The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 179: Jiang Jing Disrupts Her Own Formation

Chapter 179: Chapter 179: Jiang Jing Disrupts Her Own Formation

Shen Mingzhu did not immediately follow Li Bing.

She first handed the Mid-Autumn Festival gifts she had prepared in advance to Li Bing, and then picked up Liu Yuehua’s share before preparing to ride a bicycle to the Ginkgo Building with Li Bing.

However, Li Bing stopped her and asked bluntly, "Do you still have any more inside your mooncake factory? If so, grab a few more boxes."

Shen Mingzhu understood the hint and immediately went back to the office to take all the remaining boxes of mooncakes.

Once they arrived at the private room, as Li Bing had expected, there were two young people, a male and a female, present in addition to Liu Yuehua.

After a brief introduction by Liu Yuehua, it turned out that both of them came from significant backgrounds.

The young girl was a clerk at the letters and visits office, responsible for registering complaints and reports. Establishing a good relationship with her could provide a heads-up if the food factory was ever reported again.

The young man was a staff member from the same department as Liu Yuehua. Considering Liu Yuehua’s affectionate manner towards him, he seemed to be a relative by marriage or blood.

Shen Mingzhu had brought a total of five boxes of mooncakes, giving one each to the letters and visits clerk and the male staff member, leaving the remaining three for Liu Yuehua.

While Liu Yuehua jokingly claimed to have more mooncakes at home than they could eat, she happily accepted Shen Mingzhu’s gifts.

The dishes were served one after another, all Sichuan cuisine chosen according to Liu Yuehua’s preferences, but the taste was not quite authentic.

Liu Yuehua ate with relish, incessantly recalling the classic Sichuan dishes Shen Mingzhu had described to her in the hospital ward.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Bing suggested arranging a gathering, inviting Liu Yuehua and Shen Mingzhu to her home for a small celebration before the Mid-Autumn Festival, allowing Shen Mingzhu to showcase her culinary skills.

Shen Mingzhu modestly declined, but Liu Yuehua gladly accepted.

Until the meal ended, Liu Yuehua did not mention the inspection, nor did Shen Mingzhu inquire; everyone treated it as an ordinary meal. After the group enjoyed their food and drinks, Shen Mingzhu took the initiative to settle the bill.

After paying, Shen Mingzhu accompanied Liu Yuehua to the parking shed to get her bicycle.

Liu Yuehua rode a bicycle that was neither old nor new, a Phoenix, and wore a semi-new yet pristine Dacron shirt, with hair cut to her ears, making her appear very much the picture of integrity and frugality.

As for the Mid-Autumn Festival gifts Shen Mingzhu had given, they had already been taken away earlier by the young staff member who accompanied them for the meal.

Before leaving, Liu Yuehua divulged two pieces of information to Shen Mingzhu in an understated manner.

One was that her food factory had not been found to have any food safety issues after inspection, which served as a reassurance for Shen Mingzhu.

On the other hand, they had received an anonymous report, which was why they had taken such drastic action to inspect her small factory.

Watching Liu Yuehua ride away, Li Bing smiled and comforted her, "Now you can rest easy, right? With Director Liu looking out for you, you’ll be fine."

Shen Mingzhu wore a smile on her face, but inside she knew better.

It was only because her food factory hadn’t turned up any issues; otherwise, Liu Yuehua would have certainly not hesitated to distance herself from her.

After parting with Li Bing, Shen Mingzhu slowed down her cycling pace, contemplating the identity of the person who had reported her behind her back.

Was it a business competitor? Or was it personal vendetta?

Shen Mingzhu leaned towards the idea of a personal vendetta, nothing but a woman’s intuition.

Whether it was true or not, she would find out once she got back and did a little probing.

...

By the time Shen Mingzhu cycled back to the family courtyard, it was nearly 9 p.m.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, the fragrance of osmanthus filled the air, and although the moon was not as round as on the night of the fifteenth, it was exceptionally bright and clear, hanging in the night sky like a jade disc.

Quite a few people were sitting by the flower bed, chatting and enjoying the moonlight. Shen Mingzhu, taking a rare break, stopped her bike and actively greeted everyone.

They had only exchanged a few words when someone curiously started to inquire about the situation at her food factory.

"Pei Yang’s place, I heard that your factory was inspected by the Bureau of Industry and Commerce a few days ago, what exactly happened?"

Shen Mingzhu laughed in response, "Nothing much, just that the malicious and heartless scoundrel, who was born without an asshole, reported us. Don’t worry, everyone, my food factory is fine. The leaders praised our hygiene standards and said we might even receive commendations and rewards at the end of the year. I should thank that envious wretch. People like him can only live their lives like rats hiding in a gutter, shunning the light."

After cursing, Shen Mingzhu cheerfully pushed her bicycle towards the bike shed, leaving everyone in the residential compound dumbfounded.

"So she was reported by someone. Who do you think did it? That’s just too despicable! Jealous of others making money, why don’t they go and make money themselves, instead of resorting to such underhanded tactics behind their backs? Hmph, shameless!"

"If the person who made the report is found, they’ll be beaten to a pulp!"

Jiang Jing was also there.

Ever since Shen Mingzhu cursed the reporter as cruel and heartless, Jiang Jing’s face had turned pale, but due to the poor lighting at night, the people around her had not noticed her distress.

Now, hearing that the reporter might be discovered, she became anxious.

"But it might be difficult to find out who it was, right? What if the report was written anonymously? How would we investigate that?"

"Huh, how do you know the report was submitted anonymously?"

Looking at Shen Mingzhu, who had returned after leaving briefly, Jiang Jing’s heart skipped a beat, and with a forced smile she said, "I was just guessing. Didn’t Zhou Shuhuan get reported by an anonymous letter too?"

The onlookers nodded in agreement.

Shen Mingzhu smirked, "This time is different, Zhou Shuhuan indeed did something wrong, and the investigation was spot on. But I am a respectable private business owner. If it’s a competitor, it’s malicious competition, and if it’s just someone envious, then it’s slander."

"Whether it’s malicious competition or slander, I’m prepared to report it to the police and pursue legal action against the person with the black heart. An anonymous letter is no issue; we can investigate the handwriting, check for fingerprints, and if it was a phone call, then it’s even easier to trace back to the caller’s number."

"Anyway, I won’t let this matter rest easily. If someone dares to plot against me from behind, they better be ready for the backlash! I’ll make sure they get sent straight to prison!"

Shen Mingzhu’s words, a mix of truth and bluff, hit Jiang Jing like a heavy blow to the chest.

Shen Mingzhu said she was going to sue the whistleblower, but this was just a scare tactic.

The enforcement department has a duty and responsibility to protect a whistleblower, and with her current capabilities, Mingzhu was not yet able to obtain or find out the personal information of the reporter.

However, for Jiang Jing, who had something on her conscience, Mingzhu’s words undoubtedly made her extremely uneasy.

With Shen Baolan as a lesson from the past, if Shen Mingzhu were to really trace it back to her, even if she wouldn’t end up like Shen Baolan, kicked out of her home by her in-laws, she would no longer be able to hold her head high in the residential compound.

After weighing the pros and cons, Jiang Jing decided that it was best to read the room and take the initiative to soften up and beg Shen Mingzhu for mercy, hoping that Mingzhu would spare her.

To avoid drawing attention, she specifically waited until after eleven o’clock at night to leave the house.

...

Seeing Jiang Jing outside the door, Shen Mingzhu was somehow surprised but not too much so.

She asked with a half-smile, "Wa Shiting’s mom, coming to see me so late, is there something you need?"

Jiang Jing, while glancing around worried about being seen by other residents, whispered softly, "Ziheng’s mom, can we talk inside?"

Shen Mingzhu noncommittally let the other person in.

As soon as Shen Mingzhu closed the door and turned around, Jiang Jing dropped to her knees with a thud, bursting into tears as she confessed to writing the anonymous report—

"...I’m sorry, I was foolish, remembering how you didn’t give me face before, that’s what drove me to do such a despicable thing..."

While confessing, she slapped her own face, "It’s all my fault, I apologize to you, Pei Yang’s wife, I promise I’ll never again..."

Jiang Jing’s voice and actions came to an abrupt halt as she looked toward the balcony, her eyes filled with terror as if she had seen a ghost.

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