The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 92 Forehead Kiss

After calling out to Shen Mingzhu, Yan Yi walked up to her, his voice warm and gentle, "Take my car, I’ll give you a ride on my way."

Yan Yi’s kind offer instinctively raised Shen Mingzhu’s guard, "No need, the bus at the door goes directly to my house, it’s very convenient."

Yan Yi made a gesture behind him, "Since I’m already dropping them off, one more wouldn’t make a difference."

That was when Shen Mingzhu noticed that there were three female students standing behind Yan Yi, all apparently looking for the same ride.

He wasn’t planning to take her alone.

Besides, how could someone like Yan Yi, an outstanding single young man, have any thoughts about a married woman like her?

She really was too full of herself.

However, Shen Mingzhu still intended to decline Yan Yi’s ride because among the three female students hitching a ride, Sun Feifei was also in the group, and the very thought of sitting in the same car with her made her uncomfortable.

But then, one of the carpooling female students affectionately took her arm, "Let’s go together, I have a question I’d like to ask you about."

This student’s name was Xiangying, and like Shen Mingzhu, she was married. She worked as a cashier at the water supply company, but her husband was an official in the Industrial and Commercial Bureau.

Xiangying had a pleasant personality, and Shen Mingzhu was inclined to foster a good relationship with her, so after some hesitation, she agreed.

Of the four women catching a ride, only Sun Feifei was single, and it was clear to everyone that she was interested in Yan Yi.

So, by an unspoken consensus, they let her take the passenger seat, while Shen Mingzhu, Xiangying, and another student, Xu Na, sat in the back row side by side.

On the way, Shen Mingzhu and Xiangying quietly discussed a grammar question in Modern Chinese.

Sun Feifei and Xu Na were very interested in Yan Yi’s personal information and family background, bombarding him with questions. Yan Yi was amiable and graceful, answering everything with ease, but subtly revealing almost nothing.

However, he did make one thing clear—he was single.

When Yan Yi admitted he was single, Shen Mingzhu deliberately glanced at Sun Feifei.

Sun Feifei’s face reddened, though it was hard to tell if it was from excitement or shyness.

Yet, Shen Mingzhu didn’t think Sun Feifei stood a chance with Yan Yi.

Yan Yi evidently wasn’t interested in Sun Feifei; otherwise, he wouldn’t have dropped her off first.

As she got out of the car, Sun Feifei appeared somewhat disappointed and regretful, but she maintained a decorous and graceful demeanor, waving goodbye to everyone in the car, without neglecting even Shen Mingzhu.

But Shen Mingzhu ignored her.

Soon after, Xu Na also got off.

Now only Shen Mingzhu and Xiangying were left in the car.

With a philosophy of "every man for himself," Shen Mingzhu was the first to announce her address, wishing for Yan Yi to drop her home first.

Upon hearing the address she gave, Yan Yi smiled and commented, "You live quite close to Xiangying, no wonder you get along."

Xiangying chimed in, "Yes, I live on Becond Street, and Mingzhu lives on Bat Street. When you pass Becond Street, just stop at the intersection, and I can walk the rest of the way."

"Okay."

Shen Mingzhu hurriedly said, "Then I’ll get off at Becond Street as well."

As she spoke, both Xiangying and Yan Yi looked at her.

Yan Yi was looking through the rearview mirror.

Xiangying said, "Walking from Becond Street to Bat Street takes a few minutes; let Yan Yi drop you off at your complex’s entrance, it’s just pressing the gas a bit more."

Shen Mingzhu thought to herself that this extra press of the gas might lead to hundreds of rumors swirling around her residential complex.

Yan Yi seemed to see through her thoughts and spoke up in his clear voice, "I’ll drop you off at the intersection of Bat Street; I need to make a U-turn there anyway."

If she was dropped off at the intersection, that would be several hundred meters from the residential complex; surely she wouldn’t be so unlucky as to be seen by someone from the complex?

With that thought, Shen Mingzhu agreed.

The car soon stopped at the intersection of Bat Street, and as she thanked him and got out of the car, Yan Yi suddenly rolled down the window and called out to her.

"Spring is about to start, and next month I’m planning an outdoor activity. If you have any good ideas, let me know, I’ll contact you by phone."

After saying that, Yan Yi drove off.

Shen Mingzhu prepared to head home, and as she turned around, she saw Pei Yang and Pei Ziheng standing not far away.

Father and son were holding hands, with matching expressions on their faces, staring intently at her.

Shen Mingzhu approached as if nothing was out of the ordinary, "Why are you guys here?"

"Came to pick you up," Pei Ziheng replied.

Shen Mingzhu pinched his cheek, "No need to pick me up..."

It’s so cold, be careful not to catch a cold.

That’s what Shen Mingzhu wanted to say, but she only got the first sentence out before she was interrupted by the jackass, "Right, we shouldn’t have come, shouldn’t have seen you getting out of another man’s car."

A strong whiff of jealousy.

Shen Mingzhu glanced at him mockingly, took Pei Ziheng’s hand, and headed back to the family compound.

She didn’t respond, and Pei Yang didn’t speak again either.

The atmosphere became a bit tense and weird.

Walking between the two, Pei Ziheng looked up with his pretty, delicate face at one, then the other, and shook his head silently.

Silly dad, your mouth isn’t just for eating, you need to know how to speak too.

"Aunt Mingzhu, who was that uncle who dropped you off just now?"

"A fellow student from my self-study group."

"What’s his surname? What’s his name?"

"Surname Yan, just Yi, as in ’Yi standing tall and erect’."

"Oh, are you close with him?"

"Not really, we’re not that close."

Pei Yang blurted out, "Not close and you still rode in his car?"

Shen Mingzhu: "..."

Silly dad, better keep your mouth shut, you’re killing the vibe with your talk.

Pei Ziheng felt heartbroken for his clueless dad.

Once home, Pei Yang tied on an apron and busied himself with dinner in the kitchen, while Shen Mingzhu went to her room to change into casual clothes. After thinking it over, she decided to explain to Pei Yang why she took Yan Yi’s ride.

After listening to her explanation, Pei Yang put down what he was holding and approached her, leaned slightly to trap her against the countertop.

With his deep-set eyes looking down at her dominantly, he said in a low and assertive voice, "I don’t mind you having normal interactions with your classmates, but there’s one thing, from now on, you’re not allowed to smile at that Yan guy."

Shen Mingzhu was speechless when she heard him say, "You’re so pretty, and when you smile, you look just like a blooming flower, it’s too easy to snatch someone’s soul away. What if he takes a liking to you, and I’m not around, and he runs off with you? Who am I going to cry to then?"

Shen Mingzhu held back her laughter, rolled her eyes, and said, "I’ll try my best."

"Good girl."

Having said that, he pressed a kiss on her forehead.

By the time Shen Mingzhu realized what happened, Pei Yang had already moved away to busy himself with dinner again, as if the kiss had been an illusion.

Shen Mingzhu glared at the jackass for a while and then turned to leave.

The moment she was gone, Pei Yang started prancing around like a cat that got the cream, ecstatically dancing with his hands and feet.

Shen Mingzhu returned to her room and rubbed her forehead in front of the vanity mirror, feeling as if the warm, moist sensation of the man’s lips lingered there.

The damn trickster, pulling a sneak attack.

----

After the separation, Shen Chaobei took half a month to build a new wall and gate on the north side of the house, making it much more convenient to come and go without using the original main entrance.

Once the house was fixed up, Shen Chaobei and Du Juan discussed starting a business using the skills taught by Shen Mingzhu.

But even small businesses need some capital to start.

After being given their own portion of the household, all they received aside from a bit of food was next to nothing; emptying their savings amounted to just over ten yuan, all scrimped and saved by Du Juan over the years from between the gaps in her teeth.

After discussing all night, the couple decided to ask the elders to borrow some startup funds.

To ensure they could borrow the money, Du Juan clenched her teeth and bought two pounds of pork from the market, stewing it with vermicelli to invite the elders over for a meal.

Qin Jinlian was all smiles while eating the meat, but once Shen Chaobei brought up borrowing money after the meal, her face instantly fell.