The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 355 - 354: Expanding the Factory Building

Chapter 355: Chapter 354: Expanding the Factory Building

The matter of setting up the branch office was rather urgent, so Du Juan decided to set off two days later.

However, before leaving, she and Shen Chaobei took their child back to their hometown for a visit.

After all, once they left for the trip, they wouldn’t be able to return until next year at the earliest.

Calculating the dates, her due date should be around the twelfth lunar month or the first month of next year. By the time her confinement was completed, it wouldn’t be until April of the following year that they could go there.

Having previously been reported, the couple kept their pregnancy a secret, only mentioning they were going to Rongcheng to set up a branch office and probably wouldn’t return until next year.

"Do you really have to go somewhere so far away? You’re doing well in the city, and Mingzhu, really, isn’t Fengcheng big enough for her ambitions? Why go to Sichuan Province to strive? She’s really overestimating her capacities."

Although the oldest and the second son, since starting to earn money in the city, could not be seen most of the year, at least they were close enough to visit any time they wanted to go to the city.

Rongcheng was so far away, a two-day and two-night train ride. Once they went there, it would be much harder to see them again in the future.

What mother could bear the thought of her son going to such a distant place?

Shen Jianguo didn’t ramble on like Qin Jinlian, but after hearing that his oldest son was going to Rongcheng, over two thousand kilometers away, his brow never unfurled, clearly unhappy.

Shen Chaobei tried his best to reassure his parents, "Dad, Mom, Pei Yang has secured a big collaboration over there. We can make money once we go. Wouldn’t it be foolish not to earn it when we have the chance?"

As soon as the subject of money came up, Jia Yuemei became interested, "Big brother, how much can you earn there in a month?"

Du Juan replied, "The more you work, the more you earn. If you want to make more money, you just have to work more, that’s all."

Listening to this conversation was like not hearing anything at all.

Jia Yuemei felt she had asked a moot question.

...

Before they knew it, noon arrived.

To see the eldest son and his family off, Qin Jinlian specially fried a few wild fish caught in the ditch the day before, wanting to add a dish to the meal.

But, Du Juan couldn’t stand the smell of fish, and as soon as the fish was brought to the table, she covered her mouth and ran out.

The entire family was stunned.

Qin Jinlian was the first to react, grasping Shen Chaobei with happiness in her eyes, "My god, could Daya’s mother be pregnant?"

Shen Chaobei quickly shook his head to deny it, "No, that’s not it. Juan has gastroenteritis. She ate something unclean a few days ago and had vomiting and diarrhea. She’s only started getting better these past few days."

Daya also chimed in, "Mom is sick and has been taking medicine every day."

The story of being sick was something Du Juan told her daughter, but the medicine she was taking was folic acid tablets.

Even with Daya’s corroboration, Qin Jinlian still didn’t believe it.

Or rather, she preferred the idea of her daughter-in-law being pregnant over her suffering from gastroenteritis.

She insisted on dragging Du Juan to the township health center for a checkup.

Jia Yuemei also advised Du Juan to get checked, "What if it’s really a pregnancy? That’s a big deal and can’t be taken lightly."

Naturally, Du Juan couldn’t possibly go to the township for a checkup.

She might be checked at the clinic only for the JSB officials to be on her doorstep immediately after, probably forcing her to have an abortion on the spot.

"Mom, it’s genuinely gastroenteritis. I just had a talk with the JSB people a while ago, how could I dare to have a second child?"

Qin Jinlian also realized that even if the pregnancy was real, they couldn’t go to the health center for a checkup.

"Then go and get checked in the city, let’s go right now, I’ll go with you!"

Qin Jinlian truly wanted to know whether her daughter-in-law was pregnant and if there was a chance she could carry her a grandson.

Regardless of how much Qin Jinlian persuaded her, Du Juan repeatedly insisted she had gastroenteritis and even produced a diagnosis from a clinic.

The diagnosis was real, but it was from several months earlier.

```

Looking at the list, Qin Jinlian’s face was filled with regret, while Jia Yuemei silently breathed a sigh of relief.

However, upon further thought, she realized that once Du Juan moved to Rongcheng, she wouldn’t be able to see if she secretly had a second child there.

Perhaps going to Rongcheng was precisely to avoid others when having a second child.

But in two more months, she herself was due to give birth, and once she had her son, she would entrust him directly to Qin Jinlian to raise.

A grandson personally raised by a grandmother, after all, shared a different closeness than one not raised by his grandmother.

...

After celebrating Shen Mingzhu’s birthday, Pei Yang made plans to go to Rongcheng with Du Juan’s family of three.

Pei Yang’s trip this time was only temporary, as he would return once he helped the couple establish their branch office.

Together with them to Rongcheng were five senior employees, including two pastry chefs.

Shen Mingzhu planned to replicate the development model of Fengcheng in Rongcheng by opening a Mingzhu Restaurant bakery that offered fresh baked goods for sale.

To ensure these veteran employees would work wholeheartedly with Du Juan, Shen Mingzhu increased each of their salaries by 20%, and provided them with an additional monthly stipend of ten yuan for working away from home.

On the eve of their departure, Shen Mingzhu gave Du Juan a wristwatch.

An 18K gold Omega ladies’ wristwatch, with a square dial, dual-tone metal embossed craftsmanship, and an amber-colored crocodile leather strap.

A vintage and valuable timepiece.

It had been a birthday gift from Zhong Qing last year, and Shen Mingzhu herself was somewhat reluctant to wear it, having intended to add it to her collection.

But now, she hoped it would bestow the strength and courage to overcome obstacles upon her teammate, rather than being shelved as a beautiful, but unused, decoration.

"Sister-in-law, this move marks the beginning of a new Chapter for you. I wish you a swift and triumphant success, and a future as bright as brocade," she said.

Grasping Shen Mingzhu closely, with tears brimming in her eyes, Du Juan said, "Mingzhu, thank you."

This thank you was not only for the gift of the watch but also a deep expression of gratitude for Shen Mingzhu’s guidance and support along the way.

Shen Mingzhu hugged her back, smiling encouragingly, "Sister-in-law, everything you have today is the result of your own hard work. I believe that you will do even better in the future, and so will we all."

"Yes."

...

In addition to the wristwatch for Du Juan, Shen Mingzhu also prepared perfume and lipstick for Guo Xin and the Meng sisters, as a door-knocking gift to help Du Juan establish herself in Rongcheng.

People might not believe it, but she had collected these perfumes and lipsticks from what Yan Su and Zhong Qing had discarded.

Although they were picked from "rubbish," the items were all brand new and unopened, making them perfectly suitable gifts once repackaged.

Perhaps this is the benefit of having two wealthy best friends?

As Pei Yang and Du Juan’s family of three set off for Rongcheng, Shen Mingzhu began to refocus her attention on Fengcheng.

Earlier in the year, she had snatched a mooncake order worth twenty thousand from Hengxing at Fushun Cake Factory, and following the great success at the food and drink fair, the food factory was frequently receiving calls from distributors wanting to cooperate.

With the rapid growth in business, the food factory was facing a new dilemma: insufficient production capacity.

To increase production capacity, they needed to recruit more employees, but the production workshop was so small there was nowhere to accommodate new workers.

There were two solutions: either expand the current factory or move to a different location.

Expansion would involve a complicated approval process, and by the time the factory was ready, the opportunity would have passed.

After careful consideration, renting a larger factory directly seemed to be a simpler and more efficient solution.

But finding a new factory was easier said than done.

Shen Mingzhu was busy every day trying to find a suitable new factory space, unaware that her eldest son had already secretly found a good option for her.

```

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.