The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 22: Opportunity Arrives

It seems we won’t be able to catch the ride.

We’ll just have to continue measuring the road from Qinghe Bay to Yan Guan Town with our feet.

Tong Huaqiong thanked Tong Dajiao for giving her a pair of big feet and also thanked Tong Dajiao’s mother for not binding them into three-inch golden lotuses.

Otherwise, it would be too exhausting to rush along on such small feet.

Taohua carried two large baskets of pastries, cursing Mr. Xu for being snobbish while panting heavily as she walked.

These days, following Tong Huaqiong’s lead to make money diligently has been gratifying but indeed very tiring.

If she weren’t afraid of being scolded or beaten by her mother, she would really want to drop the heavy baskets.

As the most pampered youngest daughter of the Gu Family, she had never endured the hardship of earning money before.

Weren’t the days of just eating and sleeping while having her sister-in-law serve her enjoyable?

But under her mother’s strong interference, those carefree days are unlikely to return.

Gu Taohua sighed, shifted the baskets, and said to Tong Huaqiong, "Mom, could you swap with me? You carry this basket of dry cakes. It’s lighter."

Tong Huaqiong pretended not to notice the basket Gu Taohua was handing over.

After holding it out for a while, Gu Taohua was tired and complained, "Mom, you can’t always let me carry two big baskets. It’s exhausting."

Tong Huaqiong put her hands on her hips and scolded, "You find this little work tiring? You ungrateful girl, I raised you with much toil, and it’s not too much to ask you to carry two baskets, is it? I work hard to make money for the family, but you don’t even want to carry two baskets?"

Tong Huaqiong was also tired from the journey, and as a mother with a renewed spirit, she wasn’t willing to carry the heavy baskets herself.

Gu Taohua looked aggrieved.

These past few days, her mother had been like someone eating explosives, losing her temper at everyone except her sister-in-law and Man Er.

"Don’t feel wronged. Why do you think I bring you to make money? It’s to ensure our family can lead a better life sooner. Once we earn five taels of Silver, I’ll buy you a new outfit."

"Just hold on for a few days, and things will get better. Once our business improves, we’ll open a shop, and life won’t be this tough."

Tong Huaqiong needed her plump daughter to work, so she couldn’t just scold her; she had to offer a carrot occasionally and paint a promising future.

Otherwise, if her daughter really refused to work, who would carry these heavy baskets? Tong Huaqiong herself didn’t want to carry them.

Gu Taohua didn’t care about having a shop; the thought of new clothes immediately cleared her of grievances, filling her with energy.

She said, "Then I want to choose the fabric myself."

By the time they reached the town, the sun hadn’t risen yet, but small vendors were already selling their goods on the street.

Tong Huaqiong surveyed the market and had an idea.

"Let’s find a different spot today," Tong Huaqiong said.

"Where should we move to?" Gu Taohua asked.

In the past few days, selling steamed buns and dry cakes, mother and daughter had set up near inns or places where workers were, enjoying brisk sales and quickly developing a group of regulars.

Changing locations meant starting all over, which was time-consuming.

Gu Taohua didn’t understand why Tong Huaqiong wanted to change places.

"Let’s move near the Crispy Food Garden," Tong Huaqiong said.

"What? Near the Crispy Food Garden?" Gu Taohua was so shocked that she almost dropped the two baskets of pastries.

The Crispy Food Garden was the most famous pastry shop in Yan Guan Town; during festivals, its pastries were a must-gift for visiting relatives.

Tong Dajiao loved eating pastries from the Crispy Food Garden, and every time Gu Jingzhe returned home, he’d buy her a pound.

Gu Taohua thought her mother was really bold, setting up a stall at the entrance of the Crispy Food Garden, and selling their signature mung bean cakes, wasn’t that just asking for a fight and cutting off their livelihood?

Who would abandon the established shop to buy from a widow’s newly made mung bean cake?

She wouldn’t!

What would her mom rely on to defeat the Crispy Food Garden? By making a scene?

"Mom, what kind of joke is this?" Gu Taohua thought her mother was daydreaming.

"I’m not joking. We’re selling near the Crispy Food Garden," Tong Huaqiong decided firmly.

"Alright, since mom insists, I’ll follow her lead."

Gu Taohua thought there was no use arguing further, so she gave up. If the mung bean cakes and mung bean pastries really didn’t sell, it wouldn’t matter. She could eat them all herself.

The aroma wafting from the baskets was tantalizing her senses, and she’d been resisting the urge to devour them all the way.

It’s better if they don’t sell.

Gu Taohua carried the baskets with big strides toward the Crispy Food Garden.

The closer they got, the more intense the pastry aroma became. As they passed the Crispy Food Garden, they saw the first batch of freshly baked pastries being brought out from the top pastry shop in Yan Guan Town.

Following the scent, Tong Huaqiong saw many people already lining up early in the morning.

The crowd was reminiscent of the popular date cake shop near her school in her previous life.

High foot traffic was excellent!

She was worried the Crispy Food Garden’s customer base might be a fluke.

With a cunning thought, Tong Huaqiong smiled, realizing that the crowd lining up was essentially helping to promote her stall for free.

"Taohua, let’s set up across from the Crispy Food Garden."

Tong Huaqiong directed Gu Taohua to position their pastry baskets across from the Crispy Food Garden.

Setting up across from the Crispy Food Garden seemed like asking for trouble.

But Gu Taohua was already numb; whatever Tong Huaqiong said, she’d do, so they carried the two heavy baskets of pastries to the opposite side of the Crispy Food Garden.

"What’s going on? We’ve been waiting for ages, and they’re not selling yet."

"Yeah, I’ve been waiting for this fresh, warm first batch to buy for my elderly mom at home."

"You’re squishing me."

"I was here first. Didn’t you see? Do you have eyes just for show? I’m standing here, and you can’t see? No way are you cutting in line."

...

The lines for pastries were buzzing with activity amidst the rich pastry aroma from the Crispy Food Garden.

"Please wait, please wait, the sale will start shortly," the clerk from the Crispy Food Garden announced loudly.

Tong Huaqiong was keenly observing the sales situation at the Crispy Food Garden.

More and more people joined the queues, and several batches of pastries were sold out as soon as they were brought out.

"Mom, I think setting up across from the Crispy Food Garden was a mistake. I’m too embarrassed to shout out to sell."

They had been proud of their brisk sales of steamed buns and dry cakes for the past few days, but compared to the long lines at the expansive Crispy Food Garden, their setup seemed rather paltry.

"Trust me, we’ll definitely sell out today," Tong Huaqiong said confidently.

Gu Taohua naturally didn’t believe her, so she took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off her face meticulously, then placed a clean handkerchief beside her.

Her mom had told her that cleanliness mattered in selling food.

"Taohua, when customers ask, keep the dry cakes at the previous price, mung bean cakes at six pennies each, and mung bean pastries at eight pennies each," Tong Huaqiong told Taohua her pricing.

"What? Mom, are you crazy? Crispy Food Garden sells a piece of mung bean cake for five pennies, and we’re selling so expensive and right outside the Crispy Food Garden, isn’t that just cutting off our own path?"

Gu Taohua was speechless; her mom seemed to be stepping on a mine with every step.

Tong Huaqiong didn’t explain either.

What did Gu Taohua know? Although the Crispy Food Garden seemed to have lower pricing than hers, buying pastries from them required meeting certain conditions.

The Crispy Food Garden’s pastries were typically sold in minimum quantities of half a pound.

This alone deterred many people.

Not everyone could afford pastries in those days; when families from Qinghe Bay came to town wanting to buy pastries, they even often pooled money with three or four households.

Given that the Crispy Food Garden aimed for volume, she’d go for retail, selling one at a time.

Because of this, individual sales were naturally priced slightly higher.

Moreover, her mung bean cakes and pastries were made with solid ingredients; anyone who knew quality could taste the difference.

That’s why Tong Huaqiong didn’t think her pricing was high at all.

They set up their stall properly, covering the mung bean cakes and pastries with a fresh white cloth.

A small box beside them was filled with samples of mung bean cake and pastries in small, bite-sized pieces; this was a tasting option Tong Huaqiong came up with.

Many passersby were tempted by the aroma from Tong Huaqiong’s stall, stopping in their tracks, but seeing it was mung bean cakes and pastries, they quickly went to join the queue at the Crispy Food Garden without a word.

"Mom, I told you it wouldn’t work. No one even asked."

Gu Taohua looked at the modest setup compared to the bustling queue at the Crispy Food Garden; it was hard not to feel a twinge of envy.

"Don’t worry; the right moment will come." Tong Huaqiong didn’t seem in a rush at all.

Just then, a commotion broke out at the front of the Crispy Food Garden queue. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Tong Huaqiong listened and smiled slightly; wasn’t this the opportunity?