The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 700 - 699: Shen Baolan Goes Missing

Chapter 700: Chapter 699: Shen Baolan Goes Missing

Hearing her question, her sister-in-law Tian Wenfang promptly handed over the account book she was holding, "Baolan, I noted down all the gift money we received today for you to check."

Shen Baolan was not polite, straight away flipping through the account book to begin reconciling.

Liu Cuihua sat on the edge of the kang bed, watching her tally up, a face full of displeasure, "I’ve been helping you out these past few days and haven’t heard a single word of thanks, yet you’re suspecting me, do you even have a conscience?"

Tian Wenfang soothed from the side, "Mom, it’s no big deal, it’s proper to be clear about financial matters."

Liu Cuihua thought of something and stopped complaining.

When Shen Baolan finished tallying up and checked the sum of money, she couldn’t help but become furious.

Twenty-five tables of guests, sixty-three households in all, and the average amount they gave didn’t even reach twenty yuan per household.

A bunch of paupers, what a complete waste of her high-class cigarettes, candy, and top-quality food and drinks.

It drove her mad!

Having collected the money, Shen Baolan packed up and was ready to head back to the city, she was accustomed to the good life and no longer used to sleeping on a rural clay bed.

"Niece, stay for a meal before heading back. By the way, there is something I want to discuss with you."

Liu Cuihua smiled in a fawning manner, clearly not bearing good news. Shen Baolan didn’t have a pleasant face either, "No need for the meal, just speak your mind."

Liu Cuihua asked her to borrow a hundred thousand yuan, intending to buy a commercial apartment in the city for her son Shen Hao and to start a small business.

Though it was said to be a loan, both mother and daughter were clear that once this money was lent out, it definitely wouldn’t be coming back.

"Mom, I do have a bit of money now, but no matter how much money one has, it can’t withstand constant borrowing; if I lend here and there, what will become of my own life?"

Actually, in light of Shen Baolan’s current wealth, a hundred thousand yuan was not a significant sum.

Yet she held a grudge against Tian Wenfang for not agreeing to help her with the childcare in the past and was reluctant to spend money on her.

Tian Wenfang was also very straightforward. She immediately served hot tea, poured for Shen Baolan, apologized profusely, and spoke a few baskets worth of sweet words before finally managing to coax Shen Baolan into agreeing to the loan.

With the banks already closed at that hour, they made an appointment to go to the bank at one o’clock in the afternoon the following day.

By the time Shen Baolan and Gao Hualiang returned to their villa at Ruifeng Garden, it was already 9 pm.

Huang Chunyu had thoughtfully prepared a table full of hot meals and soup.

Starving, Shen Baolan gorged herself while asking about her son Zhou Fu.

Concerned that Zhou Fu might cause a scene and spoil the atmosphere at the banquet, Shen Baolan had left him at home under Huang Chunyu’s care.

"Young Master played all day and has already gone to bed."

Hearing this, Shen Baolan put her mind at ease and continued to eat. She was exhausted from a day’s work, too busy entertaining guests at noon to eat properly, and was almost starving mad.

Huang Chunyu watched her with a deep gaze for a while and exchanged a glance with Gao Hualiang before turning to leave.

"Baolan, I’ve prepared a gift for you."

"What gift?"

Gao Hualiang smiled gently, "I want to take you on a honeymoon. We’ll drive ourselves, starting from Fengcheng and go where the road takes us, stopping at hotels to rest during the night. We’ll travel like this for maybe ten days or half a month before coming back, how’s that?"

On hearing about a half-month trip, Shen Baolan was somewhat worried about leaving her son behind, but Gao Hualiang dispelled her concerns in a few words:

"With Xiao Yu at home to take care of things, there will be no problems. If we miss Yuanbao, we can call home anytime."

Early the next morning, Shen Baolan, carrying her luggage, left with Gao Hualiang on their honeymoon.

...

"Mom, isn’t that Baolan?"

Liu Cuihua followed the direction of her daughter-in-law’s pointing finger, the white Santana with the license plate 518, wasn’t that her daughter’s car?

She yelled a few times at the top of her lungs, but it was of no use.

Watching the Santana drive away, Liu Cuihua couldn’t help but mutter, "Where is she headed so early in the morning?"

Tian Wenfang said, "Could she be going to the bank to withdraw money?"

Strangely enough, that was a possibility.

Even though they agreed to come for the money at one in the afternoon, unable to wait, Liu Cuihua and Tian Wenfang rode into the city as soon as it was light out.

After entering the villa, seeing the grandson eating breakfast, Liu Cuihua did not hesitate to order Huang Chunyu to prepare something for her and Tian Wenfang as well.

In order to catch the early bus, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law hadn’t taken the time to eat breakfast.

Huang Chunyu efficiently cooked a large pot of lamb dumplings for the two, then left with Zhou Fu.

As usual, after taking Zhou Fu to Ma Sufen’s place, Huang Chunyu went to the market to buy the day’s groceries, then headed home.

By the time she got back, Liu Cuihua and Tian Wenfang had eaten their fill and were leisurely sitting on the living room sofa, idling away.

Huang Chunyu eagerly served them sunflower seeds and candy, brewed a pot of hot tea, and put on a movie for them before tying on an apron and starting to clean.

When the video ended, it was already eleven o’clock.

Seeing that Shen Baolan was still not home, Liu Cuihua picked up the phone to page her.

After paging four or five times with no callback, Liu Cuihua then remembered to ask Huang Chunyu,

"Did Baolan say anything to you about where she’s going or when she’ll be back before she left?"

Huang Chunyu replied, "Madam and Sir have gone on their honeymoon."

"What honeymoon?"

Huang Chunyu shook her head, "I don’t quite understand either, just going out to have fun for half a month."

Hearing that her daughter would be gone for half a month, Liu Cuihua immediately started to have her doubts.

That damn girl, she couldn’t have changed her mind about lending us money and skipped out, could she?

No wonder she’s not returning my pages.

Liu Cuihua was quite upset and decided to let Tian Wenfang go home first while she stayed in the villa.

She didn’t believe the girl could avoid her forever.

...

In the blink of an eye, five days passed.

During this time, Liu Cuihua stayed in the villa, spending her days eating and sleeping and incessantly paging Shen Baolan and Gao Hualiang, but neither of them ever replied.

For the first two days, Liu Cuihua was very angry, thinking that Shen Baolan was intentionally not returning her calls, not willing to lend money to her sister and brother in-law.

But as time went by, with several days passing without any news from her daughter and son-in-law, she inevitably began to worry if they encountered danger or had an accident while outside.

If only Liu Cuihua knew a little about the law, she would realize that one can report a disappearance after 48 hours of no contact.

Unfortunately, she was ignorant of the law and even thought that her daughter would come home once she had her fill of fun; all she needed to do was patiently wait for their return.

The seventh day.

In the morning, Huang Chunyu, as per usual, prepared breakfast, coaxed Zhou Fu into eating his fill, and then took him out.

"I have a little donkey I never ride..."

Watching a gleeful Zhou Fu hopping and skipping ahead of her, a gentle tenderness flickered in Huang Chunyu’s eyes.

She quickened her pace, moving forward to take Zhou Fu’s soft little hand, "Yuanbao, from now on be good and listen to grandma, study hard, and become a person who’s useful to society, understand?"

Although he didn’t understand what being useful to society meant, he still understood the part about listening to grandma.

"Okay!"

Seeing him nod, Huang Chunyu couldn’t help but touch his cheek, "Such a good boy."

Zhou Fu smiled at her, somewhat dopey but not devoid of innocence and charm.

"Go on, go to your grandma’s."

Arriving downstairs at Ma Sufen’s building, Huang Chunyu let go of Zhou Fu’s hand, urging him to go upstairs.

Zhou Fu looked at her, "Auntie Huang, aren’t you coming up?"

"Mhm, I have other things to do."

Zhou Fu didn’t notice the change in her tone, "When will you come to get me?"

Huang Chunyu smiled, "Don’t you want to live with grandma?"

Zhou Fu quickly nodded, "I do."

"Then be obedient and go to grandma’s."

"Okay, bye Auntie Huang."

"Goodbye."

After watching Zhou Fu enter the building, Huang Chunyu turned and walked toward a dilapidated row of apartments.

Half an hour later, a fashionably dressed modern woman emerged from the row of apartments, got into a taxi, and left.