The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 483 - 482: Then Go Die!

Chapter 483: Chapter 482: Then Go Die!

Seeing that she was awake, Liu Cuihua said, "I was just about to call you, let’s go."

Shen Baolan’s mind was fuzzy as she asked subconsciously, "Go where?"

"To Shen Mingzhu’s house, to apologize to her."

"I won’t go!"

Shen Baolan’s mouth rejected the idea faster than her brain, and only after refusing did she come to her senses, "Why should I apologize to her?"

Liu Cuihua looked at her, "Back when you had the matchmaking, you caused her to fall into the ditch. It’s time you apologized to her and put this matter to rest."

This was by no means a glorious affair. In the family, only mother and daughter Liu Cuihua and Shen Baolan knew about it, while Shen Dashan and his son Shen Hao were both unaware.

Even though the story that Shen Baolan had plotted to make Shen Mingzhu fall into the ditch had spread through the village over the years, she never admitted it.

If she didn’t admit it, it was as if she hadn’t done it.

Now, Liu Cuihua had torn off her fig leaf and brought the matter into the open, inevitably making her uncomfortable.

It was bad enough that her own family knew, but to make her admit to such a shameful act and apologize to Shen Mingzhu’s family was absolutely out of the question.

"I won’t go!"

Shen Baolan reiterated her stance.

But Liu Cuihua was not going to indulge her. She grabbed her and started to drag her outside, "You have to go even if you don’t want to. I’ve already talked to people about it, and the village chief is waiting there too."

When she heard that the village chief was also there, Shen Baolan was even more unwilling to go.

"Brother, brother! Save me!"

She clung to the door frame and called out to Shen Hao for help.

Shen Hao had always doted on his sister Shen Baolan ever since they were young, and he couldn’t help but intercede, "Mom, Baolan has always been at odds with Shen Mingzhu. Forcing her to bow down to Mingzhu is worse than killing her."

Shen Baolan agreed, "Exactly, I’d rather die than bow to Shen Mingzhu."

"Fine, then go die!"

Liu Cuihua suddenly lost her temper and delivered a loud slap across Shen Baolan’s face.

The entire family was stunned.

Shen Baolan herself was dazed and cupped her face, unable to recover for a long time.

Liu Cuihua pointed at her, "If you’re really tired of living, you might as well go to the back mountain, find a tree, and hang yourself. That will end it all. I’m too tired to deal with you!"

"Look at yourself, you’re already twenty-five years old, causing trouble every day. When will you ever give people peace of mind?"

"Look at Shen Mingzhu. You two grew up eating the same rice and drinking the same water. Why can she lead a prosperous life while you can’t just settle down?"

Tears of grievance began to fall from Shen Baolan’s eyes.

She herself wanted nothing more than to lead a good life, but she didn’t have the luck of Shen Mingzhu, and there was nothing she could do about it.

"I’ll ask you just one thing. Do you still want to live this life or not?"

Shen Baolan couldn’t hold back her cries anymore, "Of course I do, I’m still so young, my Yuanbao is still so little, I haven’t even had a good life yet..."

Liu Cuihua stepped forward and grasped her, "If you want to live, then come with me to apologize to Shen Mingzhu. Let’s settle the old affairs, and from now on, you two can keep to yourselves, leading separate lives."

Shen Baolan didn’t dare not to go.

If she dared to say no, Liu Cuihua would give her another slap.

Shen Mingzhu’s house was bustling. Apart from Qin Jinlian and her husband and the village chief Shen Dequan, there were also many villagers who had heard the news and came to watch the excitement.

In front of so many people, Liu Cuihua was forthright.

"Jinlian, the incident of Mingzhu falling into the ditch years ago was Baolan’s doing. Today, I brought her here to apologize to your Mingzhu."

With those words, dozens of eyes simultaneously turned to Shen Baolan.

Shen Baolan felt so ashamed and humiliated she wished she could bury her head in the ground.

Qin Jinlian had been in a covert and overt struggle with Liu Cuihua for a lifetime. For the first time, Liu Cuihua was bowing down in front of her, and Jinlian felt as refreshed as if she had drunk iced sour plum soup on a scorching summer day.

"Cuihua, your Baolan truly has a vicious heart, the water in that ditch is one and a half meters deep. It was only by the grace of God that my Mingzhu survived."

Shen Mingzhu lowered her eyes, thinking to herself that the Lord hadn’t actually blessed your daughter.

Liu Cuihua wasted no more words, turning to grab Shen Baolan, "Today, in front of everyone, apologize to Shen Mingzhu, and let’s put this matter behind us."

"Quickly, don’t make me hit you!"

Under Liu Cuihua’s threat, Shen Baolan had no choice but to bow her head to Shen Mingzhu.

"I’m sorry."

Shen Mingzhu: "Sorry to whom? Speak clearly."

Baolan glared at her with red eyes, "Don’t push people too far."

Shen Mingzhu sneered, "Who is pushing whom? Baolan, you’ve never experienced the taste of nearly drowning in your life, have you?"

"Baolan, you were wrong in this matter. Apologize properly to Mingzhu."

The village head spoke up, and the onlooking villagers began chiding Baolan one after another.

Shenjiagou is situated amid mountains and forests, severely lacking water resources, and most people don’t know how to swim.

Baolan’s plot to make Mingzhu fall into the water was no different from attempted murder.

Unable to withstand the pressure, Baolan had no choice but to swallow her pride and admit her mistake to Mingzhu, "Shen Mingzhu, I’m sorry, it was me who caused you to fall into the water that year."

Seeing Baolan admitted her fault, the village head turned to Mingzhu to mediate the situation.

"Mingzhu, this incident happened so long ago, and Baolan has apologized for her wrongdoing, let’s just let bygones be bygones."

Mingzhu looked at Baolan: "I have witnesses, and with everyone here today, I could easily sue you for attempted murder. But for the sake of coming from the same village, I’ll let you off one last time. Baolan, if you do this again, my hand won’t be so lenient."

Baolan left, ashamed, and ran out.

Liu Cuihua didn’t go after Baolan; instead, she turned to Mingzhu, "Shen Mingzhu, I’ve done what you asked for, don’t forget what you promised me."

Mingzhu hadn’t had the chance to respond when Qin Jinlian grew anxious, "What did you promise her?"

Mingzhu nodded to Cuihua, "Tell Baolan to wait for me at the village entrance. I’ll be there shortly."

With that, Liu Cuihua left.

The village head and the villagers also gradually dispersed.

Fearing her daughter might be disadvantaged by Cuihua, Jinlian pulled Mingzhu to ask, "What exactly did you promise Liu Cuihua?"

"It’s nothing."

"You..."

Jinlian still wanted to press for answers, but was silenced by the photograph Mingzhu took out.

"This, this is Zilong?"

Jinlian looked at the toddler in the photo, both shocked and overjoyed.

"I visited Rongcheng in March and specially asked my older brother for a one-year-old photograph of Zilong, so you can keep it as a memento."

Jinlian ran to Jianguo with a beaming smile, "Old man, look, doesn’t Zilong look great? He’s the spitting image of Chaobei."

Jianguo nodded continuously, delighted.

The old couple were so captivated by their grandson’s photograph that they didn’t notice Mingzhu’s departure.

By the time they realized, Mingzhu was long gone.

...

At the village entrance, under the crooked-neck jujube tree.

Baolan glared at her, her eyes reddened, her face filled with humiliation and defiance.

"Shen Mingzhu, you must feel very smug."

Mingzhu looked indifferent, "Baolan, you have a good mother. Your mother has been fiercely competitive all her life, barely equal with my mother, but for your sake, she was willing to put aside her pride and dignity to apologize to my mother, all so that you could live well."