Tang Laidi lit up with delight. “Wonderful! I’ll go serve the rice.”
Good grief, she’d sunk her entire savings into this and slaved away for two days straight. At last, she could enjoy a proper meal.
Tang Jin smiled. “Go on and serve the rice. I guarantee it’ll be a feast for the tongue.”
The system-rewarded dishes were all top-tier. She had full confidence in them.
The moment the food was carried into the main hall, the aroma filled the entire room.
The glossy barbecued pork had been sliced thin and neatly arranged on a plate, tender and juicy, a perfect symphony of color, aroma, and flavor.
Tang Jin devoured two bowls of rice in a row, and the plates were nearly scraped clean.
Chu Lingyue savored her bites slowly. By the time the dishes were gone, she’d only managed one bowl.
Tang Laidi, meanwhile, dumped her rice straight into a plate, mixed it with the gravy, and tucked into her third bowl.
Tang Jin glanced at her food-focused little sister, then turned to Chu Lingyue. “Wife, are you full?”
This woman’s appetite was ridiculously small. Was she really satisfied?
From the original host’s memories, Chu Lingyue had been a plump and radiant beauty when they’d first met. Now she looked malnourished and frail. It was heartbreaking to see.
Chu Lingyue’s lips curved faintly. “Yes, I’m full.”
【Ding, reward: one basin of boiled pork slices】
One whole basin!
Tang Jin subtly scanned the goods shelf hovering in the void. There was a large jar of soybean braised pork trotters, a massive basin of boiled pork slices, a plate of crispy fried fresh milk, and a single egg tart.
Tomorrow’s menu was sorted. The portions on the pork trotters and boiled pork were huge—she could easily split each into three servings to sell.
These rewards came too easily. She hardly had to lift a finger. Chu Lingyue was her lucky star!
In light of that, she decided to be generous one more time.
“Wife, there’s something I need to discuss with you. Come with me.”
In the backyard, Tang Jin motioned for Chu Lingyue to wait in the yard while she slipped into the kitchen first. She grabbed the egg tart from the goods shelf, then poked her head out and beckoned.
“Wife, come quick. I’ve got a treat for you.”
Her sneaky movements and hushed tone made Chu Lingyue glance instinctively toward the main hall.
Mm, Tang Laidi was still in there, head down and licking the plates clean…
A faint smile tugged at her lips as she walked over to Tang Jin.
Ever since they’d rented the shop, the kitchen door had stayed locked. Only Tang Jin had come and gone these past two days. This was Chu Lingyue’s first time inside since opening day.
Tang Jin shut the door casually and snapped the little cheese bacon egg tart in two. Ugh…
The cheese had no sense of timing, stretching into strings and nearly refusing to break.
“Wife, give this a try.” Tang Jin popped her half into her mouth. Her eyebrows shot up involuntarily. Delicious.
Chu Lingyue took the other half and took a delicate bite, her movements careful and refined, her eating posture elegantly graceful.
Her expression remained serene as she ate unhurriedly.
She wore a simple pale-green coarse cloth dress. Apart from a wooden hairpin in her bun, she had no other adornments. Her face was bare of makeup, utterly natural.
It was the plainest, most ordinary attire imaginable. Yet standing in the dim light of the tiny kitchen, she was like a pearl fallen in the dust—tarnished perhaps, but unable to hide its inner glow. Every gesture exuded an indescribable elegance and poise.
Tang Jin stared for a moment, her suspicions about Chu Lingyue’s origins flaring up again.
What kind of status had this woman held before losing her memory? Even without her past, her bearing and refinement remained intact. Her personality left something to be desired, though—she wasn’t one for straight talk.
As Chu Lingyue ate, she quietly took in the kitchen. The stove was empty, the pots spotless, not a single piece of firewood in sight, and the cutting board bore no traces of use.
So ever since waking up the day before last, this person had gained the ability to conjure delicious dishes out of thin air…
For a fleeting instant, she even wondered if Tang Jin had been replaced by someone else. She talked more now, slept worse, and all the signs…
She seemed like a completely different person.
Yet the face before her was unmistakably the same as before. Could it be a soul swap…?
That was too far-fetched.
Each lost in her own thoughts, neither spoke for a moment.
Until Tang Laidi’s loud voice rang out from outside.
“Tang Jin, Lingyue! What are you two doing hiding in the kitchen? The city gates are about to close. Time to head home!”
Tang Jin snapped back to reality. “Wife, let’s go.”
“Mm.” Chu Lingyue nodded. She’d promised not to pry, so she’d have to observe quietly and figure it out herself.
She only hoped this person’s abilities would last long enough for her to save some silver and stand on her own two feet—enough to avoid a future of sleeping rough with nowhere to turn.
With no memories, she didn’t even know what skills she possessed. She had no trade to fall back on. For now, she’d have to play the long game.
As they stepped out of the kitchen, Tang Jin promptly locked the door and pocketed the key.
Tang Laidi eyed them suspiciously. “You two weren’t sneaking snacks behind my back, were you?”
Tang Jin coughed lightly, her expression unruffled. “Of course not. We were just tallying the accounts. Come on, let’s go divide the silver.”
At the mention of dividing the silver, Tang Laidi’s attention shifted instantly. Finally, she’d see some return on her investment!
Back home, Tang Laidi spoke up first. “I think we should stock a few jugs of wine at the shop. Wouldn’t want to disappoint the customers.”
Like that Lord Miao today who wanted wine—they could’ve made a profit on the markup if they’d had some ready.
Tang Jin nodded in agreement. “Good idea. No dividing the silver yet. Tomorrow, we’ll split up: clean out that empty back room, buy some furniture, and move into the county town.”
Otherwise, if customers came late one day and lingered over their meals, they’d be locked out once the gates closed.
Their home in Tang Village was just an empty courtyard now. Better to live in town.
“No dividing the silver?” Tang Laidi yelped, latching onto that one part. Her payout had vanished again!
“We’ll divide later. House move first.” Tang Jin clapped her hands decisively.
Tang Laidi: “…”
She was the boss here, the one who made decisions. Fine, whatever. She had no objections.
The back room only had one bed anyway, so she could still eavesdrop on the wifely chit-chat at night. Er, no—she wasn’t that vulgar. It was just for future reference, practical experience when she got married herself. Heh heh.
To her disappointment, the two wives crashed out the moment they hit the sack that night. Not a single extra word.
Tang Jin had enough ingredients for tomorrow, so no need for idle chatter. Too much talk might tip Chu Lingyue off, and that would spell trouble.
A secret like the system couldn’t be shared with anyone. She trusted no one.
To avoid waking up cuddling Chu Lingyue again, Tang Jin deliberately turned her back, putting some distance between them. But the quilt was too narrow, and drafts crept in…
The next morning at dawn, Tang Jin woke to find no one in her arms and breathed a sigh of relief—right before sneezing.
They needed to split the beds pronto. Catch a chill like this, and with ancient medicine being what it was, you’d be a goner. Colds were killers here.
That’s how the original host and her father had died. Tang Jin had no intention of going early.
The back room at the shop only had one bed, but the space was large enough. To make separate sleeping possible, she hauled their bed from home over too.
After tremendous effort, everything was finally sorted. Then Tang Jin smacked her forehead. “Darn it, I forgot to tell Grandmother.”
They hadn’t even informed Old Madam Tang about opening the shop. Moving without a word would be downright rude.
Chu Lingyue gazed out the door. “It’s too late now.”
