The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 197: Revealing the Secret

"... Take these twenty tales of silver for now; you’ll need money for renting a house and buying daily necessities."

After discussing work, Tong Huaqiong took out the silver she had prepared and handed it to He Chao.

Tong Huaqiong knew He Chao needed silver now.

The warehouse of Taohua Dessert was just a temporary shelter for He Chao and Mrs. Hong, not a place they could stay forever.

He Chao accepted it without hesitation and said, "Alright, I won’t stand on ceremony with you. You can deduct this silver from my wages and bonuses."

Tong Huaqiong nodded; she had the same thought.

Then Tong Huaqiong took out several bottles, handed them to He Chao, and said, "These are medicines for Sister Hong. Instructions for use are on the labels."

He Chao wasn’t moved when given silver, but when he got the medicine, he was so emotional he nearly knelt in gratitude to Tong Huaqiong.

He had seen the effects of the medicine that afternoon; in such a short time, one-third of Mrs. Hong’s illness was gone.

If the medicine were continued, a full recovery might be possible.

"These are free," Tong Huaqiong said with a smile, "If you want to thank me, just manage the shop well for me."

He Chao stood and bowed deeply to Tong Huaqiong.

Everything was understood without words.

Tong Huaqiong had more to say to He Chao.

"Manager He, the first time I met you, you were a steward who spoke and acted with moderation. I believe your skills were not just promoted by the Zheng Family, but that you were chosen because of your talent. Being bullied by a burly man in the courtyard today was simply due to being oppressed by reputation, leaving your heart without the courage to fight back. Honestly, I don’t like the He Chao of the courtyard, and I hope today’s He Chao will not appear again in the future."

"I am someone who sees reputation as nothing. I, a widow, did not have a good reputation in the past. You can casually ask around Qinghe Bay to know this, but even I could turn things around, so why can’t you? I hope you won’t be troubled by reputation here. If you pay it no mind, then reputation cannot bind you. Remember, you are the shopkeeper of Taohua Dessert. Show your dignity and skills."

After Tong Huaqiong finished speaking, He Chao seemed thoughtful, and then he stood up and thanked Tong Huaqiong once more.

"Boss, rest assured. The He Chao from the courtyard will be left behind there. I won’t say any sweet words; just watch my performance," He Chao said.

Tong Huaqiong was very pleased with He Chao’s response.

In his past life, he was able to escape from his reputation and make a thriving business in Shengjing.

How could he not do so in this life?

...

The next day, He Chao energetically took his position.

He first got to the bottom of the background of the clerks from the former Crispy Food Garden and then fired an old clerk who agitated others to reject the new flagship pastries of the shop.

The brand of Crispy Food Garden had vanished in Yan Guan Town, longing for its products was a dead-end, wasn’t it?

Now there was no Crispy Food Garden in Yan Guan Town, only Taohua Dessert.

They must adhere to the business philosophy of Taohua Dessert.

The dismissed clerk went to Taohua Dessert to complain to Tong Huaqiong, but Tong Huaqiong was indifferent.

Since she had hired He Chao, she would fully support and trust him.

Any change would disturb the interests of the old-timers. Naturally, those immersed in the past were reluctant to change.

But without change, the shop could not develop.

The only thing Tong Huaqiong could do was tell He Chao to compensate those laid off sufficiently with silver.

She didn’t want the dismissed to leave with resentment, affecting Taohua Dessert.

Indeed, once the dismissed old clerk received the compensation silver, the complaints disappeared, and he said that since Taohua Dessert didn’t want him, he could go to other shops.

Gu Taohua, per Tong Huaqiong’s request, followed He Chao for training.

When Gu Taohua addressed him as "Master" right off the bat, it put He Chao at ease. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

After all, when He Chao had blocked Tong Huaqiong and her group for debt on the road, he had been subdued by Gu Taohua’s large hands, which left such a shadow that seeing Gu Taohua made his heart race.

Gu Taohua was not only respectful in attitude but also had a strong ability to learn.

In less than a day, He Chao acknowledged Gu Taohua as his apprentice.

He Chao showcased his talents at Taohua Dessert, with business booming at the store in Rouge Alley. The former Crispy Food Garden was converted into a branch of Taohua Dessert, and the bookings were so filled to the brim that its success was impressive.

Tong Huaqiong expressed great satisfaction.

She was finally able to step back and only needed to provide guidance for operations and management, without having to be hands-on in everything.

After both stores were on the right track, Tong Huaqiong planned to reveal the secret of the space to Gu Dashi and the others.

Since it couldn’t be hidden forever, it was better to say it sooner rather than later.

Moreover, now she had Gu Dashi responsible for the procurement tasks for Taohua Dessert. Those things like cream, no matter how hard Gu Dashi tried, couldn’t be bought.

Gu Jingzhe, who was burying himself in books at the private school, was called to Qinghe Bay by Gu Dashi, thinking something had happened at home.

Seeing Tong Huaqiong gather the whole family in the main room and having Gu Dashi firmly close the door, his worries intensified.

Gu Jingzhe asked, "Mother, has something happened?"

Directly telling Gu Jingzhe this was no trivial matter, but it might not be about the store.

After all, since He Chao had been managing the shop, Taohua Dessert’s business had been flourishing, and now Tong Huaqiong didn’t even want him coming to the shop, urging him to focus on preparing for next year’s county examination to strive for the title of scholar.

Tong Huaqiong glanced at Gu Jingzhe, then at Gu Dashi and the others, organizing her words in her mind.

"Our family has a mysterious space."

"... Those ingredients for making pastries, like cream, cheese, and taro paste, all come from that treasure space. Now, my family is the only one with me, Taohua, and Man Er who can enter, and each person’s capability inside is different. The reason I didn’t tell you before was that you were too reckless before. I feared that telling you would lead you not to live your life well. Secondly, I didn’t trust you enough before, worried you would divulge the secret."

Tong Huaqiong revealed the space to them.

The room was silent, with Gu Dashi, Gu Dahuan, and others stunned by Tong Huaqiong’s depiction of the bizarre space.

It was simply unbelievable!

Only Gu Jingzhe, after the initial shock, quickly regained his composure.

Tong Huaqiong asked Gu Jingzhe, "Jingzhe, did you suspect this for a while?"

Tong Huaqiong asked this partly to gauge Gu Jingzhe’s understanding of the space and partly to see if he knew his mother had changed inside.

Gu Jingzhe said, "I suspected how Mother suddenly became skilled in making pastries, and I had never seen some of the materials used in those pastries. I suspected that Mother received guidance from an expert. I didn’t expect there to be a space; it’s too unbelievable..."

As a staunch materialist, Gu Jingzhe had previously never believed in such supernatural phenomena.

Now though...

Gu Jingzhe looked at Man Er, and his thoughts began to wander.

The so-called dreams sent by immortals Mother spoke of before were false; she changed because she saw the great value in Man Er.

Fortunately, Mother saw the significant value in Man Er; otherwise, they would never have reflected on their past actions.

Gu Dashi stammeringly asked, "Then... can I enter this space?"