Chapter 33

Yes.

How could she have forgotten?

In her previous life, after Song Qingdai married into the Zhang family, those children actually became well-behaved. It must have been some method she used that made them change.

And now Song Qingdai was standing right in front of her—why not just ask for advice directly?

Song Qingdai smiled gently, her expression soft.

She knew Song Mingshan would definitely ask this.

Because in her previous life, the success of those three children had made countless people envious and jealous.

All three excelled in their respective fields—straight-A students, polite and accomplished, admitted into prestigious universities, and later successful in their careers.

To outsiders, they were simply prodigies.

But no one knew just how much effort Song Qingdai had poured into getting them on the right path.

She had once naively believed that as long as she raised those children well, she’d eventually live a good life. Even if she wasn’t their biological mother, they would at least be grateful for all she had done.

But she was completely wrong.

Because, just like their father Zhang Shaoxing, they were rotten to the core.

The Qing Dynasty was long gone—but people like them still existed.

The three children held a grudge against her for being too strict with them growing up. After they became successful, they acted filial on the surface, but in private, they schemed repeatedly to get rid of her quietly.

If she hadn’t been constantly on guard, she would’ve died multiple times over.

“This…”

“Come on, good sister, tell me,” Song Mingshan said sweetly when she saw her hesitating.

“You know I’m about to marry into their family, and those three kids are like demons. They nearly drowned me and even pushed me off a balcony!”

“Can you really bear to see me tortured by a bunch of children?”

As she spoke, she squeezed out a few crocodile tears.

She knew Song Qingdai had a soft heart.

Not only soft—but incredibly stupid.

In the past, no matter what Mingshan did wrong, she’d push the blame onto Song Qingdai. And after Song Qingdai was beaten for it, all Mingshan had to do was say a few sweet words to her, and the next time, she’d take the fall again.

That trick had never failed.

“Well… I guess I’ll tell you then,” Song Qingdai said, looking reluctant and uncomfortable.

Inside, Mingshan was already overjoyed.

She knew this fool would definitely help her.

“Those three kids lost their mother early. Deep down, they really lack maternal love, so of course they’ll reject you as their stepmother.”

“But what you should do is go along with them—let them feel your care and affection. Especially since they don’t like studying and often get into fights at school, you must not criticize them.”

“Instead, you should comfort them. Let them feel that no matter what they do, you’re on their side. Kids are kids—eventually they’ll open their hearts and accept you.”

Song Qingdai paused and continued, “And as for academics, you can’t rush that. If they don’t want to learn, no amount of tutoring will help. It’s best to just let things take their natural course.”

Yes, let it run its course.

Run its course, my foot!

In her previous life, she had personally tutored those kids day and night, pulling them from the bottom of their class to the top ten in the grade.

Later, they got into the top high school in the province, and by the time they reached college, all three were top students in elite universities.

Especially in the national college entrance exam—all three were provincial valedictorians. University presidents even came to their home to recruit them personally.

The Gao family became the talk of the town, basking in glory.

Zhang Shaoxing never imagined that his family would one day produce three top scorers.

It was like their ancestors’ graves were smoking with good luck.

But Zhang Shaoxing never once gave credit to Song Qingdai. He believed it was because of his strong genes—that he had given birth to three exceptional sons.

To him, Song Qingdai was just some woman who married in and happened to benefit from their brilliance.

“You’re saying I should just let them run wild?” Mingshan asked, skeptical. Could this really be the way to raise outstanding kids?

Song Qingdai nodded solemnly. “Not exactly ‘run wild’—just don’t be too strict. You know how some kids are—the stricter you are, the more they rebel. From what I can tell, those three are actually very smart. Who knows? They might even become elite members of society one day.”

She said this with an admiring expression, as if she truly cherished those children as her own.

Her words hit Song Mingshan right in the sweet spot.

No wonder Zhang Shaoxing’s three sons were so successful in the past. She used to think Song Qingdai had some clever parenting technique, but now it seemed like Song Qingdai had done nothing at all.

The boys were just naturally talented—and she just reaped the credit.

Now that she imagined all that future glory belonging to her, Mingshan could hardly contain her pride.

“Hmph, those three little bastards who lost their mother so young—what kind of future could they possibly have?” Feng Cuifen muttered bitterly from the side.

Song Qingdai just smiled.

But Mingshan quickly said, “Mom, don’t say that. Even though they lost their mom early, I believe that once I marry into their family, I can give them the love they need.”

Just then, Zhang Shaoxing returned from buying fruit and overheard this.

A hint of appreciation flashed in his eyes.

Though Song Mingshan wasn’t exactly his type, she now seemed far more suitable than Song Qingdai to become the stepmother of his children.

“Shaoxing-ge, you’re back?” Song Mingshan looked up at the door in surprise, immediately toning down her triumphant expression.

Zhang Shaoxing immediately noticed Song Qingdai in the room.

He had just seen her a few days ago, yet today, she somehow looked even more radiant.

When his gaze lingered a little too long on her, Song Mingshan instantly felt a sense of crisis.

Could it be… even after being reborn, he still has feelings for her?

“Shaoxing-ge?” she called out again, then turned to Gao Han and asked with fake concern, “Brother-in-law, wasn’t it hard for you two to come to the provincial capital today? Did you manage to buy everything you need for the wedding?”

“Shaoxing-ge knows a lot of people here. If you need help with anything, you can ask him.”

She was doing her best to highlight Zhang Shaoxing’s connections and wealth.

In her eyes, Gao Han wasn’t even worthy of carrying Shaoxing’s shoes.

And she was clearly sending a message: reminding Gao Han of the huge gap between him and Zhang Shaoxing, as if to say—If you know what’s good for you, take Song Qingdai and leave, instead of embarrassing yourself here.