At that moment, Chu Lingyue responded, “A-Jin, I’m feeling a bit tired.”
Tang Jin stared at the goods shelf floating in the void. She hadn’t gathered enough dishes yet—how could she sleep at a time like this?
She showed not the slightest bit of consideration as she said, “My wife, why don’t you rest a little later? I still have some questions for you.”
If this woman kept dodging the issue, she really would have to pull out all the stops!
“What does A-Jin want to ask?” Chu Lingyue’s voice was low and drawn out, laced with helplessness.
Tang Jin’s heart nearly softened at the sound—but of course, that was impossible. Silver came first; everything else could wait.
Tonight, she had to collect at least four dishes, come hell or high water.
“My wife, were you truly willing when you married me back then?”
A flicker of confusion passed through Chu Lingyue’s eyes. The person behind her was acting far too strangely…
Wasn’t that a question she already knew the answer to? Their marriage had been forced by circumstances; there was no willingness about it.
She steadied her breathing and replied calmly, “A-Jin saved my life, so of course I was willing.”
【Ding, rewarded with six Cheese Bacon Egg Tarts】
Oh ho! This woman was finally catching on.
But… egg tarts?
Tang Jin pondered for a moment but found no related memories from the original host. Then again, she felt like she was onto something.
The gourmet rewards from this system were all made with modern cooking techniques—rich in seasonings and crafted by master chefs. Any one of them would be an absolute game-changer in this resource-scarce ancient era.
So, should she bump up the prices a bit?
Common dishes at five taels a portion; rare ones double that.
Like these egg tarts—she’d test the market with them tomorrow.
If they didn’t sell, she and Chu Lingyue could always eat them themselves.
After a moment’s thought, Tang Jin asked again, “My wife, what do you think of me?”
Chu Lingyue pretended to think it over, then said evenly, “A-Jin is knowledgeable and talented, sincere in her ways, and treats me very well.”
【Ding, rewarded with one plate of Orleans Roast Wings】
【Ding, rewarded with one plate of Pepper Numb Saliva Chicken】
【Ding, rewarded with one plate of honey-glazed char siu】
Tang Jin was utterly stunned. Well, I’ll be! You could play it like that?
This woman was something else. Her praise for the original host was… utterly insincere.
For a fleeting moment, she even considered laying all her cards on the table with Chu Lingyue. Wouldn’t that make them an unstoppable team?
She just wasn’t sure what standards the system used to judge lies. Would words spoken in cahoots even count?
And revealing that she carried the Lie Reward System? That would be too shocking. She wasn’t sure if she could trust Chu Lingyue—if word got out, wouldn’t she end up captured for the ancients to study like some lab rat?
Tang Jin’s thoughts raced, but in the end, she decided to keep the secret. Better safe than sorry.
“Heh, you’re too kind, my wife. Go ahead and sleep.”
The goods shelf already had six dishes. She decided to quit while she was ahead, lest this woman notice something amiss.
“Mm.” Chu Lingyue murmured wearily in response and fell silent, as if she’d drifted off.
The room sank back into quiet once more.
Down on the floor, Tang Laidi blinked in, then lay back down flat. That was it?
These two were too reserved. Come on, keep talking—she wanted to hear more.
The next morning, Tang Jin opened her eyes to find the woman she’d pulled into her arms again overnight. She quickly withdrew her hand.
No, they had to start sleeping in separate beds!
Otherwise, what if this woman woke up first and suspected her of having impure motives? She was an upright person, after all.
With her back to Tang Jin, Chu Lingyue silently pressed her lips together. It seemed this person’s sleeping habits had truly taken a turn for the worse.
On the floor, Tang Laidi stirred awake too. Remembering their plans from the night before, she opened her mouth to ask for silver. “…Steaming rice needs rice, boiling tea needs tea leaves, and tending the fire needs firewood.”
Her request was perfectly reasonable. Tang Jin pulled out the ten taels she’d received just the day before and cautioned her, “Spend it wisely. Whatever’s left, bring it back to me—it goes on the ledger.”
“Don’t worry, I’m off.” Tang Laidi agreed cheerfully.
Tang Jin and Chu Lingyue headed to the restaurant first.
Since Tang Laidi hadn’t returned with the rice yet, they didn’t rush to open for business.
Tang Jin took out a sheet of paper and wrote four large characters first: Today’s Menu.
Then, as she wrote, she said, “My wife, today we’re only selling six dishes, one portion each. They’re Four Happiness Meatballs, salt-and-pepper ribs, roasted chicken wings, Pepper Numb Saliva Chicken, and honey-glazed char siu—all at five taels per portion. The last one is called Cheese Bacon Egg Tart, priced at ten taels.”
Chu Lingyue stared at the words on the paper and asked, “Just these six dishes for the whole day? Isn’t that too few?”
It seemed the dishes she could produce each day were limited in number.
Tang Jin replied confidently, “Quality over quantity.”
Chu Lingyue pursed her lips and asked again, “I’ve never heard of several of these dish names. Could I see what they look like first?”
Not only had she never heard of them—she couldn’t even picture what they were from the names alone. Cheese Bacon Egg Tart? She could only make out the word “egg.”
As a server, how was she supposed to introduce dishes to customers if she didn’t even know what they looked like? It was too much.
“My wife, just report the menu as is—no need to worry about the rest. I’ll handle any introductions to customers if needed,” Tang Jin refused without hesitation.
Only she could see the goods shelf in the void, and the food on it seemed to stay warm and fresh. Once taken out, it couldn’t go back. What if it cooled? Reheating would ruin the presentation and flavor, making it impossible to charge premium prices.
Chu Lingyue paused, then suggested, “Why don’t we limit sales to evenings only? And each customer can order at most two dishes. We should write all these rules down and post them, so we don’t have to explain to every guest.”
With limited stock, it was better to turn limitations into strengths: restrict time and portions to create a sense of scarcity, making the high prices feel justified.
Relying solely on taste without rules? These few dishes wouldn’t last long.
Tang Jin’s eyes lit up. Wasn’t this scarcity marketing?
“My wife, that’s brilliant. Let’s do it.”
Just as they spoke, Tang Laidi returned.
Tang Jin repeated the new rules to her. “…You start steaming the rice and boiling the tea. I’ll grab some buns—we should have breakfast too.”
With that, she held out her hand.
Tang Laidi handed over the remaining nine taels and asked, puzzled, “Aren’t we eating your cooking?”
They owned a restaurant—why buy buns outside? She’d joined this venture because of that bowl of Fried Sauce Noodles!
And now they couldn’t even eat Tang Jin’s food themselves?
Remembering the flavor of those noodles, she swallowed unconsciously.
Seeing Tang Laidi swallow like that, Tang Jin hesitated, then dangled a carrot. “Once we’ve recouped our costs, paid off the debts, and started splitting profits, we’ll save one dish a day for ourselves. For now, prioritize customers—making money comes first.”
Tang Laidi nodded on reflex. Only while she was stoking the fire to steam the rice did it hit her.
Recouping costs and taking a share was fair enough.
But those debts were Tang Jin’s—what did they have to do with her!
So funny