The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 716 - 715: People with Half their Body Buried in the Ground

Chapter 716: Chapter 715: People with Half their Body Buried in the Ground

"Stick to it, kiddo—Mommy can pamper you, but she can also replace you."

Shen Mingzhu spoke in a way that was far from gentle, and her expression even seemed a bit fierce, but Pei Yang not only wasn’t angry, he actually seemed quite happy.

It’s only because she cares about him that she scolds him.

Plus, she looked especially beautiful when she scolded him~

"Mommy, Mommy!"

Pei Tang ran into the room clattering, and upon seeing Shen Mingzhu tugging on Pei Yang’s tie, he couldn’t help but tilt his head, "What are you guys doing?"

"We’re helping Daddy with his tie."

After saying that, Shen Mingzhu pinched the knot and gave it a firm tug upwards, content only when she saw him sticking his tongue out from the tightness before she finally let go.

At this moment, Pei Tang didn’t notice the weirdness between the couple, his attention completely caught by the tie.

The lilac purple satin reflected a soft sheen under the light, matched with light silver patterns, which he really liked.

"Dad, did you buy a new tie? It’s so pretty."

Pei Yang bent down to lift his daughter so she could get a closer look at his tie, "Your mom bought it for me. She has good taste, doesn’t she?"

While boasting, he didn’t forget to flatter Shen Mingzhu.

Pei Tang, with her tender little hands, fiddled with the tie, her chubby face full of envy, "I want a tie too, Mommy. I want to wear a tie too."

Shen Mingzhu, standing in front of the dressing table doing her skincare, casually responded, "Girls don’t wear ties."

"But I want one~"

Then, turning to Pei Yang, she said, "Daddy, can you give me your tie?"

The man, who seconds ago was all doting, suddenly withdrew his affection, "No, this was specially given to me by your mom. It can’t be given to someone else."

With that, he even snatched the tie back from his daughter’s hand a bit stingily.

Pei Tang, displeased, scrunched up her face and wouldn’t let him hold her anymore, stomping her legs and jumping to the floor before running to Shen Mingzhu and hugging her waist to coax,

"Mommy, buy me a tie too. I want a pink one, prettier than Daddy’s~"

"How about that~"

"How about that~"

Finally worn down by the persistence, Shen Mingzhu had no choice but to agree.

Never underestimate a child’s persistence; if you don’t agree, they can nag, cling, pout, and charm until they finally get what they want.

But Shen Mingzhu wouldn’t make her daughter think getting what she wants is easy—she struck a deal requiring her to jump rope 100 times a day for a month.

Pei Tang dislikes the cold, preferring to nestle cozily indoors after winter sets in. Plus, with her liking for meat and various snacks, she was already over the ideal weight.

Though she had to jump rope every day, just thinking of owning the thing she desired made Pei Tang look very happy.

"Mommy, when will you take me to buy it?"

Shen Mingzhu pinched her chubby cheeks, "Guess?"

Pei Tang’s eyes shone brightly, "Tomorrow?"

"Hmm... depends on your behavior."

Pei Tang was quite clever and immediately understood her mother’s implication, "Mommy, I’ll go to bed now and wake up early tomorrow to jump rope. But I’m not sleepy yet, can you tell me a story?"

"Alright, what do you want to hear?"

"I want to hear about the Little Prince."

"Sure, let’s go."

After leaving the bedroom and seeing her son sitting alone in the living room playing with Demu, Shen Mingzhu let go of her daughter’s hand, allowing her to go upstairs to change into her pajamas.

Once Pei Tang had bounded joyfully upstairs, Shen Mingzhu walked over to the couch and sat down beside her son.

"Why are you sitting here alone? If something’s bothering you, talk about it and cheer Mommy up."

Pei Ziheng smiled at her.

Although the smile was faint, for someone as aloof and reticent as him from childhood, it was quite rare.

"Mommy, I want to take a break from school for a while."

"Why so?"

Shen Mingzhu’s voice was gentle, but her heart skipped a beat, and she imagined many possibilities.

Was he being bullied by classmates? Was the pressure too great? Or was there some psychological issue?

"I want to do something else."

While talking to her, Pei Ziheng stopped teasing Demu and appeared very serious and focused, showing no signs of poor mental health.

Shen Mingzhu’s mind raced, her gaze became even softer, and her voice too, "Is this matter more important than the college entrance exam? You have only half a year left until the exam, can you postpone it until after?"

"Mom, I just want to take a break from school. I will still take the college entrance exam next year."

Shen Mingzhu understood, "Do you want to study at home? That’s fine, but can you tell mom the real reason you don’t want to go to school? Is there someone there you dislike, or did something bad happen?"

"Ziheng, mom isn’t trying to interfere or stop you, just concerned, worried that you might be getting bullied."

"No, I just feel that staying at school every day is a waste of time, and I want to do something I like."

"In that case, okay then. I’ll go to school and talk to the teachers tomorrow."

"Thank you, mom."

Shen Mingzhu gently hugged him and planted a soft kiss on his head.

"Ziheng, mom won’t interfere with you, but whatever it is, you must talk to your family about it; don’t keep it to yourself."

"Mm."

Pei Ziheng closed his eyes, relaxed, savoring a rare tender moment with Shen Mingzhu.

Mom always smelled the same, fragrant, her embrace soft and warm, just like a winter quilt.

As the years passed, mom rarely hugged him like that, more often she would ruffle his hair or pat his shoulder.

He knew in his heart that it wasn’t that his mom didn’t love him, but rather, she treated him like a young man.

However, sometimes when he saw mom cuddling and kissing his sister, he envied them and begrudged that he wasn’t a girl.

"It’s getting late."

The warm and cheerful atmosphere was interrupted by Pei Yang.

Shen Mingzhu let go of her son, encouragingly ruffling his head, "Rest early, I’ll go to the school after I finish my work tomorrow."

"Mm."

After Shen Mingzhu went upstairs, Pei Yang, unable to hide his pride, adjusted his tie while boasting to his son, "What do you think of this tie? Your mom bought it."

"It’s ugly."

Anyway, he believed everything he didn’t have was ugly.

"Ugly? Do you even have a sense of style?"

"You’re too old for such a bright color."

Being called "old" caught Pei Yang off guard: "How am I old? I’m only 34!"

"Our average life expectancy is 63, subtract 34 from 63, that leaves 29, you’re already more than halfway into the grave."

That knocked the wind out of Pei Yang.

Pei Ziheng’s lips curled up slightly: To disrupt my alone time with mom, consider it nice that I’m not pulling your oxygen tube in the future.

...

The next day.

Pei Tang did as promised, waking up and skipping a hundred ropes.

"Mom, I’m done jumping. When will you buy me a tie?"

Shen Mingzhu held her daughter’s flushed cheeks from exercise, smiling, "Go wash your face and brush your teeth, and you’ll see after breakfast."

Hearing this, Pei Tang immediately dropped the skipping rope and ran to the bathroom.

She took a few steps then turned back, "Mom, you’re not tricking me, right? Do you have some psychic ability to foresee and already bought it?"

"You’ll know in a bit."

Pei Tang’s round eyes clearly held skepticism, but she obediently nodded, "Alright then."