The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 334 - 333 Adultery

Chapter 334: Chapter 333 Adultery

In the evening, by the time Pei Yang returned home, Shen Mingzhu had already prepared the tonics she planned to send to the Chen Family.

Aside from ginseng and donkey-hide gelatin, there was also a box of bird’s nest.

Seeing the items prepared by Shen Mingzhu, a mixture of surprise and gratitude appeared on Pei Yang’s deep-set, handsome face.

The ginseng and bird’s nest were gifts from Zhao Dafa after Guoguo was born to help his wife recuperate. She had never had the heart to consume them, but today she had taken them out for his sister.

He embraced the busy Shen Mingzhu, holding her tight, "Wife, thank you. Marrying such a virtuous wife is a blessing for our Pei Family."

Shen Mingzhu, resting her head on his shoulder, replied softly, "Since my pregnancy to childbirth, and throughout the postpartum period, your sister has helped us so much for over a year. These things are nothing. Eat your meal, then take the items over. Go early and come back early."

"Alright, I’ll do as you say."

After dinner, Pei Yang left the house with the items.

Although he was mentally prepared, upon seeing Pei Wenping, Pei Yang still felt a pang of heartache and irritation.

Ever since he could remember, his sister Pei Wenping had always been a brisk and competent woman, active and efficient, with a dynamic energy about her.

He had never seen Pei Wenping so frail and withered, like a flower on the brink of wilting.

"Sister, how have you lost so much weight? Are you feeling unwell?"

Pei Yang could not hold back, regardless of what the Chen Family might think, and directly asked, his tone even somewhat aggressive, reflecting his dissatisfaction with the Chen Family.

His sister had toiled for the Chen Family for so many years, with equal parts contribution and hardship. If the Chen Family couldn’t treat her as their own daughter, they should at least provide her with the care she deserved.

The mother of the Chen Family, observing her daughter-in-law’s complexion, forced a laugh and replied, "Pei Yang, don’t worry too much. Wenping’s appetite hasn’t been good lately, she’s been eating less, so she lost some weight. I’ve especially asked your uncle to go to the countryside and buy two old hens to stew for Wenping so she can recuperate."

Hearing this, Pei Yang put the tonics down in front of Chen’s mother, "Aunt Jiang, my wife asked me to bring these over for my sister’s recuperation, please take care of it."

"Ah, alright, I’ll accept them on behalf of Wenping. You siblings have a good chat, I’ll go boil some water for tea."

With that, Chen’s mother picked up the items and made her way to the kitchen.

Pei Yang glanced around, "Where’s my brother-in-law?"

"He hasn’t come home yet."

Pei Yang wanted to continue asking, but Pei Wenping, not wanting to elaborate further, stood up to see him out, "I’m fine. It’s so cold outside, you should head back early. And thank Mingzhu for me. When I have time, I’ll come over to see you."

Pei Yang really wanted to take Pei Wenping outside for a private talk, but fearing he might expose her to a cold due to the freezing weather, he reluctantly returned home, stifling his frustration.

Upon getting home and sharing the situation with Shen Mingzhu, they both sensed that something was amiss.

"Ever since I was young, it’s always been my sister taking care of me. She probably doesn’t want to trouble us and keeps things to herself, not likely to speak out easily."

Shen Mingzhu had her suspicions, but she didn’t voice them.

Even if her guesses were right, it needed to be Pei Wenping who spoke about it for them to be able to help.

After much thought, Shen Mingzhu decided to invite Pei Wenping and Chen Yi over for dinner.

As for the pretext, it would be to celebrate Shen Chaobei’s birthday.

Even though, Shen Chaobei’s birthday had just passed half a month ago.

Having two birthdays in a year, Shen Chaobei should thank her.

The very next morning, Shen Mingzhu phoned Pei Wenping to invite her and Chen Yi to come over for dinner that evening.

Pei Wenping didn’t refuse, nor did it seem proper to do so.

Shen Chaobei was her parents’ brother-in-law. As the eldest sister-in-law, it would be inappropriate not to come when he specifically invited her.

As for Chen Yi, "He has been busy rushing a draft lately, I’m not sure if he’ll have the time to come back."

Shen Mingzhu: "No problem. If brother-in-law truly can’t make it, bring Xiaolu and Xiaochao along with you. I’ll make a birthday cake for them."

"Okay."

By evening, Du Juan had arrived early with Daya to help out at the house.

It was almost dark when Pei Wenping returned with the twins, and Chen Yi came along too.

"Big sister, brother-in-law, please take a seat. Dinner’s almost ready; we’re just waiting for Pei Yang and my brother to come back and we can start eating," Shen Mingzhu warmly greeted the family of four.

"I’ll help you."

Used to hard work, Pei Wenping rolled up her sleeves and was about to enter the kitchen when Shen Mingzhu stopped her.

"No need, Xiaolu and Xiaochao don’t come by often. Big sister, you should take them upstairs to play with Ziheng and Guoguo for a bit."

"That’s a good idea."

Pei Wenping had only Pei Yang as her biological brother. Privately, she also hoped that the children of the two families could spend more time together and support each other as they grew up.

When she arrived at the kitchen door, Shen Mingzhu turned back to glance at the living room. She noticed that Pei Wenping had already led the twins upstairs, leaving Chen Yi standing awkwardly alone in the living room.

Around 7:30 p.m., Pei Yang and Shen Chaobei arrived one after the other.

After his noodle house venture had failed, Shen Chaobei wanted to return to the food factory to work, but Shen Mingzhu sent him to learn driving with Old Zhu instead.

If the food factory were to grow in the future, they would definitely need to buy a truck. It was better to train someone in-house rather than recruiting drivers from outside.

...

Shen Mingzhu had prepared all the dishes on the table, five meat dishes and three vegetarian ones, plus a large pot of Angelica and black chicken soup.

Shen Chaobei thought Shen Mingzhu had specially prepared a birthday feast for him. He was so touched that he almost cried, unaware of Shen Mingzhu’s real intentions were not about the celebration.

During the meal, Shen Mingzhu enthusiastically encouraged everyone to eat and drink. Secretly, however, she was carefully observing Pei Wenping and Chen Yi.

Several times, Chen Yi picked out dishes that Pei Wenping liked, but Pei Wenping passed them to the twins’ bowls instead.

In the eyes of someone as unsophisticated as Shen Chaobei, Pei Wenping’s actions might seem like a mother’s love, always thinking of feeding her children the best food.

But Shen Mingzhu knew that Pei Wenping was silently resisting Chen Yi.

After dinner, the men cleared the table together. The kids went upstairs to play, and Du Juan and Pei Wenping went to the bedroom to look at Shen Mingzhu’s new leather bag.

Of course, looking at the leather bag was just a pretext; Shen Mingzhu just wanted to find an opportunity to have a heart-to-heart with Pei Wenping alone.

After checking out the bag, Du Juan tactfully made an excuse to leave, thoughtfully closing the bedroom door behind her.

As soon as the door closed, Shen Mingzhu cut to the chase, "Big sister, are you having a conflict with your husband? During dinner, I noticed he was trying hard to please you."

Maybe it was because she had kept it inside too long, or because her wounds had been touched, but tears suddenly started to fall from Pei Wenping’s eyes.

Shen Mingzhu quickly handed her a handkerchief while she moved the leather bag aside.

This bag could be traded for a three-bedroom apartment; if it got soaked with tears, it might only be worth a two-bedroom.

"Big sister, ever since I joined the Pei family, I have been grateful for all your kindness, and I’ve always treated you like my own sister. Both Pei Yang and I are your family, and we would never stand by and let you be bullied or wronged."

At first, Pei Wenping was reluctant to talk, but after Shen Mingzhu’s earnest persuasion, she finally opened up.

It was as Shen Mingzhu had guessed: Chen Yi had had an affair.

It happened during the time Shen Mingzhu was pregnant with Guoguo.

This made it difficult for Shen Mingzhu not to feel guilty and uneasy; during that time, Pei Wenping was busy taking care of her, constantly running to Shen Mingzhu’s side, and might have inadvertently neglected her husband.

Seemingly guessing Shen Mingzhu’s thoughts, Pei Wenping comforted her with a touch of sarcasm: "Don’t blame yourself; it’s his own inability to control himself. It has nothing to do with anyone else."

"He sleeps beside me at night, but during the day, he has his affair with that woman. If it wasn’t for someone else’s reminder, I wouldn’t have known how long I would have been kept in the dark!"

The last sentence was said with gritted teeth by Pei Wenping.