The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 557 - 556 Brawl

Chapter 557: Chapter 556 Brawl

"This old lady, are you referring to me as the ’decrepit old man’?"

Upon hearing the voice, the Liang Family mother and daughter turned their heads to see a middle-aged man clad in neatly arranged attire, exuding a composed demeanor.

The man was dressed in a finely tailored suit and leather shoes, with his hair neatly combed, looking every bit the wealthy businessman.

Madam Liang was typically a bully who feared the strong, and her tone immediately dropped by several notches.

"I was cursing at this shameless piece of trash here. It has nothing to do with you."

Zhao Dafa walked over to Shen Hongmei, took her hand, and said in a calm voice under the astonished gazes of the Liang Family women, "She’s my girlfriend. Insulting her is equivalent to insulting me, so how could it possibly not concern me?"

Madam Liang, shocked, stared at Zhao Dafa and blurted out, "Wasn’t it said to be some decrepit old man?"

Liang Xiling was also stunned by Zhao Dafa’s youthfulness.

Of course, Zhao Dafa wasn’t exactly young either, but compared to the decrepit old man she had imagined, he was much better.

And upon closer inspection, Zhao Dafa was quite handsome too.

She would have been willing if he had sought to date her.

Thinking this, Liang Xiling’s gaze towards Shen Hongmei filled with a touch of jealousy.

Despite Shen Hongmei’s age and being a woman of loose morals, she still managed to find such a good man.

Whereas she was younger and a virgin, with neither a job nor a romantic partner.

So infuriating!

"As you can see, I am indeed a few years older than Hongmei, but calling me an old man should be a bit of a stretch."

"Furthermore, old lady, I think the words ’shameless’ fit the Liang Family even better."

"Although Hongmei was once associated with the Liang Family, the marriage didn’t go through. We can hardly be called friends. Yet, your family doesn’t behave like strangers – with your sister coming over to seek job help, and your brother, who discarded her but now wants a second chance. The thick-facedness of the Liang Family is unparalleled in my experience."

Zhao Dafa’s words provoked laughter from the surrounding crowd.

Shen Hongmei couldn’t help but burst into laughter herself.

While laughing, she looked at her hand firmly grasped by Zhao Dafa, feeling an indescribable sweetness and security in her heart.

For the first time in her life, she was fiercely protected by a man, and it felt truly wonderful.

Madam Liang was so angry she nearly twisted her mouth, "Looking at you, you seem to be a respectable man, but why is your tongue as waggy as a woman’s?"

In saying this, she pointed at Shen Hongmei, held by Zhao Dafa’s hand, "Do you think you’ve found a treasure? Pffft, I urge you, open your eyes wide and see clearly. Don’t end up with some dubious woman in a haze, and wear a giant green hat without even knowing it!"

"Exactly!" Liang Xiling said maliciously, "Uncle, don’t be fooled by her. She’s been messing around with men since she was a teenager and even had an abortion. My brother didn’t want to date her precisely because he found out about this – that’s why she turned to you..."

"Slap!"

Liang Xiling covered her face, staring at Shen Hongmei in disbelief, "How dare you hit me."

"It is you I hit! If you dare spew rubbish from your mouth again, I’ll slap you even harder!"

Shen Hongmei was never one to take bullying lying down; her ferocity even intimidated Liang Xiling.

However, Madam Liang was protective of her own, and upon seeing her daughter slapped, she screamed and lunged toward Shen Hongmei.

Shen Hongmei didn’t show any weakness either.

The two of them started to fight.

You pulled my hair; I scratched your face.

Liang Xiling and Zhao Dafa also joined the fray, each helping their respective ally.

The restaurant staff surrounded them in an attempt to break it up, laughing so hard they could barely pull them apart.

"You shameless bitch..."

"You’re the shameless old hag! And you’ve raised a whole nest of shameless little bitches..."

Madam Liang cursed foully, but Shen Hongmei retorted to every insult without losing ground, angering Madam Liang to the point of fury.

It wasn’t until the local police station received a report and arrived at the restaurant that the four-person brawl finally came to an end.

The manager didn’t even wait for the officers to ask, he laid out the situation truthfully.

After understanding the situation, the police decided to charge Liang Family’s mother and daughter with provoking trouble, intending to take them back to the station for punishment.

Since the restaurant was the party that called the police, Liang Family’s mother and daughter were considered trespassers causing a disturbance.

Liang’s mother and Liang Xiling were stunned at this point.

"What about her? She was the first to hit someone, and she called me an old whore," Liang’s mother pointed at Shen Hongmei and complained indignantly.

Liang Xiling nodded in aggrievement, pointing to half of her bruised face for the police to see.

"Look, she’s the one who hit me."

The officers looked for a long time but couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Since all four had just been in a scuffle, their faces bore more or less signs of injury, making it impossible to tell who was hit by whom.

Shen Hongmei was not to be outdone, showing her neck and arms covered in scratch marks, which, to be honest, looked a bit more serious than Liang Xiling’s injuries.

"They were the ones who started this, not only did they use foul language, but they also splashed dirty water on me."

"Bullshit! Which part did we get wrong? Do you dare to say you haven’t messed around with men, haven’t had an abortion?" Liang’s mother cursed.

Shen Hongmei sneered, "I’m in a proper relationship with someone. How does that become messing around when it comes out of your mouth? By that logic, your son also dated in the past; was he also messing around with someone?"

"Pshaw, you think you can compare to my Kean? Which respectable girl gets pregnant before marriage? Everyone agrees, right?"

The scene was met with silence.

The patrons of the upscale restaurant were all decent people of status and open-minded by nature. Even if they looked down on premarital pregnancy, they would not voice such unpleasant opinions openly.

Seeing no one echoing her, Liang’s mother, unable to contain her anger, once again spilled Shen Hongmei’s shameful secrets to the police.

"Officer, let me tell you, this woman is no good..."

Zhao Dafa wanted to step forward to stop her, but Shen Hongmei grabbed him.

"Let her speak!"

"...This kind of slut, who knows how many men she’s slept with in secret? You tell me, doesn’t she deserve to be cursed, to be hit?"

The officer, not an ignorant onlooker, quelled Liang’s mother with a rhetorical question.

"What’s it to you what she does with her life?"

Liang’s mother was at a loss for words: "I, I just can’t stand people like her."

Shen Hongmei let out a cold laugh before speaking, "Had enough? It’s my turn now."

"I’d like to ask the police, as well as everyone present, to be my witnesses. This old woman has disclosed and spread my private information, and she’s slandered and spread rumors about me messing around, seriously damaging my reputation and personal dignity. I’m going to sue her!"

"Yeah right, as if I’m afraid of you. Just go ahead and sue me, see if the judge gives a damn."

Liang’s mother was uneducated and knew even less about the law; thus, she had yet to realize the severity of the situation.

But Liang Xiling understood the law. She knew that if Shen Hongmei truly sued in court, their Liang Family would not be able to walk away unscathed.

"Mom, stop talking!"

Liang Xiling tried to downplay the seriousness of the situation, "Shen Hongmei, I won’t hold a grudge about you hitting me. After all, you didn’t suffer any loss today, so let’s just leave."

With that, she tried to leave with her mother.

"Hold it right there. Did I say you could leave?"

Liang Xiling argued, "Don’t think you’re the only one who can sue. I can sue you, too!"

"Suit yourself. I’ll accompany you to the end! You Liang Family members have repeatedly slung mud at me, even fabricating rumors. I will not compromise, nor is there any possibility of reconciliation."

"Who’s afraid of you anyway!"

Liang’s mother’s tone was defiant, but it was clear she no longer spoke with much conviction.