The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 598 - 597: The Most Important Thing Is to Love Yourself

Chapter 598: Chapter 597: The Most Important Thing Is to Love Yourself

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"Don’t blame your mom, she and I got divorced,"

Chen Xiaochao froze, and his fork clattered onto the table.

It wasn’t until evening approached that Chen Yi and his son returned home together.

Pei Wenping hesitated, considering how to mend her relationship with her son, when Chen Xiaochao took the initiative to approach her.

"Mom, I’m sorry."

Looking at her uneasy son, Pei Wenping was both surprised and delighted, and she hurriedly said, "It’s okay, let’s eat first, I steamed your favorite cured pork ribs."

"Hmm."

One went to the bathroom to wash hands and the other to the kitchen to serve the dishes, while Pei Wenping happily turned to knock on the door of the second bedroom.

"Xiaolu, come out for dinner."

Waiting a moment with no reply, Pei Wenping reached out to push the door, only to find it was locked from the inside.

"What’s wrong?"

Seeing Chen Yi, who had come up behind her at some point, Pei Wenping said unhappily, "Xiaolu knows about the divorce."

Chen Yi was silent for a while before saying, "I’ll talk to her. You set the table."

Without saying much more, Pei Wenping turned and went to the kitchen.

Somehow, Chen Yi really managed to coax Chen Xiaolu out of her room.

"Come on, eat the ribs while they’re hot; they taste better that way."

Pei Wenping eagerly placed a piece into her son’s bowl and then picked up another piece and placed it in her daughter’s bowl.

Chen Xiaolu unexpectedly pushed her bowl aside, and the shiny, oily pork rib landed on the dining table with a splat.

Chen Xiaochao stared at the rib on the table, utterly perplexed, "What are you doing?"

Chen Yi spoke up immediately after, "Xiaolu, pick up the rib."

With an air of exasperation, Chen Xiaolu picked up the rib from the table and tossed it back onto the plate, then slapped her chopsticks down and stood up after saying, "I’m full," and went back to her room.

The dining room fell into silence.

Chen Xiaochao, completely confused, "What’s gotten into her now?"

"Let’s eat. The dishes will get cold," Chen Yi said.

Chen Xiaochao looked from one to the other and then buried his head in eating the cured pork ribs in his bowl.

The meal ended in a somber atmosphere.

...

"Did mom scold you when we weren’t home?"

In the second bedroom, Chen Xiaochao looked at the taciturn Chen Xiaolu and speculated, "If it’s because I argued with mom, then it’s really not necessary. She must have her reasons for not wanting to go to Shanghai City..."

Chen Xiaolu interrupted him, her head shooting up, "You were right to scold her! She’s just selfish and only thinks of herself!"

Chen Xiaochao was taken aback, then frowned, "Don’t talk about mom like that."

"I will say what I want to say! My mouth is on my face, and it’s none of your business!"

The sound of the siblings’ quarreling drew Pei Wenping into the room, "Xiaolu, Xiaochao, what are you arguing about?"

Chen Xiaochao responded sulkily, "Nothing much."

Chen Xiaolu turned her back to them, lying down on the bed and covered herself with the blanket from head to toe, clearly not wanting to deal with Pei Wenping.

"What happened?"

Chen Yi, who had been washing dishes in the kitchen, also came into the room upon hearing the noise. He looked at his two children and then at Pei Wenping.

"I need to go out for a bit," Pei Wenping said, feeling drained as she turned to leave the room.

"It’s late, where are you going?"

Following her out, Chen Yi showed concern on his face, "I’ll go with you."

"No need, you stay here and look after them."

No sooner had she finished speaking, than Chen Yi grabbed her arm.

Meeting his stubborn gaze, Pei Wenping had no choice but to reveal where she was going, "I’m going to talk to Shen Mingzhu about something, I’ll be back later."

Only then did Chen Yi let go of her, "Be careful on the road."

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After seeing Pei Wenping out the door, Chen Yi returned to the second bedroom.

"What are you two quarreling about now?"

Chen Xiaochao pointed at Chen Xiaolu on the bed, "Ask her. Who knows what’s gotten into her head."

Chen Yi walked over to Chen Xiaolu’s single bed, reaching out to pull back the comforter. Seeing her reddened eyes, he was at a loss for words.

...

"Did I do something wrong?"

Looking at Pei Wenping’s despondent and bewildered expression, Shen Mingzhu’s heart couldn’t help but be a mix of conflicting emotions.

She herself had once been deeply affected by her parents’ divorce, and even now, that impact had not disappeared.

But the twins were luckier than she had been. Even though Pei Wenping and Chen Yi had divorced, they still tried hard to fulfill their duties as parents.

"Big sister, many things can’t be simply categorized into right and wrong. The matters of the world are always fraught with dilemmas, and we are ordinary people unable to satisfy everyone."

"But I firmly believe that loving others must begin with loving oneself. A good mental outlook, a healthy body, sufficient finances—these are all indispensable foundations for survival."

"Indulging children unconditionally will only nurture their selfish, egotistic, and arrogant characters. I think you can have a serious talk with the kids, teaching them to distinguish right from wrong and to understand, respect, and be tolerant."

...

Pei Wenping didn’t get home until half-past ten.

Chen Yi was sitting on the couch quietly reading a book, apparently waiting for her.

"Call Xiaolu and Xiaochao out. I have something to say."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yi hesitated, "Does it have to be now? It’s late, they are probably asleep..."

Under Pei Wenping’s deadly glare, Chen Yi closed his mouth and got up to knock on the door of the second bedroom.

Under normal circumstances, she certainly would have taken the children’s rest into consideration and not disturbed them.

But her conversation with Shen Mingzhu had been enlightening.

She hadn’t failed her children in any way. In fact, she had almost gone to the gates of hell to give them life.

If her concessions and indulgence could only be repaid with complaints and blame, then she was sorry, but she wouldn’t be serving them anymore.

The two children were quickly called out.

"Mom, what’s all this about?"

Chen Xiaochao yawned, his tone full of dissatisfaction.

By contrast, Chen Xiaolu was silent and calm, but deliberately avoided eye contact with Pei Wenping, clearly still holding a grudge.

Pei Wenping looked at the two children, took a sip of honey water to soothe her throat before she began—

"I divorced your father because he had an affair."

Chen Xiaolu suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief as she looked at Chen Yi.

By comparison, Chen Xiaochao seemed much calmer.

That afternoon, at the cafe, Chen Yi had told him the truth.

Moreover, he and Chen Yi had privately agreed not to tell Chen Xiaolu about it and that he would help Chen Yi save their marriage.

But unexpectedly, Pei Wenping had brought the secret out into the open, and he felt somewhat at a loss.

"Dad, is what mom said true?"

Chen Xiaolu was shocked and hurt.

She knew only that her parents had divorced, but she hadn’t expected the reason to be Chen Yi’s infidelity.

"It’s my fault. I am to blame for the divorce," Chen Yi admitted, plainly.

Chen Yi’s frankness dealt a heavy blow to Chen Xiaolu, and it made her feel ashamed for having been at odds with Pei Wenping.

Pei Wenping continued, "I chose to hide the truth because I didn’t want you to be affected, but I’ve realized I was wrong. You are not little anymore. You should know the truth and learn to discern right from wrong."

Chen Xiaochao couldn’t help but intervene on behalf of Chen Yi, "Mom, please forgive dad just this once. He knows he made a mistake."

Chen Xiaolu also rapidly looked up, her tone pleading, "Mom, can you give dad another chance? Even though dad did something wrong, we are still a family, aren’t we? Shouldn’t we give him a chance to show tolerance and to make amends?"

Pei Wenping looked calmly at the two children.

"You can’t force me to forgive your father, just as I won’t force you to forgive friends who have hurt you. But as your mother I will try my best to provide you with the care and love you deserve. I can only promise you that I will visit you in Shanghai City every month."