This time, by publicly exposing the family shame, her goal was for these disciples to promise, in front of everyone, never to have any more dealings with Mingde.

At the same time, she wanted them to return the recipe book to the Shang family.

She had endured enough fear and anxiety recently.

Even if she couldn’t drive Mingde out of the city, she would make sure that Mingde would never get any advantage from the main pillars of the Shang family again.

As long as the second master and the others publicly declared their stance, they would never dare to help the Jin family again, out of fear of being criticized.

From then on, she could truly have control over these unpredictable pillars.

If they didn’t want their reputation ruined in the industry for betraying their master, they would never dare to go against her.

It was a win-win situation.

Only then would Old Lady Xia be able to sleep peacefully at night.

Her cloudy eyes fixed on the second senior brother, her voice hoarse as she spoke: “Return the recipe first, we’ll discuss the rest later.”

The second senior brother shook his head. “Don’t think about it. I won’t give it to you.”

“You won’t give it to me, but will you give it to the Jin family?” He dared to be so resolute in front of others.

Old Lady Xia was emboldened and was not going to let him brush this off. “President Lu! Everyone here, help us decide! The recipe left by Old Master Shang is a family heirloom of the Shang family. Should this be kept by a group of disciples, or should it be returned to us, the Shang family?”

The Shang family’s recipe!

When those present heard this, even President Lu was startled.

The Shang family’s position in the city was largely due to Old Master Shang’s history as a royal chef.

In the country, artisans tended to keep their skills secret, hiding them from outsiders.

The more talented they were, the more they kept their craft private.

The culinary world was no exception.

Because of this, many of the older generation’s skills were difficult to pass down.

Wars, diseases, and other factors had caused many ancient traditions to disappear.

Therefore, any ancient texts that survived were incredibly precious.

A family like the Shang, whose history could be traced back for centuries, was even more rare and valuable.

Some people in the crowd were already feeling uneasy, and after thinking for a moment, President Lu’s expression grew serious.

This wasn’t a trivial matter, and no wonder Old Lady Xia was so insistent.

Seeing their reaction, Old Lady Xia knew she had the upper hand and sneered. “Not only did they refuse to return the recipe, but they even wanted to secretly give it to Mingde! It’s ridiculous, how can they justify this?”

Jin Yaotiao, seeing how the old lady was so obsessed with the recipe, couldn’t help but laugh.

It was lucky she hadn’t asked for it; otherwise, she didn’t know how entangled she would have been.

Old Lady Xia continued her tirade, certain that the second master and the others would give in, but suddenly, she heard the second senior brother ask in a deep voice, “Madam, do you really not understand why the master gave the recipe to me before he passed, instead of giving it to you?”

The old lady froze for a moment, and the second master continued: “Because he didn’t trust you.”

The second senior brother then asked, “Do you know why the master didn’t trust you?”

Old Lady Xia suddenly realized something, unable to believe the second senior brother would say such a thing.

Behind her, Shang Rong also reacted, shouting, “Second Master!”

The second senior brother’s steady and clear voice cut through everyone’s ears: “Because Shang Rong isn’t his biological son, he’s just a child you brought from your family when you remarried.”

The outsiders: “?????”

Old Lady Xia trembled with rage: “You… you…”

How dare he!

How dare he!!!

The relationship between Shang Rong and Old Master Shang had always been the Shang family’s most closely guarded secret.

For a family like the Shang, which relied on ancestral prestige, how could they let such a sensitive matter be known by outsiders?

Moreover, both Shang Rong and Old Lady Xia had been wary of anyone bringing this up.

Even within the family, no one spoke of it.

Decades had passed.

It had been decades since she had heard this.

Shang Rong’s heart went quiet for a moment, and hearing this matter brought up again, he felt a mix of shock and anger, but there was also an unfamiliar sensation, as if he had never known his own origins.

But he understood—he knew everything.

He had remembered when he first entered the Shang family with his mother.

He could still clearly recall the mistreatment he endured in the Xia family.

The second senior brother stood amidst the gazes of others, his voice cold as he continued: “Madam, you may think we’re not part of the Shang family, but do you really believe you and Shang Rong are?”

Old Lady Xia, upon noticing the surprised glances from the association members nearby, felt faint, almost collapsing.

The second eldest brother shook his head. “As for why I want to hand over the recipe and the disciples to… senior brother.”

He looked up at Jin’s father.

Everyone else continued in confusion: “Senior brother? Senior brother?!”

What’s this sudden revelation?

Are we here for gossip today?

Jin’s father looked at his second brother, slowly shaking his head.

He didn’t want to bring up old grudges, but the second senior brother smiled. “Of course, I want to give it to senior brother. He didn’t want it, but don’t you all really understand why I wanted to help him?”

Old Lady Xia, clutching her chest, was too out of breath to say anything, glaring at the second senior brother, wishing she could rip his mouth off.

The second senior brother met her gaze indifferently, smiling. “You know better than anyone where the Shang family came from. Senior brother’s family has always had a close relationship with the master.

He grew up in the Shang family, and the master always regarded him as the heir.

In the end, he didn’t stay with the Shang family, but it was because of you, Mistress, constantly pushing him after the master’s passing, disturbing the peace of the Shang family.

He sympathized with you but had his pride, not wanting to compete with you.

Mistress, hasn’t senior brother been in Linjiang for all these years? Isn’t that enough?

He never wanted the Shang family, and even the contacts we made were initiated by us.

Yet, since senior brother arrived in Shenzhen, you’ve been feeling like Mingde is trying to go against you.

Why is that? Do you feel that you and Shang Rong are in the wrong, unable to hold onto the things you took from others?”

Old Lady Xia screamed like a shrieking chicken, “Shut up! Shut up!! You bastard!”

The second senior brother, tired, turned to the confused Lu, the president of the association, and the other members. “I apologize for subjecting you to these trivial matters.”

The gossip-hungry crowd hurriedly shook their heads.

Even the group of friends that Xia Ren had brought along, who had regretted coming earlier, now started to enjoy the spectacle.

It’s fine, it’s fine— the more you talk, the better.

Watching gossip is all about the excitement.

The second senior brother turned to the association president, “President Lu, I ask myself, I’ve never done anything to disappoint my master. And as for that recipe, even if you asked me today, I could never give it to Mistress or Shang Rong. The Shang family has nothing to do with my master anymore.”

President Lu looked at him and sighed deeply. “What’s there to ask?”

He glanced at Old Lady Xia and Shang Rong, then at the second eldest and his group, realizing he had no reason to stay.

He stood up, patting Jin’s father on the shoulder. “I came here abruptly today, and I must apologize. I never expected that members of our local association would be this troublesome. Mingde has been wronged.”

He also understood that Mingde, having come to Shenzhen from Linjiang, must have suffered a lot from the Shang family before.

On the way here, the second eldest had already regretted his previous indecision.

The reason Old Lady Xia had caused such a ruckus today was largely because of his silence in the past.

It was his hesitation that had allowed Mingde to suffer the unnecessary targeting.

Jin’s father sighed. “…It seems Mingde hasn’t encountered much trouble.”

---

The crowd of onlookers had their fill of gossip and left, their hearts content.

It was easy to imagine how quickly the dark secrets of the Shang family would spread in the industry once they stepped out the door.

With the elders having left, Ma Le and the group of disciples, who had been lingering at Jin’s house, didn’t dare stay any longer.

They quietly followed their father and masters out the door.

Old Lady Xia could barely walk and had to be supported by Xia Ren.

Shang Rong walked silently by his mother’s side, colliding with the second eldest and his group like sworn enemies, but neither side made eye contact.

Just before leaving, Shang Rong glanced back at the house.

Jin Yaotiao, standing in front of the door, closed it in his face and clapped her hands with irritation. “What a family drama. We’ve been playing this out in our house for so long, why don’t they go to the National Grand Theatre?”

Jin’s mother, munching on a steamed bun, shook her head. “How did Old Mr. Shang end up marrying someone like this? Good thing your dad left back then.”

Jin’s father sighed. “Mistress wasn’t always like this, and Shang Rong, when he first entered the Shang family, was actually quiet and timid. He didn’t even dare speak much to the master. I never thought he’d turn out this way.”

Jin Yaotiao glanced outside, hearing the sound of a car engine starting.

She said, “I wonder if our second uncle and the others will be retaliated against when they get back.”

Jin’s father patted his daughter. “Don’t worry. Your second uncle and the others are the pillars of the Shang family. Mistress and them wouldn’t dare do anything to them. This whole ruckus is likely just an attempt to cut ties with us. Now that Ma Le and the others have left, it’s best for us not to stay in touch with them for their own good.”

However, a few days later, the Jin family’s door was knocked on again.

---

At the Shang family, Old Lady Xia was so furious she could hardly bear it, lying in bed in anger. “The Shang family’s face has been completely lost! Completely lost! How am I supposed to live with this?”

Shang Rong stood expressionlessly at the foot of the bed, watching a group of Xia family relatives desperately trying to comfort his mother.

Old Lady Xia cried and complained to her relatives, “They were outsiders, ungrateful, and we treated them too well. That’s why they have no regard for us anymore. They don’t take us seriously!”

The Xia relatives chimed in, “Exactly! We treated them too well, and now they’ve forgotten who they are!”

Old Lady Xia saw her son standing at the door and shouted at him, “This year, don’t give them a single penny of the bonus! Not a single penny!”

The relatives around her joined in, “Let them know who’s in charge!”

But one of the relatives suddenly stopped, pulling out their phone. “It’s a call from the HR department.”

The others quickly added, “Perfect! Just tell them to cancel their bonuses!”

The relative nodded, answered the phone, and accidentally hit the speakerphone.

Just as they were about to speak, a panicked voice came through the line. “Xia Director!! This is bad!! Master Ma and many of his disciples suddenly resigned together! Over a dozen of them! We can’t get in touch with anyone, and several restaurants are completely paralyzed! What should we do?!”

Shang Rong froze in disbelief, staring at the phone with the speaker still on.

The relatives were stunned. “What?!”

Old Lady Xia almost couldn’t catch her breath, weakly collapsing back onto the bed. “How is that possible?”

How could they leave?

How dare they leave?

They had never dared speak back, no matter how harshly she scolded them.

The Shang family’s glory in Shenzhen, how could anyone willingly give that up?

In traditional catering companies, losing the chefs who run the kitchens is almost a devastating blow.

Xia’s relatives felt the impending danger, exchanging uneasy glances.

---

It was dinner time, and Jin Yaotiao had finished simmering the broth all day.

The shining Tai Chi pot had clear broth on one side, and on the other side, there was braised lamb spine and lamb tails.

The lamb spine and lamb tails were tender and rich, the fragrance wafting through the open window and drawing the attention of passersby.

In winter, what could be better than hot pot?

Jin’s father helped his daughter bring the vegetables, meat slices, and fish balls to the table.

The tender lamb meat could easily come off the bone, and the fresh vegetables immersed in the boiling broth became crisp and sweet.

The homemade, plump fish balls floated in the broth, and when you pierced them with chopsticks, they broke open, releasing fresh, flavorful broth.

Hearing a knock at the door, Jin’s father went to open it, chewing on a fish ball.

He had an idea of who it might be, but when he opened the door, he was greeted by a large crowd.

Ma Le and the disciples who had been lingering at Jin’s house stood at the back, and in front were the second eldest and his group, who had just left.

Jin Yaotiao put down her bowl, wiping her mouth, and approached.

When she saw them, she froze. “Second Uncle? Why are you back again?”

The second senior brother looked up, meeting the surprised gaze of Jin’s father, but said nothing.

His sidekick, the sixth junior brother, spoke up, “Big Brother, we don’t have any food to eat. Can we stay here for a meal?”

The smell of the lamb hotpot drifted outside, bringing the warmth of winter with it.

Ma Le, behind his father and the masters, grinned.

Unexpectedly, when it came to being shameless and coquettish, the elders had the upper hand.