The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 545 - 544: Greedy for Money, Rumors Abound

Chapter 545: Chapter 544: Greedy for Money, Rumors Abound

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Liang Kean returned home, it was almost ten o’clock.

Liang’s mother sat on the porch knitting a sweater. Seeing him come back, she hurriedly put down her work to greet him, "Why so late? Who did you go to dinner with? You didn’t drink, did you?"

Liang Kean was tired, hungry and thirsty. Upon hearing this, he immediately felt a surge of anger.

"Have dinner? My bike was kicked over, I had to push it all the way back."

Liang’s mother showed a look of distress and anger on her face as she bent down to check where the bicycle was damaged.

"Who would do such a vile thing?"

"Shen Hongmei."

Liang’s mother was stunned, then anger spread across her face. "That little wench came to find you? She still harbors designs on you? Kean, you must be on your guard, don’t let her beguile you with her tricks. Our Liang family has a good reputation, and we absolutely cannot allow such a dubious woman to enter our doors."

The sound insulation in the small courtyard was poor, and Liang Kean’s two sisters-in-law came out from their rooms after hearing the commotion.

Eldest sister-in-law of the Liang family: "Kean, what did Shen Hongmei want with you?"

Liang Kean was too ashamed to let his family know that it was he who had taken the initiative to seek reconciliation with Shen Hongmei, only to be humiliated by her, so he deliberately spoke ambiguously, "She said she’s found someone."

Eldest sister-in-law of the Liang family: "What kind of person did she find?"

Second sister-in-law of the Liang family: "Certainly not as outstanding as our Kean."

Liang’s mother liked what she heard, "She’s already getting on in years, if she doesn’t marry soon she’ll never be able to. Our Kean is different from her."

Liang Kean parked his bike firmly, strode to the water jar, scooped up half a ladle of cold water to quench his thirst and sate his hunger, then bitterly said, "But she’s quite capable now, found herself a rich old man. Bought her a pager and deliberately showed off in front of me."

Liang’s mother scoffed, "She’s just suited to marrying an old man."

The two sisters-in-law of the Liang family exchanged glances, envy apparent in their eyes.

Only married women like them could truly understand how wonderful money is.

All that talk of love and affection is worthless in front of money.

How many families like theirs in the alleyway have torn their faces over mere pennies, severing ties and growing old alone.

All because of poverty.

Given another chance, they too would wish to find someone wealthy.

But wishful thinking aside, both sisters-in-law voiced their agreement, cursing Shen Hongmei.

Liang’s mother held the financial power in the family, and to live comfortably, they had to please her.

Hearing his family unanimously curse Shen Hongmei made Liang Kean feel a bit better.

What’s so great about having money? Give him a few years, and he too would make something of himself.

...

Utter silence reigned, a crescent moon hanging outside the window.

Shen Hongmei lay on her side in bed, examining the pager in her hand by the faint moonlight.

Although she had had the device for several days now, she had been struggling with the reality of it, and it felt like a hot potato in her hands, almost too uncomfortable to hold.

This was the first time she treated it like a true gift.

It looked so nice.

She had never received such a nice gift in her entire life.

Shen Hongmei’s eyes felt a bit sore, but her heart swelled, unable to contain anything more.

It wasn’t until after midnight that she reluctantly tucked the pager under her pillow and closed her eyes to rest.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Shen Hongmei woke up.

She usually complained of not getting enough sleep, but today she was full of energy, even the air outside the window seemed unusually fresh.

After grooming and dressing up, she wore her favorite skirt, slung her bag over her shoulder, and left for work.

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At the food factory entrance, she ran into Shen Mingzhu, who was also on her way to work.

"President Shen."

Shen Mingzhu gave her a quick up-and-down glance and praised, "Not bad, pretty good-looking."

Shen Hongmei’s cheeks turned slightly red, "I just threw something on, I bought this skirt this year and haven’t worn it much, If I don’t wear it now, I’ll never be able to."

Once October arrived and the weather cooled, it would be time to wear autumn clothes.

Shen Mingzhu teased, "I just complimented you and you’re giving me a whole explanation, don’t you think that’s a bit like trying to hide something only to make it more conspicuous?"

Shen Hongmei looked around and then spoke coyly, "I’ll come to your office to talk later."

"Sure."

Shortly after the morning meeting had ended, Shen Hongmei came to her office, holding some documents.

"President Shen, I’ve thought it through, I want to give it a try with Brother Zhao."

Shen Ming, while swiftly signing the documents with her pen, glanced at her, "Good that you’ve thought it through. It’s just dating, not like you’re being sent to the battlefield, there’s nothing to be afraid of."

Shen Hongmei giggled shyly, "I’ll listen to you."

After dealing with the documents, Shen Mingzhu stood up, approached Shen Hongmei, and earnestly encouraged, "Be brave. Rather than waiting for happiness to come to you, it’s better to go after it. You are the future Vice President candidate I have in mind, you are not any less than anyone else."

Shen Hongmei’s eyes brimmed with tears as she nodded vigorously, "President Shen, thank you! I often feel that heaven has been very kind to me, allowing me to have such a good mentor and benefactor like you. Without you, I can’t imagine how terrible my life would be."

"I’ve said it before, if you bloom, butterflies will come. Before you meet the right person, love yourself well, make yourself better. Love wealth and cherish yourself, only then can you rise with the wind and waves."

"Yes!"

...

This year, without Sun Feifei’s interference, the mooncake sales reached a new record high, breaking one hundred thousand.

For this achievement, Shen Mingzhu felt no great surprise; she had only the expected certainty and confidence.

After being busy at the factory, Shen Mingzhu drove to Shenji to inspect the work.

Today, it was Feng Huiying’s turn to be in charge at the Tianxiangyin Store.

While checking the cleanliness of the store alongside her, Feng Huiying also took the opportunity to gossip about Cui Lianying.

Pei Ke was quite generous and had some money to spend, buying Cui Lianying quite a few gifts.

Pagers, jewelry, clothes, shoes, bags, and so on.

Outsiders said Cui Lianying was lucky to have met a good man, but Feng Huiying was somewhat worried.

As she was the one who had set up the relationship, Feng Huiying was concerned that Shen Mingzhu might not be pleased with Cui Lianying spending Pei Ke’s money.

"It’s perfectly normal; when you add their ages up, they’re almost a hundred years old. They can’t still act like young lovers who rely only on sweet talk; money has to be part of the conversation. After all, you can’t do without financial stability in daily life."

Hearing Shen Mingzhu say this, Feng Huiying felt relieved.

After finishing the inspection, Shen Mingzhu prepared to visit another store, but on her way out, she suddenly remembered that Shen Xiangnan had opened a bun shop for Jia Yuemei, which she had yet to visit, so she decided to swing by.

Shen Mingzhu didn’t even get close, just stood at the corner of the street and watched for a few minutes.

There wasn’t much business, but it was almost noon by then, and buns and steamed buns were usually sold more in the morning.

After watching for a while, Shen Mingzhu turned around and left.

It didn’t matter whether the bun shop was losing money or making a profit; as long as Jia Yuemei stayed out of trouble and minded the shop, that was enough.

...

That evening, as the family was having dinner, Pei Ke suddenly proposed marrying Cui Lianying.

"I’ve been seeing your Aunt Cui for some time now, and I think we get along well. I want her to move in with me, but letting her live with me without any formal status isn’t proper, and it sounds bad when people talk about it."

Shen Mingzhu had no objections to this marriage; she approved of Cui Lianying as a person, so she suggested to Pei Ke to find a time to meet with the Ding Family, to discuss the wedding arrangements.

Cui Lianying’s former husband’s last name was Ding.