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

While Tong Huaqiong was busy in the shop, she was unaware that her cheap brother was eating for free at Fenglelou.

She estimated when Tong Fusheng would arrive in town and twice came out to urge Gu Dashu to be on high alert.

Gu Dashu said his eyes were blurry, but he still couldn't see Tong Fusheng.

“I reckon my uncle’s family has gone home,” Gu Dashu said.

Based on Yi Gu's idea of ​​the Great Heat, Tong Fusheng decided that going home was a wiser choice than coming to town.

They had no money, and Peach Blossom Dessert wouldn't feed them. They might as well go back to their home in Black Dragon Village instead of begging in town.

"You can't relax until it gets dark," Tong Huaqiong scolded Gu Dashu.

Gu Dashu said yes and continued to keep an eye on the queue.

The busy evening soon arrived.

Tong Fusheng's family has not appeared, and Tong Huaqiong guesses that they have returned to Heilong Village.

I felt a slight sense of relief.

After listening to Ma Huateng finish tallying the accounts, Tong Huaqiong decided to "go home" and close the shop.

When all the shop assistants had left, leaving only the Tong family, Manager Qian arrived with Tong Fusheng and his family of four.

"Manager Tong, I've brought your brother and sister-in-law here." Manager Qian said happily, feeling as if he had done a great deed.

Tong Huaqiong cursed under her breath and glared at him fiercely.

Manager Qian noticed Tong Huaqiong's unhappiness and felt uneasy.

"Didn't we agree this morning in Qinghe Bay that we'd never see each other again? Why are you still coming to our door? Are you begging for money or for food?" Tong Huaqiong asked with a sneer.

Tong Fusheng and Wang's faces fell.

Tong Huaqiong thought that with the wealthy shopkeeper accompanying them, she would let them in, mindful of the principle that "family scandals should not be aired in public."

Tong Huaqiong directly expressed her dissatisfaction with them.

Manager Qian was covered in sweat and stamped his foot. He had done something wrong.

Knowing that Tong Fusheng and Wang were Tong Huaqiong's brother and sister-in-law, without considering anything else, they rushed to curry favor, offering them a feast and drinks. However, their flattery backfired spectacularly.

Manager Tong didn't know what to think of him.

He hasn't even confessed his feelings yet; could it be that his relationship has already ended prematurely?

Manager Qian gritted his teeth and said, "Manager Tong, look at the mess this has made! I thought they were your brother and sister-in-law, so I treated them well."

Tong Huaqiong retorted angrily, "Even if they are my brother and sister-in-law, what business is it of yours? Why should you rush over to curry favor with them?"

This shopkeeper should definitely be blacklisted. He's so eager to curry favor with the Tong family just to get his hands on Peach Blossom. Who knows what he'll do in the future?

Tong Huaqiong gave Manager Qian a dressing down, and Manager Qian, realizing he was in the wrong, slunk away.

He feared that if he didn't flee soon, Tong Huaqiong could kill him with her eyes.

They were too embarrassed to ask Tong Fusheng for money for the banquet they had paid for, so they could only accept their bad luck.

"What are you doing here? Looking at my shop, huh? Look, this is my shop. Let me make this clear first, you'd better give up on trying to take advantage of this place. I won't let Zhaodi and Zhijie work in the shop, and I certainly won't let you two, brother and sister-in-law, come here and boss people around. This shop has nothing to do with you."

Tong Huaqiong did not let them in and directly chased them away from the doorway.

Tong Fusheng and Wang Shi were fine before they saw the shop, but when they actually stood at the shop entrance, their eyes widened in disbelief.

The shop was bigger than they had imagined.

While they were at Fenglelou, they learned from the waiter that Peach Blossom Dessert Shop was packed with customers every day and its business was booming. Tong Huaqiong could be said to be making money without even standing up.

If some of these shops were given to the Tong family, they could live comfortably without lifting a finger. They had already discussed it when they left Fenglelou: they would stick to Tong Huaqiong no matter what.

Wang smiled apologetically and said, "Sister, we didn't intend to take advantage of you. You've had a hard life as a widow, and now that you have a shop, your brother and sister-in-law are very happy. We've come to discuss an important matter with you."

Tong Huaqiong looked at Wang Shi, wondering what she was up to.

“Sister, this concerns my niece’s love life. It’s not appropriate for us to talk about this while we’re standing at the door. Why don’t we go inside and discuss it?”

Tong Huaqiong, impatient with all this, said, "Spit it out. Let me make this clear first: I have no money, no food, and definitely no chance of you coming to work at the shop."

She was curious to hear what Gu Taohua had to say.

Tong Huaqiong thought to herself, "They're probably in cahoots with Manager Qian, trying to scheme against Gu Taohua."

They can sell their own daughter, but selling her daughter is unacceptable.

Whenever they brought up Manager Qian's name, she would have Gu Dashu beat them up.

Tong Fusheng and Wang Shi then looked at Tong Zhijie, signaling for him to speak.

Tong Zhijie, having received his parents' hint, gritted his teeth and said to Tong Huaqiong, "Since Auntie told us to say it at the door, I'll speak softly. Auntie, I want to marry Gu Taohua."

As soon as Tong Zhijie said this, everyone in the Gu family looked at him.

He really dares to think that way!

Gu Taohua slammed the ledger down, jumped out from behind the counter, and cursed, "Give up on that idea now! I'd rather not marry anyone than marry you!"

Gu Dashu rolled up his sleeves, ready to beat up Tong Zhijie, but Tong Fusheng blocked him.

Tong Huaqiong gave Gu Taohua a reassuring look and asked, "Zhijie, who gave you the courage to ask me to marry Taohua?"

The Tong family felt they couldn't get involved in the shop, so they tried a roundabout way, having Tong Zhijie marry Gu Taohua.

Tong Zhijie is not much better than Fan Tong.

Tong Zhijie barely suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. His aunt's question was ridiculous. Who gave him the courage? It was a miracle that the Gu family's ancestors were willing to marry Gu Taohua.

Who else but him would be willing to marry her?

Madam Wang stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Taohua is fourteen years old this year. She and Zhijie lived together for several years and have a childhood friendship. They know each other very well. If Taohua's marriage is arranged early, it will save outsiders from gossip whenever her marriage is mentioned."

Tong Fusheng put it even more bluntly: "Your sister-in-law is right. My niece is fourteen and no one is looking for her. If she becomes an old maid, it will be even harder to find her a husband. She can't stay at home forever, can she? I told Zhijie that Taohua is, after all, your aunt's biological daughter. You should think about your aunt. When these two get married, it will be a double blessing. Taohua will be both my niece and my daughter-in-law. Isn't that better than hiring someone from outside the family?"

It means that Gu Taohua is fourteen years old and no one has come to propose marriage, so it is an honor for Gu Taohua that the Tong family is willing to accept her.

It's no wonder the Tong family thought this way. To them, being pure-hearted ancient people, it was a disgrace to the entire family if a girl was fourteen years old and no one came to propose marriage.

No matter how hopeless Tong Zhijie is, as long as he is willing to marry Gu Taohua, he will be a benefactor to the Gu family.

If it were Tong Dajiao, she might fall for this.

However, Tong Huaqiong is not Tong Dajiao.

Tong Huaqiong, hands on her hips, retorted, "You're right, we really do know each other inside and out. Tong Zhijie, you're so young and you're already frequenting brothels, and you still want to get married? I wouldn't even want you to carry Gu Taohua's shoes."

"Do you think I don't know what you're up to? You just want to get involved in my shop, but you're afraid I'll make things difficult for you, so you're thinking of starting with the Peach Blossom Marriage. You're dreaming."

“Brother and sister-in-law, you only think about selling your daughter. You can sell your son too. Whether he marries into another family or is sold to someone else as their son, it’s a way out either way. If you want to give Tong Zhijie to Tao Hua, you’re challenging my bottom line. Don’t blame me for being impolite to you.”

Gu Taohua pointed at Tong Zhijie's nose and cursed, "Even if all the men in the world died, I would not marry you."

She's furious! Does she think she's some kind of precious cabbage?

Tong Fusheng and Wang Shi turned pale from the scolding. They had deliberately stood at the entrance of Peach Blossom Dessert Shop to bring up Gu Taohua's marriage proposal, thinking that Tong Huaqiong would have a hard time refusing.

Not only did Tong Huaqiong refuse, but she also shouted so loudly that it could be heard halfway down the street. (End of Chapter)