Chapter 10

Fortunately, there was still some steamed pork and four happiness meatballs left. Once the guests were gone, she could finally satisfy her cravings.

Chu Lingyue kept an indifferent expression, but from the corner of her eye, she glanced at the dishes on the plate. She hadn’t eaten her fill…

Tang Laidi, who had originally been standing behind the counter, had already drifted over, drawn by the aroma. She whimpered to herself—it smelled so good. Tang Jin was too unkind; she hadn’t even let her taste any of these delicious dishes.

Lai Di had only eaten two buns, which had barely filled half her stomach. She was still starving.

When Old Madam Tang entered the door, she saw the three of them—led by her own granddaughter—standing by the guests’ table, staring hungrily at the diners.

She cleared her throat lightly, finally drawing the attention of the three who were eyeing the food so covetously.

“Grandmother, what brings you here?” Tang Jin heard the sound and turned to see the old lady. She hurried over at once.

Seeing this, Chu Lingyue followed suit and greeted her obediently. “Grandmother.”

Only Tang Laidi was reluctant to move her feet; she was still lingering by the table, sniffing the aroma.

Old Madam Tang handed the basket to Tang Jin. “You didn’t even discuss opening such a big restaurant with this old lady. These are the salted preserved eggs I pickled at the start of autumn—they’re just ready now. See if you can sell them.”

There was no way she was going to give her silver. What capabilities did her unlucky granddaughter have? It would be a miracle if she didn’t lose money.

She was offering this basket of eggs as a small encouragement, seeing that her granddaughter at least knew how to do some proper work.

Tang Jin took the basket. “Grandmother, please sit. We’ll be done shortly.”

Old Madam Tang glanced toward the table with the middle-aged merchant, then said casually, “What dishes can you all make? Bring a few for me to try.”

This was the real reason for her visit: to taste their cooking and see if this restaurant could stay open.

Tang Jin felt her vision darken. It was over—the last two dishes were doomed now.

“Grandmother, please wait a moment. I’ll bring the dishes right away.”

Old Madam Tang set down her cane and eyed Tang Laidi, who was still fixated on the guests. Then she looked at the silent Chu Lingyue, and a frown creased her brow.

Not one of them knew to respect their elders. They hadn’t even poured her a cup of tea. How were they supposed to do business?

“Lingyue, pour me a cup of tea.”

“The tea is all sold out.”

“Sold out? Can’t you boil another pot?” Old Madam Tang asked incredulously.

Chu Lingyue, as if accustomed to handling such situations, replied calmly, “There’s no water in the shop, and no firewood either.”

She was telling the truth. They hadn’t had time to clean the well in the back courtyard, and the kitchen truly had no firewood left.

Old Madam Tang took a deep breath and held back her frustration.

She would try the food first.

By now, Tang Jin had returned with a plate.

Neatly arranged in an ordinary earthenware dish was a layer of square pork pieces, each coated thickly with rice flour.

Old Madam Tang poked at the rice flour on one piece with her chopsticks, revealing the distinct layers of pork belly beneath, glistening with an amber sheen.

She slowly picked up a piece.

Hm? Surprisingly delicious!

It melted in her mouth, rich but not greasy, and the rice flour was perfectly salted and fragrant. What fine craftsmanship—this was the best steamed pork she had ever tasted in her life.

“Bring a bowl of rice.”

The old lady eagerly picked up another piece, only to see the two beside her standing motionless.

Chu Lingyue glanced up silently, tossing the question to Tang Jin.

Tang Jin gave a dry laugh. “Grandmother, the rice is sold out too.”

No sooner had she spoken than the middle-aged merchant at the neighboring table set down his chopsticks, still savoring the taste. “What a shame—just a few bites of rice would have made it perfect!”

Mixing that sauce at the bottom with rice would have been heavenly. He would definitely come early tomorrow.

Old Madam Tang restrained her temper and kept eating the pork.

She would scold this useless granddaughter later. If there was no rice, why not steam another pot? She really had no business sense.

What a waste!

“Server, the bill.”

At the mention of settling the bill, all three froze for a moment. Tang Jin recovered first, thought briefly, and approached. “That’ll be ten taels of silver in total.”

Plop…

The piece of meat Old Madam Tang had just picked up fell back into the dish. Ten taels! Of silver!

Was her granddaughter running a robber’s den?

Tang Laidi and Chu Lingyue were also a bit stunned. Tang Jin actually dared to charge that much—ten taels at the drop of a hat. Highway robbery! But then they remembered Tang Jin’s cooking skills, and they calmed down.

Don’t ask—just know it was worth every coin!

The middle-aged merchant didn’t find it unreasonable at all. He paid cheerfully. “This place is good. The flavors surpass Tower Beyond Towers’s by far, and the prices are about the same. Excellent.”

He had found the right spot this time. Tomorrow, he would invite that friend to try it.

Once the merchant had left, Old Madam Tang stared at the now-empty plate, full of regret. “You young people need to be more flexible in business. If the rice runs out, steam another pot right away. You can’t let the tea run dry either.”

She hadn’t even gotten her fill.

Tang Jin nodded repeatedly. “You’re right, Grandmother. It was our first time, so we weren’t fully prepared. Tomorrow, we’ll have everything ready.”

Old Madam Tang asked again, “Who made this dish?”

Her gaze swept over the three girls in front of her before settling on Chu Lingyue and Tang Laidi.

She knew her own granddaughter best—she could barely cook rice properly. It was most likely one of these two. But which one?

Tang Jin fell silent, hesitating a little. The old lady knew the original host too well. How was she going to explain this?

Chu Lingyue lowered her eyes, thinking to herself that even she wouldn’t believe it if she said it aloud. Her bedfellow had such otherworldly culinary skills.

Only Tang Laidi, oblivious to the undercurrents, spoke up when the other two stayed quiet. “Of course it was Tang Jin who made it. Grandmother Tang, your Tang family secret recipe is well hidden. All these years, I never even knew about it.”

Old Madam Tang: “…”

It was hidden well, all right. All these years, she hadn’t known when the Tang family had acquired a secret recipe.

Wasn’t the Tang family secret recipe just farming and raising chickens?

She glanced at her uneasy granddaughter, then at the stoic Chu Lingyue, suspicion rising in her heart but not showing on her face.

“Yes, if not for Tang Jin being such a disappointment, she wouldn’t have only picked up two or three tenths of the skill even now—enough to put on a bit of a show.”

No matter the situation with her granddaughter, in front of outsiders, she naturally wouldn’t expose her.

The old lady had managed the household for so many years and had her own ways. Behind closed doors, she could scold or beat the child as she pleased, but in public, she had to protect her granddaughter.

Tang Laidi’s eyes lit up at this. “Grandmother Tang, what do you think of my aptitude? Am I smarter than Tang Jin? Why not consider…”

Tang Jin’s skills were only two or three tenths? If she learned the full ten tenths—good heavens, what would the food taste like?

Right now, Tang Laidi had only one thought: she wanted to learn! She wanted to learn!

“It’s a family heirloom recipe—not taught to outsiders,” Tang Jin cut her off. As if she’d get that lucky.

Tang Laidi pouted, then her eyes sparkled again. “Grandmother Tang, when will you show off your skills? Let me have a taste too.”

If she couldn’t learn it, at least she could eat it.