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

"Take this twenty taels of silver for now. You'll need money for renting a house and buying daily necessities."

After the two finished discussing work, Tong Huaqiong took out the silver she had prepared and handed it to He Chao.

Tong Huaqiong knew that He Chao needed money right now.

The storeroom of Peach Blossom Desserts was merely a temporary shelter for He Chao and the Hong family; they couldn't stay there indefinitely.

He Chao didn't stand on ceremony and accepted the money, saying, "Alright, I won't stand on ceremony with my employer. This money will be deducted from my wages and profit sharing."

Tong Huaqiong nodded; she thought so too.

Then Tong Huaqiong took out a few bottles and handed them to He Chao, saying, "This is medicine for Sister Hong. The instructions for taking it are written on the labels on these bottles."

He Chao wasn't excited when Tong Huaqiong gave him money, but he was so excited when he received the medicine that he almost kowtowed to Tong Huaqiong.

He saw the effects of the medicine that afternoon; in such a short time, a third of Hong's illness had disappeared.

If you continue taking this medicine, it's possible to fully recover.

"It's free," Tong Huaqiong said with a smile. "If you want to thank me, just help me manage the shop."

He Chao stood up and bowed deeply to Tong Huaqiong.

it is more than words.

Tong Huaqiong also had something to say to He Chao.

"Manager He, this is the first time I've met you. You are a steward who speaks and acts with composure and grace. I believe that your abilities are not something the Zheng family promoted, but rather something you have that made the Zheng family take notice of you. Today, you were bullied by that dark-faced man in the tenement. It's simply because you're worried about your reputation and don't have the confidence to fight back. To tell you the truth, I don't like He Chao in the tenement, and I don't want He Chao like today to appear again in the future."

"I don't care about reputation at all. I'm a widow and I didn't have a good reputation before. You can ask around in Qinghe Bay and you'll know. I was able to turn things around, so what about you? I hope you won't be bothered by your reputation here. If you don't take it seriously, then your reputation won't hold you back. Remember that you are the owner of Peach Blossom Dessert Shop. Show your dignity and ability."

After Tong Huaqiong finished speaking, He Chao seemed to be thinking about something, and then stood up again to thank Tong Huaqiong.

"Don't worry, boss. I'll leave He Chao in the tenement. I won't say anything nice; just watch how I perform," He Chao said.

Tong Huaqiong expressed her satisfaction with He Chao's reaction.

In his past life, he was able to extricate himself from his reputation and make a fortune in business in Shengjing.

Moreover, this lifetime.

The next day, He Chao went to work in high spirits.

He first found out the background of the original employees of the pastry shop, and then hired a senior employee to encourage everyone to refuse the shop's new pastries.

The Su Shi Yuan brand has disappeared in Yan Guan Town. If you still miss Su Shi Yuan products, aren't you just asking for trouble?

There is no Su Shi Yuan (酥食园) in Yan Guan Town now, only Tao Hua Desserts.

We must operate in accordance with the business philosophy of Peach Blossom Desserts.

The employee who was fired by He Chao ran to Peach Blossom Dessert Shop and complained to Tong Huaqiong, but Tong Huaqiong remained unmoved.

Since she invited He Chao, she should fully support and trust him.

Any change would affect the interests of the elderly, and those who are stuck in the past are naturally unwilling to change.

But without change, the shop cannot develop.

All Tong Huaqiong could do was tell He Chao to give enough money to those who were laid off.

She didn't want the other person to harbor resentment after being laid off, which would affect the peach blossom dessert business.

Sure enough, the old employee who had been laid off stopped complaining after receiving his severance pay, saying that Peach Blossom Dessert Shop didn't want him and he could go to other shops. Following Tong Huaqiong's instructions, Gu Taohua began learning from He Chao.

Gu Taohua immediately called him "Master," which put He Chao at ease.

After all, when He Chao cornered Tong Huaqiong and others on the road to collect debts, he was held down by Gu Taohua's large hands. The trauma was so great that his heart would race whenever he saw Gu Taohua.

Gu Taohua was not only respectful, but also had a strong learning ability.

In less than a day, He Chao accepted Gu Taohua as his apprentice.

He Chao made great strides at Peach Blossom Desserts, and the shop in Rouge Lane became increasingly successful. The original Su Shi Yuan was converted into a branch of Peach Blossom Desserts, and the branch proved to be just as successful, with reservations booming.

Tong Huaqiong expressed great satisfaction.

She can finally step back and only need to provide guidance on operations management, instead of having to do everything herself.

After both shops were running smoothly, Tong Huaqiong planned to tell Gu Dashu and the others the secret of the space.

Since this matter can't be kept secret sooner or later, it's better to tell everyone sooner rather than later.

Another issue is that she has now put Gu Dashu in charge of purchasing peach blossom desserts, but Gu Dashu can't buy cream and other such things no matter how hard he tries.

Gu Jingzhe, who was engrossed in his studies at the private school, was summoned to Qinghe Bay by Gu Dashu, who thought something had happened at home.

Seeing that Tong Huaqiong had gathered the whole family in the main room and ordered Gu Dashu to close the door tightly, he became increasingly uneasy.

Gu Jingzhe asked, "Mother, what happened?"

Tell Gu Jingzhe directly that this matter is of great importance, but it may not be related to the shop.

After all, since He Chao took over the shop, Peach Blossom Desserts has been thriving. Now Tong Huaqiong has told him not to come to the shop anymore, but to focus on preparing for next year's provincial examination and try to become a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations).

Tong Huaqiong glanced at Gu Jingzhe, then at Gu Dashu and the others, organizing her thoughts in her mind.

"There's a mysterious space in our house."

"The cream, cheese, taro paste, and other ingredients used in making pastries all came from that treasure space. Currently, only Peach Blossom, Man'er, and I can enter it, and each of us has different skills. The reason I didn't tell you before was firstly because you were all too reckless, and I was afraid that if I told you, you wouldn't live your lives properly. Secondly, I didn't trust you before, and I was afraid that you would leak it to me."

Tong Huaqiong then told everyone about the space.

The room was quiet. Gu Dashu, Gu Dahan, and the others were stunned by the bizarre space described by Tong Huaqiong.

It’s incredible!
Only Gu Jingzhe quickly regained his composure after the initial shock.

Tong Huaqiong then asked Gu Jingzhe, "Jingzhe, have you been suspicious all along?"

Tong Huaqiong asked this question partly to test Gu Jingzhe's understanding of space, and partly to find out if Gu Jingzhe knew that his mother had been replaced.

Gu Jingzhe said, "I've been wondering how Mother suddenly became so skilled at making pastries, and some of the ingredients I've seen are ones I've never seen before. I suspected Mother received guidance from some master, but I never imagined she had a spatial ability; this is too bizarre."

As a staunch materialist, Gu Jingzhe had never believed in such bizarre events that transcended nature before.

Now.
Gu Jingzhe looked at Man'er, and then his thoughts began to wander.

The so-called divine intervention in her dream that her mother mentioned before was false. The reason she changed her personality was because she saw the immense value in Man'er.

Fortunately, her mother saw the immense value in Man'er; otherwise, they would not have reflected on their past actions.

Gu Dashu stammered, "Then...can I go into this space?" (End of Chapter)