The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 337 - 336: Second Child

Chapter 337: Chapter 336: Second Child

After dinner, Qin Jinlian went straight back to the residential compound.

After cleaning up the dishes, Du Juan checked the time and seeing it was still early, locked the door, and took Daya with her to visit Shen Mingzhu’s home.

As she passed downstairs, she made a special trip to tell Jia Yuemei that the food was kept warm in the pot and to go up and eat if she was hungry.

Jia Yuemei didn’t make a sound, either out of disinterest or spite.

...

When Du Juan and her daughter arrived at the Pei Family’s home, Shen Mingzhu and Pei Ziheng were eating dinner.

Zhao Dafa was treating a few colleagues to dinner tonight and had invited Pei Yang along.

Under Pei Ziheng’s guidance, not only had Zhao Yun learned a lot of manners, but his academic performance had also improved steadily.

This made Zhao Dafa extremely happy; bringing Pei Yang along to expand some connections was his way of showing gratitude to the couple.

Little Guoguo was lying in the crib, playing joyfully with a Barbie doll.

Du Juan bent down to amuse her for a bit before picking her up and heading to the sofa.

Daya sat quietly by the sofa, her big eyes unwaveringly fixed on the Barbie doll in Little Guoguo’s hands, her face full of longing and envy.

For a child from the countryside, a high-end toy like a Barbie doll is like an expensive diamond displayed in a showcase, admired but unattainable.

Whether it was because she had grown tired of it or she understood Daya’s envious look, Little Guoguo handed the Barbie doll to Daya.

"Ah ah."

Little Guoguo couldn’t speak yet and could only make sounds like "ah" and "oh."

Daya didn’t understand, nor did she know Little Guoguo’s intentions, and could only retreat uncertainly.

Since Du Juan was experienced with children, she smiled and teased Little Guoguo, "Guoguo wants to give the doll to sister to play with, right?"

"Ah~"

"Then shall I give the doll to sister?"

Trying to take the Barbie doll from Little Guoguo’s hands, Du Juan handed it to her daughter.

Daya accepted it with shock and care, gently touched the Barbie doll’s hair, and was about to give it back to Little Guoguo straight away.

Just touching it was enough to satisfy her.

"Ah ya~"

Little Guoguo waved her tiny soft white hand and pushed the Barbie doll towards Daya again.

"Guoguo wants you to play with it for a bit longer, say thank you to Guoguo."

"Thank you, Guoguo."

Little Guoguo giggled, though it was unclear what she was laughing at.

After finishing her meal, Shen Mingzhu put down her chopsticks and rose to walk over to the sofa.

Daya, seeing Shen Mingzhu coming, instinctively wanted to give the Barbie doll back to Little Guoguo.

"If little sister gives it to you, just play with it," Shen Mingzhu said with a smile.

Daya nodded, her cheeks flushed, and continued to play with the Barbie doll in her hands, her movements very careful, afraid of causing any damage.

While holding Little Guoguo, Du Juan told Shen Mingzhu about Jia Yuemei refusing to eat out of spite.

"... Mom had dinner and went back to the residential compound without consoling Yuemei. I knocked on the door before coming over here, but she ignored me. I don’t know what the matter is."

Shen Mingzhu didn’t hide anything and told Du Juan about Qin Jinlian coming to her that afternoon.

"... Seeing her being idle these days, I suggested to Mom to find her something to do, like going back to the countryside to raise chickens or rabbits, to earn some milk money at least."

"That’s a good suggestion, why is she upset?" Du Juan asked.

"Never satisfied," Shen Mingzhu replied.

Du Juan didn’t say much else, and while playing with Little Guoguo, her eyes showed nothing but love for the child.

After a while, she raised her head, looking at Shen Mingzhu’s beautiful and lustrous face, hesitant and uncertain.

"Mingzhu, Mom mentioned something during dinner. She asked me and Chaobei whether we want to have a second child."

Shen Mingzhu asked back, "Do you want to have another?"

Du Juan smiled bitterly, "The fine for having an extra child is not light."

Hearing this, Shen Mingzhu felt she understood the situation.

"Sister-in-law, the family was too poor to afford it before, but now the situation has changed. If you and my brother have any thoughts of it, you should plan early."

"However, I have to say this upfront: we’re both women and know how hard it is for a woman to survive in this world. No matter if your second child is a boy or a girl, you can’t neglect or be unfair to Daya."

Daya stopped playing with her doll and stared blankly at the adults talking.

Although she was not yet five years old, she was precocious and vaguely understood what the adults were saying.

Mama is going to have a little brother or sister for her.

Du Juan pulled her daughter in front of her and sincerely promised Shen Mingzhu, "Mingzhu, rest assured, whether I have a son or daughter in the future, I will never be partial. I’ll be fair to all."

Shen Mingzhu felt relieved, stood up, and took out the clothes she had bought for Daya.

A bright red floral cotton-padded jacket, black corduroy cotton pants, and a pair of cotton shoes.

Such a set of winter clothes was considered top-notch in rural areas, enough to make an entire village of children envious to tears.

"Mingzhu, you’ve spent too much. There was no need to buy clothes for the child; she has plenty of clothes. Last year, her aunt also gave her a lot of old jackets."

"What she has is hers, and this is my sentiment as her younger aunt."

Shen Mingzhu pulled Daya to her side and tried the clothes on her on the spot. If any did not fit, they could be exchanged at the store the next day.

"The clothes seem a bit large, and the pants are somewhat long; Daya hasn’t grown much this year, has she?"

Du Juan said, "It’s okay if they’re a bit big; she can wear them for another couple of years."

Shen Mingzhu nodded, "Alright, let’s keep it like this then."

In addition to Daya’s new clothes, Shen Mingzhu also bought new cotton-padded jackets for Qin Jinlian and Shen Jianguo, asking Du Juan to take them back as well.

Although she found Qin Jinlian rather annoying, Shen Mingzhu would not neglect her filial duties and give people a reason to gossip.

...

When Du Juan returned home with Daya, she saw the door open and thought her husband had come back.

But when she lifted the curtain to look, it was Shen Xiangnan and his wife.

Jia Yuemei was eating noodles, a hot steaming bowl topped with two golden eggs.

The noodles were a bit hot; Jia Yuemei blew on them to cool them down while eyeing the two big packages in Du Juan’s hands.

"Did Sister-in-law go shopping? You bought so much."

Du Juan replied, "It’s Mingzhu who bought new jackets for Mom and Dad; she asked me to take them back tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Jia Yuemei lost her appetite for the noodles, curious to see the good things that Shen Mingzhu had bought for the elders.

Du Juan let her look through them; her eyes then fell on the table: "Wasn’t there food left in the pot? Why did you cook noodles?"

Shen Xiangnan explained with a smile, "Yuemei wanted to eat noodles, so I made them for her. The other food will be left for me to eat in the morning."

Du Juan nodded, without further comment.

Shen Xiangnan learned his craft in the kitchen of a restaurant, and all three meals of the day were provided there.

Jia Yuemei couldn’t be bothered to cook for herself, so she usually joined Du Juan for meals. She and Qin Jinlian, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pair, gave ten yuan a month for living expenses.

Actually, ten yuan for both of them wasn’t enough.

Jia Yuemei ate eggs every day; with vegetables, meat, grain, oil, rice, flour, etc., Du Juan had to subsidize quite a bit each month.

But she didn’t quibble too much, considering the meal costs for Qin Jinlian were covered by her and Shen Chaobei. The ten yuan alone for Jia Yuemei wasn’t far off the mark.

"Why is there another floral cotton jacket?"

"My younger aunt bought it for me."

Before Du Juan could speak, Daya rushed to announce it, her young face brimming with joy and happiness.

"Sister-in-law, your younger sister treats your Daya really well."

Detecting a hint of sourness in Jia Yuemei’s tone, Du Juan replied, "When the one in your belly is born, Mingzhu will treat it equally."

Jia Yuemei murmured, "Well, that remains to be seen; your younger sister has always favored you and my brother."

While Du Juan generally disliked arguing, Jia Yuemei’s words caused her to become cold.

She could bear some blame and injustice, but she wouldn’t allow her younger sister-in-law to be unfairly labeled as partial.