The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 163: Talking About Feelings Hurts the Wallet

Chapter 163: Chapter 163: Talking About Feelings Hurts the Wallet

Watching Shen Mingzhu leave, Zhong Qing turned to Manager Yu with a slight smile and said, "After the police station returns the bracelet, please send someone to deliver it to my place, I want it."

Manager Yu advised subconsciously, his tone respectful and affectionate, "If you like this bracelet, I can pick a better one for you in a couple of days. This green jade bracelet is of average quality and has been tainted with controversy; it’s really not suitable to keep around you."

Zhong Qing chuckled lightly, "It’s alright, just send it over."

Seeing her insistence, Manager Yu didn’t advise further.

Although it was a rare opportunity to score a deal, Shen Mingzhu dared not take advantage too much, choosing only simple designs and affordable materials.

After leaving Junlin, Shen Mingzhu wanted to take the bus back by herself, but Zhong Qing insisted on driving her, under the pretense of: getting familiar with the route for easier future visits.

Shen Mingzhu expressed: "As long as Ning is happy, it’s good."

Once in the car, Shen Mingzhu couldn’t help touching her face when she saw Zhong Qing keeping a smiling gaze on her, "Is there something on my face?"

Zhong Qing nodded, "Mingzhu, you are so interesting and smart, I’m really starting to like you more and more."

Was this supposed to be a compliment?

Shen Mingzhu pondered for two seconds and politely said thank you.

Zhong Qing reached out and grasped her arm, her tone intimate, "Mingzhu, come to my engagement party."

Staring at Zhong Qing’s beaming face, Shen Mingzhu suddenly had an epiphany: Did the other party deliberately get close to make money from the gift?

No, you’re a Bentley-driving socialite, do you really need to hustle like that?

"I’d better not go, we aren’t that close..."

As Shen Mingzhu was gently removing Zhong Qing’s hand and racking her brain for excuses, she saw the smile on Zhong Qing’s face visibly fade away, replaced by an expression of dejection and disappointment.

"I thought we were friends."

Shen Mingzhu kept her composure: Getting emotional was expensive.

"For women from our kind of family background, there’s never any freedom."

Hmm, is there some juicy gossip?

Shen Mingzhu turned her head, her almond-shaped eyes shining.

"What do you mean?"

She always loved hearing about the dramatic gossip of the wealthy.

Zhong Qing lived up to her expectations, sighing and starting her tale, "...I don’t actually like him, but I can’t refuse the family arrangement."

Shen Mingzhu could relate, wasn’t this how it always played out in TV dramas?

"Mingzhu, how about you?"

Shen Mingzhu was a bit confused, "Me what?"

Zhong Qing’s light tea-colored cat eyes showed curiosity, "You and your husband must get along really well, right?"

When Shen Mingzhu fell silent, Zhong Qing looked puzzled, "What’s wrong? Did I say something incorrect?"

Shen Mingzhu let out a sigh, seriously, "No, it’s just that I just remembered I have a husband."

"..."

Zhong Qing was stunned for a few seconds before she couldn’t help but chuckle, her laughter shaking her gracefully.

The driver in the front couldn’t help throwing several glances at Shen Mingzhu through the rearview mirror.

Taking advantage of Zhong Qing’s laughing, Shen Mingzhu counted on her fingers and realized that Pei Yang, that damn guy, hadn’t given any sign of life for four months.

After the laughter, Zhong Qing leaned her head on Shen Mingzhu’s shoulder, her pretty tea-colored eyes sparkling with amusement as she looked at her, "Mingzhu, you’re really so interesting, I really want to kidnap you back to my house."

Shen Mingzhu gave her a look that said ’what are you talking about’, "Beauty, that’s a dangerous thought."

Zhong Qing laughed, "Just kidding."

You’d better be.

"Mingzhu, come to my engagement party. It’s already unfortunate to be forced into an engagement with a man I don’t like. If I could have more friends with me, I’d feel a bit better."

You feel better, but I don’t.

If Zhong Qing had been a bit more forceful or domineering, Shen Mingzhu would have found it in her heart to refuse.

But being stared at with those cat-like, listless eyes, who could say no?

After getting out of the car and watching the Bentley drive away, kicking up dust, Shen Mingzhu mourned for her wallet for three seconds.

Once inside the factory, both Shen Chaobei brothers, as well as the rest of the staff, gathered around, showing disappointment and dejection upon learning that the food license still hadn’t been processed.

After calming down over the afternoon, Shen Mingzhu’s mood had stabilized, and she turned to ask Shen Xiangnan what brought him over.

Shen Xiangnan pulled her into the office, and after much hemming and hawing, finally got to the point.

Although last time Shen Xiangnan had angrily refuted Yang Lizhen’s provocations, the matter had kept turning over in his mind ever since.

Knowing the melancholy and conflict in Shen Xiangnan’s heart, Shen Mingzhu looked at him coolly, "Do you want to join us in the food factory?"

Seeing Shen Xiangnan nod, Shen Mingzhu took a couple sips of tea before speaking unhurriedly, "If you come, I’ll give you a base salary of forty, which is ten more than the other workers, and bonuses will depend on performance—more if it’s good, less if it’s bad. If you’re willing, go quit your job now."

Shen Mingzhu was direct, but Shen Xiangnan hesitated.

Saying he would think it over more, he left.

Shen Mingzhu scoffed lightly.

Shen Xiangnan’s heart wasn’t bad, and he was practical, but his character was too indecisive and he was easily swayed. Such a person tends to ruin more than he succeeds, so she had never considered involving Shen Xiangnan in her plans.

Should the food factory succeed in the future, she might be able to find a suitable position for Shen Xiangnan.

But that was as far as it went.

Before she knew it, it was September 1st, the first day of the new school year for Pei Ziheng.

After breakfast, Shen Mingzhu sent Pei Ziheng out to school just as she had when he was in kindergarten.

Today, Pei Ziheng wore a brand-new white shirt with khaki shorts below and white sneakers on his feet. He carried a square canvas backpack on his back, and with his snowy little face set in seriousness, he looked quite the little grown-up.

After going downstairs, they encountered many residents from the family housing, who chuckled and joked at the sight of Pei Ziheng’s new clothes and shoes.

Once the mother and son had passed by, clusters of residents gathered to gossip.

"What’s she thinking, sending such a young child to first grade? Isn’t she afraid of harming the child?"

"It’s not her own child, what’s there to worry about? She’s still young; she can always have one of her own later."

"Did you hear? That factory of hers hasn’t started up yet?"

"How long has it been, and still no work begun? The monthly rent, workers’ wages, she must be losing a lot of money. Throwing it in the water, at least you would hear a splash—she really knows how to waste money."

"The Pei Family is in for some bad luck this time. With the son not at home and the daughter-in-law acting up, if they can’t pay back the loan, they might even lose their house."

"And Wenping, with her brother not around, she doesn’t keep a close eye on her sister-in-law, letting Shen Mingzhu create such a mess? Isn’t she afraid of breaking up the family?"

"A married daughter is like water thrown out. She’s living her happy life and couldn’t care less about her family’s affairs."

The school Pei Ziheng attends is called Heping Primary School.

In terms of strength and reputation, this school is one of the bottom-ranked in Fengcheng. Shen Mingzhu chose this school purely because it was only one street away from the food factory.

It was convenient for her to drop off and pick up Pei Ziheng on her way to and from work.

"Mom, I can walk the route from the food factory by myself," Pei Ziheng said.

Upon hearing her son’s sensible words, Shen Mingzhu’s motherly heart filled with pride, "Alright then, I’ll let you try walking alone tomorrow."

After watching Pei Ziheng enter the campus, Shen Mingzhu returned to the food factory.

As soon as she entered the main gate, she saw the workers crowded around Shen Chaobei, making a noisy fuss about something.

Shen Mingzhu listened in and learned that because they hadn’t started work for so long, the workers were worried the factory would never get off the ground, and that they wouldn’t get paid. They were making a commotion, wanting to go home.