Chapter 23

Tang Jin thought for a moment and decided to change the subject. “From the day we opened until now, we’ve made a total of seventy-two taels of silver in all. Laidi spent two taels on rice and tea, leaving us with seventy. It’s time we divided it up.”

In truth, Tang Laidi had only spent one tael on rice and tea. The other tael had just been used to buy wine for the old clerk at the county yamen.

When Tang Laidi heard this, all thoughts of sweet pillow talk with her little wife vanished. She sprang up in bed. “We’re dividing the silver! That’s great!”

As for that tael spent on wine, she wisely chose not to mention it and went along with Tang Jin’s version of events.

Well, she wasn’t great at math anyway, and rounding it off would make the split easier.

Tang Jin got out of bed and fetched all the silver. “Yes, it’s time we did.”

This way, she could fix her oversight before it was too late and keep Chu Lingyue from noticing…

The candlelight flickered dimly yellow as the three of them sat around the table.

Tang Laidi looked puzzled. “Why is there twenty taels less? Oh, you paid off your debt. So how do we divide this?”

Those twenty taels absolutely could not be counted as shared expenses. The debt was Tang Jin’s alone.

Tang Jin spoke slowly and deliberately. “After subtracting the twenty taels of principal, we have fifty taels of profit. As we agreed before, Laidi and I each get twenty, and my wife gets ten. I’ve already used my share to pay off the debt, so there’s no need to divide it further.”

With that, she pushed the piles of silver across the table: twenty taels to Tang Laidi and ten to Chu Lingyue.

Tang Laidi nodded in satisfaction and tucked the silver into her bosom.

Just three days, and their investment had already paid off. Her little sister was such a good person, really leading her to fortune.

She took back her earlier words. This restaurant wasn’t a pit—it was a nest of wealth.

Chu Lingyue pocketed her silver and lifted her gaze to Tang Jin. “And these remaining twenty taels—are they for other uses?”

She asked this for two reasons. First, Tang Jin clearly had no intention of keeping them as operating capital. Second…

She suspected Tang Jin had changed the subject and brought up dividing the silver for some other purpose.

Tang Jin smiled. “Exactly. The restaurant needs to keep running, and I need to buy ingredients and seasonings for cooking. As you both know, my dishes are either abalone or meat—heavy on the expensive stuff. The costs aren’t low, so I’ll hold onto these twenty taels for now. You don’t mind, do you?”

Tang Laidi blinked. She had a slight objection—buying ingredients should still be accounted for. What if her little sister skimmed off the top? But she knew better than to complain.

The restaurant relied entirely on Tang Jin’s cooking, and those ancestral recipes needed whatever ingredients she said. Laidi wasn’t about to meddle too much.

As long as there was silver to be made and good food to eat, she wouldn’t quibble over such a small loss.

Seeing no objections from them, Tang Jin continued. “I’ve already spent about twenty taels on ingredients before, so these can offset that capital. Also, from now on, I’ll cover all the cooking expenses myself and won’t take another copper from the shared account.”

She didn’t actually need to buy ingredients for her dishes anyway. These twenty taels would cover the pretense nicely, with no need to cheat her little sister out of more silver. She was an upright person, after all.

Tang Laidi blinked in surprise. “You spent twenty taels on ingredients before? Where did you get the silver for that?”

Something felt off. Back and forth like this, and the capital was just… gone?

Tang Jin said solemnly, “From the twenty taels I borrowed from Miss Chu, of course. I figured you two aren’t outsiders, so I’d eat the loss for now.”

What a perfect explanation. No more excuses needed in the future, and she’d even built herself an image of selfless generosity.

Hearing this, Tang Laidi felt a twinge of unease. Her little sister had quietly sunk twenty taels into it and planned to pay for ingredients out of pocket from here on. That was too noble—she felt ashamed by comparison.

“You can’t bear the loss alone. From now on, I’ll cover the wine and rice.”

Now it was Tang Jin’s turn to feel abashed. “No need, Laidi. You’ve already put in twenty taels—how could I let you add more?”

“We’re all family here. We share the losses. I’m the boss, and I say it’s settled.” Tang Laidi waved her hand grandly, sealing the decision.

Tang Jin didn’t argue further. Her little sister was so generous—practically family now. She’d make sure to include her in every good opportunity.

Besides, if they kept haggling, she might not be able to keep her story straight.

“From now on, I’ll wash the dishes properly and clean the tables and chairs too,” Chu Lingyue added. She couldn’t let these two handle all the spending.

Her share of silver was small anyway. For future plans, better to save it.

With everything settled, they snuffed out the candle and returned to bed.

Tang Jin wasn’t sure if this maneuver had fooled Chu Lingyue. After a moment’s thought, she asked, “Wife, I used up those twenty taels I borrowed from Miss Chu without telling you first. You don’t mind, do you?”

Chu Lingyue replied calmly, “You’re too serious, A-Jin. It’s your silver to spend however you like. Of course I don’t mind.”

The System didn’t react, confirming it was the truth. But the answer sidestepped the point Tang Jin really cared about.

She considered her words carefully before pressing on. “Wife, you have no idea—making these dishes isn’t simple at all. In just a few days, twenty taels are gone. Tomorrow, I need to head to the vegetable market early to get fresh ingredients.”

She’d been careless. In the rush to earn silver and pay off the debt these past three days, she’d overlooked the details. Now she realized how many cracks there were. From here on, she’d have to play the part fully.

Chu Lingyue responded lightly. “Mm.”

Seeing she still wasn’t addressing the real issue, Tang Jin laid it out plainly. “Wife, do you believe what I’ve said?”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Chu Lingyue answered, “Why say such a thing, A-Jin? Of course I believe it all.”

【Ding, reward: Black Pepper Beef Cubes】

Tang Jin: “…”

So all that scrambling to fix things had been for nothing. This woman hadn’t believed her from the start.

Her pillow companion was too clever. This was tough!

Tang Jin sighed inwardly and gave up on the cover-up. Chu Lingyue wouldn’t expose her just for the silver, and she’d even played along at every turn. For now, there was no need to worry.

No sense borrowing trouble. Time to sleep.

The next morning, before Tang Jin had even woken, knocking sounded at the door, accompanied by Old Madam Tang’s shouts.

“Tang Jin, Lingyue—get up and open the door…”

Tang Jin opened her eyes and looked at the person she’d unconsciously pulled into her arms again. Careful not to disturb her, she loosened her hold, got up, and dressed.

No separate beds for now, then. But she definitely needed more quilts.

She had to have her own bedding!

Otherwise, waking up hugging Chu Lingyue every day… Forget Chu Lingyue’s reaction if she noticed. Tang Jin herself wouldn’t know how to explain it.

And this old madam—what time was it? Had she come right at dawn when the city gates opened?

Sure enough, Old Madam Tang, getting on in years, slept less now. She’d waited at the city gate before it even brightened.

She’d said she’d come every day, and she meant it. Plus, she could settle all three meals at the restaurant. Perfect.

Her unlucky granddaughter had finally done something right in her long life: marrying Chu Lingyue.

Old Madam Tang had lived a good long while, and now she finally had some real foodie luck.

The moment Old Madam Tang stepped inside, she hollered, “After walking all this way, this old lady is starving and parched. Where’s Lingyue? You haven’t made breakfast yet, have you?”

Tang Jin’s mouth twitched slightly. Breakfast? Without the old lady knocking, who knows how long they would’ve slept.

“Lingyue’s still asleep, Grandmother. Have a seat first.”

Old Madam Tang waved her off. “Let Lingyue sleep a bit more. I’m in no rush. Ai, this road is too far. Tang Jin, does your restaurant have room to house people?”

Tang Jin caught the old lady’s intent and wanted to refuse outright.

Glancing at her expression, she said tactfully instead, “Grandmother, the back courtyard has just one bedroom. It’s already got two beds—there’s no space for another.”