The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 712 - 711 Liu Cuihua Has a Stroke

Chapter 712: Chapter 711 Liu Cuihua Has a Stroke

"Mom, it’s Zhou Shuhuan!"

Upon hearing Tian Wenfang’s words, Liu Cuihua and her husband also put down their rice bowls, got up, and looked out the window. Seeing that it was indeed Zhou Shuhuan who had entered, the family immediately lifted the door curtain and went out to greet him.

"Son-in-law, how come you’re here?"

Seeing that Zhou Shuhuan did not respond, Shen Dashan quickly changed his tone, "Shuhuan, come inside and sit. It’s cold out here."

Zhou Shuhuan finally nodded and followed them into the house.

"Have you had breakfast? Would you like to eat something?" Shen Dashan was very eager.

Glancing at the dining table, dough drop soup with soybean sauce; it was still the Zhou family’s standard of living from ten years ago.

"No need, I’ve already eaten."

Zhou Shuhuan concealed his disdain without a change in expression and got straight to the point, "Yuanbao is supposed to start elementary school next year, and I wanted to ask what your plans are."

The family looked at each other in dismay.

A boy of age definitely needed to attend school, and even though compulsory education now meant no tuition fees, there were still significant expenses for books, materials, pencils, stationery, food, clothing, and so on.

Tian Wenfang was the first to speak up, "Yuanbao is your Zhou family’s seed; you should take care of him. With the state our house is in right now, we can’t afford to raise another child."

After she spoke, Shen Hao gave her a fierce glare, which she defiantly returned.

Shen Hao ultimately backed down without a word.

Zhou Shuhuan looked at Liu Cuihua and Shen Dashan, "Uncle, aunt, if you don’t have any objections, then Yuanbao will follow me from now on?"

Liu Cuihua’s lips trembled, her heart reluctant as she replied, "Yuanbao’s custody rights belong to Baolan, and she’s not here right now. You can temporarily take care of him for her, and when she comes back later, you’ll return Yuanbao to us."

Shen Dashan and Shen Hao, father and son, nodded in agreement, clearly in favor of Liu Cuihua’s suggestion.

Zhou Shuhuan’s laugh was neither light nor heavy, "You aren’t being fair, are you?"

"Ever since Baolan married into our family, we haven’t had a single day of peace. Behaving properly, being filial to the in-laws, managing the household--which of these has she done well?"

"In order to divorce her, I gave her everything—house and shop—and on top of that, I even went into debt for more than three million. And now you still want me to help take care of her son for her? Do I, Zhou Shuhuan, really owe you that much?"

Zhou Shuhuan’s words struck them like slaps to the face, leaving the family speechless.

Yet they also felt indignation and frustration. On the surface, it seemed like their Shen family had taken great advantage of the Zhou family, but they hadn’t gained anything; Gao Hualiang had taken it all in one fell swoop.

Zhou Shuhuan had no patience for beating around the bush and directly took out five thousand yuan.

"If you agree to Yuanbao coming with me, then write a statement giving up custody. This five thousand yuan is a token of my goodwill. If you really can’t part with Yuanbao, I won’t force you. I’ll bring Yuanbao back tomorrow, and I won’t interfere anymore."

The family stared at the money on the table, all silent.

Until Shen Wenwu, who was woken up by the talking, jumped down from the kang and grabbed the money from the table, stuffing it into Tian Wenfang’s hands.

"Mommy, so much money, can you take me to buy a toy car?"

Tian Wenfang smiled awkwardly, yet her hand clutched the money tight.

Eventually, Shen Dashan broke the silence, instructing Shen Hao to write the statement renouncing custody rights.

"Uncle and aunt, please take care."

With his objective achieved, Zhou Shuhuan left a courteous farewell and departed.

Liu Cuihua sat in a daze for a while before suddenly chasing after him like a madwoman.

"Shuhuan! Shuhuan! Wait for me!"

Zhou Shuhuan had no interest in dealing with Liu Cuihua, but her relentless pursuit attracted many villagers to come out and watch the commotion, and he had to stop for the sake of appearances.

"Aunt, is there anything else?"

"Shuhuan, after being husband and wife with Baolan for so many years, for the sake of past affection, please save her. You’re wealthy and capable, you can certainly find her if you try."

Liu Cuihua thought about the saying ’One day as a married couple brings a hundred days of grace’ but didn’t know that Zhou Shuhuan’s heart had only held resentment and hate towards Shen Baolan.

He also harbored resentment towards Liu Cuihua, "When she took all of the Zhou family’s wealth, did you consider affection then? Now you speak of affection to me, isn’t that laughable?"

"Shen Baolan deserves her fate! Let me tell you the truth, I would rather she died out there and never came back!"

At his words, Liu Cuihua’s eyes nearly burst with rage, her body began to convulse abnormally, and the next second, she fell to the ground like a log.

At the same time, a dark red stream of blood flowed from her nostrils.

"Mom!!"

Not far away, Shen Hao ran over furiously, followed closely by Shen Dashan and Tian Wenfang.

...

After resuscitation, Liu Cuihua’s life was saved, but she fell into a coma.

Liu Cuihua had a hemorrhagic stroke, what’s commonly known as a stroke. The doctor predicted she would wake up in about a week’s time and also warned the Shen family to prepare themselves:

"The patient could be paralyzed, but because the hemorrhage was not severe and relief was timely, even if paralyzed, the symptoms would not be overly serious. With proper rehabilitation and exercise, she should be able to regain normal mobility."

The doctor was very detailed, but the family only heard ’paralyzed’ and felt as though the sky had fallen.

Shen Hao grabbed Zhou Shuhuan by the collar, "It’s all your fault, why did you have to come to our house, if you hadn’t come, my mom wouldn’t have fallen ill!"

Tian Wenfang thought much further than Shen Hao.

A stroke isn’t just an overnight issue, and who knew how much money would need to be spent in the future. They couldn’t just let Zhou Shuhuan, this "money tree," go so easily.

"Zhou Shuhuan, what on earth did you say to mom to make her so angry that she had a stroke? We can’t just let this go!"

Shen Dashan was quick on the uptake and immediately grasped his daughter-in-law’s intention:

"Shuhuan, Baolan’s mother fell ill because of your words, you have to take responsibility."

Facing the glowering Shen family, Zhou Shuhuan was not panicked; instead, he wore a face filled with mockery and a cold laugh.

"No wonder you have a daughter like Shen Baolan; birds of a feather flock together. You’re all as foolish and evil as you are insatiably greedy. If a dog passed by your household, it would probably get skinned alive, wouldn’t it?"

Exposed, Shen Dashan’s old face couldn’t maintain composure, but Tian Wenfang was undeterred, her mind fixated on the money.

"Murder must be avenged, debts must be paid. We saw it with our own eyes, and so did the villagers, it was you who angered her into illness. If mom’s okay, then fine, but if anything serious happens, you’re a murderer!"

Zhou Shuhuan was indifferent: "Fine, call the police then."

"We will call, just you wait!"

The Shen family called She Zheming.

From the contact the previous month, the whole family had complete trust and reliance on She Zheming, convinced that he would definitely take their side.

She Zheming, busy with a case, didn’t come himself but made a phone call to the local police station, asking the officers to handle the situation.

After learning about the situation, the officers questioned the doctor, Shen family members, and Zhou Shuhuan separately.

"The day before the event, did you have any disputes or quarrels with the patient?"

Shen Hao honestly answered, "Last night at midnight, my mom had a nightmare. She dreamt of my sister and cried for me to bring Yuanbao home. My wife wouldn’t allow it, so they had a few words with each other, nothing else."

The officer glanced at him and noted down the details.

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