Chapter 847: Shengjing's Pork Butcher Shop

“Proprietor, my parents have been looking for a livelihood in Shengjing.”

Lu Yiner cautiously spoke to Tong Huaqiong.

Given Tong Huaqiong’s current influence, if she wanted to find partners for the meat shop, her parents wouldn’t get their turn.

Especially since her parents haven’t even started their meat shop yet.

“What are your parents good at?”

Tong Huaqiong assumed that Lu Yiner was suggesting that her parents find a job at her Jufu Supermarket or the pig farm.

Lu Yiner said, “My father used to be a hunter, but as the game dwindled on the mountain, he switched to becoming a butcher, specializing in slaughtering pigs and sheep. The village would invite my father to slaughter pigs during the New Year. My mother is warm and cheerful and good at greeting people. My parents just want to open a meat shop that sells only pork, not beef or lamb. Gao Ming has already helped find a place for it.”

Tong Huaqiong understood Lu Yiner’s meaning.

She wanted pigs from Tong Huaqiong’s pig farm to be exclusively supplied to her parents’ meat shop.

So her parents’ meat shop could seize the opportunity in advance.

This aligned perfectly with Tong Huaqiong’s intentions.

There are so many pigs on the farm, and the first batch is ready. According to Tong Pandi’s strategy, the pork should first be sent to the Imperial Palace for the Imperial feast, using the palace as a marketing highlight to spread the pork downward.

But that would take too long.

How much can the palace consume?

If the pork is to become popular on a large scale, it needs the power of the grassroots.

A combination of an upper route and a civilian route is necessary.

Tong Huaqiong had been thinking about pushing the farm’s pigs into various meat shops, and now a ready shop came right to her doorstep.

This saves the trouble of convincing each meat shop and avoids giving up profits.

The Lu Family’s meat shop only needed to honestly sell the pork from her pig farm. Once they had many repeat customers, other meat shops would naturally inquire, and they’d discover the reason for the Lu Family meat shop’s success.

By then, when they discussed pig cooperation with Tong Huaqiong, she would have the upper hand.

Tong Huaqiong said, “Our pig farm can supply your parents’ meat shop first, but I also have a condition: your parents’ meat shop cannot sell any pork other than ours.”

Outside pigs that haven’t been castrated or scientifically bred not only have a gamey taste, but their meat doesn’t even have the right balance of fat to lean.

Selling them together would inevitably ruin the reputation of Widow Tong’s pig farm.

Lu Yiner said, “As long as you’re willing to let my parents be the first to take the plunge, our meat shop won’t sell any other pork.”

Tong Huaqiong said, “I trust you, but business is business, we must sign an agreement. Go find Pandi about this.”

The first batch of pigs will be ready in spring, and before that, Lu Yiner’s parents’ meat shop cannot sell other pork.

Lu Yiner said that even if the shop remained empty, they would wait two months.

She knew that after two months, her parents’ pork shop would surely make big money with Tong Huaqiong.

At first, she thought raising pigs was simple, but after working at the pig farm, she realized there’s a lot to learn. Though she hasn’t tasted the good pork yet, she believes the farm’s pork is different from those raised in rural pigpens.

So, it was settled.

Lu Yiner was overjoyed, grateful she had found the right path by staying close to Tong Huaqiong and ensuring her parents’ meat shop ran smoothly, and her brother could forge connections with Gu Jingzhe.

“By the way, Proprietor, Taohua’s wedding is next month, right?” asked Lu Yiner.

Tong Huaqiong nodded, and just the thought of Gu Taohua’s upcoming marriage left her feeling indescribably poignant.

Lu Yiner said, “My aunt was brought back by Su Shihang.”

In these times, relationships aren’t easily severed, unless expelled by Su Shihang or the clan.

Though Su Chengmin didn’t acknowledge Su Shihang, the connection couldn’t be entirely broken.

Now, Su Chengmin is quite sought after, and Su Shihang is even less willing to end the father-son relationship.

So after Gu Taohua marries Su Chengmin, the Lu Family would be her nominal in-laws.

Lu Yiner was somewhat worried for Gu Taohua, wondering if she would need to pay respects to the Lu Family during the wedding.

Even though the Lu Family wouldn’t dare provoke Gu Taohua now, if they were to spread rumors about her, it might harm her reputation.

Tong Huaqiong knew what Lu Yiner worried about and said, “After the wedding, Taohua won’t be living with the Su Family, so the two won’t meet often.”

And even if they did meet, so what?

Su Shihang had been less than honorable, and the Lu Family, being the original wife, was demoted to a concubine. Even after Min Baozhen passed, Lu Family didn’t regain their status but lived aimlessly in the Su Mansion.

By the standards of the time, the Lu Family didn’t qualify as Gu Taohua’s in-laws.

Tong Huaqiong wasn’t worried about Gu Taohua, finding a touch of amusement instead, as she asked, “How did your cheap uncle get the heart to bring your aunt back?”

Lu Yiner sneered, “Old Mrs. Su’s illness hasn’t fully recovered, Su Chengji became impotent, Su Shihang broke his leg during the Fifth Prince’s rebellion. The three of them are bedridden, and with no one to manage the household, they brought my aunt back.”

Tong Huaqiong cursed Su Shihang as truly reprehensible.

The Lu Family was like a brick—moved wherever needed.

“Does your aunt plan to care for Old Mrs. Su and Su Shihang in Shengjing?” asked Tong Huaqiong.

In Tong Huaqiong’s thoughts, the Lu Family, after being abandoned twice, surely would resist returning to the Su family, especially without a clear designation. A normal person wouldn’t want to be used like a tool.

But the Lu Family wasn’t normal.

Lu Yiner looked exasperated and said, “Care? She’s painstakingly caring for them, personally attending to them, even wanting my mother and me to help with Old Mrs. Su, but my mother scolded her. She suggested my parents and brother live in Su Mansion, and have Su Shihang hire a teacher for Lu Heng. It was all just a ploy to get my parents to work in the mansion.”

“Not just that, she wanted me to leave Gao Ming, proposing another affluent marriage for me. I refused, and she suggested converting my years of living expenses at the Su Mansion into silver. My mother slapped her twice in rage, and my father, who still felt brotherly affection, turned against her on the spot.”

Tong Huaqiong thought the Lu Family’s logic was truly twisted.

After being harmed so deeply by Su Shihang and Old Mrs. Su, she still wanted to jump into the Su family’s fire pit, dragging her family along.

Thankfully, Lu Yiner had woken up, and Lu Yiner’s parents were clear-minded.

When the Lu Family was sent away and then brought back, she thought maybe Su Shihang had a change of heart and cried tears of joy.

Upon returning, she realized Su Shihang and Old Mrs. Su had no intention of reinstating her, only seeing her as labor.

The Lu Family didn’t dare voice dissatisfaction to Su Shihang, for fear of being sent back to her hometown.

She tried everything to win favor with Su Shihang and Old Mrs. Su.

Currently, their biggest concern was the lack of a proper heir in the Su Mansion; with Su Chengji incapacitated, the only option was Su Chengmin.

Yet Su Chengmin didn’t acknowledge the Su Mansion.

“If you can get Chengmin back home, I will recognize you as the Su family’s daughter-in-law again,” Old Mrs. Su told Lu Family.

Though reluctant, Lu Family saw this as the only path forward.

Grinding her teeth, Lu Family decided to attempt breaking through via Gu Taohua.