The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 134: Listen to Mingzhu, she won’t harm Xiangnan

Chapter 134: Chapter 134: Listen to Mingzhu, she won’t harm Xiangnan

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After Pei Ziheng left, Shen Mingzhu found a small restaurant near the family compound and took Qin Jinlian out to have dinner.

When it came time to pay the bill, Qin Jinlian clicked her tongue in wonder.

"Why is a meal in the city so expensive? You really should know better. We could’ve just cooked something at home instead of wasting money like this."

Shen Mingzhu retorted with a laugh that was not quite a laugh, "If you really were concerned about my expenses, you wouldn’t come to see me when it’s not necessary. That way, I’d save both money and peace of mind."

Qin Jinlian fell silent.

After dinner, Shen Mingzhu did not take Qin Jinlian back to the family compound but instead checked into a hotel room beside it.

Leading Qin Jinlian to the door of the room, Shen Mingzhu couldn’t be bothered to go inside and simply said to Qin Jinlian while standing at the door:

"Go to bed early, and head back on your own once you wake up tomorrow morning. I’m leaving."

"Mingzhu," Qin Jinlian said, grabbing her and wearing a face full of nervousness and unease about this unfamiliar environment, her voice pitiful, "I don’t want to sleep here."

Shen Mingzhu replied calmly, "If you don’t sleep here, then the only other option is to sleep on the street. Make your choice."

Tears streamed down Qin Jinlian’s face as she begged, "Mingzhu, I was wrong. I promise I won’t touch your things without permission again. Please take me back home."

"Go to bed early, and remember to lock the door behind you."

With that, Shen Mingzhu pulled away and left without looking back, leading Pei Ziheng away with her.

Qin Jinlian followed her for a few steps, sobbing softly and calling out several times. Seeing no signs of her daughter softening, she finally stopped dejectedly, watching as mother and son disappeared around the corner.

"Wuwuwu, heartless wretch, how could you be so cruel? To just abandon your mother here and wash your hands of me, wuwuwu..."

Qin Jinlian sat on the single bed in the hotel, crying bitterly.

But more than sadness, what she felt was fear.

With her eldest having left the village with his family to fend for themselves and her daughter refusing to take care of her, how was she supposed to survive in the future?

Qin Jinlian cried as she thought, wondering how she had come to such a pass.

The eldest used to be the most obedient and respectful, and although her daughter had been somewhat spoiled, she still listened to her mother.

How had everything changed?

Thinking it over all night, Qin Jinlian still couldn’t understand.

When Shen Mingzhu arrived in the morning, Qin Jinlian’s two dark circles scared her.

She couldn’t help teasing, "Did you go thieving last night?"

Qin Jinlian looked at Shen Mingzhu’s radiant face and weakly cursed, "You heartless girl, I cursed you all night, and you didn’t feel a thing?"

Shen Mingzhu was speechless.

As they walked out of the hotel, the rich and enticing aroma from the opposite bun shop drifted over.

Qin Jinlian swallowed hard, "Mingzhu, I’m hungry."

"Hold it!"

Tears welled up in Qin Jinlian’s eyes as she was about to curse, but Shen Mingzhu’s words stopped her.

"Wait until we get to Big Brother’s; he’ll give you a hearty meal."

Instantly, Qin Jinlian forgot her hunger and began to inquire about Shen Chaobei’s recent situation from Shen Mingzhu.

After getting off the bus and walking nearly two miles, Shen Mingzhu was sweating on her forehead and back. Surprisingly, Qin Jinlian, who had not slept well the previous night and hadn’t had breakfast, seemed to have a spring in her step and walked even more energetically than her.

"Look, there it is."

Following the direction Shen Mingzhu pointed to, Qin Jinlian looked over.

The couple’s small stall was a modified handcart, with a foldable support at the rear.

When setting up the stall, they would put down the support, turning the cart into a simple counter. When packing up, they would fold the support, making it easy to push the handcart home.

At that moment, which was around 9 a.m., a few young men in work uniforms were gathered around the snack stall buying pancakes.

"I’ll have a ’guozi,’ add an egg, and a bag of soy milk. How much is it?"

"The ’guozi’ is one yuan fifty, the egg is ten cents, and the soy milk comes free, making a total of two yuan fifty."

In a short while, the snack stall made several deals, earning about seventy to eighty cents, which made Qin Jinlian click her tongue in amazement.

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"Do people in the city find business so easy? How much do they have to sell in a day?"

Shen Mingzhu gave Qin Jinlian a sidelong glance. "Fruits are mainly sold in the morning and evening. If there’s no business now, then there’s no point in doing this business."

Qin Jinlian felt slighted.

After standing for a while and seeing that the couple wasn’t as busy, Shen Mingzhu led Qin Jinlian over to them.

Upon seeing Qin Jinlian, Shen Chaobei was both surprised and delighted. When he learned that Qin Jinlian hadn’t had breakfast yet, the couple hastily made pancakes and fetched soy milk for her.

As much as Qin Jinlian was snubbed by Shen Mingzhu, she was warmly welcomed by the couple.

Her heart flooded with mixed emotions, her eyes reddening as she looked at her eldest, "I thought you didn’t recognize me as your mother anymore."

With his inherently honest and kind nature, Shen Chaobei’s past grievances and coldness dissipated in the joy of their reunion.

"Mom, what nonsense are you talking about? I’m born to you, how could I not recognize you?"

Qin Jinlian then turned to look at Du Juan and her daughter.

Daya was tugging at Du Juan’s clothes with one hand and clutching a floral cloth doll with the other, staring unblinkingly at Qin Jinlian with her large, dark eyes.

Qin Jinlian watched her granddaughter, who had grown taller and a bit plumper, feeling another pang of sorrow in her heart.

In the past, Daya loved to follow her around, excitedly calling out "Grandma, Grandma" every time she saw her.

Since the family split, she seemed not to have heard Daya call her grandma ever again.

"Daya, come here, let grandma give you a hug."

Daya’s first reaction wasn’t to approach Qin Jinlian but to hide behind Du Juan.

Her granddaughter’s rejection stunned Qin Jinlian.

Lowering her head to caress her daughter’s face, Du Juan softly said, "Daya, call her grandma."

"Grandma."

Daya obediently called out, but still wouldn’t go to Qin Jinlian, even turning her back to avoid looking at her.

Qin Jinlian’s lips quivered slightly, and she could only use eating a pancake to mask her awkwardness and heartache.

While Qin Jinlian was eating her pancake, Shen Mingzhu discussed the situation back home with Shen Chaobei and Du Juan.

Learning that the Yang Family had thwarted their egg cake business, the couple couldn’t help but sigh with pity.

"Mom, about the matter I mentioned yesterday, what are your thoughts now?"

Once Qin Jinlian had finished her pancake, Shen Mingzhu got straight to the point.

Qin Jinlian had intended to play dumb, but facing Shen Mingzhu’s cool, clear almond-shaped eyes, she was compelled to speak her truth, "Your second brother finally found a wife. If they get divorced, what if he can’t find another?"

"As long as Ziheng and Yang Lizhen get divorced, Ziheng can take over the job Pei Yang arranged for Yang Bo. With a job, are you still worried Ziheng won’t find a wife?"

Hearing this, both Qin Jinlian and Shen Chaobei were taken aback.

Shen Chaobei quickly spoke up, "Sister, it’s better to demolish ten temples than to destroy a single marriage. Lizhen indeed made mistakes, but there’s no need to go as far as a divorce, is there?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Du Juan tugged at him, "Listen to Mingzhu, she wouldn’t harm Xiangnan."

At that, Shen Chaobei fell silent.

Qin Jinlian kept quiet too, her mind whirling with thoughts that if her second son got a city job and had the support of his daughter and eldest son, there would be no worries about finding a new wife.

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"Lizhen, listen to mother’s advice and return to the Shen Family early. This whole mess was your fault to begin with. What if you push Xiangnan too far and he stops being with you?"

Yang Lizhen was nonchalant, "How could that happen? The Shen Family spent their entire savings to marry me off. If he divorces me, Shen Xiangnan will spend his life as a bachelor!"

"Don’t worry, mom. Qin Jinlian is still hoping I’ll give her a grandson. In a couple of days, she will definitely make Xiangnan come fetch me."

As she spoke, Yang Lizhen casually picked up a half-burnt matchstick from the windowsill and began to trace her eyebrows in the mirror. After finishing her eyebrows, she took a scrap of red paper torn from a spring festival couplet and dabbed it on her lips.

All dolled up, Yang Lizhen asked her mother, "Mom, who do you think is prettier, me or Shen Mingzhu?"

Yang’s mother replied in a tone suggesting the answer was obvious, "If you had her looks, I would have married you off to the city too."

Yang Lizhen was not convinced, "She’s just fairer than me, dresses better than me. If I were dressed up like her, I would look just as good."