The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 47 - Zhou Hao Goes Missing, Shen Baolan Throws a Tantrum
Chapter 47: Chapter 47 Zhou Hao Goes Missing, Shen Baolan Throws a Tantrum
Chapter 47 -47 Zhou Hao Goes Missing, Shen Baolan Throws a Tantrum
At 11:30 AM, the activities of the kindergarten’s toddler class came to a satisfying end.
Pei Ziheng, as expected, secured the top rank in the class activity with a perfect score, while Zhou Hao came in second.
The principal lavishly praised Pei Ziheng in front of everyone, and Shen Mingzhu, the stepmother, basked in reflected glory.
After the meeting, numerous parents surrounded Shen Mingzhu to offer their congratulations, allowing her to revel in the feeling of being the center of attention.
Amidst the stream of congratulations, however, there was a sour voice interspersed.
“Shen Mingzhu, no wonder you’ve been cooped up at home recently without stepping out, secretly teaching Pei Ziheng English, aren’t you?
Your scheming runs deep, hiding it so well that even though we live in the same residential complex, not a whisper of it was heard.”
Shen Mingzhu’s moment in the spotlight meant smiles all around, yet not everyone was genuinely pleased or convinced—in fact, they were obliged by social niceties to show magnanimity.
Therefore, when Shen Baolan made that comment, the looks parents gave Shen Mingzhu inevitably took on a different shade, laden with deeper meaning.
Even a select few, green with envy, wouldn’t have minded if the two had an open confrontation, just for the pleasure of watching the drama unfold.
On any other day, Shen Mingzhu certainly wouldn’t have been polite to Shen Baolan, but today she was in a good mood, plus considering Shen Baolan was pregnant, Shen Mingzhu was willing to give some leeway—after all, if anything happened to the baby in Shen Baolan’s belly, and she was blamed, it would be a grave injustice.
“It’s really cold; we’re going to head back now.
See everyone later!”
Shen Mingzhu deliberately sought an exit, but Shen Baolan was relentless, “Shen Mingzhu, why are you in such a hurry to leave?
Did I hit a nerve, are you feeling guilty?”
Shen Mingzhu cursed internally at the lunatic, turned her head and smiled sweetly at Shen Baolan, “Everything you said is right, as long as you’re happy.
Can I leave now?”
Shen Baolan huffed, “Did I say something wrong?
You’re always so pettily secretive, hoarding everything to yourself, even making egg cakes—afraid someone will learn your recipe.
Now with teaching your kid, you say you don’t interfere but secretly you push them to learn this and that.
Is there any fun in that?”
“Oh, it’s fun, definitely fun.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t have the pleasure of seeing your jealous face right now.”
While some parents were jealous of Shen Mingzhu’s limelight, many disliked Shen Baolan’s aggressive and acerbic ways.
“Zhou Hao’s mom, calm down.
Pei Ziheng’s mom hasn’t done anything to you.
It’s only natural for a parent to want their child to succeed.”
“That’s right.
Aren’t you also at home everyday coaching Zhou Hao in this and that?
If you’re unhappy, you can go back and teach Zhou Hao English too.”
These words hit Shen Baolan right where it hurt.
She would have loved to teach, but as she didn’t know English herself, how could she?
With everyone’s persuasion, Shen Baolan stopped pestering, and Shen Mingzhu finally managed to slip away.
Exiting the kindergarten gates, Shen Mingzhu was greeted by the cold wind laden with snowflakes, making her shiver repeatedly.
Quickly, she pulled up her scarf to cover her face, leaving only her eyes exposed, then bent down to pull up Ziheng’s scarf as well, while asking, “Are you cold?”
“Not cold.”
Seeing her stepson’s haughty little expression, Shen Mingzhu’s playful side emerged, and she deliberately slipped her icy fingers into the collar of his shirt.
Ziheng shuddered from the cold, and Shen Mingzhu laughed heartily in delight.
Affronted, Ziheng too wanted to plunge his hand into Shen Mingzhu’s collar, but she anticipated this and quickly turned to run.
Not to be outdone, Ziheng chased after her.
Thus, the pair ran off into the distance, one after the other.
Other parents watching this scene couldn’t help but remark on how well Shen Mingzhu could take care of children, treating a stepchild with even more affection than if he were her own.
After her argument with Shen Mingzhu, Shen Baolan also prepared to take her stepson home, yet despite her searching high and low, virtually turning the kindergarten upside down, she couldn’t find Zhou Hao anywhere.
She suddenly panicked and asked the teachers to help search for him.
But they still couldn’t find him.
In the biting cold, Shen Baolan, frantic, sat down hard on the ground, which terrified the teachers; they still vividly remembered how Ma Sufen aggressively beat and scolded Sun Lu.
If anything were to happen to Shen Baolan’s stomach at the school, they feared Ma Sufen would tear the place down.
Everyone scrambled to help Shen Baolan up from the ground.
While comforting her, they called the Zhou family and sent more people to look for Zhou Hao.
Some parents who had yet to leave also volunteered to help.
Just then, a child who was on good terms with Zhou Hao provided a clue, saying Zhou Hao had left the classroom with Pei Ziheng and had not been seen coming back since.
—-
Shen Mingzhu had already reached home and was tying an apron to cook lunch when someone began pounding on the front door.
Pei Ziheng went to open it.
As soon as he opened the door, Shen Baolan grabbed him by his collar, “Where’s Zhou Hao?
Where did my Zhou Hao go?”
Hearing the commotion, Shen Mingzhu ran out from the kitchen and seeing her stepson being bullied by Shen Baolan, she instantly became furious.
Regardless of whether Shen Baolan was pregnant or not, she stepped forward and pushed her away.
“Shen Baolan, if you’re sick, go get treated, why come to my house and make a scene?”
While berating Shen Baolan, Shen Mingzhu also didn’t forget to pull her stepson behind her.
Pei Ziheng looked up at Shen Mingzhu standing in front of him, his dark eyes swirling with complex emotions.
“Xiaohao is missing, Shen Mingzhu, if anything happens to my little Zhou Hao, I won’t let you off!”
Upon hearing that Zhou Hao was missing, Shen Mingzhu was also somewhat stunned.
However, she quickly thought of Zhou Hao’s protagonist’s halo, figuring that he wouldn’t be so unlucky as to get trafficked or encounter an accident, and her mood relaxed again.
“If someone is missing, then go look for them.
Why come to my house?
Zhou Hao isn’t here.”
Shen Baolan pointed at Pei Ziheng behind Shen Mingzhu, livid, “My little Hao left the classroom with your Pei Ziheng.
After your Pei Ziheng came back, my little Hao was gone.
Pei Ziheng, where did you hide my Zhou Hao?
Hand over Xiaohao!”
“Shen Baolan, what nonsense are you spouting?
Zhou Hao is no small kid, nor is he a toy.
How could my Ziheng possibly hide him?”
“I don’t care!
Little Hao was with your Pei Ziheng when he disappeared.
Now that he’s missing, I will hold you responsible for finding him!”
At this point, Pei Ziheng, who was shielded by Shen Mingzhu, spoke up.
“Auntie Lan, don’t you look down on Zhou Hao as a burden?”
“I’ve heard people say, some stepmothers, once they have their own children, start to care less for their stepchild, and even think about deliberately losing them, so they only have to raise their own biological child.”
Pei Ziheng’s shocking words left both Shen Mingzhu and Shen Baolan stunned.
Meanwhile, Ma Sufen and Zhou Shuhuan, anxious to find their child, also arrived at the Pei family’s doorstep and happened to overhear Pei Ziheng’s innocent yet divisive words.
The winters in Fengcheng were heated, and the inside of the house was very warm.
However, the atmosphere at that moment was three degrees colder than the snowy weather outside.
