The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 372 - 371: When You’re Out, You Earn Your Own Respect

Chapter 372: Chapter 371: When You’re Out, You Earn Your Own Respect

Liang Xiaowen’s face flushed with anger as she shouted at Zhao Yun, "You pushed me and made me hit my head on the bookshelf!"

Zhao Yun was not to be outdone, "You even pinched Guoguo’s face red."

Shen Mingzhu wasn’t in the mood to listen to the siblings quarreling and walked upstairs to see her daughter.

In the study, Guoguo was curled up obediently in her brother’s arms, having stopped crying but still sobbing intermittently.

Her long eyelashes, like crow’s feathers, were adorned with glistening teardrops, and her pretty, pale face was streaked with tears. Her eyes, watery like washed grapes, almost cried out again upon seeing Shen Mingzhu enter.

"Mommy~"

The milky voice with a crying tone melted Shen Mingzhu’s heart.

She tenderly hugged her daughter, consoling her while asking what had happened with the twins and her son in the study.

Chen Xiaolu explained the situation.

The plastic building blocks were a complete set, usually enough for Guoguo to play with on her own, but not enough when Chen Xiaolu and Liang Xiaowen joined in.

Guoguo and Liang Xiaowen were fighting over a block, and Guoguo accidentally knocked over Liang Xiaowen’s block model. In a fit of anger, Liang Xiaowen reached out to pinch Guoguo’s face.

"Mom, I’m sorry, I failed to protect my sister."

Seeing her son’s frustrated and guilty face, Shen Mingzhu comforted him, "It’s okay, it’s not your fault."

...

By the time Shen Mingzhu carried her daughter downstairs, the living room had returned to its earlier harmony, with some enjoying tea and others chatting idly.

Seeing Shen Mingzhu holding the child, Pei Wenping stood up and offered her own armchair.

But Shen Mingzhu did not take the seat Pei Wenping had vacated; instead, she carried Guoguo over to Zhou Hui and her daughter.

"Xiaowen."

Liang Xiaowen, who had been leaning boredly on Zhou Hui, looked up unconsciously when Shen Mingzhu called her name.

Shen Mingzhu began, "Guoguo knocked over your toy, and I apologize on behalf of Guoguo."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Hui hurriedly smiled and said, "Oh Mingzhu, you are too polite. It’s inevitable for kids to have a little scrap when they play together. It’s nothing really."

Shen Mingzhu simply smiled and didn’t bite at Zhou Hui’s words, her gaze still on Liang Xiaowen, "Xiaowen, Guoguo is younger than you. If she does something wrong in the future, come to me and I will ensure justice for you, but you must not hit her. Can you promise Auntie that?"

Liang Xiaowen pursed her lips, looking dissatisfied.

"Xiaowen, your Aunt Mingzhu is talking to you. Answer her."

Hearing her husband’s interjection, Zhou Hui hurriedly tugged at her daughter, "Xiaowen, apologize to Guoguo."

Perhaps too proud to lose face, Liang Xiaowen huffily turned away, burying her face in Zhou Hui’s embrace.

Zhou Hui, holding her daughter, gave an awkward laugh, "This child, usually so well-behaved, must be feeling wronged today."

Zhao Yun walked over directly and picked Liang Xiaowen up by the arm.

"Apologize to Guoguo!"

With her face turning beet red, Liang Xiaowen struggled fiercely, "Let go of me!"

"You have the nerve to bully others but not the guts to admit your mistake, don’t you? Liang Xiaowen, aren’t you ashamed?"

"Mom!"

"Xiaoyun, let go for now."

Hearing her daughter’s plea for help, Zhou Hui couldn’t help but speak up.

Zhao Yun let go of Liang Xiaowen with annoyance and turned to Shen Mingzhu, "Aunt Mingzhu, I apologize on Xiaowen’s behalf to Guoguo. Don’t worry, Guoguo is my sister too, and I’ll be there. No one will bully her as long as I’m around."

Zhao Yun’s words indeed had the bearing of a big brother, but they also made Liang Xiaowen seem ill-bred.

Zhou Hui’s expression soured.

Shen Mingzhu also didn’t want to escalate the situation, so she nodded, and the matter was settled.

However, Zhou Hui was not pleased and couldn’t help but complain to Zhao Dafa upon returning home.

"Mingzhu can really make a big deal out of nothing," someone sighed. "It’s perfectly normal for children to have a little tiff while playing, yet she had to blow things out of proportion. Right in front of so many people, she didn’t leave us any dignity. To think she’s a boss, such a narrow-minded person will never accomplish anything great."

Zhao Dafa spoke in a nonchalant tone, "Out in the world, one has to earn their own respect. If the child has done something wrong, they must be taught a lesson. In this regard, you should learn more from the sister of the Shen Family."

"Whenever Xiaoyun misbehaved in the past, I would go straight for the belt. It’s different with Xiaowen, as she’s a girl, so it’s not appropriate for me to hit her. But as her mother, you need to discipline her. Don’t let her develop a bad character at such a young age."

Zhou Hui was already fuming because Shen Mingzhu had made it difficult for her and her daughter to save face, and to top it off, her husband sided with Shen Mingzhu, leaving her even more upset.

But she had no choice but to listen to what Zhao Dafa said.

So frustrating.

"Xiaowen."

Zhou Hui walked into her daughter’s room. "Come on, go apologize to your Mingzhu auntie."

Liang Xiaowen was already feeling unhappy due to the unpleasantness at the Pei Family’s place. She felt a blockage in her heart and her eyes instantly reddened upon hearing Zhou Hui’s words.

"I won’t go, I just won’t!"

Seeing her daughter’s distress, Zhou Hui felt incredibly pained as well.

She gently embraced her daughter and coaxed, "Xiaowen, mom knows you feel wronged, but we can’t make Uncle Zhao unhappy. Without Uncle Zhao, we wouldn’t be able to live as well as we do now. Have you forgotten what Uncle Zhao promised you? Once you get into middle school, he’ll buy you a big house. We just have to endure until your mom and Uncle Zhao get the marriage license."

Zhao Dafa might have been fond of Zhou Hui, but he wasn’t a man blinded by desire.

His idea was that both parties should live together for two years to see if they could get along. If they did, they would get the marriage license; if not, they would part ways.

As for the grand wedding, that was just to give Zhou Hui face, so she wouldn’t be the subject of gossip.

Shen Mingzhu learned accidentally from Zhao Yun that Zhou Hui and Zhao Dafa hadn’t gotten the marriage license, so she couldn’t be bothered with Zhou Hui’s various little schemes.

Under Zhou Hui’s persuasion, Liang Xiaowen had no choice but to dry her eyes and go to the Pei Family to apologize.

...

After sending the mother and daughter away, Pei Yang returned to the living room and saw Shen Mingzhu sitting on the couch, carefully applying a hot towel to the red spots on her daughter’s skin to reduce the bruising. Seeing her gloomy face, he approached to offer solace, "Zhou Jie already brought Xiaowen over to apologize, are you still angry?"

Shen Mingzhu gave him a sidelong glance, "It’s not your child, so of course you don’t feel the pain!"

"How come it isn’t my child? Guoguo is my daughter, my own flesh and blood."

"Aside from providing a seed, what else did you contribute?"

Pei Yang: "..."

Pei Ziheng stepped forward to pat Shen Mingzhu on the back to soothe her, "Mom, don’t be angry, getting angry will give you wrinkles."

Pei Yang, quick on the uptake, followed his son’s lead and stroked Shen Mingzhu in the right direction, "If you don’t like them, just keep your distance in the future. Ziheng, make sure you look after Guoguo from now on—don’t let Liang Xiaowen come anywhere near her."

"You’re only good at bossing your son around. What good are you as a father?"

Knowing that Shen Mingzhu was speaking out of anger and her words were not meant to be taken to heart, Pei Yang naturally didn’t take it personally.

"I’ll go boil some water and give Guoguo a bath later. She’s been crawling around on the ground all day and is covered in dirt."

"Mom, I will protect Guoguo in the future, don’t be angry any more," the son said.

Seeing her considerate and understanding son, Shen Mingzhu felt her anger dissipate by half and drew him close, "Good boy, Mommy isn’t angry anymore."

Pei Ziheng nestled in her arms, his dark eyes sparkling.

He would stand up for his sister, and he couldn’t bear to see his mother angry.

Liang Xiaowen!

...

When Zhou Hui arrived home, she saw Zhao Dafa getting ready to leave and secretly nudged her daughter.

Liang Xiaowen cleverly ran forward, "Daddy!"

Zhao Dafa looked at the mother-daughter pair while putting on his shoes, "Did you go out?"

"I went to apologize to Mingzhu auntie and Guoguo. Daddy, I know I was wrong and I won’t bully Guoguo anymore."

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