The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 409 - 408: A Thief’s Heart Never Dies

Chapter 409: Chapter 408: A Thief’s Heart Never Dies

"I heard that working as a waitress in a small restaurant can get you thirty or forty a month."

"That’s not bad, she’s young, and she’s never had a child, wouldn’t it be easy for her to find a husband?"

"She’s picky, I’ll tell you that. They’ve been lining up to propose from miles around, but she either finds one fault or another. She starts off asking for a five-hundred yuan dowry, plus the whole ’three AND one to boot’. If they got the means, why wouldn’t they marry a virgin instead? Why bother with her, a ’worn-out shoe’?"

The others burst into laughter.

"Exactly, she really thinks every man is as dumb as Shen Xiangnan, taking her word as gospel."

Right after saying that, he got kicked. Realizing he had spoken out of turn, he hastily tried to smooth things over with Jia Yuemei with an apologetic grin.

"Yuemei, don’t take it to heart, I’m just someone who speaks their mind. You know the saying, ’A fool’s bound to have fool’s luck’. You two, fortunate to be with such a capable little sister, are bound for blessings."

The others chimed in agreement.

Shen Baolan’s sister-in-law, Tian Wenfang, was secretly sizing up Jia Yuemei, feeling as sour as if she had eaten a lemon.

Both married into the city as younger sisters-in-law, both Du Juan and Jia Yuemei lived the good life thanks to their connections, yet she herself hadn’t gained a single thing.

"How much does that restaurant your sister-in-law opened for you rake in a month?"

Jia Yuemei hadn’t even spoken up before the others started to chime in with answers.

Some said three hundred, some said five hundred, and there were even claims of seven or eight hundred.

Each one talked excitedly as if they were the ones making the big money.

Contrary to everyone’s reactions, the higher the guesstimates, the lower Jia Yuemei’s smile dipped.

"Cut it out, I barely make anything."

No one believed it, "Yuemei, don’t play coy with us. Your restaurant’s business is booming, how could you not be making money?"

"Don’t tell me you’re worried we’ll ask to borrow money. Look at how stingy you’re being."

Jia Yuemei bitterly complained, "It’s true the restaurant makes money, but most of it goes straight into their pockets. Xiangnan and I just get a pittance for our troubles."

Everyone’s face lit up with intense gossip.

"Wasn’t it said that the restaurant was opened to help your husband, Xiangnan? How come you guys end up letting her take all the earnings?"

Jia Yuemei snorted: "It sounded better than it was sung; they said it was for us before the restaurant opened. But once it was up and running, she popped up wanting to be the boss, with us winding up as her wage workers!"

"You have no idea how ruthless she is, selling a small dish of tofu for several yuan. She’s cutthroat with outsiders and just as merciless with her own."

"My Xiangnan works himself to death from dawn till dusk, while she doesn’t show her face for days or weeks on end. And at the end, what Xiangnan gets in hand is still less than even her smallest change."

In Jia Yuemei’s portrayal, Shen Mingzhu’s image as a wicked capitalist sprang to life.

"No wonder she’s so good at making money. Her heart’s too dark."

"If you ask me, Yuemei, Xiangnan is just too honest for his own good, gets bullied but never speaks up. You should stand up to her, demand your fair share for the hard work."

"Exactly, we support you, go make a fuss!"

Under the instigation of the busybodies, Jia Yuemei indeed brought this up at home with Shen Xiangnan, urging him to ask Shen Mingzhu for a raise.

Shen Xiangnan naturally refused.

It was not that he didn’t love money, but he was frightened, scared of being scolded by Shen Mingzhu.

Jia Yuemei verbally berated Shen Xiangnan as a coward, but she didn’t dare to face Shen Mingzhu and ask for a raise herself either.

Not daring to ask was one thing, but her covetous heart was another matter altogether.

After much contemplation, Jia Yuemei set her sights on Qin Jinlian.

With sweet talk, she incited Qin Jinlian to bring up the matter of a raise with Shen Mingzhu, "...Mom, it’s not just for my own sake. Think about it, if Xiangnan and I earn more money, we can build our new house sooner. Then you and Dad can also enjoy the good life with us, right?"

...

On the fifth day of the new year, Shen Mingzhu made a special trip back to the countryside to visit her relatives with Guoguo.

Last year she hadn’t visited her parents’ home, and since her daughter’s birth, she hadn’t brought her to her grandmother’s house even once. It was definitely time for a visit.

After dinner, Qin Jinlian gave five yuan as New Year’s money to each of the two children.

Shen Mingzhu was surprised that the stingy Qin Jinlian was giving away money when she heard her hesitantly begin, "Mingzhu, Mom has something to talk to you about."

Without a second word, Shen Mingzhu promptly returned the New Year’s money for both children.

Qin Jinlian looked at her, "What are you doing?"

"I’m afraid this money will burn my hands."

Qin Jinlian was taken aback and awkwardly said, "I’m trying to talk to you about something serious here. Could you give your second brother and sister-in-law a raise? They’ve been holding up your restaurant; you’re just an absentee owner. If you increase their wages, they’d be more motivated to work hard for you, right?"

Shen Mingzhu had Pei Yang take the children outside to play and then asked Qin Jinlian to call Shen Xiangnan and Jia Yuemei over.

"Second brother, second sister-in-law, if you have any thoughts, why didn’t you come talk to me directly, why go through Mom? Did you think you could pressure me by going through an elder?"

"What’s going on? Mom, what did you say to our little sister?"

Judging by Shen Xiangnan’s reaction, he clearly had no knowledge of the matter.

Shen Mingzhu’s gaze shifted to Jia Yuemei, who frantically avoided her eyes.

Shen Mingzhu felt she had the measure of the situation, "Second brother, Mom just told me to give you a raise. Here’s my unified response, also my last response. If anyone comes to me about this again, don’t blame me if I turn against you."

"The company has clear rules and regulations regarding wages and benefits. Anyone who has been with the company for over a year and meets the evaluation requirements will have their base salary increased accordingly."

Qin Jinlian said, "But that’s for outsiders. Xiangnan is your own second brother, can’t you bend the rules a bit? Besides, your restaurant is making so much money, what does it matter if you spare a little more for your brother?"

"Then as his own sister, he should be willing to help me out, his sister, and take a little less money."

"How can that be the same? You’re not short of money, but your brother relies on that salary to support his family."

"Who says I’m not short of money? There are over a dozen people in the restaurant, do they not eat or draw salaries? While my brother is supporting his family, I’m supporting over a dozen mouths!"

Qin Jinlian was at a loss for words.

Shen Xiangnan finally found an opportunity to speak, "Mom, don’t make things difficult for our little sister. The salary I’m getting now is quite plentiful."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Jia Yuemei kicked him.

"Little sister, everyone in the village knows you’re a big boss now, living in a big house in the city, eating well and dressing well. But look at our decaying home. Your second brother and I just want to earn more money to build our new house sooner so that Mom and Dad can enjoy a bit of good fortune with us."

Shen Mingzhu smiled wryly, "If you want to build a new house, what does that have to do with me, a married-off girl? Will you be willing to give me a share when the family property is divided in the future?"

"Also, second sister-in-law, I’d like to ask, if your own brothers needed to build a new house, would you also contribute money and effort like I’m expected to?"

"If so, then how much are you planning to give to your own family? I’ll match whatever standard you set!"

Jia Yuemei was left speechless.

She was married now with her own little family; she certainly wouldn’t be spending money to help her brothers-in-law build a new house.

Seeing that both mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were at a loss, Shen Mingzhu dropped a bombshell, "Mom, there’s another important matter I came back to discuss today. The eldest sister-in-law is pregnant with a second child."