The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 88: When There’s a Stepmother, There’s a Stepfather
"What are you thinking, Dashi?"
Tong Huaqiong looked at Dashi as if he were a fool. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
"County Magistrate Liu, at least, is a genuine scholar from the imperial exams. How could he become sworn brothers with someone as uneducated as you? It’s true I saved the magistrate’s son, so they just call out to acknowledge it, but do you really think you can become a favored guest of Lord County Magistrate? Dream on."
"Try shouting at the county government hall that you’re Lord County Magistrate’s sworn brother, and see if he acknowledges you."
Tong Huaqiong didn’t hesitate to pour cold water on Dashi.
She saved the magistrate’s son and made a mark with the magistrate’s mother, but that doesn’t mean she completely secured Lord County Magistrate’s favor.
She didn’t even know if the magistrate was honest or corrupt, so she couldn’t misuse this favor.
Dashi was instantly brought back to reality by Tong Huaqiong’s scolding, his expression a bit disappointed.
Upon hearing that the magistrate’s son recognized Tong Huaqiong as a god-grandmother, he got overly excited, imagining himself as a sworn brother of Lord County Magistrate, even dreaming of asking the magistrate for a job as a government official.
Well, after being scolded by his mother, the dream of being a government official was completely shattered. He’s still just a farmer tied to the land in Qinghe Bay, Dashi.
"So saving the magistrate’s grandson was for nothing, and we got nothing out of it," muttered Liu Yueer.
"What do you want to gain?" Tong Huaqiong rolled her eyes at Liu Yueer, then climbed onto the cart with Taohua and Man Er.
"Wait a moment."
Dashi and Liu Yueer pulled the cart for a while before Baishuang caught up to them.
"Eldest sister, what do you need?"
Dashi sounded a bit impatient. Seeing Baishuang reminded him of the family tension over whether their deceased mother should be buried in the ancestral grave, which frustrated him.
Baishuang didn’t look at Dashi. She approached Tong Huaqiong and said, "Man Er told me Da Han is back home. I want to choose a good day to exhume my mother and bury her with my father."
Tong Huaqiong had promised this before, but when Dashi heard Baishuang mention it, he still got irritated and said rudely, "I think today is a good day. Why don’t you start today?"
Tong Huaqiong shot Dashi a glance and said to Baishuang, "You can discuss it with Da Han. There’s no need to consult me. It’s your father and mother to be buried together after all."
Tong Huaqiong really didn’t want to get involved in this matter.
She wasn’t originally from this world, and she imagined that in another world she’d be just a soul, uncaring of where she was buried.
That’s just how people are; once they close their eyes, who can think of what happens afterward but dust returning to dust.
"Alright, I’ll go back and discuss it with Da Han some other day," Baishuang said.
Tong Huaqiong nodded.
"Um, thank you for speaking up for me today."
It was the first time Baishuang had spoken so politely with her stepmother and she wasn’t accustomed to it.
Tong Huaqiong knew Baishuang was grateful for standing up to Mrs. Sun at the banquet, defending her dignity.
"I heard you’re planning to open a pastry shop in town. If you need help, feel free to ask, but be cautious of Crispy Food Garden; they’re tough to deal with," Baishuang pondered before speaking.
Baishuang felt her stepmother was a domineering figure in Qinghe Bay, but outside in the business world, it wasn’t going to be easy.
Crispy Food Garden had been operating in Yan Guan Town for decades, and taking a bite from them wouldn’t be simple. If Taohua Dessert remained a small stall nibbling away at small profits, it would be fine, but if it opened a shop, Crispy Food Garden would surely target them.
Though she hardly had a warm relationship with her stepmother, this reminder was already enough!
Tong Huaqiong said, "Thank you for the warning."
There was no need to mention being family; they weren’t one, to begin with. Keeping things polite on the surface was sufficient.
Baishuang had done well enough in this regard in Tong Huaqiong’s view.
However, if Tong Huaqiong were Baishuang, she wouldn’t let her mother be buried alongside her old Gu father.
There wasn’t anything worth competing for with a decrepit old man.
Before Tong Huaqiong came along, Da Han and Baishuang held a grudge against their stepmother but never realized their life’s misfortunes primarily stemmed from their own father, Old Gu.
The world often thinks a stepmother equals a stepfather, not realizing the father turned into a stepfather because he lacked the conduct expected of a real father.
They scraped by living under their stepmother’s oversight, while Old Gu watched things unfold clearly; Tong Dajiao married young into the Gu family, becoming a stepmother and bearing three children, vying for the limited resources with her own kids was understandable.
Moreover, Tong Dajiao had to tend to the in-laws and the little sister-in-law, naturally leading to resentment, with no outlet except venting toward Da Han and Baishuang.
The frustrating part is Old Gu standing aside, watching as long as the troubles didn’t concern him directly.
Baishuang married into the Nie household with the old widower; Tong Dajiao arranged the match and collected the silver, yet wasn’t Old Gu present all along watching his daughter get married into the Nie family?
That silver was also spent by him, while all the blame for pushing the stepdaughter into a pit fell onto Tong Dajiao.
Such a father remained anchored as an honest and innocent victim in the hearts of the Baishuang and Da Han siblings, with the greatest wish of their lives being burying their mother alongside such a father.
Truly ludicrous!
Nevertheless, Tong Huaqiong decided not to meddle in this, leaving Baishuang and Da Han to do as they pleased.
"By the way, how did your search for the shop go today?"
Dashi pulled Tong Huaqiong through the town streets, and Tong Huaqiong couldn’t help but inquire about the completion of their errand for the day by the second sibling and his wife.
"We looked through all the shops around here," Dashi said, "Liu Yueer and I set our sights on three places."
"The first one is beside the post station, formerly a herbal medicine shop. The young master there gambled away his family’s shop, which has been closed for half a year. It’s a bustling area with the cheapest rent of all the shops," Liu Yueer said.
"I don’t think this one is suitable. Although the area around the post station seems busy, Mother, think about it; who, after a long journey, would choose pastries over a hearty bowl of soup noodles to fill their stomach? Pastries aren’t staple meals," Dashi disagreed with his wife’s opinion.
Tong Huaqiong agreed with Dashi’s logical analysis and gestured for him to continue.
"The second shop is on Pear Blossom Lane. It used to sell food but closed down for some reason. This area is surrounded by eateries selling wontons and buns with a high customer flow, so the rent is relatively more expensive," Dashi said.
"What about the third one?" Tong Huaqiong asked.
"The third one is in Rouge Alley," Dashi said.
Tong Huaqiong was familiar with Rouge Alley, recognizing it as a street for selling cosmetics and clothing.
The last time she visited for fabric, she noticed two fancy restaurants and a Fengyue Building midway through the alley.
"This shop used to sell alcohol. The business was good when the former owner was around, but after falling ill and passing, his son — the current young master — took over. The young master had studied at Wanliu Academy but couldn’t pass the exams after several attempts and returned home. He only knows book learning, not business, so the shop’s business declined, and now he’s looking to rent it out," Dashi explained about the shop in Rouge Alley.
This shop fit Tong Huaqiong’s expectations.
Though Rouge Alley seemed unrelated to a pastry shop, it wasn’t the case at all upon careful consideration; like Dashi pointed out, pastries aren’t staple foods, only purchased when people have extra money.
Furthermore, she intended to develop her pastries into a more high-end line, including items like layered cakes.
Not to mention, she had other potential business in mind with the Fengyue Building as well. It wouldn’t be too much for a young gentleman to treat his favorite courtesan to a birthday dessert or a party, would it?
But she felt embarrassed to mention that particular business venture.
"So, how did the shop hunting go today?"
Dashi pulled Tong Huaqiong through the streets of the town. She couldn’t help but ask Old Gu’s second wife.
