The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 43 - Pregnant!!!

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Pregnant!!!

Chapter 43 -43: Pregnant!!!

Shen Baolan had just returned to Shenjiagou for two days, and the villagers didn’t pay much attention, thinking it was just a routine visit home.

Some even teased Liu Cuihua, complimenting her on her good fortune, as her daughter, married off to the city, still frequently came back to see her in the countryside.

But as Shen Baolan stayed for several days with no sign of returning to her husband’s family, the villagers began to speculate whether she had had a falling out with them.

Some busybodies even went to the city to inquire further.

Oh, boy, once they did, it turned out to be a huge mess.

Shen Baolan had stirred up serious trouble and had almost landed in jail!

Good news stays at home; bad news travels far and wide.

In less than half a day, Shen Baolan’s “brave deeds” had spread throughout Shenjiagou and even to neighboring villages.

“Did you hear?

Shen Dashan’s daughter did something with her pastries that made her stepchild and other children in the kindergarten sick to their stomachs.”

“That girl from the Liu family, her pastries nearly poisoned the kids at the kindergarten to death.”

“You know?

Shen Baolan poisoned someone’s child to death, and the parents are seeking her life in compensation.

She’s now hiding at her mother’s house, too scared to step outside!”

“Such a curse! ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

That harbinger of doom, I’ve known since she was little she wasn’t easy to deal with!”

Rumors spread like the plague, not only swiftly but also mutating and escalating.

Eventually, even the location of Shen Baolan’s gravesite, had she been executed by firing squad, was common knowledge.

When Qin Jinlian heard about this, she was overjoyed, slapping her thigh and nearly laughing her teeth off.

Being a fellow villager, she, of course, knew that Shen Baolan hadn’t killed anyone or been executed, but that didn’t stop her from taking pleasure in Liu Cuihua’s embarrassment.

She and Liu Cuihua were both married into Shenjiagou from next door Swallow Ditch.

Originally, she had her eyes on Shen Baolan’s father, Shen Dashan, who was handsome, tall, and a strong worker, making him the marriage dream for the girls in all nearby villages, including her.

But that shameless Liu Cuihua resorted to tricks to snatch Shen Dashan away, leaving her no choice but to marry the short and poor Shen Jianguo.

From that time on, the two women did not get along, passing this feud down to Shen Mingzhu and Shen Baolan.

Now, seeing Liu Cuihua’s daughter caught up in such a scandal thrilled Qin Jinlian to no end.

Merely watching the drama unfold wasn’t enough for her; she wanted to rub salt into the wound by visiting and witnessing Liu Cuihua’s frustration in person.

“Cuihua, Cuihua, are you home?”

Hearing someone calling from outside, Liu Cuihua yelled back, “I’m not here!”

Qin Jinlian pushed open the door to Shen Baolan’s house and saw Liu Cuihua under the eaves, glaring coldly at her, which only widened her smile.

“Oh, who got you so upset?” Qin Jinlian asked knowingly.

Liu Cuihua snorted, “None of your damn business.”

Qin Jinlian looked around and deliberately brought up the most awkward subject, “Why don’t I see Baolan around?

Has she gone back to her husband’s family?

When did she leave?

I wanted to ask her to pass a message to my Mingzhu.”

Seeing Liu Cuihua’s face turn as black as the bottom of a pot, Qin Jinlian grew even more smug, “Cuihua, don’t blame me for gossiping, but you should take Baolan out more often, let her show her face.

You have no idea how bad the rumors are outside, one minute they’re saying your Baolan is a murderer, the next that she’s been shot.

Tsk tsk, even I can’t bear to listen to it.”

Watching Liu Cuihua get so angry that she was practically steaming, Qin Jinlian left with a satisfied smirk.

No sooner had Qin Jinlian stepped out than Liu Cuihua rushed into Shen Baolan’s room, which led to Shen Baolan covering her mouth and running out to vomit.

Liu Cuihua was dumbfounded.

When had she become so harsh with her words that they even made her own daughter throw up?

If she had known, she should have had a shouting match with that old hag Qin Jinlian right then and there and given her a piece of her mind!

Thinking this, Liu Cuihua walked out of the room, continuing to scold her daughter, “I told you to eat less, but you didn’t listen, and now look, you couldn’t digest it and threw it all up, such a waste of food.”

Shen Baolan wiped her mouth and sat down on the ground to catch her breath, her expression, however, could not hide her smugness.

“So what if your grandson eats a couple more bites of your food?

Look how upset you are about it.”

Liu Cuihua opened her mouth to scold, but then, with a start, she realized what was happening, and her angry expression turned to disbelief.

“You’re pregnant?”

Shen Baolan placed a hand on her stomach, “Very likely.”

Liu Cuihua was just about to say something when there was another knock at the door.

Annoyed, she yelled, “Stop knocking, the door isn’t locked!”

When the door was pushed open from the outside, both Shen Baolan and her mother were taken aback at the sight of the visitors.

Liu Cuihua immediately put on a smile and ran forward eagerly, “Mother-in-law, Shuhuan, please come in and sit down.

Baolan, quick, get the tea leaves and brew some for your mother-in-law.”

“Got it.”

Seeing Shen Baolan’s cold attitude, and that she didn’t even bother to greet them, Ma Sufen’s already cold demeanor turned even colder.

Without manners, and always causing trouble; she wouldn’t accept such a daughter-in-law at any cost!

As soon as they sat down, Ma Sufen got straight to the point with an assertive tone that brooked no argument, “Mother-in-law, we are here today to talk about a divorce.”

What?

Divorce?!

Liu Cuihua was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, “Oh dear mother-in-law, you can’t be joking about this.

My Baolan and your Shuhuan have been living well together.

What divorce are you talking about?”

Ma Sufen let out a heavy snort, “Who’s joking with you?

Given the ruckus your daughter has caused in the three months since she married into the Zhou family, I can’t afford, nor do I dare to keep her!

Let her tell you herself, all the trouble she has stirred up.

Other daughters-in-law bring money into the family, but she has done the opposite; she has caused us to lose a great sum, she is a jinx!

Her father-in-law and I can’t even hold our heads up in our housing compound now.

The Zhou family has really hit rock bottom, finding such a harm to herself, others, and the family.

This marriage must end, there’s no room for discussion!”

Seeing Ma Sufen’s determined attitude, Liu Cuihua quickly turned to her son-in-law, “Shuhuan, my Baolan married you as a pure maiden.

It was your second marriage, and you even had a criminal record.

My Baolan didn’t mind any of that, you can’t be ungrateful now.”

Zhou Shuhuan was not willing to divorce, not because he had deep feelings for Shen Baolan, but out of rational consideration.

First of all, getting married was an effortful and expensive affair.

Secondly, if he divorced Shen Baolan, he would be a thrice-married man, with a son in tow and a criminal record, and his looks and job were nothing to boast about.

Finding another partner would likely mean settling for a rural woman, who might not even measure up to Shen Baolan.

Besides, putting aside the recent issues, he was quite satisfied with Shen Baolan in other respects.

Considering everything, not getting a divorce was clearly the sensible choice.

But in front of his mother-in-law, he could not directly go against his own mother and say no to the divorce, so he simply played dumb and kept silent.

Liu Cuihua, unaware of Zhou Shuhuan’s true thoughts and seeing him silent, thought he also wanted to divorce her daughter, which made her panic.

At that moment, the front door was flung open from the outside, as Shen Dashan and Shen Baolan’s brother came back.

Shen Dashan and Shen Hao, father and son, both had fiery tempers.

Learning that the Zhou family wanted a divorce, they immediately started quarreling with Ma Sufen.

As the argument between both sides escalated into a full-blown row, Shen Baolan, the person at the center of the dispute, seemed unaffected, leaning against the door frame and savoring an apple.

When Ma Sufen caught sight of this, she was infuriated and stormed over to hit Shen Baolan.

Shen Baolan simply offered her face, “Go ahead and hit me, but if you cause the Zhou family’s grandchild to miscarriage, don’t blame me!”

Like a bombshell revelation, her words stunned everyone present.