The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 663 - 662: Birthday Gift

Chapter 663: Chapter 662: Birthday Gift

"Honey, you’ve struck it rich."

After glancing at the man with an unclear meaning, Shen Mingzhu closed the brocade box lid, placed it in the innermost part of her handbag, zipped it up, and handed the handbag to the man.

"Keep an eye on it. If you lose it, I’ll chop you up."

Pei Yang hugged the handbag tightly, secretly delighted by his wife’s trust in him.

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll run off with it?"

Shen Mingzhu gave him a sidelong glance, smiling but not quite, "Then you’d better run fast and not let me catch you, or I’ll break your legs."

Pei Yang leaned in close to her, his tone slightly lewd, "Honey, which leg are you going to break?"

"All three of them."

"..."

So vicious!

After exchanging a few quips, both of them felt considerably more at ease.

Shen Mingzhu looked out the porthole; the blue sky was as clear as if washed, the tumbling sea of clouds ethereal like a fairy sea. Yet even such a magnificent scene seemed slightly inferior compared to the gift in the brocade box.

La Shiran’s gift to her was the Ocean’s Tear stolen from the jewelry store.

The reason for its name was because this diamond’s quality was comparable to the world-famous Heart of the Ocean, only differing in carat weight.

The Heart of the Ocean was a full 45 carats, whereas the jewelry store’s Ocean’s Tear was only five carats.

But even though this Ocean’s Tear was far from the Heart of the Ocean, it was still extremely valuable to an ordinary person like her.

Her trip to Ao City was originally to thank La Shiran, but she ended up swiping a massive diamond from her instead.

What a fiasco.

But then again, why not do it a few more times~

...

"Mommy, this blue crystal is so beautiful, is it a birthday gift you prepared for me?"

Turning her head, Shen Mingzhu saw her daughter sitting at the vanity, holding the Ocean’s Tear she had found in her bag, her face beaming with joy.

She walked over and gently patted her daughter on the back, "How many times have I told you, don’t sit on the table."

After being scolded, Pei Tang obediently returned to her seat on the makeup stool, holding the Ocean’s Tear in her small hands.

Under the bright light, the deep blue gem refracted a pure and dazzling brilliant light, so beautiful it was indescribable.

"Mommy, is this my birthday gift?"

Their daughter took after her, especially those watery apricot eyes, which looked as if they were carved from the same mold as hers.

Facing her daughter’s adoring gaze and bright smile, she always melted, wishing she could give her the best of everything in the world.

"Do you want this as your birthday gift?"

Pei Tang nodded eagerly, like a pecking chick, "Yes! It’s so pretty, just like the stars in the sky."

"Alright then, this will be your birthday gift for this year, but I can’t give it to you just yet."

"Why not?"

"It’s easy to lose if you just carry it around. Wait until Mommy buys a necklace to string it on, then you can wear it around your neck without losing it."

Pei Tang immediately gave the diamond back to her with a smile, "Then, Mommy, remember to pick a beautiful necklace for me, one that’s shiny."

"Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re satisfied."

"Thank you, Mommy, I love you!"

Using her hands and feet, she stood on the stool, hugged Shen Mingzhu, and kissed her several times on both cheeks, as happy as if she owned the whole world.

The happiness of a child is so simple and pure; a pretty stone can bring them immense joy and happiness.

...

Late at night, Shen Mingzhu sat on the sofa reading a magazine, with Demu lying at her feet, his fluffy tail occasionally wagging.

Before long, Demu suddenly lifted his head, and the next second, he happily bounded out with his tail wagging.

Shen Mingzhu glanced at the wall clock and was just about to close her book when she heard the sound of the courtyard door being unlocked.

Pei Yang entered the living room with the dog and, upon seeing Shen Mingzhu on the sofa, his eyes lit up with a hint of surprise.

"Waiting for me?"

Shen Mingzhu propped her head up and looked at him, "Have you finished with everything?"

After changing his slippers, Pei Yang sat down beside her, leaning his tall frame against her, and complained, "You don’t even care if I’m tired or hungry."

The man’s scent of sweat was strong, but within what she could tolerate.

"Didn’t mom and dad make you a good meal tonight?"

"They did, mom cooked a duck, but it wasn’t tasty, too salty."

Shen Mingzhu understood.

In the countryside without refrigerators, to prevent leftover food from spoiling overnight, dishes were often made saltier.

She put on her slippers and headed to the kitchen, with Pei Yang following her step by step.

She set a small pot of water to boil and took some noodles out of the cabinet.

"Just having noodles?"

Seeing him being picky, Shen Mingzhu lost patience, "Then go pick a cucumber and bring it in, I’ll make you a cold noodle salad."

"Alrighty."

Pei Yang returned quickly with a plump, pale cucumber in his left hand and a not-quite-ripe tomato in his right, biting into it without even washing it first.

"Delicious!"

Shen Mingzhu took the cucumber to peel it, remarking, "Of course it’s delicious; it was just fertilized this evening."

Pei Yang was startled, hurriedly spat out the tomato, turned on the tap to wash it while joking with himself, "What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger."

Shen Mingzhu snickered and asked about the errand he had run back in town.

"Don’t worry about my tasks, I arranged everything just as you said. I made a big arch with balloons at the entrance, it looked really pretty..."

Pei Yang’s task today was to decorate the apartment in town for his daughter’s birthday party tomorrow.

It was also a promise he had made before the family went on their trip.

"Delicious! The noodles you make are always so fragrant."

Watching him hunch over and wolf down the food, Shen Mingzhu couldn’t help but say, "Go eat at the dining table, and I’ll show you something."

"Sure."

Pei Yang immediately carried his bowl of noodles outside.

Shen Mingzhu quickly retrieved a jewelry box from the room and placed it on the table in front of him.

"What do you think of this necklace?"

As Pei Yang continued to chew his noodles, he scrutinized the Ocean’s Tear inside the jewelry box, "You actually turned it into a necklace? Aren’t you afraid Guoguo will lose it?"

Shen Mingzhu proudly took back the jewelry box, hooking her finger around the blue crystal pendant on the necklace and playing with it, "It seems my craftsmanship isn’t too bad; even you didn’t recognize it."

Pei Yang realized, "Oh, this one’s fake?"

"What else?"

Only if she were out of her mind would she let her daughter wear a real diamond worth millions.

"I bought the blue crystal at the jade market, had it cut and drilled, and then went to the jewelry store to match it with a silver chain. It cost less than two hundred in total."

Hearing her, Pei Yang took another serious look at the necklace, "Quite a bargain; it’s almost like the real thing."

"Of course."

As Shen Mingzhu was contently placing the necklace back into the box, Pei Yang continued to eat his noodles and teased, "Maybe we should get someone to make a necklace out of that real thing as well, for you to wear?"

Shen Mingzhu had indeed entertained the idea, as which woman wouldn’t like a beautiful and pure diamond?

But she worried that wearing it out might attract unnecessary trouble and danger if someone knowledgeable recognized it, so after much consideration, she decided to keep it in a bank’s safe deposit box, intending to use it as a wedding gift for her daughter in the future.

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