The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 38: I’m Exhausted

After scolding son and daughter-in-law,

Tong Huaqiong felt great.

The best part of having a house full of children and grandchildren is, you can scold anyone anytime, and they still sit quietly and listen.

Feeling refreshed, Tong Huaqiong returned to the kitchen to continue working on her pastries.

"Mom, what kind of pastry are you making? I could smell it at the edge of the village, and people there are discussing where the scent comes from. Even the dogs are sniffing around."

Gu Dashi peeked inside the kitchen door.

The aroma was irresistibly delicious, making him drool.

He really wanted to grab a piece and taste it.

"Go, go, go! No matter what pastry is being made, you can’t eat it now. This is your mom’s secret weapon for earning money."

Tong Huaqiong waved him off while mixing butter in a bowl.

Next, she planned to bake butter cookies.

Butter was unheard of during this era, the cookies would surely amaze Mr. Huang.

As soon as Tong Huaqiong mentioned money, Gu Dashi instinctively became humble.

After all, his mom sacrificed fifty taels of silver just to keep Gu Yaozu from being sent away.

To earn those fifty taels of silver, she worked tirelessly making pastries.

If Huang Yuanwai wasn’t satisfied and wanted the deposit back, then he would be in big trouble.

"Alright, mom, you’ve had a tough time. Yue Er, make sure to assist mom well and give her a handkerchief to wipe sweat and such." Gu Dashi said.

"Tomorrow I’ll join mom in setting up the stall."

Hearing this, Tong Huaqiong knew Gu Dashi was slacking off again.

He didn’t intend to set up the stall; it was obvious he wanted to go to town.

So she scolded: "You just said you wanted to be a good example for Yaozu, and now you’re showing your true colors. Are you the essence-eating spirit? The wheat is already growing, everyone in the village is in the fields tending to crops, I saw our wheat field yesterday, and the weeds are as tall as people. Me, your elder sister-in-law, and your sisters are at home making pastries, are we supposed to tend to the crops too?"

"You can’t earn money, nor tend to the crops? Hurry and tend to the wheat for me. First, weed the field, it’s been half a month since it rained, go check if the two fields at the foot of West Mountain need watering. If needed, you and Gu Jingzhe make sure to fully water the fields."

"If the harvest is delayed, I won’t spare you."

Amidst Tong Huaqiong’s scolding, Gu Dashi took a hoe from the firewood room.

"I’ll go with Second Brother." Gu Jingzhe said.

Initially skeptical about Tong Huaqiong’s pastry-selling skills, Gu Jingzhe brightened as he stepped into the house, noticed the aroma, and saw the beautifully shaped pastries through the kitchen.

The pastries smelled better than those in Crispy Food Garden and looked better too.

Mom definitely has some tricks up her sleeve.

Gu Jingzhe changed his thinking, wondered why Dad was such a fool yet the family produced a prodigy like him, he resembled Mom after all.

Laziness must have previously concealed Mom’s abilities.

Hence, he didn’t question the source of the fifty taels of silver anymore.

The two sons carried hoes and headed to the fields.

Tong Huaqiong fell into deep thought.

Lately, traveling back from town and passing her family’s wheat field, the growth couldn’t compare to neighboring ones.

The neighbors’ wheat fields were lush and green, with plump ears indicating an auspicious harvest.

Her family’s wheat field was sparsely populated, the ears weren’t developing well, and some rows had yellowing leaves, clearly tended by lazy individuals.

This was all the result of Tong Dajiao leading the family’s daily life.

Usually, Gu Dahuan labored at the dock; all field work fell on Chen Sufen, who was also occupied with household chores and couldn’t manage well.

Certainly, Gu Dashi and Liu Yueer also worked in the fields, but this couple never worked earnestly and often slacked off.

Due to multiple factors, the Gu Family’s fields didn’t grow well, yielding noticeably less grain than the village average.

Tong Huaqiong thought that money is crucial in this era, but the land shouldn’t be overlooked, as land resources are fundamental for survival.

Owning land and growing grain can sustain life even through wartimes, when business activities halt.

Tong Huaqiong planned to make time to think about her field’s matters, such as increasing yield, exploring which crops can earn money, and purchasing fertile land to expand ownership.

"Mom, is this flour sifted well enough?"

Chen Sufen presented the sifted flour to Tong Huaqiong, who felt it thoughtfully and nodded in satisfaction.

One must admit Chen Sufen has a talent for this, she sifted flour with even consistency, exactly what Tong Huaqiong desired.

Her great craftsmanship might be passed on to Chen Sufen in the future, so she could focus solely on expanding the business scale.

Sitting by the stove, Liu Yueer felt quite uncomfortable seeing Chen Sufen learn countless skills from mother-in-law these days.

These skills could earn silver.

Moreover, mother-in-law gave Chen Sufen a new set of clothes.

"Focus on your fire, you won’t be left out when we make big money." Tong Huaqiong glanced at Liu Yueer, knowing she had thoughts again, feeling tired—Liu Yueer was so narrow-minded, always needing discipline to keep in line.

Hearing about silver, Liu Yueer’s eyes lit up.

"Grandma, I’ll go pick pigweed."

Man Er, seeing all the adults busy and feeling anxious for not contributing, swiftly picked up a basket to gather pigweed.

"Go ahead, but don’t wander too far." Tong Huaqiong reminded her.

Man Er nodded.

"Sister Man Er, I’ll join you in picking pigweed."

Gu Yaozu wanted to win his grandmother’s favor and approached Man Er eagerly.

Man Er hesitated for a moment, then said: "I’ll take you along if you promise not to cause trouble."

Gu Yaozu quickly nodded, promising: "I won’t cause trouble, I’ll gather grass."

Both volunteered to take Man Er’s basket.

Tong Huaqiong smiled secretly, kids are often smarter than adults think. Take Yaozu, he used to dare bully Man Er, knowing he wouldn’t face consequences. After the jujube cake incident, he recognized Man Er’s irreplaceable place in Tong Huaqiong’s heart, and smoothly started to curry favor.

That was precisely the result Tong Huaqiong aimed for.

After finally creaming the butter, Tong Huaqiong felt exhausted.

It would be great if she could cream the butter in another space, relying on tools that save both time and energy.

Making butter cookies was simple: mix flour, butter, powdered sugar into dough, shape it and bake.

After mixing all ingredients, Tong Huaqiong secretly sprinkled some milk powder, then rolled up her sleeves to knead the dough.

"Mom, let me knead the dough." Chen Sufen offered.

"Let Taohua handle it, Taohua is strong."

Initially, Gu Taohua assumed with two sisters-in-law helping, she wouldn’t be needed, she dressed up to show off her new clothes to other village girls, yet was caught by Tong Huaqiong at the kitchen door.

Gu Taohua has strength, now is the time to use it.

Ordered by Tong Huaqiong, Gu Taohua didn’t dare refuse, so she washed her hands and took the mixing bowl from Tong Huaqiong.

After Gu Taohua kneaded the dough well, Tong Huaqiong taught Chen Sufen how to make cookie molds.

Tong Huaqiong taught with detail, Chen Sufen learned diligently, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo worked efficiently to make a tableful of cookie molds.

After airing for a tea’s time, placed each cookie mold, Chen Sufen continued working with Tong Huaqiong to send cookies onto the large iron pan.

"Finally finished." Tong Huaqiong rubbed her tired waist.

Bending over all afternoon was truly tiring!

Though only forty, compared to her previous life’s twenty-year-old physical condition, there’s simply no comparison.

In the previous life, staying in the lab for a day didn’t lack energy.

"Mom, I’ll keep an eye on the heat, you should rest." Chen Sufen said considerately.

Chen Sufen was meticulous and had a knack for baking, especially since baking was the final step—the operation of baking.

With Chen Sufen, Tong Huaqiong could rest easy.

"Alright, with you watching, I am reassured."

Tong Huaqiong nodded and walked out of the kitchen, sitting by the door to enjoy the breeze.

I’m exhausted!