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

Chapter 257 Who Will Be My Matchmaker?
When the magistrate's mother came, it was naturally inappropriate to only feed her large pot of stew.

Although the county magistrate's mother had also experienced hardship in the countryside, she not only didn't feel slighted by the communal cooking, but also felt a sense of nostalgia for the past.

It wasn't that Tong Huaqiong was treating people differently based on their status; it was simply that Han was, after all, a guest of Tong Huaqiong's family.

Since they are guests, we cannot be so stingy in our hospitality.

Therefore, Tong Huaqiong personally stewed pork ribs, braised pork belly, twice-cooked pork, braised pork knuckle with rock sugar, and stir-fried pork intestines. Zhao helped to stir-fry a few vegetarian dishes, and a table full of food was prepared to entertain Han.

He even had Gu Jingzhe open a jar of fine wine.

Tong Huaqiong had Zhao Shi, Aunt Qin, and Hong Shi, who had been busy all day, accompany her.

Originally, Zhao and Aunt Qin were reluctant to sit down, but under Tong Huaqiong's strong persuasion, they sat down.

A group of middle-aged and elderly women ate a sumptuous feast by themselves, marking the first time such a scene had occurred in Qinghewan.

"This pork tastes really good." Mrs. Han ate a piece of braised pork and nodded repeatedly.

Since their son passed the exam, the Liu family's life has become much better. In addition, Magistrate Liu is extremely filial, providing Han with all the best food and drink.

Having eaten so much delicious food, Han's palate, though not spoiled, has become able to distinguish between good and bad food to some extent.

For example, in the past, they could only cut one pound of pork for making dumplings during the Chinese New Year. At some point, Han always felt that the pork had a foul smell.

At first, she thought it was because she had entered the city and the pork there was bad that made her think the pork smelled so bad.

But when her son brought her freshly slaughtered pork from the countryside, she still felt it had a gamey smell.

Therefore, she hasn't eaten much pork in recent years.

Even when making dumplings for Chinese New Year, the fillings are mainly beef and mutton, or chives and eggs.

At home, we mainly use rapeseed oil for cooking.

She noticed that the pork cracklings at Tong Huaqiong's house tasted better than before when she was eating them in the kitchen. She thought it was because she hadn't eaten pork or pork fat for a long time.

Han picked up another piece of pork rib, which was just as delicious as braised pork and had no gamey smell at all.

Hearing what Han said, Zhao and Aunt Qin chimed in.

The two felt honored to be able to dine with the county magistrate's wife, and they could show off in the village later.

Zhao picked up a piece of braised pork and said, "I noticed when I was eating the pork cracklings that the pork from your family's house is different from what I usually eat; it's more fragrant."

Aunt Qin swallowed a piece of pig intestine and said, "It seems that pigs fed with corn are different; even the offal doesn't have a fishy smell."

Tong Huaqiong smiled.

This pig was not only castrated, but also had a natural, pollution-free growing environment, eating the most natural grass and corn. How could its meat not be tender?

With her meticulous cooking, its delicious flavor is taken to another level.

No wonder even the Han family, who had no shortage of delicacies, praised it highly.

Tong Huaqiong tore off a piece of rock sugar braised pork knuckle, and the aroma of the juicy, tender pork knuckle reached straight to the top of her head.

Despite having eaten so much braised pork and braised ribs in her past life, Tong Huaqiong still drools over the pork from her own family's pork today.

It smells so good, it's so fresh, and it's so tender!
It tastes good even when boiled in plain water!
If this were her previous life, this would be pure, green, pollution-free local pork, priced ridiculously high in organic supermarkets.

This pig gave Tong Huaqiong great confidence in the batch of pigs that would be ready for market at the end of the year.

Just wait, from now on, she will be the supplier of pork for all the major butcher shops, restaurants, and eateries in Pingchuan County.

Their business empire is about to expand again.

The table full of braised pork ribs, braised pork belly, and rock sugar braised pork knuckle was so tempting that Tong Huaqiong and the others chatted for a few minutes before starting to eat in silence.

Even Hong, who has a relatively poor appetite, ate more than half a bowl of braised pork and two large steamed buns.

After everyone finished eating, Zhao and Aunt Qin rushed to clear the dishes, not letting Tong Huaqiong do it.

Mrs. Hong also helped out.

Tong Huaqiong didn't stand on ceremony and sat in the room talking with Madam Han.

After inquiring about the shop's business, the crops in the fields, and the chickens, ducks, and geese in the yard, Madam Han suddenly changed the subject and asked, "When I first arrived, I saw a boy squatting in the yard washing pig intestines. I heard that's your twin son. Who's older, him or Peach Blossom?"

During the meal, Gu Jingzhe was busy serving dishes and rice, showing none of the reserve one would expect from a scholar. At that moment, Gu Jingzhe was squatting in the courtyard washing dishes.

Han's impression of Gu Jingzhe improved even more.

Tong Huaqiong nodded and said with a smile, "He was born a cup of tea earlier, so he is the older brother."

Mrs. Han said with a smile, "It's rare to see a brother among twins."

Tong Huaqiong was quite surprised; could this really be faked?

Then she realized that Han's sigh was not surprising.

In her past life, she had heard of some families that favored sons over daughters. When twins were born, regardless of whether the boy was born earlier or later, the girl was always treated as the older sister, so that the girl could take better care of the boy.

Such situations would occur even in a previous life when men and women were relatively equal, let alone in ancient times when the preference for sons over daughters was severe, such situations would probably be even more common.

Because it is so common, it is rare for Tong Dajiao to sort the twins by time.

Tong Huaqiong readily accepted the praise in Han's eyes.

But why did Han bring up Gu Jingzhe out of the blue?

Tong Huaqiong glanced at Lu Zhaozhao sitting next to Han Shi and noticed that Lu Zhaozhao's expression was a little unnatural.

Tong Huaqiong felt a sense of foreboding.

Madam Han said, "Your youngest son is different from other scholars. He can do housework and I heard he can also do farm work."

Tong Dajiao's youngest son is indeed quite good; he doesn't have the arrogance of a scholar and is willing to humble himself and work hard.

She's just as sensible as her son was back then.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Children from poor families mature early. Besides, he wants to be an official after he finishes his studies. How can an official be a good official if he doesn't even understand the lives of ordinary people? So I often teach him not to think that studying makes him different from others. The more he studies, the more he needs to be grounded in reality so that he can walk the right path in the future."

Upon hearing this, Han nodded repeatedly and began to regard Tong Huaqiong as a confidante.

Tong Huaqiong's approach to raising her son is exactly the same as hers back then.

That's why her son is now a well-regarded official, praised by everyone; it's all thanks to his solid foundation.

Gu Jingzhe will definitely do well after that.

Madam Han then changed the subject and asked, "Your youngest son is so handsome and sensible, is he ready to be married?"

Tong Huaqiong's mind was filled with alarm bells.

Could it be that Han came to our house not only to see Liu Yanhong, but also to act as a matchmaker?

Who should I match with?
It was obvious that it was his own adopted youngest son and Lu Zhaozhao.

Given Gu Jingzhe's disgraceful behavior in his previous life, Tong Huaqiong does not want Gu Jingzhe and Lu Zhaozhao to be together in this life; she feels that Gu Jingzhe is not worthy of them.

If their fate is truly unbreakable, Tong Huaqiong won't stand in their way. With her in charge, Gu Jingzhe will certainly not dare to betray Lu Zhaozhao.

Right? It's too young to be getting married at this age.

Gu Jingzhe hasn't even managed to become a scholar yet, not to mention Lu Zhaozhao, who is so young, would have to get pregnant and give birth after getting married. That would be incredibly damaging to her body.

Therefore, even if Gu Jingzhe and Lu Zhaozhao are destined to be together through eight lifetimes, Tong Huaqiong will not allow them to get engaged now.

Tong Huaqiong thought for a moment and said to Madam Han, "We haven't arranged the marriage yet."

Lu Zhaozhao's eyes lit up, which was noticed by the perceptive Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong continued, "I don't plan to arrange a marriage for him so early. He's only a student at the lowest level right now, without any official rank or reputation. I don't want to hold a girl back."

Lu Zhaozhao's hands were clenched inside her sleeves, her nails digging into her palms, causing them to throb with pain.

His eyes were clouded with sadness.

"Zhaozhao, go check where your cousin has gone! Don't let him get into trouble!"

After talking for a long time, Han realized that she had forgotten to kick Lu Zhaozhao out.

So he quickly found an excuse to kick Lu Zhaozhao out.

After all, no family would arrange a marriage in front of the girl herself.