Free Web NovelChapter 668: Chapter 668: A Well-Intentioned Mistake
"Is it Aunt Qin and the others who understand my husband, or is it me? Each of them acts like they’re so familiar with him. If my husband wanted a concubine for the sake of having children, he would have taken one long ago. Why wait until now?"
Mrs. Hong still spoke with anger.
"If one day he truly does take a concubine and have children, I’m not one to be trifled with. I certainly won’t let him get away with it easily."
Mrs. Hong is anything but soft-hearted.
Tong Huaqiong nodded with a smile, that’s the right way to think.
"But didn’t you wonder why Aunt Qin suddenly brought up the topic of your husband taking a concubine?" Tong Huaqiong asked.
Mrs. Hong replied, "It’s nothing but the influence of a group of gossipy women. A few days ago, they were saying that Yue Er was overshadowed by you, and now I’m the main topic of discussion."
The center of gossip in the village is always like this. Anyone who isn’t present can become the main character.
The news of Gu Dashi and He Chao’s accomplishments has been dominating the list, and for Liu Yueer and her to become the topic center is all too normal.
Tong Huaqiong frowned but said, "I always feel something’s not quite right. Aunt Qin isn’t the type to be deceitful. She must have heard something before telling you about taking a concubine."
It’s just that Aunt Qin genuinely cares for Mrs. Hong, meaning well but doing the wrong thing.
But the person who spread this news?
They might be harboring some ill intentions.
Mrs. Hong thought for a moment and said, "Who could have brought up this idea of taking a concubine with my husband?"
Tong Huaqiong asked, "Is there no one left in Old He’s family?"
Mrs. Hong said, "His parents went south to do business when he was young, caught an epidemic, and passed away. Their remains were burned locally, leaving nothing behind. The family clan treated him poorly, took away his land and house. He made a living from Pingyang County to Pingchuan County, severing ties with the clan long ago. When we got married, we didn’t even return to Pingyang to honor the ancestors."
Tong Huaqiong said, "In the past, you severed ties with He Family in Pingyang County, and they acted as if you didn’t exist. But if they find out that Old He is being recognized for his accomplishments and might receive rewards from the capital, what will happen?"
After all, reports are sent to each county, and news of He Chao’s accomplishments has probably already reached the ears of the He family clan.
With someone so accomplished in the clan, and given that He Chao has no children, members of He family might inevitably be eager with ideas.
Like suggesting adopting a child to He Chao and Mrs. Hong, making sure the family property stays with their own child in the future.
Or selecting a girl related to them by blood to become He Chao’s concubine, as Mrs. Hong can’t give birth, so the property would still belong to a child of the concubine.
Mrs. Hong’s brow twitched.
What Tong Huaqiong could think of, Mrs. Hong could also figure out after some thought.
"I guess these days, the monsters and demons are going to make a move," said Tong Huaqiong.
Mrs. Hong suddenly laughed and said, "It’s better if they make a move openly than quietly scheming behind our backs."
As evening approached, Tong Huaqiong and Mrs. Hong were returning home from the Weaving Workshop.
From a distance, they saw Aunt Qin walking towards the entrance of Tong Huaqiong’s house, and Mrs. Hong turned away to head over to Pandie’s place.
She didn’t want to talk to Aunt Qin, as the words today were truly too overstepping and piercing. She needed some time to cool down.
Aunt Qin walked up to Tong Huaqiong and said, "Sister Hong is still angry with me."
Tong Huaqiong said, "Sometimes good intentions don’t necessarily result in good outcomes."
Aunt Qin stomped her foot and said, "It’s all my fault for speaking too much."
Looking at Aunt Qin, Tong Huaqiong asked with a half-smile, "Sister Qin, you aren’t usually the reckless type. Even though you like gossiping, you wouldn’t interfere in others’ private matters. What made you think of advising Sister Hong to let Manager He take a concubine? Was it your own idea or did someone say something to you?"
"There’s nothing that can be hidden from you."
Aunt Qin blushed. She had actually come just for this matter and didn’t think there was anything she couldn’t disclose.
"My cousin is the aunt of your weaving workshop’s cotton worker, Li Mingxiu. She came to visit my house yesterday and mentioned that Ming Xiu lost her parents right after she was born. Others say she’s had a hard life, and she’s still not engaged now. The Li family initially wanted to marry her off, but she didn’t want to and said she wants to spend her life carding cotton in the workshop."
Tong Huaqiong was very familiar with Li Mingxiu.
She’s strong, eats a lot, and is fast and good at carding cotton. She’s an invaluable asset to the workshop.
When she first got hired, her grandmother was so moved she cried.
Not only is she good at carding cotton, but she has also made significant contributions to the workshop. When Tian Fugui teamed up with Xu Xinghua to try to burn down the workshop, she stood up and held down Tian Fugui.
Tong Huaqiong frowned, understanding that the Li family wanted to manipulate Li Mingxiu into becoming He Chao’s concubine?
Thinking of this, Tong Huaqiong felt a chill and couldn’t help but put on a stern face.
Aunt Qin, seeing that Tong Huaqiong looked unhappy, said, "You’ve guessed it. The Li family indeed wants to push Li Mingxiu into becoming Manager He’s concubine..."
Tong Huaqiong gave a cold laugh, "Your dear cousin came to convince you to persuade Sister Hong, or perhaps convince me to persuade Sister Hong. Let me guess how your cousin tried to persuade you, saying that Li Mingxiu is a capable worker at my workshop, but that this girl has a stubborn nature that’s hard to control. If she becomes Manager He’s concubine, under the control of Sister Hong and me, she’d be stuck in the workshop working tirelessly for me forever."
Aunt Qin nodded; her cousin did try to persuade her in just that way.
But she scolded her cousin harshly.
She told her cousin that whether or not to become a concubine should be up to Li Mingxiu herself, and not something to be schemed behind her back, which is just an unscrupulous tactic.
Moreover, she knows Tong Huaqiong’s character; she certainly wouldn’t go against Li Mingxiu’s wishes.
Aunt Qin was worried that Tong Huaqiong would think she and her cousin were in cahoots, so she hurriedly said, "I gave my cousin a good scolding. Li Mingxiu, without parents, relies on her skills to earn a living and stand her ground. Unless she’s out of her mind, she certainly wouldn’t become someone’s concubine."
Aunt Qin deeply regretted opening the door to welcome her cousin in.
Tong Huaqiong kept sneering; the news of He Chao’s achievements hadn’t spread long, yet all sorts of opportunistic people were already emerging.
Probably some people in the background had thoughts about Gu Dashi too, but were too afraid to take action.
As for Mrs. Hong?
Having no children, parents, or siblings made her an easy target in the eyes of these opportunists.
Tong Huaqiong asked Aunt Qin, "How did your cousin come up with the idea of making Li Mingxiu He Chao’s concubine?"
Aunt Qin said, "The Li family has been calculating against Mingxiu for quite a while. Last year, they wanted to marry Mingxiu off to an old widower from another county. It was only thanks to Mingxiu’s fierce resistance that it didn’t happen. They probably took interest in the fact that Manager He has no children."
Aunt Qin resolved that she would not maintain contact with her cousin anymore.
It had caused Tong Huaqiong to become displeased with her.
Tong Huaqiong frowned. It was still unclear whether the He family was involved in the Li family’s plan to have Li Mingxiu become Manager He’s concubine.
Aunt Qin seized the chance to say, "Dashi’s wife, we old sisters have known each other for a while. Let me be honest with you. I scolded my cousin because she was plotting against her niece. I couldn’t stand her shameless behavior. But persuading Sister Hong to let Manager He take a concubine was indeed my own idea. Look at how the news of Manager He’s success has spread. Many people are eyeing Manager He’s assets. In the end, it’s a regret that Manager He has no children. Instead of letting outsiders take advantage, it would be better for Sister Hong to proactively allow Manager He to take a concubine. The life and death of the concubine are in her hands; the child would be raised by her. She and Manager He would still remain harmonious."
Tong Huaqiong said, "Sister Qin, I still say the same thing: good intentions don’t always lead to good outcomes. Don’t bring up the matter of a concubine again. Manager He won’t take one, and Sister Hong won’t allow him to either."
Aunt Qin opened her mouth.
She felt a bit aggrieved.
Tong Huaqiong and Mrs. Hong were still upset with her.
