The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 124: Where There’s Unusual Behavior, There’s Something Fishy
After Gu Baishuang left, Gu Dahuan told Tong Huaqiong the purpose of his sister’s visit.
Besides discussing the timing for reburying their parents together, it was also to borrow a donkey cart and a driver for the Gu Family to help Gu Dahuan transport wheat.
Tong Huaqiong was happy to see this happen.
In this era, relying solely on human labor was too exhausting, having a donkey cart to transport wheat would make it easier and help get through the wheat harvest season earlier.
Whether Gu Baishuang did this for her biological brother Gu Dahuan or to let their parents be reburied sooner, lending the donkey cart was indeed a timely help, and Tong Huaqiong asked Gu Dahuan to send some pastries to Gu Baishuang’s home.
"My sister and I decided that the day my mother and father will be reburied together is after the Dragon Boat Festival," Gu Dahuan said. He knew that Tong Huaqiong genuinely wasn’t bothered by the reburial of their parents, but he still needed to inform his stepmother out of respect.
On that day, members of the clan would come, and as the daughter-in-law, Chen Sufen must attend. He didn’t dare to demand Tong Huaqiong offer incense for his mother, but Gu Dashi and others should pay their respects to her tablet, right?
Tong Huaqiong waved her hand and said, "As long as you’ve all decided, it’s fine."
Gu Dahuan hesitated to bring up the issue of asking Gu Dashi and others to pay respects to his mother’s tablet with Tong Huaqiong.
He also didn’t dare to personally mention it to his half-siblings, as Gu Dashi was already upset about the stepmother not wanting to enter the ancestral grave and would explode at the mention of it.
"What do you want to say?" Tong Huaqiong asked, seeing that this stepson had something to say but wasn’t speaking directly.
"Mother, on the day my parents are reburied, do the second and third brothers have to pay respects to my mother’s tablet?" Gu Dahuan asked hesitantly, gritting his teeth.
Tong Huaqiong replied, "Don’t ask me, they’re all grown now, and I can’t interfere. As the eldest brother, you should talk to them directly."
Tong Huaqiong decided that in this family, as long as the brothers didn’t commit any serious offenses, she wouldn’t interfere in their relationships.
She wouldn’t pay respects to Gu Dahuan’s biological mother, and she couldn’t interfere with whether Gu Dashi and Gu Jingzhe would do so.
Similarly, when she dies, she doesn’t expect Gu Dahuan to act as a filial son.
...
During the wheat harvest season, the shop was short of a few hands. At first, everyone was a bit flustered, but within a couple of days, everything got back on track.
Tong Huaqiong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Even though everyone in the nearby ten-mile radius was busy harvesting wheat, resulting in fewer customers than usual, Taohua Dessert received several cake orders for clients’ banquets.
Two of these orders were even from Pingchuan County, introduced by Huang Yuanwai.
Orders that can help expand word-of-mouth influence, Tong Huaqiong was naturally willing to accept.
Chen Sufen returned to Qinghe Bay to harvest wheat, while Tong Huaqiong stayed at the shop with the Hu Family, working the baking oven until sparks flew. Even Gu Taohua came to the baking room to help, successfully completing the most important orders for several families.
The shop was operating normally.
Especially after Hong Xiaoxi joined the shop, he was even more competent than Tong Huaqiong had imagined.
After finishing the last major order of the past few days, Tong Huaqiong, who hadn’t been back to Qinghe Bay for a few days, planned to take Gu Taohua and Gu Jingzhe home to take a look.
After all, food is the foundation of survival, and Tong Huaqiong needed to see her own wheat harvest to be at ease.
Moreover, she was planning to buy some fertile land for the family.
In any era, land is the foundation of survival. While Tong Huaqiong had ambitions in business, she wouldn’t relax in her pursuit of becoming a landowner either.
The weather was too hot, and walking back to the village might result in a heatstroke, so Tong Huaqiong asked Gu Jingzhe to hire a carriage.
Being the owner and shopkeeper, she couldn’t be too harsh on herself; she should enjoy where she could.
Tong Huaqiong planned to buy a carriage for her family in the near future, which could be used for delivering pastries and as a personal vehicle when she went out.
Currently, the cart used to deliver pastries to wealthy families from Taohua Dessert was a donkey cart lent by the Liu Family. As in-laws, she couldn’t keep borrowing it shamelessly.
Before setting off, Tong Huaqiong bought meat and vegetables for the family.
Harvesting wheat is physical work, and Gu Dahuan and the others needed to eat well to have the strength to work.
Tong Huaqiong was directing Gu Jingzhe and Hong Xiaoxi to load things onto the carriage when Boss Qian from Fengle Building came over, carrying chicken, duck, fish, and bird’s nest supplements to put on Tong Huaqiong’s carriage.
"Boss Qian, what are you doing? You’re too kind," said Tong Huaqiong in astonishment.
She had noticed for days that Boss Qian from Fengle Building often visited Taohua Dessert. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
He even asked a couple of days ago if she needed clerks during the wheat harvest season, offering to lend some.
Overly enthusiastic.
Tong Huaqiong thought that although Fengle Building currently ordered all its pastries from Taohua Dessert and it was a normal business cooperation, as the client, Boss Qian had no reason to curry favor with Taohua Dessert.
Based on their relationship, it hadn’t reached the point of sending bird’s nest and other gifts.
An unusual occurrence always has an explanation.
It was impossible for Fengle Building to want to deal with Taohua Dessert since there was no competition between the two parties.
Moreover, even when looking beyond any bias, Tong Huaqiong still found Boss Qian quite generous, as he maintained good relationships with fellow restaurants in Yan Guan Town and was even friendly to some small food stalls.
Unlike Crispy Food Garden, which was always shouting and threatening competition.
So why was Boss Qian treating her so warmly?
"Manager Tong, I’ve noticed that Miss Taohua looks much thinner these days due to hard work, so these supplements are for her to nourish her body," Boss Qian said cheerfully.
Tong Huaqiong couldn’t help but look at Gu Taohua, furrowing her brow.
Gu Taohua, with an innocent grin, quickly placed the bird’s nest onto the carriage and said to Boss Qian, "Thanks, Boss Qian."
Could it be that Boss Qian has taken a liking to Gu Taohua?
Considering how she had previously misunderstood Ma Huateng, she carefully observed this time and felt she hadn’t made a mistake.
At Gu Taohua’s age, especially in this era, she was at a prime age for marriage proposals. Though she was bigger than most girls, her lively and cheerful personality, along with her good looks, made her appealing.
Mr. Qian, this old bachelor nearing the end of his life, being attracted to a young, vibrant beauty wasn’t surprising.
However, Tong Huaqiong found it distasteful and decided she would never allow any old man to make a move on Gu Taohua, even if he were Yan Guan Town’s most prominent rich man.
Even if the entire Fengle Building was offered as a dowry, it wouldn’t work.
With this in mind, Tong Huaqiong hurriedly moved all of Boss Qian’s chicken, duck, fish, and bird’s nest off the carriage and directly said to him, "We can’t accept such generous gifts without cause. Boss Qian, our business is just business. If you like our pastries, place an order. If you have other intentions, you’d better dismiss them."
Tong Huaqiong wasn’t afraid of offending Boss Qian.
In her words, Boss Qian blushed and said, "I...I have no intentions..."
If you have no intentions, why are you blushing?
Tong Huaqiong glared at him and said, "You better have no intentions."
This old bachelor, older than her, dared to assume a connection through her daughter?
Surrounded by chickens, ducks, fish, and bird’s nest, Boss Qian looked embarrassed, with a hint of disappointment.
Not even sparing a glance at those items, Tong Huaqiong passed Boss Qian and climbed into the carriage with a twist of her body.
That sight and her fiery spirit made Boss Qian’s heart race.
Boss Qian didn’t really know why, but even when Tong Huaqiong was setting up a stall at Crispy Food Garden, her fiery straightforwardness left a lasting impression. Now, as the shopkeeper of Taohua Dessert, watching her busy around the shop every day stirred something inside him.
Unbeknownst to her, Boss Qian had never seen her as just a mother-in-law figure but was actually seeking her as a confidante. Sitting in the carriage, she silently cursed him for being an old devil.
"Taohua, stay away from Boss Qian in the future; he’s not a good person," Tong Huaqiong advised Gu Taohua.
Gu Taohua cheerfully replied, "I think he’s pretty nice, though. He even asked me to call him Uncle Qian."
Gu Jingzhe looked at his mother with a complex expression, wanting to say something but deciding against it, ultimately staying silent.
At this moment, Gu Jingzhe also detested Boss Qian.
