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

Chapter 48 Middle-aged Artistic Man

"Take a look, taste it, my family's pastries are so delicious."

"Peach Blossom Desserts' main selling point is sweetness; if it's not sweet, you don't have to pay; if it's not fragrant, you don't have to pay."

"All pastries are available for free tasting."

With several more customers tasting the product and buying it without hesitation, Gu Taohua's confidence was fully ignited, and she transformed into a human megaphone, actively promoting it.

Tong Huaqiong stood in front of the stall, introducing and promoting the products to customers.

"what is this?"

"We have jujube paste pastries here for you to try."

"What is this? It looks strangely nice."

"These cookies come in flower and pig shapes. If you buy them for your child, they'll definitely love them."

"This is jujube cake. It's fluffy, soft, fragrant, and sweet. It's good for teeth and appetite, so it's perfect for the elderly."

"Yes, yes, yes, any of them can be sold in retail."

Tong Huaqiong was surrounded by customers, and as she and Gu Taohua sang in unison, they instantly heated up the atmosphere around the stall.

"Hey, hey, hey lady, you can have a sample, but don't take the plate away after you're done."

Tong Huaqiong quickly snatched the tasting plate from an elderly woman, and to her surprise, half of it had already been eaten.

That old lady is amazing!
"Auntie, would you like some?" Gu Taohua asked at the right moment.

The old woman shook her head vigorously. She had heard from her sister-in-law that day that there were free samples of pastries at the pastry stall opposite Su Shi Yuan, so she came to try her luck, only to find that Tong Huaqiong had already closed the stall and she had missed it. After waiting for two days, she finally caught her. Her sister-in-law hadn't lied to her; indeed, all kinds of pastries could be sampled for free.

She'd spend money to buy something that's free; she's stupid!
"This old lady is really something, treating me like a mythical creature." Gu Taohua was so angry she wanted to curse.

"What's the rush? They're all guests, they'll buy something sooner or later," Tong Huaqiong said.

Since she started offering free samples, she knew there would be customers who would only try the food and not buy anything.

But these kinds of customers will definitely be the main force in clearing out inventory in the future.

She can't guarantee that all the pastries will be sold out on the same day. Pastries that are left over or not popular in the market need to be cleared out. When there are discounts and promotions, these kinds of middle-aged women's drive to take advantage of a good deal will be stimulated.

"Small cakes, like chewing the moon, filled with crispness and sweetness."

Tong Huaqiong looked up and saw a middle-aged man dressed in a light blue shirt who looked quite artistic. He had his hands behind his back, looking at Gu Taohua packaging pastries while reading the words on the packaging paper.

Some of the poems on these wrapping papers were written by Gu Jingzhe, and some by Tong Huaqiong.

For example, the poem read aloud by the middle-aged literary man on the packaging of chestnut pastries was plagiarized by Tong Huaqiong from the great poet Su.

"The packaging of these pastries is quite interesting," the artsy middle-aged man said with a smile.

"Not only is the packaging interesting, but the pastries are even more delicious," Tong Huaqiong said with a smile.

Peach Blossom Desserts, with its signature dish and packaging, has an irresistible appeal to middle-aged, artistic men like him.

Tong Huaqiong was delighted to have such an artistic man visit; their words and pens are powerful tools for publicity.

"How do your desserts compare to those from Su Shi Yuan?" the middle-aged artsy man asked.

"It's not easy to compare. Customers have their own judgment on whether something is delicious or not. Why don't you try it and compare it yourself, brother?" Tong Huaqiong smiled radiantly.

Various samples were served to the artsy man.

The middle-aged, artsy man picked up a cookie with his fork, put it in his mouth, and chewed.

The aroma was so enticing that he almost spun around, jumped, and closed his eyes.

Stay calm, stay calm, he is the Master!

"I've never seen these pastries before at Su Shi Yuan. This is the first time I've ever eaten them," the cultured middle-aged man said with a satisfied nod. Indeed, while cookies were the most common type of biscuit in Tong Huaqiong's previous life, she was a pioneer in this era.

"You have excellent taste; you immediately chose to sample the cookies. I dare not say anything else, but these cookies are currently unique to my family," Tong Huaqiong said with a smile, pointing to the cookies on the stall.

"Cookies? That's a unique name. What does it mean?" the middle-aged artsy man said.

"These cookies were made by my granddaughter by accident, and the name was just something she came up with casually when she was little, it doesn't have any special meaning," Tong Huaqiong said.

"Oh?" The middle-aged artsy man was indeed intrigued.

“When I was making pastries at home, I was afraid she would make a mess, so I gave her a lump of dough to play with by herself. Who knew she would mix in sugar, almonds and other ingredients, shape them into various shapes and put them in the oven to bake. After they came out of the oven, I found that they tasted better than any cookies.”

"So I re-adjusted the recipe based on her idea that came to me by chance, and baked hundreds of batches to make it taste so delicious."

Tong Huaqiong began to tell her story.

Such culinary stories abound in later generations, such as beggar's chicken and crossing-the-bridge rice noodles.

It's similar to the cabbage of Emperor Qianlong and the steamed buns of Empress Dowager Cixi.

There aren't many celebrities in Qinghewan. If there were, Tong Huaqiong would at least be associated with Taohua Desserts.

"So food and life are very similar. Sometimes, deliberately pursuing something can lead you into a dead end, while going with the flow can bring unexpected scenery." Tong Huaqiong said with a deep expression, offering her insights and conclusions about life.

The middle-aged, artistic man was deeply moved after hearing this.

It's surprising that a woman selling pastries at a small stall would have such knowledge.

Sure enough, the master is in the folk.

"Give me two pounds of cookies, two pounds of chestnut pastries, and two pounds of jujube cake that looks good too," the middle-aged artsy man casually pointed and said.

Tong Huaqiong took the money, and Gu Taohua quickly wrapped it up and handed it to the middle-aged artsy man.

"Where do you live, brother? If you want to eat here in the future, you don't need to go through all the trouble of coming here. You can order in advance and I'll deliver it to your door," Tong Huaqiong asked casually.

“Widow Tong, you don’t recognize him? He’s the famous Master Su from our private school,” someone nearby said.

“Oh dear, Master Su from the private school? Isn’t that Third Brother’s teacher?” Gu Taohua said.

"Who is your third brother?" Master Su asked, taking the pastries.

How could he not know that any student's mother and sister were selling pastries at the market?
"My third brother is named Gu Jingzhe. He passed the imperial examination for the first degree last year."

Before Tong Huaqiong could interrupt Gu Taohua, Gu Taohua excitedly revealed Gu Jingzhe's full name.

At this moment, Tong Huaqiong did not want to get involved with Gu Jingzhe. Based on her understanding, Gu Jingzhe was probably a disliked person in the private school, and his scandalous affairs with the Zheng family were probably known throughout the school.

What if Master Su finds out he is Gu Jingzhe's mother and reprimands her in public? Wouldn't that damage the reputation of Peach Blossom Desserts?

She didn't want her peach blossom dessert to encounter setbacks right after its launch.

Master Su looked Tong Huaqiong up and down, carrying the pastries, and thought that this was somewhat inconsistent with the legendary image of a vicious and unreasonable widow.

He had heard that Gu Jingzhe's widowed mother was the most unreasonable person, and that Gu Jingzhe's somewhat eccentric character was all due to her indulgence. Therefore, Tong Huaqiong was already on his blacklist even though they had never met.

He always felt it was a pity that Gu Jingzhe dropped out of school. He thought that if such a talented young man could be corrected, he might still have a chance.

“Master Su.” Tong Huaqiong gave an awkward laugh.

“I know my son is causing his teacher a lot of trouble at the private school. He takes advantage of his young age to pass the imperial examination and becomes arrogant and unruly. I think that since he is like this, there is no point in him studying. So I had him withdraw from school so that he can temper his character before we talk about anything else.” Tong Huaqiong took the initiative and put the blame on Gu Jingzhe.

It means that I am his mother, and I wanted to discipline him. I was also anxious about his bad character, so I simply made him drop out of school.

She felt that her fake mother had done a good job for Gu Jingzhe, at least she hadn't completely destroyed his character.

Instead, they steered the discussion towards the fact that he had passed the imperial examination at a young age, so that when Gu Jingzhe straightened out and returned to the private school, he wouldn't be viewed with prejudice because of his character.

(End of this chapter)