The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 465 - 464 There are plenty of men on two legs.

"I can’t predict for you

whether compromising will be of any use

But it hurts so much to let go

seeing a friend suffer so much for love

...

You say you’re not afraid of breaking up

just a bit sad and regretful

Valentine’s Day is coming

and you’ll be on your own

Truly, if you find the right person

every day is Valentine’s Day

Happy divorce

I wish you happiness

You can find someone better

...

Happy divorce

Please be happy

Only by waving goodbye to the wrong one can you meet the right one

Leaving old love

is like riding a slow train

Once you see through it, your heart will be clear

No one can confiscate another’s happiness..."

Shen Mingzhu’s voice was sweet and pure, captivating hearts even without accompaniment.

After the song ended, Shen Mingzhu felt refreshed, but the room full of women were in tears.

Particularly Pei Wenping, who cried all the way home clutching onto Shen Mingzhu, and even came up with a bunch of three-word nicknames for Chen Yi.

Such as bastard and son of a bitch, and the like.

Clearly in such a state, Pei Wenping couldn’t be sent back to the Chen Family, especially since the children were still unaware of the divorce. She had to be taken back to the Pei Family for care.

When they arrived home, it was already 1 a.m. Pei Ke, Pei Ziheng, and Guoguo had all gone to bed, but were forcibly awakened by the drunken antics of Pei Wenping.

"Ugh, why did you drink so much?"

Looking at the heavily intoxicated Pei Wenping, Pei Ke was naturally concerned.

Shen Mingzhu wanted to brush it off with a casual excuse, but Pei Wenping blurted out herself, "Uncle, I burp, am divorced! I’m divorced from Chen Yi!"

Pei Ke was completely dumbfounded.

Lately, he had seen Chen Yi and Pei Wenping together, appearing to be a well-matched and loving couple.

"Is Wenping talking nonsense because she’s drunk?" He inquired, looking at Pei Yang and Shen Mingzhu.

Shen Mingzhu gestured for Pei Ziheng to take Guoguo upstairs.

Once the siblings were upstairs, Shen Mingzhu briefly explained the situation to Pei Ke.

"This Chen Yi, he seems like a cultured and decent person, but I didn’t expect him to do something like this. It’s just that I am too old now, otherwise, I would personally go and break his damn legs!"

Finding out that his niece had been wronged, Pei Ke was furious.

After a whole day of turmoil, they finally settled down.

Shen Mingzhu had also drunk a fair amount. Tired, as soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep.

Pei Yang helped her take off her clothes and socks, tucked her in, and then stepped out of the room.

Pei Ke sat alone on the living room sofa, drinking to drown his sorrows. When he saw Pei Yang come out, he raised his glass.

"Care for a drink?"

Pei Yang walked over.

After two glasses of alcohol, Pei Yang put his glass down on the coffee table, "Uncle, I’m going out for a bit."

Pei Ke looked at him, seemingly guessing what he intended to do.

"It’s late, and you’ve been drinking. It’s not safe to drive, why not go tomorrow."

Pei Yang was someone who listened to reason; he drank some more with Pei Ke and then went back to his room to sleep.

Early the next morning, Pei Yang drove to the Chen Family.

Upon arrival at the Chen Family, Pei Yang didn’t go up but used the public phone downstairs to call Chen Yi.

Chen Yi came down quickly, getting into the passenger seat without waiting for Pei Yang to invite him.

The car drove to a deserted place.

After getting out of the car, Pei Yang looked at Chen Yi and said, "When you married my sister, I told you, didn’t I? If you dare to bully her, I’ll beat you so bad you’ll be picking up your teeth off the ground."

Chen Yi nodded, "Let’s go."

Pei Yang didn’t bother with pleasantries and started throwing punches at Chen Yi, deliberately avoiding his face.

He did it out of respect for his two nephews, to save Chen Yi some face.

Chen Yi, a weak scholar, had no way to fight back against the much stronger Pei Yang and was quickly beaten to the ground.

Pei Yang walked over to him, kicked him in the butt, and said, "Get up."

Chen Yi lay sprawled in the mud, not minding that his expensive wool coat got dirty and wrinkled.

Breathing heavily, he looked up at Pei Yang, "Go on, beat me to death."

Pei Yang sneered, "Wishful thinking. You might not have a wife anymore, but I still have a wife and kids to take care of."

Chen Yi smiled bitterly, "Just like your sister, your words cut deep."

Pei Yang kicked him again, "Get up, let’s talk."

The two of them leaned against the car door, smoking.

Halfway through the cigarette, Pei Yang turned his head toward Chen Yi, "Tell me, what were you thinking at the time?"

Chen Yi, looking down, flicked the ash, "I was bewitched."

"Be more specific. How did you and that woman get together?"

Under Chen Yi’s odd and puzzled gaze, Pei Yang sneered, "You’re the perfect bad example. I’ll take a lesson from you to avoid going down the same old road. We’re in-laws, after all. You wouldn’t refuse to help me with this small favor, would you?"

Chen Yi: "..."

True to his word, Chen Yi recounted every single detail of his journey with that woman, from colleagues to confidants, and then to having an affair, to Pei Yang.

In the end, he gave Pei Yang a piece of advice, "Stay away from the opposite sex at work or in your career who resonate with you, because in the end, it’s very easy to get so deeply entangled that you can’t extricate yourself. You might not even be able to distinguish whether the connection you have with the other person is intellectual or emotional, which can easily lead to confusion."

"Understood."

Chen Yi looked at him, "I helped you this time, you have to help me next time."

Pei Yang snorted softly, "Maybe in the next lifetime."

Chen Yi did not agree nor object, "As long as your sister hasn’t found someone else, I still have a chance, don’t I?"

Pei Yang tossed away his cigarette butt and stamped it out viciously with his shoe, "I’m taking my sister to meet suitors tomorrow. Three-legged toads are hard to come by, but two-legged men are a dime a dozen."

Chen Yi: "..."

Two days later.

Chen Yi went back to Shanghai City. He had to go there to arrange living accommodations and school registration for the siblings.

Pei Wenping was temporarily still living in the Chen Family’s house. She would move back to the family housing after the old couple and the kids went to Shanghai City.

The siblings didn’t know their parents were divorced and thought Pei Wenping stayed behind for work.

Pei Wenping had been working at the cotton mill for over ten years and had become a backbone of the factory. As long as she kept working there until retirement, a substantial pension was guaranteed.

Despite the reluctance to leave Pei Wenping, the siblings were still excited about going to school in Shanghai City.

Shanghai City was a bustling metropolis that everyone aspired to, with an urban area several times larger than Fengcheng, filled with skyscrapers.

The desire and longing for the outside world is a natural part of a child’s nature.

"When you get there, you must listen to grandpa, grandma, and dad. Don’t be naughty, don’t run around, and watch for cars when crossing the street..."

On the platform, Pei Wenping, fighting back the ache in her heart, repeated her instructions to the siblings.

"I know, Mom. You’ve said it hundreds of times. My ears are going to get calluses," Chen Xiaochao said, filled with excitement about going to Shanghai City, and a little impatient with Pei Wenping’s nagging.

Chen Chaolu felt differently, sad and reluctant about leaving the place she had grown up in and leaving her birth mother to live in a strange place.

"Mom, come with us, Dad earns so much, and he can afford to support you even if you don’t work."

Pei Wenping stroked her daughter’s head, "Darling, I’ll come to visit you whenever I have time."

"Alright."

Pei Wenping, take good care of yourself and take care."

The elders, amidst goodbyes, took the siblings onto the train.

Woo——

The moment the train whistled and slowly left the platform, Pei Wenping instinctively ran after it, tears streaming down uncontrollably.

She regretted it.

What did it matter if the children were successful or not? They should have stayed by her side.

Her two precious children, whom she had brought into the world with her own life at stake, were being taken away just like that, no different from having her heart gouged out with a knife.

"Xiaolu——"

"Xiaochao——"

...