The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 130: Selling the Craft of Making Egg Cake for 500 Yuan

Chapter 130: Chapter 130: Selling the Craft of Making Egg Cake for 500 Yuan

Qin Jinlian snatched the account book but couldn’t understand it, so she quickly pulled Shen Xiangnan to read it to her.

Shen Xiangnan, looking at the final total in the account book, was completely stunned.

"Brother, you and sister-in-law, you two earned this much in just two months?"

Not only did Du Juan admit it, but she also took out the money they had earned to show Qin Jinlian and the Yang Family.

Only by seeing the money would they truly believe that selling egg cakes could make a fortune.

Only then could Shen Mingzhu’s subsequent plans be put into action.

As expected, upon seeing the stacks of banknotes tied up tightly with thin hemp ropes, Qin Jinlian’s eyes shone with the glint of gold, wishing all that money were hers.

The Yang Family members were also staring at the money, their faces full of excitement.

My goodness, they earned over three hundred in just two months—wouldn’t that mean thousands over a year?

Unimaginable, simply unimaginable.

The other villagers watching were envious to the point of turning green with jealousy—the Shen Family was going to make a fortune!

Even Yang Lizhen couldn’t sit still any longer; she stood up and took the initiative to ask Du Juan, "Sister-in-law, just tell us what Mingzhu’s conditions are."

Qin Jinlian also snapped back to reality, "Yes, tell us quickly, what does Mingzhu want?"

Looking at the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and then at the Yang Family people, Du Juan spoke indifferently, "Mingzhu’s idea is to sell the egg cake recipe to Xiangnan and your Yang Family exclusively. After the sale, she and I will no longer touch the egg cake business. Both families will put up money, two hundred and fifty each, five hundred total."

"What? Five hundred! Has she gone mad for money!?" Qin Jinlian cried out in alarm.

Yang Lizhen reacted instantly, "The Yang Family is not buying the recipe. It’s enough if just Xiangnan does it."

Looking at the other party, a sneer appeared on Du Juan’s face, "Lizhen, this is Mingzhu’s intention. Either you and the Yang Family buy it together, or she won’t sell at all. She holds the recipe and isn’t afraid of not making money."

Yang Lizhen understood almost instantly.

Shen Mingzhu had staged this whole act specifically to guard against her.

Shen Xiangnan was completely henpecked, and with the recipe in Shen Xiangnan’s hands, it was as if it were in the hands of her Yang Family.

Shen Mingzhu didn’t want the Yang Family to benefit, insisting that they pay half!

This little sister-in-law of hers was too shrewd in her calculations!

Yang Lizhen was so annoyed she couldn’t stand it but seeing the heavy three hundred or so in Du Juan’s hands, her heart warmed up again.

Two hundred and fifty it is. With control over this skill, was there any fear of not earning it back?

On Qin Jinlian’s side, while she cursed Shen Mingzhu in her heart for being heartless, she was also secretly considering Shen Chaobei couple’s purse.

"Chaobei, lend the money you two made in these two months to Xiangnan first. Once he starts earning money from selling egg cakes, he can pay you back."

With tears welling up in her eyes, Du Juan started crying, "Mom, could you please show some mercy and spare me and Chaobei? We endured not receiving a penny when we split the family assets. When we initially started a business and asked you for a loan, you wouldn’t give us a dime, and we endured. Now, seeing that our egg cake business is profitable, you’re instigating the Yang Family to make our lives difficult. Fine, Chaobei and I will give up the business. This money, was it easy for Chaobei and I to save up? Getting up earlier than chickens and staying up later than dogs every day, carrying a yoke weighing tens of pounds for five or six hours, layer upon layer of blisters on our feet, we’ve scrimped and saved every penny to accumulate this small amount of savings, and you want to take it all just like that—do you not wish to leave any way out for us at all?"

The surrounding villagers were all stirred up by Du Juan’s crying appeal.

"Jinlian, you should accumulate some good karma. I’ve never seen any mother like you; is Chaobei someone you picked up?"

"Chaobei and Xiangnan have such a good relationship. Are you not satisfied until you make the two brothers turn against each other?"

Qin Jinlian looked at the younger brother squatting on the ground, covering his face, afraid to lift his head, and then at the mute eldest brother, feebly defending herself, "I’m just borrowing, not refusing to repay..."

"Enough already! We know your character. When borrowing money, you talk sweeter than singing, but getting you to repay must be as hard as cutting off your flesh."

"If you don’t have the money, you can pawn the gold necklace from Xiangnan’s wife’s neck."

"If you want to eat well, wear nice clothes, and wear a gold necklace, earn it yourself. Only clinging to your elder brother and sister-in-law for blood, you’re not afraid of retribution later, have you no shame?"

Even with her thick skin, Yang Lizhen’s face was alternating between red and white.

The village head also disliked Qin Jinlian’s methods. Being a father-in-law himself, he clearly preferred the diligent and virtuous Du Juan over the lazy and greedy Yang Lizhen and was willing to support her.

"Jinlian, Lizhen, you mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have been causing a ruckus for so many days. Now that you’ve sought benevolence and received it, Chaobei and his wife have already handed over the egg cake recipe to you. You should be satisfied now, and stop coveting what others have. As the saying goes, ’Man proposes, Heaven disposes.’ If you’re not kind, heaven shall judge."

In those days, the village head’s words carried a lot of weight in the village. Once the village head spoke up, Qin Jinlian had to abandon any schemes she might have had.

Given Yang Lizhen’s selfish nature, she naturally was not willing to give up her gold necklace.

But she had to, unwilling as she was, because she couldn’t bear to miss out on such a lucrative opportunity.

----

Three days later.

Du Juan took Shen Xiangnan and Yang Lizhen into the city to find Shen Mingzhu.

Qin Jinlian had wanted to come along, but was shut down by Du Juan with a sentence, "Mingzhu said she doesn’t want a thief entering her home."

Qin Jinlian felt her heart deeply wounded by her daughter’s words, hiding in her room and wiping away tears, "This ungrateful wretch—just because I took her thirty yuan, she actually calls me a thief..."

"You deserve it! You brought this on yourself! Stealing even from your own daughter, have you no shame?"

Shen Jianguo sat on the kang (a traditional Chinese heated bed) and scolded her fiercely before leaving the house with hands behind his back, leaving Qin Jinlian in tears.

----

"This two hundred and fifty yuan is from our Yang Family side."

Yang Lizhen laid the money in front of Shen Mingzhu and pleaded, "Mingzhu, Xiangnan and I can’t come up with this much money right now, can we owe it? Rest assured, within three months at most, we’ll definitely pay you every penny."

Shen Mingzhu smiled sardonically, "I’m not in a hurry. Come find me once you’ve collected the money. I won’t see you out, take care."

Seeing Shen Mingzhu show no sympathy, Yang Lizhen could only angrily remove the gold necklace from her neck.

"Forget it, I’ll use this necklace to settle the account."

Shen Mingzhu took the necklace, weighed it, and then took out an electronic scale she had prepared in advance from under the coffee table.

It was quite a rare item, which she had borrowed through Pei Wenping.

The gold necklace was 6.8 grams.

Shen Mingzhu quickly did some calculations, "...You’re still short by 8 yuan."

Seeing Yang Lizhen’s displeased face, Shen Mingzhu laughed, "I’m still giving you this year’s price for gold. If I were to charge last year’s rate, you’d owe me 35 more."

Hearing this, Yang Lizhen immediately took out 8 yuan and handed it to Shen Mingzhu.

Shen Mingzhu stood up to begin teaching Yang Lizhen and Shen Xiangnan how to steam egg cakes, but Yang Lizhen insisted that she write a guarantee, promising not to divulge the egg cake recipe or make money from it again, and if she broke this promise, she would pay tenfold damages.

Truth be told, Yang Lizhen had some wit about her, it’s just that she never put it to good use and always came up with crooked schemes.

Shen Mingzhu handwrote a sales agreement right in front of the couple.

After learning the recipe, as they were about to leave, Shen Xiangnan, with a look of shame, spoke to Shen Mingzhu, "Little sister, when you have time, visit Shenjiagou more often, mom and dad miss you a lot."

Shen Mingzhu looked calmly at him, "Big brother, just live a good life. Unless it’s a matter of life and death, don’t come looking for me in the city, because if you do, I won’t help."

At her words, tears from Shen Xiangnan’s eyes suddenly fell to the ground.

"Little sister..."

Shen Mingzhu showed no softening as she saw the guests out and closed the door.

As she sat on the sofa, staring at the money and gold necklace on the coffee table, Shen Mingzhu’s heart was not at ease.

She couldn’t tell if it was the original owner’s blood connection to the Shen Family that troubled her, or if it was just her own sentimental nature.

After feeling upset for a while, Shen Mingzhu stood up to put away the money, but as she did, she suddenly stopped, her gaze locked on the cushion of the sofa where Yang Lizhen had sat.