The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 80: Longevity Peach

Gu Taohua was keeping an eye on the small kitchen, while Tong Huaqiong sat on a chair inside, her eyes slightly closed.

Not long after, Tong Huaqiong entered the space, and Man Er followed carrying cherries.

Tong Huaqiong skillfully headed to the kitchen, and after Man Er put down the cherries, she followed Tong Huaqiong into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator door without being told.

"Wow, these longevity peaches are so beautiful," Man Er exclaimed with excitement, clapping her hands upon seeing the very realistic longevity peaches in the fridge.

She knew these were prepared for Old Mrs. Huang, and her task was to take them out.

"Don’t hurry, have an ice cream first," Tong Huaqiong said, opening the freezer compartment, which she had stocked with various flavored ice creams.

Man Er, accustomed to everything in the room, reached out and grabbed an ice cream with colorful packaging, tore it open, and began to eat.

Once finished with the ice cream, Man Er began bringing items outside under Tong Huaqiong’s instructions.

Longevity peaches, red bean paste, shredded coconut, cream, condensed milk...

After moving these items into Old Mrs. Huang’s small kitchen, Man Er thoughtfully brought two ice creams to Aunt Gu Taohua.

"Oh my, niece, you’re so considerate," Gu Taohua said, her eyes twinkling with a smile.

Gu Taohua was plump, and the day was getting hot; holding the ice cream was like holding a life-saving weapon. She tore open the wrapper and began eating, not forgetting to throw the wrapper into the stove to burn.

While licking her ice cream, Gu Taohua sighed; if it were Yaozu, he’d surely eat it all himself without thinking of her, but Man Er was thoughtful, even in the rush of moving things, she thought of her. Previously, she had been blinded by oil, treating her sister-in-law and Man Er poorly; thankfully, her mother had silenced her.

"Grandma, when should we bring out this beautiful cake?" Man Er asked as she walked in.

"Wait until the birthday banquet is about to start," Tong Huaqiong replied.

Tong Huaqiong was using an electric mixer to beat butter and cream.

At first, she cursed the gods for only giving her a limited advantage, but now she was grateful. Though she couldn’t take items from the room outside, she could use the tools within.

Tasks like whipping butter and cream were almost impossible without electric tools; using chopsticks alone would be sheer drudgery.

Previously, unaware of the space’s tools, she had pressed Gu Dashu to whip cream and egg whites in the Gu Family kitchen, from morning till night until his arms were swollen, leaving him moaning on the bed.

The mere mention of entering the kitchen turned him pale.

Using the mixer, the desired soft and fluffy texture could be achieved in minutes.

If only Tong Dajiao’s era had such mixers—Man Er could bring it out, but there was no electricity in this era, so it would be useless.

Tong Huaqiong plans to open a pastry shop, and to stand out, she must combine Chinese and Western pastries. Western pastries need mixers, and employing someone to whip by hand with chopsticks would likely break their arms and still not meet the shop’s demands.

She can’t always rely on the space to whip, as she’d eventually be found out.

So, she plans for Man Er to bring the mixer out, find skilled craftsmen to disassemble and replicate it, creating a tool that can whip easily by hand—even if not as efficient as electric, it would be better than just using chopsticks.

She believes in the wisdom of skilled craftsmen throughout history—looms, irrigation tools, earthquake testers, all part of China’s brilliant civilization were invented by craftsmen.

Ancient craftsmen had low productivity but weren’t foolish.

If given inspiration, they can surely create the tools she wants.

Like Gu Jingzhe, who can draw an oven from her description; Qin Qingyou can construct it from Gu Jingzhe’s drawings.

The era isn’t short of clever people like Gu Jingzhe and Qin Qingyou.

Thinking this, Tong Huaqiong felt reassured, placing the whipped butter and cream in a basin, while Man Er cooperated smoothly, seeing her turn off the mixer and promptly carrying the basin to Old Mrs. Huang’s kitchen, handing it over to Gu Taohua.

Tong Huaqiong tidied up the room, then also stepped out of the space.

Gu Taohua had already lit the stove, set the large steamer with cloth on top.

Tong Huaqiong knew this meant they were preparing to steam the longevity peaches.

Steaming longevity peaches is simple, much like steaming buns, without needing to control the heat much.

Once the water boils, steam it for twenty minutes, let it sit, and it’s ready to come out.

Due to a giant showcase longevity peach, the time needed to be extended by twenty minutes.

The Huang Family’s small kitchen was far more advanced than the Gu Family’s, even equipped with a timed hourglass, making it more convenient for Tong Huaqiong to operate.

"Taohua, apply more oil on the steamer cloth," Tong Huaqiong carefully instructed.

Fires from traditional stoves don’t offer the control modern electric steamers or gas stoves do, often causing buns to scorch at the bottom; though tasty, such scorching would mar the aesthetic of celebration peaches, where appearance matters more than edibility.

"I got it, Mom."

Gu Taohua skillfully brushed oil on the steamer, then carefully placed the longevity peaches inside, covering it before focusing on the stove.

Tong Huaqiong cleared unrelated items from the cutting board, preparing to make peach blossom pastry, plum blossom pastry, lotus pastry, all visually appealing Chinese treats, and also planning some cake rolls for dessert afterwards.

To make a striking impression at Old Mrs. Huang’s birthday banquet, unique items like cake rolls are a must.

Tong Huaqiong finished a batch of peach blossom pastry, placing them in the oven.

The hourglass showed the longevity peach was ready to come out, and Gu Taohua stood up, revealing the steamer.

As the steam dispersed, Gu Taohua gleefully smiled, "Mom, the steamed longevity peach looks just like the real thing."

Tong Huaqiong leaned over with a smile on her face.

A giant longevity peach lay perfectly in the center of the steamer, beautifully risen, the red hue at the top and surrounding leaves unchanged by the steam, with leaves lifelike and embracing the peach, as if freshly picked, fresh and inviting.

Once the steam dissipated completely, Tong Huaqiong brought a bowl of cold water, and with Gu Taohua, gently moistened their hands to lift the peach, placing it on bamboo racks beside.

Tong Huaqiong checked around the peach, no burnt spots or edges, the giant "Longevity" character facing her hadn’t distorted; she was very satisfied.

Once cooled, Tong Huaqiong would arrange the pre-made small longevity peaches around it.

With the large peach surrounded by small ones, the scene would exude celebration and liveliness, any elderly lady would be delighted.

Tong Huaqiong was confident this would bring Old Mrs. Huang immense joy.

Yu Qin once mentioned, if Old Mrs. Huang is happy, there’ll be generous rewards; Tong Huaqiong already envisioned money waving at her.

"Mom, this longevity peach is just so beautiful," Gu Taohua marveled.

"Of course, take a look at your mom’s creativity," Tong Huaqiong couldn’t help but boast.

"What do we do next?" Gu Taohua asked.

"You handle wrapping the lotus pastries, I’ll do the styling; later you’ll need to keep the fire burning, since lotus pastries need frying to bloom," Tong Huaqiong instructed.

Tong Huaqiong considered lotus pastries the best-looking among pastry types, with lifelike blossoms opening on the plates, perfectly matching with the longevity peaches for the occasion.

Brought together, they perfectly fit Huang Yuanwai’s profile, offering a stunning display!