The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 207: Returning a Favor

Tong Huaqiong smiled and said to He Chao and Boss Qian, "The village chief is right, you guys are too polite. Quickly take back the silver and jade ring."

He Chao returning the silver was fine.

But Boss Qian’s jade ring was too eye-catching.

Even if Liu Tieshan wanted to accept it, he wouldn’t dare!

The example of the former village chief Xu Yong was right there.

If you want to give the village chief something, there are plenty of opportunities to become neighbors in the future.

Why rush now?

Since Tong Huaqiong had spoken, He Chao and Boss Qian had no choice but to take back the silver and the jade ring.

The two exchanged a glance, the people in the village were indeed simple!

Boss Qian said, "In a few days, I’ll have someone send money to repair the ancestral hall. Also, I encountered several old women and men along the way to our village today. They’re at such an old age yet still working hard to farm and chop wood. From this month onward, I plan to supply some rice and flour monthly to the elderly over fifty-five in the village. I’ll need your help to arrange this, village chief."

Liu Tieshan was so happy to hear this that his smile was wide enough to hide his eyes.

This is a good thing!

After all, being cared for in old age is everyone’s wish.

If possible, as the village chief, he naturally hoped all the elderly in Qinghe Bay would be cared for, but where would the silver come from, and where would the rice and flour come from? Often constrained by the economy, he had no solution.

Now, with Boss Qian providing this convenience for the elderly, if County Magistrate Liu found out, he would surely credit the achievement to him.

He Chao said, "Count me in as well."

Boss Qian looked at Ma Chao and said, "Old He, you just arrived in Yan Guan Town. I see that you’re not exactly wealthy either, so don’t get involved in this."

Which left Ma Chao and Mrs. Hong quite embarrassed.

Tong Huaqiong couldn’t help but speak to He Chao, "Boss Qian is loaded, just let him do it."

And then she said to Boss Qian, "Boss Qian, why don’t you just give everybody in the village some silver?"

Using charity to gain a reputation had long been part of Tong Huaqiong’s plan to become a wealthy woman. The reason she hadn’t done it yet was that she wasn’t rich enough.

She had previously planned to set up a care home to provide rice and flour to the elderly, start rural schools to educate the village children, grow cotton, raise pigs, and employ the young and strong in the village.

Boss Qian, having just arrived and not yet established himself in Qinghe Bay, had already engaged in a wave of charity, garnering a reputation and stealing her thunder.

Boss Qian didn’t catch the sarcastic tone in Tong Huaqiong’s words and assumed she was advising him to build good relationships with the villagers this way.

He thought Tong Huaqiong was right. What buys people’s hearts more easily than money? Boss Qian looked gratefully at Tong Huaqiong and said, "Manager Tong, you’re right. I might as well distribute two taels of silver to every household in the village. Just as a way to get acquainted."

Tong Huaqiong: "..."

He Chao: "..."

Liu Tieshan shook his hand and said, "Boss Qian, we can’t do that, it would inflate everyone’s expectations."

Boss Qian looked at Tong Huaqiong, and she, already a bit annoyed, said, "It was a joke, and you took it seriously. Are you the God of Wealth?"

Surprisingly, Boss Qian didn’t feel embarrassed at all by Tong Huaqiong’s scolding; he even enjoyed it.

What did that mean? It meant his actions had caught Tong Huaqiong’s attention.

If Tong Huaqiong knew what he was thinking, she would definitely kick him out.

After discussing He Chao and Boss Qian’s settlement in Qinghe Bay, Liu Tieshan remembered the main purpose of his visit to Tong Huaqiong’s house, which was to communicate the final results of helping her hire people.

He had little difficulty hiring for Tong Huaqiong. Once he told each household about the people she wanted to hire, they all agreed.

They didn’t even ask about the wages.

Everyone in the village knew the wages for working at Tong Huaqiong’s house were high. Just look at the old man feeding and watching the pigs, he earned quite a bit daily.

Besides, meals were provided, and if not accepted, there was rice and flour in compensation.

Who wouldn’t be tempted?

By now, it was Tong Huaqiong choosing people rather than them choosing work.

Being chosen by Tong Huaqiong was considered lucky.

All they’re doing is farm work, and whether they do it for themselves or for Tong Huaqiong, either way, they get paid. This is much easier than burning charcoal on the mountain or carrying sandbags along the riverbank.

Liu Tieshan told Tong Huaqiong, "When I mentioned your hiring, everyone was very enthusiastic. I prioritized the few people you mentioned, and I picked a few more whom I think are honest and reliable. They can start working on your fifty acres on West Mountain tomorrow."

Moreover, Liu Tieshan had another purpose: to discuss how to distribute the anti-bacterial and insecticide to the villagers.

He hadn’t yet told the whole village that Tong Huaqiong intended to distribute the medicine, as he felt it wasn’t his place to take credit. It should be announced by Tong Huaqiong.

"No time like the present. As soon as everyone returns from the fields this evening, I’ll gather everyone together, and Dashi’s mother can talk about the anti-bacterial and pest control medicine," Liu Tieshan said.

"Alright."

Tong Huaqiong readily agreed.

Upon learning from the village chief that Tong Huaqiong had formulated anti-bacterial and insecticide, Boss Qian couldn’t help clicking his tongue in amazement.

He didn’t expect Tong Huaqiong to be so capable, not only running a shop but also formulating agricultural chemicals.

An absolute all-rounder.

He Chao and Mrs. Hong believed that Tong Huaqiong’s abilities far exceeded this; she could even formulate medicine to alleviate Mrs. Hong’s chronic ailments, so what was agricultural chemicals to her but a small matter?

He Chao and Mrs. Hong now had blind faith in their employer, Tong Huaqiong.

He Chao even thought about advising Tong Huaqiong to make a living selling the anti-bacterial and insecticide in a dedicated shop, wouldn’t the silver just pile up?

But this depended on what Tong Huaqiong wanted.

He Chao certainly didn’t know that Tong Huaqiong had obtained this medicine by cheating.

Tong Huaqiong had a principle in business, she always felt she shouldn’t sell items directly from her space, but instead use them to aid her life and business here. She worried that if she directly sold items from the space, it would vanish immediately.

Her business would be doomed!

So she dared not risk it easily.

It’s better to work steadily and honestly.

After sitting down again for a bit of tea, the village chief took He Chao and Boss Qian to see the wasteland where they were going to build their houses.

Tong Huaqiong went along as well.

When the old man of the Gu Family was alive, he had planted a large grove of poplar trees behind the house to separate it from the wasteland, and now the sound of the poplar trees rustling in the autumn wind could be heard.

They walked through the poplar grove and arrived after just a few steps.

Since taking over Tong Dajiao’s body, it was Tong Huaqiong’s first time visiting the wasteland behind the house.

Villagers rarely came to this wasteland, it was covered with weeds and vines.

The most eye-catching feature was a crooked tree in the middle.

Wild hares and pheasants, startled by Tong Huaqiong’s footsteps, scampered off in all directions.

Tong Huaqiong’s eyes lit up.

Why hadn’t she come to this wasteland sooner? These were exquisite delicacies!

"Grandma, I’ll go home and get the hare trap." Man Er, who had come along, said excitedly.

"Alright, go ahead," Tong Huaqiong said.

Man Er pulled Yaozu along as they ran home to get the trap.

The house had traps for catching wild hares and pheasants.

Before, Gu Dashu always hunted hares on the mountain, and no one had ever thought of hunting in the backyard wasteland.

Liu Tieshan said to He Chao and Boss Qian, "You can divide this wasteland down the middle, and even after building two yards, there’ll still be room left."

Boss Qian nodded with a smile and said to He Chao, "Later, I’ll hire someone to do a proper design."

Tong Huaqiong thought for a moment and said to Boss Qian and He Chao, "The young one from our village chief’s family knows how to build houses, why not leave it to the village chief?"

Leaving the construction to the village chief’s son, Liu Tong, was much better than paying the village chief a commission.

Keep in mind that the construction cost is the big expense.

Especially since this wasteland was rumored to have buried bones; then labor costs for clearing them would have to double.

He Chao and Boss Qian naturally understood what Tong Huaqiong meant, and they immediately entrusted the construction work to the village chief’s son.

This was essentially returning a favor to the village chief.

Liu Tieshan didn’t decline and immediately accepted on behalf of his son.

He Chao and Boss Qian were in high spirits, and Boss Qian was about to send someone to his restaurant to have wine and dishes brought over to Tong Huaqiong’s house to host a dinner for the village chief.

Tong Huaqiong couldn’t stop him, so she just let him go ahead.