The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 97: Manager Feng’s Weakness
"Are we setting up the stall tomorrow?" Taohua asked.
Tong Huaqiong replied, "We won’t for the next three days. First, let’s negotiate for Ma Huateng’s shop."
Negotiating for the shop is indeed crucial. The main thing is Tong Huaqiong wants to mislead Manager Feng, making him think she’s scared.
Manager Feng would definitely study her dessert recipe overnight. Within these three days, Crispy Food Garden might introduce the taro mochi and pork floss cake. By then, if she doesn’t set up the stall, those who love these two pastries will have to go to Crispy Food Garden to buy them.
Let Manager Feng wait to see his brand suffer.
Even if Crispy Food Garden can mimic ninety percent, that missing one percent is what makes Taohua Dessert stand out to customers.
She also needs Dashi to secretly monitor Manager Feng while promoting around town that Taohua Dessert is being targeted by Crispy Food Garden.
Taking a few days to regroup isn’t a bad thing.
Jingzhe thought for a moment and said, "Since our family has decided to open a shop, we can’t keep avoiding Crispy Food Garden. Manager Feng won’t let up easily. We can’t dodge forever; we must find a way to strike back proactively."
Tong Huaqiong looked at Jingzhe.
This son’s thoughts were exactly in line with hers.
Being raised under the same roof, Jingzhe indeed is smarter than the rest of the Gu family.
"I’ll have your second brother observe Manager Feng in town these few days and look for his weaknesses," Tong Huaqiong said.
Jingzhe laughed and provided some information, "Manager Feng doesn’t have a son; he adopted a nephew. But this nephew is a regular at the town’s gambling den."
Tong Huaqiong’s eyes sharply looked at Jingzhe upon hearing the word "gambling den," and she asked, "How do you know this? Have you been to the gambling den when you were studying in town?"
Jingzhe was startled and stood up to defend himself, "No, I’ve never been to the gambling den. I heard this from my classmate Meng Yanping."
"Before becoming the shopkeeper at Crispy Food Garden, Manager Feng worked at Meng Yanping’s family’s herbal shop. His nephew accumulated gambling debts at a young age and was at risk of having his fingers chopped off. To pay off the debt, he falsified the shop’s accounts to extract a large sum of money. After being discovered by Meng Yanping’s father, he was sent away, and that’s how he ended up at Crispy Food Garden."
Jingzhe promptly continued explaining.
At that time, a group of students, including him, went out shopping. When they went to Crispy Food Garden to buy pastries, Meng Yanping refused to eat the pastries there. When asked if he had a grudge against Crispy Food Garden, he shared this past issue.
Meng Yanping, Tong Huaqiong remembered him, was the rich student from the private school who bought her pastries last time.
She didn’t expect him to provide such vital information to Jingzhe.
Tong Huaqiong grinned.
A weakness of Manager Feng fell into her lap.
She didn’t believe someone who amassed a huge gambling debt at a young age could quit gambling—not only quit but become even worse.
"Dashi, go observe the gambling den for the next couple of days," Tong Huaqiong said.
Dashi nodded; he knew a few servants at the gambling den.
Tong Huaqiong stood up, fetched a knife from the kitchen, and placed it in front of Dashi, saying, "I’m sending you to the gambling den for a legitimate purpose. If you dare to gamble, it won’t just be about cutting your fingers—I’ll cut straight down your neck."\p>
Dashi shivered with fright and repeatedly promised, "I won’t gamble, Mom. I’m really afraid of gambling. Before, I just played a few rounds of dice, winning or losing not more than hundreds of coins. I don’t dare sit at a real gambling table."
Tong Huaqiong coldly mocked, "Remember, there’s no big or small in gambling. Gambling is gambling."
Dashi nodded vigorously.
"Third son, you go with your second brother for the next couple of days."
Tong Huaqiong felt that Jingzhe was smart and pairing him with Dashi would double the effectiveness.
Jingzhe nodded, accepting this honorable yet challenging task.
The whole family was somewhat excited, for some reason.
Tong Huaqiong concluded that everyone was united and working hard for the same goal, which was to successfully open their own shop. The shared sense of participation led to a united front.
This sense of excitement was good, far better than being dejected.
She believed that once people gained confidence, the likelihood of success increased.
Since they wouldn’t be setting up the stall the next day, Tong Huaqiong felt completely relaxed.
She went to the yard to check the baking oven Qingyou had set up. After a day and night of drying, it was ready for use.
She planned to use the oven to bake some pastries the following day to test its effect.
If the results were good, she’d have Qingyou set up two ovens in Ma Huateng’s shop when they acquired it.
In addition to this, the shop needed decorating. She had already decided on the style—bright and inviting like a modern shop, with pastries displayed for customers to choose from freely.
Even if the effect wasn’t good, she could adjust accordingly; it wasn’t a big deal.
With these thoughts, the gloom brought by Manager Feng dissipated.
The countryside night was filled with stars, and the chirping of frogs resonated in harmony.
Tong Huaqiong felt very calm, lying leisurely on the reclining chair in the yard, enjoying the breeze.
Taohua and Yaozu caught fireflies, placing them in a gauze bag, holding a stick ready to go out.
"Where are you two heading?" Tong Huaqiong asked.
"We’re off to catch cicada nymphs," Taohua replied.
Cicada nymphs, also known as young cicadas, crawl out from the ground toward trees to wait for the time to molt into adults as wheat ripens.
These cicada nymphs were considered a delicacy for countryside families who rarely had meat throughout the year, crispy when fried, and very tasty when dipped in salt.
The Gu family no longer lacked meat, and Taohua catching cicada nymphs was mainly for fun.
It was just like how Tong Huaqiong used to catch cicada nymphs in her childhood in modern times.
In her childhood, near her home and factory, there were small rivers, woods, and farmland. Every time the wheat turned yellow, she would catch cicada nymphs with friends using flashlights.
The focus wasn’t on the food itself, but on the joy of wandering in the woods with friends.
"Go on now, but don’t wander too far. Be careful, you two," Tong Huaqiong advised Taohua as she snapped out of her memories.
Taohua agreed, taking Yaozu with her as they headed out.
At that moment, people could be heard everywhere outside. It turned out every household was out catching cicada nymphs.
Luckily, cicadas reproduce very efficiently, so they weren’t driven to extinction.
In the countryside night, dew would fall, feeling cool on the skin.
As Tong Huaqiong leisurely enjoyed the breeze, she called out for Man Er, only to realize Man Er had gone to Chen Family Village.
It looked like the elder brother’s couple had indeed settled into Chen Family Village with Man Er.
She wondered if the Chen family’s attitude toward Chen Sufen would be as cold as she expected, giving Chen Sufen a sense of despair.
While she was thinking about the oldest family, a loud braying of a donkey was heard from outside.
The gate to the yard swung open. In the starlight, Gu Dahuan drove in with a donkey cart. Chen Sufen and Man Er were sitting on the cart, making the family of three neatly appear at the doorstep.
"Grandma!"
Man Er was the first to notice Tong Huaqiong, shouting loudly.
The voice hinted at grievance.
Tong Huaqiong sat up from the reclining chair, asking softly, "Weren’t you supposed to stay the night? Why are you back so soon?"
Neither Chen Sufen nor Gu Dahuan answered.
Gu Dahuan helped Man Er down from the donkey cart, and Man Er scurried into Tong Huaqiong’s embrace.
Tong Huaqiong’s heart was clear, the Chen family’s attitude toward Chen Sufen must have been worse than she expected, or else the family wouldn’t return home this late at night.
