Chapter 25.2

This was also the reason why Lu Nong hadn’t seen Aunt Sun since she was kicked out. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to come in, but she simply couldn’t without a pass.

Lu Nong had observed that not all the buildings were fully occupied. Including the Pei family, there were only about ten households living there.

Pei Zheng stuffed another cake into his mouth and mumbled, “No superiors, people with higher ranks than my father live in the inner city, with my grandparents.”

“There are four or five families that are close, like the Zhang family and the Jiang family. Then there’s Uncle Cui next door, who also has a good relationship with us. The other families are just acquaintances, and whether we visit or not doesn’t matter.”

Lu Nong raised an eyebrow, noticing that Pei Zheng didn’t mention the Shen family. It was important to note that the Shen family wasn’t just neighbors. They were Pei Zheng’s uncle’s family. Given the relationship between Pei Zheng and Shen Jiming, as well as Pei Ji’an’s attitude towards him, their relationship shouldn’t be bad.

Pei Zheng felt uncomfortable under Lu Nong’s gaze and couldn’t eat any more cake. He realized Lu Nong had caught on to something odd in his words. “It’s Shen Jiming’s dad… I told you about my parents yesterday, but no one outside the family, including my grandparents and aunt, knows that my mom is the problem. They all think my dad wronged her.”

At this point, Pei Zheng put down the cake and sighed. “Shen Jiming’s dad is my uncle. He always thinks my dad has wronged my mom, so he constantly creates trouble for him. My mom wants to reconcile with my dad, so my uncle naturally hopes she gets what she wants. That’s why I advise you not to go to their house, you might get bullied.”

Pei Zheng had said enough to show that he had fully accepted Lu Nong. She could tell, thinking to herself that her efforts in making snacks weren’t wasted.

As she pondered over Pei Zheng’s words, Lu Nong began to understand.

After hearing about Pei Zheng’s mother yesterday, she felt that the Pei family’s attitude towards Shen Yimei was oddly warm—too warm to be believable. It didn’t make sense for parents to be closer to their daughter-in-law who had made a mistake while distancing themselves from their own son.

Now she realized the root of the issue: everyone was unaware of the real reason behind Pei Ji’an and Shen Yimei’s divorce.

However, Lu Nong still found it strange. Even if everyone didn’t know the true reason for the divorce, it was a matter between two people. Why was it that everyone placed the blame on Pei Ji’an, assuming he abandoned Shen Yimei while Shen Yimei emerged unscathed?

Lu Nong understood that Pei Ji’an didn’t want outsiders to know the real reason for his divorce from Shen Yimei, considering it involved a woman’s reputation. Moreover, Shen Yimei was Pei Zheng’s biological mother. If the truth got out, it would not only affect Shen Yimei’s life but also bring shame to Pei Zheng.

Additionally, it was clear that Pei Ji’an wouldn’t want others to know his wife had cheated on him.

But why didn’t he even tell his parents or sister? Why did Pei Ji’an allow his family to misunderstand his father?

Lu Nong hesitated, wanting to ask her questions, yet feeling it would be cruel to make Pei Zheng speak about his mother.

She was already shocked that Pei Zheng had been able to hint at his mother’s infidelity yesterday.

Forget it, Lu Nong decided not to press further. Pei Ji’an’s thoughts were his own business, and when it came to her issues, Pei Zheng had shared everything he could.

Pei Zheng easily picked up on her unspoken thoughts. Sometimes, his sensitivity was astonishing, especially like his father.

“Are you curious why I don’t tell Grandpa and Grandma or the Shen family the truth?” Pei Zheng said nonchalantly. “It doesn’t matter if I tell you, anyway you already know everything you need to know.”

“I’ve mentioned it before, but no one believed me. As for whether my dad said anything, I have no idea. He probably didn’t say anything at all.”

Lu Nong felt a chill run down her spine. Suddenly, she realized that aside from Pei Ji’an and Pei Zheng, the Pei family seemed very strange. It felt similar to the impression she got from Pei Mingxia—extreme biases and selective hearing.

Lu Nong thought about how Pei Ji’an probably hadn’t said anything because he knew it wouldn’t make a difference. Had he given up from the start?

Furthermore, Pei Zheng had once informed his grandparents about Shen Yimei, but they didn’t believe him. If they cared about their son even a little, they would have checked the facts before jumping to conclusions, right?

Lu Nong shook her head, deciding not to get involved in the Pei family’s matters. She reminded herself to keep her distance in the future. Picking up the cake and candy box, she said, “I’ll go visit the neighbors. You and Huaihuai behave at home.”

Pei Zheng protested, “I told you not to treat me like a child!”

Once outside, Lu Nong first knocked on the neighbor’s door. A middle-aged woman wearing an apron opened the door. The woman was momentarily startled by Lu Nong’s appearance before hesitantly asking, “You are…?”

“Hello, I’m Lu Nong, Pei Ji’an’s wife from next door. I’ve come to bring you some wedding candies and snacks,” Lu Nong said, handing the sorted candy to the middle-aged woman.

“Oh, please come in!” The woman exclaimed, accepting the bowl cakes and candies. She called out to someone behind her, “Aunt Cui, it’s the wife of Chief Pei from next door. She’s here to bring us wedding candies.”

Lu Nong followed the middle-aged woman inside. The layout of the Cui family’s house was similar to the Pei family’s, but it seemed a bit cramped since more people lived there. Even the first floor had been divided into several small rooms. The living room and dining room were combined without a sofa, only a dining table and chairs.

The elderly lady who had signaled to Lu Nong the other day got up from her chair and warmly said to Lu Nong, “Please sit. What should I call you?”

“I won’t sit, Aunt. Just call me Xiao Lu. I’m here to deliver wedding candies and to visit the neighbors. I still need to go to the next house,” Lu Nong smiled as she explained.

“Oh, I won’t keep you then! Come and play when you have time, Xiao Lu. Xiao Wang, please see Xiao Lu out,” the elderly lady replied.

Aunt Wang escorted Lu Nong to the door. After closing it, the elderly lady took a bite of the bowl cake Lu Nong had made and said, “This tastes good. I’ll save some for my eldest when he comes home.”

She continued to talk about Lu Nong, saying, “What a polite girl! Skilled and so young, yet she chose to be a stepmother. What was she thinking?”

Aunt Wang immediately picked up on the underlying meaning in the elderly lady’s words. She suspected that Lu Nong had married Pei Ji’an for his power and status.

Aunt Wang had a good impression of Lu Nong. Just as the elderly lady had said, she was polite and respectful, addressing her with “you” throughout their conversation. Even as she left, knowing that Aunt Wang was a nanny, Lu Nong didn’t change her attitude and even gave her some cakes and candy to try.

So Aunt Wang defended Lu Nong, saying, “She’s on her second marriage and has a two or three-year-old child. Both of them benefit from marrying each other.”

Old Madam Cui glanced at the nanny. “Yes, these two do seem to match in appearance, but who knows if she’ll be good to Xiao Zheng. After all, she’s the stepmother…”

Old Madam Cui left the rest unsaid, and the maid dared not speak further. Every word the old lady uttered mentioned “stepmother.” Clearly, she was reminded of her own daughter-in-law when thinking of Lu Nong.

Meanwhile, Lu Nong walked towards the next house. She followed the route Pei Zheng had provided, visiting both the Zhang Kaiping and Jiang Yu households. When passing by the Shen Jiming household, she walked straight ahead without looking, determined not to invite any trouble.

Upon entering Zhang Kaiping’s home, Lu Nong was immediately surrounded by a group of little children. It turned out they had heard from their older brother that Uncle Pei’s new wife could make delicious ice cream. As for how Zhang Kaiping knew, naturally, it was Pei Zheng who told him.

Zhang Kaiping’s mother waved the children away, “Go, go, back to your rooms and do your homework. Da Ping, keep an eye on your younger siblings. If they run out again, I’ll give you a spanking.”

Zhang Kaiping, playing along with a pained expression, led his younger siblings back inside.

“Sister-in-law, I’m so sorry. The kids were being rude. I hope they didn’t scare you?” Qin Qing apologized, feeling embarrassed.

She had given birth to four or five children, and her figure was now somewhat out of shape, making her look a bit plump.

“It’s no trouble at all. The children are adorable. Oh, by the way, sister-in-law, I made some snacks for the kids,” Lu Nong said as she handed over a plate of rice cakes.

“Oh wow, did you make these yourself? You’re so talented!”

Qin Qing could see that Lu Nong was sincere, and her smile became more genuine. She loved children and only threatened to spank them as a way to scare them. She had never actually hit them. What she really disliked were people who would praise her kids with their mouths but look down on them in their hearts. So what if the kids were a little chubby? A little extra weight means good fortune.

This was aimed at a certain someone. Thinking of the Shen family’s daughter-in-law, Qin Qing’s attitude towards Lu Nong grew even warmer.

“I’ve heard from my husband that Ji’an remarried, but I never had a chance to meet you. Finally, we’ve met.” As she spoke, Qin Qing gave Lu Nong a good look. “Oh my! You’re stunning. When you walked in, my youngest called you a fairy. If I hadn’t held her back, she would’ve run straight into you.”

Lu Nong had seen the youngest Zhang child before, a sturdy little girl. It was fortunate Qin Qing had quick reflexes and held her back. Otherwise, the girl might have knocked her off her feet. Hearing Qin Qing joke about it afterward, Lu Nong couldn’t help but laugh.

Qin Qing then said warmly, “Now that we’re neighbors, feel free to come to me if you ever need anything. It’s only right for neighbors to help each other.”

Both women were left with a good impression of each other. After bidding farewell to Qin Qing, Lu Nong made her way to Jiang Yu’s house. However, no one was home, and after knocking for a long time without an answer, she had no choice but to return home with the last portion of the cakes.

That evening, Pei Ji’an unexpectedly didn’t come home. Instead, he had Xiao Zhou deliver a message: Pei Zheng was to be punished by running five kilometers daily with weights. As for everyone else, there were no further instructions.

At first, Lu Nong didn’t think much of it. But after a whole week passed without Pei Ji’an coming home, Qin Qing, now closer to Lu Nong, specially came by to ask if she and Pei Ji’an were having a fight.

Lu Nong was baffled, and before she could figure it out, it was already time for the new school term to begin.