The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 387 - 386: Recruiting Troops and Horses, Officially Open for Business

Chapter 387: Chapter 386: Recruiting Troops and Horses, Officially Open for Business

Shen Xiangnan offhandedly said, "If you don’t want to work, just go back to the countryside and take care of the kids. Let Mom come to the city to work; she might even be happy about it."

Jia Yuemei, angered by her husband’s blunt male chauvinist remark, clenched her fist and thumped him twice.

"You’re really a pighead. Someone has to manage the restaurant. If my younger sister doesn’t give the management position to me, her own family, but promotes an outsider instead, is she guarding against me?"

Shen Xiangnan scratched his head, "Possibly."

Jia Yuemei almost spat out a mouthful of old blood in anger.

No matter how resentful Jia Yuemei was in her heart, she only dared to grumble in front of Shen Xiangnan and wouldn’t really make a scene in front of Shen Mingzhu.

She was afraid that Shen Mingzhu, in a fit of anger, might send her back to the countryside again.

...

Late at night.

Pei Yang glanced at the clock on the dressing table, put the book he was reading into the bedside drawer, and then got out of bed to check on the baby’s crib.

After bending over to check his daughter’s diaper, he threw on a piece of clothing and tiptoed out of the room.

Shen Mingzhu was bent over her desk, writing furiously, not even noticing someone standing beside her.

It wasn’t until she finished a section and stopped to rub her sore arm that she bumped into the man’s leg and realized he was there.

"Why did you come up?" she asked.

"You’ve been writing all night and you’re still not done?" Pei Yang asked, looking at her notebook.

Shen Mingzhu counted the outline drafted in her notebook, "I’ve only written half."

In those days, without computers and typewriters being too expensive, she had no choice but to write by hand.

After writing for an entire night, not only were her shoulders aching, but her wrists were so sore she could barely hold the pen.

It was uncomfortable.

Pei Yang picked up the pen cap and closed her fountain pen, saying, "It’s too late; go to sleep. You can continue tomorrow."

Shen Mingzhu shook her head, "I have an appointment to do makeup tomorrow; I won’t have time."

Hearing that, Pei Yang looked at her with an added hint of helplessness in his eyes, "Do you really need to tire yourself out like this? If you ruin your health, what good is all the money you earn?"

Shen Mingzhu looked up at him, her tone carrying a hint of pitiful coquettishness.

"I’m not just doing this for the money. Starting a food factory and making home-cooked dishes are fields I enjoy."

In fact, during this time, Pei Yang had been harboring some resentment and grievances.

There are only so many hours and so much energy a person can have.

Shen Mingzhu had invested most of her energy and time into her work, with the small remainder going to her son and daughter, inevitably leaving her husband Pei Yang somewhat neglected.

The last time the two had intimacy was a month ago.

But at this moment, as he looked at his wife’s face, which had grown thinner from fatigue, and her gentle eyes looking back at him, all his displeasure instantly vanished, leaving only pity and soft-heartedness.

He bent down to kiss Shen Mingzhu on the lips and said softly, "You just say, and I’ll help you write."

Shen Mingzhu was happy, "Thank you, dear."

Pei Yang unscrewed the pen cap and shot her a sidelong glance, "Is a verbal thank you all I’m getting?"

Shen Mingzhu, resting her chin on her hands, spoke languidly, "You don’t like verbal thanks? Then never mind."

It took Pei Yang three seconds to catch the innuendo, and even then, he found himself at a loss for words for a good while.

"Hurry up and write, don’t just sit there in a daze. The assessment criteria and grading details..."

It was only after Shen Mingzhu urged him that he started to take down notes with the pen.

Before he had finished writing the first word, Pei Yang slapped the pen down, swept Shen Mingzhu off her feet, and started to head downstairs.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed.

Shen Mingzhu, afraid of falling, clung tightly to his neck.

"I’m making sure you give thanks first before getting to the important stuff, so you can’t go back on it," he said.

Shen Mingzhu felt her face heat up and buried her head in his chest, her voice shy, "I was just kidding with you."

"I wasn’t kidding with you," he replied.

Thump.

Shen Mingzhu’s head accidentally hit the doorframe, causing her to cry out.

"Shh, keep it down, don’t wake the boy," he cautioned.

Shen Mingzhu complained, "You bumped my head!"

Pei Yang freed one hand to rub the spot where she was hit and whispered an apology, "Sorry, I’ll make it up to you in a bit."

"I don’t want to."

"Really don’t want it? Then don’t ask me later."

"As if I’d ask you."

The couple joked and teased as they went downstairs.

The door to Pei Ziheng’s room silently opened.

He stood in the hallway, staring in the direction of the stairs for two seconds before turning to his study, closing the doors and windows, and turning off the lights.

...

In the guest room.

After the deed was done, the married couple embraced and fell asleep. The unfinished work in the study was completely forgotten.

A night of passion is short-lived as the dawn rises; from then on, the king no longer starts his mornings early.

...

The next day, when she arrived at the factory, Shen Mingzhu asked Shen Hongmei to bring her the job applications from the past two days.

Learning that Mingzhu was recruiting staff for a private restaurant, Shen Hongmei pulled out one of the job applications.

"This is Julie’s younger sister. She used to be the headwaiter at a state-owned restaurant. Earlier this year, the restaurant restructured, and she was laid off. She wants to apply to the food factory for a position as a reserve store manager."

From her work history, she was clearly an excellent candidate for the headwaiter position.

However, convincing her to work at a suburban restaurant wasn’t easy.

When Mingzhu met Julie, she was very pleased.

Julie was good-looking and outgoing, with an air of competence about her, clearly someone who could shoulder responsibility.

Sure enough, as soon as Julie heard it was a newly-opened private restaurant out in the boonies, she declined without a second thought.

"Sorry, President Shen, I’d prefer to work downtown. After all, I have the elderly and children to take care of at home."

Shen Mingzhu smiled, "I understand, but I would still like to invite you to take a look at the restaurant. No matter what you decide after that, I’ll respect your choice."

So, Julie rode her scooter out of the city.

Mingzhu took Julie on a complete tour of the restaurant and briefly discussed the three-year plan and development.

"Julie, you are talented. Both the food factory and the restaurant’s doors are open to you. The former offers stability, while the latter is a risk."

"Choose the position of deputy manager, and in three years, you’ll be one of Mingzhu Restaurant’s managers. Choose the restaurant, and in three years, you could potentially be the General Manager of Shenji Chain Catering Company."

After hearing about the grand plans Mingzhu laid out, Julie was unsettled.

...

In a blink of an eye, a week of pre-job training ended.

In the assessment personally set by Mingzhu, Julie was the only employee to score full marks.

Without any doubt, Julie became the headwaiter of the restaurant.

Julie becoming a leader was something both Peng Ling and Ma Xiaoping felt convinced by, as Julie indeed possessed the necessary skills and capability.

However, Jia Yuemei was not pleased and couldn’t help complaining to Shen Xiangnan in the dorm at night, feeling that Mingzhu was unsympathetic.

But Xiangnan advised her to be content, "Working here, you can make fifty yuan a month, with room and board provided. What more could you want?"

Salary for service staff in a typical restaurant wasn’t usually so high, but considering the remote location of the restaurant, which made it difficult to recruit talent, Mingzhu had specifically offered a high baseline salary.

...

Everything was ready, and Mingzhu held the second tasting event.

To avoid the previous chaos, this time she only invited a select group of diners and arranged their seating in advance.

High-quality dishes accompanied by excellent service earned Shenji’s private restaurant unanimous praise.

On the day the tasting event ended, thirteen tables were booked.

Ning Yuan alone reserved seven tables.

He did so because he heard from Mingzhu that from Monday to Sunday, the menu changed daily, and he was eager to indulge his palate.

The day after the tasting event was the restaurant’s official opening day.

Although there were only four tables of guests on the first day, the revenue was not low.

"Manager Julie, how much did we make today?"

After work that evening, everyone stayed behind instead of leaving, waiting for Julie to do the accounts.

As soon as the abacus in Julie’s hands stopped, Jia Yuemei asked impatiently.