The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 35: Withdrawing from the Private School

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Withdrawing from the Private School

"What kind of look is that?"

Dashi waved his open hand in front of Jingzhe’s eyes.

"What’s the matter, are you so overjoyed hearing that Mother earned fifty taels of silver?" Dashi asked with a face full of joy.

Jingzhe didn’t know what to say at the moment. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Could Mother really earn fifty taels of silver?

It’s not that he didn’t believe it, but Mother usually only displayed irrational behavior without showing any knack for making money.

If she had the ability to earn money, why didn’t she show it earlier?

"Second Brother, don’t lie to me," Jingzhe said with red eyes.

It’s better to clear things up. If he blindly believed it, and it turned out to be false, the blow would be even worse.

"Why would I lie to you?"

Dashi was a bit unsatisfied with Jingzhe’s reaction.

What did the third brother mean by this, was he looking down on Mother?

The third brother might not believe him, but he shouldn’t look down on Mother.

"Jingzhe, do you think you’re the only one in the family who can read, the only one with skills? Do you think that besides you, no one else can earn fifty taels of silver?" Dashi said displeased, with a tone of reproach.

"With your head full of ink, you even look down on Mother. Consider this, is Mother just an average person? She is the only one in the village who had the vision and courage to send her sons to study. You can’t look down on her just because of that."

Though Dashi might seem indifferent, his understanding of their mother far exceeded Jingzhe’s.

Jingzhe opened his mouth, and after a long time, he finally said in a muffled voice, "How could I look down on Mother? I just cannot believe Mother earned fifty taels of silver by selling pastries in just a few days. Yesterday, I saw Mother selling pastries in the town, and I also know that she sold mung bean cakes for six wen each, mung bean pastries for eight wen each, and dry cakes for three wen each. There were only two baskets of pastries, at most they might have sold for five taels of silver, and that’s not even deducting the cost yet. Mother’s been selling pastries for only a few days; earning seven or eight taels already sounds quite good."

That’s why Jingzhe is considered a genius youth; he quickly calculated the sales of Tong Huaqiong’s two baskets of pastries.

These calculations Dashi couldn’t comprehend.

"You are correct! Mother didn’t solely rely on selling pastries from a stall to earn that." Dashi nodded.

Upon hearing this, Jingzhe’s heart raced.

He thought of the widowed mother going to the Zheng Family to break off the betrothal, sacrificing her reputation in the process, could it be that the silver was also exchanged for her reputation?

If that were the case, he felt even more remorseful.

"Let me tell you the truth," said Dashi, "Huang Yuanwai bought our mung bean cakes and pastries, claiming they were even better than those from the Crispy Food Garden. His mother’s birthday is coming up, and he said they are tired of those pastries from Crispy Food Garden, so he ordered a batch of birthday banquet pastries from Mother. Mother asked Huang Yuanwai for fifty taels of silver as a deposit, and he gave it."

"I saw that silver with my own eyes yesterday. If you don’t believe me, you can see for yourself when you go home."

"And you know, the wealthy will indeed spend silver on their mother’s birthday. Think about it, the two of us brothers are too unfilial; it should have been us earning money to support Mother, yet now it’s her earning money to clean up after us."

Dashi’s voice was muffled, his eyes filled with remorse.

Upon hearing this, Jingzhe thought of his widowed mother’s back as she sold pastries, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions, his eyes reddening once more.

"I came to the private school specifically to fetch you home; the wheat is in the jointing stage now, it needs both of us. Mother is now making money through pastries; we can’t ask her to do farm work as well. From now on, don’t think about studying anymore, our family can’t afford it, and we don’t always come across big spenders like Huang Yuanwai."

"You should come home and apologize to Mother, and stop thinking about impossible things. It’s better to stay at home and farm honestly," Dashi advised Jingzhe.

Jingzhe naturally didn’t want to farm; if he had a choice, he would prefer to study.

But upon reflecting on his brother’s words, he admitted there was some sense to them. With their widowed mother earning to support the family, the farm work inevitably fell to him and his brother.

He planned to finish harvesting this season’s wheat, then during the agricultural off-season, seek work as a steward in a wealthy household in the county or the provincial city, hoping to gain favor and perhaps continue studying.

"Alright, Second Brother, I’ll go home with you,"

Jingzhe gritted his teeth and stood up.

Dashi accompanied Jingzhe to his lodging to pack his bedding and clothes into a large bundle.

After packing his things, Jingzhe bid farewell to the teacher, who initially thought Jingzhe was going to Wendigo Academy in the provincial city and encouraged him. Upon knowing that Jingzhe would no longer study, the teacher expressed regret.

"There’s something I have wanted to tell you for a long time; you have extraordinary talent and are a good student. But remember, being a good person is more important than studying,"

The teacher, having heard the young man intended to sell his niece for his future, felt deeply disappointed and was eager for his departure.

Now hearing that he would no longer study, he felt a tinge of regret.

The teacher lamented that this genius boy was ruined by his unreasonable widowed mother.

Jingzhe left the private school with Dashi, turning back every few steps.

Along the way, Dashi filled Jingzhe in on the recent events at home, focusing on Gu Baishuang delivering money home and Tong Huaqiong’s decision to not be buried in the family tomb after death.

Jingzhe remained silent after listening.

The hatred he felt towards Nie Xiaofeng’s mockery was diminished by half.

At the same time, he began to loathe himself, believing that Tong Huaqiong’s decision to not be buried in the family tomb was all his fault.

All the developments were caused by his ambition to study at Wanliu Academy.

If Tong Huaqiong knew that the self-reliant Jingzhe, this bad bamboo, also started to reflect on himself, she would probably feel a bit relieved.

At this moment, Tong Huaqiong was bustling away energetically in the kitchen.

The first batch of jujube cake was out of the oven!

As soon as she uncovered the lid, Tong Huaqiong knew it was a success.

She had made this jujube cake many times in her past life, tweaking the recipe multiple times. She could bake it with her eyes closed.

The aroma of the jujube cake made the village dogs bark incessantly.

Chen Sufen looked at her mother-in-law with admiration, increasingly seeing her as someone divine, as there was no pastry she couldn’t make.

"Emma, Mom, is your hand blessed by the gods? How come the jujube cake smells so good,"

Liu Yueer showered praise profusely.

A few days ago, she also smelled the aroma of her mother-in-law’s pastries. Having had no peace of mind due to the Yaozu incident, now that the anxiety had passed, she returned to her flattering ways.

"No wonder Mother can earn fifty taels of silver, these pastries are no less than those made by the master chef of Crispy Food Garden."

Tong Huaqiong smiled broadly, she planned to make red bean pastries, walnut pastries, chestnut pastries, Sachima, and other pastries.

The jujube cake was just a small trial.

"If there were an oven, it would taste even better,"

Tong Huaqiong was planning to build an oven.

"Mom, can I have one piece first?" Gu Taohua’s voice carried a tone of pleading.

The aroma was irresistible, her stomach’s cravings were all aroused.

"Eating, eating, all you know is eating! These are samples for Huang Yuanwai’s family’s birthday banquet," Tong Huaqiong scolded.

"I’ll just have one piece,"

Gu Taohua faced Tong Huaqiong’s disapproving gaze head-on, willing to take a beating for a bite.

"Grandma, I want to eat too," Man Er said.

"Me too," Yaozu chimed in.

"Since Man Er wants to eat, I’ll cut a piece for you all."

For Man Er, who could fetch things from another place, Tong Huaqiong couldn’t bring herself to refuse his request.

Tong Huaqiong cut a piece, then divided it into three parts: one large piece handed to Man Er and two smaller pieces given to Gu Taohua and Yaozu.

Gu Yaozu’s nature to bully Man Er emerged, and seeing the jujube cake in Man Er’s hand was larger than his, he reached out to snatch it.

But Tong Huaqiong swiftly took it back.

"Liu Yueer, if you don’t teach your son, I’ll have Housekeeper He take him away tomorrow,"

"It’s only been a day, and he’s already been led astray to become a wicked little brat. Now he’s bullying Man Er, will he grow up to bully me?"

"Parents just give birth but don’t teach. If you don’t teach him, I’ll find someone else who will,"

Tong Huaqiong didn’t scold Yaozu but scolded Yaozu’s mother, Liu Yueer.

Embarrassed in front of Chen Sufen, Liu Yueer struggled to maintain her dignity while worrying about truly angering her mother-in-law. She then grabbed Yaozu and gave him a few good spankings on the butt.

Tong Huaqiong felt extremely refreshed, glad that Liu Yueer was the one disciplining rather than herself as the grandmother.