The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 77 - Qin Jinlian Intends to Pawn the Gold Bracelet
Chapter 77: Chapter 77 Qin Jinlian Intends to Pawn the Gold Bracelet
Chapter 77 -77 Qin Jinlian Intends to Pawn the Gold Bracelet
“You damn girl, babbling nonsense?
I’m already this old, how could I possibly give birth now?
If anyone heard, they’d laugh their heads off.”
“They’d laugh at you, not me.”
Qin Jinlian was so angry she could only stare, her eyes suddenly caught sight of the gold bracelet on Shen Mingzhu’s wrist.
“Did Pei Yang buy that bracelet for you?”
“Who else?
You think I’d find some man on the side to buy it for me?”
“Can’t you speak nicely?
What, did you eat gunpowder?”
“You try being woken up harshly from sleep and see if you’re not angrier than me.”
Qin Jinlian pursed her lips, “Well, can you lend the bracelet to your sister-in-law for a few days?”
“No.”
Shen Mingzhu’s face turned cold as she pulled down her sleeves to cover the bracelet on her wrist.
“What’s the harm in lending it to your sister-in-law for a couple of days?
Are you going to lose a piece of flesh?”
“I might not lose a piece of flesh, but the bracelet will be like throwing a meat bun to a dog, gone for good.”
Qin Jinlian still tried to persuade her, “Just for two days, I promise to return it; isn’t that good enough?”
Shen Mingzhu sneered, “Mom, do you really believe that?
How about this—if you dare swear on Dad’s and my two elder brothers’ lives that the bracelet will be returned to me in two days, otherwise they will drop dead within three days, then I’ll lend it to you.”
Qin Jinlian was so angry she almost jumped, “You damn girl, what kind of nonsense are you spewing during the New Year?!
Have you no conscience?
You’re actually cursing your father and your own brothers with such venom, do you want to kill me with anger?”
“So you’re admitting that you never intended to return the bracelet?”
Qin Jinlian changed the subject, “What sins did I commit to give birth to such a heartless daughter.”
“I married into the Pei Family empty-handed, and now that my husband has finally bought me a bracelet, you’re trying every trick to cheat me out of it.
Do you really consider me as your daughter?
You think of me as a money pot, don’t you?
If I give the bracelet to you, how am I supposed to face Pei Yang and my older sister-in-law when I return?
Do you think Pei Yang’s money just falls from the sky?
He bought a bracelet for me during the New Year, and I should just hand it over to my mother’s house?
I don’t know if you’d be ashamed to see Pei Yang, but I definitely would be; I couldn’t pull off such a disgraceful act.”
Qin Jinlian was so angry she could only stare, unable to speak.
After a while, she started to wipe her tears and complain, “Do you think I want to do this?
It’s your sister-in-law; she insists on having Xiangnan buy her a gold necklace, or she refuses to have kids.”
“Then don’t have them!”
“How can that be okay?
Your elder brother is already 25; at his age, others have kids old enough to fetch soy sauce.”
“The family is so poor it creaks; there isn’t even a spare room.
How to raise a child, who will raise them?”
Qin Jinlian wiped her tears, “We’ll worry about it after the child’s born; we’ve always been able to get by.
Back in the day when we were so poor, your dad and I still managed to bring you three siblings up.”
Shen Mingzhu was so angry she didn’t want to speak.
Seeing her anger, Qin Jinlian didn’t dare bring up the gold bracelet anymore.
“How much money did you bring back this time?
Your dad and I discussed it; we thought about helping your elder brother gather some money to buy a gold necklace for your sister-in-law.
You should contribute a bit.”
“Your sister-in-law hasn’t even laid an egg yet, and you want to buy her a gold necklace; then what about your elder sister-in-law?
At least she gave you a granddaughter.
She’s unassuming, sticking to her role, and you mean to say she gets nothing?”
Qin Jinlian said, “We’re talking about your sister-in-law now, what does your elder sister-in-law have to do with this?
If you think it’s unfair, then you buy for her.”
“If she were to remarry into my family as a daughter-in-law, I would definitely buy for her, not just a gold necklace, but also a gold bracelet, gold ring, and gold earrings—I’d get her the whole set.
Mom, I really don’t understand your thinking.
Both sides of the palm are flesh; how can you be so biased towards my elder brother and his wife?
If you end up unhappy in your old age, and if my elder brother and sister-in-law don’t treat you well, I think you have only yourself to blame; it’s all your own doing!
Because of your favoritism, you’ve chilled your eldest son and daughter-in-law’s hearts!”
“Then what should I do?
Am I supposed to just watch your elder brother’s lineage end?
You just know how to criticize me.
If you were willing to reach out a hand, would I be in such difficulty?
I’m doing all this for the family.
Your elder brother used to dote on you so much, he even broke his leg trying to pick sour dates for you, have you forgotten?”
Qin Jinlian felt more aggrieved the more she spoke, and tears streamed down her face.
To be fair, her elder brothers, Shen Chaobei and Shen Xiangnan, were indeed quite kind to the original protagonist.
In Shenjiagou, a rural village like this, the status of girls was extremely low.
Other girls were expected to help with fieldwork at the age of five or six, but the original protagonist was raised to be tender and delicate, thanks to having two older brothers who covered for her.
Shen Mingzhu took a breath, “Don’t cry poor or play pitiful in front of me.
As a daughter, I won’t shirk the duty I owe to you and Dad, but don’t think about taking advantage of me for anything else.”
Hearing this, Qin Jinlian slowly stopped crying.
“So, how much money are you planning to give your dad and me for the New Year this time?”
“How much I give depends on my mood.
If I’m in a good mood, I’ll give more.
If someone makes me in a bad mood, then they won’t get a penny.”
Seeing she was serious, Qin Jinlian quickly stood up, “Then, you should sleep; I won’t bother you anymore.”
Having said that, she actually turned around and left.
Shen Mingzhu lay down in annoyance, trying to continue sleeping, but she was too agitated to fall asleep, and could only lie with her eyes open, staring at the wooden roof beams as she slowly calmed down.
——
Qin Jinlian stepped out from the eldest’s house and saw her grandson, Pei Ziheng, alone, rocking on a wooden horse cart, but her granddaughter Daya was nowhere to be seen.
She walked over.
“Ziheng, where’s Daya?”
Pei Ziheng lifted his dark eyes, “She’s in the ditch.”
Qin Jinlian was startled, followed by confusion, then she screamed and dashed out the door.
“Daya!
Daya!!!”
Watching Qin Jinlian’s panic-stricken figure, Pei Ziheng’s mouth curled up wickedly.
The shrill yelling startled Shen Mingzhu from her bed, and she quickly got dressed and ran out of the room.
Seeing her stepson leisurely swinging on the wooden horse cart alone, Shen Mingzhu hurried over.
“Ziheng, what just happened?
Where’s Daya?”
Pei Ziheng turned his head, his small face calm and composed, “Daya is playing outside.”
Shen Mingzhu breathed a sigh of relief, “What was Grandma calling out for just now?”
“I don’t know.”
Pei Ziheng shook his head, his expression innocent and confused, “She asked me where Daya was, and after I told her, she suddenly started shouting and ran outside…”
As he was speaking, Qin Jinlian came storming back, her eyes glaring at Pei Ziheng as if she wanted to devour him, her hand raised as though to strike him across the face.
Shen Mingzhu quickly moved to shield Pei Ziheng behind her.
“Mom, what are you doing!?”
“Mingzhu, move aside.
Today I must properly discipline this little bastard!”
Shen Mingzhu fiercely blocked Qin Jinlian, “What’s going on?
Speak clearly.”
Qin Jinlian was fuming, “You ask him yourself!”
Shen Mingzhu didn’t dare let go, fearing that Qin Jinlian might hurt Pei Ziheng in her anger, so she hurriedly called for Pei Ziheng to find Pei Yang.
Pei Ziheng obediently jumped off the toy cart and ran off like a shot.
Qin Jinlian wanted to chase after him, but Shen Mingzhu was grasping her hand.
“Mingzhu, let go of my hand!”
“I won’t let go.”
Turning around to see that Pei Ziheng had run out of sight, Qin Jinlian angrily pushed Shen Mingzhu aside.
“Dad!
Dad!”
Pei Yang was recounting his battlefield experiences to the three males of the Shen Family and the villagers of Shenjiagou.
Hearing his son calling him, he looked back instinctively and saw his son running toward him with his little legs churning so fast that his hair was standing on end.
“Dad!
Grandma hit Aunt Mingzhu!”
What?
His wife got hit?
Pei Yang turned and ran towards the Shen Family home, and Shen Jianguo and his sons exchanged glances before hurrying home as well.
