The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 718 - 717: Teaching a Lesson to the Naughty Child (Part 1)

Chapter 718: Chapter 717: Teaching a Lesson to the Naughty Child (Part 1)

After comforting her daughter, Shen Mingzhu found her son to discuss the matter of taking a break from school, "Teacher Tang has agreed to your academic break, but you must return to the school each month for a diagnostic exam. If your grades fall out of the top ten in your grade, you will have to return to school and continue classes."

Pei Ziheng nodded, "Okay."

Shen Mingzhu clapped him encouragingly on the shoulder, "Don’t feel pressured. Since you’ve decided to take a break, just relax a bit, think of it as starting winter break early."

"Mm."

Shen Mingzhu then showed concern for her son’s plans and arrangements during his academic break.

Pei Ziheng told her that he wanted to work on a small invention and would show it to Shen Mingzhu once it was successful.

Shen Mingzhu asked if he needed any help and, after being refused, let it be.

After dinner, Shen Mingzhu called her daughter’s homeroom teacher, asking them to notify Fu Qiang’s parents to visit the school at 8:30 AM the next morning. She had matters to discuss with them, and if they failed to show up, she would go to their workplace to find them.

The homeroom teacher, Xie Xiuyun, tried to persuade Shen Mingzhu to downplay the issue, but Shen Mingzhu was adamant, leaving her no choice but to agree to contact Fu Qiang’s parents.

After the call, Shen Mingzhu said to Pei Yang on the sofa, "You’re coming with me to school tomorrow morning."

"Me too?"

"Do you have something else?"

Pei Ziheng quietly joined in, "Mom, I’ll go with you."

Shen Mingzhu looked at her son with approval and consented.

Pei Yang, unable to help laughing and crying, "Is it really necessary for us all to go? They might think we’re there to pick a fight."

Shen Mingzhu looked at him coldly, "That’s right, I am there to pick a fight. I want them to know that the Pei Family is not to be bullied, and if anyone’s child thinks about bullying Guoguo, they should think twice."

Her words were indeed true.

"Mom is right."

"Mom, you’re so great."

Watching his daughter and son surrounding Shen Mingzhu on either side, Pei Yang quickly joined them, wrapping mother and children in his arms.

"Alright, I’ll listen to you."

The next day, the whole family woke up early, ate together, and went to Pei Tang’s school.

When they arrived at the school, Shen Mingzhu didn’t enter right away but stayed in the car, instructing Pei Tang to watch the school gate closely and tell her immediately when they saw Fu Qiang.

The family didn’t know what she was planning but obediently waited with her in the car.

They waited until 8 o’clock when Pei Tang pointed to a mother and son and told Shen Mingzhu, "Mom, that’s Fu Qiang."

"Get out of the car."

With Shen Mingzhu’s call, father and sons got out of the car together.

Mother Fu walked toward the school gate with her son, murmuring instructions to him quietly.

Until they were stopped by Shen Mingzhu and her family.

"Are you Fu Qiang’s parent?"

Feeling the hostility from the approaching family, Mother Fu instinctively protected her son behind her, "What do you want?"

"I am Pei Tang’s mother; I was the one who asked Teacher Xie to arrange for you to come to the school for a detailed discussion."

Upon learning Shen Mingzhu’s intention and identity, the unease on Mother Fu’s face deepened.

""""

Just having Pei Yang, who stood nearly one meter ninety tall, before them was enough to make anyone feel pressured.

Shen Mingzhu and Pei Ziheng might have not been tall, but their presence was formidable, one stronger than the other.

In short, the whole family looked like they were not to be trifled with.

Bearing in mind the principle that a wise man does not eat the loss before him, Mother Fu’s attitude became polite, "It’s almost time for class, let’s talk about this at the school."

Shen Mingzhu smiled slightly, "Don’t worry, I’ve already spoken with Teacher Xie, and it’s okay to be a little late."

Mother Fu added, "It’s cold outside, the child can’t withstand the freezing..."

Shen Mingzhu did not pick up on Mother Fu’s remark and directly took out her daughter’s skirt, which had been scratched, as well as the receipt for its purchase.

"This skirt my daughter wore to school for the first time and it was defaced by your son Fu Qiang with watercolor pens, with a total of eighteen strokes. It has been washed at home but the marks are still there."

"Now, there are two options: either you take the skirt and find a way to get rid of the marks completely, not leaving a single trace, or you compensate for the value of the skirt and you take it."

Seeing the price on the receipt, Mother Fu became unsettled.

"There are so many students in the class, what evidence do you have that it was my Fu Qiang who scratched the skirt?"

"Plenty of classmates witnessed Fu Qiang scribbling and scratching on my daughter’s skirt. That’s testimonial evidence. Moreover, Fu Qiang admitted his mistake in front of Teacher Xie and wrote a letter of self-criticism. That’s material evidence, is that enough?"

Seeing that she couldn’t shirk responsibility, Mother Fu started making excuses for her son, "Kids are young and don’t understand things, they are inevitably naughty at times. You have a son too, didn’t he give you headaches when he was little?"

Pei Ziheng spoke up for Shen Mingzhu, "I’ve never done something as lacking in upbringing as drawing on my classmates’ clothes with a pen. If you can’t discipline your son properly, you should be prepared to clean up his messes."

Mother Fu, unable to keep face after being rebuked, agreed to help wash the clothes.

She didn’t have much choice; a small suspender dress cost over one hundred and eighty yuan, and she didn’t want to compensate for it.

"It cannot be machine-washed, as the handmade beads on it could be damaged, and you can’t use hot water because it’s made of cashmere, which would shrink and deform if washed in hot water."

"Once the clothes are clean, I’ll bring them to school; is there anything else?"

Mother Fu picked up the clothes, with the attitude of someone about to leave.

Shen Mingzhu had put on such a big show, naturally it wasn’t just about a piece of clothing.

"In addition to scratching my daughter’s skirt, your son has also deliberately knocked over her pencil box, pulled her braids, snatched her scarf, and so on. I have two demands: first, that your son bows and apologizes to my daughter; second, your son must assure me that he will not bully my daughter again in the future."

After hearing Shen Mingzhu’s demands, Mother Fu’s face looked very ugly.

It was time for school, and there were many parents and children coming and going at the school gate, as well as teachers from the school. During the time of the negotiation, the surrounding area had already been surrounded by parents and children, as well as the school’s teachers.

Having her son apologize publicly and make a written promise would embarrass him at school; how would he be able to face anyone in the future?

"Mother Pei Tang, don’t be too excessive. My son may be a little naughty, but he’s only seven years old. What’s the big deal about playful fighting with classmates? Do you really need to blow things up to this extent?"

Pei Ziheng interjected, "If that’s the case..."

He stepped forward, forcefully pulling off Fu Qiang’s scarf, threw it on the ground and stomped on it twice, then picked it back up and hung it on Fu Qiang’s neck.

It had snowed last night, and the ground was muddied. The scarf instantly became dirty and smelly.

Fu Qiang was so upset that he tried to take it off, but his clumsy movements smeared mud all over his face instead.

Mother Fu screamed in exasperation, "What are you doing? Look what your child is doing; don’t you parents care?"

Pei Ziheng’s lips curled in a playful sneer, "Auntie, I was just playing with Fu Qiang, why are you getting angry?"

Mother Fu, choked by the rebuke, turned to Shen Mingzhu and accused, "This is a new scarf I just knitted the other day, and the wool alone cost twenty yuan. Your son has ruined it."

Shen Mingzhu smiled, "Give it to me, I’ll take it home and clean it for you."

Mother Fu, fuming, agreed, "Ha, I see now, your family came here with a purpose of retaliation today, didn’t you? It’s just a small conflict between classmates, and you’re making such a fuss. Your son is in his teens; you indulge him to bully my Fu Qiang—what a sight to behold for a parent like you."

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