The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 44: Mother and Daughter Unleash Their Power
The day to deliver the pastry samples to Huang Yuanwai had arrived.
The whole family knew this business deal was important, so even before dawn, everyone got up to help Tong Huaqiong with the preparations.
They carefully checked the various pastries and placed them in the baskets along with the packaging.
The packaging was designed by Gu Jingzhe and labeled by Gu Taohua, featuring a main theme of elegance and aesthetics. Tong Huaqiong felt that they were selling not just pastries but also a piece of culture.
Last night, Tong Huaqiong had already booked a ride with Mr. Xu, who readily agreed, though he still charged a fare for four people.
Tong Huaqiong didn’t mind, as other than Gu Taohua, the baskets and bags they carried took up a lot of space.
When they earned enough money, they definitely planned to buy a covered carriage for themselves.
No matter the era, having a private vehicle is always convenient.
Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua were to take the earliest ox cart driven by Mr. Xu to the town.
After checking the pastries, Chen Sufen and Liu Yueer prepared breakfast. Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua didn’t sit down to eat; instead, they took steamed buns and eggs with them to eat on the road.
Gu Dashi and Gu Jingzhe took advantage of the time when Man Er was not yet awake to tie up the little boar in the pigsty. They put a muzzle on its mouth and lifted it onto the cart, planning to visit the castrator recommended by Housekeeper He to have the pig neutered.
It was Tong Huaqiong’s idea to keep it a secret from Man Er because the child was still young and wouldn’t understand; they might even think the pig was being slaughtered, which would be too shocking.
The brothers were a bit anxious, unsure whether bringing a boar to the castrator would be seen as an insult, resulting in them being driven away.
But Tong Huaqiong wasn’t worried at all. The castrator was in the business to make money, not to do charity. As long as they paid in silver, it didn’t matter whether it was a man or a boar being castrated.
They had heard that castrating a person cost two taels of silver. With gritted teeth, Tong Huaqiong handed two taels of silver to Gu Dashi.
It was indeed expensive; two taels of silver could buy half a pig leg.
There was no choice, to have someone be the first to dare to do something always costs something.
Gu Dashi and Gu Jingzhe first helped Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua load the pastries onto Mr. Xu’s ox cart, then pushed the pig toward Pingchuan County.
Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua sat firmly on the ox cart, which was full of people from Qinghe Bay. Some were going to town to buy cooking oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, while others went to town for small businesses or odd jobs.
Once on the cart, everyone stayed far away from Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua, knowing these two women were not to be trifled with, fearing that involvement with them could lead to trouble.
Widow Tong and her bunch of bad bamboo already had a bad reputation in Qinghe Bay, and ever since it was spread by Matchmaker Wang that Gu Jingzhe took the Zheng Family’s silver to send Man Er to Eldest Young Master Zheng for good luck, people despised Tong Huaqiong’s family even more, not wanting to get involved.
If not for the fact that Mr. Xu was tempted by the fare for four seats paid by Tong Huaqiong, he would not have wanted to have anything to do with the pair.
The pastries placed beside Tong Huaqiong continued to give off a fragrant aroma, filling the entire ox cart with its scent.
The aroma was so enticing that everyone on the cart looked over at the baskets beside Tong Huaqiong.
The people from Qinghe Bay were no strangers to this aroma, which had wafted through various corners of Qinghe Bay in recent days, with children from every household salivating.
At first, no one knew the source of the aroma, so all the village children, along with their dogs, conducted a thorough search and finally discovered that the smell came from the Gu Family.
Everyone in the village was curious about what food the Gu Family was making, causing everyone to lose their appetite and sleep.
But no one dared to ask the Gu Family, as Widow Tong and her bunch were not easy to deal with.
There were a few brave ones, such as the younger children, who spent a long time peeking through the Gu Family’s front door and finally got the information from Gu Yaozu that Widow Tong was making pastries and planned to sell them in Yan Guan Town.
According to those working in Yan Guan Town, they indeed saw Widow Tong taking Gu Taohua to sell pastries near Crispy Food Garden.
People in the village laughed, thinking Widow Tong’s pastries were probably untrustworthy and who would dare to buy them?
How audacious of them to set up a stall at the entrance of Crispy Food Garden.
At this moment, two women sitting across from Tong Huaqiong exchanged glances, looked down at the basket beside her.
"Widow Tong, what’s in that basket of yours?" Asked Huang Pozi.
Tong Huaqiong replied irritably, "What’s in it is none of your business."
As far as Tong Huaqiong remembered, Tong Dajiao and Huang Pozi didn’t get along. Last year, the two had pulled each other’s hair, rolling from one end of the field to the other over water and land rights.
To be fair, the hair-pulling between Tong Dajiao and Huang Pozi wasn’t entirely Tong Dajiao’s fault. Huang Pozi falsely accused Tong Dajiao of stealing cabbages from her field, relying on the fact that Tong Dajiao’s husband had died, and when Tong Dajiao couldn’t win the argument, she started the fight by pulling Huang Pozi’s hair.
Due to Tong Dajiao’s poor rapport and impression in the village, everyone sided with Huang Pozi, and Tong Dajiao’s reputation fell to rock bottom because of it.
After hitting a wall with Tong Huaqiong, Huang Pozi felt a tingling in her scalp.
Tch, she thought, you’re still trying to sell pastries despite being so dishonest, what are you thinking?
Yan Pozi, who was sharing glances with Huang Pozi, scoffed and said, "Widow Tong, I heard you’re selling pastries in town lately. That basket is full of pastries, right? Smells delicious. Why not give us old sisters a taste? If they’re tasty, I might buy a pound to support your business."
Tong Huaqiong retorted coldly, "Are you a beggar, asking for food as soon as you open your mouth? Who are you to be supporting my business?"
This Yan Pozi was even more detestable than Huang Pozi.
Her son Xu Si was the most notorious rogue in the entire village, finding amusement in teasing women every day.
Whenever the families of the harassed girls sought explanation, Yan Pozi would not only refuse to scold her son but accuse the girls of seducing her son instead.
Even though Tong Dajiao wasn’t a great person, she would never do something like that. If Gu Dashi and Gu Jingzhe ever dared to act like hooligans, Tong Dajiao would cut off their arms and legs.
Last time, when Xu Si intentionally bumped into Chen Sufen’s backside, she hadn’t addressed it yet.
Yan Pozi rolled her eyes, nudging Huang Pozi, and said in a low voice, "Dressing so flirtatiously, who knows whether you’re selling pastries or something else? Not selling alone, you’ve even brought your daughter."
While speaking, she glanced at Gu Taohua, and the two women exchanged knowing smiles.
"Oh my, it seems Yan Pozi is quite experienced in selling things. I see you go to town every few days. Are you looking for some good luck or selling what you just mentioned? Otherwise, why would you immediately think of something else just because I’m selling pastries?"
"I’m selling pastries with my daughter, which is not as easy as you selling out with your son. Selling pastries is exhausting; it’s not as simple as spreading your legs and bending over. No wonder people say Yan Pozi’s family is doing so well. Sadly, I don’t have such good fortune."
After Tong Huaqiong said this, everyone on the cart couldn’t help but laugh.
After all, Yan Pozi’s reputation in the village was even worse than Tong Dajiao’s. Tong Dajiao’s poor reputation primarily arose from being a mean stepmother and mother-in-law, which was internal, while Yan Pozi’s protecting and indulging her son to behave like a beast was external.
Everyone on the cart worried about their daughters being harassed by her son Xu Si.
Tong Huaqiong’s retort unexpectedly enhanced her image among the villagers.
Xu Si sat next to Gu Taohua, witnessing his own mother being bested in an exchange with Widow Tong. He waved his fist and glared, cursing, "A widow daring to bully my mother. Believe it or not, I’ll throw you off the cart."
Gu Taohua stood up, pointing at Xu Si and shouting, "Sure, my mother may be a widow, but she’s not like your mother, who found you a bunch of wild fathers. Who do you think you’re threatening? Try lifting a finger against my mother, and watch as I crush you. You threaten to throw my mother off the cart; I’ll throw you off first."
Gu Taohua grabbed Xu Si’s wrist, pulling him so hard he almost fell off the cart.
Tong Huaqiong gave Gu Taohua a thumbs up.
