As soon as the words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the main hall grew tense in an instant.
Tang Jin couldn’t help glancing at Chu Lingyue. This wasn’t what she had said before.
Hadn’t this woman claimed, after regaining her memories, that Tower Beyond Towers conducted its business upright and honorably, and wouldn’t make trouble for the Little Restaurant?
At that moment, Chu Lingyue wasn’t looking at Tang Jin. Instead, she frowned slightly, staring at Shopkeeper Lu. A flicker of confusion appeared in her eyes at first, followed by understanding.
The Little Restaurant only served a few tables of customers a day, which had almost no real impact on Tower Beyond Towers. But the dishes Tang Jin had brought out were enough to tempt those without any scruples.
Tower Beyond Towers had many rules, and it kept a close watch on the managers of its branches in various prefectures and counties. However, the old saying held true: for the right price, men would even face death. No matter how thorough the current owner of Tower Beyond Towers was, they couldn’t oversee the character of every single branch manager.
Take this one in front of them, for example. For his own selfish gain, he was willing to throw away centuries of Tower Beyond Towers’s reputation.
Seeing the four of them look as if they were frightened into silence, Shopkeeper Lu fiddled with the jade thumb ring on his finger. Finally, he regained his smile. “I, Shopkeeper Lu, have always believed that harmony brings wealth. You all should think this over carefully. Actually, you don’t have to come to Tower Beyond Towers… unless…”
He paused, his gaze carrying a deeper meaning.
He hadn’t wanted to push things to the extreme, but these people just didn’t know when to quit.
Old Madam Tang gripped her cane tightly, her tone turning cold. “Unless what?”
Shopkeeper Lu tucked away his jade thumb ring and chuckled. “Unless you hand over those recipes. Of course, I’m a businessman, not a bandit. I’d definitely give you a fair price.”
The old madam narrowed her eyes, her voice heavy. “And if we don’t give you the recipes?”
She refused to believe Tower Beyond Towers would dare to rob them outright. Ping’an County wasn’t some forsaken wilderness ignored by all. There were officials and laws here.
Shopkeeper Lu raised his hand to cover his mouth as he laughed softly. “The old lady can try it and see.”
Old Madam Tang frowned. Before she could speak, Tang Laidi suddenly shot to her feet beside her.
“I see you for the bandit you are, bullying right up to your great-aunt here! Believe it or not, I’ll tie you up and drag you to the yamen right now!”
Damn it, look at that fiery temper of hers. If she held back any longer, she’d burst from frustration.
“What are you doing? Planning to get violent in broad daylight?” Seeing Tang Laidi grab a stool, Shopkeeper Lu cautiously retreated two steps, a sneer of contempt in his heart.
As expected, they were a bunch of crude, uncouth rabble unfit for polite society.
“Your great-aunt’s going to beat you today. Go ahead, report me to the yamen. I’ll go to jail with you and settle it there!” Tang Laidi effortlessly lifted the long stool with one hand, making as if to swing it.
With a loud clang, the stool crashed down right at Shopkeeper Lu’s feet, narrowly missing his head.
Shopkeeper Lu’s pupils contracted. Seeing Tang Laidi reach for another stool, his lips twitched. He turned and bolted.
A wise man doesn’t fight when the odds are against him.
Since the direct approach hadn’t worked, he’d have to try something sneaky.
As Shopkeeper Lu imagined presenting the recipes to his superiors, he could already picture himself being favored by the owner in the Imperial Capital, climbing the ranks step by step. His resolve hardened even further.
He had to get his hands on those recipes from this restaurant.
In the main hall, Tang Jin saw the stool nearly smash into Shopkeeper Lu and instinctively rose, wanting to rush over and block it. “Laidi, you’re too impulsive! What if you actually hurt him?”
Compensating money would be the least of it. If they gave someone a handle to use against them, it could turn a small issue into a big disaster.
Tang Laidi placed her hands on her hips, smugly satisfied. “Relax, I’ve trained in martial arts. I know my limits.”
She’d done it on purpose. If a tiger didn’t show its might, people would mistake it for a sick cat.
She was Ping’an County’s strongest martial artist among the constables—well, formerly.
Now, she was the Little Restaurant’s owner with the best martial skills.
Tang Jin still felt a lingering fear. “Just don’t be so impulsive next time.”
Tang Laidi pouted, unconcerned. “People like him deserve a beating. Next time, I’ll scare him so bad he’ll wet his pants.”
Tang Jin frowned, about to chide her friend some more, when someone gently grasped her wrist.
Chu Lingyue looked at Tang Laidi and said calmly, “A-Jin isn’t blaming you. Shopkeeper Lu does deserve a beating. But people like him are the trickiest. Today, he seemed scared off, but next time he might deliberately crash into the stool in your hand and turn around to blackmail us. Venting your anger like that isn’t wise. If you actually hurt him, you could end up in jail. A-Jin’s just worried about you.”
Her tone was even, and her words made perfect sense.
Tang Jin quickly nodded in agreement. “Right, that’s exactly what I meant.” Her wife sure knew how to put it.
Tang Laidi rubbed her nose awkwardly. “Got it. I won’t make a move next time.”
Old Madam Tang listened from the side, her face full of approval. “You’re all good children. Sit down and let’s talk it over.”
Chu Lingyue quietly released her hand and sat back down.
For some reason, Tang Jin touched the wrist that had just been held, her thoughts drifting. This woman’s hand was so cool to the touch…
Tang Laidi picked up the stool and sat down as well.
The restaurant fell quiet for a moment. Chu Lingyue was the first to speak. “Actually, we don’t need to worry too much. Tower Beyond Towers has endured for centuries without fading precisely because they always uphold justice and law. They’ve never engaged in bullying smaller businesses. Shopkeeper Lu is throwing away Tower Beyond Towers’s reputation for his own gain. As long as we report this to the head manager of the Tower Beyond Towers branch in the Prefecture City, the problem will resolve itself.”
From what she knew of Tower Beyond Towers, the head manager of the Prefecture City branch held authority over the county managers below. Someone like Shopkeeper Lu was probably just an outlier.
Tang Jin saw it differently. “You’re right, my dear. But there’s always a ‘what if.’ You can’t have a pot of congee with just one raw grain of rice. What if the head manager in the Prefecture City is in cahoots with this Shopkeeper Lu? Appealing to him might just make our situation worse.”
“So A-Jin means…” Chu Lingyue looked at Tang Jin. Did she already have a plan?
“I mean… I don’t know what to do either. I was just thinking ahead.” Tang Jin smiled. How would she know? She was only being cautious.
Chu Lingyue fell silent for a moment, then said slowly, “Actually, we could try sending word directly to the Imperial Capital. Tower Beyond Towers’s current owner is a woman of great integrity, highly regarded by Her Majesty. She wouldn’t condone such abuse of power.”
Tang Jin added, “What if that owner of Tower Beyond Towers wants our recipes too?”
Chu Lingyue shook her head firmly. “She’s not that kind of person.”
“You know her, my dear?” Tang Jin’s interest piqued, and she couldn’t help asking.
This woman had said she was the daughter of a high court official from the Imperial Capital. Tower Beyond Towers’s owner was also from the capital and a female official.
Chu Lingyue knew so much about Tower Beyond Towers—could she be acquainted with the owner?
Chu Lingyue’s expression faltered slightly, her tone softening. “No, just heard of her.”
With that, she lowered her gaze, hiding the complexity in her eyes. Shameful memories from the past flooded her mind once more.
【Ding! Reward: one plate of sweet-and-sour fish cubes】
Tang Jin raised an eyebrow. “I see. Do you know her position, my dear?”
This time, Chu Lingyue didn’t deny it. She nodded. “I’ll write a letter. We’ll have a reply in six or seven days at most.”
Pingman Prefecture was in the Hundred Blades Southern Border, far from the Imperial Capital. Even the fastest messenger would take five days round trip.
Seeing her agree, Tang Jin spoke more lightly. “Then I’ll leave it to you, my dear. It’s getting late—let’s have lunch.”
At the mention of lunch, Tang Laidi’s attention snapped to it completely. “Tang Jin, lunch has proper dishes, right?”
Anything but more century egg lean meat congee. If she had to drink another bowl, she’d turn into a century egg herself.
Tang Jin smiled. “Just wait.”
In light of her friend’s heroic display, Old Madam Tang’s bold stand, and Chu Lingyue’s help, she decided to be generous. She’d bring out two dishes at once.
Well, just two. No more than that.
That was ten taels of silver!
One plate of garlic mushrooms and one plate of preserved vegetable braised pork.
The mushrooms were crisp, tender, and fragrant; the braised pork soft and glutinous. Old Madam Tang ended up eating an extra bowl of rice and got stuffed.
“Burp.” The old madam rose calmly. “Mm, got something stuck. I’ll go lie down in my room.”
“Burp… burp…”
Tang Laidi listened to Old Madam Tang belch with every step and said with concern, “Grandmother Tang, you’re stuffed, aren’t you?”
At her age, the old lady was still her fiercest rival in fighting over dishes. Served her right for eating too much out of greed.
Old Madam Tang turned back and shot her a glare, denying it stoutly. “I said it’s stuck! The rice was too dry. Otherwise, this old lady could eat another bowl.”
Her teeth were still good. Hmph.
Watching the old madam’s indignant retreating back, Tang Laidi turned to Tang Jin and Chu Lingyue for affirmation. “Grandmother Tang’s definitely stuffed. She’s not young anymore—what if she eats too much and it hurts her? I was just concerned.”
