The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 172 Zhou Shuhuan Proposes Divorce

Chapter 172: Chapter 172 Zhou Shuhuan Proposes Divorce

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As for the divorce, Zhou Shuhuan originally hadn’t made up his mind.

Logically, divorcing Shen Baolan at this time didn’t make sense.

In the course of the year since their marriage, the cost of the wedding, plus the mess Shen Baolan had created, had added up to about two thousand.

Even hiring a nanny wouldn’t have cost that much.

But emotionally, he simply couldn’t endure another day, Shen Baolan’s nagging, vulgarity, and coarseness filled him with loathing and suffocation.

Just the thought of spending a lifetime with such a woman made him feel life was not worth living.

However, when he saw Shen Mingzhu tenderly holding Pei Ziheng in her arms with a face of gentle serenity, he suddenly became resolute in his decision to divorce.

...

When Zhou Shuhuan arrived at the police station, Zhou Quanxiong was being harassed by Liu Cuihua and her husband.

It was Shen Hao who had assaulted someone, and after Liu Cuihua and Shen Dashan had completed their statements, they could go home.

But with their son still in the police station, Liu Cuihua and her husband were unwilling to leave.

After Zhou Quanxiong arrived at the police station, Liu Cuihua cried and begged, insisting that Zhou Quanxiong help get Shen Hao out.

But with Pei Ziheng’s life hanging in the balance at the hospital, Zhou Quanxiong, an ordinary old man, didn’t have the power or the means to take the accused assailant away.

Fortunately, Zhou Shuhuan came.

Upon learning that Pei Ziheng had only cracked his head and was not in mortal danger, Zhou Quanxiong immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

But unexpectedly, Liu Cuihua suddenly exploded, "Shen Mingzhu, that damned woman with a black heart, what grudges does she have against us? She’s determined to destroy our family!"

"...Baolan said a few idle words to her, and she had the police take Baolan away, and now for just this little surface wound, she’s had the police take my son too! Her heart is so vicious; she wants to wipe out our family line. Isn’t she afraid of divine retribution?"

Zhou Shuhuan and Zhou Quanxiong father and son were rendered speechless.

Don’t you, as a mother, have any idea what kind of person your own daughter is?

You come to beg for mercy to spare your daughter, without a proper attitude of pleading, and then your own son goes and cracks someone’s head open. It would already be merciful not to have killed you with a knife.

Normally, in such disputes, if both parties are willing to settle privately, the police station wouldn’t issue a punishment.

But Pei Wenping made it clear when she called the police that she would not reconcile, nor accept an apology. She had only one demand, for the assailant to be severely punished.

Therefore, the police decided to administratively detain Shen Hao for five days.

Once the punishment notice was issued, there was no possibility of change, at least, not within the power of the Zhou family and Liu Cuihua to alter the outcome.

Liu Cuihua was filled with regret and anger, furious at Shen Mingzhu’s ruthlessness but even more furious at her own daughter, Shen Baolan.

It was hard enough to marry into the city, and instead of living well, she constantly stirred up trouble and even dragged her son into prison.

...

Shen Baolan, after being detained for two days, looked as withered as a frosted eggplant.

When she saw Liu Cuihua come to visit, she thought she was there to rescue her and was overjoyed.

But Liu Cuihua rushed up and slapped her hard across the face.

Although Shen Baolan had been hit by Liu Cuihua at home, she had never been hit so ferociously, and her entire head buzzed.

It took her a good six or seven seconds to come back to her senses, then she started crying out loud.

"Mom, why did you hit me? I’ve been locked up for two days, you didn’t care about me, and now you’re hitting me, waaa..."

Liu Cuihua glared at her voraciously, "You still have the nerve to cry! You dead girl, you had a good life and you go looking for trouble with Shen Mingzhu all day long. You’re digging your own grave, and now you’ve even dragged your brother down with you. What did I do to deserve giving birth to such a disaster like you? If I had known you would be such a troublemaker, I should have shoved you back when you were born!"

Shen Baolan was stunned into a daze, "What’s wrong with big brother? Did Shen Mingzhu go looking for trouble with big brother? Wait until I get out, I won’t spare her..."

"Slap!"

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Liu Cuihua slapped her with a broadside again.

Shen Baolan was nearly driven insane, "You hit me again?"

Liu Cuihua raised her hand for a bout of frantic beating, cursing while she struck: "What’s wrong with hitting you, don’t you deserve it? You’ve been married to the city for so long and haven’t helped your family one bit; you’ve even dragged your brother down with you to jail!"

"Just look at Shen Mingzhu, she got her second brother a solid job in the city and is making big money with her elder brother and his wife running a food factory. What about you? You just laze around all day after eating your fill, working your way into the police station. You’re really something, aren’t you? Do you want to infuriate your dad and me to death?"

Shen Baolan dodged while defending herself with vigor: "What’s so great about Shen Mingzhu? Her food factory is bound to shut down sooner or later. She’ll end up owing the bank a huge debt she won’t be able to pay off in this lifetime. Her time to cry will come!"

"You’re waiting for her to cry; she’s the one laughing at you now, laughing at our entire family. Your dad and I have lost all our face because of you!"

"Just wait a few years; when I become a rich lady, they’ll be too envious to even deal with you!"

——

After Shen Mingzhu brought Pei Ziheng home, many people from the family compound brought things to visit.

Fearing that it would affect Pei Ziheng’s rest, Shen Mingzhu declined all of them at the door, including Shen Chaobei and Du Juan.

At first, the people in the family compound were displeased with Shen Mingzhu’s refusal, feeling that their good intentions were treated with disdain, but seeing that Shen Mingzhu did not even allow her own elder brother to enter, they became somewhat more understanding.

Pei Wenping stayed at the Pei family’s place until the evening before she left.

After Pei Wenping was downstairs, Shen Mingzhu remembered she had forgotten to give her the mooncakes.

Under normal circumstances, she would have definitely chased after her with the mooncakes.

But today was an exception, although Pei Ziheng was sleeping in the room at the moment, she did not feel at ease leaving him alone at home, so she decided to call Pei Wenping after she got home and ask her to come over again when she was free.

Worried that Pei Ziheng would have no appetite if he slept too long, Shen Mingzhu intended to wake him up before making dinner, but upon opening the bedroom door, she found that Pei Ziheng was already awake, his dark, glossy eyes staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Hearing the door open, Pei Ziheng looked at her and said, "Mommy."

Shen Mingzhu walked over, bent down, and asked if his head hurt or if he was dizzy.

Pei Ziheng gently shook his head, feeling that today’s mommy was so gentle, so gentle, looking at him with eyes full of overflowing concern.

Although mommy was also caring on normal days, it was never as intense as today, as if he were a fragile glass doll.

After consulting with Pei Ziheng, Shen Mingzhu carefully picked him up and took him to the living room.

Shen Mingzhu settled Pei Ziheng on the sofa, turned on the TV to his favorite channel, and made him a cup of malted milk.

"You watch TV for a while, and I’ll go make dinner. Is lean meat porridge okay?"

"Mhm."

Once Shen Mingzhu went to the kitchen, Pei Ziheng touched the injury on his forehead, his beautiful little face breaking into a devilish little smile.

With such a small injury, getting back at the person who bullied mommy was well worth it.

Pei Ziheng picked up the malted milk from the coffee table and began to drink it with delight.

...

"I’m planning to divorce Baolan."

That evening, as the Zhou family was eating dinner, Zhou Shuhuan’s astonishing statement stunned his elderly parents into silence.

Zhou Hao might have been young, but the word "divorce" was not unfamiliar to him, because his own mother had moved away after divorcing his father.

Now, his father was going to divorce his stepmother.

It didn’t matter.

"Daddy, can you marry Pei Ziheng’s mom to be my new stepmom?"

Zhou Hao’s innocent request plunged the Zhou family into an eerie silence.