The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 346 - 345 Divorce

Chapter 346: Chapter 345 Divorce

Jia Yuemei had intended to retreat to her room for some peace, but Qin Jinlian’s voice was too loud; she could hear everything clearly even indoors.

Especially when Qin Jinlian cursed the whistleblower with never being able to bear a son, it agitated her deeply.

She certainly wasn’t infertile; the son in her womb was surely to be born, with the blessing of the Buddha.

The family planning office had paid a visit today, so her eldest brother and sister-in-law surely wouldn’t dare to have a second child.

Then the son in her womb would be the only grandson of the Shen family.

With this thought, Jia Yuemei’s heart felt a bit lighter.

Qin Jinlian cursed until evening before she stopped and went home.

Jia Yuemei appeasingly made Qin Jinlian a bowl of sweet soup, "Mom, have some sweet soup to soothe your throat. If my sister-in-law can’t have another baby, there’s still me. Don’t worry, I will definitely give you a grandson."

Qin Jinlian was probably still angry and didn’t show her any friendliness.

"Yuemei, you went back to your parent’s house yesterday. You didn’t tell anyone about your sister-in-law having a second child, did you?"

Jia Yuemei’s heart skipped a beat and she quickly denied it.

Qin Jinlian mentioned it casually without any real suspicion towards Jia Yuemei; she suspected it was the work of a few women in the village who didn’t get along with her.

Liu Cuihua was the prime suspect.

She had been a bitter rival of Liu Cuihua for many years, watching as her son and daughter achieved great success and earned lots of money; that Liu woman must be green with envy and would resort to such underhanded measures.

The angrier she thought, the angrier she became.

Qin Jinlian slammed the bowl onto the kang bed, "This isn’t over, I will continue cursing tomorrow!"

Jia Yuemei’s heart sank, but she tried to persuade, "Mom, calm down, you’ve been cursing all afternoon. Don’t make yourself sick."

"You don’t tell me what to do; go cook."

Jia Yuemei had no choice but to dejectedly head to the kitchen.

The next day, after breakfast, Qin Jinlian went straight to Liu Cuihua and demanded whether it was her who reported them.

Naturally, Liu Cuihua denied it, and instead she ridiculed Qin Jinlian, saying she got what she deserved.

The two quarreled for the whole day.

Each cursed more filthy than the other; it was comical that both were cursing the whistleblower.

Qin Jinlian was angry at the accuser for their despicable actions, while Liu Cuihua was upset for being wrongly accused.

The instigator Jia Yuemei could only hide in her room, enduring the unpleasant curses while worrying about being exposed, feeling like she was sitting on pins and needles.

The only consolation was that Du Juan had expressly stated she was not having a second child.

At least her scheming wasn’t for naught.

...

After tidying up her place, Du Juan took Daya to Shen Mingzhu’s house and told her about everything.

Upon reflection, Shen Mingzhu said, "Just have someone pass a message to Director Wang’s sister, let her come to our food factory and try working for a couple of days. If she’s competent, she can stay; if not, she’ll have to go."

Du Juan hesitated, "Wouldn’t this be breaking the rules?"

"Rules are made by people. Just arrange for her to work in the canteen, help with cooking and cleaning. Being literate or not doesn’t really matter there."

Du Juan nodded.

After the holiday, Shen Mingzhu took Pei Wenping to the hospital for a full examination.

Suspecting an issue with Pei Wenping’s lungs, Shen Mingzhu specifically added a targeted CT scan of the lungs.

Three days later.

The results came back: it was breast cancer.

Shen Mingzhu received the results while Pei Wenping was at work.

When she received a phone call from Shen Mingzhu and learned that she had breast cancer, Pei Wenping felt the world spinning around her.

"How could it be a tumor? I had an examination last year and everything was fine. There were just nodules and the doctor said it was normal and nothing to worry about."

Looking at the confirmed diagnosis on the report, even the usually stalwart Pei Wenping couldn’t stop herself from crying uncontrollably.

She was just thirty years old.

She didn’t want to die and couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her two children behind.

Having just experienced her husband’s betrayal and now faced with health issues, even the strongest women couldn’t withstand such a crushing blow.

"Sister, don’t panic, let’s get a pathology test done first. Maybe it’s benign," Shen Mingzhu consoled her.

Under Shen Mingzhu’s comfort, Pei Wenping’s emotions gradually calmed down.

"Mingzhu, let’s not tell the family about this for now."

Shen Mingzhu could understand Pei Wenping’s thoughts—she simply didn’t want her loved ones to worry and be afraid with her before the final results were out.

To ensure that the examination results were absolutely reliable, Shen Mingzhu took the initiative to contact Yan Su.

With deep connections in the medical field, the Yan Family was able to arrange for Pei Wenping to have a pathological examination at the most authoritative provincial tumor hospital, thanks to Yan Su’s arrangement and help.

A week later, the pathological examination results were in.

The good news was that the tumor was benign.

The bad news was that the tumor was relatively large, with the potential to become malignant at any time, and surgery to remove it was imperative.

Shen Mingzhu immediately notified Pei Yang and Chen Yi.

Pei Yang was the first to come home; he looked at the examination report for a long time, unable to bring himself to believe it.

Their mother had suffered from breast cancer and never fully recovered after surgery, passing away within a couple of years.

And now, it was his elder sister’s turn.

Chen Yi arrived at the Pei Family home late in the evening due to work commitments.

As soon as he entered, he received a solid punch from Pei Yang, and before he could react, Pei Yang had pinned him to the ground and was beating him fiercely.

Although Pei Wenping was filled with hatred for Chen Yi’s betrayal, seeing him being beaten still made her step forward, unable to bear it, and try to break up the fight.

"Pei Yang, stop hitting him!"

Shen Mingzhu also stepped forward to help pull Pei Yang away.

Although Pei Yang stopped, the look he gave Chen Yi was as ferocious as a wild beast’s, tinged with angry red.

"If anything happens to my sister, I won’t let you off!"

"What happened?"

Chen Yi picked up his glasses that had fallen to the ground, put them back on, and looked confusedly at the three of them.

Shen Mingzhu took out the examination report and handed it to Chen Yi, "Our eldest sister was just diagnosed with a breast tumor."

Chen Yi stared at the examination report for a long time, sitting motionless on the ground.

"The doctor said one of the causes of this disease is long-term depression," said Shen Mingzhu.

Upon hearing Shen Mingzhu’s words, Chen Yi suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with shock and panic.

...

With Yan Su’s help, Pei Wenping underwent surgery at the provincial tumor hospital, personally operated by an authoritative expert in the field of tumors.

The surgery went smoothly.

Chen Yi took leave from work and carefully took care of Pei Wenping’s every need at her bedside, including her meals and personal hygiene.

In the eyes of others, Chen Yi was undoubtedly an exceptionally devoted and considerate husband.

However, the more he showed tender affection, the more his past betrayal became like a fishbone in Pei Wenping’s throat.

She could neither swallow it nor spit it out.

On the evening of the day she was discharged and returned home, Pei Wenping asked Chen Yi for a divorce.

No matter how fiercely the two had argued in the past, both had tacitly never mentioned divorce.

This was the first time.

But Chen Yi knew Pei Wenping was serious.

He didn’t ask why, just silently took off his glasses, set them on the table, and wept silently, with his head in his hands.

"Wenping, is there really no chance for us to make amends?"

Pei Wenping, with tears in her eyes, refused to look at him.

Asking for the separation was her idea, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t in pain.

From the age of twenty to thirty, she had spent the most beautiful years of her life with this man by her side.

She, too, had once thought that their life together would end in growing old side by side.

But reality dealt her a staggering blow.

"I didn’t ask for a divorce before because of the child, but now, I want to be selfish for once—I want to live a few more years."

"Chen Yi, I’ve let you go, so please let me go too."

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