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

Chapter 62 Money Gives You Confidence
When Tong Huaqiong looked up, she saw Lu Zhaozhao standing at the kitchen door, with one foot already inside.

He even had a blissful expression on his face.

"Aunt Tong, what kind of pastry is this? It smells so good, I can't sleep."

Lu Zhaozhao sniffed and gave Tong Huaqiong a bright smile.

"Try this chestnut pastry." Tong Huaqiong casually took a piece and handed it to Lu Zhaozhao.

Lu Zhaozhao took it, slightly disappointed.

I thought it was some kind of exotic pastry.

It turned out to be chestnut pastry.

Chestnut pastry is a common pastry in almost all pastry shops. A rich girl like Lu Zhaozhao has eaten chestnut pastry not only in the shops in the prefectural city, but also in Shengjing.

However, the chestnut pastry in her hand was different from the ones she usually ate. It had a unique shape and smelled so good that Lu Zhaozhao couldn't help but take a bite.

Good heavens, this has opened up a whole new world for chestnut pastries!

It was indescribably delicious. Lu Zhaozhao swallowed it down in a few bites, and after finishing, she reached out to Tong Huaqiong again.

Tong Huaqiong: "."

Her chestnut pastries were sold for money, and everyone in the room was drooling with envy from the aroma, but no one dared to eat them under Tong Huaqiong's tyrannical rule.

Even Gu Taohua, who worked hard alongside her at the stall, didn't get the privilege of eating whatever was left over.

Lu Zhaozhao was a pretty young girl with chubby cheeks and innocent, doe-like eyes as she looked at Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong thought of her college roommate and best friend, Lu Zhaozhao, whose foodie nature was just like hers. Tong Huaqiong also remembered the cake she hadn't had a chance to give her, and her heart softened. She took a piece of chestnut pastry and handed it to Lu Zhaozhao.

Alright, let's spoil her then, treat it as spoiling a best friend, and consider it repaying the karmic debt from Gu Jingzhe's past life.

"good to eat."

The freshly baked chestnut pastries were still steaming hot, and Lu Zhaozhao held them in her hands, blowing on them as she ate.

Gu Taohua felt a little wronged. She had been busy all night, and her mother hadn't even offered her a piece of food. Why should Lu Zhaozhao get something just because she wanted it? And now her mother wasn't saying anything about how hard it was to earn money.

Not only did Gu Taohua think this way, but Liu Yue'e thought the same way.

"This is for sale," Gu Taohua couldn't help but mutter.

Tong Huaqiong glared fiercely at Gu Taohua.

Lu Zhaozhao touched the gold bracelet on her wrist, took it off, and handed it to Tong Huaqiong, saying, "Aunt Tong, can I exchange this bracelet for a basket of chestnut pastries?"

Tong Huaqiong took a breath. This Lu Zhaozhao is really generous, so generous that she seems detached from worldly affairs.

No wonder in her past life, if Gu Taohua just acted coquettishly and complained a little in front of her, she would open her vault and explode with gold coins.

"Aunt Tong, aren't you going to sell these chestnut pastries at the market? Why can't you sell them to me? It's all the same who you sell them to anyway." Lu Zhaozhao was practically trying to slip the bracelet onto Tong Huaqiong's wrist.

Tong Huaqiong thought that what was said was true, but this big gold bracelet also had two gemstones on it. Let alone exchanging it for a basket of pastries, it could probably even exchange it for the Gu family's courtyard.

She likes money, that's true, but this exchange is far too unequal.

“Zhaozhao, I’m very happy that you bought my pastries, but this bracelet is too expensive. A basket of pastries is only worth a few dollars,” Tong Huaqiong said.

This was actually an implication that Lu Zhaozhao could pay, otherwise taking a big gold bracelet from a young girl would seem like a forced sale.

"It's alright, nothing is more precious than what you love." Lu Zhaozhao swallowed the chestnut pastry in her mouth and said nonchalantly.

Tong Huaqiong: "."

Having money is great; it gives you confidence.

Money can easily resolve awkward situations, just like when Lu Zhaozhao took out a big gold bracelet and her nonchalant manner silenced Gu Taohua.

"Wow, this bracelet is so beautiful!"

Standing to the side, Liu Yue'e had been eyeing the bracelet with envy ever since it was revealed.

Those huge gold pieces and diamonds were dazzling. My brother-in-law is so lucky to be able to drive a carriage for such a wealthy family. Last time I went to the Zheng family, even Madam Zheng didn't have such an expensive bracelet.

As early as when Gu Taohua returned home, she saw that Gu Taohua was wearing a hairpin inlaid with pearls. She thought that her mother-in-law had bought it for her sister-in-law with the money she earned from selling pastries, and she felt quite jealous.

Gu Taohua told her it was a gift from Lu Zhaozhao, but she didn't quite believe it.

Who would give a huge hairpin covered in beads as a gift when they've only known each other for a short time?

Seeing Lu Zhaozhao casually take off her bracelet to buy cakes, Gu Taohua was amazed and envied her mother-in-law's good luck.

How wonderful it would be to give this bracelet to her!

Tong Huaqiong's lips twitched. Liu Yue'e's eyelids are really shallow.

"Sister-in-law Yue'e, please accept this for Aunt Tong." Lu Zhaozhao handed the bracelet to Liu Yue'e.

Liu Yue'e reached out to take it, but Tong Huaqiong snatched it away.

"Well, Zhao Zhao, your aunt can afford these two cakes. Here, take this bracelet." Tong Huaqiong handed the bracelet to Lu Zhao Zhao with a kind smile.

After Lu Zhaozhao declined for a while, Tong Huaqiong put the bracelet back on her wrist.

Lu Zhaozhao smiled shyly and suddenly said, "Aunt Tong, my family often orders pastries from pastry shops, either for ourselves or as gifts. How about we order all our pastries from you from now on? If you're willing, Aunt Tong, I'll just tell the housekeeper when I get back, and you can deliver them to our door every few days."

That's exactly what Tong Huaqiong was waiting for.

The Lu family is a large and powerful family; this must be a huge order.

Tong Huaqiong said, "It's possible, but I don't know."

Lu Zhaozhao replied, "Aunt Tong, are you worried that I can't make the decision? I can handle this little matter. I'll just tell Grandfather when the time comes. Besides, if my brother really does have gluten intolerance or something, Aunt Tong will be his savior."

"If you want to open a pastry shop in the city, just let my grandfather arrange it for you."

Tong Huaqiong smiled. She was determined to open a shop in the prefectural city. With the Lu family as her pavers, things would be much simpler.

Compared to letting Gu Jingzhe rely on marriage to establish an alliance with the Lu family, she would rather cling to the Lu family's coattails and rely on her own skills to gain a foothold.

Thinking of this, Tong Huaqiong didn't stand on ceremony and said with a smile, "Thank you, Miss Lu. I haven't thought about opening a shop yet. I can take on the job of delivering pastries to your family. I'll bring you a batch of pastries tomorrow. You can let your family try them when you get home and see if they suit their taste. If they don't, I can adjust the recipe."

After eating the chestnut pastry, Lu Zhaozhao's eyes kept scanning the other pastries, revealing her true foodie nature.

"Don't worry, I'm very discerning. If I say it's delicious, then it's delicious."

Gu Dashu and the others looked at Tong Huaqiong with admiration. In no time, she and Lu Zhaozhao had finalized the matter of sending pastries to the Lu family.

The Lu family is much richer than the Huang family, and the Lu family also has long-term businesses.

The Gu family's clump of bamboo suddenly felt motivated. Mother was right; if everyone worked together, they could make a good life.

Things are clearly about to get better.

After baking the pastries, Tong Huaqiong was exhausted.

Gu Dahan mustered his courage and came to Tong Huaqiong's side, wanting to say something. Tong Huaqiong really didn't have the energy to deal with this stepson, so she waved her hand and went into her room to rest.

These days, one after another, are truly exhausting.

Fortunately, she had fifty-seven taels of silver today. Tong Huaqiong shook the silver in the cloth bag, and the gurgling sound made her feel incredibly safe.

Before going to bed, she thought about how she was running out of butter, milk powder, condensed milk, coconut flakes, maple syrup, and rum—ingredients that could enhance the flavor of pastries.

The key issue is that Man'er has already moved most of these things from her space room. If there are no more of these things in the future, wouldn't the taste be different? If she ruins her reputation, she'll be finished sooner or later.

How can she compete head-on with Su Shi Yuan?

With a jumble of thoughts swirling in her mind, Tong Huaqiong felt increasingly troubled and simply closed her eyes, quickly falling asleep.

In my dream, I re-entered the space and arrived at my room from my previous life.

(End of this chapter)