The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 630 - 629: If You Can Scold, Then Scold a Bit More

Chapter 630: Chapter 629: If You Can Scold, Then Scold a Bit More

Shen Mingzhu embraced the man’s fuzzy head and teased, "Did you come back specially to check on me?"

Pei Yang glared at her, "Saying that, did your conscience get eaten by Fugui?"

Fugui from the doghouse: What does this have to do with a Wang Xing person?

"... I drove over three hundred kilometers home tonight, thinking about coming back to accompany you, comfort you, but look at you, you went out on your own to find happiness, and even found less..."

Shen Mingzhu tiptoed, silencing the other’s incessant chatter with her mouth.

It wasn’t until the patrol car’s lights came this way that the two separated.

Pei Yang’s heart full of grievances was neatly smoothed out by Shen Mingzhu’s kiss, but his mouth remained tough: "Don’t think I won’t settle the account with you just because of this."

Shen Mingzhu wrapped her arms around his waist, tilting her face up, her tone carrying a hint of appeasement, "I’m hungry."

Under the not so bright streetlights, the man’s eyes shone astonishingly.

One could tell he was thinking crooked thoughts, Shen Mingzhu was both annoyed and amused, "I mean my stomach is hungry, what are you thinking?"

Pei Yang eyed her, humming sleazily in a low voice, "What do you think I’m thinking?"

At this moment, the patrol car arrived close by, casting an ambiguous and mischievous glance at the clingy couple.

Shen Mingzhu, with slightly warm cheeks, pushed the man, "Let’s go, have some late-night snacks nearby."

"You go out to have fun, and you don’t even bother to eat?"

Though his mouth was sour, his feet honestly dragged her towards the direction where the late-night food stalls were set up.

"Didn’t find any, just took a peek."

"Heh." Pei Yang scoffed, "A glance isn’t enough, you wanted to hug and embrace too?"

"I don’t want to, if I’m going to hug and embrace, it would be you I hug and embrace."

As she spoke, one arm snaked around his waist, the other wrapped in front of his belly, looking up at him with a radiant smile.

"Don’t start with that routine."

He complained with his words, but his face showed enjoyment.

Men!

Shen Mingzhu chuckled inwardly, unable to resist looking up at the starry sky.

The summer night was deep and quiet, stars twinkling as if whispering secrets unknown to man, calming one’s heart.

A breeze carried the refreshing sweet scent of gardenia.

Shen Mingzhu took a deep breath, glancing around, "It smells so good, someone’s gardenias are blooming."

Pei Yang also sniffed, puzzled, "Isn’t this the night jasmine?"

"Night jasmine and gardenia have different scents."

"I think they’re pretty much the same."

Shen Mingzhu didn’t bother to argue with him, smelling the flowers, gazing at the beautiful starry sky, feeling the cool evening breeze, enjoying the tranquil summer night.

Although it was already one in the morning, there were still many food stalls selling late-night snacks.

The couple found a beef noodle stall, run by a husband and wife around fifty years old.

The husband took care of boiling noodles and seasoning, while the wife handed out bowls and cleaned tables.

They worked in harmony, full of the atmosphere of everyday life.

Shen Mingzhu had eaten at this stall many times and was considered a regular customer of the couple.

While eating, she listened to the couple’s household talk.

Both were genuine farmers, concerned about the harvest, when they could build a new house, getting their children settled in life, and hoping to hold grandchildren soon.

The myriad states of human life, the multitude of emotions, each with their own worries and joys.

A bowl of hot beef noodles filled the stomach, the heart no longer feeling empty.

On the way back, Shen Mingzhu looked at the tall man beside her, unable to resist calling out to him.

"Pei Yang."

"Hmm, what’s up."

"Thank you."

Pei Yang turned around and looked at her, "Thank me for what?"

Shen Mingzhu thought for a moment, "Thank you for having not changed over all these years and still willing to stay by my side."

She had once believed that friendship was more reliable than men, but reality had repeatedly slapped her in the face.

Pei Yang gripped her hand tightly, the lines and warmth in his palm providing her with comfort.

"Everyone has their own path; not to mention friends, even our own children will eventually leave to seek out their new world. Let them be, and face it calmly."

This was probably the difference between men and women.

When facing major life changes, men often behave more rationally and steadily, whereas women tend to be more emotional and reactive.

She understood all this, but the emotions deep in her heart were difficult to let go of.

"Pei Yang, when I’m forty and Guoguo has gone to college, let’s retire and travel the world."

"Sounds good. But, are you sure you can retire at forty?"

"Of course, I can."

Shen Mingzhu did not hesitate; retiring at forty to travel the world was also a dream of hers in her previous life.

In this life, she definitely wanted to achieve it.

...

The next day, after finishing work in the morning, Shen Mingzhu arranged to have lunch with Pei Wenping and also discussed Shen Hongmei’s thoughts and requirements.

"Is she out of her mind? What does she want to do, huh?"

Looking at Pei Wenping who was fuming, throwing chopsticks and slapping the table, Shen Mingzhu said faintly, "Big sister, why are you so angry? Didn’t you advise me to be more generous yesterday?"

"Whatever I said yesterday was bullshit!"

"..."

So harsh, she even cursed herself.

Shen Mingzhu silently poured some tea for her, "Have some tea, calm down, don’t let the anger ruin your health."

Pei Wenping took a big gulp and slammed the teacup on the table, "I originally thought she was just feeling wronged and needed a way out, but it turns out, she’s nothing good at all!"

"She knows you can’t hold your liquor, yet she still invited a bunch of people to force drinks on you. Does anyone do things like that?"

"I think she’s really gotten carried away. She’s got a little bit of money in her pocket and forgot her own last name! If it weren’t for you fighting to vouch for her, she’d still be in the countryside, married off to a buck-toothed old bachelor named Tian and working the fields!"

"When she was being bullied by the Liang Family, how did you stand up for her? Her future, her marriage, what haven’t you arranged for her? Frankly speaking, you’ve been more concerned about her than her own father; an ungrateful white-eyed wolf!"

If you’re going to curse someone, might as well curse a little more.

Shen Mingzhu nodded as she listened, and picked up a chicken wing to gnaw on.

"You’re still eating!"

Shen Mingzhu was scolded inexplicably, "I can’t just stop eating because of her, can I?"

Seeming to think there was sense in her words, Pei Wenping pushed an entire plate of roast chicken in front of her, "Eat up, have more!"

Shen Mingzhu moved the roast chicken to the middle of the table, "Let’s eat first, the dishes will get cold."

"I don’t want to eat, I’ve had my fill of anger!"

Shen Mingzhu could only try to convince her, "I’m not even angry, so why are you? Actually, if you think about it, what she said isn’t wrong. I helped her willingly, and if I expected her to work in the factory for life out of gratitude, that would be moral bondage."

"Nonsense, does she even have any morals? If she really had the ability, she would have brought it up openly that she wanted to branch out on her own. Who would have stopped her?"

"She kept quiet before because she didn’t want to bear the reputation of being ungrateful, but then she tried to pin the blame of kicking over the bridge after crossing the river onto your head. Does she think everyone else is blind to her scheming? Isn’t she just playing the whore while setting up the memorial arch?"

In fact, if Shen Hongmei had come to talk to her privately about this matter, not only would Shen Mingzhu have not hindered her, but she would have helped her as much as possible.

But Shen Hongmei had chosen exactly this critical moment to leave.

Everyone would think it was her, the boss, who lacked compassion and drove away Shen Hongmei, the "meritorious official."

"Big sister, I want to ask you something."

Pei Wenping glanced at her, "What is it?"

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