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

Chapter 89 Capital on the Table

"How's the news about Peach Blossom Desserts opening a shop going?"

Tong Huaqiong then asked Gu Dashu and Liu Yue'e, the couple.

"Mother, you can rest assured about this. Dashu and I went into the crowds and told everyone we met. Now the whole town knows that Peach Blossom Dessert Shop is opening." Liu Yue'e said confidently.

Tong Huaqiong nodded; she had confidence in Liu Yue'e's social skills.

"Oh my, isn't this Aunt Tong?"

"Yes, yes, and Peach Blossom Girl too."

Tong Huaqiong was being led by Gu Dashu past Su Shi Yuan. Customers who had come to Tao Hua Dessert Shop to buy pastries but had made a wasted trip saw Tong Huaqiong and her group and excitedly shouted "Po Sang!"

"Aunt Tong, do you still have jujube cake?"

"I want mung bean cakes."

A large number of people quickly gathered around Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong smiled broadly and waved her hand, saying, "I didn't set up my stall today because Master Huang's mother is celebrating her birthday, and I went to the Huang family to make pastries, so I didn't set up my stall. If you want to eat, come tomorrow."

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

Some people even come from the next town to check it out.

Tong Huaqiong cupped her hands in greeting and said, "Thank you all for supporting our Peach Blossom Desserts. I will definitely set up my stall early tomorrow morning to make sure everyone can enjoy them."

Everyone laughed, and then someone asked, "I heard that Aunt Tong is going to turn her peach blossom desserts into a pastry shop?"

Tong Huaqiong nodded and said, "Yes, once we find a shop, we'll have to ask everyone to come and support us."

Someone else asked, "Does opening a shop mean the prices will be higher?"

Tong Huaqiong said cheerfully, "We have pastries at all price points, so please feel free to choose. However, regardless of the price, the free tasting will definitely continue."

Everyone showered Tong Huaqiong with praise, saying she was honest in business and pioneered the practice of food tasting.

The commotion at the entrance of Su Shi Yuan caught the attention of the people on the second floor of Su Shi Yuan.

Manager Feng stood by the bed on the second floor, his eyes filled with gloom.

Peach Blossom Desserts wasn't open today, and he thought Widow Tong was afraid of Crispy Food Garden.

But then news came from the Huang family that Widow Tong had been invited to the Huang family to make pastries for Old Madam Huang's birthday banquet.

Previously, this business was always handled by Su Shi Yuan.

Widow Tong not only seized Su Shi Yuan's territory, but also its birthday banquet business; this was practically a direct attack on their face.

He can't bear it!

What he found even more unbearable was that, according to those who attended the Huang family's birthday celebration, Widow Tong's novel pastries were the talk of the town, including lotus flower pastries with koi fish, lifelike peaches, and a birthday cake he had never seen before.

He found it strange; how could an old widow from the countryside come up with so many novel ideas?

He genuinely didn't take the widow seriously at first.

A few days ago, he sent his shop assistants to buy all the pastries from Peach Blossom Dessert Shop, and he and the pastry chef tasted them themselves.

Aside from the appearance, he couldn't see any difference in ingredients compared to Su Shi Yuan's pastries, but the taste was definitely better.

He even invited a retired master chef to come out of retirement, but they still couldn't imitate the taste of the peach blossom dessert.

He has been holding back for the past few days, trying to come up with a solution.

But the less he understood, the more successful Peach Blossom Desserts became. Not only did they gain a reputation among wealthy families through Old Madam Huang's birthday banquet, but they also heard that they were going to turn their roadside stall into a shop.

He absolutely would not allow a second pastry shop to exist in Yanguan Town.

Do you think you're qualified to compete with Su Shi Yuan?
Manager Feng's ability to help his employer transform Su Shi Yuan into the number one pastry shop in Yan Guan Town is no accident.

Don't be fooled by his usual cheerful demeanor; that's just a necessary part of welcoming customers. When it comes to seizing market share and squeezing out others, he can be ruthless.

He had to make Widow Tong suffer, preferably by leaving through the pastry market in Yanguan Town.

He had already thoroughly investigated Tong Huaqiong's background. She was a poor widow from Qinghewan, burdened with a bunch of children. Her youngest son had passed the imperial examination but couldn't afford to continue his studies; her second son was lazy and good-for-nothing; her eldest son was her stepson and always unhelpful; and her own daughter sold pastries with her. The only one with any promise was her stepdaughter, who had married into the Nie family, porcelain merchants, as their second wife. However, Tong Huaqiong had always been at odds with her, so the Nie family probably wouldn't offer her any help.

Widow Tong was not someone to be trifled with in Qinghe Bay. She was prone to throwing tantrums and would tear a piece of flesh from a person's body no matter what.

This might have given her the illusion that doing business in Yanguan Town and competing with Sushi Garden was as easy as fighting over water and land in the village and throwing a tantrum. That would be a very simplistic view.

Widow Tong must take her peach blossom desserts and leave Yanguan Town.

After greeting the enthusiastic customers, Tong Huaqiong rode her flatbed cart past the Crispy Food Garden.

Her sixth sense told her that a sharp, piercing gaze was fixed on her from upstairs. She looked up, and the window slammed shut.

Hey, she's not a tigress.

It seems she has truly become a thorn in the side of Su Shi Yuan, and Su Shi Yuan will probably take action soon.

She was vaguely excited.

What people fear most is not being targeted, but not even having the means to sit at the table.

This shows that she has already entered the game of the pastry industry in Yanguan Town, and if she uses it well, she can capitalize on the opening of the Peach Blossom Dessert Shop.

Wouldn't a pastry shop that even the No. 1 Pastry Shop in Yanguan Town is wary of be even more sought after by diners?

I just don't know how Su Shi Yuan will deal with her.

Civil or military?

She wasn't completely ignorant about Su Shi Yuan; she would also find out the details about Manager Feng.

She didn't underestimate Manager Feng, but she didn't overestimate him either; she just did her best.

Before the sun had set, Tong Huaqiong arrived at Qinghe Bay.

"Mother, you've arrived." Chen Sufeng greeted them.

"Is everything going smoothly?" Gu Dahan asked as he returned from the field with his hoe on his shoulder. He noticed that Tong Huaqiong still seemed a little unsure of what to do with her hands and feet.

"Smoothly, very smoothly."

Liu Yue'e excitedly broadcast the news in her yard like a loudspeaker.

"Not only did Mother make our family's pastries famous in the Huang family, but she also recognized the son of Magistrate Liu as her godson."

Gu Taohua and Liu Yue'e, working together, recounted in their own home how Tong Huaqiong had saved the son of Magistrate Liu.

Although Tong Huaqiong had instructed the few bamboo shoots on the way not to spread the news that the county magistrate's son had called her his godmother, Liu Yue'e, Gu Dashu, and Gu Taohua felt that this rule applied to outsiders and not to their own home.

Unsurprisingly, the news that Tong Huaqiong had been called a "dry milk" by the son of Magistrate Liu shocked the Gu family.

Goodness gracious! Who would have thought that going to the Huang family to make pastries for their birthday celebration would lead to such an unexpected encounter?

Tong Huaqiong calmly swept her hand across the few thorny bamboo stalks and began her lecture in a measured and unhurried manner.

"Don't think that saving the magistrate's son is such a big deal. It was just my luck that I was able to save him. Do you really think I can curry favor with the magistrate?"

"You all better watch yourselves and don't think about anything else. Even if we save the magistrate's son, or even the emperor, our family won't suddenly rise to prominence. Just live your lives honestly."

"Anyone who harbors such inappropriate thoughts, be careful, or I'll break your legs."

Everyone listened attentively to the instruction and made promises to Tong Huaqiong, assuring her that they would never consider themselves the magistrate's benefactor or spread the news that the magistrate's son had called Tong Huaqiong his "dry milk." They promised to live more honestly and work hard to become wealthy.

"How's the oven?"

Tong Huaqiong was fairly satisfied with the performance of the group of bad bamboo, so she let everyone off the hook for the time being and went to the yard to check on the oven.

"It's all set up. It'll be ready to use after it dries for a day. Whether it will satisfy Mother or not, we'll only know after we use it once," Gu Jingzhe said, pointing to the oven.

Gu Jingzhe was in charge of supervising the project. He and Qin Qingyou spent most of the day figuring it out and finally finished setting it up before Tong Huaqiong could get home.

Tong Huaqiong circled around the oven.

To be honest, Qin Qingyou does have some skills; the oven he built was quite impressive, and from the outside, it looked exactly like the oven she wanted.

(End of this chapter)