The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 189: Rejecting a Confession

Tong Huaqiong gritted her teeth and expressed her true feelings.

Boss Qian, in this era, is considered a diamond bachelor.

In the eyes of ordinary people, Boss Qian taking a liking to her, a widow who has become a grandmother, seemed like her ancestors’ blessing, but Tong Huaqiong didn’t like him.

Tong Huaqiong’s soul was still that of a graduate student from a previous life, in her blossoming twenties, naturally preferring young and handsome men.

Boss Qian had expected Tong Huaqiong’s rejection, but hearing it still broke his heart.

This was the first time since becoming a widower that he had feelings for a woman, and his dream was shattered in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Who could bear such things?

"Manager Tong, you’ve managed to raise your children alone and in just a few months expanded from a small stall to a shop, quickly establishing yourself in Rouge Alley. I genuinely admire you. My feelings for you did not arise out of a momentary impulse but naturally developed after interacting with you for such a long time." Boss Qian shared his heartfelt journey with Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong was not keen on hearing Boss Qian’s confession; it was too awkward.

Not far away, her children were still waiting for her.

She waved her hand and said, "I understand, Boss Qian. I’m already a grandmother, so keep your feelings to yourself, and let’s carry on as usual."

With that, she escaped into the carriage under Boss Qian’s intense gaze.

Watching the carriage drive away, Boss Qian replayed in his mind how Tong Huaqiong reacted to his confession.

The more he thought about it, the more he admired her.

Manager Tong truly is an outstanding woman, facing his feelings without any hesitation.

"Manager Tong must be feeling shy," concluded Boss Qian.

Boss Qian believed that Tong Huaqiong’s rejection wasn’t due to a lack of feelings for him but out of shyness or perhaps because she hasn’t yet seen his good qualities.

After all, in this era, while it’s not unheard of for widows to remarry, those who do often don’t have a good reputation.

Moreover, for a widow like her to raise a family and run a business, it takes much more effort than for the average person.

For him to suddenly confess might make people think he’s like Tong Fusheng, dreaming of taking over Manager Tong’s shop.

That Tong Huaqiong rejected him now, not realizing his worth, wasn’t her fault. Clearly, he hadn’t done enough good, otherwise, why would she think he liked Gu Taohua instead of her?

Boss Qian slowly reassured himself.

Just now, when Tong Huaqiong climbed into the carriage, he seemed to see Jingzhe giving him a wary look.

As for the thoughts of Tong Huaqiong’s children, he didn’t care; as the saying goes, "The heavens will rain, and a mother will marry." If Tong Huaqiong was willing to be with him, who could stop her?

"Mother, what did Manager Qian want from you just now?" Gu Taohua asked.

Tong Huaqiong changed the subject, saying, "I’m planning to find a new manager for our shop, and I wanted to ask Manager Qian if he had any suitable candidates."

The conversation didn’t revolve around Boss Qian.

Taohua Dessert indeed needed a new manager now.

Hiring a new manager had been mentioned by Tong Huaqiong some time ago. Taohua Dessert currently only had one shop, but there would be more branches in the future.

Moreover, Tong Huaqiong was planning to venture into other businesses.

That would require cultivating her own "professional manager."

Finding a good manager wasn’t easy.

On the one hand, they needed to be loyal, and on the other, they had to be capable.

Now Tong Huaqiong was already training Gu Taohua and Gu Dashi to look at the accounts. She planned to let Gu Taohua manage the pastry shop, while Gu Dashi would participate in other businesses.

As the carriage passed Crispy Food Garden, Tong Huaqiong saw two clerks closing the doors.

Who would have thought that just a few months ago, the once-famous Crispy Food Garden would see its business decline so quickly.

Once a shop falls out of favor, it’s very difficult to rise again.

Unless a sensational product appears, but for now, Crispy Food Garden clearly doesn’t have that capability.

After entering autumn, business for Crispy Food Garden worsened.

That day, while Tong Huaqiong was busy, Ma Ming, the owner of Crispy Food Garden, came to see her.

Since Manager Feng left Yan Guan Town, Crispy Food Garden had changed three managers, none able to restore its former glory.

Recently, it had been unable to withstand the competition from Taohua Dessert.

As soon as Ma Ming stepped into Taohua Dessert, Tong Huaqiong guessed his intention.

As she expected, Ma Ming planned to withdraw Crispy Food Garden from Yan Guan Town. If things continued, it would affect the business in other locations.

He thought it better to sell Crispy Food Garden while it still held some reputation in people’s minds.

Who would be the best to sell Crispy Food Garden to?

He thought of Tong Huaqiong.

As a competitor, he didn’t like Tong Huaqiong and blamed Taohua Dessert for taking away Crispy Food Garden’s business.

He couldn’t beat Taohua Dessert in direct competition.

And he had concerns about using underhanded means.

When Manager Feng and Feng Chuan betrayed Crispy Food Garden, Tong Huaqiong didn’t seize the opportunity to take over Crispy Food Garden’s shop but instead presented him with stamps and contracts.

This favor he couldn’t forget.

If he betrayed this loyalty, he would have no future in business.

After all, he had heard of Manager Tong’s methods and feared that if he resorted to underhanded means today, Tong Huaqiong would expose him to the world tomorrow.

He didn’t solely rely on Crispy Food Garden in Yan Guan Town for income, and losing his entire business for one shop would be too costly.

Ma Ming, being a businessman, knew how to weigh the pros and cons.

Since Ma Ming was willing to transfer the shop to her, Tong Huaqiong was happy to accept.

They exchanged pleasantries first, but when it came to pricing, it was a fierce negotiation. After some back-and-forth, Tong Huaqiong finally completed the nominal "acquisition" of Crispy Food Garden.

After agreeing verbally, the next day, Tong Huaqiong completed the shop’s handover procedures with Ma Ming, accompanied by Jingzhe.

"...Boss Ma, do you have any suitable managers who could recommend to me?" Tong Huaqiong asked.

Ma Ming gave a wry smile.

He indeed had managers, but somehow, once they came to Crispy Food Garden, they couldn’t adapt.

The three managers who succeeded Manager Feng were all fired in frustration.

Ma Ming said to Tong Huaqiong, "If I had a manager capable of revitalizing Crispy Food Garden, I’d keep them for myself."

Tong Huaqiong didn’t comment.

Some people just need to be used by the right person.

Perhaps some managers don’t perform well for Ma Ming but might excel under Tong Huaqiong.

As a competitor, she didn’t mind poaching Ma Ming’s skilled staff.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Boss Ma, you’re being too modest."

Seeing how sincerely Tong Huaqiong spoke, Ma Ming did think of someone.

But this person didn’t match his aura, so he hadn’t approached them.

When he mentioned the name, Tong Huaqiong hesitated for a moment.

This person was somewhat familiar to Tong Huaqiong, and she had three previous encounters with them, none pleasant.

Ma Ming said, "He used to be the manager at my cousin’s shop in the provincial capital and managed it well. It was only because of his wife’s illness that he returned to Pingchuan County to be my cousin’s housekeeper."

Ma Ming recommended Housekeeper He from the Zheng scholar’s family.

Upon hearing that Housekeeper He had managed a shop in the provincial capital and treated his wife well, Tong Huaqiong’s opinion of him improved slightly.

So she said, "If you can’t recruit him, how could I?"

Ma Ming said, "I heard he offended my cousin’s eldest daughter-in-law and got kicked out. I really wanted to hire him, but I couldn’t because of my cousin."