The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 348 - 347: Outing

Chapter 348: Chapter 347: Outing

"Mom, did you buy another new house?"

Pei Ziheng’s delicate, snow-white little face was reddened by Shen Mingzhu’s kisses, and his dark eyes shone with joy and happiness.

He knew that his mother’s greatest wish was to buy a big house.

Now that his mother’s wish had come true, he was also very happy for her.

Shen Mingzhu shook her finger, "It’s not that Mom bought another house, it’s that Mom bought a house for you."

"My dear son, this house is a birthday present from Mom. Do you like it?"

Pei Ziheng was completely stunned, his small face full of disbelief.

His mother had bought him a house?

Shen Mingzhu had anticipated Pei Ziheng’s reaction and, feeling extremely good, pinched his tender cheek, "Come on, put on your jacket, and I’ll take you to see your birthday present."

Today was Saturday, no need to go to school.

While Pei Ziheng went upstairs to put on his jacket, Shen Mingzhu also found a little cotton-padded jacket and cotton shoes for her daughter to wear for going out.

Spring had begun, the temperature was gradually warming up, and there was fresh greenery everywhere, making it the perfect season for an outing.

Shen Mingzhu planned to take both children, call over Zhao Yun and his siblings, as well as Pei Wenping and her three children, to go on an excursion and celebrate her son’s birthday.

To make the trip more convenient, Shen Mingzhu had also specifically rented a van.

In the trunk of the car, they put a pot, a gas stove, clean water, and cut meat and vegetables, ready to set up a hotpot in the wilderness for lunch.

By the time Pei Ziheng was dressed, Zhao Yun and Liang Xiaowen had arrived.

To Shen Mingzhu’s surprise, Zhou Hui had also come along.

Shen Mingzhu had only intended to bring Zhao Yun, not even Liang Xiaowen.

But as Liang Xiaowen was Zhao Dafa’s stepdaughter and usually followed Zhao Yun around, she would have come along even if Shen Mingzhu hadn’t invited her, so it was better to invite her openly.

As soon as she entered, Zhou Hui joked with a laugh, "I came without being invited, to join you on the outing. You don’t mind, do you?"

With things said to this point, Shen Mingzhu naturally greeted her with a smile.

"Zhou Sister is joking. It’s livelier with more people. I thought you had to work today, so I didn’t call you."

"I happen to have the day off today."

"That’s great, once my older sister arrives, we can set off."

Shen Mingzhu had originally planned to take Pei Ziheng to see the new house, but with Zhou Hui’s arrival, she did not want to take Zhou Hui and her daughter to see the new house and felt it was inappropriate to leave Zhou Hui and her daughter alone at home. So, she decided not to go just yet.

After sitting for a short time, Pei Wenping arrived with the twins.

Before Shen Mingzhu had a chance to speak privately with Pei Wenping about the house, Chen Xiaochao started making a fuss.

"Auntie, auntie, we saw the big house you bought for Ziheng on our way here, it’s so beautiful! When my dad makes big money, I will also ask him to buy us one!"

Zhou Hui immediately asked, "Mingzhu, you bought a house for Ziheng? What kind of house? Where is it?"

With things as they were, Shen Mingzhu had no choice but to lead everyone to see the new house.

"The original owner hasn’t moved out yet, so let’s just stand outside and look for now. When the house is vacated, I’ll take you all inside for a tour."

Zhou Hui observed the house, her face not hiding her shock and envy.

Perhaps it was a woman’s nature, but since marrying into the Zhao Family, Zhou Hui always loved to compete unofficially with Shen Mingzhu, who was also a stepmother.

She always thought she had married better than Shen Mingzhu.

Although they lived on the same street, the Zhao Family was considerably stronger than the Pei Family in wealth, status, connections, and many other aspects.

Zhao Dafa could easily earn tens of thousands or even more from a single project.

After she married Zhao Dafa, he even bought her a motorcycle, while Shen Mingzhu only had a bicycle.

All these things had always given her a sense of superiority over Shen Mingzhu.

But the house she was looking at now had shattered her sense of superiority into pieces.

"Mingzhu, how much did you spend on this house?"

"Over ten thousand a pop."

Upon hearing the price, Zhou Hui was not overly surprised; houses on this street started at least at ten thousand.

She looked at Shen Mingzhu’s beautiful, fair face, with a look in her eyes that was indescribably complex.

"You’re really willing to spend, aren’t you? A house worth more than ten thousand, and you bought it without batting an eye. I really didn’t see it coming, your family’s financial strength is so formidable."

Her words carried a hint of sarcasm. Pretending to sigh, Shen Mingzhu responded, "In truth, I’m just puffing up my cheeks to look fat. I’ve used up all my savings and borrowed quite a bit, and I’m still short."

"Luckily, the homeowner isn’t moving out until next month, so I have time to slowly gather the funds."

Zhou Hui fell silent right away.

She was probably worried Shen Mingzhu might ask to borrow money from her.

...

After viewing the house, Shen Mingzhu drove the van, taking a carload of people on a trip to the countryside.

In this era, traffic control wasn’t strict, and unless there was an accident, no traffic cops would check if you had a driving license.

Zhou Hui and Pei Wenping were curious about Shen Mingzhu’s ability to drive, which she claimed to have learned while playing with Zhong Qing.

The destination for the outing was Riyue Lake.

Ever since her first visit to the Ning Family, she had thought about bringing the kids here to play when she had the time.

Shen Mingzhu chose a flat area not too close nor too far from the lake to park the car. Using trees from the forest, she set up a sunshade with fine hemp rope and waterproof canvas, put up a folding table, and took out all kinds of prepared snacks and fruits.

Although the scenery was beautiful, being close to the water’s edge came with certain risks.

Shen Mingzhu asked Zhou Hui to watch Zhao Yun and the other children, to prevent them from falling into the water or wandering off and getting lost.

She and Pei Wenping took care of Little Guoguo while getting the stove going.

Pei Ziheng spread out a foam moisture-proof mat in a sunny spot for Little Guoguo to sit on and play. He watched over her, holding a piece of apple flesh for Little Guoguo to gnaw on.

Last month, Little Guoguo started teething, and up until now, two tiny milk teeth like grains of rice had sprouted on her pink lower gums.

"Guoguo, are apples tasty?"

"Ah~"

"Call me brother; call me and I’ll give you some."

"Aiyah!"

Seeing the apple flesh held high, Little Guoguo became so anxious she waved her arms and legs about, almost standing up.

"Say brother."

"Ah!"

As Little Guoguo pouted on the brink of tears, Pei Ziheng looked down, his dark eyes glistening under the bright sunlight overhead.

His tone was doting, yet carried a tinge of obsession, "Call brother, and the apple is yours."

Apparently annoyed, Little Guoguo raised her little paw and gave Pei Ziheng’s face a smack.

Pei Ziheng’s complexion was coldly pale, and the slap left a red mark on his left cheek.

Shen Mingzhu quickly came over, intending to say a few comforting words to her son, only to see her son gently blow on the little meaty paw that was causing the trouble.

"Did that hurt?"

Shen Mingzhu: Who hit whom, exactly???

Little Guoguo wasn’t aware she’d done something wrong and was focused solely on grasping the apple in Pei Ziheng’s hand.

This time, Pei Ziheng didn’t tease her any longer, smilingly handed the apple back to her.

Having gotten the apple back, Little Guoguo took a bite, but since she couldn’t really chew, she gnawed slowly with her milk teeth, sucking out the juice.

Crouched in front of the siblings, Shen Mingzhu gently scolded her daughter, "Guoguo, how can you hit your brother? If it happens again, I’ll smack your little butt, do you hear me?"

"Mom, don’t scold Guoguo."

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.