The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 507 - 506: What You Can’t Get Is Always the Best

Chapter 507: Chapter 506: What You Can’t Get Is Always the Best

Zhao Dafa nonchalantly rested the water cup on the tea table and directed Zhao Yun, "Go, dilute it with some cool water, it’s too hot."

"That’s a different price."

Zhao Dafa was startled and bent over to take off his shoes when Zhao Yun quickly hid behind the fish tank with the arowana.

"A gentleman uses his mouth, not his hands. If you damage your precious fish, don’t blame me."

Glaring at the arowana he had raised for three years, Zhao Dafa was so angry he put his shoes back on. "I’ll take you to buy a motorcycle tomorrow."

Zhao Yun then obediently went into the kitchen, fetched a large soup basin, poured the honey water into it, and after swaying it in front of the fan for a few moments, the water cooled down.

After drinking the water, Zhao Dafa finally felt much better and began to wonder what great news his son was about to share, but then reconsidered, knowing if he asked, his son would certainly try to wheedle some pocket money off him.

So he leaned back on the sofa and pretended to doze off.

Zhao Yun did indeed have that plan, waiting for Zhao Dafa to initiate the conversation, but once Zhao Dafa drank the water he just went to sleep.

Being a teenager in his early teens, he simply couldn’t keep the news to himself or stay calm much longer.

"Boss Zhao, don’t you want to know how Aunt Hongmei is doing?"

"What, is she getting married? When?"

Zhao Dafa, with his eyes closed, feigned indifference, but his heart inexplicably tightened.

The more he thought about it recently, the more regretful he felt for not having acted sooner.

What you can’t have always seems the best.

Had Shen Hongmei remained unattached, he would probably continue to waver and feel torn, but now that Shen Hongmei had someone, he felt an immense sense of regret and melancholy.

"What marriage? It’s off."

Zhao Dafa immediately became interested and opened his eyes. "Go on, tell me everything."

Zhao Yun was just about to make a gesture asking for money when Zhao Dafa tossed his wallet right over, "You take it yourself, go on with the story."

Zhao Yun was thrilled, his mouth skewed with delight, and without any hesitation, he began to tell Zhao Dafa the details of Shen Hongmei’s breakup with Liang Kean—

"...The Liang Family despised Aunt Hongmei for being a country girl and for her age, and they disagreed with the marriage."

Having said that, Zhao Yun joyfully opened the wallet, ready to take his "reward."

Zhao Dafa didn’t bother with his son, sitting on the sofa thinking about the situation.

Naturally, he was pleased that Shen Hongmei and Liang Kean hadn’t worked out.

But he was ten years older than Shen Hongmei, would she also deem him too old?

...

Pei Yang woke up in the middle of the night, not too concerned by the absence of someone beside him, but after waiting for a while and still not seeing Shen Mingzhu come in, he got out of bed, slightly worried.

Leaving the room, he followed the dim light to the kitchen, and from afar, through the open kitchen door, he saw a woman in white standing disheveled in front of the stove, stirring vigorously in a pot with a wooden spatula. His heart skipped a beat at the sight, but he then quickly realized it was his wife.

"What are you doing in the dead of night?"

"Making something to eat."

Pei Yang reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear so it wouldn’t be so scary to look at in the middle of the night.

After doing so, he glanced at the pot, "Perfect, I’m hungry too, what are you making?"

Shen Mingzhu glanced at him, "It’s not for you."

"Even if it’s not for me, I still want some."

"Then you’ll have to wait until daybreak."

Pei Yang was none too pleased to hear that, "Shen Mingzhu, are you ignoring me so completely now, not even making me food? Don’t you love me anymore?"

Shen Mingzhu was extremely tired and in a terrible mood. Hearing this, she rolled her eyes at him, "It has to be refrigerated and set before it can be eaten."

Pei Yang chuckled sheepishly, hugging her waist and trying to cozy up, "Why get up to make it at midnight when you could do it tomorrow? It’s so hard on you."

"I promised Guoguo, but I got busy and forgot about it yesterday."

She only remembered in the middle of the night and, not wanting to break her promise to her daughter, had reluctantly gotten out of bed despite her exhaustion to make it.

"I’ll help you, is there anything I can do?"

"No need, you go back to bed, I’ll be done soon."

He had just finished speaking when he let out a big yawn.

Seeing her so sleepy that her big eyes had turned into slits, Pei Yang couldn’t go to sleep at ease and began to wash and drain the bowls, knives, and cutting boards while keeping her company.

...

The next day, Shen Mingzhu, as usual, knocked on Pei Ziheng’s door first, and after getting a response from Pei Ziheng, turned to knock on Guoguo’s bedroom door.

Usually, when she knocked on her daughter’s door, her daughter would cheerfully invite her in, but today it was silent and still.

Shen Mingzhu pushed the door open a crack and called gently to the small mound on the bed, "Guoguo, time to get up."

"Little lazy pig?"

"Sweet Guoguo?"

After calling out several times and not getting an answer, she just saw the blanket move a bit underneath.

Shen Mingzhu walked to the bed with a smile, bent down to lift the blanket, and saw her daughter with her head buried and bottom in the air, clearly upset.

"Guoguo?"

Hearing her call, Guoguo peeked out with half her red cheek, not sure whether she was more angry or sulky.

Her little mouth was pouting so much it could probably hang a bottle, and she said indignantly, "Don’t want to talk to you!"

"Why not?"

"Mommy is a liar!"

After saying that, she buried her head again and even turned around, presenting her bottom to Shen Mingzhu to demonstrate her annoyance.

Shen Mingzhu poked at it with her finger, finding it soft and quite bouncy, an excellent feeling.

"Not talking to Mommy for real?"

"Mommy feels so sad."

Guoguo turned her head, her eyes bulging and she was visibly angry, "You lied to me first!"

"What did Mommy lie to you about?"

Guoguo sat up abruptly, her two soft little hands akimbo on her plump waist, "You said you’d make me something tasty, but you didn’t do it! Liar!"

"I did make it."

"No, you didn’t!"

"I really did, I put it in the fridge. Didn’t you see it?"

Guoguo paused, her voice much less assertive than before, "When did you make it?"

Shen Mingzhu, of course, wouldn’t say she only remembered to do it last night.

"I did it quietly and put it quietly in the fridge; I wanted to surprise you."

"I, I didn’t open the fridge yesterday, you told me not to play with the fridge."

By the last sentence, her little mouth turned up in a pout.

Shen Mingzhu lovingly stroked her head, "Guoguo is so good, keeping the promise you made to Mommy. Do you still remember what Mommy told you?"

Guoguo nodded, "The fridge isn’t for playing; it’s for keeping food and fruits and vegetables fresh. If you keep opening it, the cold air will escape, and everything inside will rot and spoil. Eating spoiled food can give you a stomachache and make you sick, and being sick means you have to take medicine and get shots."

"That’s right, exactly. Mommy allows you to go open the fridge now to see what tasty treats Mommy made for you."

"Okay!"

Guoguo jumped out of bed immediately and started running toward the door with her bare feet.

"Put on your shoes."

No sooner had Shen Mingzhu reminded her than Pei Ziheng picked Guoguo up at the door, holding her in his arms.

"Brother, Mommy made something tasty; it’s in the fridge. Let’s go look!" she said while kicking her legs eagerly, not wanting to wait even a second longer.

"Little glutton."

Pei Ziheng affectionately pinched her nose and greeted Shen Mingzhu before carrying the child downstairs.