The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 288 - 287 The Irreplaceable You

Chapter 288: Chapter 287 The Irreplaceable You

Shen Mingzhu’s decision to buy a new house was a spur-of-the-moment one, plus she aimed to keep it low-profile, not wanting the residents of the family compound to gossip, so she didn’t mention it to outsiders.

Zhou Shuhuan came to know of this matter the night Shen Mingzhu threw a fit, when he overheard Pei Yang chatting with Pei Wenping at the hospital.

He kept this to himself, partly because it was in his nature not to gossip about others’ family matters, and partly because he felt a bit awkward about his brother buying a new house.

The two had been close friends since childhood, but when it came to such a major matter as buying a house, Pei Yang didn’t even utter a word.

At the same time, he felt a twinge of jealousy and regret.

Before the matchmaking, it was Shen Mingzhu he had his eyes on, but he ended up choosing Shen Baolan out of vanity and competitiveness.

If he had married Shen Mingzhu, perhaps he would be the one opening factories and buying big houses.

It was with this dark, secretive mindset that Zhou Shuhuan kept silent about Pei Yang buying the big house.

Now that it was out, seeing the shock and regret on his parents’ faces and the envy on his wife’s, he felt a sense of relief wash over him.

...

Shen Baolan tried her utmost and finally managed to find out where Shen Mingzhu’s new home was.

However, she only knew it was on this street, not the specific house number.

Looking down the whole street where various Western-style houses were lined up and the ends were out of sight, Shen Baolan’s heart felt as sour as if it were soaked in a jar of pickles.

She had barely moved to the city, and yet Shen Mingzhu was already living in such a big house.

Not long after, Pei Yang rode past her on his bicycle.

She opened her mouth to call out, but Pei Yang was riding so fast that he shot off into the distance like the wind.

Instinctively, she chased in the direction Pei Yang had ridden.

After running about one or two hundred meters, she saw Pei Yang stop in front of an old red brick house.

The old house had two stories and was surrounded by a two-meter-tall wall; she could only see the second-floor balcony and the black-tiled roof.

By the time she approached, Pei Yang had already pushed his bicycle into the courtyard. She saw Shen Mingzhu, through the courtyard door that hadn’t been closed in time, holding a child and sitting in the yard, next to a woman in her forties who was peeling potatoes while engaging in a delightful conversation with Shen Mingzhu.

Pei Yang parked his bicycle and went over to Shen Mingzhu, bending over to play with the child in her arms, his rugged and handsome face displaying a tenderness she had never seen before.

The potato-peeling woman set aside her task and walked forward to carry the contents of the bicycle’s rear basket inside the house.

Witnessing this scene, Shen Baolan felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

How could this be?

She had clearly stolen Shen Mingzhu’s man, stolen Shen Mingzhu’s good days, but why was Shen Mingzhu still living a life like the one from her dreams, in a big house, with a nanny, enjoying good days?

"Shen Mingzhu!"

When Shen Mingzhu saw Shen Baolan standing outside the courtyard gate, she frowned and instinctively looked towards Pei Yang.

Pei Yang quickly shook his head, indicating that he hadn’t told Shen Baolan the address.

When people from the family compound asked, he only gave a rough location, not the house number.

While the couple exchanged glances, Shen Baolan had already stepped into the gate, her belly protruding.

From the outside, the house seemed old, but once inside, one could see it had been arranged to be cozy and chic, especially the flowers and plants on both sides in full bloom, so appealing that no woman would dislike living in such a house.

"Shen Baolan, what are you doing here?" Shen Mingzhu stepped forward to block her path.

Seeing Shen Mingzhu’s radiant face and the slender figure that hadn’t gone out of shape after childbirth, jealousy surged in Shen Baolan’s heart.

"When did you guys buy this house?"

"None of your damn business, get out, you’re not welcome here."

Pei Yang stepped beside his wife, issuing the eviction order to the heavily pregnant Shen Baolan, "Sister-in-law Shuhuan, please leave. My wife is in her postpartum period and cannot receive visitors."

Witnessing Pei Yang’s protective stance towards Shen Mingzhu, tears suddenly streamed down Shen Baolan’s face.

"Pei Yang, the person you were originally going to marry was me, your wife should have been me..."

"Shuhuan’s wife!"

Pei Yang had probably also grown impatient and abruptly shouted, startling Shen Mingzhu.

Little Guoguo’s mouth opened wide as she burst into loud cries.

Shen Mingzhu didn’t want to deal with Shen Baolan any longer. While comforting her daughter, she turned and went back to the living room.

Pei Yang watched the mother and daughter return home with a look of guilt. Turning back, his face was covered with a layer of cold frost.

Pei Yang was tall and burly with deep-set features. Having become somewhat tanned recently, he looked quite intimidating when angry.

Shen Baolan offered a guilty defense, "Everything I said is true. I was the one who originally fancied you, but I..."

Perhaps afraid that Pei Yang wouldn’t believe her, Shen Baolan dared not admit that she had dreamed about the future.

"I met a fortune teller who said you had a short life line and that whoever married you would become a widow. That’s why..."

"The person wasn’t wrong."

Shen Baolan froze. Just as she was about to ask what he meant, she heard Pei Yang, his voice devoid of emotion, say, "If I had married you, even if I hadn’t died in the shipwreck of the Tai’an, I would have died in the subsequent sea search and rescue operations."

"Shen Baolan, if I had truly married you, I would have been long dead, and if you had really married into my family, you would now be a widow."

It struck Shen Baolan like a bolt from the blue, causing her head to buzz.

What did he mean? Was it that she had a weak fate and brought misfortune to whoever she married?

This realization was even more unacceptable to her than Shen Mingzhu buying a big house!

By the time Shen Baolan came to her senses, she had been driven out of Shen Mingzhu’s new home. The black wooden door slammed shut in front of her.

Once the bolt was fastened, Pei Yang immediately ran back to his home.

Little Guoguo was already tired from crying and was breastfeeding. In the quiet bedroom, there was only the sound of Guoguo nursing.

Looking at the man squatting in front of her, who was as big as a golden retriever, Shen Mingzhu felt an inexplicable tightness in her chest.

Because just then, she had suddenly thought of a speculation.

It was because Shen Baolan had foreseen Pei Yang’s premature death that she meticulously plotted to make the original host fall into the water and locked onto Zhou Shuhuan early.

If Shen Baolan had not known about the future, wouldn’t she have married Pei Yang?

Although this was just a possibility, it still irked her.

Or rather, it sparked jealousy.

"Has Shen Baolan left?"

Perhaps sensing her dissatisfaction, Pei Yang stood up to close the door and then squatted down in front of her again.

"Wife, there’s something I’ve never told you. I have a younger uncle who went to Hong City when I was very small. The year we got married, on my way back from the sea, I received a call from my uncle. He was quite ill, and when the ship passed by Hong City, I went to see him."

"My uncle had no family or friends in Hong City. He was very happy to see me and insisted on having me stay in Hong City for the Spring Festival. If it weren’t for wanting to come back to see you and the kids, I might have stayed in Hong City that year."

Shen Mingzhu was stunned.

If Pei Yang had stayed in Hong City that year, his seaman certificate wouldn’t have been lost, and he wouldn’t have missed that voyage on the Tai’an.

Pei Yang placed his large hand over hers, which was holding their daughter, his gaze gentle, "If I hadn’t married you, I would have been long gone."

Shen Mingzhu felt a lump in her throat.

Pei Yang looked at her, his eyes twinkling with a smile, "Do you remember what I told you when we bought the house? Our home is only a home because of you. Without you, there would be no future with any other woman, nor the happiness we have now."

"Wife, to me, you are irreplaceable by anyone."

The discomfort and gloom in Shen Mingzhu’s heart, stoked by Shen Baolan’s words, were soothed and smoothed by the man’s words, little by little.

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