The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 150: The Village Belle Strikes Back

"Godmother, I want to eat pastries."

After finishing lunch, Liu Yanhong ran over, clinging to Tong Huaqiong’s leg, drooling.

He had been here for most of the day, and he hadn’t seen his godmother bring out any pastries, so he was getting a bit anxious.

It wasn’t Tong Huaqiong’s fault; she had been too busy at home the past few days to bake any pastries.

Tong Huaqiong rubbed the chubby little god-grandson’s face and said, "Can’t the pastries in Pingchuan County satisfy you?"

Liu Yanhong replied, "I want to eat the birthday cake godmother made for Grandma Huang. Can you make one for me too, godmother?"

This cake wasn’t easy to make.

There were no ingredients at home, and to make the cake, Tong Huaqiong would have to delve into the space.

Besides, Tong Huaqiong wasn’t willing to go to the trouble of making a cake for her god-grandson right now, even if she had to curry favor with County Magistrate Liu. She couldn’t exhaust herself.

"I’ll get you some almond crisps and other pastries to eat in the evening, okay?" Tong Huaqiong coaxed Liu Yanhong.

Liu Yanhong clapped his hands in delight.

In the evening, while Liu Yanhong wasn’t paying attention, Tong Huaqiong and Man Er entered the space. They made two popsicles, had Man Er take out the almond crisps and the small buns she had bought online, then opened the packaging and placed them on a plate to serve to Liu Yanhong.

Tong Huaqiong thought, don’t accuse me of fooling you.

Even if they weren’t handmade, these delicious pastries were still far superior to those of this era.

Sure enough, Liu Yanhong devoured them greedily.

While eating, he kept exclaiming how delicious they were.

Tong Huaqiong looked at Liu Yanhong and felt troubled, wondering when the boy would leave.

His appetite was one thing, but there was also the concern of him getting hurt in the village.

Lu Zhaozhao told Tong Huaqiong that she would take a trip to Pingchuan County to visit her maternal aunt when she returned, and take Liu Yanhong with her.

Tong Huaqiong sighed internally, realizing that Lu Zhaozhao intended to stay at the Gu Family for some time.

What troubled her even more was that in the past few days, the relationship between Gu Jingzhe and Lu Zhaozhao had clearly become closer.

This wasn’t Gu Jingzhe’s fault; who could resist a young, pretty, lively, and cute girl?

Moreover, Gu Jingzhe himself was a handsome young man.

Tong Huaqiong felt torn inside, thinking if she intervened, she might become a wicked mother-in-law breaking up a couple, but if she didn’t, she feared Lu Zhaozhao might repeat her past life’s tragic fate.

In such a conflicted state of mind, Tong Huaqiong interacted with Lu Zhaozhao while constantly urging Gu Jingzhe to do chores.

Once the grain from the threshing floor was separated, the work at the Gu Family home was nearly done.

With Gu Dahuan at home, it was enough; the rest had to resume their daily trips running between Qinghe Bay Town and home.

Gu Jingzhe carried a shovel and returned home from the threshing floor, only to be blocked by Xu Zaohua at the alley corner.

Gu Jingzhe wore an icy expression.

Xu Zaohua said to Gu Jingzhe, "Jingzhe, my dad said if you are willing to marry me, my family will support your studies."

Gu Jingzhe coldly replied, "Zaohua, don’t ever say that again."

Xu Zaohua, with reddened eyes, said, "I know your mom hates our Xu family, but our family is not the same as Xu Si, my uncle, or Lord Kun. Xu Si and your mother... I feel terrible about it too."

Not mentioning Xu Si would have been fine, but the mention made Gu Jingzhe even more disgusted with her.

"I don’t want to get married, let alone marry you. Stop blocking my way to avoid any rumors." With that, Gu Jingzhe was about to leave.

Xu Zaohua gritted her teeth; she wished someone would see them and spread rumors about her and Gu Jingzhe.

"Is it because of the girl from the prefecture in your house that you look down on a village girl like me?" Xu Zaohua said coldly, "You’re from a humble peasant family; even if you’re a child student, so what? Didn’t your uncle also remain a child student his entire life without becoming a Scholar? Can you guarantee you’ll pass the Scholar exam in one go? Do you really think you’ll win the heart of a girl from the prefecture?"

Hearing Xu Zaohua mention Lu Zhaozhao made Gu Jingzhe’s face flush with anger, and he retorted, "Miss Lu is a guest in my house; don’t slander her."

Xu Zaohua bit her lip and said, "You’re only suitable to be with a girl like me."

Gu Jingzhe was fuming.

How could Xu Zaohua be so shameless? He had clearly rejected her, yet she continued to cling to him.

The lane was too narrow for more than two people.

Gu Jingzhe turned to squeeze past.

But Xu Zaohua reached out to block Gu Jingzhe, her face bearing a sinister smile.

In the entire Qinghe Bay, apart from Gu Xiaocao, she, Xu Zaohua, was the best-looking.

On top of that, her family’s financial situation, her uncle being the village head, naturally made her the swan of Qinghe Bay. She looked down on any local bumpkins, setting her sights on the scholarly Gu Jingzhe early on.

When Gu Jingzhe studied at the private school in the town, he ignored her; now that Gu Jingzhe was no longer studying, he still wouldn’t accept her.

Xu Zaohua had never faced such grievances. Today, she was determined.

"Gu Jingzhe, you don’t want to, do you? Today, I’ll let the whole village know you’ve tarnished my reputation."

Xu Zaohua had to thank Tong Dajiao for the inspiration.

A few days ago, on the threshing floor, Tong Dajiao subdued Xu Si and toppled her uncle using this trick. If Tong Dajiao could do it, why couldn’t she?

"In a moment, everyone’s coming off the field; do you believe if I scream, you’ll be the next Xu Si?" Xu Zaohua said, with a sinister tone.

Gu Jingzhe shifted slightly; he felt that standing so close to Xu Zaohua was like being near a poisonous snake.

He hadn’t expected a young girl to slander him to achieve her goals.

Gu Jingzhe was sweating in anxiety.

His entire body felt frozen.

"Xu Zaohua, you shameless!"

Gu Taohua burst into the alley, pulling Gu Jingzhe behind her and pointed at Xu Zaohua, scolding.

"Your uncle is down; you want to drag my third brother down too, don’t you? You shamelessly insist on marrying my third brother. How could the Gu Family possibly want a girl from the Xu family?" Gu Taohua mercilessly tore apart Xu Zaohua’s schemes, "What, planning to slander my third brother? Try it, with my mom’s temperament. Do you think you can enter our house with such lowly methods?"

"Chasing after my third brother like this without any shame; have all the men in the world died or what?"

Xu Zaohua was enraged that Gu Taohua ruined her plans and sneered, retorting, "The shameless one is you, Gu Taohua. Who used to imitate my dress and attire? With you mimicking, you’re nothing but a fat pig. If this fat pig could call me sister-in-law, it would be your fortune."

"Zaohua, who are you calling a fat pig?" Gu Jingzhe couldn’t stand someone insulting Gu Taohua’s appearance.

Gu Taohua smiled, indicating she didn’t care; fat pig it was, since Xu Zaohua had called her that before.

She didn’t intend to waste words with Xu Zaohua. Given that Xu Zaohua called her a fat pig, she’d let Xu Zaohua taste the power of a fat pig.

Gu Taohua rolled up her sleeves and grabbed Xu Zaohua.

Now that people were returning from the fields, Gu Taohua deliberately heightened the tension with Xu Zaohua.

Mom could help sister-in-law slip away, and she could help her third brother escape Xu Zaohua’s plot.

Though Xu Zaohua was also a robust girl, she appeared weak as a chicken compared to Gu Taohua.

Gu Taohua lifted Xu Zaohua as easily as lifting a head of cabbage, and Xu Zaohua screamed in fright.

Gu Taohua dragged Xu Zaohua to the village road.

The village road was crowded and lively, a perfect stage for a drama.

"Xu Zaohua, you’re shameless, stealing my hairpin." Gu Taohua, seeing people arriving, quickly inserted the hairpin from her head onto Xu Zaohua’s head with lightning speed.

"I wondered why I couldn’t find my hairpin; turns out it’s on your head. You must have snatched it the other day on the threshing floor amid the chaos. You’re just jealous I have a pearl hairpin because your family is rich. You took it, and dare to wear it so ostentatiously." Gu Taohua shouted loudly.

Gu Taohua’s loud voice successfully drew the attention of the returning villagers.

Everyone saw it — the hairpin on Xu Zaohua’s head looked very familiar; it resembled the one Gu Taohua had been wearing a few days ago.

Gu Taohua had the habit, whenever she wore something nice, to show it off, so the pearl hairpin Lu Zhaozhao had given her was well-known throughout the village.

"Gu Taohua, what nonsense are you spouting? Who took your hairpin?"