The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 487 - 486: The Old Drunkard’s Intent Is Not the Wine

Chapter 487: Chapter 486: The Old Drunkard’s Intent Is Not the Wine

In the private room, Shen Mingzhu personally filled Zhao Dafa’s glass, "Brother Zhao, you’re a senior figure in the business world. In terms of experience and seniority, both Pei Yang and I are your juniors. In the past few years, we’ve been fortunate to have your support. Inviting you today to taste our new dishes is both to show our gratitude and also to ask you for some business tips."

Zhao Dafa’s face was all smiles, "Sister Shen, you’re being too polite. Although Pei Yang and you are young, when it really comes down to ability, I’m not your match. Especially Xiaopei, young but awe-inspiring."

"Brother Zhao, you’re being modest. You started from scratch in such tough times and built your business empire. Everyone says you’re incredibly capable. Compared to you, Mingzhu and I still have a long way to go."

After Pei Yang finished speaking, he lifted his glass to clink with Zhao Dafa’s.

"Brother Zhao, here’s to you."

"Alright, let’s drink."

Seeing that Pei Yang was toasting and drinking with Zhao Dafa, Shen Mingzhu also smiled and urged Zhao Yun and her mother Zhou Hui to try the dishes.

"Aunt Mingzhu, then I won’t hold back."

Before she finished speaking, Zhao Yun had already picked up her chopsticks, accurately selecting a Typhoon Shelter fried mantis shrimp.

The mantis shrimp wasn’t very large, about the length of half a chopstick, but it impressed with its delicate presentation and golden color under the lights, crispy on the outside and tender inside, very tempting.

Just as Zhao Yun was about to pop the mantis shrimp into her mouth, Shen Mingzhu hurriedly spoke to stop her.

"Be careful, the shrimp shell might cut your mouth."

An attentive waiter standing by immediately stepped forward, "Young man, let me peel it for you."

Zhao Yun paused, then handed the mantis shrimp to the waiter.

The waiter, wearing gloves, quickly peeled off the hard shell, placed the pale pink shrimp flesh back into the belly shell, then used a spoon to scoop some of the sautéed ingredients from the dish, spreading it evenly on top of the shrimp flesh before handing it back to Zhao Yun.

"Young man, it’s ready to eat now."

The whole process took less than twenty seconds.

Liang Xiaowen immediately clamored, "Mom, I want to eat mantis shrimp."

Zhao Yun was about to bite into the shrimp when she heard this and teased her, "You’re so grown up, still calling for Mom to eat. Don’t you have hands? You can’t pick it up yourself if you want to eat?"

Liang Xiaowen sulkily pointed at the waitress, "I want her to peel the shrimp shell for me too."

Hearing this, Zhou Hui immediately commanded the waiter without hesitation, "Peel another one for us."

The waiter then approached Liang Xiaowen, took a plate, selected a mantis shrimp from the dish, and began to peel it.

Zhao Dafa, having come from humble beginnings and retaining the kindness of the working class, observed the mother and daughter making use of the waiter and said, "If you want to eat, peel it yourself. Don’t trouble the waiter for everything; they have other tasks to tend to."

"Brother Zhao, actually, this is part of the new services our restaurant offers. Shrimp and crab are delicious, but peeling them is troublesome and can easily hurt your hands. From now on, all shellfish or boned food in the restaurant will be peeled by our waiters."

After hearing Shen Mingzhu’s explanation, Zhao Dafa couldn’t help but find it fresh and novel.

He had been to high-end restaurants before and enjoyed services like dish portioning, soup serving, and bone picking, but this was his first encounter with having shrimp and crab shells peeled for him.

"But what if everyone at the table is waiting for the waiter to peel, will they be able to keep up?" Zhou Hui asked.

"Our waiters are all rigorously trained; peeling one mantis shrimp takes no more than twenty seconds. Considering that, on average, a server can attend to a customer every half minute, and each four customers are assigned one waiter, we have enough staff to manage."

As Shen Mingzhu finished speaking, the waiter had already peeled the mantis shrimp for Liang Xiaowen and was now offering service to Zhou Hui.

Zhao Dafa praised, "This service is great; I love eating crab. Sometimes I see crabs on the table and I want to eat, but I can’t just ignore my clients and keep peeling the crab. After all, my hands would be greasy and it would be difficult to do business."

Shen Mingzhu nodded, "That’s exactly right. Brother Zhao, with your rich experience, any other suggestions you have are more than welcome."

Zhao Dafa chuckled, "Then let her peel a shrimp for me too. Let me enjoy the service as well."

```

"Feng Sister, once you’re done peeling that one, go peel two for Brother Zhao."

"Got it."

Hearing their conversation, Zhao Dafa’s curiosity was piqued, and he took a glance at Feng Huiying. "Ah, it is indeed Feng Sister, I didn’t even notice just now."

Feng Huiying gave Zhao Dafa a friendly smile. "Boss Zhao, long time no see."

Zhao Dafa nodded, surveying her outfit, "So, you’re working here now?"

"Yeah, the factory closed down; I’ve been laid off for almost half a year."

Shen Mingzhu chimed in to explain, "Feng Sister started working here three months ago. Honestly, with her experience and ability, she could easily manage being a supervisor."

"But we have rules and regulations here; the management must be promoted internally. It’s also an incentive and a promise I make to my staff as the owner."

"Feng Sister trusts me greatly and supports my work willingly. She’s ready to start from the bottom. Even though she’s just a waitress now, I believe by this time next year, she’ll definitely be promoted to supervisor or even manager of the hall."

Zhao Dafa nodded continuously, "That’s good. I think this promotion system is very good. People who are promoted internally are not only loyal, but also reliable in their work."

Shen Mingzhu smiled, "Brother Zhao, I’m reassured to have your understanding."

After speaking, she turned to Zhou Hui, "Sister Hui, I have already told Manager Zhu about your younger sister’s situation. If she’s willing to come, she can start working without an interview, though she’ll have to start as a waitress. But I can assure you, under my management, capable people will definitely get promoted and valued."

Zhou Hui finally understood. This dinner from Shen Mingzhu wasn’t about the wine at all but a lesson for her.

But she couldn’t say anything about it.

She could only mention that Zhou Xue had found a job, swiftly changing the subject.

The topic might have been brushed aside, but Zhou Hui couldn’t shake it off inside.

She felt Shen Mingzhu was just putting on an act. What did regulations matter if she, the owner, had the final say?

What’s there to be proud of.

The wheel of fortune turns; may she never be in a position to seek Shen Mingzhu’s help.

Pei Yang continued drinking with Zhao Dafa while Feng Huiying busied herself peeling shrimp and crabs for Zhao Yun and Zhou Hui’s family. Shen Mingzhu finally had a chance to pay attention to her two children.

Turning her head, she saw her daughter holding a pink shrimp, cheeks puffed out, enjoying her meal.

Looking at her son, she saw his delicate profile, eyes focused intently on peeling a crab.

Her son was only nine, yet he gave her a sense of stability and peace.

"Ziheng."

Surprised by the shrimp meat offered to his mouth, Pei Ziheng blinked.

"Ah, open wide."

Pei Ziheng obediently opened his mouth to eat the shrimp his mother fed him, a look of contentment on his handsome face, and his dark eyes twinkled with delight.

"Thank you, Mum."

"Is it good?"

"Yeah."

Zhao Yun, watching Shen Mingzhu care for Pei Ziheng, was filled with envy, losing interest in the crab roe she had peeled.

Noticing his son’s dejection, Zhao Dafa glanced subtly at Zhou Hui, who was busy serving food to her daughter, and took a swig from his glass.

```

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