?Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Shen Mingzhu Brags Without Drafting   Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Shen Mingzhu Brags Without Drafting                                   With Wang Defa and his rtives’ adamant exnations, the residents of the familypound had no choice but to believe that Shen Mingzhu really could make egg cakes.


    Now there was nothing left to criticize Shen Mingzhu for, so people started to talk about Ma Sufen’s faults.


    If it hadn’t been for Ma Sufen going around the familypound these past few days saying Shen Mingzhu was bragging, Shen Mingzhu wouldn’t have ended up with the nickname “Bragging King”.


    “Grandma Zhou Hao, you better not gossip about Pei Yang’s wife anymore.


    Look at the mess you’ve made, when Pei Yanges back and finds out about this, who knows what he’ll think of us.”


    Ma Sufen immediately pulled a face, “How is this my fault?


    It’s all because she’s so petty.


    She has a skill but hides it, afraid that someone else might learn it and take her job.


    Hmph, what’s so amazing about making an egg cake?


    My daughter-inw can earn money and take care of the whole family, young and old, isn’t she much stronger than that delicate littledy?


    Earning a bit of money and getting so arrogant about it.”


    “Auntie Ma, you sound so jealous.


    Just two rounds of baking egg cakes can match your daughter-inw’s half a month’s sry.”


    “Exactly, your daughter-inw is not bad, but Pei Yang’s wife isn’t inferior either.”


    Hearing everyone praising Shen Mingzhu, Ma Sufen left for her home with a ck face and huffing with anger.


    “Look at her, sopetitive all her life, she’s lost face big time this time,” someone chuckled.


    The group had a hiddenugh for a few sentences before bringing the conversation back to Shen Mingzhu’s egg cakes.


    Everyone was puzzled; it was just egg cakes, after all.


    They weren’t unavable elsewhere, so why did everyone insist on going to Shen Mingzhu to buy them?


    Were they that delicious?


    Could eating them make you immortal?


    Shen Mingzhu was in a pretty good mood.


    Firstly, she had secured another business deal, and secondly, Pei Ziheng, who usually acted like a rebellious son, had actually defended his stepmother outside, which made her feel veryforted.


    After cleaning the oven, she called her stepson over.


    “Considering your brave performance in defending my reputation outside, I’ve decided to properly reward you.”


    Hearing Shen Mingzhu say this, Pei Ziheng’s curiosity had just been piqued when he heard Shen Mingzhu’s tone shift, “But fighting is wrong, gentlemen use their words, not their fists.


    Violence doesn’t solve problems; it only intensifies conflicts.


    So I’m going to teach you a lesson.


    We’ll consider it a case of each offsetting the other and pretend nothing happened.”


    Pei Ziheng: “…”


    All that talking for nothing.


    Learning that Shen Mingzhu could really make egg cakes and had secured another business deal, Shen Ban became envious and rather perplexed again.


    Both from the same vige, Shen Ban knew Shen Mingzhu’s background better than anyone; a person who waszy and enjoyed eating at home, how could she suddenly learn to make egg cakes?


    Without figuring it outpletely, she didn’t think she could sleep.


    Yet she was worried that asking Shen Mingzhu directly might lead to being bossed around in various ways by Shen Mingzhu again—she wasn’t stupid, having been fooled twice already and not ready to bang her head against the same wall.


    Looking at her young and naive stepson, Shen Ban had an idea as her eyes spun with a n.


    Seeing Shen Ban show up wasn’t a surprise to Shen Mingzhu, but she feigned annoyance, “Why have youe again?”


    Shen Ban had thick skin, holding onto her stepson as she walked towards the door and joking, “What, are you hiding a man at home scared that I’ll find out?”


    Shen Mingzhu rolled her eyes.


    For the sake of the child, she didn’t snub Shen Ban too harshly.


    “Where’s your Pei Ziheng?” she asked.


    Shen Ban put down Zhou Hao on the ground and, looking around, said, “Let Xiaohao y with your Pei Ziheng for a while, and we can have a chat.”


    Seeing this, Shen Mingzhu could only take Zhou Hao to Pei Ziheng’s bedroom door and knock twice.


    The closed door was opened.


    “Zhou Hao is here, y with him for a bit.”


    After ncing at Shen Ban in the living room, Pei Ziheng stepped aside slightly, and as soon as Zhou Hao was inside, he swiftly shut the door.


    By the time Shen Mingzhu returned to the living room, Shen Ban had already begun to lecture her.


    “You reallyck ambition, letting a four-year-old child boss you around like that, having to knock on his door to enter his room, he treats you like an outsider.”


    “So what if I’m an outsider?


    I’m not his real mom anyway.”


    Seeing her instigation wasn’t sessful, Shen Ban sighed, “That’s true, you can’t cultivate the same closeness with a child that’s not your own, no matter how hard you try.


    Just muddle along, I guess.


    Like us, in our situation, it’s best to have your own child to secure your status.”


    Shen Mingzhu mocked her, “Well then, why don’t you hurry up and have a child with your man instead of running over here bothering me?”


    “I do want to have one, but I just got my period.”


    Speaking of which, Shen Ban suddenly started making faces, “Mingzhu, you and Pei Yang haven’t consummated your marriage yet, have you?”


    “Who said that?”


    “Don’t even try to fool me.


    I’ll bet you’re still a virgin!”


    Seeing Shen Ban so sure of herself made Shen Mingzhu feel oddly ufortable, as if her privacy had been vited.


    “You’re the virgin here!


    On the day Pei Yang and I got our certificate…”


    Shen Mingzhu, following the plot she had read in novels, described it vividly, leaving Shen Ban dumbfounded.


    Pei Yang was that ferocious?!


    Curious, Shen Ban asked Shen Mingzhu what it felt like, to which Shen Mingzhu replied coyly, “You know what I mean.”


    “…”


    Shen Ban pretended to drink water, but her mind was fixated on what Shen Mingzhu had just said.


    What kind of experience was that, and why hadn’t she had it?


    After leaving the Pei Family’s home, Shen Ban immediately asked her stepson, “Xiaohao, did Ziheng tell you who his stepmom learned to make egg cakes from?”


    Zhou Hao was chomping down on the egg cake Shen Mingzhu had given him,pletely ignoring Shen Ban’s question.


    Shen Ban got anxious and took the egg cake from her stepson’s hand, “Stop eating.


    What exactly did Ziheng tell you?”


    “I want my egg cake!


    Give me my egg cake!”


    Seeing her stepson throwing a tantrum, Shen Ban had no choice but to give him back the egg cake, sneakily pinching off a small piece to pop into her own mouth.


    It was sweet as it melted in the mouth, soft and tender, with a rich egg vor.


    Still longing for more, Shen Ban pinched off another piece for herself.


    That made Zhou Hao lose it.


    He iled his little legs and cried non-stop, insisting that Shen Ban return the egg cake she had eaten.


    Shen Ban coaxed him for a long while till her throat felt like it was smoking and finally settled him down with the promise of buying him a toy tomorrow.


    Latter, Shen Ban asked Zhou Hao again whether Ziheng had mentioned where Shen Mingzhu learned to make the egg cake.


    “He did.”


    “Really?


    My goodness, what a good son!”


    Shen Ban happily kissed Zhou Hao all over and pressed on, “What did Ziheng say?”


    “She learned it from a book.”


    “…”


    Bullshit!


    If Shen Mingzhu’s scatterbrain could learn how to make an egg cake just by reading a book, she’d chop off her own head and give it to Shen Mingzhu to sit on!