Tang Mingfan laughed. "Really, why would I lie to you? I never knew A-Yun had such fine cooking skills. I always said A-Yun was a good girl... Hurry and try it!"
As he spoke, he picked up a piece and put it in Tang Baixin's bowl.
Tang Baixin didn't touch it.
Tang Zhuyun said, "Then try the pig's blood, big brother."
Once he had tasted it, he would crave more. She refused to believe that Tang Baixin could still refuse to eat after trying her cooking.
Seeing her gazing at him expectantly, Tang Baixin suddenly softened and reluctantly tried a piece of pig's blood.
His eyes lit up too, though the gleam vanished in an instant.
Tang Zhuyun caught it, though, and was thoroughly pleased. She refused to believe anyone could resist falling at the feet of her cooking skills. Hmph!
Not even this proud, prickly brother of hers was an exception.
Her son, acquired for free, was clever, though. He had fallen silent and was drinking his meat congee with his head down, but his expression gave no clue whether he liked it.
To her surprise, he was the most poker-faced person in the family.
She had a long and arduous road ahead if she wanted to win Linlin over!
"You try some too." Tang Baixin picked up a piece of pig's blood for Linlin.
"It's too spicy," Tang Zhuyun hurriedly protested.
As if deliberately opposing her, Linlin ate the whole piece of pig's blood. The spice reddened his little lips, but he didn't mind and wanted more.
The three men picked the entire basin of mao xue wang clean. If there had been enough rice, they probably would have soaked it in the broth and eaten that too.
Tang Zhuyun stared, dumbfounded.
She now seriously suspected that she wasn't the one who had squandered the family's wealth; these three rice buckets had eaten them into poverty.
Tang Mingfan was delighted. He asked his son, "Your sister made this dish well today, didn't she?"
"It was passable," Tang Baixin said haughtily. "It just used a lot of oil, and it takes a lot of rice to go with it."
Tang Zhuyun muttered, "It's not a waste if it ends up in our stomachs."
Tang Mingfan smiled. "That's right. A-Yun is right. A-Yun, what happened before is in the past. Just live a good life from now on."
That was a father for you. His expectations of his children were always so low.
Tang Zhuyun nodded. "I know, Father."
Taking advantage of everyone being there, she mustered her courage. "Um, Father, big brother, there's something else I want to say..."
Tang Baixin's expression immediately grew wary.
Tang Mingfan said, "Go on. There's no need to hem and haw. Nothing makes me happier than seeing you mend your ways. Whatever trouble you're in, you must tell me. Your mother passed away early... Ah, never mind that. Go on, A-Yun."
Tang Zhuyun said, "I... I want to borrow twenty taels of silver from the family, but I can pay it back in ten days... nineteen taels!"
She had to pay back the loan-shark debt as soon as possible, because Ruan Xinruo also knew she had borrowed money. That green tea would probably use the opportunity to stir up trouble.
Before today, they hadn't openly fallen out, so Ruan Xinruo couldn't expose the "secret" outright. But now she probably had no more scruples, and there was a good chance she would make an issue of the loan-shark debt.
Tang Zhuyun decided to plug the leak before the matter came to light.
Tang Baixin slammed the table and sprang to his feet. "I was wondering why your nature changed so completely today. So it was because you wanted silver. There isn't a single copper coin for you. Don't even think about it!"
His handsome face flushed red with rage, and his hands were trembling.
Tang Zhuyun could understand, really. Tang Baixin was practically a saint for not beating her predecessor to death after she had dragged him down this far.
Disappointment showed on Tang Mingfan's face too, but he still asked, "A-Yun, it's not that you can't have the silver. Tell me, what do you need it for?"
"She can have the silver?" Tang Baixin flew into an extraordinary rage. "Fine, fine! I won't concern myself with this family anymore!"
He stormed out, then quickly returned and set the money box on the table. Taking Linlin by the hand, he left without looking back.
Tang Mingfan seemed to age several years in an instant and let out a long sigh.
Still, he opened the money box, took out two ten-tael silver ingots, and handed them to Tang Zhuyun.
Seeing that only a few taels of silver scraps remained inside, Tang Zhuyun felt miserable. She stammered, "Father, I'm not throwing money away. Please believe me. I'll pay it back..."
She didn't dare say she had borrowed from a loan shark, for fear of angering her father to death.
Faced with such unreserved trust and generosity, she wanted to beat her predecessor to death all over again.
"I believe you're different from before, if only because this is the first time I've eaten a meal you cooked." Tang Mingfan's eyes reddened. "You take after your mother. Her cooking was delicious, so very delicious. No matter how cheap the ingredients were, she could make them taste wonderful..."
Back then, the family had been poor, and his wife had been a child bride. Life had been hard, but she had cooked every tasty thing she could find for him to eat. Yet she had passed away before he achieved success and fame. It was a pain in Tang Mingfan's heart that would never fade.
Seeing her elderly father's face streaked with tears, Tang Zhuyun felt an ache in her heart.
She took the money box in her arms and said solemnly, "Father, I'll manage the household from now on. I promise everyone in the family will have enough to eat and warm clothes to wear. I won't squander money again."
She had taken over his daughter's body and been given another life. She would live it splendidly and repay every debt her predecessor owed!
Tang Mingfan rose unsteadily and returned to his room to slowly come to terms with his grief.
The next day, Tang Zhuyun was woken by voices outside her room before dawn.
"Keep it down. Don't wake your sister," Tang Mingfan said in a lowered voice.
Tang Baixin seemed to be pouring water into a basin. He tossed the dipper down with a clatter.
Tang Mingfan sighed deeply. "She's your sister... Never mind, never mind. You don't have to see me out. I can go by myself."
Tang Baixin's tone softened. "Father, there are two steamed buns I warmed up for you. Take them to stave off your hunger."
"No need. The palace provides meals."
"But how long will you have to wait until court is dismissed?" Tang Baixin said anxiously.
Only then did Tang Zhuyun vaguely recall that, early as it was, with even the roosters yet to crow, her father had to go attend court.
Court began early to begin with, and since the family was poor and had no carriage, her father had to walk and get up even earlier.
Because no one dared be late for court, everyone arrived ahead of time. They would take out the meals and snacks they had brought to put something in their stomachs first, so they wouldn't be too hungry during court.
Although the emperor considerately had food prepared, it was only served after court was dismissed, and by then it was stone cold and didn't taste good.
Only Tang Mingfan would seriously go and fleece the emperor's wool like that.
Tang Zhuyun felt awful. She scrambled up, got dressed, and hastily twisted her hair into a bun before rushing out. "Father, wait. I'll fry you two eggs. Eat them before you go. It won't take long."
She hadn't prepared anything today, so there was nothing to be done about that, but tomorrow she would make sure to have food ready for her father in advance.
"No need. Save the eggs for Linlin."
"It's all right, there are more. I'll be quick." Tang Zhuyun had already rushed into the kitchen.
Old Madam He was already heating water, so Tang Zhuyun used the fire to quickly fry the eggs and bring them out. "Father, eat before you go." "All right, all right, all right." Tang Mingfan nodded repeatedly as he looked at his utterly changed daughter.
A fish-belly white was spreading across the eastern sky. Perhaps, at last, the days ahead were beginning to brighten too.