The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 310 - 309 Reciprocity

Chapter 310: Chapter 309 Reciprocity

Shen Mingzhu returned to her residence in the family courtyard.

It had been a while since she had been back, and there was a layer of dust everywhere.

She opened the windows to air the place out, then rolled up her sleeves, drew water, and started cleaning, working until dusk, when Du Juan, Shen Chaobei, and Shen Hongmei arrived, carrying two large bags of items.

Shen Mingzhu classified and placed the contents of the bags on the freshly wiped dining table.

They were various other brands of spicy strips and dried bean curd sold in Fengcheng City’s markets.

Wang Hongcheng’s bakery couldn’t produce spicy strips and dried bean curd, and didn’t dare to openly manufacture illegal products in the factory. The most time-efficient and effort-saving method was to purchase other brands’ finished products, then carry out a second stage of processing, packaging, and quietly release them into the market.

It sounded simple to buy finished products, but it wasn’t easy because different brands’ spicy strips and dried bean curd varied in appearance and taste.

To perfectly counterfeit, someone would need to custom-make identical products.

Shen Mingzhu had purchased all the various spicy strips and dried bean curd from the market intending to taste-test each one to find the factory that manufactured the counterfeit versions for Wang Hongcheng.

It was a clumsy method, but she couldn’t think of a better one at the moment.

She took out the few packs of counterfeit spicy strips and dried bean curd she had previously hidden, opened them, and after tasting them carefully, she spit them out.

She was breastfeeding and couldn’t consume these things; she could only rely on her taste buds for the experience.

Following that, she began taste-testing the spicy strips and dried bean curd on the dining table.

Even though she only chewed and then spat them out, using ice water to rinse her mouth, after continuously trying several packs of spicy strips and dried bean curd, her tongue started to become numb.

She decided to rest for a while and let Du Juan, Shen Chaobei, and Shen Hongmei take over the taste-testing.

...

After coming up empty at the food factory and the Pei Family home, Yan Yi drove the car across from the family courtyard.

After watching the entrance of the family courtyard for a moment, Yan Yi instructed Ning Yuan, "Go make a phone call and ask her to come down."

Ning Yuan said, "I mean, why don’t we just go up and find her?"

Yan Yi turned to look at him without a word, and Ning Yuan reluctantly got out of the car.

Yan Yi sat in the car, thinking: If he went directly to her, the people in the family courtyard would see him, and that would inevitably lead to gossip.

At this time, it was better not to cause her any trouble.

Before long, Shen Mingzhu came out of the family courtyard, followed by Shen Hongmei, and they walked toward the jeep upon spotting it.

When Yan Yi saw them, he turned his head and told Ning Yuan to get out of the car and then he himself was the first to open the car door and get out.

"You could have just told her, why summon me?"

Ning Yuan grumbled as he got out of the car, but when he saw Shen Hongmei next to Shen Mingzhu, a thought flashed through his mind: So I’m just a part of your hero-saving-the-damsel play?

"There’s nothing much on Pei Yang’s end, what do you plan on doing next, do you need my help with anything?"

Upon meeting, Yan Yi cut directly to the chase to explain his visit.

"Thank you, you’ve been such a help."

Although she knew with Zhong Qing’s intervention there wouldn’t be any issues with Pei Yang, hearing about Pei Yang’s safety firsthand still relieved Shen Mingzhu’s mind, and she quickly expressed her thanks.

Regarding what she was currently doing, Shen Mingzhu didn’t hide it from Yan Yi.

He had been wholeheartedly helping her; it would be insincere of her to keep secrets.

Hearing that she intended to try every single spicy strip and dried bean curd product in Fengcheng, Yan Yi’s brows furrowed slightly.

No wonder her lips were swollen, he had thought it was due to her being upset.

"Have you found out which factory it is yet?"

Shen Mingzhu shook her head, "The time is tight, we might have missed some brands, we can only continue to search tomorrow."

Yan Yi thought for a moment and then asked, "Do you still have samples on hand?"

In the night, the woman’s eyes, usually sharp and intelligent, were filled with confusion. Her like this, mysteriously, stirred feelings of protectiveness.

He felt an urge to scruff her like a pretty, adorable kitten.

Yan Yi curled his fingertips, restraining the impulse, and said warmly, "I know someone who can provide a police dog. Using a police dog would probably be faster than trying each one by yourself."

Shen Mingzhu suddenly realized and couldn’t suppress the joy that spread across her face.

"Yes, it’s upstairs, just wait for me, I’ll bring it down immediately."

No sooner had she finished speaking, than Shen Hongmei quickly took up the conversation, "Mingzhu, I’ll get it, I can run faster!"

With that, she spun around and dashed towards the family courtyard.

Shen Mingzhu looked back at Shen Hongmei’s retreating figure for a moment but didn’t chase after her. Since childhood, Hongmei had been accustomed to farm work and indeed moved much more nimbly than her.

The three of them stood in front of the car.

"Do you have any idea who might be behind this incident?" Yan Yi spoke up, breaking the silence.

Shen Mingzhu hesitated, then nodded, "We’re looking for evidence."

Ning Yuan, who had been serving as a human backdrop, leaned in with a somewhat cynical smile, "To think, you really have faced a string of misfortunes. How long has your factory been in operation, and how many issues have come one after another? Did you forget to check the almanac when you started the factory?"

Shen Mingzhu thought, as the villainess of the original story, it’s already quite an achievement I’ve made it this far, but she replied, "I didn’t check."

Not wanting to continue the topic, Shen Mingzhu took the initiative to talk about Hengxing buying mooncakes.

"Young Master Ning, thank you. Also, on the day of your engagement, you were so busy I didn’t get a chance to congratulate you in person."

Ning Yuan appeared to recall something, "Now that you mention it, I’d almost forgotten. Why did you have to give me a gold brick? You made me lose to Qing sister."

Shen Mingzhu acquiesced easily, "Next time, I’ll give something else."

After saying this, she felt something was off since he just got engaged, and her words were like cursing his engagement to fail.

Just as she was wondering how to turn the conversation around, she heard Ning Yuan slap his thigh and chuckle, "Alright, next time I get engaged, you can give me something else."

Shen Mingzhu: "..."

As long as Ning was happy.

"Then when it’s my turn, you should treat me the same, right?" Yan Yi suddenly spoke up from the side, and Shen Mingzhu looked at him, puzzled.

Yan Yi looked at her, "You gave Zhong Qing a gold brick for her engagement, and you also gave Ning Yuan a gold brick. As your friend, you can’t play favorites, can you?"

Shen Mingzhu had no choice but to say, "Then, when you get married, I’ll also give you a gold brick."

"Good."

Yan Yi agreed very quickly, and upon seeing her lips slightly curled, he teased, "You wouldn’t be reluctant to part with it, would you?"

"A little."

His laughter couldn’t be contained at her honest admission.

Ning Yuan, with a hint of disdain, teased, "Shen Mingzhu, you really are unambitious."

You’ve latched on to my uncle, not just a small gold brick, but mountains of gold could be moved for you!

Of course, he only dared to mutter this to himself.

Shen Mingzhu gave him a glance, her tone melancholy, "Young Master Ning, you’re a man who’s never known hunger. I have the elderly and the young to care for, all dependent on my small factory. I haven’t even secured next year’s loan yet, and now the factory has been shut down, sigh."

Feeling sorry for her plight, Ning Yuan casually said, "Isn’t that simple? I’ll just have Hengxing order your mooncakes for next year, won’t I?"

"Thank you, Young Master Ning, when can I go sign the contract with Hengxing?"

Watching Shen Mingzhu take advantage of the situation, Ning Yuan realized he had been played.

But it didn’t matter to him; he was actually quite fond of Ronghua’s mooncakes.

For Shen Mingzhu, however, the goal was to "retaliate" against Wang Hongcheng.

Wang Hongcheng had caused her to lose the big contracts with People’s Shopping Mall and Baihui Department Store. By taking away Hengxing, a major client, it was merely an exchange of courtesies.

Before long, Shen Hongmei brought down the leftover spicy strips and dried tofu.