The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 281: This Boss Is Quite Charming

The clerks at Taohua Dessert had long heard from Hong Xiaoxi about the renowned Tong Huaqiong and her legendary deeds.

They knew she was a widow from the countryside, raising a bunch of children in the village while farming. One day, she suddenly decided to start a business in the town, beginning with a roadside stall, and within just a few months, she established Taohua Dessert and merged with an old shop in town.

Now, after just over half a year, she’d already opened a branch in the provincial city.

Such a proprietor, such a widow, they dared not underestimate.

Moreover, judging from the business methods invented by the owner that He Chao and Hong Xiaoxi implemented in the shop, especially the free tasting and guiding customers’ purchases, it simply set a precedent in the major food shops in the provincial city.

Therefore, these clerks dared not belittle Tong Huaqiong’s abilities.

Before meeting Tong Huaqiong, they had a stereotypical image of her in their imagination, thinking she was an elderly woman dressed humbly and rarely smiled, given that she was a middle-aged widow, right?

What else could she look like? 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Looking at the plain Young Master Dashi, they could almost guess her appearance.

However, when she actually appeared before them, everyone was taken aback.

Not at all like the widow they imagined.

This proprietor is rather chic!

Their widow proprietor, dressed elegantly, wore a bright smile on her face, yet it was clear she was not easy to fool when she spoke.

Had He Chao not introduced her, they would have thought she was sworn sisters with the two daughters-in-law behind her.

The clerks pledged their loyalty to Tong Huaqiong once again, then went on with their work.

Tong Huaqiong marveled at the advantage of opening a shop in the provincial city, where talent was abundant during a time when commerce was very prosperous in ancient times, allowing employees to move between various shops.

Thus, within less than a week in the provincial city, He Chao and Gu Taohua had hired suitable accountants and clerks.

Unlike when Tong Huaqiong opened her first shop in Yan Guan Town, needing the whole family to roll up their sleeves and work as clerks.

"How’s the preparation of the baking room?" Tong Huaqiong stood up, about to check the baking room.

Since it was a pastry shop, the most important thing was the quality of the pastries.

Which aspect determines the quality of the pastries? Naturally, it’s the baking room.

He Chao said, "Everything is ready, and Master Song is busy inside."

Master Song was previously the chief pastry chef at Crispy Food Garden in Yan Guan Town. He had been baking pastries since he was young, with ideas and creativity, and most importantly, impeccable character. After Crispy Food Garden was merged by Tong Huaqiong, Master Song continued to be the head pastry chef for Taohua Dessert’s second shop.

This time, he followed He Chao to the provincial city to oversee the baking room.

Master Song was from Yan Guan Town; initially, he didn’t want to come because he had high pay there, a home, and enjoyed leisurely days drinking small wines with old friends and teasing grandchildren after work.

Now being asked to "start a business" in the provincial city, he resisted.

Tong Huaqiong offered him double the salary and promised he only needed to stay for half a year, letting him go back to Yan Guan Town once a suitable baking supervisor was found in the provincial city.

Only then did he agree.

Tong Huaqiong arrived at the baking room, greeted by Master Song’s loud scolding voice.

"How many times have I told you, the temperature is too high, too high, why can’t you remember?"

"The surface is just a bit burnt, customers can’t tell."

"Nonsense, customers might not see, but can they not taste? Let me tell you, don’t treat customers like fools; a slightly higher baking temperature will subtly alter the taste, and some customers can pick that up. Don’t compare our Taohua Dessert with ordinary pastry shops; every piece of pastry our customers taste is precisely right, no room for carelessness."

"Also, wear your masks properly. The mask invented by the owner always complained as stuffy, but think about how disgusting it would be if saliva went into the pastries without masks? Those items are for people to eat; would you eat saliva?"

Tong Huaqiong found Master Song’s scolding strangely comforting.

Whenever she visited the second shop of Taohua Dessert in Yan Guan Town, she’d hear Master Song vigorously reprimanding.

His scolding wasn’t just relying on experience, but purely due to high standards for pastry making.

Undeniably, under Master Song’s stringent requirements, the pastry output at Taohua Dessert’s second shop remained remarkably stable, with no quality issues to date.

Having Master Song oversee the baking room in the provincial city was a wise decision.

Tong Huaqiong was definitely getting her money’s worth with the double salary paid.

Tong Huaqiong changed her clothes, wrapped her hair, and donned a self-made mask before entering the baking room.

"Oh, the owner’s here."

Master Song was kneading the mooncake pastry, and upon seeing Tong Huaqiong enter, his eyes revealed intense excitement behind the mask that covered half of his face.

"Old Song, with you overseeing the baking room here, I feel at ease," Tong Huaqiong said.

Master Song knew the owner had overheard his earlier scolding.

"I was just teaching them how to make mooncakes," Master Song said, pointing at the furnace inside.

Four bakers were busy in the baking room.

Upon hearing the owner arrived, they didn’t budge, each engrossed in their task.

This was the rule set by Master Song, indicating that once inside the baking room, they couldn’t be distracted; even a slight distraction could ruin the pastries.

Tong Huaqiong went around greeting everyone kindly.

With masks on, she couldn’t see their faces, only catching a glimpse of four pairs of eyes.

But this didn’t mean Tong Huaqiong knew nothing about them.

On the contrary, under He Chao and Gu Taohua’s reports, Tong Huaqiong knew them well.

For instance, the baker focused on mooncake baking was merely twenty years old this year, from a poor family, learning the craft since fourteen, apprenticing at a pastry shop in the provincial city for three years. After completion, he was retained for three more years with extremely low wages.

When He Chao came to the provincial city to start recruiting, he was just expelled because his request for a raise was rejected by the former owner, making other shops wary to hire him. Taohua Dessert, being new, used a flexible approach in hiring, tested his skills, and employed him.

For instance, the sole female baker had spent six years in another shop, only allowed to do fire-related tasks without permission to make pastries.

The reason was her identity as a woman, supposedly only fit for odd jobs.

Despite possessing skills, she couldn’t partake in pastry creation.

Gu Taohua notably recruited her for Taohua Dessert, allowing her into the operation zone to bake pastries just like men.

Chen Sufen, accompanying Tong Huaqiong, couldn’t help but pause by that female baker’s side, engaging in a conversation on techniques.

Upon learning Chen Sufen oversaw the baking room at Taohua Dessert’s main store, the female baker’s eyes lit up, fully enthused.

If a woman held the baking room manager position at the main store, why can’t she become the head of the baking room at Taohua Dessert’s provincial city branch?

Modest Chen Sufen hadn’t realized her experience could inspire a fellow female baker.

Although the store wasn’t open yet, the baking room still bustled with activity, ensuring the bakers’ skills never dulled.

This was also mandated by Tong Huaqiong.

Even if those pastries went to waste, or if the clerks consumed them, they weren’t to fear wastage.

Tong Huaqiong had a kind interaction with Master Song and encouraged and instructed the bakers, then exited the baking room amidst eager gazes.

After inspecting all preparation work in the store, Tong Huaqiong felt extremely satisfied with He Chao’s performance.

She was confident about the store’s opening.

"What about the momentum-building for our store now?" Tong Huaqiong asked He Chao.

The so-called momentum-building meant spreading the word about Taohua Dessert’s opening in advance, letting everyone in the city know.