It was already night when Qi woke up. She began to cry silently when she saw Lin Dan. She seemed unwilling to accept the fact. She kept muttering, "You have been learning cooking from your father since you were seven years old. It has been five or six years now. It is not an exaggeration to say that you are an experienced chef. How could you lose to that girl from the Yan family? I don't know what those people outside are saying about your father. We failed to protect his reputation. How can we explain to him when we go to the underworld? Baotian, I am sorry for you..."
Looking at Qi who was crying bitterly, Lin Dan thought to himself: If the original Lin Dan were still alive, he would probably feel heartbroken and blame himself deeply. But she is no longer with us, and I still have to support this family for her as she is my mother.
Originally, Lin Dan was only twelve or thirteen years old, thin, with a childish face, and looked two or three years younger than her actual age. However, it was not easy for her to shoulder such a heavy responsibility so early. If Lin Dan hadn't suddenly replaced her, she wouldn't know where she would go now.
Qi was probably also worried about her future whereabouts, her crying gradually became quieter, but her sighs continued. Just at this moment, two maids came in and said they were bringing a message for the Marquis, asking Qi and Lin Dan to continue living in the Marquis's mansion, as the mansion did not need two more mouths to feed. Lin Baotian served the Marquis for more than ten years, even following him to the battlefield. His affection for him was extraordinary. Now that he was dead, the Marquis would never make things difficult for his descendants.
Marquis Yongding is a gourmet with a more sensitive taste than most chefs. How could he not be able to taste the quality of the two dishes of chicken and Chinese cabbage? But he insisted that the two dishes were similar. This was to favor Lin Dan and to preserve Lin Baotian's reputation. But his son was a little glutton, with a sharper tongue than him and a straightforward character, which forced Lin Dan to admit defeat.
On the day of the competition, most of the gourmets in Beijing came, and there were also many spectators. The reputation that Lin Baotian had built after years of hard work was no longer maintainable. The news has spread everywhere now. Everyone is calling him an ungrateful villain who betrays his teacher and ancestors. If Qi and Lin Dan leave the Marquis' Mansion, won't they be bullied to death?
Qi was also afraid of facing rumors, so she was relieved when she heard that she could continue to stay in the Marquis' Mansion.
Lin Dan is a calm and rational person, and is very good at judging the situation. She knew that it was best for her to continue staying in the Marquis' Mansion with Qi. Neither she nor Lin Dan before her knew much about the world outside the Marquis' Mansion. If they went out rashly, they might not even be able to support themselves, so how could they support the sick Qi? But she had a stronger intuition telling her that if she really stayed in the Marquis' Mansion, many bad things would happen. Although she didn't remember her true identity and past experiences, she still chose to believe in herself without hesitation.
After the maid left, she said firmly, "Mother, let's leave. You are afraid of rumors outside, but how could you know that the rumors in the mansion are the most terrible? After all, everyone has been jealous of our family for a long time. Now that we are in trouble, we will inevitably be excluded and oppressed. In the past, my father was valued by the Marquis, so we naturally had face in the mansion, but from now on, we are like mud under the ground, and anyone can step on us. I lost to Yan Langqing, and I can no longer be the chef of the mansion. If I want to stay, I have to be a slave, and the same goes for you. Even if the Marquis doesn't mention this, do you have the face to live in the mansion for a long time as a guest?"
The chef of the Marquis's mansion is different from other maids and servants. She did not sign a contract to sell her body, but a work contract. Her status is higher than that of the Marquis's mansion's butler. Therefore, Qi and Lin Dan stayed in the Marquis' Mansion as family members, which was considered as guests. But the situation is different now. Without Lin Baotian, the two of them can no longer live in the marquis's mansion as they did before and have maids and servants serving them. They have to find something to do.
Qi was a proud person. When she heard that she would have to work as a servant if she stayed, she immediately began to pack her luggage. She said she would never fall to the level of being associated with the people who once served her.
"Your father bought a house outside, and opened a restaurant with your second uncle and third uncle. I heard that the business is very good. Let's go out and start our own business, and not stay in this mansion anymore." Qi opened the boxes and packed her belongings, and the sadness between her brows faded a lot. Since she had already lost, she couldn't blame her daughter anymore. She must be the one who felt the most miserable.
Lin Dan heaved a sigh of relief, then dragged out the gold-painted rosewood box hidden under the bed and whispered, "I'll return the golden knife and the recipe to Yan Langqing, and I'll go to the old marquis to resign on the way."
Qi stared at the box for a long time, and finally sighed helplessly: "Go."
Lin Dan did not open the box to admire the fascinating imperial golden knife and the legendary God of Cookery recipe, but directly sent it to the young marquis's yard. Now Yan Langqing is still the young marquis's personal maid, in charge of the small kitchen.
When Lin Dan arrived, Yan Langqing was begging the young marquis to get the golden knife and recipe back for her. She was worried that Lin Dan would be unwilling to give in and destroy the golden knife and recipe. The golden sword can be repaired if it is broken, but if the recipe is burned by fire, then what is the point of her trying so hard to sneak into the Marquis' Mansion? If Qi had not fainted and Lin Dan had not disappeared in the blink of an eye, she would have asked them to hand over the things on the spot.
The young marquis knew a little about Lin Dan, and thought that the other party was really capable of such a revengeful method of destroying both himself and the other, so he agreed to stand up for her. The two were just about to go look for someone when they saw a servant come in holding a box, saying it was sent by Miss Lin. When they opened it, they saw the golden knife and the recipe book, both carefully wrapped in red silk cloth and well preserved.
The young marquis subconsciously looked at Yan Langqing, whose cheeks turned red and looked embarrassed. Looking back now, those words of preparation for a rainy day just now seem like judging others by one's own mean character.
The two walked out the door and saw a thin figure slowly walking away with leisurely steps.
………………
Although Lin Baotian was highly valued by the Marquis and received many rewards, he used them all to support his two brothers or buy precious ingredients, and did not leave much money. Qi searched the whole house before she found 120 taels of silver. She was stunned. Fortunately, they still have properties and shops outside the house, so they don’t have to worry about their future life.
Qi's optimism did not infect Lin Dan. In Lin Dan's memory, Lin Baotian's two younger brothers were not easy to deal with. Whenever they were in trouble, they would look for their elder brother, and when they got any benefits, they would quietly keep them to themselves. They were very selfish. They said they were running a restaurant for Lin Baotian, but there was no monthly income. They would only come to him humbly unless the restaurant business was declining and they needed to develop new dishes. Now that Lin Baotian’s reputation as the “successor of the Golden Knife Imperial Chef” has been ruined, it has also indirectly ruined the restaurant’s business. It would be strange if they could be willing to accept this.
As expected, when Qi found the house her husband had purchased and wanted to settle down, she discovered that the house had already been occupied by the second and third wives. They were not allowed to enter no matter what. They even took out the house deed with only the second and third wives' names written on it and told them to get out immediately.
Qi wanted to argue a few more times, but her two sisters-in-law told her to just make a fuss, which would also help her uncle spread his already rotten reputation. Qi was too embarrassed to make a scene in public, so she wiped her tears and walked towards the restaurant. She knew that the restaurant was most likely occupied by her two brothers-in-law, but she would not give up until she saw it with her own eyes.
Lin Dan supported her silently without expressing any opinion. It’s all Lin Baotian’s fault that he trusted his two younger brothers too much and never asked for details or receipts when purchasing real estate or running a restaurant. Now he can’t win the lawsuit even if he goes to the government. What's more, his notoriety after his death was enough for everyone to deny everything about him. Who would stand up for his widow and orphans?
Lin Dan endured everyone's pointing and criticizing as he walked along, and he had already prepared for the worst. When they arrived at the restaurant, they were stopped outside the door by the owner and were not allowed to enter. He also demanded that they produce the land deeds or share certificates, otherwise he would report them to the police.
Qi was so angry that her eyes turned red, but she couldn't find the words to refute. Lin Dan stroked her trembling back to comfort her, then looked up and found that the restaurant's sign had changed from "Lin's Restaurant" to "Yan's Restaurant". The red plaque with gold inlay looked very impressive.
The second son of the Lin family came out, pointed at the plaque and said, "Sister-in-law, the ugly things brother did are really shameful to us! Now my third brother and I have decided to give 50% of the shares belonging to eldest brother to the Yan family as a atonement. It's useless for you to make trouble with me, we have to pay back what we owe to others. We will pay for the sins committed by eldest brother, and at the same time accumulate some good karma, so that eldest brother can be reborn into a good life in the next life. If you really care about eldest brother and the reputation of our Lin family, please be quiet." After he finished speaking, he sighed helplessly.
Passersby applauded after hearing this, saying that the second and third sons of the Lin family were completely different from their eldest brother and had consciences and were kind and righteous, which was very rare and precious. They would certainly come often to take care of the restaurant business in the future.
Qi's face was pale and she was on the verge of collapse, but Lin Dan lowered his head and sneered: These two branches of the Lin family are really good at scheming. They used the eldest brother's widow and orphans as a raft to get them out of this disaster that ruined their reputation and saved the business of the restaurant. If Lin Baotian had been half as smart as they were, he wouldn't have let his wife and children end up like this.
But the person is already dead, and there is no point in saying anything now. The important thing is to find a way to stay alive. Lin Dan wanted to take Qi away, but saw Yan Langqing and his father coming in a car, and the young marquis was riding beside them on horseback. It seemed a grand ceremony.
Lin Lao Er and Lin Lao San hurriedly went forward, bending and bowing, with a very fawning attitude.
The young marquis dismounted with an expressionless face and lifted the curtain for Yan Langqing. Yan Langqing's cheeks flushed and she smiled shyly. When she saw Lin Dan standing beside her, she was slightly stunned.
Lin Dan didn't even look at the two of them, and was about to leave with his mother. Perhaps it was her attitude of turning a blind eye that irritated Yan Langqing, who got angry and said without thinking: "Lin Dan, since you have already lost, please don't call yourself the successor of the Golden Knife Royal Chef in the future, and don't cook Yan family dishes anymore."
Lin Dan has a calm personality, but that doesn't mean she is willing to stand and get beaten. She chose to keep quiet before because she knew the situation was not favorable to her side and that no matter how hard she fought, it would be futile. It would be better to save her energy and think about what to do in the future. Now that Yan Langqing wanted to push her into a desperate situation, she could no longer tolerate it.
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