The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 679 - 678: The Theft Storm

Chapter 679: Chapter 678: The Theft Storm

"Pei Tang, wait for me!"

At the school entrance, Pei Tang was heading inside when Xun Sishi called out and ran after her.

Pei Tang looked back but did not stop.

It wasn’t until they were almost at the classroom that Xun Sishi finally caught up with her, a bit unhappy, "I told you to wait for me, why didn’t you wait?"

"I was afraid of being late. Whatever you want to say, you can say it inside the classroom just the same."

Xun Sishi grabbed her, "Don’t go in yet, I have something for you."

As she spoke, she took out a small piece of cake wrapped in wax paper from her crossbody bag and handed it to her.

"Here, this is pea pasty, it’s really tasty. My uncle bought it from the Capital for me!"

"Thanks, but no need, I can’t have sweets, they make my teeth hurt."

After speaking, she opened her mouth and pointed to her decayed tooth to show her.

Xun Sishi stared earnestly at her decayed tooth for a while, then put the pea pasty back into her bag with a sympathetic tone, "You’re really pitiful, no wonder you don’t bring snacks anymore, it’s because you can’t eat them. How about this? You still bring them and give them to me to eat, my teeth are really good, I’m not afraid of cavities."

Pei Tang rolled her eyes secretly and said directly, "I won’t bring snacks to school anymore. Otherwise, I’ll keep thinking about snacks and won’t be able to concentrate in class. You should also eat less snacks, and eat more rice to grow healthy."

After saying that, seeing Xun Sishi pouting her mouth, unconvinced, Pei Tang couldn’t be bothered to say more and turned to enter the classroom.

Back when they were in kindergarten, Xun Sishi always used various excuses to ask for her candies and cakes.

For example, claiming to love the chocolates from Mingzhu Square but they were too expensive and her mother couldn’t afford to buy them for her.

Inheriting Shen Mingzhu’s soft-hearted nature, Pei Tang would always bring chocolates from home to give to Xun Sishi now and then.

She was young back then, naive, believing that friends should share everything among themselves.

But this summer’s birthday party had thoroughly opened Pei Tang’s eyes to the problems with Xun Sishi.

Xun Sishi was greedy, of course, that wasn’t a big problem; Pei Tang too had indulged, turning herself into a little chubby girl.

But Xun Sishi didn’t just overeat, she was always asking her for this or that.

The pea pasty she gave her today was not a sincere offer to taste, but with the intention of wanting something from her in return.

With someone like Xun Sishi, it would be best to just be ordinary friends from now on.

...

After school, her deskmate Su Tong and the girl sitting in front invited Pei Tang to walk home together.

Pei Tang readily agreed.

Unlike Xun Sishi, Su Tong and Ruan Xuexue never asked her for anything, and they talked about studies or fun things when they played together; these were the kind of classmates worth being good friends with.

The three of them, hand in hand, had just stepped out of the school gate when they ran into Han Xiuxiu.

Han Xiuxiu attended another elementary school that was just across the street from Pei Tang’s school.

"Pei Tang."

"What?"

Pei Tang certainly hadn’t forgotten about Han Xiuxiu snatching her crystal necklace at the birthday party and did not show her a friendly face.

"I have a secret to tell you."

"I don’t want to listen!"

Without another word, Pei Tang lifted her foot to leave but was grabbed by Han Xiuxiu.

"Let go! What do you want?"

Su Tong and Ruan Xuexue quickly surrounded Pei Tang like bodyguards, afraid that she would be bullied by Han Xiuxiu.

Cui Lianying, who had come to pick up Pei Tang after school, also approached, concerned, asking what had happened.

Seeing a parent present, Han Xiuxiu had no choice but to let go and allow Pei Tang to leave.

"Pei Tang, is that your classmate? She’s been following us."

Pei Tang turned her head and saw, indeed, it was Han Xiuxiu.

Seeing how persistent the other party was, she straightforwardly turned around and walked back, "Han Xiuxiu, why aren’t you going home after school? Didn’t your mom come to pick you up?"

Han Xiuxiu didn’t answer but looked at Cui Lianying a few steps away and said, "Pei Tang, I have a secret to tell you, come with me."

Pei Tang had no choice but to follow her behind a tree.

"Here you go."

Looking at the two old man heads Han Xiuxiu handed over, Pei Tang’s cat-like apricot eyes widened in astonishment, "Where did you get so much money from?"

Pei Tang’s shock greatly satisfied Han Xiuxiu’s vanity, and she smugly said, "Never mind that, I want to buy your crystal necklace!"

She was still thinking about her necklace, it seemed.

Pei Tang rolled her eyes, "I’m not selling it! Besides, do your parents know that you took out so much money?"

Thanks to the New Year’s money and festival red packets given by the elders over the years, Pei Tang could also be called a "little rich girl" in her own right, but the pocket money she usually carried when going out never exceeded two pieces.

Anything over two pieces had to be reported to the parents, with a reason given.

Han Xiuxiu didn’t answer her question but instead asked where she bought the necklace, saying she would go and buy one herself.

Pei Tang stared at her for a while and said, "I have to ask my mom, you go to my house first, she’ll be back soon."

Han Xiuxiu immediately happily followed her to the Pei Family’s home.

As soon as she entered the Pei Family’s courtyard, Han Xiuxiu ran toward the grape trellis, "Wow, so many grapes!"

Pei Tang asked Cui Lianying to accompany Han Xiuxiu to pick grapes, and she went back to the living room to call Shen Mingzhu.

Half an hour later, Shen Mingzhu and Han’s mother entered the door together.

Upon seeing her own mother, Han Xiuxiu, who was happily eating grapes, her little face instantly changed, and she became panicked.

"Where’s the money? Take it out!"

Faced with the stern words of her parent, Han Xiuxiu was frightened and quickly handed over the money.

"Mom, I was wrong, I won’t dare to do it again..."

Even as she cried and admitted her mistake, it didn’t change the outcome of being beaten.

"Wuwu, no more hitting, mom, I was wrong, wuwuwu..."

After getting the money, Han’s mother casually broke off a bamboo branch from the courtyard and started lashing out at Han Xiuxiu’s buttocks and legs.

The bamboo branch, thinner and more pliable than chopsticks, left red welts on the skin as soon as it struck, looking painful to even watch.

Seeing Han Xiuxiu being beaten so that she was hopping and jumping, a look of compassion appeared on Pei Tang’s face.

Although she had also been spanked by Shen Mingzhu for being naughty when she was young, it was never more than a few smacks on the buttocks.

This was the first time she witnessed a parent hitting their child so fiercely.

"Mom, Xiuxiu looks so pitiful, can we help her?"

Shen Mingzhu couldn’t stand to watch such a scene either and did not approve of Han mother’s way of discipline. She didn’t want to meddle too much, but if the other party wanted to beat the child, they should have done it back at Han’s house, not in the Pei Family’s home.

She told her daughter to go back to the living room, while she and Cui Lianying stepped forward to persuade.

After the couple’s intervention, Han’s mother also realized the embarrassing situation and decided to leave with Han Xiuxiu.

Shen Mingzhu had Cui Lianying pack a few bunches of grapes to take home for Han’s mother, who refused. Shen Mingzhu didn’t insist and after the mother and daughter left, she gave the grapes to the neighbors instead.

The neighbors were very happy and sent her back half a basket of loofahs in return.

In the past, everyone in the courtyard planted flowers and grass, but since Cui Lianying arrived, not only did she plant vegetables and melons herself, but she also involved the surrounding neighbors. Now every family’s yard had become a small vegetable garden.

"Guoguo, you did the right thing today. Money or items of unknown origin must not be accepted, otherwise trouble will come knocking," Shen Mingzhu advised her daughter once they got home. "This money is like a dirty thing, once you take it, your hands become dirty too, and then even if you’re right, you won’t be able to explain yourself clearly."

Pei Tang nodded vigorously, secretly resolved in her heart that she would not talk to Han Xiuxiu anymore.

It wasn’t enough that she coveted her necklace, but she also stole money from her own house. How could there be such people?