The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 35 - The Hidden Circumstances of the Blind Date
Chapter 35: Chapter 35 The Hidden Circumstances of the Blind Date
Chapter 35 -35 The Hidden Circumstances of the Blind Date
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Despite not knowing whether the original host had deep feelings for Qin Jinlian, seeing Qin Jinlian cry so sadly stirred some empathy in Shen Mingzhu.
So she softened her tone and tried to console her, “Mom, don’t cry.
Crying won’t solve anything.
If it did, I’d cry even louder than you.”
Qin Jinlian glared at her with red, swollen eyes, “It’s all your fault, you ungrateful girl.
Not coming back for so long, and when you do, you only manage to upset me.”
“Alright, alright, it’s all my fault.
Will an apology suffice?”
Shen Chaobei and Shen Xiangnan also chimed in with their own kind words.
Seeing a way out, Qin Jinlian gradually stopped crying, but she wouldn’t look her daughter-in-law, Du Juan, directly in the eyes, still offended by the latter’s earlier remark that had pricked her heart.
Shen Mingzhu felt she couldn’t stand by and said a few words in defense of her sister-in-law.
“Mom, don’t blame sister-in-law.
Anyone would feel the same imbalance placed in her situation.
After all, you’ve been a daughter-in-law too.
If your mother-in-law treated you with such distinction, I fear you would’ve made an even bigger scene than sister-in-law did.”
Qin Jinlian looked at her, “Since you’re so supportive of your sister-in-law, why don’t you contribute some money to help her and Chaobei?
What’s the use of just talking?”
Shen Mingzhu was beyond frustrated, “So it’s my job to clean up your favoritism and uneven distribution?
Is this your way of being a mother?”
“If not for my plans for you, do you think you could have married into the city and lived a life of luxury?
Even though you’re married, you’re still my daughter, Qin Jinlian.
What’s wrong with asking for some money?
Shouldn’t you give it?”
Shen Mingzhu didn’t want to argue anymore, “Fine, name your price.
Consider it severing our mother-daughter relationship, and from then on I’ll have nothing to do with this family.”
Qin Jinlian was stunned, with tears streaming down her face.
Crying, she started hitting and beating Shen Mingzhu.
“You wicked girl, what nonsense are you spouting?
You want to sever ties with your family over a little money?
I should’ve never bothered raising you, you heartless creature!
You might as well just be the death of me!”
“So you’re saying you gave birth to me and raised me just to use me as a slave, to suck my blood?
Since I’ve come home, not once have you asked if I’ve been treated well at the Pei Family or if I’ve faced any hardship.
All you do is ask for money.
Do you see me as nothing more than an ATM?”
“Pei Yang is so good at making money; Shen Baolan said so.
You in the city selling egg cakes and mooncakes have surely made a good profit.
What’s wrong with helping out your elder brother and sister-in-law with some money?
You’ve got a good life for yourself, and you don’t care if your elder brother lives or dies, is that it?
When you were little, your elder brother doted on you so much.
What a waste of his affection!”
Shen Mingzhu sneered, “By your logic, Pei Yang really struck a streak of bad luck marrying me as his wife.
A hefty dowry wasn’t enough, and he’ll have to keep pouring money into this bottomless pit of a family forever.
I certainly don’t have the shamelessness to eat at my in-laws’, live at my in-laws’, and still funnel my in-laws’ money to my parents’ home.
I might as well stop living this life, divorce, and come back home to be your servant and stay single for the rest of my life!”
Qin Jinlian was shaking with anger, crying hysterically as she glared at Shen Mingzhu.
To prevent the mother and daughter from continuing their argument, Shen Chaobei hurriedly pulled Shen Mingzhu into his room.
Meanwhile, Shen Xiangnan stayed in Qin Jinlian’s room, trying to placate her with kind words.
Shen Mingzhu might have been angry, but she was still concerned about her stepson.
As soon as she stepped outside, she saw the stepson standing by the door, his dark eyes fixed on her.
Shen Mingzhu walked over, patted his head, and asked in a gentler tone, “Don’t you find the countryside boring?
Would you like me to take you out for a walk?”
Pei Ziheng pursed his lips and remained silent.
Shen Mingzhu took his silence as agreement and held his hand as they left the house.
There was a ditch by their home, flanked by over two-meter tall reeds.
It was the peak season for reed flowers, and a light breeze set the stems swaying, the reed blossoms dancing lightly like clouds.
Presented with such a rare and splendid sight, Shen Mingzhu’s mood instantly lightened.
The path, alongside the ditch, was narrow, overgrown with wild grasses, and just wide enough for one person.
Shen Mingzhu had Pei Ziheng walk in front, with her trailing behind, mother and son proceeding one after the other along the ditch.
“Be careful and walk slowly.”
Remembering that the original host had once slipped into this very ditch, Shen Mingzhu subconsciously warned.
Pei Ziheng remained silent, but he couldn’t help thinking that Shen Mingzhu from his past life and this life really were different.
In his past life, Shen Mingzhu often went back to her parents’ home but never took him along, yet in this life, she had brought him there.
Shen Mingzhu of his past life always went to her parental home for money, food, clothing, and other necessities, but this life’s Shen Mingzhu not only refused to support her parental family, but also had big arguments with them.
“Mingzhu—”
Halfway through, someone called from behind.
Shen Mingzhu turned back, and after looking for a good while, she recognized the person as a friend who used to get along well with her former self, named Shen Hongmei.
Shen Hongmei quickly approached, her eyes scanning up and down Mingzhu’s attire and clothes, her face showing envy.
“Looking at you now, you’re truly a genuine city person, your skin has gotten a lot whiter too.”
Knowing that her former self had a good relationship with Shen Hongmei, Shen Mingzhu casually inquired about the latter’s recent situation.
They hadn’t chatted for long when Shen Hongmei suddenly said in a mysterious, hushed tone, “There’s something you might not know yet, the day you had the matchmaking with Shen Baolan, you were sabotaged and fell into the ditch.”
Hisss, it turns out the original owner didn’t just slip.
Shen Mingzhu immediately became interested and asked her to elaborate.
“That morning, just as dawn was breaking, my sister-in-law intended to go to the field to pick some tender corn to cook.
When she stepped out, she saw Shen Baolan up to something sneaky near the ditch.
My sister-in-law didn’t pay much attention at the time.
Later, when we heard you had fallen into the ditch on your way out, my sister-in-law made it a point in the afternoon to take a detour to the spot where you fell in, and she saw that the ground had been smeared with oil.
After hearing that you had broken off the matchmaking, my sister-in-law was afraid of causing complications and didn’t dare speak out.”
This was getting interesting.
What exactly was Shen Baolan’s purpose with this act?
Was it merely to prevent the original owner from going to the matchmaking, or was she actually intending to cause her death?
If it was the former, that’s unsettling, but if it was the latter, that would mean there was some deep hatred involved.
Shen Hongmei continued to talk non-stop, “This Shen Baolan is really something, using such underhanded methods to harm you, you can’t let her off easily…”
“Hongmei, thank you for telling me this, but can you please not talk about it to anyone else, for now?”
“Why?”
“I have other plans.”
“Alright…”
Pei Ziheng, whispering secretly, went unnoticed by the two of them.
When he found out that Shen Baolan had abandoned his father to marry Zhou Hao’s father, he had also wondered why, as his father was clearly a better, more superior match in every way.
It wasn’t until he heard about this hidden incident on the day of the matchmaking that he suddenly entertained a suspicion.
Could it be that Shen Baolan had foreseen his father’s early death, and thus had gone to great lengths to prevent Shen Mingzhu from attending the matchmaking, lest Zhou Shuhuan take a liking to Mingzhu and refuse to marry Baolan?
Therefore, the tragic fate he had suffered in his past life could also be attributed to Shen Baolan’s “contribution”.
A chill surfaced in the dark depths of Pei Ziheng’s eyes.
