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

“Dad, let’s not go to the store so openly. What if we get kicked out?” Wang expressed her concern.

Given my sister-in-law's current temperament, she's really capable of doing things.

Previously, their eldest daughter, Tong Pandi, had driven them out of the house.

The current sister-in-law is no different from Tong Pandi.

“You’re right, let’s check the situation from a distance first.” Tong Fusheng agreed with Wang’s idea.

On the way to Rouge Lane, you'll often encounter customers carrying pastries.

Tong Fusheng recognized the packaging box being carried; it had the words "Peach Blossom Desserts" on it. Tong Fusheng deduced that the Peach Blossom Desserts business was doing even better than he had imagined.

As soon as you enter Rouge Alley, you can smell a rich fragrance.

It smells like freshly baked pastries.

The aroma nearly made Tong Fusheng, who was starving, drool.

From afar, you can see people queuing at the shop in the middle, and people carrying pastries out of the shop.

It looks like that's a peach blossom dessert.

"Dad, isn't that Brother Dashu?"

Tong Zhaodi, with her sharp eyes, spotted Gu Dashu handing out mung bean soup to customers in line.

Since the Great Heat has arrived, it must be my aunt's shop.

There were more customers than I expected, and the queue was very long.

Tong Fusheng became excited.

"Tsk tsk tsk, what incredible luck my sister-in-law has had! This shop has so many customers." Wang's face was full of jealousy and envy.

How wonderful it would be if this great fortune were given to her.

"Be careful not to get caught by the Great Heat," Tong Fusheng said.

They walked a few steps forward and stood next to a pillar in the Yihong Building, where they could see the peach blossom desserts.

Just then, a servant shouted, "Peach Blossom Desserts has brought a cake for Miss Yan Hong to wish her a happy eighteenth birthday!"

Then a person carrying a gauze cover from Peach Blossom Dessert Shop came to the front of Yihong Building.

Tong Zhijie recognized the man as Qin Qingyou from Qinghewan, so he hid behind a pillar, hoping not to be discovered by Qin Qingyou.

A mother and several servants and girls came out of the building where they were standing. The mother ordered a servant to take the cake from Qin Qingyou and smiled so hard that her eyes disappeared. This was a birthday cake ordered by a patron for Yan Hong.

Tong Fusheng, Wang Shi, and the others looked over the net and saw a large, unfamiliar pastry covered by a transparent veil. The pastry was red and white, decorated with various beautiful flowers.

I must say, those pastries were really beautifully presented.

After handing the cake to the mother at Yihonglou, Qin Qingyou returned to his shop.

Tong Fusheng pulled the madam of Yihonglou aside and asked, "Madam, what kind of pastry is this? Did you order it from Peach Blossom Dessert Shop?"

The mother looked Tong Fusheng up and down, and deduced from his hat and wrinkled clothes that he was a frustrated scholar.

It's good for frustrated scholars; the more frustrated they are, the more they like to come to the Yihong Pavilion to find a confidante.

"This is a birthday cake, made by Taohua Desserts. You asked about this, could it be that you've taken a fancy to one of our girls and want to order one to compete with her?" Mom replied to Tong Fusheng with a smile.

Tong Fusheng wanted to, but unfortunately he had neither poetic talent nor money, and his once-proud good looks were fading with age, making it difficult to attract any female admirers.

Madam Wang disliked the slender figure of the maid at Yihonglou, but still wanted to know more about Peach Blossom Dessert Shop, so she asked, "May I ask, Madam, how long has Peach Blossom Dessert Shop been open? Is this shop really run by Widow Tong all by herself?"

Wang believed that her sister-in-law did not have such great abilities and suspected that Tong Huaqiong had climbed up to some wealthy man.

After all, my sister-in-law was the most beautiful girl in the village when she was young. She was overshadowed by the Gu family for so many years, and now that her husband is dead, she's become even more beautiful. The way she dressed this morning could have made her Chen Sufeng's sworn sister; you couldn't tell she's already a grandmother.

It's normal for her to catch the eye of that rich man. I've heard that some rich men have a thing for pretty widows.

The madam of Yihonglou glanced at Wang Shi and said, "That's a strange question. It's naturally because of Widow Tong. Do you think Peach Blossom Dessert Shop is like our Yihonglou, catering only to men?"

Wang couldn't believe it.

Tong Zhijie stood behind Wang Shi and glanced at the girl behind his mother. The girl gave Tong Zhijie a flirtatious wink.

Tong Zhijie stared wide-eyed.

The madam of Yihonglou reached out to pull Tong Zhijie, saying warmly, "Young man, come have a drink at our Yihonglou?"

Wang slapped her mother's hand away, her face showing displeasure. She thought, "You think you can seduce her son? No way!"

The mother turned around and beckoned the girls into the Yihong Building.

Wang said to Tong Fusheng, "This place is no good. It's corrupting people. Let's find another place."

After saying that, he grabbed Tong Zhijie and left.

“I remember there’s a restaurant across from your shop called Fenglelou. I’ve eaten there before. The owner is very kind and offers free tea and melon seeds. Why don’t we go there?” Tong Fusheng said.

At this moment, the family of four was hot and thirsty and wanted to find a place to cool off and drink water.

The family arrived at the entrance of Fenglelou Restaurant, and fearing that they would be discovered by Gu Dashu, they sneaked into the restaurant like thieves.

The sweet aroma of peach blossom desserts mingled with the aroma of wine and meat from Fenglelou, and Tong Fusheng and Tong Zhijie felt they were about to collapse.

Tong Fusheng regretted giving Gu Dahan two taels of silver yesterday.

If we had those two taels of silver, we could have treated ourselves to a feast at Fenglelou Restaurant.

"Wow, your shop is really big, it's so spacious inside, and there are quite a few employees."

Looking out the window of Fenglelou towards Peach Blossom Dessert Shop, Wang felt indignant. Her sister-in-law was so rich now, yet she had become stingy with the Tong family.

"I never would have guessed that Tao Hua was so capable." Tong Zhijie saw Gu Tao Hua smiling radiantly at customers in the shop, her usual grumpy face completely gone.

Manager Qian happened to pass by and, upon hearing the girl Tong Fusheng mentioned, deduced that she was Tong Huaqiong's brother and his family.

So he walked over enthusiastically and asked, "May I ask if you are a relative of Manager Tong of Peach Blossom Dessert Shop?"

Tong Fusheng was startled, thinking that Tong Huaqiong had sent someone to chase him away.

Wang replied, "We are Manager Tong's brother and sister-in-law."

Listen to that, her sister-in-law is now "Manager Tong" (a nickname implying she's a wealthy and influential figure). How cool is that title?

Wang's eyes turned red with jealousy.

Tong Zhaodi said from the side, "We came to see Auntie, but she was too busy. Plus, we were covered in dust from our journey, so we thought we'd wait until there were fewer people at the shop before going to give Auntie a surprise."

Manager Qian already had a good impression of Tong Huaqiong, and now that he saw Tong Huaqiong's brother and sister-in-law's family, he wanted to show off.

So he called the waiter to bring tea, fruit, and pastries.

Manager Qian said warmly, "I have some acquaintance with Manager Tong, so I will naturally entertain Manager Tong's brother and sister-in-law."

Tong Zhijie couldn't wait any longer and grabbed some pastries to stuff into his mouth.

Shopkeeper Qian said, "These pastries are peach blossom desserts."

Tong Fusheng ate two pieces of pastry, but his stomach was growling with hunger. He wanted to ask for some food, but he was afraid that people would look down on him for being a scholar.

Having been in business for so many years, Manager Qian was an expert at understanding people's hearts and immediately saw through Tong Fusheng's intentions.

With a wave of his hand, he served wine and dishes to Tong Fusheng's family.

Anyway, he's Manager Tong's brother, so he's happy to curry favor and entertain him. (End of Chapter)