The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 717 - 716 Pei Tang Is Bullied

Chapter 717: Chapter 716 Pei Tang Is Bullied

Excitedly having finished breakfast, when Pei Tang saw Shen Mingzhu pull out a pink scarf, her tender little face immediately fell.

"Mom, this isn’t a tie, I don’t want this, who wears a scarf in the winter?"

Shen Mingzhu pulled her daughter over and negotiated, "Give Mom a chance to show you, and if you still don’t like it after I tie it, then you don’t have to wear it. Mom will find time to buy you the pink tie you want."

Pei Tang thought for a while before reluctantly nodding, "Okay then."

Shen Mingzhu wrapped the scarf around her daughter’s neck, leaving the right amount of room, twisted it into a long, slightly fluffy braided rope, and starting from the neck, she coiled the braid round and round, forming the shape of a flower. She then tucked the end into the middle of the formed flower and finally teased out the patterns of the petals—a pink rose knot was beautifully made.

"All done."

Pei Tang ran to the hallway mirror, when she saw the rose knot slanting on her neck, her eyes curved into crescent moons with a smile.

"Mom, is it a rose?"

Shen Mingzhu walked over to her daughter, "Do you like it?"

"Mm!"

Pei Tang nodded vigorously, happily posing various vain poses in the mirror.

"Do you still want a tie?"

"No need, I just want this!"

She said, looking up at her with sparkling eyes, "Mom, can you teach me to tie a rose?"

Shen Mingzhu tapped on her wristwatch, "You need to head out, you can’t blame me if you’re late."

Hearing the mention of being late, Pei Tang’s face showed a bit of anxiety, "Then teach me in the evening."

"Mm, I can."

Satisfied with the answer, Pei Tang contentedly put on her coat and scarf, ready to head out to school.

Pei Tang’s school wasn’t far from home when it wasn’t cold, they would let the nanny accompany her by foot.

Now that it was too cold, the spouses took turns driving the two kids.

Today it was Pei Yang’s turn to do the dropping off.

Once in the car, Pei Tang took off her scarf and unbuttoned her coat, showing her father and brother the rose scarf on her neck.

"Dad, brother, look at the scarf Mom tied for me, it’s a rose."

The father and son’s gaze landed on the scarf.

The scarf itself had a bit of pearlescent sheen, and being in a tender pink color, it made Pei Tang’s already fair skin look as appealing as a peeled egg.

Pei Yang glanced at his own tie on his chest, feeling it was less appealing.

"Does it look good?"

"So-so."

Pei Yang’s response clearly made Pei Tang unhappy, her lips instantly pouting.

"Brother, doesn’t it look good?"

Pei Ziheng put away his envy, his eyes filled with indulgence, "It looks good."

"But dad said it’s only average."

"He’s old, it’s normal for him not to appreciate it."

Pei Yang: "..."

Pei Tang became happy again.

Upon reaching the school, Pei Tang’s scarf on her neck attracted countless gazes.

Scarves, being light and breathable, are generally used for decoration in spring and autumn; no one would wear a scarf in winter, and it might even be ridiculed.

But the scarf on Pei Tang’s neck was very unique, actually in the shape of a rose.

This uniqueness and beauty were enough to cover up its impracticality.

"Pei Tang, your scarf is really pretty, did it originally come with a rose?"

"No, my mom tied it for me."

"Your mom is so amazing, not only can she bake cakes and cookies, but she can also tie a rose with a scarf."

"Of course, my mom can do anything!"

"Can you tie this kind of rose on your scarf?"

"I can’t yet, but my mom said she will teach me tonight."

After class, several female classmates crowded around Pei Tang, admiring her scarf enviously.

In the teacher’s office, Pei Tang’s scarf also sparked a discussion among a few female teachers.

These days, who doesn’t have a few scarves at home? Everyone knows various ways to tie them, but tying a rose is the one thing they don’t know.

...

After the second period, Pei Tang put on her coat and went to the restroom with her close friends Su Tong and Ruan Xuexue.

As soon as she reached the classroom door, her classmate Fu Qiang blocked her way.

"Pei Tang, let me see your scarf."

Pei Tang instinctively covered the rose on her scarf.

Fu Qiang was notorious in the class for being a troublemaker and particularly enjoyed bullying the female classmates.

"Fu Qiang, get out of the way."

"If you don’t show me, I won’t let you out!"

He said, spreading his arms and leaning on the door frame with a smug look.

"Pei Tang, let’s take the back door."

Fu Qiang was tall and a boy, so Su Tong and Ruan Xuexue didn’t dare to provoke him and could only pull Pei Tang to the back door.

Seeing this, Fu Qiang also ran to the back door with a determination not to give up.

Pei Tang had no way to deal with the overbearing Fu Qiang, so she gave up on going to the restroom and turned back to her seat.

However, Fu Qiang did not give up. While she was taking off her coat, he playfully reached out and tugged at the rose on her neck.

The scarf was tied in a slip knot, so it came undone with a pull.

Seeing the scarf he had pulled apart, Fu Qiang felt no shame. Instead, he snatched the scarf and ran around the classroom, making various silly gestures.

He wrapped it around his own neck for a while, then used it as a cape, even covering his head with it.

Tears welled up in Pei Tang’s eyes.

...

Close to the end of the workday, Shen Mingzhu received a call from Pei Yang, asking her to come home early, as her daughter had been bullied at school and was crying in her room.

On hearing this, Shen Mingzhu immediately packed up her things.

When she got home, Pei Tang had already been consoled by Pei Ziheng.

"Mommy!"

Looking at her daughter’s mouth, still not wiped clean of chip crumbs, and the half-eaten chips in her son’s hand, Shen Mingzhu didn’t comment on their sneaking snacks.

Previously, her daughter had promised to avoid fried and high-sugar snacks.

"Daddy said some classmates bullied you, can you talk to mommy about it?"

Actually, on the way home, she had already spoken to the homeroom teacher and knew what had happened.

But compared to the teacher’s description of the incident, she was more eager to hear her daughter’s own feelings and grievances.

"Fu Qiang wanted to see my scarf, I didn’t let him, so he wouldn’t let me leave the classroom and he tore the rose on my scarf."

Seeing her daughter’s eyes red with grievance, Shen Mingzhu asked sympathetically, "Did you tell the teacher?"

"I did, and the teacher scolded him."

"And then?"

Tears burst from Pei Tang’s eyes, her voice filled with anger, "Fu Qiang is always like this. He’s also pulled my hair before, deliberately scratched my skirt with a pen. He doesn’t just bully me, he bullies other classmates too. One time he put a caterpillar in Xuexue’s pencil case and made her cry. The teacher scolded him, but he never listens."

After hearing this, Shen Mingzhu felt more determined.

"If this happens again, you must tell me. Mom can only help you if she knows."

Pei Tang hesitated: "But Teacher Fang said we should get along with our classmates and show Fu Qiang more tolerance and forbearance."

Shen Mingzhu gently stroked her daughter’s head and said gently, "There’s also a saying, ’There’s no need to endure when endurance becomes unbearable.’ Alright, leave this matter to mommy. I’ll take you to school tomorrow morning."

"Okay!"