Chapter 5

However, if they were talking about food…

Tang Jin silently glanced at the goods shelf hanging in the void. Should she bring out this bowl of fried sauce noodles?

Giving it away for free was out of the question—she hadn’t even tasted it herself yet. So…

“Laidi,” she said, “you just walked out like that. Do you have any silver on you? How are you going to get by from now on?”

Tang Laidi answered without a hint of caution. “I’ve been working as a constable for a year, and I’ve saved up all my wages. Once I collect this month’s pay, it should tide me over for a bit. I’ll take it one day at a time.”

“How much silver do you have saved?” Tang Jin pressed.

Tang Laidi paused for a moment, her voice softening. “Not much. Twenty taels.”

As a constable, she earned only two taels a month. After a full year of scrimping and saving, that was all she had scraped together.

Her friend’s question felt a bit abrupt, but Tang Laidi told the truth anyway. After all, they went way back.

Tang Jin did some quick calculations in her head. In this dynasty, one wen had about the buying power of a modern dollar—a thousand wen made a string, which equaled one tael of silver. Twenty taels was like twenty grand in modern cash. With ancient prices, it was plenty of startup capital for a small business in the county town.

A beaming smile spread across her face. “Hang on a sec. I’ll go whip up a bowl of noodles for you right now.”

She bolted out the door in a flash and dashed straight into the kitchen. Moments later, she returned with a steaming bowl of fried sauce noodles.

Before Tang Laidi could even see what was in the bowl, a domineering aroma hit her first.

She drew in a sharp breath.

It smelled amazing!

Grinning, Tang Jin set the bowl down and handed over a pair of chopsticks with eager attentiveness. “Go on, give these noodles a try. How are they?”

She hadn’t taken a single bite herself. This bowl was her ticket to scoring some startup cash—er, pulling in a sponsor, that was it.

The fragrance had Tang Laidi glued to the bowl, staring.

It was a plain ceramic bowl, topped with a layer of fried sauce. No telling what ingredients had gone into it, all diced small and glistening golden with oil.

Unable to wait any longer, she scooped up a chopstickful. The noodles, slicked with sauce, hit her tongue, and her eyes went wide.

Holy crap, it was delicious.

The noodles were chewy and perfectly flavored. The sauce wasn’t just meat—it had bits of mushroom, peas, and more.

Fresh, savory, silky smooth. She could devour a whole pot in one go.

Tang Laidi forgot everything else. She slurped it down clean in no time. If Tang Jin and Chu Lingyue hadn’t been watching, she would’ve licked the bowl spotless.

“Good, right? Want more?” Tang Jin asked thoughtfully.

Tang Laidi nodded vigorously. “So good. Could I… have three—uh, one more bowl?”

She figured she could handle three more, but no. It was her first night crashing at her friend’s place. Pigging out would be rude.

She was a refined lady, after all. Boo-hoo.

Tang Jin laughed. “What if you could eat this every day?”

“I’d love that.” Tang Laidi’s eyes sparkled. If possible, she’d never leave.

Tang Jin’s smile widened. “Easy enough. Just lend me some silver to open a restaurant, and you can eat here every day.”

Exactly the reaction she wanted.

“A restaurant?” Tang Laidi blinked in confusion. Wasn’t this about whether she wanted more noodles?

She did. Hurry up and bring another bowl! Talking money soured the mood.

Tang Jin arched a brow. “What if we opened a restaurant with dishes this tasty? Think it’d do well?”

That was her plan. With the reward system on her side, it’d be a waste not to use it.

Especially with Chu Lingyue here, so easy to fool with her lie-detecting ability.

She could leverage the system’s gourmet rewards to open a restaurant, make her first pot of gold, and build from there.

“It’d boom for sure,” Tang Laidi said without hesitation.

She’d show up every day to support her friend. Loyalty above all.

Tang Jin took an instant liking to her. What an honest soul—every word straight from the heart. Perfect business partner.

Before she could say more, Tang Laidi swallowed hard. “So, uh… could I have another bowl?”

Enough chit-chat. She wanted noodles!

Stat!

Tang Jin spread her hands helplessly. “I’d love to make you another, but even a skilled cook can’t whip up a meal without ingredients. This was our last bit of food at home.”

Tang Laidi stared blankly. “Then I’ll go buy some noodles? Tell me what you need. I’ll get it all—you’re my sister, I’ll cover it.”

But Tang Jin shook her head. “Laidi, let me speak from the bottom of my heart. With my cooking skills, a restaurant would rake in the cash. I’m treating you like family here, inviting you to join me. Lend me twenty taels for startup, and after that, live here, eat here—I’ll cover everything.”

She was all about loyalty in life.

“Twenty taels? That’s my entire savings.” Tang Laidi finally caught on, her face clouding with hesitation. “You made these noodles yourself?”

She wasn’t quite buying it.

Tang Jin straightened up, putting on a solemn face. “Of course. It’s a Tang family recipe handed down for generations. Don’t believe me? Ask my wife. She eats it every day.”

She shot Chu Lingyue a meaningful look.

Chu Lingyue: “…”

She’d only had the beggar’s chicken once, just tonight. But…

Remembering how Tang Jin had gone to the empty kitchen and returned with a bowl of noodles in the blink of an eye, she tamped down her curiosity. With a calm nod, she said, “That’s right.”

【Ding! Reward: one cage of Crab Roe Buns】

Tang Jin’s face lit up with delight. “Hear that? This is your chance to get rich. Grab it, or I’ll find someone else.”

She knew it—with Chu Lingyue around, the system’s rewards were guaranteed. Fooling it was a breeze.

As for any suspicions from Chu Lingyue… deal with that later. First, get past this hurdle.

Tang Laidi glanced at Chu Lingyue, still wavering. “Then how come Lingyue’s so skinny?”

With noodles this good, she could eat ten bowls a day and happily balloon up.

Tang Jin gave a soft sigh, looking grave. “I do have the skills, but I’m short on cash. I can only cook one meal a day for my wife. Her palate’s gotten spoiled—once she’s had my cooking, nothing else goes down easy.”

What a perfect excuse. Bulletproof.

Tang Laidi instinctively savored the memory of that bowl’s flavor and totally got it.

Everything she’d eaten before tasted like slop compared to it.

Still, twenty taels was a lot. She wrestled inwardly. “Actually, half my silver’s with my mom. I only have ten taels on me.”

She’d just come to beg shelter for a few nights, not to bankroll a restaurant.

【Ding! Reward: one plate of Steamed Pork】

Tang Jin heard the system’s chime, her gaze turning thoughtful. “Laidi, it’s not that I don’t want to bring you along to get rich—it’s just ten taels won’t cut it. Fine, I won’t push you. Tomorrow I’ll ask around with others. Doing business with too many partners just muddies the profits.”