The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 306: Abandoning the Main Account to Train an Alt

Chapter 306: Chapter 306: Abandoning the Main Account to Train an Alt

Tong Huaqiong left Lu Zhaozhao’s Rouge Shop with Gu Taohua and Chen Sufen. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Accompanying them were four clerks from the shop, arranged by Lu Zhaozhao to carry boxes of powders and rouges for Tong Huaqiong.

Each held a large box filled with powders and rouges.

If Tong Huaqiong hadn’t stopped her, Lu Zhaozhao would have gladly given her everything in the shop.

Since Tong Huaqiong and the others planned to stroll through the night market and buy some snacks, she had the four clerks deliver the powders and rouges directly to Taohua Dessert.

"Master Tong."

Tong Huaqiong had heard there was a stall in Pearl Alley famous for its delicious sour soup dumplings, and she planned to enjoy a bowl with Gu Taohua and Chen Sufen, but before they reached the stall, a carriage blocked their way.

She recognized the carriage.

She had seen it at Lu Zhaozhao’s shop; it belonged to Mrs. Chen of Jin Fengxiang.

Thinking for a moment, Tong Huaqiong approached the carriage window and said, "Is that Mrs. Chen?"

In her heart, Tong Huaqiong thought, your son tries to scheme against my son and Taohua Dessert, and yet you dare come to me.

Chen’s second young master had been injured by Xian Xian and then received thirty strikes from the government, currently recovering at home.

Now, Jin Fengxiang had become the city’s laughingstock.

Everyone knew that Chen’s second young master failed to scheme against Gu Dashi, almost causing a fatal incident in the brothel.

Mrs. Chen lifted the carriage curtain, meeting Tong Huaqiong’s intense gaze.

"Master Tong, you have sharp eyes," Mrs. Chen said. "I originally planned to visit you at Taohua Dessert, but since we met here, let’s have a brief chat."

"What do you want from me?" Tong Huaqiong said. "Are you seeking revenge for your son? But you’ve come to the wrong person."

Mrs. Chen laughed, saying, "I’ve heard you’re also a stepmother, Master Tong, so you must know how it feels. Whether you treat your stepson well or not, others will judge you."

Tong Huaqiong couldn’t empathize with that.

She was the ruler of the Gu Family.

Whether it was the original Tong Dajiao or her, they were immune to outside opinions on their treatment of the entire stepfamily.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Say what you have to; I don’t have time for stepmother tales."

Mrs. Chen frowned slightly; this country widow was tougher than she thought, leaving no room for emotional manipulation.

Mrs. Chen said, "I’m here to express something to you, Master Tong. I did want my son to take over Jin Fengxiang. When I married into the Chen Family, Jin Fengxiang was just an unassuming little shop. It’s through years of hard work with my husband that Jin Fengxiang grew and prospered, so why should I hand it over to my stepson? It’s true my son is useless, but my stepson isn’t much better. He’s narrow-minded, vindictive, and harsh to the clerks. The decline of Jin Fengxiang, with master chefs resigning and branch closures, has his traces all over it. I turned a blind eye to avoid conflict with my husband."

A hint of resentment appeared on Mrs. Chen’s face.

"I’m telling you this mainly to convey that my son’s schemes against your son were wrong, but he was coaxed and fell into someone else’s trap."

Tong Huaqiong immediately understood that this "someone else" was the stepson Mrs. Chen mentioned.

"I don’t like making enemies in business, so I’m here to apologize to you in person, Master Tong. I will strictly discipline my foolish son. In the future, he will never try to step on Taohua Dessert to get ahead again."

"Master Tong, I know you may not believe me telling you this suddenly, but let’s see how things go."

Mrs. Chen meant to reconcile with Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong laughed, saying, "Your son has completely withdrawn from Jin Fengxiang after this incident, right?"

She implied that Chen’s second young master now had no opportunity to step on Taohua Dessert to rise up.

Wasn’t Chen’s second young master competing with the eldest young master?

Whether he fell for the eldest young master’s schemes or came up with the idea to target Taohua Dessert himself, he failed and that was that.

It’s challenging for a loser to re-enter the core circle of Jin Fengxiang.

Moreover, Chen’s second young master didn’t seem capable of making a comeback.

How Mrs. Chen, who seemed shrewd, ended up raising such a foolish son was beyond comprehension.

Mrs. Chen smiled wryly, saying, "I suffered too much in my youth doing business, and when I had a son, I wanted him to enjoy life. Ultimately, his stupidity and naivety were results of my indulgence. But Master Tong, would you be willing to hand over a business you painstakingly built?"

Tong Huaqiong said, "Of course, I wouldn’t."

Mrs. Chen nodded, saying, "Neither would I. Since my son has turned out to be a fool, I’ll just raise another one. I can’t hand over Jin Fengxiang without a fight."

Mrs. Chen supported her belly with a confident smile on her lips.

This was a case of failing the elder, so nurturing the younger.

Tong Huaqiong thought to herself, with Mrs. Chen’s ruthlessness in discarding her son, her stepson was surely no match for her.

But why was Mrs. Chen telling her all this?

Was she hoping to pardon Chen’s second young master?

Chen’s second young master’s actions had backfired on him without harming Taohua Dessert at all. Instead, it brought more attention to Taohua Dessert.

If Mrs. Chen wanted to apologize to Tong Huaqiong, a straightforward apology would suffice; why go into such detail?

Tong Huaqiong didn’t feel she and Mrs. Chen were close enough to share an intimate conversation at first meeting.

Mrs. Chen seemed to read Tong Huaqiong’s thoughts and smiled wryly, saying, "Had I firmly held onto the shop’s management rights, I wouldn’t be stuck fighting with my stepson now. I’m sharing this with you because you inspired me. If you can be the boss as a woman, why can’t I?"

Tong Huaqiong understood that Mrs. Chen was using her as a sounding board.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Then I wish Mrs. Chen success."

She never expected that in the city, she could ignite Mrs. Chen of Jin Fengxiang’s fighting spirit.

"Then thank you, Master Tong." Mrs. Chen closed the carriage curtain and left Pearl Alley.

Watching Mrs. Chen’s carriage leave, Gu Taohua couldn’t help but remark, "They say Jin Fengxiang was outdone by Gao Xiangji, but in my opinion, Jin Fengxiang handed over their top pastry position due to internal strife."

Tong Huaqiong gave Gu Taohua an approving look, saying, "Exactly, internal strife is the greatest fear in any family business."

Chen Sufen said, "Luckily, our family is very united, and nobody has ulterior motives."

Chen Sufen was still too simple, only focusing on making pastries.

Currently, their family was united because there wasn’t a large enough pie and because Tong Huaqiong could suppress everyone.

If the pie grew large enough, it would be hard to say.

Tong Huaqiong didn’t believe that faced with a compelling enough interest, human nature would remain uninfluenced.

Once her business empire grew larger and stronger, stormy times might arrive.

Being alert now was crucial.

Jin Fengxiang’s biggest problem was Mrs. Chen prematurely letting go of power and failing to groom a proper heir, while Mr. Chen’s vacillation in choosing an heir triggered internal competition.

Such a situation must never occur for Tong Huaqiong.

When choosing an heir, it would purely be merit-based.

If her descendants were unfit, she wouldn’t form an alt; rather, she’d hire professional managers and establish a series of restrictive rules, with descendants not directly involved in shop operations.