The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 226 - 225: Don’t Be Moved by a Man’s Little Favors

Chapter 226: Chapter 225: Don’t Be Moved by a Man’s Little Favors

"First, I want to make a self-criticism, the decision to buy apples yesterday was impulsive of me."

Pei Ziheng, such a bright child, immediately guessed what was up when he heard Shen Mingzhu’s words, "Mom, did the villagers give you a hard time?"

Shen Mingzhu tapped her son’s nose and didn’t sugarcoat the reality just because he was young.

In her view, this incident was not only a lesson but also a cautionary tale for Pei Ziheng to understand the complexity of society and the wickedness of human hearts, so as not to be too indiscriminately kind like her in the future.

Pei Ziheng said, "Mom, you’re overthinking, it’s already quite something that I don’t turn out to be a bad guy, being a good person, that’s impossible in this lifetime."

After hearing about Shen Mingzhu’s encounter in Red Star Village, Pei Ziheng immediately comforted her tenderly, "Mom, it’s not your fault, those people are the bad ones, selfish and ungrateful."

Pei Yang looked at his son approvingly, and decisively chose to copy his son’s homework, "Ziheng is right, you acted with good intentions, it’s just that the Guo Family doesn’t know contentment."

Shen Mingzhu looked at him, "Did you anticipate trouble, so you called Big Brother and Brother He?"

Pei Yang scratched his head, "It was just a precaution, when I used to sail, from time to time I’d encounter pirates, and when passing through some ports, I’d also deal with local leaders. I’ve seen so much that I subconsciously tend to think of the worst-case scenario."

Shen Mingzhu couldn’t help feeling relieved.

If Pei Yang hadn’t been by her side today, she feared she wouldn’t have left Red Star Village safely.

The second daughter-in-law of the Guo family even had her eyes on her wedding ring.

Thinking of this, a wave of disgust surged in her heart, which she forcefully suppressed, but her face turned somewhat pale.

Pei Yang noticed her discomfort immediately, his large hand touched her forehead, "You haven’t caught a cold, have you? Let’s go back, I’ll make some ginger tea for you to drive the cold away."

Seeing it was getting late, Shen Mingzhu nodded.

Back at home, Pei Yang immediately went to the kitchen to make ginger sugar water, while also heating up water for washing feet.

Shen Mingzhu went back to her room to change clothes.

When Pei Yang carried the steaming ginger sugar water into the room, he found Shen Mingzhu asleep on the bed.

He gently placed the ginger sugar water on the bedside table, bent down to tuck Shen Mingzhu’s hands and feet into the quilt, carefully securing the blanket around her, watched her for a moment, then quietly left the room.

After preparing the hot water, Pei Yang went to the second bedroom and called Pei Ziheng out to wash up.

Pei Ziheng came out of his room and not seeing Shen Mingzhu, instinctively glanced toward the tightly closed master bedroom.

"Where’s Mom?"

In the bathroom, Pei Ziheng looked up and asked Pei Yang, who was washing his face.

"Your mom’s sleeping."

After replying, Pei Yang gestured for Pei Ziheng to get his own small towel to wash his face.

Pei Ziheng stared at the wash water that Pei Yang had used, his small white face full of disdain, "I don’t want to wash with you."

Pei Yang glanced at him, "You and your mom can share a basin, why can’t you share one with me?"

Pei Ziheng had an "isn’t it obvious" look on his face, "Mom smells good, you stink."

"..."

Pei Yang, not intending to indulge him, chuckled lightly, "If you don’t want to wash, then don’t. Stay dirty."

Pei Ziheng starred at him for two seconds, then turned, "I’ll go to Mom."

Pei Yang quickly grabbed him, "Don’t disturb your mom."

Pei Ziheng turned back, his eyes blinking, "Then you need to get me fresh wash water."

"...Wait!"

Poor Pei Yang, a man in his twenties, was clearly and unmistakably under his son’s thumb.

...

By the time Shen Mingzhu woke up, it was already the next morning.

Having slept through to dawn, she had enough sleep, but felt languid and didn’t feel like getting out of bed.

If she had to sum it up in one word, it would be laziness.

The bedroom door was pushed open—

Seeing her awake, Pei Yang paced into the room and approached the bedside, leaning over her with a smile in his eyes, "Awake?"

From this angle, the man’s features looked particularly handsome.

Shen Mingzhu felt an itch in her heart, and stretched out a slender white finger from under the covers, beckoning him with a curl.

"Come down a bit."

"What for?"

"Give me a kiss."

Pei Yang was only too happy to comply with such a request.

As Shen Mingzhu was about to retreat after her success, Pei Yang held her face and deepened the good morning kiss.

After the kiss, Shen Mingzhu hid half her face in the covers, revealing only a pair of bright, watery almond eyes, and looked at him reproachfully, "I haven’t brushed my teeth yet."

Pei Yang found her so adorable that he scooped her up, blanket and all, and carried her out of bed horizontally.

"Then let’s go brush them."

Shen Mingzhu struggled, "Put me down!"

Pei Yang looked down at her, "Didn’t you say you wanted to brush your teeth?"

Shen Mingzhu wriggled like a maggot, her voice unintentionally whiny, "I can go by myself."

Pei Yang bent down to place her back on the bed, instructing her to put on more clothes, as today was even colder than yesterday, before he left the room.

Shen Mingzhu originally thought Pei Yang had learned about the temperature from the radio. But as soon as she walked out of the room, she smelled the rich aroma of chicken soup, stewed with mushrooms.

She stepped into the kitchen, and sure enough, there was a pot on the stove bubbling with steam.

"You made chicken soup? Where did you get the chicken?"

Pei Yang was wrapping dumplings and said with feigned poverty: "I stole it back in the middle of the night."

Shen Mingzhu glared at him, lifted the lid of the pot, and seeing the milky white chicken soup topped with golden chicken oil, immediately felt her stomach growl with hunger.

"Such an early stewed chicken soup; are our meals getting a bit too lavish?"

As Pei Yang continued to wrap the dumplings, he replied: "You’ve been looking pale these past few days, eating all your meals at the factory with no nourishment—I could only make up some nutrition for you in the morning."

Knowing that the chicken soup was specially for her, Shen Mingzhu’s heart bubbled with warmth just like the soup in the pot.

"Go and wash up quickly, I’ve placed the hot water for you on the radiator."

Hearing Pei Yang’s urging, Shen Mingzhu didn’t rush out but instead peered into the bowl to see the dumpling filling, "Shepherd’s purse? Did you buy it?"

Pei Yang glanced at her with a smile, "Not bought—I could have gone to the countryside to pluck some for you?"

Shen Mingzhu eyed him, "What time did you get up this morning?"

"6 AM."

In Fengcheng’s winter with short days and long nights, it wasn’t even light out at 6 AM, and yet it was so cold, but the man had gotten up to buy chicken and shepherd’s purse from the market to make breakfast.

Shen Mingzhu felt a profound warmth in her heart and couldn’t help but hug the man’s waist and coo softly, "Pei Yang, you’re so good."

Pei Yang felt his efforts hadn’t gone to waste and was feeling content when Pei Ziheng walked in—

"Mom, don’t be so moved by a man’s little favors; you’re Dad’s wife, and it’s only right for him to treat you well."

Shen Mingzhu couldn’t help but smile and immediately abandoned the man for a hug from her son, "Good morning, my little lamby."

Pei Ziheng seemed very happy with his new nickname, his little face glowing red and his eyes shining, "Good morning, Mom."

Watching the affectionate embrace between mother and son, and then looking at his flour-covered hands, Pei Yang: "..."

Forget the dumplings!

...

By the time Shen Mingzhu had finished washing up, the steaming hot dumplings were already on the table.

Freshly stewed mushroom chicken soup, paired with shepherd’s purse-filled dumplings, sprinkled with a few grains of vibrant green scallions, was delicious beyond measure.

Shen Mingzhu contentedly sipped her soup with a spoon while discussing with Pei Yang and his son the purpose of the batch of apples she had bought.