The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 570 - 569 Internal Conflict

Chapter 570: Chapter 569 Internal Conflict

Confronted with Shen Mingzhu’s clear yet sharp apricot eyes, Zhou Hui instinctively felt a jolt in her heart.

"Forget it, let’s go, this is pointless."

Zhou Hui’s guilt confirmed Shen Mingzhu’s suspicion that Zhou Hui was hiding something from the people around her.

After all, being a lone mother, not flaunting wealth was also a form of self-protection.

But Zhou Hui’s stubborn nature hadn’t changed, and she kept coming to provoke time and again, so she couldn’t blame Shen Mingzhu for not showing mercy.

"Why go? What’s there to be scared of, you’re not the one who’s done something wrong!"

"Exactly, let her talk. I want to see what she can actually say."

Seeing that several people were unwilling to leave, Zhou Hui became rather anxious and reached out to pull them away.

Amidst their pulling and tugging, Shen Mingzhu spoke indifferently, "What’s the rush? If you want to go, you should at least give an apology first. Otherwise, next time it will be in court."

After weighing the pros and cons, Zhou Hui wisely lowered her head to Shen Hongmei, "I’m sorry, I misunderstood you."

Shen Mingzhu looked at the others, "Now it’s your turn."

But the others were defiant, "If you have the guts, sue us. It will also let the whole world see what kind of heartless man someone from the Zhao family is."

"My sister was with you for three years, and you just decide to split and throw her out on the street—what kind of man are you?"

"Enough, stop talking about it."

"No, this can’t be dropped, today he has to give an explanation!"

No matter how Zhou Hui tried to persuade them, these few were relentless and insisted that Zhao Dafa give them an explanation and account.

Shen Mingzhu sneered lightly, "The explanation you want—I can give it."

The few quieted down, looking at Shen Mingzhu in confusion.

Zhou Hui, however, grew somewhat frantic and scolded Shen Mingzhu, "The matter between Dafa and me is none of your business!"

Shen Mingzhu mocked coldly, "The legs are yours, you come and go as you please, similarly, my mouth is on my face, I will speak if I want to."

After speaking, she turned to the people beside Zhou Hui, "Although the relationship between Zhou Hui and Brother Zhao came to a lackluster end, Brother Zhao did not shortchange her in the slightest."

Some things, Zhao Dafa couldn’t conveniently speak of. Coming from his mouth, they would seem petty, as though quibbling over details.

"During the three years they lived together, not only did Brother Zhao take on all the expenses for her and her daughter, but he also gave her a separate allowance of no less than two hundred yuan every month."

Murmurs arose among the bystanders.

The majority of them didn’t even make two hundred yuan in a month for their whole family.

And Zhou Hui simply had more than two hundred yuan as pocket money.

The several women who came with Zhou Hui were also stunned—this was different from what Zhou Hui had told them.

"Although Brother Zhao didn’t register their marriage officially, he still splurged on a lavish wedding ceremony. The cash gifts and jewelry he received, he gave them all to Zhou Hui, both giving her respect and material wealth."

"When they separated, Brother Zhao gave her a three-bedroom flat, twenty thousand yuan in cash, plus the wedding gifts, jewelry, the three years of allowance, and red packets for holidays. The least Zhou Hui got from Brother Zhao was seventy to eighty thousand."

Shen Mingzhu looked at Zhou Hui, "When you took these things, it proved you agreed to the separation. Now, bringing people here to make trouble, is it because you’re not satisfied with how little you got, or because you can’t bear to see others have what you couldn’t keep?"

"Out of consideration for our acquaintance, I advise you—one should learn to be content!"

The onlookers were stunned by the figures Shen Mingzhu had enumerated.

To these average working-class folks, having a four-digit savings in the family was already a matter of pride.

Zhou Hui, a widow with a child, had reeled in tens of thousands from the man in just three years, plus a free apartment—she was practically a winner in life!

"He gave you so much, he has gone beyond what duty called for. What more do you want, acting as if they’ve wronged you seriously."

"No wonder he didn’t marry her officially, benefiting from the situation and still playing coy—such cunning indeed runs deep."

Zhou Hui was terribly flustered.

She usually pretended to be poor in front of the people around her, so she could tactfully refuse various requests to borrow money.

Who would have thought that she’d be publicly exposed by Shen Mingzhu?

Isn’t this a fine mess?

"Zhou Hui, didn’t you say that apartment was rented by you? You even collect thirty yuan in rent from me every month."

The first to question was Zhou Hui’s own younger sister, Zhou Juan.

She didn’t want to squeeze in with her in-laws in an old tube building, so she moved in with her husband and son to Zhou Hui’s new apartment, paying Zhou Hui thirty yuan in rent every month, with food, water, electricity, and gas calculated separately.

"Just a couple of months ago, I fancied a second-hand Mulan car and was just short three hundred yuan. What did you say? You said you only had two hundred but could lend me one hundred, and I was so touched, I went around praising your righteousness, wearing my lips thin to promote your business and telling people to patronize it. You’re really something, huh?"

The speaker was Zhou Hui’s close friend.

"Last year when my brother got married, I came to you for a loan to help with the dowry. You said you were unhappy at the Zhao Family, and I felt sorry for you, even gave you advice on pleasing men. So, you were just playing me for a fool, huh?"

Another cousin said sarcastically.

Then one by one, the sisters began accusing Zhou Hui of her hypocrisy.

The original "mistress-bashing" drama suddenly turned into a major sisterly infighting scene.

The onlookers felt they couldn’t finish this juicy gossip; it was just too much.

Zhou Hui had intended to make Shen Hongmei lose her reputation, but ended up shooting herself in the foot.

Too cunning for her own good, and all for naught when the show ended.

As the farce concluded, the crowd also dispersed, satisfied with the outcome.

"Thanks everyone for your help and support for Hongmei. I’m treating everyone to lunch; you pick the place, and I’ll settle the bill afterward."

Upon hearing Zhao Dafa’s words, Pei Qiuxia and the others cheered in unison.

"Thank you, Boss Zhao!"

"Alright, the issue is resolved, let’s all get back to work."

At Shen Mingzhu’s urging, everyone turned to head back to the office, chatting excitedly about which restaurant to choose for lunch.

Shen Hongmei hesitated and glanced at Zhao Dafa beside her, about to say she would also go back to work, but Shen Mingzhu spoke up first, "You have a thirty-minute break, is that enough?"

Shen Hongmei was startled at first, but then realized Shen Mingzhu was giving her time to talk alone with Zhao Dafa and hurriedly nodded with a flushed face.

Shen Mingzhu greeted Zhao Dafa and then pulled the security guard aside for some hearty praise, rewarding him with twenty yuan.

The security guard had strictly adhered to his duties, not letting Zhou Hui and others in without permission, preventing conflict and protecting the factory staff, and deserved commendation.

The unexpected bonus made the security guard’s grin so wide his teeth were nearly falling out.

In the car.

Zhao Dafa turned his head to look at Shen Hongmei in the passenger seat, his face apologetic, "It was my mishandling of the situation that got you involved."

Shen Hongmei smiled, "It’s okay; I didn’t suffer any loss. But how did you know Zhou Hui was causing trouble at the factory?"

"Mingzhu called me. As soon as I got the call, I hurried over."

Zhao Dafa took her hand and said softly with a sigh, "I’m just glad you’re safe. Otherwise, I would’ve been consumed by guilt."

Shen Hongmei snorted softly, "I’m not a soft persimmon for people to squish."

"This won’t happen again; I promise you."

Zhao Dafa’s certainty made Shen Hongmei curious, "How can you promise that? Her legs are on her body; you can’t stop her if she wants to come."

"Of course, I have my ways."

After a pause, Zhao Dafa slowly explained, "That commercial house in Lanxin Garden, the developer has some qualification issues, so the property title can’t be transferred for now."