You are so good, Shen Mingzhu, you are trying to extort money from me!

I'm not done with you! Shen Baolan didn't even bother to cook dinner. She picked up the mooncakes and ran downstairs to find Shen Mingzhu to argue.

Shen Mingzhu had just closed her stall and was about to go home when the two met in the staff quarters.

"Shen Mingzhu, do you have any shame? My man took care of your business out of pity for you, but you are the one who picks on people you know and rips them off, right? You charge three yuan for just a few mooncakes. Do you think your mooncakes are made of gold? If you don't give me an explanation today, I will never let you go!"

It was already dark, and some residents who had eaten dinner early were already sitting around the flower bed, enjoying the cool air and chatting. When they saw the two men quarreling again, they rushed over.

"Zhou's wife, what's going on?"

Seeing that everyone gathered around, Shen Baolan became even more excited and announced like a loudspeaker that Shen Mingzhu had cheated her man of his money.

"Look everyone, these are just a few shabby mooncakes, which would cost at most one yuan outside, but she actually charged three yuan for them. Everyone, come and judge, is Shen Mingzhu a black-hearted person?"

After understanding the whole story, the onlookers started talking about Shen Mingzhu's faults.

"Mr. Pei Yang, there's nothing wrong with you wanting to make money with your skills, but you can't cheat old acquaintances. We're all from the same family compound, and what you did is really dishonest."

"That's right, your mooncakes are too expensive."

Seeing that everyone was on her side, Shen Baolan felt very proud, and the anger that had been pent up in her heart for several days was finally released.

Shen Mingzhu looked at the people who criticized her for the high price of her mooncakes and said, "The mooncakes I sell are not cheap, but they are expensive for a reason. Everyone has tasted them this afternoon. Who dares to say that they are not delicious?"

After Shen Mingzhu set up her stall in the afternoon, many people went to join in the fun and try the food, which was indeed delicious.

"It tastes good and is made of real ingredients. Is it too much to charge a little more?"

Now, no one dares to say it’s expensive anymore.

Shen Mingzhu then looked at Shen Baolan, "I clearly marked the price, I didn't cheat or deceive you, and I didn't force your man to buy it with a knife."

Shen Baolan didn't want to listen to her explanation. "Shen Mingzhu, stop talking nonsense here. Return the goods. I don't want these mooncakes anymore! If you dare not return them, I will report to the Industry and Commerce Bureau tomorrow. Don't blame me when I punish you for price gouging!"

"I can return it. As long as the item is not opened or damaged, I will give it to you."

Shen Mingzhu agreed to return the goods not because she was afraid of being reported, but because she didn't want to be entangled with Shen Baolan.

She even didn't want to do Zhou family's business anymore to avoid any trouble.

But Shen Baolan thought Shen Mingzhu was frightened by her words, and she felt very proud.

Shen Mingzhu took the mooncake, looked at it, counted out two dollars and seven cents from her purse and handed it over.

Shen Baolan immediately screamed, "Why is it only 2.7 yuan? My man clearly gave you 3 yuan, and you lost 30 cents after you changed hands. Do you think you are Zhou Paopi?"

Shen Mingzhu sneered, "I sold eight mooncakes, and you returned seven. So, I have to pay for the one you ate?"

Shen Baolan then remembered that they had eaten a bean paste dish at home.

"A lousy mooncake costs only three cents, why don't you go and grab it?"

"What do you care about me?"

Throwing the money to Shen Baolan, Shen Mingzhu picked up the stall equipment and took Pei Ziheng home.

Upon learning that her daughter-in-law had settled the score with Shen Mingzhu and got back the money for the mooncakes, Ma Sufen was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling and kept praising Shen Baolan for her ability.

Although he also felt that Shen Mingzhu's mooncakes were too expensive, he had already bought them and could just not buy them next time. If he went to make a scene with others, he would not be able to face Pei Yang in the future and he would also offend Shen Mingzhu, making it difficult for him to please both sides.

Shen Baolan thought that her husband was partial to Shen Mingzhu, so she went to Shen Mingzhu and made a scene to ask her to return the money. It was all for the sake of the family. It was not easy to earn some money, so why should Shen Mingzhu get it for free?

This was the first time the couple had a quarrel after nearly a month of marriage.

Because of this incident, Shen Baolan became even more angry with Shen Mingzhu.

With the idea that if you don't let me live well, I won't let you live well either, she decided to go to Pei Wenping tomorrow to ask for an explanation and let Pei Wenping taste the shame.

After returning home, Pei Ziheng pursed his lips again and again as he watched Shen Mingzhu sorting the mooncakes without saying a word.

After struggling and hesitating for a while, he walked up to Shen Mingzhu and said, "If you don't want to cook, let's eat mooncakes tonight."

Shen Mingzhu glanced at her stepson and was amused by his serious look.

"You really want to have mooncakes for dinner? I was just teasing you."

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Seeing her smile, Pei Ziheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time he was secretly puzzled.

Zhou Hao's stepmother said such harsh words, but she was not angry at all? She is really generous.

It’s not that Shen Mingzhu wasn’t angry, it’s just that she was always open-minded and would calm down after a while.

But as for the price of mooncakes, she has no intention of compromising or lowering the price.

Mooncakes sold outside are cheap because the rice dough is thick and the filling is only in the middle layer, which is low in cost, so the selling price is naturally not high.

Her mooncakes are slightly bigger and thicker, with thinner skin and more fillings. The costs are there, so it is impossible for her to do business at a loss.

The economic level was low in that era and everyone was not well-off. It was normal that her high-end mooncakes with real ingredients were not accepted, but she just didn't believe that there was no one who knew the value of it.

Early in the morning, Pei Wenping was stopped by Shen Baolan as soon as she stepped into the cafeteria.

Shen Baolan imitated Pei Wenping's previous momentum and ridiculed Pei Wenping in front of everyone in the cafeteria, "Accountant Pei, you should take good care of your sister-in-law. She sets up a stall at the gate of the family compound every day to sell mooncakes, pretending to be poor and pitiful to cheat my man. She charges my man three yuan for eight mooncakes. She has the nerve to do that! No wonder she spends money lavishly every day without feeling sorry. It turns out that this money is so easy to make. I want to make some too!"

Pei Wenping was an educated person who had worked in a cotton mill for more than ten years. Everyone who saw her politely called her Accountant Pei, and no one had ever embarrassed her like this.

But she was unforgiving in her words, "Shuhuan's wife, you can't earn this money because you have no ability. My sister-in-law can earn it because of her ability. It's useless for you to be jealous. The value of things depends on the person. Some people don't mind spending hundreds of dollars on a pair of shoes, while others can't bear to spend ten dollars on a piece of clothing. In the final analysis, it's all because of poverty. If you have time to come and complain to me, why not think about how to make more money with your own ability?"

"Hey, Accountant Pei looks down on us poor people?"

"I don't look down on poor people. I just look down on you. You don't have to buy things you can't afford. It's just three dollars. Look how distressed you are. What's the matter? Is your family short of this? Come to my office later and I'll give you the money as a treat for your children."

At this time, the manager in charge of the cafeteria came over to apologize to Pei Wenping, "I'm sorry, Accountant Pei, she's new here and doesn't know much, please don't bother with her."

Shen Baolan didn't understand that the manager was trying to save her face. Instead, she argued, "What's wrong with me? I didn't say anything wrong. Other people's mooncakes are 1 cent each, why does Shen Mingzhu only sell them for 3 cents? She is driving up prices and practicing capitalism. She should be arrested and rehabilitated!"

The manager was very angry at Shen Baolan's stubbornness. "Shen Baolan, you need to understand clearly. It's working hours now. Did the factory pay you for you to quarrel with others? Do you still want to work?"

These words finally frightened Shen Baolan.

She joined the cotton mill to fill Ma Sufen's vacancy, and the Zhou family spent a lot of money to arrange for her to come in. If she lost her job, her mother-in-law Ma Sufen would be the first one to not forgive her! (End of this chapter)