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

Chapter 546 Starting the Cotton Textile Business
Just then, footsteps sounded outside.

Gu Daqiao was so nervous that he wanted to hide the loom.

"Daqiao, I heard Aunt Tong is back." A voice came from outside.

Gu Daqiao relaxed.

Tong Huaqiong recognized the voice; it belonged to Song Qiaoniang, Gu Daqiao's wife.

"Oh dear, Aunt Tong."

Song Qiaoniang greeted Tong Huaqiong warmly from inside the shed.

She was carrying a basket covered with a snow-white cloth, clearly bringing food to Gu Daqiao.

Tong Huaqiong, disregarding pleasantries, asked Song Qiaoniang, "Do you know how to use this loom?"

Song Qiaoniang nodded.

Gu Daqiao said with a smile, "My legs are not very mobile, so Qiaoniang always does the knitting. I watch over her and correct any mistakes."

Song Qiaoniang understood Tong Huaqiong's meaning. She put down the basket, picked up the cotton thread that had already been fluffed, pulled over a stool, and sat steadily in front of the loom to start weaving.

The right hand throws the shuttle, the left hand crosses the shuttle, and the foot pedals the heddle.

Tong Huaqiong cheered inwardly. Song Qiaoniang truly lived up to her name; she was indeed a clever woman.

"Look, this loom weaves so finely and densely."

Song Qiaoniang took down the cotton cloth she had woven and showed it to Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong held it in her hands, her hands trembling slightly.

It worked, it worked.

She can now start the cotton textile industry.

"Aunt Tong, I've also figured out the cotton-fluffing machine. It should be ready in the next few days," Gu Daqiao said to Tong Huaqiong.

The drawing of cotton spinning machines provided by the magistrate of Huating County not only depicted looms but also carding machines.

Besides textiles, cotton is also used in a more important process called cotton carding.

The efficiency of cotton carding directly affects the subsequent weaving process.

Tong Huaqiong said with a smile, "Very good, very good. This is a reward for you."

Tong Huaqiong picked up the basket that was on the ground and handed it to Gu Daqiao and Song Qiaoniang.

“What reward do we need? Auntie, we’re already so grateful to you for giving our family a meal. How could we possibly ask for money?” Song Qiaoniang said.

In agreement with his wife's words, Gu Daqiao waved his hands repeatedly.

Tong Huaqiong said, "It's not easy to figure out a loom. In the entire Qinghewan area, only Daqiao can do it. You have to accept this money."

Gu Daqiao and Song Qiaoniang had no choice but to accept the money. When Song Qiaoniang lifted the straw on the basket, she almost fell to the ground.

Half a basket of silver.

"My goodness, Auntie, what are you doing? Why are you giving so much silver?" Song Qiaoniang said.

Gu Daqiao glanced into the basket, and the silver was dazzling in the sunlight.

It looks like it weighs forty or fifty taels.

Good heavens, when will his skills be worth so much money?

“There are fifty taels of silver inside,” Tong Huaqiong said.

"No, no, you mustn't." Gu Daqiao pushed the basket to Tong Huaqiong.

That fifty taels of silver could buy more than ten acres of fertile land.

He Gu Daqiao has been out of school for ten years and hasn't saved up fifty taels of silver.

Tong Huaqiong held Gu Daqiao's hand and said very seriously, "Knowledge is priceless. Daqiao, your skills are worth so much money."

Tong Huaqiong thought to herself that Gu Daqiao was simply born in the wrong era. If he had lived in her time, he would have been a senior engineer at least. Gu Daqiao's eyes reddened.

Since his leg was crippled, no one has ever valued him or the knowledge in his mind like this.

When Song Qiaoniang saw that Gu Daqiao's eyes were red, she also shed tears.

Tong Huaqiong said, “You and Qiaoniang are both very good, and you both have skills. You can guess what I’m going to do by seeing how much cotton I’m growing. I plan to start a cotton textile business. When the weaving workshop opens in the fall, I hope you will work there. Daqiao will continue to improve the spinning and weaving machines, and Qiaoniang will help me teach everyone how to spin and weave. I wonder if you would be willing?”

"Yes, yes."

Before Tong Huaqiong could speak, Song Qiaoniang quickly expressed her opinion while wiping her eyes.

She originally thought that Tong Huaqiong had given them fifty taels of silver, and that was the end of the deal. She never expected that Tong Huaqiong would ask them to continue working for her.

Only a fool would refuse.

Gu Daqiao nodded with tears in his eyes.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Don't tell anyone about this yet. I'll make it public after the cotton harvest."

The couple vowed to keep it a secret.

After leaving the cotton field, Tong Huaqiong observed the village to see where to build the weaving workshop.

I saw with my own eyes Song Qiaoniang start the loom, and the improved loom was even more efficient than Tong Huaqiong had imagined.

Cotton products will come in handy this year in the face of a cold winter.

I'm afraid the yield from my 30 mu of cotton will be far from enough, so I need to stockpile cotton now, otherwise it will be too late by autumn.

When Tong Huaqiong got home, she sent Nie Xiaofeng to Pingchuan to tell Gu Baishuang to stockpile 200,000 jin of cotton.

After Tong Huaqiong reminded Gu Ruinian that he wanted to replace her with Gu Xiaoxue to marry Xu Dabao, Gu Honglian became very anxious and dared not go anywhere. She stayed at home and kept a close eye on Gu Ruinian and Jia Shi.

Every day, Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu would ask Gu Ruinian if he had any ideas on how to prevent Xiaoxue from marrying Xu Dabao. In addition, the Xu family would come to the house to remind him that there was not much time left before the debt repayment date was reached. Gu Ruinian was almost driven crazy by the annoyance.

What annoyed him even more was that Gu Honglian, who always loved to go out and wander around, stopped going out and spent her days sitting at home pretending to embroider.

She has the nerve to show off her skills, which are so bad that she can embroider mandarin ducks as if they were sparrows.

With only three days left until the repayment deadline, Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu thought that if they really had no other better way, they would have to use Gu Xiaoxue to pay off the debt.

Gu Youtian remained unconvinced. He insisted that Gu Ruinian marry Xu Xinghua, and he had already spoken with Xu Yong. He was confident that as long as Gu Ruinian was willing to marry Xu Xinghua, he could persuade Xu Jin to wipe the slate clean of the feud between the Gu and Xu families.

Gu Ruinian was unwilling to marry Xu Xinghua, and Jia Shi, who always regarded Gu Ruinian as her master, stood on Gu Ruinian's side. Although she was unwilling, she had no choice but to agree to let Gu Xiaoxue go to the Xu family to pay off the debt.

Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu went to the clan to continue pestering the clan chief for a solution, Gu Youtian went to town, and Wei Shi and Gu Fengnian took Yao's family and disappeared somewhere.

Only four people remained in the family: Gu Honglian, Gu Ruinian, Jia Shi, and Gu Xiaoxue.

Gu Honglian sat on the only intact chair in the house, her eyes and ears never relaxing.

She saw Gu Ruinian exchanging glances with Jia Shi, and suddenly her intelligence kicked in. She guarded the two of them like thieves, so even if they were up to something, they didn't dare to show it in front of her.

She had to pretend to let her guard down.

"I'm starving and I'm so hungry. I'll go to my sister-in-law's house and see if I can mooch a meal."

Gu Honglian put down her needle and thread, stood up, and walked out of the house.

After wandering around outside for a while, Gu Honglian quietly went home.

The house was quiet. Gu Honglian secretly went to the window where Gu Ruinian was recuperating.

There was a pile of firewood under the window, and Gu Honglian hid herself under the pile.

Low voices could be heard coming from inside the room.

Gu Honglian's face grew increasingly grim as she listened. Several times she wanted to jump out and beat the mother and son to death, but then she realized she was no match for them, so she squatted back down.

Suddenly she saw Man'er passing by the door.

Gu Honglian crouched down and whispered a few words in Man'er's ear. Man'er's big eyes darted around and she ran towards the clan leader's house.