Transmigrated as My Aunt in the 70s

Chapter 495: Chapter 488: The Strange Shen Mingzhu

Shen Mingzhu is an exceptional speaker, her pacing neither too fast nor too slow, her voice neither too high nor too low, and she speaks with an artistry that makes chatting with her a very comfortable experience, akin to a refreshing spring breeze. It could be said that Shen Mingzhu is the most eloquent woman Sisi has met in all these years.

"Mr. He, your family’s He Family Wine has now entered the international market, truly bringing honor to our country!" Shen Mingzhu said with a smile.

"Oh, where, where, it’s thanks to the good policies of the party and the country." Sisi replied with a practiced smile.

"Of course, it’s also because the He Family Wine is of good quality; otherwise, even with the best policies, it wouldn’t have made it past our borders!"

Shen Mingzhu relentlessly praised the He Family Wine, and Sisi found it odd. Why was Shen Mingzhu so fixated on talking about her family’s wine?

Noticing Sisi’s impatience, Shen Mingzhu swiftly changed the subject to that of raising children, something that new mothers love to discuss. Sure enough, Sisi and Shen Mingzhu soon found themselves deeply engaged in conversation, occasionally sharing amusing anecdotes about Du Du.

Mrs. Wu subtly glanced at Shen Mingzhu several times, finally understanding why her granddaughter-in-law insisted on joining them today—it turns out she was aiming to cozy up to Sisi!

Upon realizing her granddaughter-in-law’s intentions and that she had been used, Mrs. Wu felt a blockage in her chest, feeling aggrieved. She wanted to warn Sisi to be more cautious when dealing with her granddaughter-in-law, yet she did not want to air dirty laundry and let outsiders know that the Zheng family had such a vain and superficial granddaughter-in-law.

Undecided and troubled, Mrs. Wu’s complexion worsened, and she lacked the strength even to sit, slumping against the back of the chair.

Sisi, who was talking to Shen Mingzhu, noticed Mrs. Wu’s condition, took a small cup of Qiong Wine from the cabinet, and handed it to Mrs. Wu, saying: "Granny Wu, this medicinal wine can invigorate the mind and refresh the senses. Take a sip and see how it feels."

Mrs. Wu was indeed feeling unsteady and drank the medicinal wine in one gulp, immediately feeling refreshed and energized. She exclaimed, "Your family’s medicinal wine is really excellent, Sisi. I felt so much better as soon as I drank it."

Mr. Zheng hurriedly asked, "Comrade Xiao He, do you sell this medicinal wine? Can I buy some to take home?"

Zheng Guofeng also looked at Sisi eagerly, adding, "It doesn’t matter how much it costs."

Both the older and younger men looked at Sisi with hopeful eyes, making it difficult for her to refuse.

With a sigh, she had no choice but to say, "This medicinal wine requires very precious herbs to make, so our family only brewed a little for our elderly at home, and it isn’t available on the market."

Both Mr. Zheng and Zheng Guofeng showed their disappointment upon hearing this, but they didn’t press any further, which made Sisi appreciate them a bit more. She smiled and said, "However, Granny Wu and I hit it off so well, and I can’t bear to see her suffer. So, I will spare two bottles for you, but that’s all I can afford to give."

After saying this, Sisi took out two bottles of Qiong Wine from the cabinet and handed them to Zheng Guofeng. Upon receiving this pleasant surprise, after initially feeling disappointed, Mr. Zheng joyfully exclaimed, "That’s very kind of you. We’ll pay for them."

"No need. As I said, this medicinal wine is just for our own consumption. It would be dreary to talk about money," Sisi smiled.

Mr. Zheng also was forthright and declared loudly, "All right, then I, the old man, will accept your generous offer, Xiao He."

Zheng Guofeng and Mrs. Wu also thanked them gratefully, but no one noticed the flicker in Shen Mingzhu’s eyes as she looked at the two bottles of medicinal wine, deep in thought.

Mrs. Wu and the others stayed for a short while before taking their leave. Du Du and Niu Niu, however, were reluctant to part. Du Du clung to Niu Niu’s clothes, unwilling to let go, which amused all the adults.

Later, it was Sisi who took another toy to distract Du Du, finally freeing Niu Niu. Sisi learned that their family had come by bus, so she had Tian Qinghua drive them back.

On the way back, Shen Mingzhu was still very enthusiastic, chatting with Tian Qinghua from time to time. Every ten sentences she uttered, two or three would be about He Family Wine. Tian Qinghua, being young and Shen Mingzhu’s questioning very crafty, answered without his guard up.

However, Tian Qinghua didn’t know much about He Family Wine either, so Shen Mingzhu failed to hear the answers she wanted and was greatly disappointed. She resolved to become closer to Sisi to learn more.

Mrs. Wu watched her granddaughter-in-law warily, not understanding why she was so interested in He Family Wine. With something now weighing on her mind, the old lady began to observe this granddaughter-in-law more closely.

Sisi didn’t have time to consider Shen Mingzhu’s strange behavior as three days after the traffickers were caught, Tian Xinhua brought back news that infuriated Sisi.

It turned out that the traffickers targeted the area near the County Committee Building because someone provided them with false information, claiming Sisi was a relative staying at the County Committee Building from the countryside with no notable background. They were told she had a three-month-old son who was white and chubby, and would certainly fetch a good price.

After conducting their reconnaissance, the traffickers found Du Du very likable and Sisi young and beautiful, so they were tempted to take them both away to be sold in a remote mountain area, thinking they could make a large sum of money.

Following Du Du to the park, they discovered there were so many children there and saw an opportunity for a bigger plan, which led to the attempted mass kidnapping in the park. Had Sisi not been prepared to defend herself, she, the children, and Su Ping could not have escaped unscathed.

Tian Xinhua still felt scared when thinking about it and harbored deep hatred for the person who provided that information.

"Who has such a grudge against me?" Sisi never expected the traffickers had been targeting her and Du Du from the start.

"Wu’s sister-in-law!"

"Her?"

Sisi was shocked, she could not fathom that it would be this woman. Although she had some conflicts with Wu’s sister-in-law, it was nothing more than minor disputes in daily life. To think Wu’s sister-in-law would wish her and her child such suffering over such trivial matters, how malicious her intentions were!

Tian Xinhua nodded in disgust, continuing the story. Wu’s sister-in-law had returned to her parents’ house after her divorce, but her three sisters-in-law were tough cookies and showed no kindness to the newly-divorced sister.

Wu’s sister-in-law, once a bully in the complex, now did not dare to put on airs at home, her days filled with endless chores and being fed the worst food.

Bearing resentment, Wu’s sister-in-law had wanted to return and reconcile with Wu Jingsong recently, but he flatly ignored her and even ordered the doorman not to let her into the building anymore.

For some unfathomable reason, Wu’s sister-in-law did not hold a grudge against Wu Jingsong but vented all her resentment on Sisi, feeling that ever since Sisi arrived, her life had been plagued with misfortunes.