The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 335 - 334 Brainwashing Qin Jinlian

Chapter 335: Chapter 334 Brainwashing Qin Jinlian

Pei Wenping was both surprised and not surprised by Chen Yi’s infidelity.

The surprise came from the past impression Chen Yi had left her: although a literary writer, he never exhibited the pretentiousness and sourness often found in literati; on the contrary, he was open-minded, refined, and gentlemanly.

But in the end, Chen Yi made the same mistake all men around the world are prone to make.

For people of that era, personal spiritual and emotional needs paled in comparison to the integrity of the family and marriage.

Even if the inside was rotten, the outward appearance had to maintain a facade of harmony; even if men were unfaithful or abusive, women were expected to endure and bear it.

As a result, numerous women spent their entire lives mired in unhappy marriages, worn down, stifled, injured, until they ultimately passed away.

If it were any other woman’s family, they would probably advise Pei Wenping to swallow her pride and think of the children.

But Shen Mingzhu was not a woman of that era, she certainly did not harbor the outdated mentality of urging reconciliation rather than separation.

Endure in silence and risk ovarian cysts, step back and face breast hyperplasia—why should women bear and sacrifice for the errors committed by men?

Of course, as an onlooker, she wouldn’t directly advise Pei Wenping to divorce.

Whether to divorce or not should be Pei Wenping’s own choice.

It was only after Pei Wenping had somewhat calmed down that Shen Mingzhu voiced her thoughts, "Sister, no matter what decision you make, Pei Yang and I will support you, and the doors of your parental home will always be open for you."

Pei Wenping naturally understood the subtext of Shen Mingzhu’s words, and the gratitude and emotion she felt were beyond words.

"His parents scolded him, and he promised to cut ties with that woman. I can’t help but think of Xiaolu and Xiaochao, they’ve been together since they were in my womb, and they haven’t been apart for a day since they were born. I don’t want the children to be separated because of something between their father and me."

Should it really come to divorce, the Chen Family would surely fight over the custody of the two children.

Seeing that Pei Wenping had already made a decision, Shen Mingzhu said no more and simply tried to comfort her with kind words.

That evening, when Shen Mingzhu told Pei Yang about Chen Yi’s infidelity, he became so angry he immediately wanted to rush to the Chen Family’s home to settle the score with Chen Yi.

Shen Mingzhu stopped him, "If you beat up Chen Yi, you might vent your anger, but how will your sister manage her days in the Chen Family afterward?"

"When my sister married him, I told him—if he dared to bully my sister, I would definitely make him search the ground for his teeth."

Pei Yang clenched his fists, which were as hard as iron lumps, his face rare showing anger.

Although he was a big man, he was not rash or impulsive; rather, he was quite capable of keeping his cool.

His emotional outburst at the moment was driven both by anger at the abhorrent things Chen Yi had done and by sympathy for the suffering of his dear sister.

"I’ve already told my sister that our family will welcome her back at any time, and as for the rest, let’s not get involved first."

"I think Chen Yi does want to make amends with my sister, and moreover, my sister might not be entirely void of feelings for Chen Yi."

If she had truly lost all feelings, she wouldn’t care about Chen Yi messing around with someone else.

Perhaps Shen Mingzhu’s consoling had an effect, or maybe it was just that the pent-up frustration was vented, but when Shen Mingzhu visited Pei Wenping two days later, she could unmistakably tell that Pei Wenping’s spirits were lifted and her brows less furrowed, although her face still bore heavy signs of fatigue.

With the end of the year approaching and accounts needing to be settled, as an accountant, Pei Wenping’s workload was not small.

...

As the year drew to a close, Shen Mingzhu was also exceedingly busy. She had to manage the annual business summary, various reports, Spring Festival holiday arrangements, calculation of staff bonuses, welfare provisions, and so on.

Pei Yang was busy as well, spending his days collecting debts and nights entertaining key clients and government officials, always leaving early and returning late.

Considering that people in this era placed great importance on the Spring Festival and the New Year’s Eve dinner, especially married women who would prepare fried fish, meatballs, tofu, and other dishes in advance, Shen Mingzhu moved the holiday up by two days.

Starting from the 27th of the twelfth lunar month until the sixth day of the new year, work would resume.

On the 27th of the twelfth lunar month, all the staff enjoyed a reunion dinner in the canteen. In the afternoon, they received their wages and holiday benefits before happily heading home.

Shen Chaobei was learning to drive with Old Zhu, and Shen Xiangnan was apprenticing with a head chef at a state-owned restaurant. Both brothers would not have their holiday until the Eve of the New Year.

Qin Jinlian was planning to take her two daughters-in-law back to the countryside first.

The night before returning to the countryside, Qin Jinlian, carrying a bag of fruits, came looking for Shen Mingzhu.

"The apartment that your second brother used to rent will be available after the New Year. He and your sister-in-law have no income now, and they will have to raise a child in the future. How about not renting the apartment anymore? It’s a pity for the housing in your family compound to be empty. Why not just lend it to your second brother and sister-in-law?"

Although Shen Mingzhu had guessed that Qin Jinlian wouldn’t have visited without a particular reason, she still couldn’t help but laugh in irritation upon hearing Qin Jinlian’s plan for the old house.

"Mom, is this your own idea, or did my sister-in-law put you up to it?"

Qin Jinlian’s face turned sheepish, "What does it matter whose idea it is? You’ve said it yourself before; the baby in your sister-in-law’s belly is the hope for our Shen Family to carry on the lineage. The room’s empty anyway, she can live there for a year or two, and you wouldn’t lose anything."

Heh, getting rid of them might be easier said than done.

Normally, she, as a younger aunt, should not get involved in her natal family’s affairs. But if Jia Yuemei, confident because of her pregnancy, was eyeing her property, she couldn’t be blamed for fighting back twice as hard.

"Mom, I don’t object to your favoritism towards my second brother, but as a mother-in-law, how come you are always under the thumb of your daughters-in-law? In the past, it was Yang Lizhen, and now it’s Jia Yuemei. As a mother-in-law, being bossed around by your daughters-in-law, aren’t you afraid of outsiders laughing at our Shen Family?"

Qin Jinlian’s face turned red, her lips quivering, "I’m doing this all for the good of the family. Your father and I are getting on in years and still haven’t held a grandchild. Now that you have both a son and a daughter, of course, you aren’t in a hurry."

Shen Mingzhu snorted with laughter. "What’s there to hurry about? My second brother is in the prime of his life, strong and wealthy. With the support of me and my older brother, there are plenty of women willing to marry him and bear his sons."

"There’s also my older brother; he’s only just over thirty this year. Once our family’s conditions improve in a few years, having another child wouldn’t be out of the question. Our Shen Family doesn’t place all our hopes on just my sister-in-law’s belly."

Qin Jinlian stared, dumbfounded, unable to speak for quite some time.

"Mom, you just need to remember one thing—as long as my older brother and second brother are well, our Shen Family won’t lack grandsons. If she wants to give birth, we will recognize the child. If she doesn’t, we’ll make a change. But as a mother-in-law, you must never let yourself be manipulated by your daughter-in-law. To overturn the proper hierarchy spells disaster for a family!"

Shen Mingzhu’s words had effectively opened a new world for Qin Jinlian.

After administering this "eye medicine," Shen Mingzhu continued to advise Qin Jinlian. "You and Dad are of age now, one tilling the land at home, the other up at dawn running a stall to earn money to support her. She’s a capable young person, she can’t be idle all day doing nothing. Once people become lazy, it’s hard for them to become diligent again."

"Living in the city, expenses are everywhere—from food and clothing to housing and transportation. It’s better to go back to the countryside to take care of the pregnancy. Although she can’t do heavy work while pregnant, she can still do light chores like cooking and raising chickens. After the New Year, you should buy her a couple of cages of chickens and a pair of rabbits to raise."

"The chickens will grow and lay eggs, which can be sold for money. Rabbit breeding is quick; in half a year, you can have a whole litter. These are all money-makers. After your sister-in-law gives birth, those old hens can be slaughtered to make soup for her recovery."

Qin Jinlian left, giddy with excitement.

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