The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 292 - 291 Full Moon Celebration

Chapter 292: Chapter 291 Full Moon Celebration

The day she completed her postpartum confinement, after an early breakfast, Shen Mingzhu used the two largest pots in the house to boil water, ready to give herself a thorough wash from head to toe.

The water she boiled was all infused with mugwort.

Pei Yang had picked up some folk remedy from somewhere, saying that bathing with mugwort water on the day one finishes confinement could promote blood circulation and expel the cold and dampness from the body, so he had specially gone to the countryside to cut two big bundles and bring them back.

After the mugwort water was ready, she poured it into the bathtub and soaked comfortably for half an hour.

Once done, Shen Mingzhu felt as if she was several pounds lighter.

Although she had taken a few baths during her confinement, she was always worried about catching a cold. Every time she hurriedly wiped herself with a bathing cloth and then quickly dried off and dressed, it was never quite satisfying.

That evening, Shen Mingzhu leisurely made a table full of dishes to celebrate the end of her confinement, only to hear Pei Yang start talking about Shen Baolan giving birth.

"It was quite a struggle, almost a day and a night. Thankfully, both mother and son are safe and sound. It’s a big chubby boy, weighing in at seven pounds and eight ounces."

Shen Mingzhu was really astonished.

She had always controlled her diet during pregnancy. Little Guoguo was on the small side when she was born, weighing five pounds and three ounces, but she nearly lost her life giving birth to her.

Shen Baolan’s child weighed a whole seven pounds and eight ounces; one didn’t need to think too much to understand how difficult the birth must have been.

Shen Mingzhu didn’t pay much attention to Shen Baolan having a son, but Shen Baolan herself was feeling extremely smug about it.

The first thing she did when she woke up was to ask Zhou Shuhuan if he had informed Shen Mingzhu about her giving birth to a son. Only after learning that he had already called Pei Yang did Shen Baolan calm down.

Holding her heavy son, Shen Baolan felt her life was complete.

Shen Mingzhu had a daughter, but she had a big, fat boy! Sons were a woman’s lifelong support. It wasn’t about which came first—a steady and unending stream was what mattered. Her blessings were yet to come.

...

The celebration of Little Guoguo’s full moon was set for September 15th, still at the Baoyuan Hotel, where they had their wedding the previous year.

Shen Mingzhu had wanted to wear the qipao she had made in Junlin at the full moon celebration, considering it was expensive and she had only worn it once. She figured she should wear it while it was still new because it wouldn’t look presentable after a few years.

But when she tried it on, both the waist and bust felt a lot tighter.

Even though she had mostly regained her figure after giving birth, some of the extra flesh around her waist hadn’t slimmed down that quickly.

Moreover, she was nourished quite well during the entire month of confinement, with various nutritious soups every day, which made her quite plump and full, so much so that her undergarments increased by a size.

Pei Yang, however, really liked how she looked now, especially at night when going to bed, he always loved to pinch the soft flesh on her body.

For the full moon celebration, Shen Mingzhu didn’t invite any relatives from the Shen family side.

Rural people value sons over daughters. Knowing she had had a daughter, one could guess the kind of gossip they might spread. To avoid impacting her mood, she simply didn’t invite them and only called her own family members.

Thinking that relatives from her mother’s side wouldn’t come, Shen Mingzhu only booked eight tables, thinking it wouldn’t be as many as last year’s wedding banquet.

But then Qin Jinlian gave her a "big surprise" out of the blue.

She not only notified the relatives from her mother’s side without permission but also invited some from the Jia family.

This suddenly added four or five more tables’ worth of guests, catching Shen Mingzhu off guard.

Still, with everyone already there, she couldn’t very well kick them out, so she had to find a restaurant last-minute to increase the number of tables and seats.

Adding seats was a minor issue, but some dishes needed to be pre-ordered, and the restaurant had to prepare in advance, like certain stewed soups and dishes, as well as pricey ingredients like river delicacies.

In short, Shen Mingzhu’s good mood for the day was completely ruined.

And Qin Jinlian seemed totally oblivious to the trouble she had caused, ostentatiously leading wave after wave of relatives in front of Shen Mingzhu. She even wanted to take them to tour her new house, plainly to show off how capable her daughter and son-in-law were, how much money they could earn, just to add glory to her own face.

"Mingzhu, this is your great-uncle’s nephew, you can call him Third Cousin..."

Backing down is an ovarian cyst, enduring is mammary gland hyperplasia.

Shen Mingzhu couldn’t be bothered with face anymore. As Qin Jinlian once again brought relatives she had never even seen before to her, Shen Mingzhu outright lost her temper.

"Can’t you calm down a bit? Can’t you see I’m busy dealing with the mess you brought?"

Qin Jinlian didn’t expect her to suddenly lose her temper, leaving her flabbergasted, her old face flushing crimson.

The relatives brought by Qin Jinlian also had awkward expressions on their faces.

One elder relative, who was a great-aunt, felt that Shen Mingzhu hadn’t given her face, and preached to her with the authority of an elder, only to be rebuffed by Shen Mingzhu with a single sentence—

"Great-Aunt, although we haven’t had much contact over the years, since you have come, I will naturally treat you with all due respect. However, should anyone disturb my peace on this joyous occasion, then I am truly sorry, but you can just go back where you came from!"

The great-aunt, stunned by her forthright temperament, sheepishly closed her mouth, but she didn’t leave in a fit of anger.

Riches hide in remote mountains, and distant relatives appear.

Shen Mingzhu was now a big boss, having run the food factory successfully and even bought a big house in the city. Which of these relatives did not wish to cling on and benefit from her success?

"Mingzhu."

Turning her head, Shen Mingzhu realized that Pei Yang had arrived at an unknown time, leading Yan Yi, Zhong Qing, Yan Su, and Ning Yuan into the hotel.

Pei Yang instructed Shen Chaobei to take Qin Jinlian and the other relatives to their seats, while he approached Shen Mingzhu, speaking softly, "I’ll handle this; you go greet Miss Zhong and the others."

Shen Mingzhu nodded, composed herself, and walked over to Zhong Qing and her group. Before she could say anything, it was Yan Su who spoke first.

"Is anything missing? I’ll get someone to take care of it."

The hotel manager, sharp as ever, saw that Yan Su and the others were of no ordinary status and quickly listed the few ingredients that were lacking.

Yan Su, after listening, turned and went outside, instructing the driver to fetch them.

Zhong Qing took Shen Mingzhu’s hand, softly comforting her, "Alright, it’s just a small matter, no need to be angry. Come on, let’s go see little Guoguo."

Shen Mingzhu nodded, her throat tightening with unspoken words.

At moments like this, compared to a biological mother who only knew how to hold her back, the help from outsiders seemed all the more precious, and she couldn’t help feeling grateful.

"Little Guoguo, I’m Auntie Qingqing, do you remember me?"

Perhaps aware that today was her special day, Little Guoguo was unusually awake, her large, glossy eyes curiously glancing here and there, her tender little face framed by the bright red blanket, making her irresistibly adorable.

Ning Yuan crouched down and teased Little Guoguo for a bit before presenting an invitation to Shen Mingzhu.

"I’m getting engaged next month. I’ll place an order for wedding candies with you in a few days, consider it a full moon gift for Little Guoguo."

Shen Mingzhu smiled, "Okay, thank you."

Yan Yi also handed over the gift bag he was holding, "Celebrating Little Guoguo’s full month, wishing her good health and safety."

"Thank you."

Yan Yi’s gaze lingered on her delicate and beautiful face for two seconds before he restrained himself and looked towards Little Guoguo, who was in Zhong Qing’s arms.

"May I hold her?"

Shen Mingzhu nodded.

Just as Yan Yi took Little Guoguo in his arms, Yan Su walked in, and immediately upon seeing her brother’s way of holding the baby, she didn’t hesitate to critique.

"That’s not how you hold her, kids have soft bones, you need to support her neck and buttocks..."

Watching Yan Yi seriously learn how to hold a baby, Ning Yuan shook his head in disbelief.

Zhong Qing smiled for a while and then stepped up to Shen Mingzhu, sizing her up and commenting, "You’ve recovered well."

Shen Mingzhu whispered some private words to her, "I wanted to wear the cheongsam I had made last time at Junlin, but when I put it on, I discovered I couldn’t bend over."

Zhong Qing laughed, amused, "Then we’ll go make a new one another day."

After thinking it over, Shen Mingzhu still declined, "Never mind, I’m still in debt."

The money wasn’t enough for the house purchase, plus the subsequent renovations, and the extra two thousand she spent was all borrowed.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Qing smoothly changed the subject to talk about something else.

They were chatting for a short while when the door to the rest area was pushed open. Pei Yang led Lin Guofu and his wife, along with several old colleagues from the overseas voyage, into the room, and Wang Xiuzhu was among them.