The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 41 - The Culprit is Shen Baolan and Her Daughter-in-law
Chapter 41: Chapter 41 The Culprit is Shen Baolan and Her Daughter-in-law
Chapter 41 -41 The Culprit is Shen Baolan and Her Daughter-in-law
“Zhou Hao’s grandmother, please calm down,” the principal announced, “the police station has conducted a thorough investigation in coordination with our school, and it’s been confirmed that the children were poisoned by spoiled egg cakes and double ninth cakes…”
Upon hearing the results announced by the principal, Ma Sufen and Shen Baolan, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, were dumbfounded on the spot.
“Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!”
Frantic, Ma Sufen hopped up and down.
“Our whole family ate those egg cakes and double ninth cakes this morning, and none of us got sick.
How could the children get sick from them?
You must have made a mistake!”
Shen Baolan quickly chimed in, “Yeah, you must be mistaken.
We eat those egg cakes and double ninth cakes every day and never had a problem.”
But the parents were furious to the point of explosion.
“So it was your family that did this despicable act!
Bringing rotten food to the school for the kids to eat, yet you two shamelessly play dumb and try to pin the blame onto Teacher Sun.
Disgusting!
The Zhou family really has no shame at all!”
“There’s never been a mother and daughter-in-law duo more despicable than you two!
Demanding Teacher Sun pay with her life—tsk, tsk, tsk, how can you have the face to say such things?”
“She’s got no shame, of course, she’d dare to say anything.
What normal person would do such a vile thing?
Who would dare?
This is completely disregarding the lives of other people’s children!”
“Why didn’t lightning strike down these two people!
They’ve completely lost their humanity!”
The parents cursed and spat with disgust, almost drowning Ma Sufen and Shen Baolan in their saliva.
Proud Ma Sufen was so ashamed she couldn’t lift her head, wishing she could just vanish into a crack in the ground.
Shen Baolan hid fearfully behind Ma Sufen, feeling both wronged and regretful.
The egg cakes and double ninth cakes were her doing, and it was her idea to bring them to the kindergarten for the children.
Had she known it would turn out like this, she would have never come up with such a terrible idea.
It was all over now.
What was she to do?
She wasn’t going to be arrested and thrown in jail, was she?
The more Shen Baolan thought about it, the more terrified she became, nearly bursting into tears.
Just then, amidst the angry curses of the parents, a clear and childish voice piped up, “Officer, are you also going to arrest Zhou Hao’s grandmother and stepmother?”
At those words, the clamor of the parents suddenly quieted down.
Ma Sufen leaped as if she had her tail stepped on, pointing at Pei Ziheng, “You’re just a child and you don’t understand, don’t talk nonsense!”
Pei Ziheng’s delicate face showed confusion, “But just now you were shouting to have Teacher Sun arrested and sent to a labor camp.
Yet, it was clearly your egg cakes and double ninth cakes that poisoned everyone.
So, if someone has to be arrested, shouldn’t it be you?”
After saying this, he looked up at the officer in front of him with an expression craving affirmation, “Uncle, am I right?”
“Hmm, you make a lot of sense.”
Whether out of anger or fear, Ma Sufen’s knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, slapping her thigh and crying out about the injustice, “Oh Lord, look upon me, it’s so hard to be a good person…
I am truly wronged…”
Shen Baolan also started crying, lamenting her own grievances.
“Officer, we never expected things to turn out like this.
We brought the egg cakes and double ninth cakes to the school to share with the children out of kindness.
If we had known it would cause poisoning, I wouldn’t have done it for the life of me…”
The mother-and-daughter-in-law’s defense was immediately met with the parents’ scolding.
“Pah!
What good intentions?
Those egg cakes and double ninth cakes have been on sale for several days without being sold!”
“Exactly, who dares to eat that stuff after several days, let alone give it to children?”
“You just be thankful nothing serious happened to my kid, otherwise you two would be murderers, and being locked up for life would serve you right!”
Crying with snot and tears, Ma Sufen bawled, “My grandson ate it too, and now he’s lying in there.
If I had known, would I have let him eat it?”
“Your grandson suffering is his bad luck, to have a grandmother and a stepmother like you two.
Both of you are up to no good!”
The parents were so furious that they let loose an array of angry words.
Shen Baolan was scolded like a quail, not daring to let out a peep.
Ma Sufen sat on the ground, wailing and sobbing uncontrollably, but everyone had already seen her ferocity when she cursed at Mr.
Sun.
Not a single person sympathized with her, feeling instead that she got what she deserved.
Despite the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law’s crying and pleading, they were still taken away by the public security officers.
Mass food poisoning was no trivial matter, especially when all the victims were children, each of them the nation’s future and hope.
No one was allowed to harm or destroy them.
After receiving treatment, most of the children were fine and taken home by their parents one after another.
However, about a dozen children with more severe conditions needed to be hospitalized for observation, among whom was Zhou Hao.
Even though the school had called the Zhou family, considering Zhou Shuhuan’s relationship with Pei Yang, and to be prepared for any emergency, Shen Mingzhu still volunteered to stay behind and help look after Zhou Hao for a while.
It wasn’t long before Zhou Shuhuan arrived at the health center.
Shen Mingzhu briefly explained Zhou Hao’s condition and then prepared to take the already asleep Pei Ziheng home.
As he watched her slender figure carrying the child away, Zhou Shuhuan suddenly felt a twinge of envy for Pei Yang, who was miles away.
In fact, when he first saw her photograph, he had preferred Shen Mingzhu in his heart.
Shen Mingzhu was gentle and beautiful, with a petite and exquisite figure, whereas Shen Baolan had thick eyebrows and big eyes, with a tall stature.
In terms of appearance, height, and temperament, he and Shen Mingzhu were a better match, whereas Shen Baolan seemed better suited for tall and burly Pei Yang.
Once, he had felt smug that Shen Baolan had chosen him over Pei Yang.
But now, he no longer thought that way, instead finding it laughable he ever did.
Looking at his son sleeping deeply on the hospital bed, Zhou Shuhuan’s heart was filled with an indescribable sense of melancholy and regret.
If he had married Shen Mingzhu, perhaps it would be Pei Ziheng lying here instead?
Ever since they were young, Pei Yang always seemed to surpass him in every way, even in choosing a wife; he picked a good one on his first try, whereas his own choices seemed wanting.
——
Pei Ziheng opened his eyes and was momentarily stunned when he saw the familiar ceiling overhead.
A downward glance revealed Shen Mingzhu bending over to take off his shoes.
Her movements were gentle, and under the orange lamplight, her graceful brows and eyes possessed a distinct tenderness and beauty.
In fact, he had woken up the moment Shen Mingzhu had picked him up in the hospital room, but after some hesitation, he had decided to feign sleep.
Later, he truly fell asleep.
“Sleep, it’s too late tonight.
You can wash up after you wake up tomorrow,” Shen Mingzhu said softly after seeing his open eyes, gently tapping on his forehead with her finger.
The touch of her finger on his brow, warm with her body heat, was like a wand carrying a magical spell, and Pei Ziheng suddenly felt overcome with drowsiness, quickly falling into darkness.
So well-behaved.
Looking at her stepson who had fallen asleep in an instant, Shen Mingzhu silently smiled, then gently pulled up the blanket over him, turned, and tiptoed to the door to turn off the light and close the door.
The next day, when Pei Ziheng woke up, daylight filled the room, and the hour hand on the Qingwa Clock on his desk pointed to nine o’clock.
“You’re awake?
Get up, wash up, and have breakfast.”
After some time, the door to the room was pushed open from the outside.
Shen Mingzhu stood at the doorway, poking her head in with a smile as she spoke to him.
Last night, he had dreamt again of the torment he endured in his past life at the hands of a malicious woman.
It was strange, though—they shared the same face, but he could instantly tell the difference between the two.
