The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 333 - 332 Pei Wenping’s Heartfelt Thoughts

Chapter 333: Chapter 332 Pei Wenping’s Heartfelt Thoughts

As the year-end approached, Pei Yang was busy every day settling accounts at the various distribution points. With the roads being difficult to navigate, by the time he got home from work, it was already pitch-dark.

Sister Yu would generally finish cooking dinner before leaving work to head home.

However, because it gets dark early in winter and it’s cold and freezing, Shen Mingzhu let Sister Yu leave work half an hour early. Before leaving, all Sister Yu needed to do was steam the rice, and Shen Mingzhu would cook the dishes herself.

Guessing that Pei Yang was about to return, she began to stir-fry the dishes.

By the time the dishes were ready, Pei Yang would arrive home just in time to enjoy a hot meal.

Today was no exception.

Around seven o’clock, Shen Mingzhu started to heat the oil in the pot to braise the lamb.

Around 7:30, when Pei Yang arrived home, the lamb in the pot was almost tender enough, so she added the side dishes and seasonings, gave it a quick stir, and took it out of the pot.

After washing his hands, Pei Yang sat down at the dining table and, looking at the steaming, fragrant lamb, he praised Pei Ziheng across the table, "Nothing beats your mother’s cooking. If she cooked at home every day, you and I would be blessed with delicious meals all the time."

Shen Mingzhu glanced sideways at the man, thinking he was buttering her up? In his dreams.

"You never skipped a bit when Sister Yu cooked dinner before."

"Well, it was already made, not eating would be a waste, right? But Sister Yu’s cooking truly can’t compare to yours, right, Guoguo?"

"Ah ah."

In the baby basket, Little Guoguo was kicking her little legs, her eyes as dark as grapes, unwaveringly fixed on the pot of braised lamb, saliva glistening as it drooled from the corner of her mouth.

Shen Mingzhu bent down to pick up her daughter and sat down on the sofa. She replaced the nearly soaked dirty bib with a clean one, and said to the father and son, "You guys start eating, I’ll join you after I’m done."

Pei Yang couldn’t wait any longer, since he had been running around outside all day and was very hungry.

He quickly grabbed a piece of lamb and stuffed it into his mouth, his face showing the satisfaction of indulging in forbidden pleasures. Then he turned his body toward the mother and daughter in the living room. While watching Shen Mingzhu change the bib for her daughter, he asked about Zhuang Xueqi.

Pei Yang had been out when Zhuang Xueqi visited the factory, and it was only when he returned to the factory to have lunch that he learned Zhuang Xueqi had come.

Although he had called home and knew that Zhuang Xueqi hadn’t given his wife a hard time, he was still somewhat uneasy.

"What did she come to you for?"

"To bring me a gift."

"What gift?"

"She gave me a leather handbag."

"Is she that generous?"

"Mind your own business about women’s affairs."

After changing the bib, Shen Mingzhu tidied up her daughter’s collar, and looking into her daughter’s large grape-like eyes, she couldn’t resist biting gently on her daughter’s soft, fair cheek.

She was very gentle, and Little Guoguo didn’t feel any pain at all. Instead, she thought her mother was playing with her, and she happily waved her arms and legs, giggling with delight.

"Mommy’s going to eat now, be good and play by yourself for a while, okay?"

"Ah ah~"

It was unclear whether she understood or not, but her shiny black eyes were filled with anticipation.

Shen Mingzhu tried to put her daughter back in the baby basket and placed a rattle in her little paws.

The clear sound of the bell immediately captured Little Guoguo’s attention.

Seeing this, Shen Mingzhu sighed with relief and returned to the dining table.

"Let’s eat."

The father and son were already so hungry they could eat a horse, and the moment she gave the green light, they eagerly grabbed their chopsticks and gobbled up the food.

After a satisfying meal, it was still Pei Yang who cleaned up the "battlefield."

With their son keeping their daughter company, Shen Mingzhu brought in the cloth diapers and bibs that were drying on the balcony and spread them on the radiator to warm.

Then, she collected the bibs and cloth diapers that were dried a couple of days ago into the room, folded them one by one, and placed them in a storage basket for easy access during daily use.

As he was folding clothes, Pei Yang finished washing the dishes and returned to the bedroom.

He saw the handbag on the dresser and picked it up without thinking.

"Is this the leather bag Miss Zhuang gave you? It’s pretty nice-looking."

When she saw the man about to sling the quilted leather bag over his shoulder, Shen Mingzhu hurried over and snatched it back, "Don’t you dare ruin it."

She delicately wiped off the water marks on the bag’s surface with a handkerchief. Pei Yang teased, "It’s just a handbag, not tofu that spoils at a touch. When you wear it out in the sun and rain, won’t you be heartbroken?"

Shen Mingzhu gave him a look, "Do you know how much this bag costs?"

Pei Yang reached out to touch it again but Shen Mingzhu blocked his hand.

"No matter how expensive it is, it’s still just a handbag. It can’t possibly be more valuable than the gold bars you gave me."

Shen Mingzhu huffed, "You guessed right, it costs about as much as a gold bar, only in dollars."

Pei Yang thought she was joking, "You’re pulling my leg. A thousand dollars could buy so much cowhide."

"This isn’t your ordinary handbag, it’s a luxury good. It’s not even meant for ordinary folks like us."

Even though Pei Yang couldn’t understand how the rich could spend almost ten thousand on a handbag, once he knew its value, he really didn’t dare to touch it.

He feared he might accidentally scratch the surface with his nails.

After Shen Mingzhu carefully packed the handbag, she placed it, box and all, on the top shelf of the wardrobe.

She wasn’t planning to use this bag herself but to sell it when the opportunity arose, to exchange it for a set of rental properties for Yueyue.

After a few years, maybe ten, if the property prices multiplied or if a demolition came along, turning one property into several wasn’t impossible—wouldn’t that be delightful?

...

The next day, after finishing up her work, Shen Mingzhu called Pei Wenping to have lunch together and to bring back some pastries for the twins.

By noon, Pei Wenping was already at the restaurant.

At first glance, Shen Mingzhu almost didn’t recognize her.

It had been just a month since they’d seen each other, and Pei Wenping had become noticeably thinner; her cheekbones were somewhat hollow, and her dark circles were very pronounced, making her look rather haggard.

"Big sister, how did you lose so much weight so fast? Are you not feeling well, or is work just too busy?"

Without even bother to order, Shen Mingzhu sat down and started expressing her concern for Pei Wenping.

Pei Wenping smiled at her, "It’s nothing, I’ve just been sleeping poorly lately and work has been busy, so I’ve lost some weight. I’ll be fine after this busy period."

"Others can’t lose weight even when they try, and here I am having lost so much so suddenly. They’re all envious of me."

Pei Wenping sounded carefree, but Shen Mingzhu could tell there was a veil of sorrow in her eyes, a look of someone weighed down with worries.

Since Pei Wenping wasn’t willing to elaborate, Shen Mingzhu didn’t feel it was right to pry further.

After returning to the factory from the lunch, with Pei Yang also present, Shen Mingzhu briefly explained Pei Wenping’s condition, "We still have some tonic gifts left at home. I’ll go back early this afternoon to find them, and you can deliver them to your sister tonight. She needs to replenish her health."

"Sure."

"Mom."

Pei Ziheng, who had been resting on the couch, suddenly called for Shen Mingzhu.

Shen Mingzhu turned her head to look at him, her face showing tenderness, "Did we disturb you? Your dad and I will go outside to talk; you go back to sleep."

Pei Ziheng usually had lunch in the food factory’s canteen, then rested in Shen Mingzhu’s office before heading to school for his afternoon classes.

Watching the couple walk out, Pei Ziheng’s lips curled slightly, dark currents swirling in his deep black eyes.

His earlier words about his aunt falling ill weren’t a wild guess—they were the truth.

In his past life, his aunt had died of an illness six months later.

If that hadn’t been the case, the nasty woman from his previous life wouldn’t have dared to bully him so unscrupulously.

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