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

"Where is Boss Tong?"

Tong Huaqiong heard Boss Qian's voice from inside the house.

Zhao immediately retorted, "That is Lord Suifeng."

Zhao realized that this Mr. Qian probably had ulterior motives towards her mother-in-law.

She was afraid that her future mother-in-law would be tricked by Boss Qian into remarrying.

If your in-laws already have children, and you remarry, you'll have to deal with their entire family, as well as your own. Only someone who's really desperate would remarry.

Wouldn't it be better to open your own shop and be the matriarch of the Gu family?

Tong Huaqiong came out, and Boss Qian congratulated her, saying, "Greetings, Lord Suifeng."

Tong Huaqiong said calmly, "No need for formalities."

With a wave of his hand, Boss Qian had his men carry a large box covered with a red cloth down from the carriage.

"My lord, this roast suckling pig is a gift to bring you joy."

Boss Qian lifted the red cloth, and a roast suckling pig appeared in the box.

This piglet was raised at Tong Huaqiong's pig farm. Boss Qian took it back the day before yesterday and marinated it for two days. He originally planned to make a dazzling debut at Fenglelou today as a blockbuster dish.

Upon learning that Tong Huaqiong had been granted the title of Lady of the Township, he rushed over carrying a suckling pig.

In Boss Qian's mind, only Tong Huaqiong in the entire Yanguan Town is worthy of eating the roast suckling pig from his Fenglelou restaurant.

Tong Huaqiong gladly accepted the roast suckling pig.

As soon as Boss Qian entered the door, all the wealthy families in the town learned of the news that Tong Huaqiong had been conferred the title of Township Lady, and they rushed to send people to deliver congratulatory gifts.

The gate to Tong Huaqiong's courtyard was almost broken down by the crowd.

Apart from a few families she knew well, whom she personally received, she delegated the rest to her son, Gu Jingzhe.

"Why are there so many people?" Tong Huaqiong was overwhelmed by the constant stream of people.

Gu Jingzhe said, "This is nothing. I reckon people from Pingchuan County will come too."

Indeed, it is true that when you are rich, even distant relatives come to visit; when you are poor, no one cares about you, even in the bustling city.

Tong Huaqiong has truly experienced this.

"mother."

Gu Taohua jumped off the carriage and ran straight to Tong Huaqiong.

"Let me see your imperial edict."

Before Tong Huaqiong could stop her, Gu Taohua slipped into the house to look at the imperial edict.

Accompanying Gu Taohua were naturally Madam Hong, Old Madam Huang, and Huang Jingshan.

"Congratulations, congratulations!" Mrs. Hong and Old Mrs. Huang said in unison.

Tong Huaqiong, beaming with joy, invited the person into the house.

Han stood up and joked with Old Mrs. Huang for a few moments, then looked at Huang Jingshan as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Well, since we're engaged, there's nothing to regret.

However, it would be great if Huang Jingshan could break off the engagement.

When Old Mrs. Huang saw Han and Tong Huaqiong, she was reminded of Lu Zhaoyang.

Can her granddaughter still call off the engagement?
No, no, the Huang family isn't the type to be greedy and snobbish.

If word gets out, how will Jingshan behave?

Mrs. Han and Mrs. Huang, these two best friends, sat down to drink tea and chat, each with their own thoughts.

"Aunt Tong".

Tong Huaqiong heard someone shouting outside.

It sounds like Lu Zhaoyang's voice.

Tong Huaqiong wondered why Lu Zhaoyang had returned again.

Fortunately, there were no strict rules about separating men and women in the countryside, so Lu Zhaoyang went straight in.

Both Mrs. Han and Old Mrs. Huang's eyes lit up.

"What happened to Zhaoyang?" Tong Huaqiong asked in surprise when she saw mud stains on Lu Zhaoyang's face and clothes.

Gu Taohua said quickly, "Our carriage got stuck in the mud, and it was Brother Lu who helped push it out."

However, Gu Taohua was puzzled as to why Lu Zhaoyang had mud on his body when he only had mud on his face.
Lu Zhaoyang said, "I'm covered in mud and would like to borrow Brother Jingzhe's clothes." Gu Jingzhe, who was outside the door, said, "That's no problem. Come with me."

Lu Zhaoyang followed Gu Jingzhe to the side room.

Tong Huaqiong still didn't understand why Lu Zhaoyang needed to go all the way to Qinghe Bay just to change his clothes.

She didn't believe that a wealthy young man like him, with his attendants always by his side, wouldn't have brought him a change of clothes.

Even if you didn't bring any, can't you just go to a hotel in Yanguan Town to buy some and change your clothes?
Lu Zhaoyang must have returned for some reason or for someone.

If it were for Su Chengmin and Xiaolong, he wouldn't have gone with Prefect Yao.

"Brother Lu is really funny. Not only did he not clean his face properly, he also got himself covered in mud."

Gu Taohua's laughter stirred Tong Huaqiong's heart.

Lu Zhaoyang encountered the Huang family's carriage stuck in the mud on the road. He helped push the carriage, getting mud on his face. He then deliberately got mud on his clothes before going to the Gu family to change clothes, all in order to see someone.

Of course he wouldn't do it for Gu Taohua.

So it can only be for Huang Jingshan.

Who would have thought Lu Zhaoyang was such a closet pervert?

Unfortunately, Huang Jingshan was already engaged, and in this era, it was difficult to break off an engagement.

Besides, even if Huang Jingshan isn't engaged, it depends on whether she has feelings for him.

Tong Huaqiong couldn't help but glance at Huang Jingshan out of the corner of her eye.

Huang Jingshan sat quietly beside the old lady Huang, her face serene and her expression calm, as if everything around her was irrelevant to her.

Grandma Huang didn't realize what was going on until Lu Zhaoyang went with Gu Jingzhe to change clothes. She was already thinking about having her granddaughter break off the engagement again.

"Thanks to Young Master Lu's righteous help, the carriage was able to get out of the mud," Old Madam Huang praised.

Han said with a smile, "Zhaoyang has been kind-hearted since childhood."

Soon, under the leadership of Village Chief Liu, the village women who were good at cooking were busy preparing a feast at Tong Huaqiong's house.

Tables and benches were set up, and adults and children sat around them.

Because it was a joyous occasion of the emperor issuing an imperial edict to confer the title of "County Lady," the banquet was much more lavish than the one when Tong Huaqiong received the commendation as a prefect.

There's chicken, fish, meat, eggs, fresh vegetables, and of course, wine.

On the first day of the private school, the children would go home for lunch after attending classes for half a day.

After class, Su Chengmin learned that Tong Huaqiong had been granted the title of Lady of the Township.

No wonder he could hear the commotion outside while he was in the classroom.

When the children from the private school heard that the Gu family was having a banquet, they flocked to the Gu family's house.

"You have to come back to class after you finish eating. Don't miss your afternoon class," Su Chengmin said loudly.

"I understand, Master."

The children ran and answered loudly, afraid that if they arrived late they wouldn't get a seat at the table.

Su Chengmin shook his head. He had been teaching for a whole morning, but the village children started learning late, and they still couldn't pronounce a single word correctly no matter how many times they tried.

You memorize the previous line but forget the next one.

There are even children as young as ten years old who come here to begin their education.

According to Su Chengmin's idea, some big, burly boys should not be sitting in the classroom, but should be in the martial arts training ground.

He plans to catch up on both academic and physical education once his legs are able to move freely again.

Su Chengmin was helped by Gu Jingzhe to the Gu family home.

"Oh, Master Laifu, come, come, please take a seat."

"Sit here with me. It's warm here in the sun, which will help Laifu's leg injury recover."

When the villagers saw Su Chengmin enter the courtyard, they stood up and offered him a seat.

Originally, everyone thought that Su Chengmin was too young to teach the children of Qinghewan. However, after Master Su and Prefect Yao certified Su Chengmin's scholarship, the villagers began to respect him as a teacher.

Seeing Su Chengmin come in, she wished she could pull him to her side so that Su Chengmin would take good care of her child.

"You eat, you eat, Laifu, sit inside."

Gu Jingzhe naturally wouldn't let Su Chengmin sit outside; as a patient, he had his own special meals. (End of Chapter)