The kitchen fell silent for a moment. Tang Jin closed her eyes briefly, letting them adjust to the darkness. In the dim moonlight, she gazed toward Chu Lingyue, but she could only make out the faint outline of her face, not the glimmer in her eyes.
Yet Tang Jin could still tell that Chu Lingyue was crying.
Because of that low, stifled sob she was desperately trying to suppress, but failing to contain.
She paused for a second, then took two steps forward and offered Chu Lingyue a handkerchief. “Darling, if you want to cry, then cry out loud. I won’t make fun of you. You don’t know this, but I used to be quite the crybaby—the kind that’s really hard to console.”
She coaxed her gently, but the woman before her still refused to let herself go with a full sob. There were only those intermittent hitches in her breath, full of restraint and suppression.
Tang Jin ran out of words to say. Comforting people had never been her strong suit.
It took a long while before Chu Lingyue finally calmed down. Her voice was hoarse as she spoke. “A-Jin must be awfully curious about my background, right? Actually, there’s nothing I can’t tell you. My father used to be a high-ranking court minister, but later he got delusions of claiming credit for helping establish a new dynasty. His greed knew no bounds, and in the end, he reaped what he sowed.
“So I’m no noble young miss from some illustrious family. I’m the daughter of a criminal, demoted to commoner status. My father always treasured my mother deeply. After she passed away, he doted on me—his only daughter—raising me like a precious pearl…”
But everything changed after the family confiscation and exile. Father muddled through his days in a haze until the clan persuaded him to take a second wife, who bore him a son the following year.
With his little brother’s arrival, Father pulled himself together. His eyes and heart were filled only with the boy now, and he just wanted her to stay obedient.
She knew how hard things were for her father and understood his frustrations, so she never once held it against him.
The family always put food and clothes aside for her brother first. She went hungry and stayed cold without complaint.
Everyone cared only about her brother, revolving around him like planets around the sun, ignoring her completely. Still, no resentment.
To hire a tutor for her brother, she copied books day and night, even played the zither and performed at restaurants to earn money. And still, no resentment.
That all changed when her father, desperate to apprentice her brother under a renowned master, offered her up as a concubine without a second thought. Only then did she refuse to stay obedient any longer.
She fled—from that home, from the fate of becoming someone’s concubine.
But she had nowhere to turn, no one to rely on. The only person she could think of was her cousin, whom she hadn’t seen in ten long years.
So she came to Ping’an County, traveling day and night without a single coin to her name, held up only by her feet and sheer willpower until she collapsed at the entrance to Tang Village.
In her despair, she chose to run from it all, burying the past deep inside her.
Chu Lingyue spoke slowly, every word deliberate, yet laced with profound sorrow.
Tang Jin listened in silence, a complicated mix of emotions stirring in her heart—heartache above all.
The woman before her had gone from a pampered official’s daughter, who had never lifted a finger around the house, to tasting the full bitterness of human coldness after calamity struck. Betrayed by those closest to her, she had fallen this far. Her heart must ache terribly.
Tang Jin let out a soft sigh, offering the only dry consolation she could muster. “It’s all in the past now. Things will get better.”
Chu Lingyue seemed utterly composed by then, her words clear and structured. “Scholar Chu is my second uncle, and Shaoyang is my cousin. Ten years ago, unhappy with my father’s bullheaded ways, Second Uncle voluntarily left the clan. He walked away empty-handed, taking Shaoyang with him to some far-off place. I thought Father would never suspect I’d come here, but I underestimated his cunning. Shaoyang says my father will arrive in Ping’an County with Second Uncle the day after tomorrow.”
Back then, she hadn’t understood why her uncle had cut ties with her father. Father had been taking risks, true, but with his official rank, he should have been able to protect himself.
It wasn’t until Father got dragged into a major treason case—no rank high enough could save him then, and it brought down the entire clan, stripping everyone of their honors—that she realized her seemingly reckless Second Uncle had been the truly wise one, retreating at the height of his success to safeguard his provincial graduate status.
Thanks to that status, he had slowly made a comeback, becoming the envy of others as a wealthy man of leisure.
Tang Jin frowned in confusion. “You mean your father still hasn’t given up on marrying you off as a concubine? Even now that you’re married?”
Damn that scumbag of a father—he was beyond the pale. She hoped she never crossed paths with him.
In the darkness, Chu Lingyue squeezed her eyes shut tightly. “That’s exactly what I’m most afraid of. That’s why I need your help, A-Jin. I’m your wife. As long as you don’t agree—and as long as we don’t divorce—even Father can’t force the issue. You understand?”
In fact, if Father tried to drag her away by force, Tang Jin could go to the authorities as the wronged spouse and file charges against him.
That was why she had chosen to come clean with Tang Jin.
Before they had opened the restaurant, she might have accepted Chu Shaoyang’s kind offer without hesitation and gone into hiding.
But now, seeing how much Tang Jin had changed and how the little restaurant was thriving, she wanted to try a different approach.
To solve the problem once and for all, at its root.
What was so difficult about that? Tang Jin replied without hesitation. “Don’t worry, darling. No matter who shows up, I won’t let you go.”
Her tone was light and breezy; she agreed without asking a single question.
It was as if she would believe anything Chu Lingyue said.
Ahem, of course, that was just for show. Tang Jin wasn’t the type to trust blindly—especially not with the System backing her up. No alert meant Chu Lingyue wasn’t lying.
Chu Lingyue let out what sounded like a faint smile, soft and barely there. “Good. I trust you.”
The moment those words left her mouth, Tang Jin reflexively waited… but no System chime followed.
What was this? Hadn’t this woman always dismissed her words before?
Why believe her now?
Sure, this time it was the truth—she genuinely wanted to help Chu Lingyue. Helping her darling helped the restaurant, and that helped Tang Jin herself.
Right now, making more silver required Chu Lingyue’s full cooperation.
Still, being trusted felt pretty nice. It was just a shame there was no System reward.
Hold on—would this woman start trusting her completely from now on, just because of this one act of kindness?
Selfish as it was to worry, Tang Jin cared more about whether teaming up with Chu Lingyue would still trigger those System rewards.
“Darling, you really trust me on everything? Absolutely everything?”
Chu Lingyue hesitated, her voice softening. “Of course I… trust A-Jin completely.”
【Ding! Reward: One plate of Salt and Pepper Shrimp】
Tang Jin’s lips curved upward. Now that was the familiar rhythm. She could relax.
“It’s getting late, darling. Let’s head back to bed.”
“Alright.”
Chu Lingyue turned and pushed open the door. Moonlight poured into the kitchen at once, illuminating their figures more clearly.
Out in the courtyard, Old Madam Tang stood right in the middle. When she saw them emerge, she let out a quiet breath of relief.
“Finished talking? Then get some rest already. This old lady is beat.”
Thank goodness no sounds of arguing or crying had come from inside. Otherwise, she would have charged in cane-first and given that unlucky granddaughter a proper thrashing.
Tang Jin hurried over to steady Old Madam Tang. “Grandmother, what are you doing standing out here? It’s freezing.”
Grandmother Tang shot her an irritated glare. “This old lady’s bones are brittle. I came out for a bit of sun.”
With that, she shook off Tang Jin’s hand and marched straight back to her room.
Blowing in the night wind out in the yard?
As if Tang Jin didn’t know the real reason. She was just worried her unlucky granddaughter wouldn’t be able to soothe things over—and then Grandmother would step in personally, beat the girl till she wailed for mercy, and make her precious Chu Lingyue smile come hell or high water.
【Ding! Reward: One Crispy-Skinned Roast Duck】
The corner of Tang Jin’s mouth twitched. She knew there hadn’t been any sun—moonside chill, maybe. Old Madam really could spin a tale with a straight face.
“Grandmother was just worried about us,” Chu Lingyue said softly. Old Madam was kind-hearted and wise. Having a grandmother like her was Tang Jin’s good fortune—and hers as well.
Tang Jin smiled. “I know. Grandmother’s always been tough-mouthed but soft-hearted.”
Moonlight bathed the courtyard in a silvery glow as the two women shared a smile.
The next morning, since they had only sold out once so far, Chu Lingyue saw no need to head out.
Tang Jin, however, had Century Egg Lean Meat Congee on her mind. She woke early and saw the other three still fast asleep.
After straightening the quilts in short order, she slipped out as quietly as she could.
To her surprise, the moment she pushed open the bedroom door, she was met with a vast expanse of white.
It had snowed overnight—not a heavy fall, just enough to blanket the ground about two finger-widths deep.
At the sight, Tang Jin scrapped her plans for the Vegetable Market and headed straight for the kitchen. She lit a fire with practiced ease, just enough to keep up appearances.
Before long, she heard the sounds of washing up and footsteps from outside.
Cracking the door open, she saw everyone was up. She promptly carried out four bowls of Century Egg Lean Meat Congee.
“Grandmother, Lai Di, darling—come on, breakfast is ready.”
Tang Laidi perked up at the call and hurried into the hall. Waking up to good food? These were the days.
But in the next instant, her good mood soured.
“Century Egg Lean Meat Congee again? I’m practically steeped in the stuff by now—even my breath smells like century egg.”
Two bowls yesterday, and now this morning too. Come on, sis!
Tang Jin stayed perfectly calm. “Ran into a bargain on century eggs yesterday and bought too many without thinking. Breakfast’s going to be this congee from here on out.”
That would save them one dish per day—at least ten taels of silver.
For ten taels, she’d pinch her nose and choke it down, no matter how bad it might be.
Besides, the System’s congee was delicious anyway.
Tang Laidi rolled her eyes and hollered toward Old Madam Tang and Chu Lingyue as they approached. “Grandmother Tang, Lingyue—hurry up! Breakfast is Century Egg Lean Meat Congee again, and Tang Jin says it’ll be this every single morning from now on.”
If her sister was going to be stingy and heartless, she’d have to rally the troops.
She refused to believe Old Madam and Lingyue would be okay with it.
Old Madam Tang, who had been looking forward to breakfast: “…”
That unlucky granddaughter was begging for a beating again.
Before she could voice her objection, Chu Lingyue spoke up first. “Congee for breakfast is good for the stomach. Very sensible. We can have proper dishes for lunch and dinner.”
Old Madam’s grip eased on her cane, and she beamed. “Lingyue’s got the right idea. Tang Jin, breakfast is congee from now on, but lunch and dinner get real dishes—got it?”
Even as she spoke, her hand tightened on the cane again. If that unlucky granddaughter dared claim lunch was congee too, the family cane was coming out.
Tang Jin darted a quick glance at the Goods Shelf, her smile a touch strained. “Right—lunch and dinner will both have dishes.”
Two full meals with dishes—that was twenty taels of silver a day, at minimum. Her heart ached at the thought.
Only then was Old Madam Tang satisfied. She took Chu Lingyue’s hand. “Lingyue, you’re cooking alongside Tang Jin anyway. Make sure to chime in on the menus too.”
Otherwise, with Tang Jin calling every shot on meals, it felt like they were all eating scraps from under her thumb. Most unpleasant.
Chu Lingyue’s lips curved in a faint smile as she glanced at Tang Jin. “No need to worry about that, Grandmother. A-Jin has it under control.”
Right now, she only knew the signature dishes were Garlic Honey Glazed Chicken Wings and Abalone Chicken Wing Stew, plus endless bowls of Century Egg Lean Meat Congee for breakfast. As for the rest? No clue.
Even if she wanted to suggest things, she had no idea what dishes Tang Jin could actually produce.
