The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 16: Bearing Brambles to Beg Forgiveness
Tong Huaqiong wasn’t in any rush.
Tong Huaqiong had Silver.
A total of eighty taels.
This eighty taels was saved by Tong Dajiao’s stingy late husband, who hid it from their children and entrusted it to Tong Dajiao before he died. He forced her to swear that the Silver was meant for Gu Jingzhe to use for future exams in the capital and not for anything else.
What did Tong Dajiao’s oath have to do with Tong Huaqiong?
Originally, Tong Huaqiong planned to use this Silver as capital for a small business, and slowly think about how to expand the family enterprise.
Now, she needed this Silver to fill a gap.
As someone with modern civilized thoughts, even though she disliked Gu Yaozu, she couldn’t bear to watch a four-and-a-half-year-old child being enslaved.
But she wasn’t in a hurry to take out the Silver.
People don’t cherish things that come easily.
She had planned to spend these five days properly tormenting her son and daughter-in-law.
For two consecutive days, except for Tong Huaqiong and the hearty-eating Gu Taohua, everyone in the Gu Family looked worried.
Especially Gu Dashi, Gu Jingzhe, and Liu Yueer; they were so anxious that they were desperate enough to steal or rob.
Yet Tong Huaqiong was forcing them to raise money.
It’s said that one penny can stump a hero, let alone fifty taels of Silver.
"Don’t even think about touching the family’s land, house, or livestock. If those are sold, what would I eat and where would I live? You unfilial ones, why don’t you just sell me off too?"
Gu Dashi, who really couldn’t raise the Silver, had just thought about selling the land and house when Tong Huaqiong scolded him harshly.
With the heavy label of filial piety placed upon him, he no longer dared to think about selling the land and house.
Gu Dashi thought of someone who might be able to provide the Silver.
That person was his half-sister, Gu Baishuang.
Gu Baishuang’s husband’s family was in the porcelain business, with shops in the town and county, and was considered one of the wealthiest households in Yan Guan Town, so they were relatively well-off with Silver Coin.
But ever since Gu Dashi made a scene at the funeral of the Gu Family’s father over the matter of burying him with his first wife, and even threatened to dig up her remains, Gu Baishuang was so heartbroken that she cut all ties with the Gu Family.
Now she didn’t even see Gu Dashi, Gu Jingzhe, and Gu Taohua as siblings.
You couldn’t blame Gu Baishuang. Who would want anything to do with the constant troublemaking stepmother and a family full of bad bamboo?
Back then, when Gu Baishuang married into the Nie Family as a replacement wife to a stepson three years older than herself, it was orchestrated by the Gu Family’s father, but Tong Dajiao had also fanned the flames.
Gu Baishuang got married in the winter, and Tong Dajiao accepted money from the Nie Family but didn’t even give her a thick garment as a dowry.
If their father was still around, it might have been another story, but now that he was gone, just because of the nasty things her own mother and she herself did to her elder sister, Gu Dashi didn’t even dare to go to the Nie’s door.
"Sister-in-law."
Gu Dashi shamelessly wanted to ask Chen Sufen for help.
Since Chen Sufen was Gu Baishuang’s direct sister-in-law, she would give some face after all, right?
Gu Dashi wanted to persuade Chen Sufen to go to the Nie Family and ask Gu Baishuang to help raise money.
"Sufen, you really know the way. The dry cakes you baked on the griddle were even more delicious than the baked cakes at the Wu family’s in town. We sold out after just half a day in town."
Tong Huaqiong stepped in, interrupting Gu Dashi’s plea to send Chen Sufen to the Nie Family for money.
"Indeed, I originally thought there’d be a couple left for me, but none were left." Although Gu Taohua regretted not getting a taste of the dry cakes, there was unmistakable joy in her voice.
"We made eight hundred wen today; mom said it’s called net profit."
Who’d have thought making money felt this good?
"Really?"
Chen Sufen was a little incredulous.
Close to a tael.
If they could make eight hundred wen every day, they could save quite a bit in a year.
Because relying on farming alone, they wouldn’t save a few taels Silver a year.
The last time when Mother-in-law went to the county to withdraw the proposal with the Zheng Family, she took with her and sold out the steamed buns Sufen had made, and now in town, the dry cakes she baked sold out too.
Sufen suddenly felt that her Mother-in-law’s idea of everyone living better wasn’t just talk.
"It’s all thanks to mother’s good methods." Sufen smiled.
Mother-in-law didn’t work before, let alone cook.
But after turning a new leaf, she actually had such great skills.
Before, they only knew the griddle was for making pancakes, but who knew switching methods to bake them dry would make the fragrance travel ten miles?
Tong Huaqiong was very happy.
These dry cakes were slowly baked to golden brown and crisp on the griddle with low heat, sprinkled with sesame and then a layer of syrup.
How could they not be delicious?
No matter the era, to create a reputation for great food, you must be willing to use lots of ingredients.
Especially with dry buns, if you don’t lavishly add a lot of sesame and a layer of syrup, it can’t attract passersby under the competition from town’s pastry shops.
For the Gu Family, sugar is a very precious thing, and the two packs of sugar in the house were actually given to Chen Sufen by Gu Baishuang as a health supplement, but Chen Sufen hadn’t had the heart to use them, and now Tong Huaqiong used it all to create good food.
"When we make money, I’ll get you some new clothes. This outfit is much too plain."
Tong Huaqiong frowned.
Chen Sufen’s clothes are not just plain, but also dull and patched up.
Feeling overwhelmed by favor, Chen Sufen repeatedly shook her head.
She was already satisfied with life as it is; last time, her Mother-in-law made her steamed buns and pastries when she went to the county. If life got any better, she feared she couldn’t handle it.
"Did you wash the mung beans I asked you to?" Tong Huaqiong asked.
Chen Sufen replied with a smile, "They’re almost dry."
Tong Huaqiong nodded, satisfied with Chen Sufen’s execution.
She planned to make mung bean cake.
The mung bean cakes that Gu Jingzhe bought from the best shop in town for her didn’t taste particularly good to her.
And even the pastries she tasted in the county that she bought for Man Er had room to improve compared to gourmet cakes of later generations.
"Mom, you and Taohua must be hungry, I’ll go make some food," said Chen Sufen, not expecting her mother-in-law to return home so quickly, leaving her unprepared.
Tong Huaqiong waved her off, saying, "Don’t trouble yourself! We’ll eat the griddle-baked pancakes we brought from the morning."
"Mom, then I’ll head to Aunt Qin’s home; she borrowed our sieve last time and hasn’t returned it. I’ll go retrieve it," said Chen Sufen.
"Go ahead," Tong Huaqiong waved.
"Mom..."
Gu Dashi had been quite afraid of Tong Huaqiong these past two days. Seeing her return home from selling the dry pancakes in town, he didn’t dare say a word. It was only after his Sister-in-law had gone out that he mustered the courage to approach.
"What’s up? You’re still lounging at home instead of raising the Silver? Are you seriously considering selling your son?" Tong Huaqiong glanced sharply, her words dripping with sarcasm.
Gu Dashi thought to himself that his mom was really heartless. Even if she had decided to change her ways, she could’ve at least been fair and unbiased, but she was particularly ruthless toward her own flesh and blood.
"The way you acted toward your Sister-in-law, anyone could tell you were up to something sneaky. You want your Sister-in-law to go to the Nie Family to borrow money, don’t you?" Tong Huaqiong bluntly exposed Gu Dashi’s intention.
"Mom, you know there’s no one else but Eldest Sister’s family who could come up with fifty taels of Silver," Gu Dashi pleaded.
Tong Huaqiong sneered, considering transforming into Nanny Rong with a needle to wake up Gu Dashi. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
This call of "Elder Sister" sounded so dear.
Does Gu Baishuang even see it that way?
"If you want to borrow, go yourself, and stop giving your Sister-in-law errands to run. Gu Yaozu isn’t her son," Tong Huaqiong said coldly.
Gu Dashi: "..."
Mother was really blunt and cruel. Wasn’t he well aware of Gu Baishuang’s attitude toward her and her children?
Now was not the time to hesitate. A desperate situation calls for desperate measures.
With only three days left, if he delayed any further, he wouldn’t be able to save his son.
"Alright then, I’ll go and apologize sincerely to Eldest Sister with a branch of humility."
In a fit of frustration, Gu Dashi stomped his foot, tied a bundle of twigs on his back, grit his teeth, and headed out.
He planned to go to the Nie Family in town to seek out his Eldest Sister, Gu Baishuang, and apologize, ready to endure any beating or scolding. So long as Gu Baishuang had a moment of compassion and would be willing to loan the Silver, he’d gladly endure anything.
