The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 160 Accompanying Zhong Qing to See the Engagement Dress

Chapter 160: Chapter 160 Accompanying Zhong Qing to See the Engagement Dress

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Looking at Zhong Qing, who was dressed in a soft pink silk cheongsam and exuded the grace and elegance of a classical beauty as if she had stepped out of a painting, Shen Mingzhu couldn’t hide her surprise on her face.

"Miss Zhong."

Zhong Qing approached her, her light brown eyes that resembled a cat’s shimmering with mirth, "I caught a fleeting glimpse of you as I was passing by and had the driver stop the car. As I walked over from there, I was thinking it would be embarrassing if I mistook someone else for you. Luckily, it really was you."

Upon hearing what Zhong Qing said, Shen Mingzhu finally noticed that a cream-colored Bentley was parked about fifty meters ahead by the road.

Tsk, the evils of capitalism, truly something to envy, jeer at, and hate.

Zhong Qing looked at the crabapple tree in front of her, "Is there something special about this crabapple tree? You’ve been looking at it for five minutes from when I saw you to when I got out of the car and walked over."

Shen Mingzhu wasn’t actually looking at the crabapple tree; she was contemplating whether to bribe the officials from the Food Administration.

However, that kind of thought was something she couldn’t share with Zhong Qing.

"I was just thinking about something, got a bit lost in thought."

After a pause, Shen Mingzhu brought up the loan matter on her own initiative, "...Miss Zhong, I am very thankful for your help."

Zhong Qing smiled, "I am getting engaged."

The sudden change of topic caught Shen Mingzhu off guard, "Ah, congratulations."

Zhong Qing laughed, "What I did for you is a small matter, but if you really want to thank me, why not accompany me to look at engagement dresses? You’re idle enough to be standing under the sun daydreaming anyway."

Shen Mingzhu wanted to say that she wasn’t actually that idle, but facing the other’s beaming eyes, she agreed as if possessed, "...Alright."

Zhong Qing immediately grabbed her hand with joy and led her towards the Bentley as if fearing she would change her mind and run away.

Having boarded the pirate ship, no, the car, Zhong Qing spoke cheerfully, "You remember what I said to you last time we parted, right?"

Shen Mingzhu corrected absentmindedly, "My surname is Shen, Shen Mingzhu."

Zhong Qing’s light brown eyes sparkled, "Then can I call you Mingzhu from now on?"

"If I said no, would you not call me that?"

Zhong Qing shook her head and said with a smile, "You can call me Qingqing, don’t call me Miss Zhong, I don’t like it."

Shen Mingzhu fell silent.

"What are you using the loan for?"

"I started a food factory."

Zhong Qing appeared somewhat surprised, "You’re quite impressive."

Shen Mingzhu modestly replied, "It can’t really be considered a factory, it’s more the size of a workshop. Including me, the boss, there aren’t even ten people."

"That’s still impressive. It’s quite remarkable that you had this idea in the first place."

The two of them chatted back and forth like this, getting along quite harmoniously, without any of the unfamiliarity and awkwardness of just having met.

All credit goes to Zhong Qing.

Although she looked every bit the well-bred lady of a distinguished family, she didn’t have an air of superiority. When she spoke with you, her eyebrows would relax, her eyes smiling, her tone gentle and measured. No matter what you said, she would listen intently and tenderly, making you feel respected and taken seriously.

If the time spent with Zhong Qing could be described in four words, it would be ’as refreshing as spring’.

The car soon stopped in front of a compound that seemed to have a long history, with a sign hanging on the wall beside the entrance. The sign was made of an indiscernible material and inscribed with the characters for "Junlin" in clerical script.

"This cheongsam boutique has nearly a hundred years of history. Our family has loved having clothes made here since my grandmother’s generation."

Noticing Shen Mingzhu’s curiosity about the courtyard, Zhong Qing considerately explained and pushed open the wooden door with a bronze ring, leading her inside.

The interior of the courtyard was quite ordinary, with common plants and flowers all well-tended, lush and green, giving a relaxed and comfortable aura to those who walked among them, as if they had arrived at a home away from home.

The courtyard must be considered a piece of ancient architecture; the doors, windows, and beams were all made of wood.

The main hall had three rooms that were joined together to create a showroom, featuring various finished cheongsams and several accessories to match them.

"Miss Zhong, you’ve arrived."

An employee dressed in a cheongsam warmly welcomed the pair to the seating area, served tea and snacks, and then knelt down next to Zhong Qing with a portfolio, ready to introduce her to their offerings.

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Zhong Qing glanced briefly and looked up to invite Shen Mingzhu, "You come and sit over here, help me out with some ideas."

Originally seated on a single sofa chair on the left side, Shen Mingzhu got up and sat next to Zhong Qing on the larger sofa upon hearing her words.

Worried that she couldn’t see well, Zhong Qing even deliberately shifted the sketchbook closer to her.

"Let’s look at it together, you tell me which design you think looks good," said Zhong Qing.

"Okay," Mingzhu replied.

The sketchbook didn’t have many designs, just seven or eight in total, probably all specially crafted for Zhong Qing by the designer.

Shen Mingzhu chose a round collared, asymmetrical long dress, while Zhong Qing herself took a liking to a high rounded collar, double-breasted mid-length dress.

"Might as well make both designs, let’s go pick out the fabric," Shen Mingzhu suggested.

Zhong Qing smiled, closed the sketchbook, and took Shen Mingzhu by the hand to the fabric room to choose the materials.

After selecting the fabric, the tailor took his tape measure and began sizing Zhong Qing.

Seeing that Shen Mingzhu was looking around bored, Zhong Qing smiled and said, "Go take a walk outside, see if there’s any style you like in the exhibition hall."

What woman doesn’t like beautiful clothes? Even if they couldn’t afford them, it was still a joy just to look.

There was a staff member originally accompanying her, but Shen Mingzhu felt uncomfortable and dismissed them.

The small courtyard followed the layout of a quadrangular compound, where the main house contained three rooms for the exhibition, the side buildings were workshops, and the back was the restroom and the changing room.

In the exhibition room of the main house, aside from various finished cheongsams, there were also jewelry accessories matching the dresses, such as pearl necklaces, ruby earrings, jade bracelets, and so on; each piece was extraordinary.

Shen Mingzhu had just stopped in front of an Ice Waxy Green Jade Bracelet when she heard a familiar voice at the reception desk behind her.

"Is the cheongsam I ordered half a month ago ready?"

"It’s ready, Miss Sun. Please wait a moment, I’ll fetch it for you," the attendant replied.

Shen Mingzhu didn’t want to face the other person and silently cursed about this run-in with the enemy, without looking back.

Sun Feifei had not recognized Shen Mingzhu at first and just wanted to casually browse the room as every decoration there was a rare treasure not seen outside.

It wasn’t until she reached the Qingyu Bracelet that Shen Mingzhu was observing that she gasped in surprise, eyes widening.

"Shen Mingzhu!? What are you doing here?" exclaimed Sun Feifei.

Shen Mingzhu gave her a cold glance, "Is this your house? Can’t other people come here?"

Sun Feifei was uncertain and asked, "Who brought you here?"

"Junlin" was renowned throughout Fengcheng and not open to the public, welcoming only familiar customers. She had gone to great lengths to ingratiate herself with a client’s wife to have the chance to order a custom cheongsam here.

An ordinary housewife like Shen Mingzhu would never be able to even cross the threshold without a referral.

"None of your business," Shen Mingzhu retorted rudely.

Hearing Yan Yi’s warning still echoing in her ears, Sun Feifei, despite her many questions, could only leave resentfully.

Sun Feifei’s astuteness was somewhat unexpected to Shen Mingzhu, but she didn’t dwell on it and continued to admire the bracelet with focus.

Cool to the touch, clear and translucent, the jade was warm, smooth, and pure.

How beautiful it was! Once she had the money, she would definitely come back to buy it!

Though Sun Feifei had distanced herself from Shen Mingzhu, her eyes never strayed from her, filled with venomous venom and resentment.

"Miss Sun, this is the dress you ordered. Let me take you to the changing room to try it on and see the effect," the attendant suggested.

"Okay," Sun Feifei agreed.

Once in the changing room, Sun Feifei casually inquired about Shen Mingzhu.

Learning that Shen Mingzhu was not brought in by Yan Yi, Sun Feifei felt her caution towards Shen Mingzhu lessen significantly.

After trying on the clothes, Sun Feifei returned to the exhibition room. She saw that Shen Mingzhu was no longer there but noticed her handbag was left on the sofa, sparking a malicious thought in her mind.

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