The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 42 - No Longer Wanting Shen Baolan, The Jinx Daughter-in-Law
Chapter 42: Chapter 42: No Longer Wanting Shen Baolan, The Jinx Daughter-in-Law
Chapter 42 -42: No Longer Wanting Shen Baolan, The Jinx Daughter-in-Law
Because of the food poisoning incident, Pei Ziheng’s class was given a day off.
Having roamed around yesterday for half the day and only returning home in the middle of the night, Shen Mingzhu decided to take advantage of Pei Ziheng’s day off to rest at home all day and not step out at all.
Anyway, there was meat and vegetables in the fridge, and if worst came to worst, there were dumplings in the freezer.
She could make do with two meals, and after a good rest, she could go out tomorrow to buy groceries and make something delicious.
The stepson also saved her quite a bit of worry.
After eating, he went back to his room to read.
Shen Mingzhu boiled water, brewed a cup of flower tea, then took out a baking tray and flour, intending to bake some cookies.
She was yet to finish mixing the dough when someone knocked at the door.
Opening the door, she saw two mothers whose kids had attended the same kindergarten as Pei Ziheng.
The two mothers also brought their children along, a girl named Wa Shiting and a boy named Li Xiaojie.
Shen Mingzhu led the two kids to Pei Ziheng’s room and brought in some candies and pastries for them, while she sat and chatted over tea with the two mothers in the living room.
Shen Mingzhu kept busy while chatting.
Upon learning that she was baking cookies, the two mothers took turns flattering her and seized the opportunity to express their wish to learn from her.
Shen Mingzhu agreed readily.
The three gossiped about the Zhou family while baking cookies.
“…I heard the police station is about to issue detention orders.
Old man Zhou went out early this morning to pull strings and try to get the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law released.
Hmph, it won’t be that easy.
There are still five or six kids lying in the hospital.”
“Zhou Hao is the most pitiable one, such a good kid, ruined by his stepmother.”
“A stepmother is a stepmother; she can’t compare to a biological mother, not by a long shot…”
Li Xiaojie’s mother had only gotten halfway through her sentence when Wa Shiting’s mother nudged her arm.
She quickly realized her blunder and hurriedly apologized to Shen Mingzhu.
“Ziheng’s mom, look at me and my big mouth, always saying the wrong thing.
We were talking about Zhou Hao’s stepmother, not you.
You’re smart and capable at everything, and you’re raising Ziheng so well, plump and fair.
Now everyone in the housing estate is praising you.”
“Yeah, Ziheng’s mom.
Though you’re not his biological mother, you’re no less of a mother than any of us.
My mother-in-law is constantly praising your capabilities and kindness by my ear.
Considering her pickiness, it’s rare for someone to get a good word from her; you don’t know how envious I am of you.”
Although she knew they were deliberately flattering her, who doesn’t like to hear nice things?
Shen Mingzhu felt secretly thrilled and modestly deflected the compliments before steering the conversation back to the Zhou family.
She didn’t want to get involved with the Zhou family, but she was still keen to hear the gossip.
After the cookies were baked, Shen Mingzhu divided them into three portions, giving one portion to each mother and keeping one for herself.
Having discussed gossip and learned a skill, the two mothers left contentedly with their children and their share of cookies.
Despite Shen Mingzhu not intentionally probing for information, there were always enthusiastic neighbors keen to share (gossip about) the affairs of the Zhou family with her.
After Zhou Hao was discharged from the hospital, his ex-wife confronted Zhou Shuhuan, berated him fiercely, and then took Zhou Hao away.
Zhou Quanxiong ran around for three days, paid a bail of two hundred yuan, and finally brought his wife and daughter-in-law home.
That very night, the Zhou family’s mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had an explosive argument.
The entire building could hear their screaming and crying, and the ruckus lasted all night.
The next day, Shen Baolan left for her parents’ home with red eyes and packed bags.
Shen Baolan might have walked away, but the Zhou family was left to clean up the mess she made.
Considering that the two women hadn’t intended any harm and admitted their fault with a good attitude, the police station decided not to pursue criminal charges against them.
However, compensation was inevitable.
The Zhou family was required to compensate for the medical expenses and nutrition fees of all the children who suffered food poisoning, and, in addition, they owed an apology to the parents.
Poor Zhou Quanxiong and Ma Sufen, the couple’s combined age was over a hundred, yet they had to go door to door, humbling themselves with bows and apologies.
It was said that the Zhou family had spent over seven hundred just on compensation costs, and add to that the expenses of Zhou Quanxiong pulling strings and calling in favors, the total exceeded a thousand.
Nowadays, a thousand bucks was not a small sum by any means—many families couldn’t save that much in a lifetime.
Everyone laughed behind their backs at the Zhou family’s predicament, losing both the wife and the soldiers; Shen Baolan even became the laughingstock of the entire residential compound, happily earning the nickname “Jinx”.
It wasn’t two days later that Shen Mingzhu overheard the mothers from the same apartment building as the Zhou family gossiping about the latest news.
Ma Sufen made a fuss, insisting that her son divorce, no longer wanting Shen Baolan, this ‘jinx’ as a daughter-in-law, and even demanded that Shen Baolan’s family return the dowry they had received initially.
“…
The Zhou family is preparing to bring up the topic of divorce with Shen Baolan’s family these two days, and Auntie Ma is all over, asking people to find Zhou Shuhuan a new partner.
Ziheng’s mom, guess what kind of new daughter-in-law she wants?”
Shen Mingzhu shook her head.
The other person mischievously covered her mouth and chuckled, “They say she wants someone like you, competent and virtuous, able to make money without causing trouble.”
Shen Mingzhu’s mood was that of speechlessness giving way to more speechlessness; utter disbelief had arrived.
You want to find a new daughter-in-law, go ahead, but why cue me?
However, she didn’t think Ma Sufen could wish it into happening.
Who was Shen Baolan?
In the book, a virtuous and kind-hearted stepmother, treating her stepson like her own; even she was merely a foil for Shen Baolan, and when Zhou Hao grew up, he favored his stepmother Shen Baolan even more than his biological mother.
A character like this isn’t so easily written off.
Besides, the food poisoning incident wasn’t entirely Shen Baolan’s fault.
Firstly, Shen Baolan’s food stall business was both agreed and supported by the Zhou family; the egg cakes and Double Ninth Festival cakes were even personally delivered to the school by Ma Sufen herself.
If one were to really investigate, both mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were equally to blame.
There’s a saying that fits well, “They’re not family if they don’t share a roof.”
In Shen Mingzhu’s eyes, this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo ought to be locked together for life.
——
Liu Cuihua looked at her daughter lying on the bed, soundly asleep, and couldn’t help but seethe with anger.
Ever since her daughter came back to her mother’s house these past few days, she did nothing but eat and sleep—no different from the pigs she was raising in her pen.
“Sleep, sleep, sleep, all you know is sleeping!
I’m asking you, when are you planning to go back to your husband’s house?”
“What’s the rush, I’ll wait until Zhou Shuhuan comes to pick me up,” Shen Baolan replied without opening her eyes or lifting her head.
Liu Cuihua was furious, “And if Zhou Shuhuan doesn’t come, do you not plan to go back? ƒreewebɳovel.com
Do you plan to live at your mother’s house for the rest of your life?
You should go out and listen to how people are gossiping about you!”
“Let them talk; will it make me lose a piece of flesh or what?”
“I may still want my face even if you’ve lost yours!”
The more Liu Cuihua spoke, the angrier and more agitated she became, “I don’t blame your husband’s family for cursing you; I want to beat you to death myself!
You had a good job, earning money; what was wrong with that?
Why did you need to copy Shen Mingzhu?
She had no job, so she had to fiddle around with ways to make money.
After all that fuss, she didn’t earn a single penny, and she almost ended up in jail, in addition to paying so much money in compensation.
How long will it take to save that amount of money, you…”
“Ugh!!”
Liu Cuihua was in full tirade when she saw her daughter roll off the kang bed, cover her mouth, and run out.
