The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 111 White-Eyed Wolf

"Rebel!"

Manager Feng felt a metallic taste in his mouth, picked up the paperweight on the table and threw it at Feng Chuan, who was hit on the head and bruised.

He had just paid back two hundred taels to Feng Chuan, and he really didn't expect that there was still a debt of one thousand taels waiting for him.

"Do you know what a thousand taels means? How dare you?" Manager Feng shouted, panting.

"Second Uncle... no, Father, I was framed." Feng Chuan looked aggrieved.

Feng Chuan covered his head, his heart filled with resentment. He was, after all, an adopted son. If he were his second uncle's biological son, would his second uncle beat him like this?
"You've been framed? Even now you still don't know where you went wrong, and you're still trying to argue." Manager Feng was so angry he was about to explode.

Given Feng Chuan's consistent behavior, he simply didn't believe that Feng Chuan had been framed.

Feng Chuan's appetite was spoiled by being constantly cleaned up by him, which led him to accumulate a debt of one thousand taels of silver.

"You owed me five hundred taels of silver back then. I was kicked out of the Meng family for paying off your debts, and had no choice but to come to Yanguan Town from Pingchuan County. What did you promise me back then? You said you would never gamble again, but you..." Manager Feng was so angry that he couldn't speak.

Feng Chuan stood meekly before Manager Feng, a fierce glint in his eyes. He had only one thought in his mind: Manager Feng did not treat him like his own son.

"I've really been framed," Feng Chuan said.

"Shut up, you're worse than a pig or a dog, and you're still trying to argue!" Manager Feng shouted, pointing at Feng Chuan.

"Father, what should I do? I've already racked up debts, and if I can't pay them back, they'll cut off my hand." Feng Chuan began to plead with Manager Feng, "Father, please help me. This is the last time. I promise I'll never gamble again."

"This is a thousand taels of silver!" Manager Feng propped his head up with his hand. If he really touched the accounts of the Su Shi Yuan (a type of food shop), would he have any future?

But he couldn't just stand by and watch his adopted son lose his hand.

"Father, I beg you, I promise this is the last time." Feng Chuan knelt down in front of Manager Feng with a thud and said, crying, "Father, you are the manager of Su Shi Yuan, you can definitely find a way."

"Find a way? You make it sound so easy. I couldn't even scrape together a thousand taels if I sold the shop." Manager Feng sneered.

Feng Chuan pleaded again, but Manager Feng, in his anger, said many unpleasant things.

"How could I have adopted you as my son back then?"

These words completely enraged Feng Chuan, who began to retort with unrestrained and offensive remarks.

"Second uncle."

Feng Chuan stopped calling Manager Feng "father".

"It seems that those who aren't your biological children really don't care about you. What did you say when you adopted me? You said you'd give me all your inheritance. Don't think that just because you helped me cover my losses before, you've done me a favor. That money was originally meant for me, but you just spent it on me ahead of time."

"Why should I be your son when I have my own parents? You have to give me something in return, right? If you don't give anything, do you expect me to wear mourning clothes and burn paper money for you after you pass away? If your own son owed a thousand taels of gambling debts, would you just ignore it like this?"

“I am willing to adopt you. You owe me a favor, otherwise your family line would end. It’s your fault for not being able to give birth to a son.”

Feng Chuan unleashed all the words he had kept buried deep in his heart.

Manager Feng was stunned; he hadn't expected Feng Chuan to say that about him.

These words were like knacks to his core; he almost cursed them to be childless and without descendants.

He had always thought that Feng Chuan should be grateful to him for adopting him, since his elder brother was not doing well and as the youngest son of the eldest son's family, Feng Chuan had limited resources.

If it weren't for him, Feng Chuan would still be struggling to make ends meet by farming in the village.

He helped Feng Chuan find a wife, supported his family, and bought him land in the countryside. Instead of earning Feng Chuan's gratitude, he only made him more greedy.

What else could this be but an ingrate?
If only he had broadened the selection pool and chosen from among the children of his cousins ​​in the clan.

The phrase "Who told you to be incompetent enough to have a son?" plunged Manager Feng into deep anguish.

Yes, he really wished that Feng Chuan in front of him was his own son, so that he could beat and scold him and still be willing to pay back the money. "Anyway, I'm already in dire straits. Second Uncle, I'm your son. You have to pay this thousand taels of silver whether you like it or not. Second Uncle, you're very capable. You were able to pay back five hundred taels for me back then. I believe I can pay back a thousand taels if I grit my teeth."

“If my second uncle repays the money, we will still be father and son. After you pass away, I will still break the pot and pick up the banner to continue your incense offering. If you can’t repay it, then our father-son relationship will be severed.”

After Feng Chuan finished speaking, he stood up and walked out.

Manager Feng was so angry that he slumped into a chair, clutched his chest, and spat out another mouthful of blood.

Hearing the commotion, the shop assistants came in and were startled by the blood on Manager Feng's lips. They quickly made arrangements to fetch a doctor.

The enthusiastic calls of Tong Huaqiong, who was selling pastries, came from downstairs. When they reached Manager Feng's ears, he was both angry and worried, and he actually fell ill.

From then on, Manager Feng lost all interest in Peach Blossom Desserts; his mind was filled with thoughts of Feng Chuan's gambling debts.

He was determined to abandon him and pretend he had never been adopted; but he was also unwilling to give up, after all, he had invested too much in Feng Chuan and had feelings for him. He was really afraid that Feng Chuan's hand would be chopped off.

But paying off his gambling debts would be too much, with that thousand taels of silver being such a huge hole.

He only has three hundred taels of silver at most, which isn't enough even if he diverts the revenue from Su Shi Yuan over the past few months.

Gu Dashu and Gu Jingzhe kept their eyes fixed on Feng Chuan.

Gu Dashu asked Feng Chuan for the debt every day.

In an attempt to turn his fortunes around, Feng Chuan went to the casino to gamble again. Since Manager Feng had already paid off the two hundred taels of silver he owed the casino, the casino was willing to continue lending him money.

He borrowed another two hundred taels, but not only did he not recover, he lost even more money.

Tong Huaqiong asked Gu Dashu to find a way to get the news to Manager Feng, who was so angry that he drank several large bowls of Chinese medicine.

Feng Chuan, having been chased by Gu Dashu for debt collection, had no choice but to seek out Manager Feng again. Since their falling out, he no longer pretended to be a father to Manager Feng and forced him to hand over the money.

Manager Feng was so angry that he pounded the bed. How could he have adopted such a bastard?

During the time when Manager Feng was ill, Tong Huaqiong began her career rise.

She first took out eighty taels of the two hundred taels of silver that Gu Dashu had won from Feng Chuan and returned them to Ma Huateng, then put the rest of the silver in her pocket.

Gu Guangkui was truly skilled; he built the entire shop's counters and cabinets perfectly according to her requirements, and Gu Xiaocao kept the shop spotless.

Three simple houses were built in the backyard: one oven and two storage rooms.

In addition, Tong Huaqiong had a cellar dug to store ice.

In summer, ingredients for making pastries need to be stored in a low-temperature environment, and it's unrealistic to leave them in the space for Man'er to take out.

Fortunately, there is ice in this era.

There is a large river in Yanguan Town. The ice that forms in winter is stored for use in summer. Some merchants even go to colder places to collect ice and make an ice business in the summer.

After the ice cellar was dug, Tong Huaqiong bought a lot of ice and stored it inside. The whole yard was cool, like a natural refrigerator.

I tried out the oven that Qin Qingyou repaired, and the temperature control was perfect.

Tong Huaqiong also wanted to find workers to make a gear-operated hand-cranked mixer and whisk. She handed over the electric egg beater to the craftsmen in the town, but no one has figured it out yet.

She planned to have Gu Dahan send pastries to the Lu family and then ask Lu Zhaoyang to find a craftsman. The Lu family was involved in various businesses, so asking Lu Zhaoyang would be more reliable.

Accountant Ma Huateng has started his job, waitress Liu Yue'e has completed her apprenticeship, boss Tong Huaqiong is in place, and second-in-command Gu Taohua is ready.

Everything is ready; all that's left is to open for business.

Tong Huaqiong has set the opening date for three days from now.

(End of this chapter)