The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 191: Seeking Help in the County Town
"Shopkeeper, I just heard the porter of the Cheng Family gossiping a bit, I didn’t intentionally ask around. You know, I have no relationship with Xu Jin’s family, and I’m not interested in Xu Zaohua’s matters. I didn’t delay delivering pastries because of this."
Qin Qingyou, hearing that Tong Huaqiong wanted to learn about the gossip involving the Zheng family’s housekeeper and Xu Zaohua, thought Tong Huaqiong suspected him of slacking off at work, so he started defending himself.
Tong Huaqiong said helplessly, "I’m not blaming you for chatting with others. As long as it doesn’t interfere with your work, I don’t care who you gossip with. Just tell me clearly what you know about Xu Zaohua and the Zheng family’s housekeeper, I have a legitimate reason."
Aunt Qin stood by, discontentedly watching her son, urging him to hurry up and speak.
Qin Qingyou carefully recalled the information revealed by the Cheng Family’s porter and recounted it in detail to Tong Huaqiong.
"...There’s something we shouldn’t easily talk about, after all, it concerns Zaohua’s reputation." Qin Qingyou lowered his voice.
Mrs. Zhao, keenly understanding the situation knew that Qin Qingyou’s words were not meant for anyone other than Tong Huaqiong, so she found an excuse to pull Aunt Qin away.
"What reputation?"
Tong Huaqiong expressed approval for Qin Qingyou’s discretion.
"It is said that Housekeeper He caught Zaohua and a servant in the back garden... Zaohua, fearing that Housekeeper He would talk, devised a plan while pregnant, to catch him watching her bathe and drove him away." Qin Qingyou said.
Having heard the beginning, Tong Huaqiong had basically guessed the rest.
Tong Huaqiong had met Mr. Zheng before, laid out on a chair like a slab of meat. For such a sickly body, Tong Huaqiong doubted Xu Zaohua could have gotten pregnant by him.
However, she didn’t find it disgraceful for Xu Zaohua to carry on with a servant to secure her position as the eldest young madam of the Zheng family. If it were she, she might have acted even more decisively than Xu Zaohua.
As a traditional man, Housekeeper He had discovered Xu Zaohua’s scandal; Xu Zaohua’s fear of him exposing it and her actions against him were understandable.
However, Tong Huaqiong curiously asked, "How did the Cheng Family’s porter know all about Zaohua’s affairs?"
Qin Qingyou replied, "The Cheng Family is the maternal family of Mrs. Zheng. They have connections through relatives. Xu Zaohua’s former maid, who served Mr. Zheng, has an aunt married to the Cheng Family’s porter. The maid was also driven out by Zaohua, so the porter knew about it."
"It’s unclear whether the elders of the Zheng Family are confused or what, but they actually believe Xu Zaohua."
Tong Huaqiong was not surprised at all, knowing that Zheng Junren wished for Mr. Zheng to have a child. As long as Xu Zaohua’s rendezvous with the servant remained unproven, the elders of the Zheng Family would stand by her.
Furthermore, Xu Zaohua’s capabilities were not weak either, and she could manage to have Zheng Junren on her side by her abilities.
Since Housekeeper He was driven away, it spoke volumes.
Spying on the young mistress bathing was a serious accusation.
It’s likely that no one in the entire Pingchuan County would dare to hire Housekeeper He.
It was just right for Tong Huaqiong to take advantage of this opportunity.
Bearing this in mind, Tong Huaqiong happily patted Qin Qingyou on the shoulder, telling him to be more sociable when delivering pastries, as long as it didn’t interfere with his work, and engage with people, he might discover information of interest to her.
Qin Qingyou was relieved to hear this.
So the shopkeeper wouldn’t punish him for chatting outside.
Early the next morning, Tong Huaqiong ordered Gu Dashu to drive the donkey cart and take her to Pingchuan County.
She intended to personally invite He Chao.
Tong Huaqiong also brought along Man Er.
The reason for bringing Man Er was mainly due to Tong Dajiao’s past life where Man Er and Housekeeper He were deeply connected.
Housekeeper He was very loyal to Man Er.
Considering there was a bond in the previous life, this life they were considered old acquaintances, certainly more effective than directly inviting Housekeeper He to oversee the shop.
Upon arriving at Pingchuan County, she first went to Elm Street to find the pig castrator, Master Tan, and learned from him that Housekeeper He lived on Purple Stone Street.
"Sister Tong, you’ve heard the rumors about Old He, right? I’m willing to bet they are all false. How could a dignified and respectful person like Old He watch the young mistress bathe? It’s just the Zheng Family using him and then finding an excuse to discard him."
Master Tan, upon learning that Tong Huaqiong intended to hire He Chao as her shop manager, feared she might be swayed by rumors of He Chao being expelled from the Zheng Family, so he defended He Chao.
Tong Huaqiong said, "Brother Tan, I understand the destructiveness of rumors, and how unreliable they are."
Master Tan felt that as a widow, Tong Huaqiong must have also suffered from many rumors and respected her even more, deciding in the future to be more skillful when castrating pigs for her.
Master Tan sighed, "You really understand, Manager Tong. Now it’s really tough for Old He; he left the Zheng Family with nothing. His wife is ill, and with the slander from the Zheng Family, no one in Pingchuan County dares to hire him."
Due to He Chao’s difficulty finding employment in Pingchuan County, Tong Huaqiong was confident she could persuade him to work as a manager in Yan Guan Town.
After bidding farewell to Master Tan, with Man Er and Gu Dashu, Tong Huaqiong headed to Purple Stone Street.
After some inquiries, she found He Chao’s home.
Gu Dashu went to knock on the door, and He Chao was quite surprised to see Tong Huaqiong.
"Housekeeper He, long time no see."
Tong Huaqiong greeted him with familiarity, not waiting for an invitation, she stepped right in.
Initially, she thought He Chao, as a reputable housekeeper for Zheng Junren, would have a good living condition.
But his place turned out to be a large crowded courtyard.
Tong Huaqiong looked around, observing four to five households residing in the large courtyard. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
He Chao was bewildered by Tong Huaqiong’s visit.
Frankly, he didn’t have a good impression of Tong Huaqiong.
At first, the widow sold her granddaughter for her son, then her shrewish antics left a deep shadow on him. If it weren’t for the smile on her face, he would have thought Tong Huaqiong had come to kick him while he was down.
"It was Master Tan who told me you lived here, where exactly is your home?" Tong Huaqiong asked as she stepped into the courtyard entrance.
Upon hearing Master Tan’s mention, He Chao felt a slight stir, studying Tong Huaqiong more carefully.
This widow was entirely different from when he saw her in the spring, like a complete transformation.
It wasn’t about her looks; Widow Tong had always been on the pretty widow side.
But her demeanor exuded an indescribable free-spiritedness.
He Chao nonchalantly led Tong Huaqiong to a room near the inner quarters.
The room, with its windows shut, was stifling and dark.
"Who is it?" A weak female voice came from inside.
"It’s a guest," said He Chao.
Tong Huaqiong remembered what Master Tan had said about He Chao’s wife being sick, and figured the weak voice’s owner must be He Chao’s wife.
"May I ask, what brings you to my home?" He Chao’s face no longer showed its past luster, and he spoke with caution towards Tong Huaqiong, even his voice was tinged with caution.
Could it be that she came to thank him for introducing Master Tan for pig castrating?
That would be quite unnecessary.
He really couldn’t fathom why a woman from the countryside would come to his door.
Currently, their only identity was as adversaries of Xu Zaohua, a label Xu Zaohua had imparted to Widow Tong which he had heard.
"Housekeeper He, don’t trouble yourself."
Tong Huaqiong stopped He Chao from making tea.
"Let’s not beat around the bush. I’ve come to invite you to be the manager of my family’s shop."
