The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 122: Mom is Not an Outsider

Chapter 122: Chapter 122: Mom is Not an Outsider

After leaving the pavilion, Ning Yuan took the opportunity to tell Yan Yi the reason why Sun Feifei’s fish ended up in a mushy batter.

Yan Yi’s expression was indifferent upon hearing it, not surprised in the slightest.

Only then did Ning Yuan react, "So you knew all along, and you didn’t tell me?"

Yan Yi gave him a sideways glance, "It’s common sense."

"..."

So it turned out he was the only one who didn’t know this ’common sense’? Oh well, neither did Sun Feifei or Zhao Fang.

Ning Yuan felt at ease with that thought.

——

On the other hand, Pei Ziheng also candidly confessed his behind-the-scenes sabotage to Shen Mingzhu.

Shen Mingzhu was both surprised and not; as a culinary expert with exquisite cooking skills, she noticed something was off from the moment Zhao Fang burnt the first fish.

However, she had initially thought it was either Sun Feifei or Zhao Fang who accidentally mixed sugar into the starch, leading to such a result.

She never expected it was her darling eldest son who secretly did it as a way to defend her honor.

While Shen Mingzhu didn’t criticize him, she also didn’t encourage Pei Ziheng to do such things again.

After all, her goal was to raise Pei Ziheng into a young man of upright principles, and she couldn’t let his image crumble.

Pei Ziheng obediently agreed verbally, and then he shared with Shen Mingzhu the news about Ning Yuan extending him a perpetual fifty percent discount for dining.

Shen Mingzhu didn’t say much, but she decided in her heart that she would never dine at Baina Restaurant again.

She was sensitive to the fact that Ning Yuan had a special relationship with Yan Yi, and she had also sensed Yan Yi seemed to hold some special regard for her.

She firmly believed there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, especially between the opposite sexes, but she couldn’t be bothered to explore Yan Yi’s intentions and preferred to keep her distance.

This was another reason she decided to drop out of the study group.

After wandering around the farm for a while and noticing that it was getting late, Shen Mingzhu prepared to take Pei Ziheng home.

At the foot of the hill, there was a minibus going back to the city. Shen Mingzhu asked the farm workers to pass a message to Yan Yi and then started walking down the hill with Pei Ziheng.

Before long, Shen Mingzhu noticed something off about Pei Ziheng’s walking posture, and his brow was slightly furrowed as if he was enduring some pain.

"Erza, are your legs hurting?"

After hesitating for a moment, Pei Ziheng nodded gently, "It hurts a little."

"Did it happen while you were riding the horse? Did your legs get chafed?"

"Mhmm."

Once she received a positive answer, Shen Mingzhu immediately felt guilty.

Before being transported into the book, she had ridden a horse on the grasslands; her thighs were severely chafed afterward, and it took nearly half a month to recover.

Today, she chose not to ride for that reason, afraid of injuring her thighs.

She had assumed that with Pei Ziheng’s small stature, protected by Ning Yuan, and neither riding for long nor fast, he wouldn’t be hurt. She had forgotten that Pei Ziheng’s skin was tender, his tolerance much lower than an adult’s.

The thought of having taken Pei Ziheng for a long walk around the farm earlier filled Shen Mingzhu with regret.

"I’m sorry, Erza. It was Mommy’s neglect. Come on, let Mommy carry you down the hill."

"Mhmm."

Seeing her open arms, Pei Ziheng plunged into them with a trace of happiness.

The moment she picked up Pei Ziheng, Shen Mingzhu realized she had underestimated the situation.

The last time she carried Pei Ziheng was just after marrying Pei Yang last year when Pei Ziheng was thin and small, not weighing more than thirty pounds.

Half a year had passed, and under her meticulous care, Pei Ziheng’s weight had increased by at least one third since then.

Fortunately, they were only going downhill; if they were climbing up, Shen Mingzhu reckoned her legs would be trembling.

After walking about fifty or sixty meters, she heard the honk of a car from behind.

Shen Mingzhu turned around and saw two cars approaching.

The first was a yellow hatchback, with Ning Yuan in the driver’s seat greeting her, and there, sitting in the passenger seat, was Sun Feifei, no less.

It was clear that Zhao Fang was the one interested in Ning Yuan, yet it was Sun Feifei, not Zhao Fang, who ended up in Ning Yuan’s car.

You savor it, really savor it.

Ning Yuan greeted Shen Mingzhu and Pei Ziheng before continuing to drive away.

Soon, the Jeep stopped in front of Shen Mingzhu again.

Yan Yi got out of the car and walked over to her and Pei Ziheng, a look of concern briefly crossing his face as he looked at Pei Ziheng. He spoke to Shen Mingzhu in a gentle tone, "Let me drive you down the mountain."

Shen Mingzhu didn’t refuse; she really was finding it hard to hold Pei Ziheng now.

Yan Yi helped her to open the door to the rear seat, and as she settled in, oh, there was a familiar face.

Seeing Zhao Fang’s sullen expression, Shen Mingzhu couldn’t resist teasing, "How come Sun Feifei left you behind and went her own way?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fang’s face darkened instantly.

"Mind your own business."

Shen Mingzhu finished her taunting and turned away, whispering to Pei Ziheng on the other side.

"Does your leg still hurt?"

Pei Ziheng shook his head, "It doesn’t hurt anymore."

Shen Mingzhu rubbed his head tenderly and said, "When we get back, I’ll apply some ointment for you, and then it won’t hurt."

Pei Ziheng’s lips pursed as he wrestled with his thoughts.

To apply the ointment would mean taking off his pants, but he was still little—surely it was okay to be in his underwear in front of his mom, right?

Shen Mingzhu had no idea what was running through her son’s head. Seeing him hanging his head, she thought he was tired, so she pulled him into her arms to let him rest against her.

Pei Ziheng was young and used to having a nap every day, but he had missed his nap today. Coupled with the big expenditure of energy from horseback riding, it was no wonder he felt sleepy in Shen Mingzhu’s arms.

He tried hard to stay awake, thinking about getting off at the bus station at the foot of the mountain and taking the minibus home with his mom.

But his mother’s embrace was just too sweet, too soft, too comfortable, and he couldn’t resist falling asleep.

The Jeep passed the bus station, and Shen Mingzhu, looking down at the sleeping Pei Ziheng, didn’t say anything. She just instinctively adjusted his position to a more comfortable one, letting him sleep better.

Yan Yi glanced at the mother and son through the rearview mirror and silently slowed down the car.

——

"Thank you."

At the entrance of their residential compound, Shen Mingzhu thanked Yan Yi and then prepared to get out of the car with Pei Ziheng in her arms.

Yan Yi helped her open the door and asked if she needed help, but after being refused by Shen Mingzhu, he said no more.

After watching the mother and son enter the compound, Yan Yi looked up at the red painted sign above the compound’s gate for a moment before driving off.

Back at home, Shen Mingzhu carried the still sleeping child to his room and then went to the living room to rummage through the medicine box.

By the time she returned to the room with the erythromycin ointment, Pei Ziheng had already woken up and was sitting on the bed, dazed, with a cute little tuft of hair sticking up, lost in thought.

"Mommy."

Seeing her, Pei Ziheng called out in a soft, mushy voice.

Shen Mingzhu sat on the edge of the bed, "Take off your pants."

After saying this, she saw her son’s little cheeks blush red like ripe tomatoes.

Shen Mingzhu found her son’s embarrassed reaction amusing. She could let him apply the ointment by himself, but she was worried about the severity of his injury and wanted to see it with her own eyes to be reassured.

She rubbed her son’s head, "It’s okay, don’t be shy. I’m your mom, not a stranger."

Comforted by Shen Mingzhu, Pei Ziheng slowly took off his outer pants, revealing his two slender, pale little legs to her.

Shen Mingzhu examined the injury and found that the abrasion wasn’t severe—the skin wasn’t even broken. It looked a bit severe because Pei Ziheng’s skin was so delicate.

Shen Mingzhu bent her head and gently applied the ointment to the sides of her son’s thighs with her fingertip, blowing gently as she did so to ease the sting of the ointment.

Pei Ziheng’s shyness gradually faded away under her tender, loving gaze.

"All done."

Shen Mingzhu straightened up to cap the tube of ointment when suddenly a soft little body bumped into her arms.

"Mommy."

Pei Ziheng nestled his fluffy little head on her shoulder and said in his immature voice close to her ear, "When you get old and sick in the future, I will take care of you with all my heart, too."

Those brief but heartwarming words almost moved Shen Mingzhu to tears.

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