The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 671 - 670 Red Rose

Chapter 671: Chapter 670 Red Rose

In the late afternoon, just before quitting time, Shen Hongmei returned to the factory.

"President Shen."

"Why have you come? Have a seat."

Shen Mingzhu stood up to pour a glass of water for Shen Hongmei and expressed concern for her health.

When the conversation turned to the child in her womb, Shen Hongmei’s face revealed the happiness unique to women, and her hand instinctively caressed her belly.

"Mingzhu, thanks to you taking me to the hospital in time. The baby is fine, and my fainting was due to anemia. The doctor prescribed folic acid tablets and iron-fortified syrup. After taking them for a while, I should improve."

"I’m glad it’s nothing serious."

Shen Hongmei took a sip of water and hesitated, "I would like to ask for some time off."

"No problem, go home and rest well. Health is the most important."

Shen Mingzhu’s understanding did not relieve Shen Hongmei as much as it should have; she felt somewhat downhearted.

"Do you look down on me, thinking I’m being overly delicate, for taking another leave after less than a month at work?"

Shen Mingzhu looked at her, "You’re overthinking it. This year, the temperature has been unusual. Even someone healthy like me can hardly bear it, let alone a pregnant woman like you."

Seeing Shen Hongmei’s struggle, she soothed her further, "Work will always be there, but this child is a living being connected to you by blood. As a mother, you should cherish and nurture it."

Her words helped Shen Hongmei feel like she had shed a burden, and she was much more at ease.

"I’ll rest for a while, and once my health is better, I’ll come back to work."

"Alright, you decide how to arrange it. As for the specifics of your leave, go see Xiaowen to handle it."

Having said that, Shen Mingzhu glanced at her watch; there were a few minutes left until the end of work, so she asked Shen Hongmei if she needed a ride home.

Shen Hongmei declined with gratitude, "No need, Brother Zhao drove me here, and he’s waiting for me outside."

"Alright then, you better leave early after completing the procedures and get some rest."

Shen Hongmei nodded, stood up, and prepared to leave.

Shen Mingzhu reflected for a moment, then called her back, "I read the research report you wrote. It’s clear you put effort into it. However, you still need to improve your grasp of the market and customer needs. Use this leave to read more marketing-related books and learn more. It will only benefit you."

Shen Hongmei quickly agreed.

After agreeing, she turned back and looked at Shen Mingzhu, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Thinking back to myself three months ago, I wish I could slap myself. I was so arrogant and foolish then."

"Mingzhu, thank you for not holding a grudge and for still being willing to teach me, to help me..."

She couldn’t finish her sentence before she was overwhelmed by tears, and while crying, she apologized to Shen Mingzhu, "I’m sorry, what right do I have to cry in front of you? I brought all this upon myself..."

As someone who had been through it all, Shen Mingzhu knew that Shen Hongmei’s emotional state was due to her pregnancy.

Being prone to tears, anger, anxiety, worry, and sentimentality are common symptoms during pregnancy.

She gently patted her, "Stop crying, it’s not good for the baby."

Hearing this, Shen Hongmei quickly wiped her tears away in a fluster.

Shen Mingzhu handed her a tissue, "Do you remember what I once told you? There’s no such thing as a wasted journey in life; every step counts. There’s no need to judge your past self. Perhaps, back then, you were also lost in a fog."

"Life is like chess, there is no use regretting the moves made. Instead of regretting the past you can’t change, better live well in the present and cherish it."

Shen Hongmei nodded emphatically.

...

"Xiaogao, I brought a small gift."

Stepping into the photography shop, Shen Baolan saw a new face in the store and couldn’t help looking twice.

"Who is this?"

"Oh, he’s a new assistant I hired. Xiaolin, this is Sister Shen."

The shop assistant was also quick-witted, bowing and scraping as he greeted Shen Baolan with respect.

Having lived nearly thirty years, Shen Baolan was treated with such respect for the first time, and she found it very satisfying.

"Sister Shen, just give twenty bucks."

Upon hearing Gao Hualiang’s quotation, Shen Baolan was quite taken aback, "That cheap?"

The usual rental for a videotape was fifty cents a day, and for new releases not yet on the market, even a rate of one dollar per day would have people clamoring to rent them.

She rented five days’ worth of sixteen tapes, and even at the normal rate, it should have cost her forty bucks.

"Of course, it’s not that cheap for others, but you, Sister Shen, are different."

"How am I different?"

Perhaps it was the stifling heat of the day, Gao Hualiang had on a silver silk shirt with three buttons undone at the collar, revealing his collarbone and a hint of pectoral muscle, exuding a casual sexiness amidst his handsomeness that made Shen Baolan unable to resist striking up more conversation with him.

"I’m new around here and just opening a new shop, so I hope Sister Shen can give me more support."

"Where are you from?"

Seizing the opportunity, Gao Hualiang poured out his background as if spilling beans from a bamboo tube.

From Yu City, twenty-five years old, single, with parents deceased, no siblings but an elder sister who is married and settled.

The reason he traveled a thousand miles to Yu City was to avoid trouble.

In a dispute, Gao Hualiang injured a local thug in Yu City. He paid a hefty sum at the time, but the thug was relentless, repeatedly demanding money and resorting to violence and vandalism when denied. With no other choice, Gao Hualiang sold his properties and left his hometown.

"...I have a distant cousin who married over here; I’ve come to seek refuge with her."

Learning about Gao Hualiang’s background and personal history, Shen Baolan couldn’t help but feel a surge of sympathy for him. She also noticed a large bucket of delicate pink roses on the low table of the counter, among which was a strikingly bright red rose.

"Who gave you the flowers?" Shen Baolan teased.

"I bought them myself from the flower market."

Gao Hualiang took a rose from the vase, placed it into a transparent flower bag with stars printed on it, tied it with a red ribbon into a pretty bow, and handed it to Shen Baolan.

"Sister Shen, here, this is a small gift I prepared. Every customer who rents tapes gets one."

Upon hearing this, Shen Baolan accepted the flower with a touch of surprise.

"Thank you."

After leaving the video rental shop, Shen Baolan, as usual, went to the card room to play cards.

Along the way, she examined the red rose in her hand, occasionally bending down to sniff it, and the fresh, fragrant scent made her feel very pleasant.

In nearly thirty years, this was the first time she had received a rose.

Even though it was a freebie for renting tapes, it was enough to make her happy for the moment.

...

"Yo, Little Shen, are you riding a wave of romance?"

When she arrived at the card room, familiar card buddies who saw Shen Baolan with the red rose couldn’t help but joke with a laugh.

Shen Baolan didn’t hide the truth, explaining it was a gift from Gao Hualiang at the video rental shop. She then shot back at her card friend, "If you want one, go and rent his tapes, and he’ll give you one too."

A player from another table turned around, "How come yours is a red rose, and mine is pink?"

Shen Baolan turned her head and indeed saw a pink rose lying on the tea shelf to the left of the other player.

"Mine is pink too. I wanted a red one, but Xiaogao flat-out refused to give me one. Why did he give it to Sister Shen?"

A young woman from an adjacent table complained discontentedly.

Only then did Shen Baolan notice that several people in the card room had received roses, packaged just like the one in her hand.

The only difference was, while everyone else had pink roses, hers was a red rose.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.