I'll take Weiyi upstairs for a bit."
She pointed and said, "I'll introduce it to you later."
Mother Shen waved her hand: "Go ahead, go ahead, it's alright, I'm going out for a walk."
"good."
After entering the room, Duan Weiyi stopped crying, but she was still sobbing and looked pitiful.
Zhou Zuizui was also moved, but she needed to calm him down first.
"Stop crying." She chuckled. "If you keep crying, your brother will come looking for trouble later."
Duan Weiyi pouted and looked at her with teary eyes: "You're still my sister."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Zuizui was slightly taken aback, and then hugged the person tightly.
She asked softly, "Aren't you angry with me?"
Duan Weiyi was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head: "I'm not angry."
She wasn't someone who couldn't tell the difference between things, so what was there to be angry about? Besides, those two had never looked for her, while she herself had never given up searching for her. She looked up at Zhou Zuizui: "I'm just a little angry. Why didn't you tell me?"
Zhou Zuizui was silent for a while, then looked at her: "I'm afraid you won't be able to accept it."
Duan Wei shook his head, turned to look out the window, and said, "No, it won't happen."
From a young age, she longed for real family, no matter what kind of family they were. Everyone else had parents, or at least the headmistress to take care of them, but she was different; she was always all alone.
Duan Weiyi still remembered that when she was adopted, the family treated her very well, and she liked them very much. She even called them "Dad" and "Mom". But later... when they actually got pregnant, they sent her away immediately and she went back to the orphanage.
From then on, Duan Weiyi stopped trusting anyone who adopted him.
Until Duan Ziyu appeared, when he took her away, she simply wanted to leave the orphanage and had no hope for the future.
After arriving at the Duan family, everyone treated her very well, extremely well. However, Duan Weiyi had psychological trauma, and some things were unavoidable.
Later on, she gradually opened her heart, but she could never truly become close to anyone. She was always worried that one day she would wake up and be abandoned again, returning to the orphanage as soon as she opened her eyes.
...
Zhou Zuizui looked at her, feeling incredibly sorry for her.
She reached out and hugged him, whispering an apology: "I'm sorry."
If she could, she would even wish she were the one who was abducted.
Wei smiled and looked up at her: "I'm not angry."
She wasn't really angry, just a little upset.
Seeing her like this, Zhou Zuizui felt even more sorry for her.
How much must one go through to become so sensible? She touched Wei Yi's head and asked softly, "Why did you only want to talk to me about this today? I noticed something was off about your eyes yesterday."
Duan Weiyi hummed in agreement, then hugged her and said coquettishly, "I couldn't hold back anymore. I held back all day yesterday, and at the beginning of today I just wanted some peace and quiet, but I still couldn't resist. So I came here in the middle of all this time."
Zhou Zuizui had told her her home address before, and she had mentioned it in both places.
Zhou Zuizui chuckled and pinched her cheek: "Then tell me if you need anything in the future, okay?"
"Um."
She thought for a moment and said, "Duan Ziyu and the others are looking for you. They're very worried. Why don't you call them first? How about staying at my place tonight?"
Wei Yi paused for a moment, then looked at Zhou Zuizui.
"Is it okay?" This was what Zhou Zuizui had always longed for, but she hadn't dared to ask before because she was too shy to acknowledge people.
"good."
Duan Weiyi agreed without hesitation.
Zhou Zuizui told her to call Duan Ziyu and the others to let them know she was safe before she went downstairs.
As soon as I went downstairs, I found that Shen Nan had returned.
She looked at Shen Nan in surprise: "Why are you back?"
Shen Nan looked at her and breathed a sigh of relief: "Why are you crying?"
“Wei Yi is here,” Zhou Zuizui explained softly. “She doesn’t blame me.”
Shen Nan paused for a moment, then hugged her, patted her head, and coaxed her, "She won't blame you. You've already done a great job."
He asked in a low voice, "You know everything?"
"Hmm, the little girl is quite clever. After seeing the report from Duan Ziyu, she secretly searched it on Baidu and knows everything about what happened a while ago." She frowned and said, "I wonder what she will think. I haven't had a chance to ask her yet."
Shen Nan nodded: "It's good that you're alright. We can take things slowly."
"Hmm." Zhou Zuizui looked at him with a smile: "I want to go to the kitchen to make some noodles for Weiyi. She hasn't eaten all day."
"good."
Shen Nan agreed, then thought for a moment and asked, "Are you upstairs now?"
"Yes." Zhou Zuizui pondered for two seconds, then looked at Shen Nan: "She's staying at our house tonight."
“Sure.” Shen Nan had no objections.
The next second, Zhou Zuizui looked at him and said, "Sleep with me."
Shen Nan: "…………"
He paused, glanced at his wife, and then chuckled, "Okay, I'll go tidy up the guest room."
"Okay." Zhou Zuizui smiled and hugged him. "Thank you."
After Wei Yi finished eating her noodles, Zhou Zuizui applied ice to her eyes, which were swollen like walnuts.
After finishing everything, the two didn't talk about those annoying things.
Wei Yi accepted the situation without question, but asked a few more questions about the two people who were still in jail. Then he looked at Zhou Zuizui and said, "Let's go see Grandma tomorrow."
She actually has almost no memory of her childhood, but she knows who in this family is good to them.
"good."
In the evening, Duan Ziyu came over. But she didn't come in; she just handed the only thing to Shen Nan and left.
Shen Nan raised an eyebrow but didn't ask any further questions.
When Grandpa Shen and his father returned home that evening and learned about the incident, they both said that their family could easily support another person.
Old Master Shen went even further, saying to Duan Weiyi, "If Old Man Duan treats you badly, come to Grandpa's! Grandpa just happens to be missing a granddaughter!"
Zhou Zuizui: "..."
Shen Nan: "..."
The two were speechless and reminded the old man, "This messes up the generational hierarchy."
The old man waved his hand dismissively and said, "What's the big deal? Seniority is just a number; people are what really matter."
He has a very open-minded attitude.
Duan Weiyi smiled, curved his lips, and winked at Grandpa Shen: "Okay, I'll tell Grandpa when I get back."
"Sure, remember to relay the message truthfully! Don't be afraid, we have powerful backers too."
Duan Wei smiled and said, "Thank you, Grandpa Chen."
"Of course."
Grandpa Shen looked at her and said, "When you were little, Grandpa held you in his arms, but only once, and then you disappeared."
He sighed, "Go see your grandma tomorrow. When you fell, you were her biggest worry, and she was still thinking about you when she passed away."
She has a granddaughter who hasn't come back yet.
Duan Wei nodded, his eyes welling up with tears.
"good."
Zhou Zuizui buried her head in her food, not daring to look up at all.
She suddenly remembered the way her grandmother said those words when she passed away. Like herself, her grandmother wanted to be the only one. Her biggest regret before she died was not being able to find the person with her own eyes.
Shen Nan squeezed her hand under the table to comfort her.
Zhou Zuizui turned her head and gave him a smile.
After dinner, Zhou Zuizui actually went to the guest room with Wei Yi.
She looked at the things Duan Ziyu had brought, smiled, and said, "Duan Ziyu is very thoughtful."
The only one who didn't say a word.
Zhou Zuizui chuckled and patted her head, coaxing, "No rush, let's chat tonight first?"
"Will this affect your rest?"
Zhou Zuizui laughed: "No."
That night, Zhou Zuizui and Wei Yi slept together and chatted until midnight before finally falling asleep.
As for Shen Nan, who was left alone in his empty room, he could not sleep.
The next morning, the two visited their grandmother's grave and then returned home.
She didn't stay there long; after visiting her grandmother the next day, she asked Zhou Zuizui to take her home.
Zhou Zuizui knew that she was the kind of sensible child, so she didn't ask any more questions. She was an adult and had her own thoughts and decisions about everything she did, so she respected all of Weizhu's decisions.
The next day was New Year's Day.
Shen Nan rested at home all day, staying in bed from the morning and refusing to get up, saying he wanted to make up for the sleep he missed the night before, and he held Zhou Zuizui tightly.
Zhou Zuizui was both amused and exasperated, but there was nothing she could do.
After a while, she nudged Chen Nan's shoulder and said with a smile, "Your daughter is hungry, are you sure you're not getting up?"
She didn't know if men all had a strong desire for daughters. As soon as she got pregnant, Shen Nan said he hoped it would be a daughter, and he even said it every day. If he kept saying it like that, it would definitely be a daughter in the end.
Zhou Zuizui was speechless at this.
This logic... is absolutely perfect.
Negative numbers.
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Shen Nan immediately got up: "What do you want to eat?"
Zhou Zuizui: "...Anything is fine. You can talk to your daughter and ask her what she wants to eat."
Shen Nan was both amused and exasperated. He leaned down and kissed her, saying, "What do you want to eat? My wife's opinion is the most important."
Zhou Zuizui glanced at him and said, "I want to eat rice noodles, is that okay?"
“Okay,” Shen Nan said. “I’ll make it for you.”
"good."
After breakfast, Chen's mother and aunt made dumplings together, and the two of them also joined in to help.
While making dumplings, Zhou Zuizui suddenly thought of something. She looked at Shen Nan, and the two exchanged a glance, both thinking of the time they ate dumplings on the frontier.
"Mom, when I was eating dumplings in the border region, both Shen Nan and I found coins in them."
Mother Shen exclaimed in surprise, "It seems it was ordained by heaven; the little baby in your belly is a lucky one."
Zhou Zuizui laughed: "I think so too."
Although superstition is unreliable, it really is a bit too amazing.
Mother Shen laughed: "Let's wrap a few coins in the food tonight and see if we can still eat them."
"good."
After making the dumplings, Zhou Zuizui made a video call with Qiuqiu and the others, worried that there would be too many people and they wouldn't have time to chat in the evening, so they wanted to talk first.
After hanging up the phone, Shen Nan told her to go downstairs and put up the couplets.
The family was busy, filled with laughter and joy.
For some reason, Zhou Zuizui was infected by this atmosphere.
It's really great, I'm so lucky to have such a New Year.
She watched the slowly setting sun, a smile playing on her lips. She truly hoped that things could stay this way forever, peaceful and simple, but happy, with her family together.
very nice.
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