The sweet potato balls were fried, and the pot of lotus root, glutinous rice, and pork ribs was ready, bubbling and releasing a rich aroma of autumn.

Only during this season could you enjoy the fresh taste of lotus root.

After a few months, it wouldn’t taste the same.

The Jin family always kept a supply of broth made from chicken and large bones, simmered to be clear and fresh.

The lotus root, having been cooked in it, became soft and powdery, giving it a new texture.

The glutinous rice had absorbed the broth, making the soup thicker, while the pork ribs were tender and easily came off the bone.

The flavors of the meat infused into the broth, enhancing the lotus root and soup.

“Smells great!”

When Jin’s parents came home and opened the door, they immediately smelled the fresh aroma.

Jin Father sniffed and said, “Oh, lotus root today? Makes sense, it’s autumn after all.”

Jia Bingyang and Lei Qiu were busy with the documentary, so they couldn’t stay for dinner, but Jin Yaotiao packed some of the fried sweet potato balls for them.

She turned to her father and asked, “Has the promotion for the new project been released?”

Before the financing was complete, she had already started having the Shenzhen branch look for suitable stores. Now, all preparations were in place, and the timing was right. Mingde was ready to make a bold move.

Jin Father nodded. “After all this time, with all the funds invested, Mingde’s upcoming challenges won’t be small.”

Jin Mother helped in the kitchen, taking out the hot sweet potato rice balls.

She looked at her daughter and husband, who had become accustomed to discussing business at all times.

She didn’t understand business, but she knew that her daughter seemed to be handling things with even more ambition than her husband.

Not long after joining the company, she had facilitated a large project that was unprecedented for Mingde, something that even her husband, used to big scenes, found overwhelming.

But oddly, she felt a bit of quiet pride in her husband’s words of concern.

Sure enough, as soon as the plate came out of the kitchen, her husband walked over, drawn by the smell.

Jin Mother took a bite and found the sweet potato balls crispy on the outside and soft inside.

The sweet potato flavor was rich, and the buffalo cheese in the middle melted out, burning her tongue.

“Delicious!” she exclaimed.

“The most popular dessert at Mingde these days,” Jin Yaotiao said with a smile as she lifted the lid on the lotus root and pork ribs pot, asking Aunt Cen to help bring it out. “Since autumn started, the glutinous rice lotus root has been selling well. In the canteen too, whenever this dish is served, the department workers are quick to finish it.”

Autumn brought the freshest lotus root, and with the broth and pork ribs, it made for an unbeatable flavor.

Jin Father cracked open a butter crab, a seasonal delicacy, expensive yet incredibly popular. Jin Yaotiao loved crabs, and he too enjoyed them.

The thick crab roe filled every part of the shell, making it a delight for those who enjoyed the rich flavor.

Jin Yaotiao sipped the lotus root soup, the glutinous rice in it soft and smooth, the broth thickened, making each bite a comforting experience.

Outside, the trees swayed, and yellow leaves floated gently to the ground.

Like the lotus root soup and the fiery maple leaves, it was the taste of autumn.

---

However, for another group of people in Shenzhen, the taste of autumn didn’t seem so pleasant.

Mingde’s announcement about opening several branches in Shenzhen sent shockwaves through the Shang family.

Old Madam Xia had caught a cold and couldn’t even lie down after hearing the news. “What’s going on with the Jin family? Didn’t Xia Ren already get someone to block their loan? How are they suddenly making such a big move? Did they manage to block it or not? Xia Ren, call your friend and ask!”

Xia Ren frowned. “I haven’t heard from that friend in a long time. I don’t know what’s going on. When I called him, he said he was busy and wouldn’t come out for drinks.”

Recently, he had inexplicably lost contact with many of his friends, like a middle-aged man in the same park as Mingde’s branch or an executive at a Shenzhen bank.

He didn’t understand why, but it felt like those friends had suddenly become distant, like scorned lovers, and now the relationships had just ended.

He wanted to know the reason, but since they had only been casual acquaintances, after the estrangement, there was no real connection left.

The middle-aged man was easy to brush off, but the bank executive was another matter.

It was as though he was harboring resentment, as he wouldn’t even pick up Xia Ren’s calls.

“What’s going on?”

Xia Ren couldn’t make sense of it and could only say, “I asked before, Mingde didn’t get the bank loan, really.”

Because the senior executives wouldn’t answer his calls, he had to rely on others to find out.

Old Madam Xia glared, suddenly realizing something. “It must be those people who eat inside and outside! It must be them! They must be helping Mingde to deal with your brother!”

Shang Rong, standing beside them, said with a serious face, “Don’t talk nonsense without evidence.”

But Old Madam Xia got more worked up, slapping the bed. “What evidence do we need? Anyone with half a brain can guess! Mingde was lukewarm in Linjiang for years, but as soon as he comes to Shenzhen, every move he makes is bigger than the last! Your dad’s disciples even wanted to give our family’s recipe to them. They’ve lost all shame!”

Shang Rong replied in a deep voice, “Fine, but in the end, they didn’t take it.”

“That’s what the second disciple said, but the recipe still wasn’t returned to us. Do you know if he secretly gave it to them?” Old Madam Xia’s voice broke as she cried out, “He eats and drinks from us, and in the end, takes our things and shows off! How did we raise such ingrates in our family!”

The more she cursed, the angrier she got, and her voice grew louder.

The group of disciples at the door, who had come to visit, fell silent.

The Second Brother pressed his lips together, trying to calm himself.

He thought, this is the wife of my master; I can’t argue with her.

However, Ma Le didn’t have the same restraint as his father.

Upon hearing Old Madam Xia speak so harshly, his eyes widened, and he angrily threw down the gift he was holding.

He opened the door and shouted, “Who are you calling an ingrate? Watch your mouth!”

Old Madam Xia was startled, and the second son tried to stop his son, saying, “Ma Le!”

But Ma Le shook off his father’s hand, glanced around the room, and continued, “Also, speak with evidence! My dad values the Shang family recipe more than his life. He wouldn’t give it to anyone, not even me, so how could he have given it to the Jin family? He even planned to have that girl from the Jin family come and apprentice under the Master, but after she refused, my dad never contacted them again!”

Shang Rong saw the displeased faces of the core disciples behind him and furrowed his brow.

He knew he couldn’t let this argument go on.

Old Madam Xia, seeing Ma Le shouting at her, became even more furious. “So self-righteous! Who knows what you’ve really done behind our backs? I’ll ask you, are there no traces of you in Mingde’s new stores in Shenzhen?”

The Second Senior brother froze. “Mingde is opening new stores in Shenzhen?”

He had never heard this news before.

After Jin Yaotiao refused the recipe he gave her, in order to avoid suspicion and to prevent causing trouble for the Shang family, he hadn’t contacted his senior brother for a long time.

But Old Madam Xia didn’t believe him. “Still pretending! You think no one knows? Mingde’s branch office procedures in Shenzhen were handled by your group! And when they opened new stores, don’t tell me you didn’t go to support them?”

These were the only two things the second son and the others had helped Mingde with, and they believed they were still within the scope of being loyal to the Shang family and the Master.

Old Madam Xia, however, wasn’t aware of this and assumed there was more.

The second disciple sighed deeply. “Mistress, you don’t need to worry that we’re joking with the Shang family’s interests. My junior brothers and I are clear about this.”

Old Madam Xia’s cloudy eyes stared at him, her expression showing clear disbelief. “Then return the recipe to us.”

It was always this “return.”

On this point, the second son would never compromise. “Mistress, this recipe was left by the Master. I cannot just give it to you.”

The more he didn’t give in, the stronger Old Madam Xia’s distrust became.

In a fit of rage, she said, “The things left by your Master, I shouldn’t trust you with them! And the Shang family’s interests—do you think I would believe you? You don’t even have shares, only Shang Rong and I worry about the Shang family’s interests! You’ve taken the Shang family’s money to help Mingde, and this is your idea of being clear-headed?”

Shang Rong frowned. “Mom!”

But it was already too late. Ma Le nearly jumped up in anger. “Do you even know how to talk properly?”

For all these years, his father had almost treated the Shang family’s company as his own, working hard not only for himself but also requiring strict standards for Ma Le.

He had always taught him that the interests of Zhenlong must come first, even at the expense of their own family’s benefits.

Before, when there was no major conflict, Ma Le had thought the Shang family treated them like their own. That’s why his father had been so selfless.

But now, this old woman not only failed to acknowledge their benefits but also twisted the truth. Ma Le was so angry that if not for her age, he would have shouted at her until she doubted her life.

The second disciple closed his eyes, still trying to maintain composure as he pulled his son aside. “Don’t speak to your elder like that.”

This was the second argument with his master’s wife over the recipe.

After so many years, this was the second time such a fight had erupted, and it revealed too many disheartening truths.

This wasn’t something said in the heat of the moment during an argument. It was something deeply rooted in her mind, an outburst of her true feelings.

He suddenly felt exhausted.

After all these years, what had he and his junior brothers been insisting on?

Aside from themselves, no one else regarded them as part of the Shang family.

Shang Rong’s face darkened, and he also had an inkling that the big moves Mingde was making had something to do with their group of core disciples. But if he openly acknowledged it, it would disrupt the stability of Zhenlong.

However, while he didn’t agree with his mother’s impulsiveness, he was also displeased by how his people acted so defensively when they were caught.

He remembered what the second disciple had said to him before, “The things left by the Master aren’t something you are entitled to just because you ask for them.”

Thinking about Mingde’s expansion, his expression grew even darker. The second disciple, feeling too tired to talk further, led his son and juniour brother out.

Outside the door, the group of disciples stood in silence.

Ma Le, still furious, turned to his father as they stepped outside the Shang family house and said, “Dad, is this the ‘family first’ you’ve been talking about?”

His father, the Second senior disciple didn’t reply.

His father’s restraint only made Ma Le angrier.

He had never experienced the apprenticeship process and couldn’t understand his father’s obsession with respect for the Master.

But in the past, he truly thought the Shang family treated them as their own, just as his father treated the Shang family.

As the first disciple of the third generation, he had always taken it upon himself to carry the future of the Shang family.

After the incident with the stolen recipe, he had always carried the weight of responsibility, pushing away any uncomfortable thoughts.

But now…he was enraged.

---

Linjing, Jin Yaotiao received a phone call from Cheng Chen, who said with a smile, “Ms. Jin, tomorrow night at 8 PM, the program ‘World’s Best Foods’ on Beijing TV Channel One will feature our Muhe Mansion. Make sure to watch.”

Cheng Chen had become quite annoying lately, always finding reasons to talk to her. Jin Yao smiled without being moved. “Is that so? I hope your show gets high ratings.”

After hanging up, she received a message from Jia Bingyang. His documentary was also airing soon, but not on Beijing TV, rather on a large video streaming site.

Jin Yaotiao put her phone away, straightened her clothes, and looked up at the vast expanse of red maple leaves.

The maple viewing season was almost over. She was in Linjiang and had seized the chance to visit.

It was just as beautiful as she remembered.

A car pulled up beside her. She turned her head and saw it was Shen Qiming.

Jin Yaotiao froze for a moment. “Mr. Shen, heading home after work?”

The villa district at Mingzhu Mountain didn’t seem to be in this direction.

Shen Qiming stepped out of the car, still dressed in his impeccably neat suit. Meeting her gaze, he said, “I came to find you at Mingde. They told me you were here to see the maple leaves.”

Jin Yaotiao looked at him. “What’s the matter?”

Shen Qiming lowered his eyes and said, “I thought you were going home.”

Naturally, the “home” he referred to didn’t need to be explained.

Jin Yaotiao didn’t respond.

Of course, she wouldn’t go back, but after a moment, she still asked, “Mr. Shen, why did you bring me maple leaves that day?”

Shen Qiming answered softly, “I thought you’d like them.”

Jin Yaotiao furrowed her brow.

Recently, Shen Qiming had been acting in ways that felt unfamiliar to her. His words and actions didn’t match his usual style, just like what he had said just now.

She looked at him standing among the fiery red maple leaves, and he lowered his gaze to meet hers.

She was no longer the person who hesitated to ask questions.

Their eyes met, and a maple leaf fluttered in the wind. Jin Yao sized him up and suddenly spoke—

“Mr. Shen, do you really like me?”