The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 111: Ungrateful Wolf

"Ungrateful child!"

Manager Feng felt a sudden rush of blood to his mouth, picked up the paperweight on the table, and threw it at Feng Chuan, leaving a swollen bruise on Feng Chuan’s head.

He had just paid off two hundred taels for Feng Chuan, and he never expected there was still a debt of a thousand taels waiting for him.

"Do you even know what a thousand taels means? How dare you?" Manager Feng gasped as he cursed.

"Second Uncle... No, Father, I was framed." Feng Chuan looked aggrieved.

With resentment in his heart, Feng Chuan held his head, thinking, after all, he was the adopted son. If he was his second uncle’s biological son, would his second uncle have hit him like this?

"You were framed? Even now, you don’t know where you went wrong and you’re still trying to argue." Manager Feng was so angry he could hardly contain himself.

Knowing Feng Chuan’s usual behavior, Manager Feng never believed that Feng Chuan was framed.

Feng Chuan had been spoiled by him repeatedly cleaning up his messes, leading him to rack up a debt of a thousand taels of silver.

"When you owed five hundred taels, I got kicked out by the Meng family to pay off your debt and had to move from Pingchuan County to Yan Guan Town. What promises did you make to me back then? You swore you’d never gamble again, but you... you..." Manager Feng was so upset he couldn’t speak.

Feng Chuan stood obediently in front of Manager Feng, a fierce look in his eyes, with only one thought in his mind: Manager Feng didn’t treat him as a real son.

"I was really framed." Feng Chuan said.

"Shut up, you worthless creature, still lying." Manager Feng pointed at Feng Chuan and scolded.

"Father, what should I do? I’ve already incurred the debt. If I can’t repay it, they’ll cut off my hand." Feng Chuan started to beg Manager Feng, "Father, please help me this one last time, I promise I’ll never gamble again."

"We’re talking about a thousand taels of silver here." Manager Feng propped his head on his hand. If he really touched the accounts of Crispy Food Garden, would he have any road left?

But he couldn’t just watch this adopted son lose a hand.

"Father, I beg you, I promise it’s the last time." Feng Chuan fell on his knees in front of Manager Feng, crying, "Father, you’re the shopkeeper of Crispy Food Garden, you must have a way."

"Find a way? Easy for you to say. Even if I sell the shop, I can’t raise a thousand taels." Manager Feng sneered.

Feng Chuan begged again, and Manager Feng, in his anger, said a lot of harsh words.

"...Why did I even adopt you as my son back then?"

This completely infuriated Feng Chuan, who started to retort recklessly.

"Second Uncle."

Feng Chuan no longer called Manager Feng "Father."

"Seems like not being a biological child really makes you half-hearted. What did you say when you first adopted me? You said all your future assets would be mine. Don’t think those expenses were a favor; that money was originally meant for me, just spent on me in advance."

"Why would I become your son when I have my own parents? You have to give something, right? If you give nothing, do you expect me to wear mourning for you and burn paper offerings after you’re gone? If your biological son owed a thousand taels in gambling debts, would you have ignored it like this?"

"I willingly got adopted by you, you’re the one who owes me a favor. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have anyone to continue your lineage—since you can’t have a son of your own."

Feng Chuan poured out all the words buried deep in his heart.

Manager Feng was stunned, not expecting Feng Chuan to say such things to him.

Every sentence hit his soft spot, just short of cursing him for being childless.

Previously, he always thought that Feng Chuan should be grateful for being adopted, especially since Feng Chuan’s elder brother was not doing well, and as the youngest of the large family, Feng Chuan had limited resources.

If not for him, Feng Chuan would still be toiling in the fields in the village.

He arranged a marriage for Feng Chuan, supported his entire family, and even provided farmland in the countryside for him, but in return, it didn’t earn Feng Chuan’s gratitude; instead, it only made his greed grow.

What is this if not an ingrate?

If he had known, he would’ve expanded the scope and chosen from among the clan brothers’ children back then.

That remark of "who asked you to be unable to have a son" stunned Manager Feng into a pit of despair.

Indeed, he truly wished that Feng Chuan was his biological son so that he could beat him, scold him, and even willingly pay off the silver.

"Anyway, I’m at the end of my rope now. Second Uncle, I’m your son, so whether you have it or not, you must come up with this thousand taels. Second Uncle, you’re capable. You helped with five hundred taels before, surely you can manage a thousand if you grit your teeth."

"Second Uncle, if you pay off the silver, we are still father and son. I will continue your legacy after your passing. If you can’t pay it, then our relationship is over."

Having said this, Feng Chuan stood up and walked out.

Manager Feng, overwhelmed with anger, slumped into a chair, clutching his chest and spat a mouthful of blood.

The clerks, alarmed by the commotion, came in and were startled by Manager Feng’s blood-stained lips. Hastily, they arranged to summon a doctor.

Downstairs, Tong Huaqiong’s enthusiastic voice selling pastries reached Manager Feng’s ears, infuriating him even more, and he fell ill.

From then on, Manager Feng had no mind to care about Taohua Dessert. He was preoccupied with Feng Chuan’s gambling debt.

Sometimes he resolved to cut all ties, pretending he never adopted him; other times, he felt unwilling, having invested so much in Feng Chuan and developed feelings, fearing for Feng Chuan losing his hand.

But to pay off his gambling debt, that gap of a thousand taels was just too vast.

Counting all, he had only three hundred taels in hand, not even enough if he diverted the operational funds of Crispy Food Garden from the past few months.

Gu Dashi and Gu Jingzhe were keeping an eye on Feng Chuan.

Gu Dashi demanded the debt from Feng Chuan daily.

To make a comeback, Feng Chuan returned to the casino to gamble again. Since Manager Feng paid off his two hundred taels owed to the casino, they were willing to lend him money again.

He borrowed another two hundred taels but failed to make a comeback, losing it all again.

Tong Huaqiong made sure to let Gu Dashi know, who then relayed the news to Manager Feng’s ears, causing him to down several bowls of herbal medicine in anger.

Feng Chuan, hounded by Gu Dashi for his debt, had no choice but to seek out Manager Feng. Since tearing off the mask between him and Manager Feng, he no longer pretended to act like a father and son, forcing Manager Feng to come up with silver.

Manager Feng beat his bed in anger; how did he end up adopting such a wretched child?

During Manager Feng’s illness, Tong Huaqiong began her own path of business ascent.

She first took eighty taels from the two hundred taels Gu Dashi won from Feng Chuan and returned it to Ma Huateng, keeping the rest of the silver for herself.

Gu Guangkui, being quite skilled, crafted the entire shop’s counters and cabinets to her specifications; Gu Xiaocao had also polished the shop clean.

In the back courtyard, three simple rooms were built: one for the baking oven, and two for storage.

Additionally, Tong Huaqiong had a cellar dug to store ice.

Pastry ingredients in summer needed low-temperature storage. Always relying on Man Er to produce them from a magical space wasn’t realistic.

Luckily, there was ice in this era.

Yan Guan Town was by a big river with ice stored during winter for summer use, and some merchants even collected ice from colder regions to sell during summer.

After the ice cellar was finished, Tong Huaqiong bought a lot of ice and stored it, making the entire yard nice and cool, a natural refrigerator.

Qin Qingyou built the perfect baking oven, controlling the temperature remarkably well.

Tong Huaqiong also sought workers to craft a hand-cranked mixer. She had given an electric egg beater to the town’s craftsmen, but for now, no one had figured it out.

She planned to ask Gu Dahan to have Lu Zhaoyang find a craftsman when delivering cakes to the Lu Family. Since the Lu Family had business in various industries, Lu Zhaoyang seemed more reliable.

The accountant, Ma Huateng, was in position, the server, Liu Yueer, was ready to start, owner Tong Huaqiong was in place, and the deputy manager Gu Taohua was also prepared.

Everything was ready, just waiting for the opening.

Tong Huaqiong set the opening for three days later.