Chapter 12

As soon as those words left her mouth, Old Madam Tang’s heart jolted in shock. What in the world?

She wanted Chu Lingyue?

The old madam stared in stunned disbelief at the elegant young lady before her. The two women locked eyes without a word.

After a moment, Old Madam Tang had no choice but to accept the harsh reality: Chu Shaoyang meant every bit of it. She truly had designs on Chu Lingyue.

Realizing this, the old madam’s face grew taut. “Miss Chu must be joking. This old lady will pretend she never heard a thing. We’ll repay the silver right on time—no delays.”

Fine then. She had thought Chu Shaoyang was one of the good ones, and that her fixation on Tang Jin was just to avoid further entanglements. That was why she had come here, offering assurances and trying to smooth things over. But it turned out her real intentions lay elsewhere.

No room for negotiation, then.

Forget that Chu Lingyue had now recovered some of her memories and possessed otherworldly culinary skills—two dishes fetching ten taels of silver, like a little golden goose.

Even if Chu Lingyue were still as she had been before, only able to forage for wild vegetables, the old madam wouldn’t have agreed.

The Tang family had no precedent of using a wife to settle debts. She absolutely would not allow such a thing to happen.

It was just twenty taels of silver. She would dip into her life savings meant for her coffin.

Chu Shaoyang’s expression remained unchanged, her tone flat. “At the latest, by the day after tomorrow. Since you won’t agree, Old Madam, then repay the silver on time.”

Old Madam Tang rose to her feet at once. As she reached the study door, she turned back, her voice heavy. “Miss Chu, you have wealth and power—we granddaughters can’t afford to cross you. But this old lady still has her life, and the Tang clan won’t be so easily trampled by outsiders. I suggest you weigh your actions carefully in the future.”

With that, she turned and left without another glance.

Chu Shaoyang casually slipped the IOU beneath a book. A profound depth filled her beautiful eyes. Tang Jin had a fine grandmother.

What a pity…

Meanwhile, Tang Jin and Chu Lingyue had also returned home. They sat across from Tang Laidi at the table.

“Grandmother was right—we can’t let the rice or tea run out. That’s the first thing we need to fix,” Tang Jin said first.

The ten taels they had earned from opening day had given her a glimpse of hope.

Chu Lingyue replied coolly, “All I know how to make is wild vegetable soup.” Along with foraging for the vegetables.

Tang Jin was speechless for a moment. In her heart, she thought, Your wild vegetable mush isn’t even that great.

“Steaming rice and boiling tea is simple enough. Since Lingyue doesn’t know how, I’ll handle it,” Tang Laidi declared. As the owner of the restaurant, she naturally took charge of assigning tasks.

Tang Jin responded, “I don’t know either. I only know how to cook the dishes.”

Give her a rice cooker, and she could steam rice. But this ancient hearth, the massive iron wok, and dry firewood? No chance. She would stick to the dishes—that was enough. Taking on too much could lead to mistakes.

Tang Laidi’s eyes widened. “Neither of you knows how? So you expect the owner—the one who put up the silver—to do it?”

Tang Jin said earnestly, “If you don’t know either, then we’ll hire someone.”

Tang Laidi fell silent. Hiring someone would mean spending more silver!

“Fine, I’ll do it. Happy now?”

She had no idea how these two had survived this long. They couldn’t even steam rice. Thinking back to Tang Jin’s earlier words about the house not having a single grain of rice, it suddenly clicked: they simply didn’t eat rice.

What an… unusual couple.

Tang Jin continued, “We’ll use the pots and stove in the restaurant’s back courtyard for the rice and tea—cook them right there in the yard. The kitchen stays locked, key with me only. The ancestral secret recipes can’t leak. No one enters the kitchen otherwise.”

No one argued with that. Chu Lingyue added, “You’ll also need to set the menu and prices for each dish.”

Otherwise, she had no idea what to tell the customers as the waiter.

Tang Jin pondered for a moment and nodded. “I’ll tell you the dishes before we open each day. We’ll figure out the menu later.”

This restaurant didn’t serve whatever customers wanted—it depended on what the System rewarded. How to handle the menu? She needed to think it over.

Besides, the goods shelf held only one dish right now: a plate of Four Joy Meatballs. Tonight, she needed to chat more with this woman.

Seeing they had settled most matters, Tang Laidi raised the most crucial question. “So, who’s handling the cash and accounts? What do you think of me?”

She was the owner, after all. Owners managed the money.

Tang Jin shot her down. “You’ll be busy with the water and rice. Besides, can you even do accounts?”

From the original host’s memories, her little sister had skipped books and numbers, preferring to wield spears and staves, which led her to become a constable.

Tang Laidi rolled her eyes and went quiet, sulking. Fine—she knew these wives saw her as an outsider.

From now on, besides boiling water and steaming rice, she’d handle eating.

Seeing this, Chu Lingyue shot Tang Jin a glance. “A-Jin is a scholar, so handling cash and accounts is no trouble. But she must record every daily income and expense clearly.”

That way, dividing the silver would be fair.

Tang Jin nodded with a smile. “No problem. Don’t you trust me?”

Chu Lingyue and Tang Laidi exchanged a look and fell silent.

Their silence was answer enough. Of course not.

Tang Jin chuckled inwardly, then said dryly, “I’ll keep every penny accounted for. You won’t miss a single copper.”

Honestly. As if she would pocket anything. She was a woman of integrity.

With that, the major issues were resolved. The three women washed up and retired to their rooms.

The candle flame flickered out, plunging the room into stillness.

Tang Jin, preoccupied with tomorrow’s dishes, spoke up. “Wife, are you asleep? I’d like to talk.”

“What does A-Jin want to say?” Chu Lingyue murmured softly.

Under the bed, Tang Laidi was yawning but perked up at their words. Wife talk at night? She was all ears.

Tang Jin thought it over and asked carefully, “Wife, if you remember the past, will you leave me?”

Such a straightforward question—this woman was bound to lie. She was so clever.

“Why would A-Jin ask that? Do you want me to leave?” Chu Lingyue replied, her back turned, her words vague.

Tang Jin fell silent.

Why didn’t this woman play along? Shouldn’t she say, conscience be damned, that she would never leave?

“Heh, of course I don’t want you to leave. I’m just afraid you’ll feel wronged.”

“You’re joking, A-Jin. My thoughts are the same as yours.” Chu Lingyue’s tone was even, dodging a direct answer once more.

Tang Jin paused at her words. What were her thoughts?

No—more precisely, what did Chu Lingyue think the original host’s thoughts were?

Seeing no reaction from the System, Tang Jin gritted her teeth. Time for the hard sell.

“Wife, do you truly have feelings for me in your heart?”

Before Chu Lingyue could respond, a rustle came from under the bed.

Tang Laidi sat bolt upright, her voice eager. “Keep talking—you can pretend I’m not here. As a martial artist, I meditate at night and hear nothing.”

Heh heh. With talk like this, sleep was the last thing on her mind.

【Ding! Reward: One plate of salt-and-pepper ribs】

Tang Jin’s mouth twitched. No matter how carefully you tend the flowers, they won’t bloom, but a casually planted willow thrives. Little Sister really knew how to crash the party.