The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 384 - 383: Mrs. Zhong’s Request

Chapter 384: Chapter 383: Mrs. Zhong’s Request

"Mrs. Zhong."

After recognizing who the person was, Shen Mingzhu hurriedly swallowed the food in her mouth and got up to politely exchange pleasantries with Zhong’s mother.

Seeing Zhong’s mother’s smiling eyes fall on Pei Ziheng’s face, Shen Mingzhu beckoned Pei Ziheng to get up and greet the woman.

But once her son stood up, Shen Mingzhu found herself in a dilemma.

What should he call her?

"Madam."

Hearing Pei Ziheng’s form of address, the smile on Zhong’s mother’s face deepened.

"Such a clever child."

By seniority, Pei Ziheng should have called Zhong’s mother "Grandma," but clearly, their relationship was not at that level yet.

If he called her "Mrs. Zhong" like Shen Mingzhu, it would seem impolite.

Calling her "Madam" was just right, as it has always been a term of respect for the lady of a noble family throughout history.

Shen Mingzhu had thought that Zhong’s mother was just passing by to say hello, but unexpectedly, she sat down and enthusiastically started chatting with Shen Mingzhu.

Zhong’s mother first praised the makeup and styling Shen Mingzhu did for Zhuang Xueqi and then expressed her desire to have Shen Mingzhu do the makeup and styling for Zhong Qing’s wedding.

Shen Mingzhu was somewhat surprised; just a few days ago, she had chatted with Zhong Qing, who hadn’t mentioned anything about having a wedding.

Seeing her confusion, Zhong’s mother explained with a smile, "The date hasn’t been set yet, but it will definitely happen next year. After all, Qingqing and Xiaoyi are not young anymore. Plus, with ordering the wedding dress and other preparations, we can start getting ready now."

Shen Mingzhu smiled and agreed.

Zhong’s mother didn’t stay long, chatting with Shen Mingzhu for a few moments before taking her leave.

Shen Mingzhu wasn’t too concerned and continued to enjoy the feast of sea, land, and air with her son.

...

Shen Mingzhu couldn’t tell if it was because she ate too much or due to some other bodily reason, but she ended up with an upset stomach.

It took three trips to the restroom before her stomach felt significantly better.

The restroom corridor leading to the dining area was by the sea, where many guests stood to catch the breeze.

On her third trip back from the restroom to the restaurant, she ran into Yan Yi leaning on the railing.

Shen Mingzhu planned to just say hello and return to the restaurant but was stopped by Yan Yi.

"Is your health alright?"

Facing Shen Mingzhu’s surprised look, Yan Jun explained, "My seat on the second floor is right across from the restaurant door, and I noticed you went to the restroom several times."

As he spoke, he handed her a box of medicine.

Shen Mingzhu took the medicine, her face showing embarrassment, "Thank you."

Having an upset stomach and being seen by the host was somewhat embarrassing.

To ease the awkwardness, Shen Mingzhu brought up the wedding between Yan Yi and Zhong Qing, "I heard from Mrs. Zhong that it’s likely to be next year. I want to congratulate you both in advance."

Yan Yi didn’t respond to the topic, his gaze as warm as the afternoon sun, softly resting on her face.

"How have you been recently? You seem to have slimmed down a bit."

Shen Mingzhu touched her face, feeling quite pleased.

After all, being told she’d slimmed down was always better than being told she’d gained weight.

"I’m doing quite well, very busy but also very fulfilled."

Actually, he could clearly see that she was doing well.

The state of a woman’s spirit says it all about how good her life is.

He was really just making small talk in order to spend a little more time with her.

"Has the factory released any new products recently?"

Shen Mingzhu shook her head, "Our main goal this year is to develop the branch company’s business. The several products from the food factory are performing well, so I plan to work on some upgrades and development in terms of flavor and texture."

As they were speaking, Ning Yuan came out from the restaurant looking for Yan Yi.

Noticing Ning Yuan’s hand constantly rubbing his stomach and the strong smell of alcohol, Shen Mingzhu instinctively expressed concern, "If your stomach is uncomfortable from drinking too much, honey water can help relieve it."

Ning Yuan nodded appreciatively and, seeing Yan Yi’s unexpected expression, chuckled and turned to chat with Shen Mingzhu.

"We’re about to enter winter, when can I come over to your place for some hotpot mutton again? This time, you won’t need to prepare the ingredients. I’ve raised a few fat-tailed sheep on my outskirts villa. I’ll have them slaughtered and delivered to your place."

Shen Mingzhu, who was still quite fond of hotpot mutton, smiled at the offer, "If you feel like having hotpot mutton, you’re welcome anytime. But there’s no need to come to my place; I’ve just opened a new private restaurant on the outskirts of the southern city. At the end of the month, we’ll have a tasting menu, and I’ll invite you all to grace us with your presence then."

"Sure, we’ll definitely come to support you. I’ll bring a few more people with me to help spread the word."

"Thank you."

After Shen Mingzhu returned to the dining room, Ning Yuan put a hand on Yan Yi’s shoulder, "So, have I earned my keep? What’s my reward?"

"I’ll reward you with a glass of honey water."

Yan Yi finished speaking and also headed back toward the dining room.

Ning Yuan followed behind him, "...Tch, stingy! Ouch, I can’t take it anymore, I really need to get a glass of honey water."

...

The three-day trip ended in the blink of an eye.

For Shen Mingzhu, this cruise was more than worth it.

Not only did she enjoy the food and fun, but she also expanded her network in upper-class society.

This made her feel that the pure gold figurine she gave was a bit too modest.

There was no helping it, she was poor. Otherwise, she would have at least given a gold statue as a gift.

But there would be other opportunities. She definitely planned to make up for it with a gift for Zhuang Xueqi’s child’s full-month celebration.

As the last hour before the cruise ship’s arrival approached, Shen Mingzhu went back to her room to pack her luggage.

While packing, Zhuang Xueqi personally delivered a souvenir gift to her.

Shen Mingzhu was quite surprised and flattered.

After Zhuang Xueqi left, Shen Mingzhu opened the souvenir box and found that the gifts were very diverse.

They included wedding candy, sachet pendants, women’s perfume, red wine, a wooden comb, and perfumed soap.

In those days, soap was commonly used, but perfumed soap was still quite rare.

In addition, there was also a red envelope.

The red envelope was slim, and Shen Mingzhu didn’t pay much attention to it at first, but when she opened it, she found a 1000-dollar Hong Kong bill inside.

At that time, the exchange rate between Hong Kong dollars and RMB was around 1.15.

1000 Hong Kong dollars equaled 1150 RMB.

This was no small sum, and Shen Mingzhu could no longer focus on packing her luggage. She immediately went upstairs to find Zhuang Xueqi.

She was worried that the red envelope was a gift of money meant for someone else and had accidentally ended up in her souvenir box.

"This money is your reward."

Zhuang Xueqi said calmly while drawing her eyebrows in front of the mirror, and seemed dissatisfied. She turned her head and handed Shen Mingzhu the eyebrow pencil.

"You do it for me."

Shen Mingzhu took the eyebrow pencil and quickly sketched the tail of the eyebrow, then sharpened the pencil and created a distinct effect at the start of the eyebrows.

From a distance, they looked like naturally wild eyebrows.

After looking in the mirror, Zhuang Xueqi showed a pleased expression, but soon her forehead creased again.

"Why can’t I ever draw them right?"

"It’s hard to be your own healer, I never do a good job when I draw my own eyebrows."

Hearing her consolation, Zhuang Xueqi felt a little better, picked up a lipstick, and applied it in the mirror.

Shen Mingzhu placed the red envelope on the dresser, "Mrs. Ning, I appreciate your kind gesture very much. It’s been an honor to be a part of your wedding banquet, and I’ve gained a lot from it."

Zhuang Xueqi pursed her lips after applying the lipstick, then put the cap on and looked at Shen Mingzhu through the mirror with a teasing expression, "Don’t you like money? Or do you think it’s too little?"

Seeing Shen Mingzhu’s confused face, Zhuang Xueqi took her eyes off the mirror to arrange her hair.

"The bag you sold was bought by Shanshan’s sister-in-law."

Shen Mingzhu looked sheepish, "You knew?"

"Hmm, I’ve known for two months."

"I didn’t expose you before because I needed to use you."

So now that she wasn’t needed anymore, was it time to get rid of the used-up asset?

Shen Mingzhu touched her chilled neck, "Mrs. Ning, I could argue my case."

Zhuang Xueqi turned around, arms folded across her chest, "As long as your reasoning convinces me, I won’t take issue with you, and I’ll even give you an even better handbag."

The young lady was truly wealthy and capricious.

But she liked that!