The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 866 - 865: Agreement

On the picturesque outdoor lawn, Zhao Yun and Ren Jingshu constantly changed their poses and expressions at the photographer’s reminder, allowing the camera to capture and preserve the moment.

Today was their big wedding day.

The wedding took place at the nearby resort hotel, where Zhao Yun had extravagantly booked the entire hotel, decorating it with over one hundred thousand fresh roses to create a sea of flowers.

Pei Tang, Shen Yan, and Shen Na, the three sisters, sat cross-legged on the lawn, avidly watching Zhao Yun and Ren Jingshu take their wedding photos.

The white wedding dress was the dream and aspiration of almost every girl.

Layer upon layer of light tulle like clouds, adorned with dazzling gemstones like stars, made the bride in the wedding dress look like a fairy-tale princess from a castle.

The happiness and sweetness exuding from her face seemed to sweeten the air around her.

"Sister Jingshu looks so beautiful."

The slightly younger Shen Na couldn’t help but exclaim.

Pei Tang nodded in agreement, "Absolutely."

Shen Yan, watching Pei Tang gaze unwaveringly at Ren Jingshu, couldn’t help but say, "Sister Guoguo, you’re beautiful too."

Pei Tang’s red lips curved into a smile, her eyes crinkling, "Sister Daya, you have a good eye."

"I mean it," Shen Yan said earnestly. "You would look even better than Sister Jingshu in a wedding dress."

Pei Tang dismissed the idea, "I don’t want to wear one."

"Why not?" Shen Na asked curiously.

"I don’t want to get married."

"But all girls are supposed to get married," Shen Na said.

Pei Tang looked at her sideways, "Who says?"

"My mom says."

Pei Tang scoffed, "What your mom says doesn’t count. I control my life, if I don’t want to get married, I won’t."

"Sister Guoguo, why don’t you want to get married?"

"What’s so good about getting married?"

Stumped by Pei Tang’s question, Shen Na struggled for a response, "Well, once you’re married, your husband will support you, so you don’t have to work and earn money yourself, and you can be a wealthy housewife."

That’s how her mom lived.

Without worry for food or clothes at home, she went out to play cards and shop for clothes whenever she wanted, and all the neighborhood ladies envied her mom.

Pei Tang rolled her eyes, "I have my own money, don’t need anyone to support me. Besides, I have my dad, mom, and brothers. If I never get married, they’ll support me for life. I don’t need to rely on an outsider."

"What about having kids if you don’t get married?"

"I won’t have any."

"Women are supposed to have children, and you definitely need to have a son, otherwise people will gossip and you won’t be respected at your in-laws."

Shen Na tried to sway Pei Tang with her own beliefs.

But Pei Tang dismissed her conventional thoughts, "If you like having kids, have a few more, enough for a soccer team."

"I’m not a breeding sow."

Seeing Shen Na turn away in a huff, Pei Tang playfully patted her arm, "Come on, I’m just joking. Don’t be so stingy, I’ll treat you to some Haagen-Dazs another day."

Despite her temper, Shen Na was easy to appease, and Pei Tang coaxed her quickly.

Shen Yan was curious about Pei Tang’s choice not to marry, "Guoguo, are you really never going to marry? Can your aunt agree with that?"

Shen Yan was already nineteen and studying in her first year at Fengcheng University. In three or four years, she would be facing graduation, work, and the prospects of marriage and having children.

Her ideal was to become a woman entrepreneur like her mother, Du Juan, and Shen Mingzhu.

She strove so hard to get into university in order to realize her own value in life.

She didn’t want to marry either; she didn’t want to deal with irreconcilable conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, didn’t want to be treated as a child-bearing tool, didn’t want to become a free nanny for her in-laws, and always have to guard against her husband’s unfaithfulness.

Yet, her parents did not support or understand her views.

"Yes, my mom said that when I grow up, if I want to marry, I can marry; if I don’t want to, I don’t have to. As long as I’m happy, she has no objections."

"Auntie is really open-minded," Shen Yan couldn’t help but admire.

Pei Tang raised her chin proudly, "Of course, my mom is the best mom in the world, bar none."

"Guoguo, come over for a group photo!"

"Coming!"

Watching Zhao Yun, who was not far away and waving at her, Pei Tang smiled and jogged over to join.

"Brother, when did you get back?"

As she approached and saw the tall, thin man talking with Zhao Yun, Pei Tang excitedly ran up and hugged his arm.

Pei Ziheng’s future technologies had been listed on NASDAQ last year, and he had been incredibly busy all over, unable to spare any time. Just last night, when he called Pei Tang, he was still in London.

"I just arrived, was about to find you when they dragged me here for photos."

Pei Ziheng explained in a deep voice, his gaze soft yet helpless as he looked down at her.

The siblings had not seen each other for almost half a month. Pei Tang was so happy, she insisted on dragging Pei Ziheng to talk about what he had seen and heard while traveling for work. freēwēbnovel.com

It was April, and spring had warmed the earth.

The siblings walked side by side, their figures not inferior to the picturesque spring scenery around them.

"Brother, what kind of sister-in-law would you like to marry?"

"I haven’t thought about it."

"Think about it now."

Pei Tang gently shook his arm, her face beautiful and curious like a flower, "Do you like someone gentle and virtuous, or soft and cute, or like Sister Jingshu, cool and beautiful?"

Pei Ziheng glanced at her, "None of those."

"Then what kind do you like?"

"The one I like is already by my side."

Pei Tang blinked, "Are you talking about me?"

A gentle look appeared in Pei Ziheng’s eyes, "Yes, I already have two loves of my life, one is Mom, the other is you. I don’t need to like anyone else, nor do I want to divide my love among others."

Hearing his explanation, Pei Tang’s eyes curved into beautiful crescents, "Brother, let’s make a promise."

"What promise?"

"I won’t marry in the future, and you won’t get married. We’ll stay together just like now, as family for life, okay?"

Staring at the girl’s bright and beautiful smile for a few seconds, Pei Ziheng spoke softly, "You’re still young. In a few years, you might not think this way."

"I’m not young! Anyway, just thinking about getting married and having to leave home and be apart from you makes me prefer never to marry."

Pei Ziheng affectionately ruffled her hair, "Don’t worry, whether it’s now or in the future, wherever you are, I will be by your side when you need me."

"Can we put a time limit on it?"

"Hmm."

"I hope it’s for a lifetime."

"Hmm."

"Brother, it’s so good to have you."

"Silly girl."

"I’m not silly, I am smart."

No one in the world could love and pamper her better than her brother.

So, she had no intention of leaving her brother for any other man.

...

On the outdoor terrace of the distant hotel, Shen Mingzhu was busy entertaining the female guests attending the wedding. After all, she was also Zhao Yun’s godmother, and Shen Hongmei couldn’t manage alone; she inevitably had to lend a hand.

Jia Yuemei was also bustling around behind Shen Mingzhu.

The Zhao Family had already flourished more than before, becoming a new prominent family in Fengcheng. And Zhao Dafa was a well-known real estate tycoon in the Dongbei provinces. Today’s wedding guests included many influential figures; mingling with some wealthy ladies would only benefit her, not harm her.