The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 453 - 452: Shen Hongmei’s Chance Encounter with Her Ex

Chapter 453: Chapter 452: Shen Hongmei’s Chance Encounter with Her Ex

"I want to have a baby."

Yan Yi looked at her, "Have you thought it through?"

"I’m not averse to having a child with my own bloodline. I will try my best to be a mother, and I believe you will be a qualified father. Isn’t that enough?"

Yan Yi was noncommittal, "Pleasure doing business."

Zhong Qing smiled, "Pleasure doing business."

...

Shen Mingzhu suddenly looked up at the window, the dark night outside, barely able to hear the rustling sound of snowflakes hitting the ground.

"Get some rest, it’s late."

Shen Hongmei across from her glanced at the clock on the wall and said, "I will study for another half an hour, you go to sleep first."

After saying that, she buried her head and continued memorizing her textbooks.

With the self-study exams only a few days away, learning one more point of knowledge might just increase her score.

Shen Mingzhu reached out and closed the book in front of Shen Hongmei, "Learning isn’t about cramming at the last minute, it’s about accumulating knowledge day by day. The exam is almost here, do you think you can perform well in the exam hall with a weary body?"

"I’m afraid I won’t pass."

"Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Keep a level head. If you don’t pass this time, you can retake it next time. Every year, thousands of students take the exams, and many fail. One more or one less of you won’t make a difference."

With Shen Mingzhu’s comfort and encouragement, Shen Hongmei gave up the idea of studying through the night and packed up her books to rest in the guest room.

She had been studying with Shen Mingzhu at night and was temporarily staying here.

...

Standing outside the gate of the Adult Education Center, seeing the swarm of students entering the examination hall, Shen Hongmei couldn’t help whispering to Shen Mingzhu.

"I’m so nervous, my hands are shaking."

"Then you should go back to work."

Shen Hongmei was taken aback, then said, "That won’t do, I’ve prepared for a year, even if I don’t pass, I still want to take the exam." free𝑤ebnovel.com

Shen Mingzhu smiled, "Then you’re not nervous anymore?"

Shen Hongmei lifted her head and puffed out her chest, "If others can take it, why can’t I? There’s nothing to be afraid of."

"If you’re not afraid, then go in."

"Fine, I’ll go in."

There was still some time before the exam, and the examination rooms weren’t open yet. The students gathered in small groups in the open space or the corridors, chatting casually.

It was a bustling scene.

Shen Mingzhu first escorted Shen Hongmei to the entrance of her examination room before going to find her own.

"Shen Mingzhu."

Hearing someone call her name, Shen Mingzhu turned her head instinctively and saw a few familiar faces.

"Oh, it really is you! Long time no see. You’ve become more and more beautiful. I almost didn’t dare recognize you."

"Hello."

"We haven’t seen you come for the exams in the last two years. We thought you’d given up."

"Something came up at home, so I was delayed."

"What are you doing nowadays?"

"I started a small business. I need to head to the examination room now, let’s catch up later."

After a brief exchange, Shen Mingzhu bid farewell and left.

These were women from her previous study group. They weren’t very close to begin with, and three years of absence made them little more than familiar strangers.

"Look at her, now that she’s successful, she looks down on us, not even willing to spare a few more words," Woman A commented, pursing her lips at Shen Mingzhu’s retreating figure.

Woman B: "She wasn’t that close with you in the first place. Why would she chat with you? If she were to chat, it would be with Xiangying, right, Xiangying?"

Woman C asked the quiet Xiangying beside her, "Didn’t you get along well with her? Why didn’t I see you greet each other just now?"

Xiangying replied with a faint smile, "We weren’t that close. After the study group disbanded, we met a couple of times, but then we lost contact."

Woman A continued to purse her lips, "She’s so shrewd. During the study group, she was so eager to please you and your husband. Now that she doesn’t need you, she doesn’t even bother talking to you."

Xiangying didn’t join the conversation, knowing full well that the falling out between her and Shen Mingzhu was not Shen Mingzhu’s fault.

In fact, over the past few years, she had also learned about some of Shen Mingzhu’s situation.

Shen Mingzhu’s company, the relocation of her factory site, and her catering business were all handled with the help of her husband’s colleagues.

...

Dinglingling——

Hearing the buzzer signaling the end of the exam, Shen Hongmei stopped answering the questions with a hint of regret, packed up her pen bag, and stood up to hand in her paper.

After leaving the examination room, Shen Hongmei moved with the crowd towards the exit.

She had arranged to meet Shen Mingzhu at the parking area.

Almost out of the examination hall, she suddenly felt a bump from behind, and instinctively turned to look.

At that glance, she froze.

"Hongmei, what are you doing here?"

Ma Chao was both surprised and delighted when he recognized her.

Shen Hongmei, however, was quite calm, save for her initial moment of astonishment, "I came for the exam."

Hearing this, the surprise on Ma Chao’s face intensified.

"How have you been these past years?"

Once outside the examination hall, Ma Chao eagerly started the conversation.

He scrutinized her closely, his gaze seemingly filled with a certain nostalgia.

To be fair, Ma Chao had good looks, tall and lean, with handsome facial features, and due to doing less farm work, his skin was fairer and smoother than the average man’s.

The Shen Hongmei of the past had been quite taken with Ma Chao’s handsome appearance, willingly giving her all to him.

But now, perhaps with more experience and broader horizons, she found the man in front of her to be quite ordinary.

He lacked a man’s robustness.

"I’ve been quite well, did you also take the self-study exam?" Shen Hongmei asked casually.

Ma Chao nodded and started talking about his situation.

He had underperformed in the college entrance examination and had not gotten into technical school, but with the help of his father-in-law, he had become a substitute teacher and was working towards a college diploma through self-study.

Shen Hongmei did not ask him why he did not retake the college entrance exam; it was undoubtedly because of money.

Tuition, accommodations, and living expenses added up to at least four or five hundred a year, not something easily handled.

To put it bluntly, the fact that Ma Chao had completed his three years of high school was partly her doing.

The money she earned from working in town, half of it went towards supporting Ma Chao’s education.

"You were invited to my wedding the year before last, why didn’t you come?"

"I was tied up with work at the factory; I couldn’t get away."

Although Shen Hongmei didn’t attend, she didn’t lack for gossip.

Now a high-ranking manager in a food factory and holding a certain amount of power, there were plenty of people who would inform her to curry favor.

It was said that the Ma Family’s wedding was quite modest, with few meat dishes at the table, the cheapest wedding candy, and the new house being Ma Chao’s parents’ place, with furniture and decorations borrowed from relatives to save face.

The Ma Family had always been poor as church mice, and Ma Chao’s three years of studying in the city had only added to their debts; managing to hold a wedding at all was quite an achievement.

She also knew that the villagers said Ma Chao had abandoned her for a city girl, which was like dropping a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed.

"You must have started the exams this year; I’ve been taking them for two years and never bumped into you."

Shen Hongmei nodded, "You’ve been taking them for two years, how many have you passed?"

"I’ve passed two."

"I have classes during the day and at night, I have to grade homework and prepare lessons, so I only have time to study on weekends and during the winter and summer breaks," said Ma Chao, perhaps feeling the need to justify his progress.

Passing only two exams in two years was not considered a good record.

With self-study exams being held twice a year, and a maximum of four subjects per session, even if he only passed one each time, he should have passed four by now.

Shen Hongmei offered some encouragement, "Passing two exams is not bad; take it slow, one by one, and you’ll eventually get the diploma."

Ma Chao smiled, "I am confident about that. But..."

He paused, then continued, "Hongmei, I actually think there’s no need for you to take these exams."