The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 633 - 632: One Must Always Be Wary of Others

Chapter 633: Chapter 632: One Must Always Be Wary of Others

But the next second, Shen Hongmei realized, she was no longer an employee of Shen Mingzhu!

Even if she spoke up, Shen Mingzhu might not be willing to help her.

Even if Shen Mingzhu was willing to help her, she didn’t want to be looked down upon by Shen Mingzhu, nor did she want others to think that she couldn’t accomplish anything without Shen Mingzhu.

Thinking this, Shen Hongmei put away her phone, "It’s nothing, you get back to work, I’ll be leaving first."

Watching Shen Hongmei hastily leave, Shen Mingzhu didn’t feel like meddling in other people’s affairs and turned back to continue working at her desk.

Boom—

Hearing the roar of the sports car, heads from various office windows popped out, looking on enviously as the rose-red ladies’ sports car left the food factory under the dazzling sunlight.

"I’m so envious, she married a good husband, she’ll enjoy a life of glory and wealth for the rest of her days."

"That’s not the half of it, she’s not just going home to be a wealthy wife, but to start her own company and be a big boss."

"Isn’t that just becoming the next President Shen?"

"That’s hard to say, the abilities of our President Shen are not something just anyone can learn..."

The much-envied Shen Hongmei was feeling extremely irritable at that moment.

Everything had been planned perfectly, but who would have thought that Fang Zheng’s stocks couldn’t be sold off!

Agitated, she parked her car by the roadside and picked up her mobile phone, ready to call Zhao Dafa for help, but she stopped halfway through dialing.

What would Shen Mingzhu do if she faced this situation?

She closed her eyes and seriously recalled the methods Shen Mingzhu used to handle crises, then put away her mobile phone and drove to the securities exchange.

"Mrs. Zhao, Fang Zheng’s stock has fallen again!"

"How much now?"

"Since resuming trading, it has dropped by nearly four percentage points."

"I know, keep listing my stocks for sale."

Compared to other stock investors who were as anxious as ants on a hot pan, Shen Hongmei’s demeanor was so calm it was as if she was discussing the weather for the day.

Xiaopan couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration, "Mrs. Zhao, the other small investors are all complaining, but you just watched yourself lose thirty or forty thousand without getting anxious at all."

"Getting anxious is useless, this isn’t my first day in the business, the stock market is unpredictable, ups and downs are normal. The sky isn’t going to fall, and even if it does, there are taller people in front to take it. What’s there to worry about?"

These words not only made Xiaopan give her a thumbs up but also calmed the restless investors around them.

"Indeed, a wealthy lady has a level of composure far superior to us ordinary folks," said a middle-aged woman in her forties quietly chatting with her fellow stock enthusiasts.

"What she said makes sense. The sky isn’t falling. Let’s just wait patiently and see, maybe it will rise back up tomorrow."

After putting on a show at the securities exchange, Shen Hongmei called her landlord to postpone the contract signing to three days later.

Having done that, she drove to the market to buy lots of ingredients and returned home to cook dinner herself.

This was a habit she had learned from Shen Mingzhu.

When facing a difficulty or feeling upset, she would bury herself in the kitchen and cook delicious food.

Once done, not only would her mood improve, but her family would also get to enjoy tasty and lovingly prepared meals, a win-win situation.

Today was a rare day when Zhao Dafa didn’t have any social engagements. When he came home and saw a table full of his favorite dishes, he was pleasantly surprised.

"Is there some good news today? You’ve made so many delicious dishes yourself."

Sipping on the perfectly tempered soft-shelled turtle soup, Zhao Dafa asked in a good mood.

Shen Hongmei smiled and scolded playfully, "There doesn’t have to be good news to cook a meal for you. I asked Secretary Ren, and you didn’t have any engagements today, so I thought I’d make a nice meal as a treat."

She paused, then turned with affection in her eyes and said, "Actually, this is also my dream, to cook soups and dishes for the one I love. But with work always keeping me busy, I really couldn’t manage it. Now that I have my freedom, I’ll try my best to find more time to look after you and Xiaoyun."

No man could refuse the deep affection and consideration of his wife, and Zhao Dafa was no different.

Moved, he looked at Shen Hongmei and said in a gentle tone, "You shouldn’t work too hard either, doing it occasionally is enough."

"Got it. You go relax in the living room for a bit, dinner will be ready soon after two more dishes."

Zhao Dafa nodded and went to the living room with a bowl of soup.

The last dish was stir-fried bean sprouts. Shen Hongmei was planning to wait for Zhao Yun to return before cooking it, but after waiting for a long while without his arrival, she paged him to ask where he was.

Zhao Yun replied quickly.

"Xiaoyun, where are you? It’s almost time for dinner."

"Aunt Hongmei, you guys go ahead and eat without me, I’m eating at Ziheng’s place today."

"Alright, then come back early after you’re done eating."

After hanging up the phone, Shen Hongmei told Zhao Dafa, who was on the couch, "Xiaoyun said he’s eating out today."

"Then let’s not wait for him, we’ll eat," Zhao Dafa responded.

Shen Hongmei paused for a moment and then smiled, "Alright, there’s one more dish to go, I’ll go cook it now."

The Pei Family.

Zhao Yun was asking Shen Mingzhu how to make a nutritious and delicious low-fat meal.

While teaching, Shen Mingzhu also took the opportunity to inquire a little about Ren Jingshu’s background.

Ren Jingshu had lost her father at a young age and moved into her current family with her mother after she remarried. Perhaps for this reason, Ren’s mother was extremely strict with Jingshu and had very high expectations.

"Xiaoyun, it’s normal for boys your age to like girls, but if you truly like her, you have to consider her well-being and hope for her to become better, rather than doing anything that could hurt her. Do you understand what Auntie is trying to say?"

Zhao Yun, who stood at a towering height of one meter eighty, a full head taller than Shen Mingzhu, blushed with embarrassment like a schoolboy upon hearing her words.

"Aunt Mingzhu, you’re worrying too much, I don’t have the guts for that."

Not only was Ren Jingshu aloof, but she also had a bad temper. He hadn’t even dared to hold her hand yet.

Shen Mingzhu laughed quietly and then said, "You’ve seen the green grapes in the yard, haven’t you? They’re not ripe yet. Harvesting them now will yield sour, bitter, and astringent fruit, disappointing both the grapes and yourself."

"As a man, you should think carefully before acting and take responsibility for your actions as well as your feelings."

Zhao Yun nodded firmly, "Aunt Mingzhu, I’ll remember that."

Seeing this, Shen Mingzhu said no more.

These types of things should ideally be addressed by Shen Hongmei, after all, Shen Hongmei is Zhao Yun’s stepmother, but with so many things happening these days, she hadn’t found the right moment to discuss this with Shen Hongmei.

Even if she did talk to Shen Hongmei, it might not be well-received and might even seem like she was meddling in others’ affairs.

So she took advantage of Zhao Yun coming to learn cooking to give him a few pointers; in her heart, she did regard Zhao Yun as her godson.

That evening, when Zhao Yun came home, Shen Hongmei ladled out a big bowl of nutritious turtle soup for him.

As Zhao Yun drank the soup, Shen Hongmei sat by his side, asking about his studies while also indirectly probing why he had gone to the Pei Family’s home for dinner and what he had talked about with Shen Mingzhu.

Zhao Yun didn’t guard against Shen Hongmei and spilled everything.

After listening, Shen Hongmei didn’t say much, only advising, "Xiaoyun, try to keep our family matters to ourselves and don’t talk too much about them with outsiders. While we don’t have malicious intentions, we must guard against others."

Zhao Yun casually replied, "I didn’t talk to outsiders, just Aunt Mingzhu."

"Of course, Aunt Mingzhu is trustworthy, but there’s not only her in her family. It’s still better if you don’t talk too much about such things from now on, don’t you think?"

Zhao Yun looked at her for a moment before answering, "I understand."