The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 192: Hired a New Shopkeeper
Tong Huaqiong got straight to the point, directly stating her purpose for coming to the He Family.
He Chao was stunned for a moment.
At the same time, he found it hard to believe.
Within just half a year, Widow Tong had actually opened a shop.
And it was doing remarkably well.
If it weren’t successful, how could she hire a shopkeeper?
Tong Huaqiong could tell He Chao’s thoughts from his expression.
This was understandable; who would believe that a widow from the countryside could open a shop and expand it to the scale of hiring someone to manage it?
If she hadn’t had some kind of advantage, she probably couldn’t have done it either.
Tong Huaqiong sincerely said to He Chao, "Housekeeper He, after the marriage agreement with the Zheng Family was broken, I started thinking of ways to make money. I have some skill in making pastries and started by setting up a stall in Yan Guan Town to sell pastries. To my surprise, the business was excellent. After a couple of months, I made some money and took over a shop. Now, the business is doing extremely well, and I’m preparing to open a second branch."
"To be honest, Ma Ming, the owner of Crispy Food Garden, recommended you to me. Since my pastry shop opened, it took over most of Crispy Food Garden’s business. Now, Ma Ming has transferred Crispy Food Garden to me. I’m inviting you to take over the former Crispy Food Garden."
He Chao was astonished.
Ma Ming is Zheng Junren’s cousin, whom he’s met several times and even helped deliver things to the Ma Family.
It’s said that his Crispy Food Garden had dominated Yan Guan Town for over ten years without a competitor, but it was overpowered by Widow Tong, who not only overpowered it but also forced Crispy Food Garden to shut down.
It seems this Widow Tong is quite capable.
He Chao’s gaze toward Tong Huaqiong transformed from disbelief mixed with disdain to admiration.
He Chao said, "Manager Tong, aren’t you concerned about our past issues? Aren’t you afraid I’ll refuse?"
Even the way He Chao addressed Tong Huaqiong had changed.
Tong Huaqiong waved her hand and said, "What issue? It was all a misunderstanding. At that time, you were just working for the Zheng Family. As for refusing, Housekeeper He, you can refuse. If you refuse, I can find another shopkeeper; at most, it just takes more time. But do you have any more opportunities in Pingchuan County?"
He Chao’s face turned sullen.
It appeared that Tong Huaqiong already knew the reason he was expelled from the Zheng Family.
In all honesty, he was wronged.
But who would believe it? Ever since leaving the Zheng Family, he had carried the shameful reputation of watching the young mistress bathe. Who dared hire him?
If it weren’t for the sick wife he had to take care of, he might not have survived until now. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Tong Huaqiong said, "Housekeeper He, I know you were wronged by Xu Zaohua. I dare to invite you, so I trust your character."
These days, He Chao had become numb to numerous people pointing fingers at him behind his back.
Suddenly hearing from an outsider who trusted him, it’s impossible not to be moved.
He Chao immediately made up his mind and said, "Manager Tong, thank you for your trust. I am willing to consider you my master."
That was settled.
The goal was achieved.
Tong Huaqiong smiled.
Then Tong Huaqiong couldn’t laugh anymore.
He Chao was indeed a crafty old fox. Upon realizing his value to Tong Huaqiong, he began to negotiate terms.
Not only did he want a monthly salary, but he also wanted a share of the profits.
Tong Huaqiong gritted her teeth and said, "Deal, but with the condition that you not only achieve performance goals but also help me train new shopkeepers."
In the future, Tong Huaqiong’s business would surely not be limited to pastries; there would be other ventures, like the pigs soon to be the market and future cotton cloth business—all areas she wanted to explore.
These days, clerks are easy to find, but shopkeepers are not.
She hoped that her shopkeepers would all be trained from within her own business.
He Chao gave his first laugh since Tong Huaqiong visited, saying, "Master, rest assured, we can sign a contract where every condition is clearly laid out."
This was exactly what Tong Huaqiong wanted, so both parties decided that He Chao would sign a contract upon taking the job.
"Since we’ve reached an agreement, I’d like you, Old He, to start as soon as possible. If you can leave today, you can come with us to Yan Guan Town today."
Since He Chao was no longer with Zheng Junren’s family and was now an employee of Tong Huaqiong, she naturally stopped calling him Housekeeper He and switched to calling him Old He.
Two coughs were heard from inside the room.
He Chao said with a troubled expression, "I would like to start as soon as possible, but my wife is sick and needs medication. I’m afraid the bumpy carriage ride might be too much for her today. Could you please give me three days, and we’ll set off then?"
At this moment, He Chao’s wife, Mrs. Hong, said, "I’m not as seriously ill as you say."
Tong Huaqiong listened to Mrs. Hong’s weak voice, not knowing what illness she had.
So she asked He Chao with concern, "What illness does your wife have?"
He Chao softly replied, "Her health has always been weak. Recently, she’s been coughing and having frequent fevers."
Tong Huaqiong thought for a moment and said, "Let me take a look."
Tong Huaqiong walked into the sickroom, where the dim lighting almost blinded her.
Mrs. Hong sat up when she saw someone entering.
Tong Huaqiong quickly walked over and held her down, while Man Er dutifully placed a pillow behind her.
"Cough, cough."
Mrs. Hong had heard the entire conversation between Tong Huaqiong and He Chao.
She was grateful that Tong Huaqiong was hiring He Chao as a manager, giving their family a glimmer of hope.
She was about to greet Tong Huaqiong and express her gratitude, but coughed before she could speak.
"Lie still," Tong Huaqiong said.
In Tong Huaqiong’s eyes, Mrs. Hong’s face lacked color, appeared blue and pale, her nose was red, and her lips were purple. When holding her down, she felt feverish.
The symptoms appeared to be those of pneumonia.
In Tong Huaqiong’s previous life, pneumonia was not a serious illness and could be quickly cured with antibiotics.
But in this era, without even anti-inflammatory drugs, even minor ailments could be life-threatening!
Especially persistent, unrelenting coughing from pneumonia.
Tong Huaqiong looked around and sighed, noticing how tightly closed the room was. How could viruses be expelled?
The patient needed fresh air and ventilation.
With this in mind, Tong Huaqiong opened a window, and the wind blew in, causing Mrs. Hong to cough a few more times.
"Why did you open the window while having a fever?"
When He Chao entered and saw the window open, he thought Mrs. Hong had opened it and, with a bit of blame in his tone, said, "Now it’s autumn, and the wind is chilly. The patient can’t catch a cold."
Tong Huaqiong argued, "Old He, it’s so stuffy with the window closed; how can the illness improve with no way for the illness to dissipate? Listen to me; having the window open for ventilation doesn’t mean having the wind blow directly on her, so how could she catch a cold?"
As she spoke, she walked over and insisted on keeping the window open.
Mrs. Hong coughed a few times and said, "I did feel a little better when the window opened."
Since Mrs. Hong said she felt better, He Chao had no reason to close the window.
"Which son of a bitch placed the medicine pot right in front of my house’s door? Do you want to pass the illness on to my house? Ever since you moved here, the whole yard’s been unlucky. If you can’t cure the disease, just leave the corpse still. Why bother others?"
"Move that medicine pot away quickly, or I’ll smash it."
Voices of cursing came from outside the window.
He Chao’s face turned pale.
"I’ll go check it out."
He Chao hurriedly walked out.
He had just been so focused on talking to Tong Huaqiong that he forgot there was still medicine brewing on the stove in the yard.
