The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 166: Must Buy Land

Jingzhe listened closely to Tong Huaqiong, and initially didn’t want to pay attention to Fan Tong.

He then reconsidered, wondering if Fan Tong had some ulterior motive for seeking him out.

It’s understandable for Jingzhe to be suspicious; just a few days ago, when he returned to school, Fan Tong ignored him completely. When Jingzhe called him Brother Fan, Fan Tong was obviously impatient.

Yet now, Fan Tong was excessively enthusiastic towards him.

He didn’t believe that Fan Tong suddenly saw his good qualities and wanted to befriend him.

With this in mind, Jingzhe began to subtly pry information from Fan Tong.

When a person is anxious, they tend to reveal their true intentions.

It didn’t take much effort for Jingzhe to get Fan Tong to frequently bring up Gu Taohua, and the plans Tong Huaqiong had for her children’s marriages...

Jingzhe, already a clever and cunning person, realized as soon as Fan Tong mentioned Gu Taohua, that Fan Tong was interested in her.

But wait, wasn’t it rumored at the school that Fan Tong was to become the son-in-law of the wealthy Huang family?

So why was he now interested in his sister?

Jingzhe quickly figured out that Fan Tong had been abandoned by the Huang family and was now targeting Taohua.

Was he really interested in Taohua?

He was actually interested in Taohua Dessert.

Jingzhe wasn’t sure if his sister had any private interactions with Fan Tong.

But regardless, considering what he knew about Fan Tong, he was not a suitable match.

This idea had to be cut off immediately, so he coldly said, "Brother Fan, there’s no need to inquire about my sister. My sister needs a man who’s brave and unmatched. You, with your scholarly airs, can’t even kill a chicken, let alone match my sister."

Jingzhe’s straightforwardness almost drove Fan Tong mad with anger.

This was clearly pointing out his weakness.

"Brother Fan, in the future, let’s stick to discussing academics. If it’s about anything else, then let’s just not."

After saying this, Jingzhe stood up and walked away.

Fan Tong stomped his foot, spat in the direction of the departing Jingzhe, and cursed, "Your sister thinks she deserves a brave and unmatched man? What a dream. Which valiant man would want a girl who could slap a pig unconscious with one hand? She’ll just be an old maid. Even if she begs to be a concubine in my family, I wouldn’t even look her way."

Fan Tong vented his anger thoroughly, but Jingzhe didn’t hear any of it.

Nie Xiaofeng, the son of Gu Baishuang, overheard and asked Fan Tong, "Who is Brother Fan cursing at?"

Fan Tong, knowing that Nie Xiaofeng was not on good terms with Jingzhe’s family, tried to win him over, saying, "Cursing at Jingzhe’s plump sister, who is your plump aunt."

"Your uncle wants to match me with your plump aunt. Come on, I’m at least a scholar. How could I marry a countryside girl selling cakes on the street? Besides, she’s so fat and speaks so roughly."

Fan Tong thought Nie Xiaofeng would side with him, but unexpectedly, Nie Xiaofeng just rolled his eyes and said, "Who are you fooling? Trying to use me as a pawn to make a case for you? Dream on. Did my plump aunt eat rice from your house just because she’s fat?"

Nie Xiaofeng stomped off angrily.

Did Fan Tong think that just because he was muscular and bad at studying, he also had a poor mind?

Who was he trying to fool?

How could he not understand his cheap uncle? He would never suggest matching his cheap aunt with Fan Tong.

There was no other reason; with Fan Tong being dirt poor, his uncle wouldn’t even mention such things.

Additionally, Nie Xiaofeng was equally displeased with Fan Tong’s words about Gu Taohua.

His plump aunt and his mother never had any disputes, and his aunt would even greet his mother when they met.

Even if he had no fondness for Tong Dajiao’s family of bad bamboo, he wouldn’t need to align with outsiders to harm his plump aunt, with whom he had no conflicts of interest.

Soon it was the Dragon Boat Festival.

This was the first significant festival Tong Huaqiong experienced in this era.

The Gu Family sent out many festival gifts and also received some.

People from Gu Baishuang, Huang Yuanwai, County Magistrate Liu, and the Lu Family all sent gifts.

Tong Huaqiong accepted them all.

Even on the day of the festival, the customer flow at Taohua Dessert showed no sign of decreasing.

To reward the clerks at Taohua Dessert, Tong Huaqiong ordered an excellent banquet.

Regarding her wariness towards Manager Qian, this time she ordered from another restaurant. Upon hearing this, Manager Qian was deeply disappointed and contemplated visiting her several times to ask where he had offended her.

But ultimately, he didn’t dare.

After the Dragon Boat Festival, the Gu Family was busy once again.

According to the prior arrangement of Gu Baishuang and Gu Dahuan, their parents were to be buried together.

Of course, Tong Huaqiong did not get involved in this busy period. Her decision was firm: whoever wanted Mr. Gu could have him, but she didn’t.

Gu Dahuan, as the filial son, was appointed by Tong Huaqiong to oversee the arrangements for the burial of his parents, while Chen Sufen, as the daughter-in-law, was tasked by Tong Huaqiong to assist at home.

As for her three bad bamboo sticks, Tong Huaqiong had no expectations for them.

Gu Taohua, sharing the same stance as Tong Huaqiong, saw no reason to get involved. As a daughter of the Gu Family who wasn’t even included in the family genealogy, why should she entangle herself in such matters? Making money was more enticing.

Gu Dashu also chose not to participate. He felt that Tong Huaqiong had already made significant sacrifices for this matter and had no desire to perform rites for his father’s lawful wife.

Regarding Jingzhe, he was indeed involved throughout the matter.

It wasn’t to oppose Tong Huaqiong, but primarily because Gu Dahuan was too naive, and Tong Huaqiong had sent him to support Gu Dahuan.

Tong Dajiao had in-laws and an unmarried sister-in-law who moved to another place with Mr. Gu’s brother after his death.

This family, including Mr. Gu’s brother, was difficult to deal with, stirring trouble whether necessary or not. When Mr. Gu was alive, they often quarreled and had disputes with Tong Dajiao.

They not only had conflicts with Tong Dajiao but caused trouble for everyone in the Gu Family’s main branch.

Including Gu Dahuan and Gu Baishuang.

Tong Huaqiong feared they would cause trouble during Mr. Gu and his first wife’s burial, so she sent the cunning young Jingzhe to assist his brother in managing the household.

However, Tong Huaqiong’s concerns were unfounded, as neither the elder Gu nor the second branch of the Gu Family returned at all.

Though Tong Huaqiong didn’t know the reason, it didn’t stop her from being happy. It would be best if they never came back.

She didn’t want to interact with them.

Nor did she want to be bound by familial duty to Mr. Gu’s parents.

Mr. Gu and his first wife were successfully buried together without any problems.

This further boosted Tong Huaqiong’s esteem in her stepchildren’s eyes.

Especially with Gu Baishuang, who had previously been skeptical of her stepmother’s motives. Chen Sufen explained the efforts Tong Huaqiong made for the Gu Family during this period, which greatly diminished Gu Baishuang’s discontent initially harbored from Tong Dajiao.

Tong Huaqiong had no time to ponder her stepdaughter’s opinion of her.

She was planning on buying land.

Previously, Elder Lu had given her a gift of three hundred taels of silver through Lu Zhaozhao, and combined with the two hundred taels she got from Yan Pozi and the Xu Family, she now had about five hundred taels available.

She had surpassed Xu Zaohua’s father, Xu Jin, and became the richest woman in Qinghe Bay.

Though she wanted to delve into other businesses, she hadn’t found new opportunities yet. The silver in her hands was burning a hole in her pocket, urging her to spend it.

In this era, buying land was the most secure investment.

After all, owning land meant having the means of production.

Tong Huaqiong recalled from Tong Dajiao’s memories that in this era, during a rebellion by some Prince, there would be a period of turmoil when the army passes through Yan Guan Town.

If such turmoil did affect her business, retreating to her land would still allow for a means of living.

So, she had to buy land.