The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 216 - 215: Joining the Food Factory (Minor Revision)

Chapter 216: Chapter 215: Joining the Food Factory (Minor Revision)

For breakfast, they had egg pancakes. Last night, the couple had been overly affectionate, and by the time they remembered, the whipped egg whites had already melted. They couldn’t bake the planned egg cake, so the prepared batter could only be stored in the fridge, to be used for pancakes this morning.

During breakfast, considering that Pei Yang had just lost his job, Shen Mingzhu was concerned he might find it difficult to adjust and inquired about his plans for the day.

Pei Yang, on the contrary, was in good spirits, teasingly saying, "You’re the leader at home; I’ll follow your arrangements."

Shen Mingzhu thought for a moment, "Then come with me to the factory."

"Alright," Pei Yang took a bite of his pancake and said with a playful smile, "I might as well not look for a job and instead help you out at your factory."

"If you’re willing, I have no objections," Shen Mingzhu replied half-jokingly, half-seriously.

Pei Ziheng nibbled on his pancake, his dark eyes shifting back and forth between his parents, "Dad, are you not going to work anymore?"

Pei Yang patted his son’s little head, feigning a sigh, "Dad is out of a job now, and in the future, it’s all up to your mom. You need to be good and try not to make her angry. Otherwise, if your mom gets mad and kicks both of us out, I’ll have no choice but to take you to sleep on the streets."

Pei Ziheng rolled his eyes at him, "You can sleep on the streets yourself; I’ll sleep with Mom. I’m absolutely not going to upset Mom!"

Pei Yang: "..."

Shen Mingzhu was amused by the father-son banter, feeling an indescribable joy and relaxation.

To her, having the whole family together, living life side by side, was better than anything the world had to offer.

...

Although Pei Yang frequently visited the food factory when he had free time, accompanying Shen Mingzhu to the factory early in the morning was a first for him.

Shen Chaobei greeted him with a hearty laugh, "Pei Yang, what brings you here so early today?"

Pei Yang replied with a smile, "Big brother, starting today, I’ll be joining you all and working in the factory as well."

Shen Chaobei took it as a joke, considering Pei Yang’s prestigious position at the oceanic company. If the usual person holds an iron rice bowl for a job, then Pei Yang’s was at least a silver one.

After a few light-hearted exchanges with his brother-in-law, Shen Mingzhu called Pei Yang into her office and explained the current operational and business aspects of the food factory in detail before personally taking him out on business visits.

Her own man, she had to teach him hands-on.

In the morning, Shen Mingzhu took Pei Yang to stock a new store, and in the afternoon, she brought him to check several established stores to see the sales status and collect accounts.

Having run around all day, they were both quite tired and didn’t bother to go home and cook. Instead, they took Pei Ziheng and dined together at the factory.

When they returned home in the evening and lay down in bed after washing up, Shen Mingzhu turned her head and asked her husband for his thoughts.

"How do you feel after spending the day working?"

Pei Yang’s deep eyes quietly looked at her for a while before reaching out to embrace her. His magnetic voice whispered in her ear:

"Today I’ve realized how hard you work. You have to walk so much every day, visit so many places, and interact with all kinds of people."

"Wife, I feel for you."

Shen Mingzhu didn’t think she had it that tough. Starting a business was like this, after all, and compared to the 996 corporate drones of future generations, her workload was relatively light.

But when she heard her husband express his tender concern with such compassion, her heart uncontainably throbbed as if struck by a bullet.

Keeping her emotions in check, she casually lifted her face to ask him, "Then do you want to consider working together at the factory? Not just to help me, but as our joint venture, part of our shared enterprise."

Pei Yang seemed preoccupied, his gaze fixed on something in particular.

Following his line of sight, Shen Mingzhu looked down and noticed that her neckline had gaped open.

Just as she raised her hand to cover her chest, the world spun around her. The man rolled on top of her, and the hand that had been covering her chest was now being held high above her head.

Although they had been intimate almost every night since their wedding, most of the time Pei Yang was gentle, taking great care of her feelings, making her feel cherished.

But that night, Pei Yang was wilder and more aggressive than usual, especially with that move, which made Shen Mingzhu feel like she was a piece of meat on a chopping board.

The man’s eyes burned like flames, scorching her wherever they touched.

Shen Mingzhu felt a tingling heat on her back. Unconsciously, she writhed to rid herself of the itchiness, but to Pei Yang, this seemed like an invitation, a provocative beckoning from his wife.

He didn’t hesitate to lean down and capture the tempting rosy hue with his mouth.

——Please use your imagination for the details——

After the storm had passed.

Pei Yang gazed at his wife in his arms, who was sound asleep, sweeping his tender eyes inch by inch over her delicate face, his chest filled with a warm blaze.

A moment later, he gently let go of his wife and got up to go to the living room.

From the drawer of the corner cabinet, Pei Yang took out a pack of cigarettes and headed to the balcony.

"Click."

As the flame flickered on and off, a crimson light added a speck of color to the pitch-black balcony.

Pei Yang didn’t have a smoking addiction, but when he felt annoyed or tired, he would occasionally smoke one or two.

His day at the food factory had left a profound impact on him.

Although he knew his wife was more capable than most women and had talent, the firsthand experience and understanding of the food factory’s development, operation, and long-term planning left him astonished.

The development path was clear and orderly, and the personnel management was thorough and meticulous. Had it been him, he might not have been able to achieve that level.

His wife was like a treasure trove, always bringing him new and different amazements.

Originally, working at the food factory had been merely a joke. Even Zhou Shuhuan, a reserved and delicate scholar, had ambition; and he, a man with inherent dominance and assertiveness, how could he possibly lack ambition and aspirations, willing to be content under a woman’s shadow?

When his wife in his arms invited him, he wasn’t genuinely swayed by lust, but rather he was undecided.

Her eyes were misty, like that of a well-behaved cat, filled with hope and longing that made it impossible for him to refuse.

Yet he had his own plans and had already begun to shape them, preparing to put them into action.

He seemed to be struggling, but in fact, by not immediately refusing, he had made his choice in his heart.

She was young and tender, and as a man, as a husband, he should help her.

At the very least, he needed to help her get the food factory back on track.

——

Pei Yang formally joined the food factory, taking charge of external business development.

Shen Chaobei and the others in the factory were puzzled by Pei Yang’s choice.

In their minds, how could a small business hold a candle to a secure job, especially since Pei Yang was giving up a ’silver rice bowl’ to take on a business venture? Without such a secure job, was he not being foolish?

Shen Chaobei tried to persuade Pei Yang, hoping he would continue to enjoy his silver rice bowl job, and when Shen learned that Pei Yang had resigned and it was a done deal, he couldn’t help but regret bitterly.

Although Du Juan also felt it was a pity, her reaction wasn’t as strong as Shen Chaobei’s.

In her view, whether it’s a secure job or running a business, it was all for a living. As long as it made money, what difference did it make what one did?

Shen Hongmei and the other female workers were very welcoming of Pei Yang’s joining. Tall, handsome, and robust, having such an attractive man around every day made work more exciting.

But regardless of what others thought, Pei Yang joining the food factory was a done deal.

...

"I really don’t understand what that couple is thinking. Such a good job they had, and they just up and quit to mess around with that broken factory. I heard that the factory hasn’t made a penny so far. Just you wait, they’re going to regret it."

"Exactly, if the factory takes off, it’s all good, but if it doesn’t, with no income and a huge debt to the bank, the family of three will just be left in the lurch!"

"I used to say Pei Yang’s wife was a good catch, but now it seems she’s not so sensible either, egging her man on to throw away such a good job. Maybe she’s grown tired of the good life?"

Shen Baolan felt a mix of schadenfreude and relief about Pei Yang quitting his job.

In her opinion, Pei Yang’s move was as foolish as a pig’s.

Already mostly flash without substance, now that he lost his reliable job, what good could he be?

She was fortunate not to have married such a loser. Otherwise, she would have nowhere to cry right now.

Zhou Shuhuan was so much better, stable and reliable, soon to be made permanent. Once regularized, he would make seventy to eighty yuan a month, much better than Pei Yang!

Shen Mingzhu, oh Shen Mingzhu, even if I never become a wealthy lady, my life will still be better than yours!

"You folks, always chirping away with nothing better to do. If Pei Yang dares to quit his iron rice bowl, it’s because he has his reasons!"

In the midst of the chorus predicting doom over Pei Yang’s resignation, suddenly a different voice piped up, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

"What reasons? Don’t tell me he struck it rich?"

"Pei Yang hasn’t struck it rich, but his wife has!"

Upon hearing this, the onlookers immediately crowded around, eager to know more.