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

Chapter 97 Manager Feng's Weakness
"So, are we still setting up our stall tomorrow?" Gu Taohua asked.

Tong Huaqiong said, "We won't go for the next three days. Let's first finalize the deal with Ma Huateng's shop."

Talking about the shop was indeed crucial, but the main thing was that Tong Huaqiong wanted to mislead Manager Feng and make him think that she was afraid.

Once Manager Feng gets her pastry recipe, she'll definitely study it overnight. She'll probably be making taro paste pastries and pork floss cakes in the next three days. She won't be setting up her stall then, so those who like these two pastries will have to go to Su Shi Yuan to buy them.

Manager Feng can just wait and see if he gets his reputation ruined.

Even if Su Shi Yuan can imitate it to nine-tenths, that one-tenth is precisely what makes the peach blossom dessert stand out to diners.

She also instructed Gu Dashu to secretly observe Manager Feng while simultaneously spreading rumors in town that Peach Blossom Desserts were being targeted by Su Shi Yuan.

Taking a few days off is not a bad thing.

Gu Jingzhe thought for a moment and said, "Since our family has decided to open a shop, we can't keep hiding from Su Shi Yuan forever. Manager Feng will definitely not let this go. We can't avoid it forever; we have to find a way to take the initiative."

Tong Huaqiong looked at Gu Jingzhe.

Her son's ideas were exactly what she wanted.

They all grew up eating the same food, and Gu Jingzhe was indeed smarter than the rest of the Gu family.

"I've asked your second brother to keep an eye on Manager Feng in town these next few days and find his weaknesses," Tong Huaqiong said.

Gu Jingzhe laughed and provided a piece of information, saying, "Manager Feng has no son. He adopted a nephew, but this nephew is not very good at gambling and is a regular at the town's casinos."

Upon hearing the word "casino," Tong Huaqiong's sharp gaze pierced Gu Jingzhe as she asked, "How did you know? Did you go to a casino when you were studying in town?"

Startled, Gu Jingzhe stood up and protested, "No, I have never been to a casino. I heard it from my classmate Meng Yanping at the private school."

Before becoming the manager of Su Shi Yuan, Manager Feng was the manager of Meng Yanping's herbal medicine shop. Because his nephew had lost money gambling at a young age and was going to have his fingers chopped off, he falsified the accounts of the Meng family shop and withdrew a large sum of money in order to redeem his nephew. After being discovered by Meng Yanping's father, he was dismissed and thus went to Su Shi Yuan.

Gu Jingzhe then continued to explain.

At that time, a group of students went out shopping and went to Su Shi Yuan to buy pastries. Meng Yanping said that he did not eat Su Shi Yuan's pastries. The students asked him if he had a grudge against Su Shi Yuan, and he told them about this incident.

Tong Huaqiong remembered Meng Yanping; he was the wealthy student from the private school who bought her pastries last time.

Unexpectedly, he provided Gu Jingzhe with such important information.

Tong Huaqiong grinned.

Manager Feng's weakness has appeared out of nowhere.

She doesn't believe that someone who has accumulated huge gambling debts at such a young age can quit gambling; in fact, she thinks he'll only get worse.

"During the Great Heat, go to the casino and take a look around," Tong Huaqiong said.

Gu Dashu nodded; he recognized several of the casino's employees.

Tong Huaqiong got up, took a knife from the kitchen, and placed it in front of Gu Dashu, saying, "I sent you to the casino to do something legitimate. If you dare to gamble, it won't just be a matter of chopping off your fingers. I'll chop down the wound on your neck."

Gu Dashu was startled and repeatedly assured her, "I won't gamble, Mother, I really don't dare to gamble. I used to only play a few rounds of dice, winning or losing less than a few hundred coins. I don't dare to go to a real gambling table."

Tong Huaqiong sneered: "Remember, there are no limits to gambling. Gambling is gambling."

Gu Dashu nodded repeatedly.

"Third brother, you'll be with your second brother these next couple of days."

Tong Huaqiong felt that Gu Jingzhe was quite clever, so she sent him out to work with Gu Dashu to double the effect.

Gu Jingzhe nodded and accepted this glorious and arduous task.

Why is the whole family a little excited?

Tong Huaqiong concluded that everyone worked together towards a common goal—to get their own shops up and running—and everyone felt a sense of participation, which led to a strong sense of unity and cohesion.

This excitement is great, it's better than being frustrated.

She believes that once people have confidence, the probability of success is high.

Since she wouldn't be setting up her stall the next day, Tong Huaqiong felt completely relaxed. She went to the yard to check on the oven Qin Qingyou had set up; after a day and a night of drying, it was basically ready to use.

She baked some pastries in the oven the next day to see how they turned out.

If the results are good, buy Ma Huateng's shop and have Qin Qingyou set up two ovens in the shop.

In addition, the shop also needs to be renovated, and she has already decided on the style of renovation.

Just like in later times, the pastries were displayed in the shop in a bright style, and everyone could choose for themselves.

Anyway, if the effect is not good, she can make adjustments, it's not a big deal.

Thinking this way, the gloom brought by Manager Feng vanished.

The countryside nights are filled with stars and the croaking of frogs.

Tong Huaqiong was in a calm mood and lay down on the deck chair in the yard to enjoy the breeze.

Gu Taohua and Yaozu caught fireflies and put them in a gauze bag, then went out with a stick in their hands.

"Where are you two going?" Tong Huaqiong asked.

“Let’s go touch the cicada nymphs,” Gu Taohua said.

Cicada nymphs, also known as cicada larvae, burrow through the ground and climb up trees as the wheat ripens, waiting to molt into cicadas.

These cicada nymphs are a delicious source of protein for rural families who rarely eat meat throughout the year. They are deep-fried until crispy and then dipped in salt, making them very tasty.

The Gu family has no shortage of meat to eat now, and Gu Taohua catches cicada nymphs mainly for fun.

Just like Tong Huaqiong in later generations catching cicada nymphs when she was a child.

When Tong Huaqiong was a child, there were small rivers, woods and farmland around her family's factory. Every time the wheat turned yellow, she and her friends would catch cicada nymphs with flashlights.

The focus wasn't on the food, but on the joy of wandering through the woods with the young man.

"Go ahead, but don't go too far. Be careful, you two," Tong Huaqiong said, pulling herself together from her thoughts and instructing Gu Taohua.

Gu Taohua agreed and led Yaozu out the door.

Just then, a series of voices came from outside. Good heavens, people from every household were out catching cicada nymphs.

Fortunately, cicadas have a strong reproductive capacity, which is why they haven't been caught and driven to extinction.

In the countryside, the nights are covered in dew, which feels cool and refreshing on the skin.

Tong Huaqiong was enjoying the breeze while calling out to Man'er, only to realize that Man'er had gone to Chenjiazhuang.

Judging from this, the eldest son and his wife have indeed settled down at the Chen family home with Man'er.

It remains to be seen whether the Chen family's attitude towards Chen Su-fen will be as disheartening as she anticipated.

As Tong Huaqiong was thinking about her eldest son's family, she heard a series of donkey braying outside.

Then the courtyard gate opened, and under the starlight, Gu Dahan drove a donkey cart, with Chen Sufeng and Man'er sitting on it. The family of three appeared neatly at the door.

"grandmother!"

Man'er was the first to spot Tong Huaqiong and shouted out.

Her voice was filled with grievance.

Tong Huaqiong sat up from the recliner and asked gently, "Didn't you say you were staying for one night? Why are you back so soon?"

Chen Sufen and Gu Dahan did not answer.

Gu Dahan lifted Man'er off the donkey cart, and Man'er immediately nestled into Tong Huaqiong's arms.

Tong Huaqiong had a clear understanding of the situation. The Chen family's attitude towards Chen Sufeng was definitely more serious than she had imagined; otherwise, the three of them wouldn't have rushed home so late.

(End of this chapter)