When Madam Qi woke up, it was already evening. Seeing Lin Dan, she began to silently shed tears, clearly feeling some reluctance. She murmured continuously, “You started learning culinary skills from your father when you were seven, and now it’s been five or six years. It’s not an exaggeration to call you a seasoned cook, so how could you lose to that girl from the Yan family? I wonder what people out there are saying about your father now. We failed to uphold his reputation. How will we explain this to him in the afterlife? Baotian, I’ve let you down……”

Watching Madam Qi weep uncontrollably, Lin Dan thought to herself that if the other Lin Dan were still there, she would probably be deeply heartbroken and filled with guilt. But she was gone now, and with Lin Dan taking on her identity, Lin Dan has to hold this family together.

The other Lin Dan was only about twelve or thirteen years old, small and slender, with a tender face that made her look even younger. Yet, she had to shoulder such heavy responsibilities at such a young age. It truly wasn’t easy. If Lin Dan hadn’t suddenly replaced her, who knows what her fate would have been?

Madam Qi seemed worried about their future as well. Her sobs gradually subsided, but her sighs grew more frequent. Just then, two maidservants walked in, saying they had a message from the Marquis, asking Madam Qi and Lin Dan to stay at the Marquis’ residence. The estate could afford to feed two more mouths. Lin Baotian had served the Marquis for many years, even following him onto the battlefield and their bond was extraordinary. Now that he was gone, the Marquis would never make things difficult for his family.

Marquis Yongding was a gourmet with a more discerning palate than most cooks. There was no way he couldn’t tell the difference between the two dishes of minced chicken and choy sum. But he deliberately said the two were similar, intending to show partiality to Lin Dan and protect Lin Baotian’s reputation. However, his son was also a gourmet, with an even more sensitive palate and a straightforward personality, which was why he insisted on Lin Dan admitting defeat.

On the day of the competition, nearly all the gourmets of the capital were present and there was no shortage of onlookers. The reputation Lin Baotian had worked hard to build over the years was irreparably damaged. Now, the rumors had spread everywhere and people were calling him an ungrateful scoundrel who betrayed his master. If Madam Qi and Lin Dan left the Marquis’ estate, they would surely be bullied to death.

Madam Qi was also afraid of facing the rumors and gossip. Hearing that they could stay at the Marquis’ estate, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Dan was a calm and rational person, very good at assessing the situation. She knew that staying at the Marquis’ estate was the best arrangement for both her and Madam Qi. Neither she nor the other Lin Dan knew much about the world outside the Marquis’s residence. If they ventured out, they might not even be able to support themselves, let alone care for the sickly Madam Qi. But a strong intuition told Lin Dan that if they stayed at the Marquis’s residence, many bad things would happen. Although she couldn’t remember her true identity or her past experiences, she still chose to trust herself without hesitation.

After the maidservants left, she firmly said, “Mother, we should leave. You’re afraid of the rumors outside, but how do you know that the rumors inside this residence aren’t the most terrifying? After all, people have been jealous of our family for a long time. Now that we’re down on our luck, we’ll surely be ostracized and bullied. In the past, Father was favored by the Marquis, so we naturally had face in this residence. But going forward, we’re like mud on the ground and anyone can step on us. I lost to Yan Langqing so I can no longer be the head cook. If we stay, we’ll be nothing but servants, and you as well. Even if the Marquis doesn’t mention it, could you bear to live here as a guest for long?”

The head cook of the Marquis’s residence was different from other servants. They didn’t sign a life contract but a work contract, giving them a higher status than the estate’s head steward. Because of that, Madam Qi and Lin Dan were allowed to stay there as family members, essentially as guests. But now the situation has changed. Without Lin Baotian, the two of them couldn’t continue to live as guests in the estate, with maids and servants attending to them. They would have to find some work to do.

Madam Qi was a proud person, and hearing that she would have to become a servant if they stayed, she immediately began packing her belongings. She refused to fall to the same level as those who had once served her.

“Your father bought a house outside and opened a restaurant with your second and third uncles^[1]father’s younger brothers, and I heard the business is doing well. We’ll set up our own home outside and no longer stay in this estate.” Madam Qi said as she opened the chests to pack their valuables, her previous sorrow fading considerably. Since the defeat had already happened, she couldn’t bring herself to blame her daughter anymore. After all, her daughter was probably feeling the worst about it all.

Lin Dan breathed a small sigh of relief, then dragged out a gilded rosewood box hidden under the bed and said softly, “I’ll return the golden knife and the recipe book to Yan Langqing and take the opportunity to bid farewell to the Old Marquis.”

Madam Qi stared at the box for a long time before sighing helplessly. “Go ahead.”

Lin Dan didn’t open the box to admire the coveted imperial golden knife or the recipe book. She took them directly to the young marquis’s courtyard. Yan Langqing was still currently the young marquis’s personal maid, in charge of the small kitchen.

When Lin Dan arrived, Yan Langqing was pleading with the young marquis to help her retrieve the golden knife and the recipe book. She was worried that Lin Dan would be resentful and destroy them. If the golden knife was damaged, it could be repaired, but if the recipe book were burned, all her meticulous efforts to enter the Marquis’s residence would be in vain. If Madam Qi hadn’t fainted and if Lin Dan hadn’t slipped away so quickly, she would have made them hand over the items on the spot.

The young marquis knew Lin Dan somewhat and thought that such self-destructive revenge was indeed something she could do, so he agreed to intervene for Yan Langqing. Just as they were about to leave to find her, a servant entered, carrying a box. He said it was delivered by Miss Lin. When they opened it, they found the golden knife and the recipe book inside, both carefully wrapped in red silk cloth and well-preserved.

The young marquis instinctively glanced at Yan Langqing, whose cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Her earlier precautions now seemed like baseless suspicions.

As they stepped outside, they saw a small figure slowly walking away, her steps calm and composed.

———pr


Although Lin Baotian had been greatly valued by the Marquis and had received many rewards over the years, he used most of them to support his two brothers or to purchase rare ingredients, leaving behind little silver. Madam Qi searched the entire house and found only one hundred and twenty taels of silver, which left her a bit stunned. Fortunately, they still had property and a business outside the estate, so they didn’t have to worry about their future livelihood.

Madam Qi’s optimism did not affect Lin Dan at all. In Lin Dan’s memory, Lin Baotian’s two younger brothers were bad news. Whenever they encountered difficulties, they would immediately seek their older brother’s help, but when there were benefits, they would quietly keep everything to themselves. They were incredibly selfish. They claimed to be managing the restaurant on Lin Baotian’s behalf, yet they never sent any profits monthly. Only when the business started to decline, requiring the development of new dishes, would they humble themselves and come asking for help. Now that Lin Baotian’s reputation as a ‘Golden Knife Imperial Cook Successor’ was ruined, indirectly affecting the restaurant’s business as well, it would be surprising if they were content.

Sure enough, when Madam Qi found the house her husband had bought to settle down, she discovered that it had already been taken over by the second and third families. They refused to let her in, waving a property deed that only had the names of her second and third brothers-in-law on it, telling her to leave immediately.

Madam Qi wanted to argue, but her two sisters-in-law made it clear that if she caused a scene, it would only help to further disgrace her husband’s already tarnished name. Embarrassed and unwilling to argue in public, Madam Qi wiped her tears and headed toward the restaurant. She knew that there was a high chance that the restaurant had also been taken over by her two brothers-in-law, but she couldn’t give up without seeing it for herself.

Lin Dan silently supported her, not expressing any opinion. She could only blame Lin Baotian for trusting his two brothers too much, never questioning the details or asking for proof when purchasing property or managing the restaurant. Now, even if they went to the authorities, they wouldn’t win the case. Besides, after his death, Lin Baotian’s reputation was so ruined that everyone would deny everything about him. Who would stand up for his widow and orphan?

As Lin Dan walked along, enduring the pointing and whispering of the people around her, she prepared herself for the worst. When they arrived at the restaurant, they were indeed stopped by the shopkeeper at the door, who refused to let them in, demanding that they present the land deed or proof of shares, or he would report them to the authorities.

Madam Qi was so angry that her eyes turned red, but she couldn’t find the words to refute the other party. Lin Dan patted her trembling back to comfort her and looked up, only to find that the restaurant’s signboard had already been changed. The sign, now reading ‘Yan Family’s Restaurant’, was set against a red background with golden lettering, appearing quite grand.

Lin Dan’s Second Uncle came out and said while pointing at the signboard, “Sister-in-law, the disgraceful things our brother did truly shamed us all! Now, my third brother and I have decided to give the Yan family the fifty percent share that belonged to our brother, as a way to make amends. There’s no point in arguing with us. We owe them and we have to repay the debt. We’ve atoned for our brother’s sins on his behalf, accumulating some good karma, hoping he’ll have a better fate in his next life. If you truly care for our brother and the reputation of our Lin family, you should stop this.” He sighed helplessly after finishing his words.

The onlookers applauded and praised Second and Third Brother Lin, saying they were completely different from their elder brother, possessing a conscience and righteousness that was commendable. They assured them that they would continue to support the restaurant in the future.

Madam Qi’s face turned deathly pale and she nearly collapsed, but Lin Dan lowered her head and let out a cold laugh. The two branches of the Lin family had calculated well, using their elder brother’s widow and orphan as a shield to distance themselves from the scandal while preserving the restaurant’s business. If Lin Baotian had been even half as shrewd as them, his wife and child wouldn’t have ended up in such a dire situation.

But now that he was dead, there was no point in saying anything. The priority was to find a way to survive. With that in mind, Lin Dan decided to take Madam Qi away, but just then, she saw Yan Langqing arriving in a carriage with her father, accompanied by the young marquis on horseback. The spectacle was quite grand.

Second and Third Brother Lin immediately rushed forward, bowing and scraping, their attitudes fawning to the extreme.

The young marquis dismounted with a blank expression and casually lifted the curtain for Yan Langqing. She blushed and smiled shyly, but when she caught a glimpse of Lin Dan standing nearby, she froze slightly in surprise.

Lin Dan didn’t even look at them. Supporting her mother, she was about to leave, but perhaps her indifferent attitude provoked Yan Langqing, who impulsively blurted out, “Lin Dan, since you’ve already lost, please don’t ever claim to be a Golden Knife Imperial Cook’s successor again and stop making Yan family’s dishes.”

Lin Dan had a calm temperament, but that didn’t mean she was willing to stand by and take a beating. She had chosen to keep the peace earlier because she knew the situation was against her and fighting would be futile. It was better to save her strength and think about what to do next. But now that Yan Langqing wanted to push people to the brink, Lin Dan could no longer tolerate it.