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

Chapter 585 Why is the marriage proposal only being made now?

It was Tong Huaqiong's idea to sign the contract and put her fingerprint on it.

Of course, this wasn't the first time they'd done this. Everyone who came to work at Tong Huaqiong's house, whether a short-term worker in the fields or a long-term worker in the shop, had to sign a contract.

Only by signing a contract can everyone respect the job and avoid taking shortcuts to the greatest extent.

If it's verbally stipulated that shoddy workmanship will result in a tenfold fine and permanent blacklisting, some people will inevitably try to take advantage of the loophole. However, if it's written in the contract and signed, the written agreement will have a deterrent effect.

At first, everyone was a bit reserved, but they relaxed after receiving the cotton and cloth.

Su Qing kept emphasizing that the price was calculated per piece, with payments due every five days, and that the more you worked, the more you would earn.

Upon hearing this, everyone calculated how many cotton-padded coats they could sew with the cotton and cloth they had received, and they were secretly delighted, thinking that what they were holding was not cotton-padded coats, but money.

Young women think about using the money they earn to buy flowers to wear or to save for their dowry in town; young wives think about buying new clothes and cakes for their children after receiving the money; and older women think about using the money they earn to have a prosperous New Year.

Everyone smiled and said goodbye to Tong Huaqiong, then headed home.

After all, the sooner we finish sewing, the sooner we can get paid. If this batch is done well, there will be another batch.

Of course, those who hadn't been assigned work in the first batch surrounded Tong Huaqiong and asked how long it would take for the next batch of work to be completed. Tong Huaqiong understood everyone's desire to make money, since there were very few opportunities to earn money in the countryside during the off-season.

Everyone was eager to be assigned work.

Tong Huaqiong did not promise anyone a specific time, only saying that once the cotton in the weaving workshop reached a certain quantity and the cloth reached a certain quantity, she would immediately assign work to everyone.

The weaving workshop was fully prepared, with cotton ginning machines and looms running from morning till night.

Tong Huaqiong asked He Chao to recruit some craftsmen from the surrounding counties to assemble looms with Gu Daqiao.

Everyone was full of energy, working tirelessly during the day and even working until midnight by the light of an oil lamp.

Tong Huaqiong didn't want everyone to be so busy, but the cotton-padded clothes for the border needed to be made quickly. Since she had taken on this job, it was like she had signed a pledge. If they couldn't deliver them on time, there would be big trouble.

Fortunately, the female workers did not complain. Instead, they comforted Tong Huaqiong, saying that the weaving workshop was neither too hot nor too cold, and that they had food to eat and money to earn. This work was much better than working in the fields. They said that they could work until midnight or even all night long.

While the weaving workshop was thriving, Old Master Lu and Master Huang had already mobilized the managers and employees to stockpile a large amount of cotton.

Tong Huaqiong also used all of Aunt Tang's 20,000 taels of silver to hoard cotton.

When Old Master Lu sent people to deliver cotton to Qinghe Bay, Tong Huaqiong was acting as a matchmaker on behalf of Prefect Yao in Pingchuan to propose marriage.

Fortunately, the marriage proposal went smoothly.

With his personal abilities and family background both being top-notch, it was impossible for Magistrate Yao to have an unsuccessful marriage proposal to the illegitimate daughter of the Lian family.

Aunt Tang was afraid that the Lian family's first wife and three legitimate sons would cause trouble, so she kept the news a secret. Old Master Lian didn't find out until five days before the marriage proposal, and Madam Hua and the others received the news on the morning of the proposal.

Grandpa Lian was initially very angry, feeling that marriage was a major decision that should be made by parents, but Lian Hengruo had made the decision himself without saying a word.

But upon learning that her son-in-law was Prefect Yao, she had nothing to be angry about and immediately broke into a smile.

Since ancient times, which merchant doesn't want to change their lineage? Even the wealthiest family wants to produce a scholar who can pursue an official career. He went to great lengths to send his second son to Wanliu Academy, but not only did he fail to complete his studies, he also became a complete failure.

The eldest son was single-mindedly focused on business, while the younger son didn't seem to have any future in the imperial examinations, even though he attended a private school in the county.

Just when Old Master Lian felt that the feng shui of his ancestral graves was bad, a son-in-law from a prominent family in Shengjing, the prefect, suddenly appeared. How could he not be happy?

Grandpa Lian was so happy that he increased Lian Hengruo's dowry.

When Madam Hua and her son and daughter-in-law learned that Prefect Yao was coming to propose marriage, they thought Aunt Tang had gone mad. They couldn't understand how a merchant's illegitimate daughter could catch the eye of such a prestigious family. It wasn't until Prefect Yao and Tong Huaqiong arrived together that they believed it was true.

Tong Huaqiong noticed that Hua Shi's face was sullen from beginning to end.

Aside from Hua's expression, everything went smoothly with the engagement. The betrothal papers were exchanged, and the marriage was set for the following spring.

The Yao family sent their old steward from Shengjing to help Prefect Yao prepare for the wedding. Originally, the Yao family intended for Prefect Yao to bring Lian Hengruo to Shengjing to complete the wedding when he returned to the capital at the end of the year to report on his duties.

Prefect Yao refused, and the wedding was set for Ningcheng.

According to the Yao family's rules, wives of noble families should stay at home to take care of their parents-in-law and manage the household affairs. Prefect Yao did not want Lian Hengruo to be confined to the inner quarters of Shengjing.

He planned to bring Lian Hengruo to the Yao family after he was transferred to Shengjing.

These details were all told to Tong Huaqiong by Aunt Tang, who praised Prefect Yao for his thoughtfulness.

Tong Huaqiong also felt that Prefect Yao's actions were a rare example of a good man's behavior in this era.

On the way from the Lian family, Tong Huaqiong finally couldn't help but ask Prefect Yao why, as a scion of a prominent family, it had been so long before he was finally engaged. Prefect Yao said helplessly that his family had arranged three marriages for him, one of which was a childhood betrothal. However, he had never even met the first two betrothal partners, as one had died young and the other had passed away from illness.

The third option was to take advantage of his studies at Wanliu Academy to enter the palace and become an imperial concubine.

Given his previous two marriages, he earned a reputation for being a jinx to his wives.

He told Lian Hengruo all of this, and Lian Hengruo said she was tough and not afraid, so the two hit it off and got together.

Tong Huaqiong: "."

Upon arriving in Pingchuan County, she naturally had to visit Jufulai, and fortunately, everything satisfied her.

Tong Huaqiong returned to Qinghewan on the afternoon of the second day.

Gu Taohua came forward and asked, "Mother, how did Hengruo and Lord Yao's engagement go?"

Tong Huaqiong noticed that Gu Taohua's eyes seemed to be constantly glancing towards the private school, so she followed Gu Taohua's gaze and found Gu Ruinian standing at the entrance of the private school.

"Successfully, the wedding date is set for next spring," Tong Huaqiong announced loudly.

She understood the meaning of the peach blossom.

Gu Ruinian's most desired wife was Lian Hengruo, but now his dream has been completely shattered, and Tong Huaqiong doesn't mind stabbing him in the chest again.

When Gu Ruinian heard the news of Lian Hengruo's engagement to Prefect Yao, his eyes instantly filled with hatred.

His leg and his current predicament are all thanks to Lian Hengruo and Tong Huaqiong, the mother and daughter Tao Hua.

What he hated even more was that he had no way to retaliate for the time being, and could only watch helplessly as Lian Hengruo became the prefect's wife and Tong Huaqiong's weaving workshop prospered.

Gu Ruinian finally caught his breath after being taken care of by Old Madam Gu. He made an excuse to go out and collect firewood and came to the private school. He used to look down on a country teacher like Master Su, but this time he lowered his head to pay his respects to Master Su, hoping to find a way to continue taking the imperial examinations.

When he came out, he encountered Tong Huaqiong Valley Peach Blossoms again, which made him feel that everything was going wrong.

Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua walked towards the weaving workshop. Gu Ruinian stared at the backs of the mother and daughter with resentment, then sneered.

He stood by the window and listened to Master Su's lecture.

He seemed to have discovered Su Shi's secret.