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

Tong Huaqiong left Lu Zhaozhao's rouge shop with Gu Taohua and Chen Sufen.

There were four shop assistants around her, who were assigned by Lu Zhaozhao to carry the cosmetic boxes for Tong Huaqiong.

Everyone was holding a large box filled with rouge and face powder.

If Tong Huaqiong hadn't stopped her, Lu Zhaozhao would have loved to sell all the goods in the shop to Tong Huaqiong.

Since Tong Huaqiong and the others wanted to stroll through the night market and buy some snacks, they asked four shop assistants to deliver the cosmetics directly to Peach Blossom Dessert Shop.

"Boss Tong."

Tong Huaqiong heard that there was a stall in Pearl Lane that served particularly delicious sour soup dumplings, so she planned to go with Gu Taohua and Chen Sufen to have a bowl of dumplings. Before they even reached the stall, they were stopped by a horse-drawn carriage.

She had seen this carriage before.

When she was in Lu Zhaozhao's shop, she saw that this was the carriage belonging to Madam Chen of Jin Fengxiang.

Tong Huaqiong thought for a moment, then went to the carriage window and said, "Madam Chen?"

Tong Huaqiong thought to herself, "Your son schemes against my son, and he schemes against Peach Blossom Desserts. You still dare to come looking for me?"

Chen Er Gongzi was injured on the head by Qianqian and was also beaten with thirty strokes of the cane by the government. He is currently lying at home recuperating.

Jin Fengxiang has now become a laughing stock in the city.

Everyone knows that Young Master Chen's scheme against Gu Dashu failed, and he almost caused a death in the brothel instead.

Madam Chen lifted the carriage curtain, meeting Tong Huaqiong's piercing eyes.

"Master Tong has a good eye," Madam Chen said. "I originally wanted to find you at Peach Blossom Dessert Shop, but since we've met here, I'll chat with you for a bit."

"What do you want from me?" Tong Huaqiong said. "You want to avenge your son, don't you? But you've come to the wrong person."

Madam Chen smiled and said, "I heard that Chief Tong is also a stepmother. Then you must know what it's like to be a stepmother. Whether you treat your stepson well or not is for others to judge."

Tong Huaqiong couldn't empathize with this.

She is the queen of the Gu family.

Neither the original owner, Tong Dajiao, nor she, nor her stepson's family were affected by outside opinions.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Just say what you have to say. I don't have time to lecture you about being a stepmother."

Madam Chen frowned slightly. This country widow was more difficult to deal with than she had thought; she couldn't appeal to her emotions at all.

Madam Chen said, "I came to see Master Tong to make something clear to you. I do want my son to take over Jin Feng Xiang. When I married into the Chen family, Jin Feng Xiang was just an insignificant little shop. It was through my hard work and dedication over the years, working alongside my husband, that Jin Feng Xiang grew and prospered. So why should I give Jin Feng Xiang to my stepson? It's true that my son is a hopeless case, but my stepson isn't much better. He's narrow-minded, vindictive, and harsh on the staff. Over the years, Jin Feng Xiang's head chef has resigned, and branches have closed. Where hasn't my stepson been involved? I've just turned a blind eye to avoid conflict with my husband."

A look of hatred appeared on Madam Chen's face.

"I'm telling you this mainly to let you know that it was wrong of my son to scheme against your son, but he was also instigated by others and fell into their trap."

Tong Huaqiong immediately understood that this "other person" was the stepson that Madam Chen was talking about.

"I don't like making enemies in business, so I'm here to apologize to Boss Tong in person. I will keep my stupid son in check, and he will never do anything as foolish as climbing over Peach Blossom Dessert to get ahead again."

"Boss Tong, I know you might not believe me if I tell you this so rashly. Let's wait and see."

Madam Chen's intention was to reconcile with Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong laughed and said, "After all this, your son has completely withdrawn from Jin Fengxiang, right?"

She meant that Young Master Chen would no longer have a chance to rise to power by stepping on Peach Blossom Desserts.

Isn't the Second Young Master Chen fighting against the First Young Master Chen?

Whether he fell for Young Master Chen's trick or intentionally plotted against Peach Blossom Desserts, his failure is a failure. It's very difficult for a loser to re-enter Jin Fengxiang's inner circle.

Moreover, this Second Young Master Chen doesn't seem like he can turn things around.

Madam Chen, who looks so shrewd, has raised such a foolish son.

Madam Chen gave a bitter smile and said, "It's all because I suffered too much in business when I was young. Now that I have a son, I just want him to enjoy life. In the end, my son's stupidity and gullibility are all my fault for spoiling him. But, Master Tong, if it were me, would you be willing to hand over the shop that I worked so hard to build?"

Tong Huaqiong said, "Of course I'm not willing to accept this."

Madam Chen nodded and said, "I'm not reconciled either. Since I've raised my son to be a fool, I'll just raise another one. I can't just hand over the Golden Phoenix Company that I built."

Madam Chen held her belly with both hands, a confident smile on her lips.

This is because my main account isn't working out, so I'm starting a new one.

Tong Huaqiong thought to herself that, given Madam Chen's ruthlessness in abandoning her son so easily, her stepson would definitely be no match for her.

But why did Mrs. Chen tell her all this?

Is he trying to get her to let Young Master Chen off the hook?
Chen Er Gongzi's actions backfired, causing no harm to Peach Blossom Dessert. On the contrary, the incident boosted the dessert shop's popularity.

If Madam Chen wanted to apologize to Tong Huaqiong, she could have just apologized directly; why bother with all this fuss?

Tong Huaqiong didn't think she and Madam Chen would become so familiar with each other that they could confide in each other right after meeting.

Madam Chen seemed to see through Tong Huaqiong's thoughts. She said with a wry smile, "If I had been ruthless and held onto the management of the shop back then, I wouldn't be in this situation where I'm fighting with my stepson. The reason I'm telling you this is because you inspired me. If you, as a woman, can be a business owner, why can't I?"

Tong Huaqiong understood; Madam Chen was using her as a confidante to pour out her heart.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Then I wish Madam Chen all her wishes come true."

She never expected that she could inspire Jin Fengxiang's wife, Madam Chen, to fight back while she was in the prefectural city.

"Then thank you very much, Master Tong." Madam Chen closed the carriage curtain and left Pearl Lane.

Watching Madam Chen's carriage leave, Gu Taohua couldn't help but sigh, "Everyone says that Jin Fengxiang was crushed by Gaoxiangji, but in my opinion, Jin Fengxiang completely lost its position as the number one pastry shop because of internal strife."

Tong Huaqiong gave Gu Taohua an approving look and said, "That's right, the worst thing for any family business is internal strife."

Chen Su-fen said, "Fortunately, our family is very united, and no one has any ulterior motives."

Chen Su-fen is still too naive; she only knows how to make pastries.

The reason why everyone in the family is so united is because the pie isn't big enough yet, and Tong Huaqiong is able to keep everyone in check.

If the cake is big enough, then it's hard to say.

Tong Huaqiong does not believe that human nature can remain unmoved in the face of sufficiently large temptations.

If her business empire grows bigger and stronger in the future, there might be a bloodbath.

Therefore, she needs to be vigilant from now on.

Jin Fengxiang's biggest problem was that Madam Chen relinquished power too early and failed to properly cultivate a successor. Chen Dongjia's wavering in choosing a successor led to infighting among his brothers.

She, Tong Huaqiong, must never allow this to happen again.

If she chooses an heir in the future, only the most capable person will be chosen.

If her descendants are all incapable of handling the responsibility, she won't follow Madam Chen's example and practice playing the trumpet. She will hire a professional manager and establish a series of rules and regulations, ensuring that her descendants do not directly participate in the shop's operation and management. (End of Chapter)