The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 164: Placating the Workers

Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Placating the Workers

Shen Chaobei was overwhelmed by the noise of the workers, when he saw Shen Mingzhu standing there, having been there for who knows how long, and suddenly felt as if he had seen a lifesaver.

"Mingzhu, you’re here!"

Shen Mingzhu walked over with a measured step, her voice calm, "How many times have I said this? In the factory, everyone should call me ’Factory Manager.’"

Shen Chaobei hurriedly corrected himself and called out "Factory Manager."

The workers had also wanted to call Shen Mingzhu by her name, but hearing Shen Chaobei address her as "Factory Manager," they all followed suit.

"...Factory Manager, you’ve come at just the right time. Today, just give it to us straight, is the factory going to reopen, or what?"

"Yes, if we can’t get back to work, we might as well go home. It’s just the right time to help with the harvest."

After all the workers had their say, Shen Mingzhu finally spoke to reassure them, "The factory will definitely continue operations. I won’t hide it from you, I’m even more anxious than you, wishing we could start production immediately. But we have to abide by the rules. As long as the production license hasn’t come through, the factory can only remain closed."

"So how long do we have to wait then? It’s been a month already."

"Yeah, we can’t keep being idle like this forever. You have to give us a clear answer."

Shen Mingzhu pondered for a moment before saying, "Here’s what we’ll do: normally, we pay salaries on the fifth of each month, but this month we’ll make an exception. Today, I’ll pay you your wages in advance and also grant everyone an extra day off. Go outside, walk around, visit some shops."

Hearing that they could receive their wages early, the workers were very pleased.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t handle idleness, but they were worried about not getting paid without work.

Shen Mingzhu’s decision to pay wages in advance was undoubtedly a form of reassurance for them.

As long as they got paid, they didn’t care when the factory would start operations.

After paying the workers, fearing they might not know where to go, Shen Mingzhu warmly recommended several bustling streets and attractions with free entry, even writing down the bus routes and stops on a piece of paper to prevent them from getting lost.

When one worker took the handwritten bus route instructions, he stuttered with a request to go back to his hometown.

Shen Mingzhu thought about it and agreed, "Go quickly and come back soon. Don’t be late for work at 8:30 tomorrow morning."

"Eh, okay!"

After three other workers heard this, they too expressed a desire to return to their hometowns. It was the season for the autumn harvest, and they all wanted to go home to help.

Shen Mingzhu consented, but she felt somewhat uneasy.

She offered the workers paid leave hoping they would relax and release some stress, yet they all thought about doing private work at home.

However, she quickly reminded herself that they had farmed all their lives, so their concern for the harvest was natural, and she understood.

But as soon as the workers left, Shen Chaobei came running, saying that he wanted to go home and help too.

Shen Mingzhu’s suppressed anger surged instantly, "Big brother, if you like farming so much, then just pack your bags and go home. From now on, stay there and farm peacefully, and don’t come back to the city!"

Shen Chaobei was at a loss for words, "Then, then I won’t go."

"Whether you go or not is up to you. If you’re going, do it quickly. Don’t bother me here!"

After venting her anger, Shen Mingzhu strode towards the office door only to encounter Du Juan who was about to enter.

"What’s happened? Why are you so angry all of a sudden?"

"Ask big brother."

She left those words hanging and stormed off.

Du Juan glanced at her departing figure, then walked over to the dispirited Shen Chaobei and sternly asked, "What did you do to upset Mingzhu?"

Shen Chaobei felt very wronged, "Me? I didn’t do anything. I just mentioned to her that I wanted to go home to help with the harvest, and she suddenly blew up."

Du Juan rebuked him without any warmth in her voice, "The workers don’t know any better. Don’t you know better too?"

"How am I being thoughtless? Mom and Dad are getting on in years, and I’m just worried they’ll wear themselves out."

"Mingzhu is losing sleep over the factory every day, and she’s lost weight worrying about it. Instead of helping to find a way to get the factory up and running sooner, you daydream about farming. Mingzhu’s scolding is spot on; you might as well just go home and farm instead of trying to run a factory."

After being scolded by his wife, Shen Chaobei came to his senses.

Fieldwork is important, but Shen Jianguo and Qin Jinlian have their ways to manage; if they are indeed too busy, they can still ask for help from their neighbors.

The food factory should now be his primary concern; every day lost is money flowing out. No wonder my younger sister is angry, it’s because I failed to prioritize properly.

...

"Mingzhu."

Shen Mingzhu turned her head and glanced at Du Juan entering the mill house, called her sister-in-law, still pushed the millstone forward without halting.

Though soybean grinding machines have appeared on the market, they are still in the early stages and not widely mass-produced, and they are relatively expensive. Considering cost, taste, and other factors, Shen Mingzhu had temporarily decided to use a manual stone mill for making tofu.

Right now, the factory hadn’t started operating, so her grinding of the beans was purely out of frustration.

While helping add soaked soybeans, Du Juan apologized on behalf of Shen Chaobei and herself.

"I’ve scolded your older brother, and he knows he was wrong. He’s now squatting outside the factory, reflecting. He said he won’t come in until you’re no longer angry."

Shen Mingzhu was an open-minded person by nature. Having vented her anger, and with Du Juan offering a way down, most of her irritation dissipated.

——

Soon it was time for school to let out.

Although there were quite a few parents at the school gate to pick up their children, the number was much less than at kindergartens.

An auntie, attracted by her beauty, couldn’t resist striking up a conversation.

"Young lady, is your child also in the first grade this year?"

Shen Mingzhu smiled and responded, inquiring about the auntie’s child’s name, wondering if their children might be in the same class.

They chatted briefly, and then the school dismissal bell rang. Students flooded out of the classroom doors.

In the multitude of students, Shen Mingzhu spotted Pei Ziheng in an instant.

While the other kids were racing to the gate like pigs out of a pen, only Pei Ziheng walked determinedly with his short legs, unhurried.

Despite being the smallest one there, he had an air of maturity and steadiness, like a veteran cadre.

Whether it was his short legs or slow pace, the parent Shen Mingzhu was chatting with had long picked up her child, while Pei Ziheng had only just reached the school gate.

"Little tortoise."

Upon hearing Shen Mingzhu’s teasing, Pei Ziheng was not upset but instead felt a sense of affection.

He placed his tender little hand into Shen Mingzhu’s and said with pursed lips, "Mom, you don’t need to pick me up, I can get back to the factory by myself."

As Shen Mingzhu walked with him towards the food factory, she responded, "So, I shouldn’t come to get you this afternoon?"

"Mm."

Seeing her son’s compliant and sensible demeanor, Shen Mingzhu’s gloomy mood suddenly lifted a great deal.

"Is your teacher nice to you? Are any classmates bullying you? Have you made any friends?"

"The teacher is very kind to me, specially setting me in the front row. No classmates are bullying me yet, and I haven’t made any friends."

Pei Ziheng’s replies were clear-cut, which reassured Shen Mingzhu.

Back at the food factory, Pei Ziheng keenly noticed that the factory was particularly quiet that day.

"Mom, didn’t the aunties and uncles come to work today?"

"Yes, I gave them a holiday."

Pei Ziheng seemed to understand something, looking up earnestly with his beautiful little face, he said, "Mom, ’Where there’s a will, there’s a way.’ The food factory will definitely grow big and strong."

"Well said."

The voice came from behind. Both mother and son turned their heads in unison.

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