The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 414 - 413 Birthday Gift

Although buying a house in the city was part of Du Juan’s plan, she had never thought of buying one in Rongcheng.

For her, Rongcheng was about leaving her roots behind, while Fengcheng was where one should return when the leaves fall back to their roots.

If she was to buy a house, it should be in Fengcheng.

"Sister-in-law, my personal opinion is to take care of the present, buy a house, have your own ’nest’, and you can come back whenever you want, or settle down there if you don’t want to return,"

"Moreover, house prices are definitely going to rise in the next few years, and if you’re not there in the future, you can sell it and make a little profit,"

After listening to Shen Mingzhu’s analysis and thinking about today’s encounters, Du Juan immediately decided to buy a house in Rongcheng.

...

That afternoon, after receiving the all-clear call from Du Juan, Shen Jianguo went into the city, bringing Guoguo some wild berries like mulberries and two wild rabbits.

The wild rabbits were young, not long after birth, slightly bigger than an adult fist, huddling together in a woven bamboo cage, shivering.

Guoguo was thrilled, hopping and jumping around the cage.

"Grampa, bunny!"

"Guoguo, do you like the bunny?"

Guoguo couldn’t grasp the concept of ’liking’, she simply clapped her hands instinctively to express her emotions.

"This is its wing, we’ll stick red eyes on it..."

Guoguo nodded happily.

When Shen Mingzhu got home from work and saw Shen Jianguo squatting on the ground making a grass dragonfly for his daughter, she felt a mix of emotions.

She was really angry about Shen Jianguo indulging Qin Jinlian in fighting for Shen Zilong’s custody.

But at that very moment, looking at the tender gaze he cast on his daughter, the anger in her heart suddenly subsided a lot.

"Dad, what brings you here?"

Seeing her, Shen Jianguo’s face showed an awkward smile.

"Your mother is sick. That day, after you left, she went back to her room and lay down. She came down with a fever at night; after taking some medicine the fever subsided, but these past two days she has been listlessly lying there, hardly eating anything."

Shen Mingzhu drove Shen Jianguo back to the village.

Pushing aside the curtain of the north room, she was met with the sight of a large kang, where Qin Jinlian was lying stiff, with her eyes tightly closed.

Shen Mingzhu stepped closer, placing her finger under the other’s nostrils.

Qin Jinlian opened her eyes and glared at her, "What are you trying to do?"

"Thought you were dead, just checking your breath,"

Qin Jinlian was so angry at her remark that she just glared at her.

Shen Mingzhu calmly found a place to sit, looking at her with cool, clear almond-shaped eyes, "My sister-in-law has already gone to Rongcheng. It’s so hot nowadays; if something serious happens to you, by the time they return, your corpse would have already stunk up the place."

Qin Jinlian, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, sat up from the kang, "Have you come back just to upset me? Why don’t you just anger me to death! I’m your real mother. Instead of helping me, you help outsiders. I might as well not have raised you."

Shen Mingzhu remained calm, "You’re a mother yourself, how could you have the heart to snatch away someone else’s son?"

Qin Jinlian burst into tears like waterfalls, "How did I snatch her son? Zilong is my own grandson. As his grandmother, I want to keep my own grandson by my side, what’s wrong with that?"

"No matter how close you are to Zilong, can you be closer than my sister-in-law, his birth mother?"

Qin Jinlian, unable to argue, bowed her head and wiped her tears.

The curtain moved, revealing Jia Yuemei’s face full of eager gossip, "Mom, what’s wrong?"

Shen Mingzhu picked up a ceramic bowl from handy and threw it.

The ceramic bowl crashed near her feet, shattering to pieces and scaring Jia Yuemei terribly.

Qin Jinlian, too, stopped crying and stared blankly at the suddenly furious Shen Mingzhu.

Shen Mingzhu coldly glared at Jia Yuemei, "My second sister-in-law, if you want to live a peaceful life, stir up less trouble in front of Mom. Otherwise, I don’t mind finding a new wife for my second brother."

Jia Yuemei’s face went from red to white and then back again, as she slinked back into her own room.

After teaching Jia Yuemei a lesson, Shen Mingzhu turned her head back to reprimand Qin Jinlian.

"Mom, if you’re bored, you could farm, run a stall, or at the very least help my second sister-in-law look after the kids, instead of dreaming up nonsense all day long."

It was a good while before Jia Yuemei dared to come out of her room after Shen Mingzhu left.

Having been scolded by Shen Mingzhu, Qin Jinlian actually felt relieved. She was now sitting in the courtyard peeling bamboo shoots.

Jia Yuemei leaned in, "Mom, how about I give you a grandson?"

Qin Jinlian stopped what she was doing and glanced at her belly, "Are you pregnant?"

"Not yet, but it won’t be long."

Qin Jinlian continued peeling bamboo shoots, unimpressed.

Jia Yuemei squatted next to her, trying to ingratiate herself, "Mom, Xiangnan and I are planning for a second child, and we’ll definitely have a son for you this time. But look, Xiangnan and I only have one room; it’s not enough for two kids. We need to build the new house first, don’t you think?"

Qin Jinlian glanced at her sideways, "If you want to build a new house, go ahead. I’m not stopping you."

"But Xiangnan and I don’t have the money right now, could you help us out? Once I have a son, I’ll take care of him for you. I’m not like my sister-in-law who guards her son as closely as the apple of her eye."

Having been deceived by Yang Lizhen before, Qin Jinlian had learned her lesson.

"Let’s talk about it after you’ve had the baby."

After saying this, she took the peeled bamboo shoots into the kitchen to cook.

Jia Yuemei could only rub her belly and silently pray she’d quickly get pregnant with a son.

...

On her weekend off, Shen Mingzhu went to the Zhong Family’s house to accompany Zhong Qing as she tried on wedding dresses.

The wedding of Zhong Qing and Yan Yi was set for May 10th, just a little over a month away.

The urgency was not typical for families like the Zhong and Yan Family’s, but it was because Yan Family’s patriarch’s health had taken a sudden downturn recently, and the hospital had even issued a critical condition notice.

Although he had somewhat recovered, his health was no longer what it used to be.

The Yan Family thus decided it would be best for the couple to get married sooner to bring some joy.

Three wedding dresses were tried in total.

Perhaps due to the tight schedule, and with Zhong Qing’s demure and elegant personality, the styles of the wedding dresses were all rather simple and elegant.

One was a strapless A-line, one a V-neck sheath, and one a high-collared mermaid dress.

"What do you think, which one do you all like best?"

After trying on all three dresses, Zhong Qing sought the opinions of Zhong Qing and Yan Su.

Yan Su chose the V-neck one.

Then it was Shen Mingzhu’s turn, "Qingqing, do you want to try on the wedding dress you gave me before? I’ve been carefully preserving it these past two years; it still looks as good as new."

Zhong Qing smiled and declined, "Once I’ve given it to you, it’s yours. A bride should wear something new; it doesn’t make sense to wear something old."

Indeed.

Shen Mingzhu, like Yan Su, also chose the V-neck one.

After deciding on the wedding dress, Shen Mingzhu brought out her makeup to do a makeup design test for Zhong Qing.

She was busy until the evening, finally finalizing two makeup looks for the wedding day.

Yan Su had been with them initially but had then left due to other commitments.

After packing up, Shen Mingzhu took the car keys out of her bag to return to Zhong Qing.

On the day Du Juan left, she was worried about missing her train and had borrowed a car from Zhong Qing.

Zhong Qing found a pink ribbon somewhere, tied a bow on the keys, and then handed the keys with the bow back to Shen Mingzhu.

"The car’s yours now, an early happy birthday to you."

Shen Mingzhu was startled and quickly tried to give the keys back, "I can’t accept."

"Why not? Do you think it’s because it’s an old car? Then I’ll buy you a new one; what kind do you like?"

Shen Mingzhu waved her hands hastily, "It’s not because it’s old, it’s because it’s too expensive."

"It’s not expensive."

As she spoke, she pushed the car keys back into her hand.

Shen Mingzhu pushed them back again, "I really don’t want it, Qingqing, don’t be like this; I’ll feel uneasy borrowing anything from you in the future."

Seeing her insistence, Zhong Qing pulled her downstairs.

They arrived in front of a white Toyota Crown, and Zhong Qing unscrewed her lipstick and wrote a line of words on the hood of the car...