All she wanted was to eat Tang Jin’s cooking every single day!
In a sullen mood, Tang Laidi steamed the rice. Though she was the one footing the bill—the true owner of the place—those two clearly had minds of their own and paid no heed to her whatsoever.
Her position as the restaurant boss felt utterly hollow.
Once the rice was ready, Tang Laidi voiced her opinion. “I’m the owner of this restaurant. Everything except the dishes has to go my way.”
At those words, Tang Jin smoothly changed the subject. “Let’s taste the rice first and see how it turned out.”
The three of them each ladled out a bowl of rice and began to eat.
Moments later, Tang Jin set down her chopsticks first. “The flavor’s just average.”
Chu Lingyue chimed in right after. “It’s nothing more than ordinary steamed rice.”
Tang Laidi shot her a glare. “Isn’t that what you get when you steam ordinary rice? Ordinary rice?”
Couldn’t these two wives show a little empathy? Did they expect her to turn plain rice into gold?
Tang Jin paused thoughtfully before speaking. “How about this? Whenever customers order dishes, the rice and tea will be free. What do you all think?”
Chu Lingyue nodded in agreement. The dishes were pricey enough as it was—charging for rice and tea on top of that would be unreasonable.
Tang Jin turned to Tang Laidi. “Laidi, what about you?”
Tang Laidi had no real objections. “Sure, that works.”
Tang Jin immediately broke into a smile. “Excellent. We’ll do as the boss says: unlimited rice and tea, all on the house.”
That single word—”boss”—made Tang Laidi sit up a little straighter. “That’s right. You get it. From here on out, everything answers to this boss.”
Tang Jin nodded with a warm smile, her tone deferential. “Of course. Now that the rice is steamed, why don’t you brew the tea, boss? Just like yesterday. We’ll open up for customers come late afternoon.”
Feeling quite pleased with herself, Tang Laidi drifted back to the rear courtyard to stoke the fire and boil the tea. But as she tended to the flames, her elation faded.
What kind of restaurant owner personally tended the fire?
And was this really listening to her?
She’d only agreed offhand, but it sounded like Tang Jin’s suggestion had somehow become her final decision.
Especially since those two wives couldn’t steam rice or brew tea themselves.
Oh well. She was the capable one here, and it was her restaurant after all. A good boss had to stay involved.
Bolstered by Tang Jin’s earlier words, they scraped by with lunch.
One bowl of rice each, paired with the salted preserved eggs Old Madam Tang had sent over yesterday.
Tang Jin and Chu Lingyue adapted just fine—they’d both known hunger in their time.
But Tang Laidi wore a look of deep resentment. Her fried sauce noodles! She craved the ancestral Tang family recipes, not rice or salted eggs.
And speaking of which, Old Madam Tang’s pickling skills were downright poor. These eggs tasted no different from the ones her own mother made. Clearly, the Tang family secrets didn’t cover salted preserved eggs.
Tang Jin glanced at her pitiful expression and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Don’t worry. You’ll get to eat my cooking soon enough. Tell you what: if there are any dishes left over today, we’ll have them ourselves.”
“I agree—no, the boss hereby decrees it. That’s the plan.” Tang Laidi jumped at the offer. Even when it came time to open the doors, she secretly hoped no customers would show up.
She’d seen the menu first thing that morning. Tang Jin had only prepared six dishes today, all of them limited in quantity. No more where that came from.
If the customers snapped them all up, what would she eat?
Between satisfying her stomach and making money, she resolutely chose her appetite. After all, they earned silver to enjoy good food. Her priorities were crystal clear.
Unfortunately, no sooner had they opened than two customers strolled in, filling Tang Laidi with a sudden sense of crisis. She had a bad feeling she wouldn’t get her share of the good eats today.
One of the arrivals was that middle-aged merchant from yesterday, surnamed Cao—Cao Kesang.
“Little Brother Cao, is the food here really as good as you claim? Otherwise, let’s head to Tower Beyond Towers instead. I’ll treat you,” said the man accompanying him. He was a bit older, dressed like a scholar.
Cao Kesang replied with curiosity. “Brother Miao, you’ve truly never heard of this place?”
Lord Miao was someone he’d befriended while doing business here. They shared a love for fine eats, and over time, they’d become drinking buddies.
Lord Miao wasn’t just a local—he was a renowned gourmand with exacting standards for food.
It was surprising that even he didn’t know about this new restaurant right across from Tower Beyond Towers.
Lord Miao cleared his throat lightly. “I’ve heard mentions, but never stopped by. Since you’re so insistent, Brother, I’ll join you for a cup.”
When had a restaurant opened across from Tower Beyond Towers? How had he missed it?
He’d send someone to inquire the moment he got back. As a local, he couldn’t lag behind some out-of-towner on the news.
“Just wait and see, Brother Miao. The dishes here are exquisite—especially those Pearl Meatballs. I’ve been savoring the memory all night.” Cao Kesang knew Lord Miao’s connections in Ping’an County and had long wanted to build a stronger tie. This was his chance to impress.
With that, he called out directly, “One portion each of yesterday’s sweet-and-sour ribs and Pearl Meatballs, plus two more dishes. And a pot of your best wine.”
Tang Laidi stationed herself behind the counter, thinking she’d need to stock extra wine pots tomorrow. She’d make that call herself—she was the boss, after all.
Tang Jin shot Chu Lingyue a look that said: You’re the waiter. You handle front of house. I’ll just send out the food.
Chu Lingyue paused for a beat, then stepped forward. “Unfortunately, sir, we’ve run out of wine…”
“Run out? I watched you open the doors today! Don’t tell me there’s no rice or tea either—or the dishes?” Cao Kesang looked stunned, cutting her off before she could finish and firing off his questions.
He’d specially invited Lord Miao to feast here, staking out from morning till evening to be the first inside. Was this waiter toying with him?
Chu Lingyue remained calm and pointed to the two sheets of paper freshly posted on the wall beside the counter. One listed their new rules; the other, today’s six dishes.
“We may not have wine, but rice and tea are free. And we’ve introduced six new dishes today that’ll surely satisfy.”
Cao Kesang scanned the writing. A daily menu? Did it change every day?
He didn’t dwell on it. As long as it tasted good, that was what mattered.
“We’ll take those first four dishes, then. Some rice and tea as well.”
At that, Chu Lingyue glanced toward Tang Jin and Tang Laidi: Your turn. Get the food and rice out here.
Tang Jin turned and headed straight to the rear kitchen.
Tang Laidi: “…”
She was the boss—why was she running errands? Fine. She’d ladle the rice and pour the tea.
Just then, more customers appeared at the door.
Chu Lingyue’s eyes narrowed slightly at the sight.
She knew this person—not just from seeing her, but from hearing Tang Jin murmur her name. Back when they’d first married, Tang Jin would whisper in her sleep every night: Shaoyang… Shaoyang…
It was none other than the young lady of the neighboring Chu family, Chu Shaoyang.
