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

Chapter 541 The Landlady Who Was Served by Others

"Mother, you're back."

When Tong Huaqiong arrived home, Chen Sufen, who was heavily pregnant, came to greet her.

Chen Su-fen looked quite well after two months apart.

Although her belly was very big, she hadn't gained much weight.

You look quite healthy.

Tong Huaqiong nodded, quite satisfied.

Although she never gave birth, she heard from people in later generations that if pregnant women do not pay attention to their diet, they will increase their risk of diabetes and high blood sugar. Moreover, if the fetus is too large, it will be difficult to give birth.

In later generations, there was the option of cesarean section, which was not available in ancient times, when mothers had to rely entirely on cesarean delivery.

Tong Huaqiong's family has no shortage of meat, eggs, and dairy products, so Chen Sufeng doesn't need to consume excessive amounts of nutrition just because she's pregnant. Before going to Pingchuan County, Tong Huaqiong repeatedly told Chen Sufeng not to eat large amounts of meat and fish, to control her food intake, and that she didn't have to do any work, but she should take a walk every day.

Chen Su-fen obediently did as instructed.

"grandmother."

Man'er, Xiaolong, and Yaozu had just finished their private school class when they saw the family carriage parked at the door. They rushed to Tong Huaqiong's arms.

Tong Huaqiong touched this one and rubbed that one.

Then, holding one in each hand, they walked home.

Su Chengmin was chopping firewood in the courtyard when he reached out and carried Gu Taohua's luggage.

"Mother, who are this lady and these young ladies?" Chen Sufeng asked, her face full of undisguised surprise as she saw several maids and servants getting off the carriage.

"Greetings, Young Madam." Su Qing, the former daughter of an official family, was quite quick-witted and stepped forward to greet Chen Sufeng.

Seeing that Su Qing was so perceptive, the other maids and servants all stepped forward to call Chen Sufen the eldest young mistress.

Chen Su-fen was so frightened she almost fell over.

Good heavens, when did she, a peasant woman, become a pampered young mistress who has to be waited on?

I'm not used to it, I'm very unaccustomed to it.

The strong old woman, Granny Yang, quickly stepped forward to support the heavily pregnant Chen Sufeng.

Tong Huaqiong looked at Chen Sufeng, who had nowhere to put her hands and feet, and said, "There are too many things to do at home right now, so we've hired some people. If they call you 'Young Mistress,' just greet them."

Chen Sufen nodded hastily.

Not to mention Chen Sufen wasn't used to it, even Tong Huaqiong wasn't used to it at first, and only got used to it after being waited on for the past few days.

Liu Yue'e, on the other hand, adapted without any psychological barriers. Tong Huaqiong, watching her direct the maids to serve her every day, thought she resembled a landlord's wife from feudal society.

Tong Huaqiong had thought things through regarding hiring people; even if she didn't hire anyone, these maids and servants would still be sold off.

Who knows what will happen to them when they go to other people's homes? Take Su Qing, the daughter of an official, for example. She was most worried about becoming a maid in a wealthy family and being taken as a concubine by the master.

Now, with Tong Huaqiong, they are not beaten or scolded, they have clothes to wear, food to eat, and a monthly allowance. In this era, this is considered a good way out.

"Man'er," Tong Huaqiong pointed to Su Qing and said, "This is my eldest granddaughter, Man'er. From now on, you will be in charge of her daily life and her reading and writing."

Su Qing was slightly surprised.

She knew Tong Huaqiong was knowledgeable, but she never expected her granddaughter to learn to read and write.

Su Qing quickly concealed her surprise and gave Tong Huaqiong a slight bow, indicating that she would definitely take good care of and teach Man'er.

"Xiaoxi, Xiaoshui, Granny Yang, you two serve the young mistress," Tong Huaqiong instructed, pointing out the two maids and Granny Yang.

The three greeted Chen Su-fen again, and Chen Su-fen almost didn't know what to do with her hands and feet.

"Mother, I don't need anyone to wait on me. Let them wait on you and Taohua," Chen Sufeng said. Her mother-in-law and sister-in-law were enjoying the life of a young mistress without anyone to serve them—how could that be acceptable?

Tong Huaqiong said to Chen Sufeng, "You're about to give birth, and there are a lot of things to do at home. Don't try to do everything yourself. Just let them handle things and focus on giving birth."

How can that work?
Every woman in the village goes to work in the fields with a big belly and takes care of housework as soon as she finishes her postpartum confinement. Chen Sufeng can't be so delicate, otherwise the villagers will talk behind her back.

Tong Huaqiong knew that arguing with Chen Sufeng was pointless, so she pulled out her trump card and said, "They're already home, we can't just send them back. Fine, if you don't need them to serve you, I'll have the slave traders let them take them away. If they can't find a suitable buyer, they'll be beaten and scolded by the slave traders and eventually sold to some filthy place."

When Chen Su-fen heard about the miserable life they might face after being sent away, she was too frightened to refuse.

The quick-witted Xiao Shui stepped forward and said, "Young Madam, please let us stay. It would be a great help to save our lives."

Chen Sufeng said tremblingly, "Okay, okay, stay, all of you stay."

Chen Su-fen's kind and gentle nature works well with her family, but not with outsiders and servants.

As the saying goes, "Without rules, nothing can be accomplished."

In "Dream of the Red Chamber," even with such a ruthless and powerful woman like Feng Li, if she showed the slightest weakness, the wicked servants in the mansion would start to bully their mistress. How much more so would a simple and innocent country girl like Chen Sufeng be bullied to death if she encountered such a wicked servant?

Chen Sufeng is still in a state of fear and trembling even when being served, so it would be difficult for her to set rules for the maids and servants.

We can only teach her after she gets used to being waited on.

Thinking of this, Tong Huaqiong said to the maids and servants, "When you get home, serve them well. If you think the young mistress is kind-hearted and try to bully her, you're mistaken. Anyone who wants to cause trouble, instigate, or cause internal strife should give up that idea as soon as possible, or they will be kicked out."

The maids and servants all said they dared not.

During their stay in Pingchuan County, they learned that Tong Huaqiong was a remarkable woman. Just the fact that a widow from the countryside could establish herself firmly in business in Pingchuan County in such a short time showed that she was no ordinary person.

One of the maids, who came from a wealthy family, took advantage of Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua's rural background and looked down on them. She was lazy and shirked her duties, so Tong Huaqiong immediately sent her out.

They were terrified.

Besides, where can you find such a good family as Tong Huaqiong's, where the servants are treated like human beings, never beaten or scolded, given meat every day, money every month, and clothes in all four seasons? So the remaining maids and servants gave up their thoughts of causing trouble.

"Sister Tong".

"aunt."

"Great-aunt"

After arranging for Chen Sufeng's maids and servants, Tong Huaqiong looked up and saw Hong Shi carrying flowers, and Tong Pandi bringing Duo'er in.

"The flowers have grown taller and heavier again." Tong Huaqiong held the flowers in her arms.

The little girl had a fair and delicate face, a pair of bright and sparkling eyes, and wore a small straw hat on her head. Her tender white hands were stuffing pastries into Tong Huaqiong's mouth.

Tong Huaqiong held the flowers with obvious affection.

"Granny Cheng, Xiao Chi, you two will serve Miss Tong from now on." Tong Huaqiong assigned a granny and a maid to Tong Pandi.

Tong Pandi nodded and readily agreed.

She had been the young mistress of the village head, and there were maids and cooks in Heilongtan. Because the Wu family had mistreated her, she had suffered a lot at their hands. Later, Tong Pandi was reborn and killed all the maids and cooks. Therefore, she was very good at managing maids and cooks.

"Sister Hong, you look even better." Tong Huaqiong said, holding Hong's hand.

Hong's health recovered quickly under the care of Tong Huaqiong's medicines, except for an allergic reaction that broke out in late spring and early summer this year, which was almost completely cured after further treatment.

Mrs. Hong said, "It's all thanks to you for helping me get better."

The best friends were very affectionate when they met, and Hong told Tong Huaqiong about the gossip in the village.

“I just saw your second son and his family come back. Their old house was smashed up by the Xu family, it’s uninhabitable now. They might come looking for you,” Hong said.

Tong Huaqiong's face darkened.