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

Chapter 263 A Woman Who Doesn't Want to Be Restrained

"Mom, it's time for dinner."

Gu Dahan knocked on the door, interrupting Tong Huaqiong's thoughts.

Tong Huaqiong called out loudly, "We're coming!"

Dinner was prepared by the brothers Gu Dahan and Gu Jingzhe.

Hong returned to town in the evening, while Gu Dashu went to the prefectural city to deal with the pesticide and seed shop.

Therefore, for dinner, Tong Huaqiong brought Dai Zhu, who was accompanied by Gu Dashu, and Han Shi Lu Zhaozhao and Liu Yanhong.

"Have you delivered all the pork to everyone?" Tong Huaqiong asked Gu Dahan after sitting down.

Gu Dahan nodded and said, "I've sent gifts to Master Huang, Boss Qian, and my elder sister's family."

Tong Huaqiong nodded.

She needed to sell pork at the end of the year, and Master Huang and Boss Qian were key figures in her opening up the pork market.

Master Huang is a trendsetter in the daily life of Yanguan Town, while Boss Qian's Fenglelou is a major consumer of pork.

As for Magistrate Liu and the Lu family, their relatives have all come to their home and are already eating.

Tong Huaqiong planned to have Man'er put the remaining pork into the refrigerator in her space to eat slowly.

It must be said that she could buy pork in the space, but the pork from that era didn't taste as good as the pork she raised here.

After all, the environment here is greener and less polluted.

"Are all these pigs that we slaughtered today?" Gu Taohua pointed to the table full of meat and dishes, sniffed, and said, "They smell so good."

Chen Su-fen and Liu Yue-e, who hadn't tasted their own pork, were very curious about the taste of castrated pork.

Since my mother-in-law changed her personality, she always says that pork has a gamey smell. At first, they couldn't taste it, but as the family's standard of living improved and they ate chicken, fish, beef, and mutton every day, they also began to feel that pork had a faint gamey smell.

They even wondered if they had become too spoiled.

Gu Taohua picked up a piece of pork rib, took a bite, and said indistinctly, "Delicious, so fragrant, the best pork I've ever eaten."

Upon hearing this, Chen Sufen and Liu Yue'e each picked up a piece of braised pork with their chopsticks, one picking up a piece of twice-cooked pork with their chopsticks.

"This pork is delicious!"

Liu Yue'e's eyes lit up; this was the best pork she had ever eaten, and it certainly wasn't because she was hungry.

"It's really delicious. I think it tastes even better than the braised mutton at Fenglelou."

Chen Su-fen used to love eating pork with a good balance of fat and lean meat. After eating a piece of braised pork, Chen Su-fen felt that it was the most delicious pork she had ever eaten in her life.

My mother-in-law is really something; she knows to castrate the pig before raising it.

“Mom, our pork is still the best. You used to say that pork from outside had a gamey smell, and I thought you were being fussy. But now that we’ve compared them, it’s true that pork from outside has a really strong gamey smell,” Liu Yue’e said.

Liu Yue'e originally wanted to praise Tong Huaqiong's idea of ​​castrating pigs as a genius, but when she saw Han Shi drinking pork rib soup, she realized that there were still outsiders at the table.

We can't tell anyone. If this secret gets out, how will our pig farm develop, and how will we monopolize the pork market?

Han said, "Sister Tong, I'm the same as you, I don't like pork, I just think it has a gamey smell. Your pork is good, if you're selling it, I'd really like to buy some."

Han had already eaten lunch, and even after eating it again in the evening, she still thought that the pork from Tong Huaqiong's house was the most delicious.

Seeing that Madam Han had spoken, Tong Huaqiong continued, "I've saved some for you and Magistrate Liu. Take them with you when you go back, and let Magistrate Liu and Yan Hong's mother have a taste. As for whether we'll sell them or not, to be honest, my family raises about twenty pigs in the dilapidated temple at the west end of the village, just to sell pork. They'll be ready for market by the end of the year. I'm thinking that if we can find a market, we'll open a pork shop in Pingchuan County. Then you can have as much as you want."

Han admired Tong Huaqiong's various business acumen. She even wanted to get involved in the pork business.

What's even more remarkable is that they don't just test the waters when they do business; they do it with meticulous planning.

Otherwise, why would her pigs smell so good?

They must have put in a lot of effort to figure it out.

Han said with a smile, "It's amazing that you raise pigs to be so delicious. If this pork shop were to open in Pingchuan County, I bet every household would be willing to buy from you."

This is exactly the effect Tong Huaqiong wanted.

She wants to replace beef and mutton with pork as the mainstream meat of this era, so that every household can eat cheap and delicious pork in the future.

Eating meat will no longer be a privilege reserved for wealthy families.

After the meal, Tong Huaqiong and Han Shi sat in the courtyard drinking tea to aid digestion.

The autumn air was cool and refreshing, and the surroundings were bathed in the bright moonlight.

The autumn wind rises, but there is no sense of desolation; instead, it brings an atmosphere of unparalleled tranquility and peace.

It had been a long time since Han had sat so leisurely under the moonlight as he did today.

"Sister Han, there's something I'm not sure if I should ask you." Tong Huaqiong had always wanted to ask Madam Han why she encouraged Lu Zhaozhao to leave the inner quarters to do business, but she was too embarrassed to ask. Now, she couldn't help but ask.

"Forget it. I'll just ask directly, why do you want Zhaozhao to learn how to do business?"

Han took a sip of tea and smiled, then countered, "Didn't you also encourage her to learn how to do business? Why are you doing this?"

Tong Huaqiong wanted to say that she wanted to make up for Tong Dajiao's mistakes in her previous life and to reverse Lu Zhaozhao's tragic fate in her previous life.

Furthermore, because she possesses the soul of a modern person, unlike the pure ancient people like the Han family, she has a free and egalitarian soul, and she wants to enable the girls around her to break free from constraints and leave the inner quarters.

But she couldn't tell.

Even if I explained it, Han wouldn't understand.

Before Tong Huaqiong could reply, Madam Han's smile faded, and she said solemnly, "You must think I have some ulterior motive towards Zhaozhao or the Lu family. I can say openly that I don't! I used to be stubborn and didn't want to be looked down upon. I would rather do laundry than accept my aunt's help. My aunt secretly asked someone to help me get my son into Wanliu Academy. When my aunt was seriously ill, I visited her, and she said that it's hard for us women. We're trapped in our parents' home, and after marriage, we're trapped in our husband's home. My aunt was a very capable person in her youth. She went out to do business with her father from a young age. Later, after her father went to the capital to transport a batch of goods, he made my aunt learn needlework and etiquette from the ladies of the capital. After she got married, she was forced to stay at home to be a wife and mother and never went out again."

"The result of being a devoted wife and mother was that her world was reduced to a small area within the inner quarters. So when Zhao Zhao's parents passed away, she couldn't bear it and followed them. It's just a pity for Zhao Zhao. Zhao Zhao learned how to use an abacus and do accounting from my aunt. I think the reason my aunt taught Zhao Zhao these things was because she didn't want Zhao Zhao to be confined to the inner quarters."

“I owe a debt of gratitude to my aunt, who has passed away. The best way to repay her kindness is to make Zhaozhao’s life better.”

As Han spoke, she choked up.

Tong Huaqiong instantly dispelled her doubts about the Han family.

Han was indeed sincere in his concern for Zhaozhao.

Tong Huaqiong felt a little ashamed, as she always looked down on women like the Han family from ancient times with the noble and free spirit of a modern person.

Little did they know that in any era, there are women who do not wish to be bound by constraints.

They all have women who are devoted to others.

“I’ve had this thought before, but I never said it because I didn’t know how to express it. Today I saw that Peach Blossom and your two daughters-in-law are doing business with you and doing quite well. I thought maybe Zhaozhao could do the same.”

"So, this is all thanks to you."

Under Han's eager gaze, Tong Huaqiong felt quite embarrassed.

However, what makes Tong Huaqiong happy is that, with the combined efforts of the Han family and Tong Huaqiong, Lu Zhaozhao's fate in this life will become better and better.