The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 209 - 208 Group Pet Pei Ziheng_2

Chapter 209: Chapter 208 Group Pet Pei Ziheng_2

Although Zhao Yun was young, Shen Mingzhu still offered the courtesy due to a guest and asked what he would like to eat.

Zhao Yun wasn’t shy and specifically requested Coca-Cola chicken wings.

Shen Mingzhu went to the market and bought two jin of chicken wings. Not far from the market, she ran into an old farmer selling river delicacies who beckoned her over to do business.

Shen Mingzhu hadn’t planned on buying anything since Pei Yang bought groceries every day, and she had already purchased chicken wings, which was enough for dinner that night.

But looking at the old farmer’s weathered, dark face, she simply couldn’t bear to refuse.

In the old wooden barrel, there were various kinds of wild river delicacies including two carp, over ten loaches, and several wild crabs of varying sizes, their pincers bound with straw.

After a brief chat and learning that the old farmer still had to travel twenty miles back to his rural home, Shen Mingzhu decided to buy all the river delicacies in the barrel, so he could head home earlier.

The old farmer, having received the money, thanked her profusely with a thousand gratitudes before picking up his burden and leaving.

Zhao Yun looked several times at the old farmer’s stooped figure before turning back to Shen Mingzhu’s gentle and graceful face, and couldn’t help saying, "Auntie Mingzhu, you are really kind-hearted."

Shen Mingzhu smiled at him, "Have you heard the saying, ’Give someone a rose, the fragrance remains in your hand’?"

Zhao Yun shook his head.

As they walked, Shen Mingzhu explained to the children, "To put it simply, it means that by helping others, you also gain happiness and satisfaction. A flower given away remains with others, but its fragrance lingers long on your own hands."

Seeing Zhao Yun’s somewhat perplexed expression, Shen Mingzhu added, "But the premise of helping others is that it should be done when you are capable. No matter what, you must take care of yourself first."

Zhao Yun grinned, "Auntie Mingzhu, I get what you mean, it’s about not being overly kind, right?"

"More or less."

...

Back at home, Shen Mingzhu and Pei Yang were cooking dinner in the kitchen while Zhao Yun and Pei Ziheng were doing their homework in the room.

While looking around Pei Ziheng’s room, Zhao Yun curiously asked, "Where’s your brother? He’s been doing my homework for so long, and he even helped me get an eighty percent on my midterm. I was planning to thank him properly."

Pei Ziheng put down his pen and looked at him with his dark eyes, asking, "How do you plan to thank him?"

Zhao Yun, acting as if money was no issue, said, "What does he like? I’ll buy it for him."

"My brother likes money," Ziheng replied.

"Fine, then I’ll give him money. How much should I give?"

"You decide," Ziheng said.

Zhao Yun pulled out all the money from his pocket. He had ten yuan of pocket money left over from the last time Zhao Dafa gave him and only five or six yuan were left.

"This is all I have left."

Pei Ziheng remained silent, his dark eyes fixed on him.

Zhao Yun gritted his teeth and pushed all his money towards Pei Ziheng, saying, "Give it all to him, that should be enough, right?"

Pei Ziheng unceremoniously took the money and then asked, "Do you still want me to spot the questions for your final exams?"

Zhao Yun nodded, "Of course! My dad said that if I could also score eighty on my finals, he would double my New Year’s money."

"Then give me half of your New Year’s money," Ziheng proposed.

"Sure!"

It seemed something was off, "No, no, if there’s going to be a split, it should be with your brother."

"You do as I say, listen to me, and I guarantee you’ll score 80 on your final exam."

Fine then.

...

Two carps were turned by Shen Mingzhu into a snowy-white fish soup, sprinkled with pepper salt and scallions—irresistibly fragrant.

For the rest of the river delicacies, loach was made with pepper salt flavor, crab stir-fried with scallion segments and salted egg yolks, and then she added cola chicken wings, pork covered in batter, and a dish of clear-fried wood ear leaves.

With five dishes and a soup, the table was full. Not only did Zhao Yun eat with relish, but Pei Yang and his son also enjoyed the meal immensely.

"Auntie Mingzhu, why don’t you open a restaurant? When you do, I’ll have my dad eat there every day!"

Shen Mingzhu was amused and laughed. She picked up a pepper salt loach with her chopsticks, removed the bone in the middle, and put the loach meat into Pei Ziheng’s bowl while curiously asking about Zhao Yun’s father’s job.

Zhao Yun was forthcoming and soon spilled all the beans about his family situation.

His father Zhao Dafa worked in construction contracting, commonly known as a contractor.

When Zhao Dafa was young, he was a country bumpkin. His parents died early, and the family was so poor that after giving birth to Zhao Yun, his mother ran off with someone else.

Zhao Dafa had to play both the role of father and mother, going out to work to earn money and unable to take care of Zhao Yun. He had to entrust his relatives with his care, providing them with living expenses.

Before Zhao Yun went to school, he was shuffled between various relatives’ homes. After turning seven, Zhao Dafa brought him to the city to study.

Zhao Dafa, being a country bumpkin himself and having not read much, thought making sure his son had enough food and clothes was enough, lacking restraint and discipline when it came to his son’s learning and behavior, which led to Zhao Yun growing up wild and becoming the kind of "bad student" teachers dread.

While listening to Zhao Yun talk about his family affairs, Shen Mingzhu continued to de-bone the loach. After the second loach was de-boned, Pei Yang extended his rice bowl.

She glanced at the man and tossed the loach meat into his bowl.

Pei Yang smiled jubilantly upon receiving the loach meat, while Pei Ziheng, who had just been "robbed," appeared quite dissatisfied, glaring at him with his dark, piercing eyes.

Faced with his son’s glare, Pei Yang was not only unabashed but deliberately made a taunting face, causing Pei Ziheng’s small, pale face to turn as cold as a block of ice.

Zhao Yun quietly watched the father and son’s interaction, lowered his head, and gnawed on his chicken wing.

By the time Shen Mingzhu de-boned the third loach, both father and son unconsciously reached out their bowls at the same time.

Shen Mingzhu didn’t give it to either of them, instead placing the loach meat in Zhao Yun’s bowl.

Zhao Yun looked up incredulously, the very picture of being pleasantly surprised, "Auntie Mingzhu, for me?"

Shen Mingzhu smiled, "Go ahead, eat up. Don’t be shy at my home."

"Mm, thank you, Auntie Mingzhu!"

Zhao Yun was indeed not shy, the bones at the edge of his bowl nearly piling up into a small mountain.

...

After cleaning up the dishes, Pei Yang rode his bicycle to take Zhao Yun home, while Shen Mingzhu pulled Pei Ziheng aside to ask about the seat change in the afternoon.

"You’ve always sat in the first row, so why did Mr. Ou have you move to the back row today?"

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