The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 587 - 577: The Stepmother Who Refuses to Be a Doormat 65

After the New Year, as soon as Xiao Yuan returned to work, he and Tang Shi went to change their surnames.

Tang Shi’s name became a bit awkward after changing to Xiao, so the name on the household registration book became Xiao Shiman.

After Xiao Shiman changed her name, she stayed with Zhang Erfeng and Xiao Qing, the two old folks at home for a few days before returning to the Provincial City.

To be honest, Zhang Erfeng has a peculiar temperament and is somewhat extreme. Sometimes she would do things in the name of your best interest that are unbearable. However, she is quite nice to the children.

Moreover, Zhang Erfeng is now especially afraid of Xiao Yuan.

Seeing that Xiao Yuan values Xiao Shiman greatly, she naturally didn’t dare to treat Xiao Shiman poorly.

When the time came for Xiao Shiman to return to the Provincial City, Zhang Erfeng did feel a bit reluctant to let her go.

Later on, Xiao Yuan asked Zhang Erfeng and Xiao Qing if they wanted to move to the Provincial City with him. The old couple thought it over for a long time but eventually decided against it.

They wouldn’t be accustomed to living in the Provincial City. They had spent their entire lives in the village and did not want to leave their hometown in their old age.

Most importantly, Zhang Erfeng could boast around in the village, but in the Provincial City, where there were plenty of wealthy people, she had no bragging rights.

Since the couple didn’t want to move, Xiao Yuan didn’t insist and took Xiao Shiman to the Provincial City.

Anning helped him inquire about apartments in the residential community.

Eventually, he really did find a family selling their home.

The home belonged to the same building as Anning’s but a different unit. They had lived there for two or three years and now the children’s job arrangements had been settled, requiring them to buy a house in the Capital.

With not enough money on hand, they decided to sell their current house and move the entire family to the Capital.

Xiao Yuan contacted a real estate agent, and after meeting with the family, the paperwork was completed swiftly. Once the house was transferred, the family moved out in a hurry.

Since the house had not been occupied for long and was well-decorated with quality materials and the layout was quite nice, Xiao Yuan didn’t make any changes. He just added some items and moved in with Xiao Shiman.

On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, the whole family returned to Li Jiazhuang.

Li Jingming’s wedding banquet was not held in the county town, but at the old Li family home in Li Jiazhuang.

Holding the banquet there required three days’ time; the first day was for preparations, setting up stoves, renting tables, chairs, dishes, and the like, and in the evening, a preliminary feast was held for the villagers who came to help.

The second day also involved hosting a meal for the guests, and the third day was the official wedding day.

The several factories in Li Jiazhuang resumed work on the eighth day of the first lunar month, and Anning had been frequently visiting the village these past days.

Once the factories were operating smoothly, she planned to hand them over to professional managers and take some time to engage in other ventures.

Anning’s plan was to build chain supermarkets in both the Provincial City and the market town; then, later on, large shopping centers.

She intended to find a location right after the New Year and during the supermarket construction process, there would also be a need to train service and management staff.

At this point, Anning was handing over work to the factory managers and spent quite a long time in Li Jiazhuang every day.

On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, she arrived early in the morning. After her arrival, she helped Sun Xiumei with chores, tidying up the house, and entertaining guests.

Not just Anning had come, but several wives from the Li family also arrived.

Even Wang Baozhu had come.

She wasn’t showing yet, but she purposefully wore loose clothes, swaying her belly back and forth, cracking seeds from time to time and chatting idly, but refusing to lift a finger to help with the work.

An Jinling certainly had her complaints about Wang Baozhu.

She whispered to Anning, "Look at her, she’s already so arrogant without even showing much. Who hasn’t been pregnant before? I’ve never seen anyone like her, not doing a thing."

Zhou Ping also joined in, "I heard that after our mother got cold that time, Lao Si wanted to beat her up. But the moment he heard she was pregnant, he immediately changed his attitude. He didn’t even think about how much our mother suffered because of her. He’s practically starting to worship Wang Baozhu."

At that moment, Li Zhifang, mentioned by Zhou Ping, was pleading with Li Baolai.

He knelt on the ground: "Dad, Baozhu is about to start showing. We want to get the certificate sooner."

Li Baolai was truly disheartened with Li Zhifang by now, he waved his hand, "Do whatever you want, I won’t interfere. I’m old; I can’t handle this anymore."

Li Zhifang felt quite guilty, but still spoke his mind, "Dad, after we get the certificate, we want to have a wedding ceremony. We can’t organize it ourselves, we still need you to preside over it."

"What did you say?"

Zhang Fengfeng stepped in just in time to hear this and, infuriated, she marched over, "Say that again."

Li Zhifang stuttered, "Treasure, Treasure Bead said, said about having a wedding. I, I want to ask mom and dad for help, to preside over it."

Zhang Fengfeng’s slap landed directly on Li Zhifang, "If you want the certificate, go ahead. No wedding will be hosted, let me tell you Li Zhifang, not only will we not preside, we won’t even attend. Your dad and I can’t afford to lose that face."

Li Zhifang hung his head in silence.

Li Baolai looked utterly exhausted, "Think it over yourself. You’re old enough to know what you should and shouldn’t do."

Li Zhifang opened his mouth to speak, but Li Baolai had already left with Zhang Fengfeng.

That night, during the dinner party, Wang Baozhu caused another scene.

After lunch, Sun Xiumei and Li Zhifang discussed, "Wang Baozhu is with child now, and the house is in chaos, better not to have her come over. She’s not helpful, and if someone accidentally bumps into her, what then?"

Li Zhifang talked to Wang Baozhu about it, but she couldn’t stay put at home. By evening she had run over again.

During the feast, there would always be fireworks set off. In the evening, the kids from the house took fireworks out, and a big lot of them were set up in the road, and soon the sound of the fireworks boomed.

Coincidentally, just as Wang Baozhu arrived, still chatting in the courtyard, she was startled by the loud noise.

It just so happened that the courtyard was bustling all day, with food scraps and wet leaves littered about, and other things mixed in; it was quite slippery.

Wang Baozhu, hearing the fireworks, tried to head inside. She stepped on some rotten leaves and immediately took a fall.

As she hit the ground, she screamed out, "Ow, my belly, my stomach hurts so much, Zhifang, Zhifang..."

Li Zhifang, who was greeting guests with Li Zhiyuan, heard the noise and quickly ran over. Seeing Wang Baozhu on the ground, he was distressed and immediately picked her up to run home, "Baozhu, are you okay? Hold on, I’ll get the doctor..."

The faces of Li Zhiyuan and Sun Xiumei turned dark in an instant.

Zhang Fengfeng, who was sitting inside, was furious when she heard Zhou Ping recount what happened.

She burst out cursing, "Such a troublemaker, why is she always involved in every matter? Pregnant and not staying home to rest, running around for what? She’s just restless!"