The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 413 - 412: Battle for the Grandson’s Inheritance

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Du Juan came back to Fengcheng this time mainly for two reasons.

First was to register her son for residence, and second was to hold the full moon feast.

In recent years, getting household registration for a second child was no easy task; you might even end up in administrative detention.

Fortunately, last year Shen Mingzhu had made an exception to recruit Wang Feng’s sister to the food factory, forming a good relationship with Wang Feng.

With Wang Feng’s help, Du Juan only paid a seven hundred yuan fine and successfully registered her son’s residency.

After returning to the village from Rongcheng, Qin Jinlian busied herself with preparing the grand feast for her eldest grandson, scurrying about every day.

She bought alcohol, meat, vegetables, eggs, and went door to door with invitations, wishing to invite the entire village to their home.

The day of the full moon feast arrived in no time, with a total of twelve tables set up.

In Shenjiagou, such an event was unprecedented.

Usually, it’s just a matter of inviting family and friends for a meal, having four or five tables was considered very impressive.

Over the years, without a grandson, Qin Jinlian often became the butt of the village’s jokes, feeling a heavy stifled anger inside her.

Now, she also had a grandson, and the Shen family’s lineage continued; she deserved to strut a bit.

Although Du Juan was not ostentatious, when it came to the grand full moon feast, her thoughts were similar to Qin Jinlian’s.

In a place like Shenjiagou, a daughter-in-law who hadn’t given birth to a son couldn’t even hold her head up high.

She had put up with so much pressure and suffered many indignities.

This grand full moon feast was not just for the child, but also for her own vindication.

The lavish celebration had the whole village talking and even made Jia Yuemei, her sister-in-law, both envious and eager to act.

That night, she discussed with Shen Xiangnan the possibility of having a second child.

"I’ve already inquired, the big sister-in-law only paid a seven hundred yuan fine. We can afford that too, let’s have another child, and this time we’ll surely have a son," she said.

As a man, Shen Xiangnan naturally wanted a son too.

But previously, they were so poor the thought of high fines for violating the birth policy was terrifying.

Now, however, things were different. Seven hundred yuan, he could earn that back in a few months.

"Let’s do it!"

No sooner said than done, the couple got under the covers and set to work.

...

After the full moon feast was over, Du Juan finished her work report with Shen Mingzhu, discussed this year’s plans and targets for the branch office, and then prepared to take her child back to Rongcheng.

Before leaving, Du Juan, carrying her child, went to the countryside to bid farewell to the grandparents.

The train was at five o’clock the following afternoon, and Du Juan was supposed to head back to the city at noon, but by two o’clock, there was still no sign of her.

Du Juan wasn’t someone without a sense of time, so she must have been held up by something.

...

Learning that Du Juan was taking her grandson back to Rongcheng, Qin Jinlian wouldn’t agree to it, no matter what.

It wasn’t that Qin Jinlian didn’t want Du Juan to leave, but she didn’t want Du Juan to take Shen Zilong with her.

Shen Zilong was the formal name of Du Juan’s son, named by Shen Chaobei, implying hopes for his success.

Qin Jinlian said to Du Juan, "Chaobei followed you to make money in foreign lands, and we barely see him once or twice a year. Leave Zilong in the village; it’ll give us old folks something to cherish."

Shen Jianguo, in a rare move, stood by his wife, wishing to raise their grandson nearby.

Nearly sixty years old, he treasured his only grandson deeply.

But as a mother, how could Du Juan bear to leave her son behind?

"Dad, Mom, I am definitely taking Zilong with me. If you feel lonely, you can help Yuemei with her children. Chaobei and I will also come back to visit you often when we can," she said.

"It’s easy for you to say, a round trip takes four or five days, and the fare isn’t cheap. You leave Zilong here, we’ll take care of him, and you and Chaobei can earn money with peace of mind," they replied.

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Du Juan flatly refused and, with her child in her arms, attempted to leave.

Qin Jinlian panicked, rushed out to close the gate, and blocked it with her body. "If you dare take Zilong away, I, I will throw myself against the gate and die right here!"

Jia Yuemei was beside them, gloating and fanning the flames. "Sister-in-law, just listen to Mom. Filial piety comes first. Let Zilong stay with Dad and Mom, and consider it doing your filial duty on behalf of you and my brother."

Du Juan ignored Jia Yuemei and turned to Shen Jianguo for help.

"Dad, Zilong is still young. He can’t be without me."

Shen Jianguo’s face showed hesitation and difficulty. "Then, why don’t you stay here? Let the men handle earning money, and you can just focus on taking care of the child at home."

Jia Yuemei immediately agreed. "Exactly, sister-in-law, look at the other daughters-in-law in our village. Which one isn’t at home doing laundry, cooking, looking after the children, taking care of the in-laws? These past two years, you and my brother have been away, and it’s been me and Xiangnan looking after things at home. Now it’s your turn to take care of them."

Qin Jinlian struck the final note. "That’s right, it’s for the Chao family. Either you leave Zilong here, or you don’t leave at all."

Suppressing her anger, Du Juan tried negotiating with her in-laws. "Dad, Mom, it’s true that Chaobei and I have been neglecting home and you both this past year. How about this – from now on, Chaobei and I will give you thirty yuan a month as a token of our filial respect."

"I don’t want money; I want my grandson. Hand Zilong over to me!" she said and moved forward to snatch the child.

Du Juan clutched her child, trying to back away, but Jia Yuemei blocked her path.

Taking advantage of the situation, Qin Jinlian reached out her hands to embrace the child. Naturally, Du Juan refused to let go.

The sleeping Shen Zilong was startled awake by the tussle between his mother and grandmother and began to cry loudly in fright.

In the midst of the chaos, with a loud "bang," the gate was kicked open from the outside.

Shen Mingzhu looked coldly at the three women entangled in conflict. "What is going on here?" she asked.

Qin Jinlian felt uncomfortable. "When did you come back?"

Shen Mingzhu didn’t respond but walked straight over to Du Juan, took the crying Shen Zilong from her arms, and gently comforted him.

"Sister-in-law, have you packed everything?"

Patting the canvas bag behind her, Du Juan nodded and replied, "Everything’s packed."

"Then let’s go."

With that, Shen Mingzhu, carrying Shen Zilong, made her way outside.

But after taking only a few steps, Qin Jinlian reached out to stop her. "No, Zilong must stay home."

Shen Mingzhu, still soothing the child in her arms without even glancing up, said, "Mom, think carefully. If you dare stop Zilong today, you’ll lose not just a grandson but a son and a daughter too."

Shen Jianguo pulled Qin Jinlian aside and spoke to the two women. "You two go ahead."

"Zilong—"

As she watched her grandson being carried out the door by Shen Mingzhu, Qin Jinlian collapsed to the ground with a slap on her thigh, weeping profusely.

"Oh my precious grandson, wuu wuu wuu, why is my life so hard..."

...

Upon leaving the village and sitting in the small car Shen Mingzhu had driven there, Du Juan cradled her son while crying and recounting everything that had happened at home to Shen Mingzhu.

"...Thank goodness you came, or else our mother and son would probably not have been able to leave today."

Shen Mingzhu patted her on the shoulder consolingly. "If I hadn’t come today, I would’ve come tomorrow. I’ve got your luggage; there’s an hour and a half left, we should make it to catch the train."

Wiping away tears, Du Juan said, "Thanks for your trouble, Mingzhu."

"Why be formal with me? You are not just my sister-in-law but also my employee. Both officially and personally, I must protect you well."

Du Juan nodded gratefully and didn’t say much else.

"Sister-in-law, if you see a suitable house over in Rongcheng, just go ahead and buy it," Mingzhu suggested.

Hearing Shen Mingzhu’s words, Du Juan was somewhat taken aback.

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