"Zhou Jiawei really asked you for a thousand yuan for materials!" Aunt Zhou finally couldn't help but ask.

"Hmm." Song Xia nodded haphazardly. "I suspected the school was collecting money under various pretexts, so I asked a few more questions. He immediately became impatient and slammed the door and left."

She sighed heavily, "I know being a stepmother isn't easy, so I never dared to ask too many questions before. I just felt that I shouldn't mistreat him financially. Who knew he'd ask for so much this time, and then... "

Song Xia bit her lip: "Aunt Zhou, I'm sorry to have kept you from taking Weiwei to school. Weiwei, thank you, but could you please not tell the school about this? I'm afraid Jiawei will feel embarrassed later."

Aunt Zhou looked at her with pity: "You're still concerned about saving face for him?"

Song Xia looked dejected: "There's nothing I can do. If my in-laws find out, they'll probably say I'm abusing him again. After all, being a stepmother isn't easy, and Jiawei just lost his father. It's understandable that he's upset and wants to vent his frustrations elsewhere."

Aunt Zhou's gaze towards her instantly became even more strange: "I didn't expect you and Zhou Jiawei to get along like this. We need to clarify this money matter. After all, he's still a student, earning a thousand a week. Can his father's compensation money withstand several such payments?"

Upon hearing this, Song Xia's expression became even more dejected: "If his father's compensation money were with me, I wouldn't have any trouble getting this thousand yuan..."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "The company's performance has been poor lately, and my meager salary is barely enough to cover his living expenses each month. I even bought him a pair of brand-name sneakers a few days ago. Now I'm really... sigh, Aunt Zhou, I'm sorry to have to make you laugh. It's my fault for being useless and unable to provide Jiawei with a better life."

Zhou Fengmei was slightly surprised. Did this mean that Qin Zhenwu's death compensation hadn't even reached Song Xia's hands? And she still had to pay out of her own pocket every month to support her stepson who wasn't related to her by blood?

Tsk, I had never talked to Song Xia before and didn't know about this. I almost believed what Sun Xiurong said about Song Xia being a vicious stepmother. She said that Sun Xiurong was such a mean person, how could she tolerate Song Xia abusing her own grandson?

It seems this whole family is bullying Song Xia, exploiting her and then ruining her reputation behind her back.

Song Xia is stupid. She married into the family and raised someone else's son for nothing. Now that her husband is gone, she hasn't received a penny of compensation and is still willingly raising her stepson. Raising him is one thing, but letting her stepson ride roughshod over her is another.

Zhou Fengmei looked Song Xia up and down. She looked haggard, her hair was dull, and none of her clothes and shoes were of good quality. She looked like she had been worn down by life. Tsk, Qin Jiawei must have squandered all the money she earned from working!

A stepmother, and everyone in this family treats her like dirt, why is she so devoted to her? Is she out of her mind? Do you know what Sun Xiurong is saying about her behind her back?

Zhou Fengmei disliked Song Xia's thoughts and actions, but couldn't help but continue gossiping.

"Qin Jiawei only cares about you, his stepmother, for living expenses? What about his grandparents?"

Song Xia opened her mouth, seemingly a little embarrassed. Zhou Fengmei continued, "What about his biological mother? Didn't you ask her for child support?"

“My in-laws said that since I married Zhenwu, I should take care of Jiawei as my own son. I love Zhenwu. When I married Zhenwu, I sincerely wanted to take good care of Jiawei with him. It was my fault. I did not raise Jiawei well, which made him develop the habit of being extravagant and lying.”

Song Xia's eyes were blank: "I didn't teach Jiawei well, so how could I have the nerve to ask my in-laws for money? Besides, my in-laws are getting old, and it's not right to ask them for my personal savings. As for Jiawei's biological mother, she has a new family now. The last time I met her, she cried and told me about her difficulties. I thought that if I worked hard and was frugal, I could manage to get by, but I never expected... Aunt Zhou, your Weiwei is so well-behaved and has good grades. Can I ask you how you teach her?"

The way she looked at Zhou Fengmei was filled with envy and sincerity, and when she looked at Ruan Wei, it was with uncontrollable admiration and praise, which made Zhou Fengmei feel extremely comfortable.

Zhou Fengmei smiled and said, "We didn't teach her much. Weiwei has always been obedient and smart since she was little."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Song Xia said hesitantly with a hint of sadness. "I don't know how to raise Jiawei anymore. After all, I'm just a stepmother. If I'm too harsh, I'm afraid Jiawei will resist. Like this time, he asked for a thousand yuan. I just asked him once and he immediately accused me of abusing him. With his build, he can't even stand up if I push him. But if I don't do anything, I'm afraid he'll go astray."

Zhou Fengmei's mouth dropped open: "He usually pushes and shoves you, his stepmother?"

Song Xia quickly waved her hand, but gave a wry smile: "No, no, Aunt Zhou, you've misunderstood."

Seemingly afraid of further misunderstandings if she continued talking, she awkwardly changed the subject: "Aunt Zhou, I won't keep you from taking Weiwei. I also need to change my clothes to go find Jiawei, in case he skips school in a fit of pique."

"Then go ahead and get busy." Zhou Fengmei's eyes sparkled with gossip as she went downstairs and whispered to her granddaughter, "Weiwei, what's Qin Jiawei like at school?"

"What else could he be like?" Ruan Wei curled her lips in disgust. "He's been publicly criticized several times already. It's either for hitting people or cheating on exams. He's forming cliques at school. I heard he's also in a relationship. He's pursuing an older girl, sending her flowers and releasing balloons. Everyone in the school knows about it. The teachers are having a terrible headache."

"That bad? I've never heard you mention it before?"

"I don't like talking about him, and I don't want to have anything to do with him."

“We can’t associate with people like that, Weiwei. Don’t go to and from school alone anymore. Grandma will pick you up and drop you off.” Zhou Fengmei was still shaken. Luckily, her granddaughter was sober. What if she had been influenced by Qin Jiawei?

I never expected this. Usually, when Sun Xiurong comes over, she talks about how outstanding and excellent her grandson is. I never imagined he would be like this behind her back.

Think about it, what kind of offspring can a mother who doesn't care about her child and whose grandparents are extremely mean produce?

It's really tough on Song Xia. Her own mother and grandparents don't care about her, leaving her, a stepmother, to spend money and effort. If the child were obedient and smart, she could raise him and have some hope for old age. But someone like Qin Jiawei, after sucking her blood, will kick her away sooner or later. She's seen plenty of ungrateful people in her life. She doesn't even care about her own biological children, let alone her stepmother.

To be honest, Song Xia was stupid. She went through all that trouble to support them and didn't ask Sun Xiurong and the others for a single penny. What was she after?

Qin Zhenwu is dead. Legally speaking, you are not Qin Jiawei's primary guardian. Yet you still wrong yourself to satisfy your stepson. I've never seen such a stupid woman.