The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era

After dinner, Yu Jin’e and Shen Zhong joined Zhao Dafa for tea and a chat in the courtyard.

Shen Jiagen went out with the remote-control car that Zhao Dafa had given him, beaming with joy to show off to his friends.

Shen Hongmei and Shen Hongju were cleaning up in the kitchen.

"Hongju, have you been under a lot of academic pressure recently?"

At the dinner table, Shen Hongmei had clearly noticed Shen Hongju’s low spirits.

"It’s okay; there are plenty who are more competitive than me in school, especially the top student of our class. He only sleeps three hours a day; even the teachers say he’s acting recklessly."

Shen Hongmei hastened to say, "You shouldn’t do that. Grades are important, but if you wear yourself out, everything becomes pointless."

"Mhm, I know."

"Are you getting along with your classmates? No one is bullying you, are they?"

Shen Hongju had always been introverted and shy, and Shen Hongmei worried that she might be ostracized by her peers at school and too reticent to share it with the family, just keeping it to herself.