The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 477 - 476: Mooncake Voucher

Chapter 477: Chapter 476: Mooncake Voucher

"Guoguo, where’s brother?"

"Here!"

"Give the phone to brother."

"Oh."

Guoguo obediently handed the phone to Pei Ziheng in front of her.

Pei Ziheng received the phone with one hand and scooped his sister into his arms with the other before he spoke into the receiver, "Mom."

"Son, happy birthday!"

Shen Mingzhu had been eager to talk to Pei Ziheng just so she could say this.

Today was Pei Ziheng’s ninth birthday.

"Did you get the gift mom prepared for you?"

Pei Ziheng glanced down at Guoguo, who was playing with a pager as if it were a toy, a smile in his eyes, "Mm, I got it, thank you, mom."

"Honey, I’m sorry, I promised to make you a birthday cake. I’ll make it up to you when I get back, okay?"

"Mom, it’s alright, you’re busy with work. Take good care of yourself."

Pei Yang finished cleaning up the dining table and came over, hands on his hips, "Are you done? Pass me the phone when you’re done."

Pei Ziheng glanced at him, "Guoguo hasn’t spoken to mom yet."

Pei Yang reached out and tousled the tuft of hair on his daughter’s head, "Then let your sister say a few words."

Pei Ziheng then placed the receiver next to Guoguo’s ear.

"Mom~"

Hearing Shen Mingzhu’s voice, Guoguo continued to play with the pager but unconsciously called out for her mom.

Shen Mingzhu gave a few instructions, and Guoguo obediently agreed.

After taking the receiver from his son, Pei Yang didn’t rush to speak with Shen Mingzhu, instead telling Pei Ziheng to take Guoguo upstairs to play.

Once the siblings got up and headed upstairs, Pei Yang plopped down on the sofa and started speaking into the other end of the phone, "Wife."

Shen Mingzhu responded softly.

"Miss me yet?"

"No."

Pei Yang laughed, "You women just love to mean one thing and say another. Saying you don’t miss me means you do. I understand."

Shen Mingzhu rolled her eyes, "Can’t you talk properly."

Pei Yang stopped joking around and became serious, "How was the exhibition today?"

"Better than expected..."

Pei Yang was happy to hear about Shen Mingzhu’s successful report, but he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of melancholy.

On one hand, he was proud of how capable his woman was, while on the other, he felt that her competence made him seem superfluous.

After Shen Mingzhu finished talking about the exhibition, Pei Yang talked about his work progress over the past few days and the follow-up arrangements.

Shen Mingzhu listened patiently, feeling a solid sense of tranquility and peace from their years together.

...

After putting her son to bed, Du Juan walked out of the room to wash up, and seeing her daughter still fiddling with the study machine in front of the television, she walked over and gently reminded her,

"Why are you still playing? It’s late, go to sleep."

"Mom, I can write my name now!"

Saying that, she demonstrated by typing on the keyboard, and the name Shen Yan appeared on the TV screen.

For Du Juan, this was quite magical.

Just by pressing a few keys on the study machine, text would appear on the television.

"I learned it with Meng Jie. She enrolled in a Wubi typing class, two lessons a week. Meng Jie also joined an English class, three lessons a week. She can already introduce herself in English."

Listening to her daughter describe it with color and enthusiasm, Du Juan couldn’t help but recall her own childhood.

She too had a best friend she would exchange handkerchiefs with named Du Xiu.

Although Du Xiu’s family was also poor, they could have wheat buns and even eggs every now and then. She was extremely envious back then.

She couldn’t help thinking, wasn’t all the money she and her husband were so desperately earning meant to prevent their descendants from living the hardships she had experienced?

Despite being tired from a day’s work, Du Juan found herself tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

"Chaobei."

Shen Chaobei rolled over in a daze, his hand groping for her, only to be swatted away before he finally opened his eyes.

"I have something to tell you."

Seeing there was no chance, Shen Chaobei closed his eyes, "Let’s talk tomorrow, I’m dead tired."

Undeterred, Du Juan continued, "I want to enroll Daya in a typing and English class."

"How much will it cost?"

"No matter the cost, I’m going to enroll Daya."

What answered her was the sound of Shen Chaobei’s snoring.

After checking on her son, Du Juan turned off the light and went to bed.

...

Thanks to the successful first day, the next two days of the exhibition were very successful.

Over the three days, total sales exceeded two hundred thousand, including the sale of twenty thousand mooncake coupons.

In fact, for that era, mooncake coupons were still quite a novel concept and not so easily accepted.

Spending seven or eight yuan to buy a thin paper coupon seemed unreliable no matter how one looked at it.

If mooncake coupons had been introduced a couple of years earlier, consumers might not have been willing to buy into it.

But things were different now. Mingzhu Restaurant had established a firm foothold in Rongcheng, building a solid reputation and fame. It was the name of Mingzhu Restaurant that made consumers willing to give it a try.

Another factor was the substantial discount with the mooncake coupons.

This year, the price of mooncakes had increased by two to five yuan on average, but with mooncake coupons, there was a twenty percent discount, plus one free box for every ten purchased.

During Mid-Autumn Festival, mooncakes were an essential gift, and one would have to buy them sooner or later. Buying them at a cheaper price meant making a saving.

...

After the end of the food and drink fair, Mingzhu didn’t immediately return to Fengcheng; instead, she decided to take advantage of the exhibition’s momentum to set up a branch of Mingzhu Restaurant.

Choosing a location, personally designing the decor, hiring staff.

At the same time, mooncake coupons officially went on sale at the Mingzhu Restaurant.

Though she had implemented strict anti-forgery measures on the coupons, to prevent ill-intentioned people from printing fake coupons and scamming money, Mingzhu had put up warnings and reminders both on the back of the coupons and at the entrance to the restaurant—

Mooncake coupons are only sold at our establishment and we haven’t authorized any other business or individual to sell on our behalf. Please do not purchase through third parties to prevent being cheated.

Mingzhu stayed in Rongcheng until the end of March, before she finally set out for Fengcheng.

As soon as she stepped out of the airport, she saw three familiar figures lined up to greet her—one tall and two short.

A smile couldn’t help but form on Mingzhu’s face.

"Mommy!"

Her son and daughter nearly shouted in unison and ran towards her together.

Mingzhu put down her luggage and opened her arms to embrace her two children, planting a big kiss on each, one to the left and one to the right.

Inside, she felt a happiness and fulfillment as though she had the whole world.

The next moment, the man’s long arms enveloped mother and children tightly.

A kiss landed near her ear, his deep voice filled with longing, "You’ve finally decided to come back."

The breeze was gentle, the sky was blue, and the sunlight was warm.

Just like Mingzhu’s mood, "Weren’t you at a training in Shanghai City?"

"I learned fast and came back early."

The Motorola Company did not mandate a set training duration; as long as one grasped the relevant knowledge and passed the assessments, the training could be concluded early.

"Dad came back last night after midnight," said her son.

Hearing her son’s words, Mingzhu instinctively looked at the man.

The man was also looking at her, his deep-set eyes smiling.

During this time, he had said "I miss you" many times over the phone, but all those times combined couldn’t compare to the thrill and joy she felt now that he was standing in front of her.

The one who yearns to see you will always find a way to your side, no matter the obstacles.

"Let’s go home."

"Yes, let’s go home."

The family of four walked hand in hand, chatting and laughing towards the path ahead.

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