The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 756 - 755: Father-Son Quarrel

Chapter 756: Chapter 755: Father-Son Quarrel

Throughout the entire journey without communication, Pei Yang and Pei Ziheng tacitly split up and walked on opposite sides of a street three meters wide.

People who didn’t know them would think they were strangers.

They arrived at the burger joint Shen Mingzhu had mentioned.

"Good afternoon, sir, what would you like?"

Unable to understand English, Pei Yang gave Pei Ziheng a meaningful glance.

Yet Pei Ziheng, tight-lipped like a sealed gourd, said nothing.

The atmosphere turned awkward.

Until the clerk brought out a special color-printed menu designed for foreign tourists.

Pei Yang snapped it up eagerly, "This, this, and this..."

"Okay, no problem."

Different from domestic fast food, all the meals at this burger joint were freshly made to order, which took some time.

While waiting, Pei Ziheng decided to go next door to buy a pizza.

"Give me the money."

Pei Yang with an "aha, now you need dad" demeanor, replied, "Aren’t you rich? Buy it yourself with your own money."

Of course, Pei Ziheng had money, but he had left his wallet at home deliberately, a fact Pei Yang was aware of.

His real intention was to make his son cave and admit his wrongs.

However, Pei Ziheng just disdainfully glanced at him and turned to leave the burger joint.

Pei Yang assumed Pei Ziheng was going home to get money and began to follow him out.

He planned to secretly buy the pizza while his son was home fetching his wallet to intentionally irritate him.

No matter how old they are, men can’t drop their childish behavior in front of their family.

Unexpectedly, Pei Ziheng didn’t go back to the apartment for money but entered the pizza shop directly.

That sneaky kid had secretly brought money?

Curious, Pei Yang followed into the pizza shop and saw that after a rapid exchange with the owner, Pei Ziheng scribbled a bunch of English on a piece of paper provided by the owner that Pei Yang couldn’t understand.

After reading what Pei Ziheng had written, the owner was thrilled, giving a thumbs-up:

"Wow, great!"

Pei Yang understood that.

He had self-studied English during his free time but had no talent for languages. Despite several years of effort, he had only reached the level of a first-grade student, barely able to comprehend and speak some short sentences.

"What were you all talking about?"

After the owner went into the kitchen, Pei Yang, unable to contain his curiosity, struck up a conversation with his son.

The latter read but wouldn’t respond and gave him a cold shoulder.

By the time Pei Yang picked up the lunch he had ordered from the burger joint, Pei Ziheng was already out the door with a pizza and a bunch of dishes, warmly sent off by the owner.

Pei Yang: "..."

"Huh, you sure are accomplished, freeloading all the way to a foreign country."

Facing Pei Yang’s sarcasm, Pei Ziheng rolled his eyes and wasn’t kind, "You think I’m like you, all talk no action? This meal, I earned it using my brain."

"How did you earn it?"

"Not telling you."

"Fine, keep it. I don’t even want to hear!"

"You wouldn’t be able to guess anyway, with that brain of yours, it would take you 800 years."

"You’re so great, why don’t you just fly to the sky?"

"None of your business."

The father and son bickered all the way back to the apartment.

Shen Mingzhu had already learned about the quarrel between the father and son from her daughter and said nothing when she saw them coming back fuming.

She instructed the two to set up the meal in the living room and called her son into the kitchen to fetch the utensils.

Once in the kitchen, Shen Mingzhu closed the sliding door.

"Did you have a fight with Dad?"

Pei Ziheng’s expression tightened slightly, "He lost his temper first."

Shen Mingzhu rubbed his head, "It’s wrong for Dad to lose his temper randomly, but just because he did something wrong, you shouldn’t deny all that he has contributed to this family. Think about when you were little, how good Dad was to you, he bought you whatever you wanted, carried you on his back when you were tired from walking, made you a scooter, prepared birthday surprises. He’s your dad, you should cut him some slack, okay?"

Memories like a flood washed away the estrangement lingering in his heart, and guilt rose to Pei Ziheng’s cheeks.

"Mom, I know I was wrong, I’ll give in to Dad from now on and not argue with him."

Shen Mingzhu gently resolved, "We are all ordinary people; we all have our little moods, but we must learn to manage our emotions so we don’t use them to hurt those around us. You must know, the ones you can hurt are those who truly care about you."

Pei Ziheng nodded solemnly.

In the living room.

Pei Yang was arranging various lunches on the coffee table for easier access during the meal while he eyed the kitchen door and muttered:

What can’t be said in half a day that you have to talk behind closed doors.

The sliding door wasn’t soundproof, so he could hear his wife and son talking inside, just not clearly enough to catch what they were saying.

"Dad, can you open this for me?"

Taking the pull-tab can from his daughter and pulling at the ring, Pei Yang paused in his action.

"Ha-ha, Dad, you look like a drowned rat!"

Amid Pei Tang’s joyous laughter, Pei Yang calmly yelled towards the kitchen, "Honey, my clothes are wet!"

Shen Mingzhu pushed open the kitchen door and saw the man drenched in soda, unable to hold back her laughter.

"Such a grown man, and still you can’t open a soda without making a mess."

Pei Yang glanced at his son following Shen Mingzhu with bowls and dishes, and huffed, "You guys eat first, I’m going to wash up."

Saying that, he got up and went to the bathroom.

Shen Mingzhu looked at his retreating figure and reminded, "Aren’t you going to take some clothes to change into?"

"Find some for me."

"You guys eat first, don’t mind him."

Shen Mingzhu said to the siblings while opening the suitcase to find a set of clean clothes and, after a thought, tucked a pair of underwear inside before bringing it to the bathroom door.

Hearing her knock, the bathroom door cracked open.

Shen Mingzhu passed the clothes through the door, but wasn’t prepared for the man to pull her inside.

"What are you doing?"

Staring at the man stripped down to just his underwear, Shen Mingzhu suppressed her voice as she chided.

Pei Yang blocked the door with his body, not letting her leave, "I’m also not happy, why don’t you comfort me?"

Shen Mingzhu speechless, "You’re a grown man, why are you being petty with your own son?"

"It’s that damn kid being disrespectful, and yet you indulge and coddle him, so I’m supposed to just take it, right?"

"It’s not a big deal, it’s just buying a house, you don’t need to buy for me, I’ll buy for you."

Saying that, she stuffed the clothes into the man’s arms, freeing her hands to wrap around his sturdy, warm waist, softening her voice, "What kind of house do you like?"

"I don’t want it, to avoid being said I’m living off you."

Shen Mingzhu held the man’s face, tiptoeing to give him a kiss, "Then will you eat?"

"I will."

He looked down wanting to kiss her back but Shen Mingzhu pushed him away.

"If you want to eat, change your clothes and come out quickly."

Saying that, she pulled open the bathroom door and went out, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

Pei Yang: "..."

Wasn’t it supposed to be about living off someone?

...

By the time Pei Yang changed and came out, the mother and children had already started eating.

The rectangular coffee table served as the dining table, with Shen Mingzhu and Pei Tang on one side and Pei Ziheng on the other.

Beside Pei Ziheng sat clean bowls and dishes, clearly prepared for him.

Pei Yang hadn’t decided whether to sit next to his son or take the bowls and sit at the other side of the coffee table when Pei Ziheng picked up a can of fruit beer and handed it to him.

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