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

Chapter 674 I'm glad I came to the right place

"By the way, boss, Aunt Hong, we found out that Aunt Mingxiu went to her aunt's house in Pingyang County these past few days. When she came back, she wanted to give Mingxiu to Manager He as a concubine."

Su Qing then brought up the second matter.

Tong Huaqiong and Hong Shi looked at each other.

Pingyang County is He Chao's hometown.

Tong Huaqiong asked Li Mingxiu, "What is your second aunt's husband's surname?"

Li Mingxiu shook her head; she really didn't know.

Tong Huaqiong said to Su Qing, "Go and call Aunt Qin over. Tell her I have something to ask her."

Aunt Qin was talking to Zhao Shi at the door of Liu Yue'e's family home when she heard Su Qing say that Tong Huaqiong had invited her to the weaving workshop, so she quickly went with her.

Oh my god, the Great Heat Mother finally spoke up for her.

"Sister-in-law Qin, Hong and I have something we want to ask you. Your cousin's aunt lives in Pingyang County. Do you know what her uncle's surname is?"

When Aunt Qin saw that Madam Hong was also there, she felt rather uncomfortable, but she suppressed her embarrassment and said, "My surname is Zhang."

Tong Huaqiong frowned and said, "Not surnamed He?"

Hong asked, "Is your cousin's aunt from Hejiazhuang in Pingyang County?"

Mentioning Hejiazhuang, Aunt Qin suddenly remembered. She clapped her hands and said, "I remember now! My cousin's aunt had a daughter who married a man surnamed He. How do I know? Because this cousin Zhang came to my uncle's house before she got married. Back then, the girls jokingly talked about marriage, saying that she had arranged a marriage with someone from Hejiazhuang. A few years ago, my Qingyou went to Pingyang County to deliver some pastries ordered for someone's birthday. He came back late and stayed in a haystack in Hejiazhuang. He was almost caught by his cousin Zhang's whole family as a thief."

"Later, after some investigation, it turned out they were distant relatives, and that's when they released my Qingyou."

Aunt Qin gets angry just thinking about it. They were relatives, after all. Before her cousin Zhang got married, her mother even gave her a set of quilt covers. After explaining that her son had been arrested as a thief, instead of apologizing or offering him a bowl of water, Qingyou asked her to find a job for her son-in-law at the pastry shop.

“That matches up,” Tong Huaqiong said.

At this moment, Aunt Qin realized why her cousin wanted to give Li Mingxiu to Manager He as a concubine. She was afraid that the man her cousin from the Zhang family married was from Manager He's own family.

They must have heard that Manager He has become successful, so they've teamed up to bully the Hong family.

Aunt Qin couldn't help but feel a lingering fear when she thought about how she had almost become an accomplice.

Madam Hong said, "There's something I don't understand. Since the He family wants my and my husband's family property, wouldn't it be better to establish an ancestral hall and adopt a son than to let my husband take a concubine?"

Aunt Qin said, "Adopting a son? He has to be able to give birth to a son first. I heard from Qingyou that my cousin Zhang had two daughters after marrying into the He family, but no son. Her eldest daughter married into the He family and had a son and a daughter. We can't give away a son that we finally had."

"My cousin Zhang has always been jealous since she was a young girl. To put it bluntly, now that everyone is saying your man is going to become successful, the He family is very envious. They must have a lot of sons and want to adopt one for you. My cousin Zhang's family doesn't have a son and doesn't want other people in the clan to benefit, so she came up with the vicious idea of ​​sending Manager He a concubine."

"My cousin and my older cousin are truly the offspring of the same maternal grandfather. They are equally selfish and can't stand seeing others do well. The two of them hit it off immediately and, when the He family came knocking on the door, they first sent one of them in."

Tong Huaqiong thought this made a lot of sense.

Some people are just that malicious, harming others without benefiting themselves. They don't care whether they get any benefit or not, as long as others can't get it.

Aunt Qin looked at Madam Hong and apologized: "Sister Hong, I was confused and blinded by greed that day. I shouldn't have said those things to you."

Hong waved her hand and said, "It's better to talk things out."

Tong Huaqiong said, "I'm afraid the other members of the He family are fighting over which child to choose as your heir. Just wait and see, they'll be here in a few days."

Li Mingxiu's second aunt and cousin probably took advantage of the He family's inability to choose an heir, hoping to use Li Mingxiu as bait to thwart the He family's idea of ​​adopting a child.

However, Aunt Qin's approach was blocked, Li Mingxiu was uncooperative, and her sisters-in-law were dragging her down.

It was unclear what other ideas Li Mingxiu's second aunt would come up with. After thinking about it all night and discussing it with her husband, Li Mingxiu's second aunt decided to use the money to bribe Su Qing and buy her a lucrative position as an embroiderer in a weaving workshop.

"Once you get into the weaving workshop, you'll not only get paid every month, but you can also take the opportunity to curry favor with Manager He's wife. Wouldn't it be easier to get close to Manager He and then slip Mingxiu to him?" Uncle Li said excitedly.

Li Mingxiu's second aunt and the man had the same idea.

What are we waiting for? We went to the embroidery shop to find Su Qing first thing the next morning.

The next morning, she told her son about it with a slight sense of guilt.

The son was even more enthusiastic than a man, saying that this is how a mother should be.

He really didn't want to get engaged to the He family girl that his aunt from Pingyang County had introduced him to; he preferred girls who were as beautiful as fairies.

That girl, with her rustic appearance, still demanded fifty taels of silver as a bride price.

Does she fit too?
This is a good opportunity to refuse the marriage proposal.

Li Mingxiu's second cousin was secretly pleased with himself. He had heard that Gu Taohua from the Tong family's weaving workshop had a bad temper and no man wanted her; she hadn't been married yet. After his mother joined the Tong family's weaving workshop, he would find an opportunity to get him in as well. He would then try his best to get close to Gu Taohua, hoping to become the widow Tong's son-in-law.

He had seen Gu Taohua at Peach Blossom Dessert Shop before. She was fair-skinned, tall, with crescent-shaped eyes that curved when she smiled, and her breasts were as plump as a juicy peach. She was his type.

Even a toad should have dreams of becoming a swan; what if they come true?

Her son's support further solidified Aunt Li's resolve.

Mingxiu was right about one thing: the reason her son couldn't find a wife was because they were poor.

As long as a family has money, even a man in his twilight years can find a young, unmarried woman.

After quickly finishing breakfast, Aunt Li, accompanied by her son, went to Qinghe Bay with the silver in her pocket.

They arrived at the Tong family's weaving workshop like thieves.

What a coincidence, today is the day the weaving workshop pays its workers.

The doors of the weaving workshop were wide open, and Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua sat together supervising the payroll distribution. Su Qing held a book and read out names. As each name was read, the corresponding person stepped forward, and Madam Hong handed over the money with both hands.

"Song Qiaoniang, ten taels of silver per month."

Aunt Li's eyes widened when she saw the gleaming silver on the table.

"Gu Xiaoxue, eight taels of silver per month."

When Aunt Li saw that Gu Xiaoxue, such a young girl, could earn eight taels of silver a month, she felt a surge of jealousy.

Song Qiaoniang and Gu Xiaoxue were the two people who earned the most money in the weaving workshop.

Aunt Li calculated in her mind that after a year, she had earned back the initial investment of fifty taels.

Li's second cousin's gaze fell on Gu Taohua, who was as beautiful as a fairy.

Tong Huaqiong glanced at the two figures outside, her expression remaining unchanged.

She guessed that it was Li Mingxiu's second aunt who had come to bribe Su Qing. She thought it would be a good opportunity to show Su Qing how high her status was in the weaving workshop. She didn't mind having Li's second aunt quickly take out her money and add fuel to the fire.

After the textile workers had finished receiving their wages and left, Tong Huaqiong said to Su Qing, "Su Qing, how's it going with recruiting the embroiderers? When can they start working?"

Su Qing said, "Back at the company, there are still two people being evaluated. The list should be finalized in the next few days."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Li was glad she had come to the right place.