“How so?”
Zhou Qin explained, “I called the company accountant today. She said that a few days ago, your father put back the one hundred million he had withdrawn before—plus an extra 30 million. It must be investment profits.”
Ling Xuan smiled. “That’s good. Now you don’t have to worry anymore.”
“Mm. I’ll make some tea for your dad. You should go upstairs and practice the piano.”
“Alright.”
Zhou Qin was relieved, but Ling Xuan wasn’t so easily convinced.
One hundred million in cash might not mean anything, but he had seen with his own eyes how naturally and comfortably his father interacted with Jiang Fuyue that night—like they had known each other for years.
Still, this outcome was preferable. At least Zhou Qin wouldn’t be upset anymore.
As for himself…
He believed in what he saw. But he also believed that someone as proud as Jiang Fuyue would never lower herself for money, unlike those other women who clung to wealthy older men.
Ling Qingzhou: Say that again?! What other men?!
—
As for Jiang Fuyue, after taking a taxi home that night, she hadn’t expected to run into Ling Xuan.
Not that it mattered to her.
However, she soon noticed something strange at home.
Jiang Da kept sighing from time to time. Han Yunru also seemed troubled. Even Little Brother Jiang had started mimicking them.
“Sigh~”
“What are you sighing for?” Jiang Fuyue teased. “You’re too young to be acting like an old man.”
“Dad’s not an old man either, but he’s sighing too.”
Jiang Fuyue narrowed her eyes in thought.
It didn’t take long for her to figure out the problem—
Cao Sanpang pulled Jiang Da aside into the garden. “Want a smoke?”
Jiang Da shook his head. “No.”
“Your wife’s got you on a tight leash, huh?” There was some resentment in his tone, along with a hint of mockery.
Jiang Da responded seriously, “Ah Ru is only looking out for my health.”
Cao Sanpang sneered, “You’ve really got it good—wife who cares, two great kids. No wonder you won’t come back to F City with us…”
Jiang Da sighed. He knew where this conversation was headed.
“Sanpang, I understand how you all feel, but please understand where I stand. After all these years, I really don’t want to fight over anything anymore. You guys should focus on carrying forward Master’s legacy and making Cao Ji even better—”
“‘Carrying forward’ my *ss!”
For the first time in a long while, Cao Sanpang lost his composure.
“Cao Ji doesn’t belong to us anymore! That mother and son run everything now! She tells us to go east, we don’t dare go west. She tells us to add salt, we don’t dare add sugar. And now, she’s gone even further—she won’t even let us hold a d*mn ladle!”
Jiang Da’s eyes widened. “What?!”
“She’s pushing for full mechanization, saying we’re outdated and should just retire early!”
Jiang Da was at a loss for words.
He had avoided anything related to “Cao Ji” for years and hadn’t kept up with its development.
Sanpanger sighed. “I didn’t want to bring this up because it’s embarrassing—getting fired at my age. But you refused to come back, and I… I had no choice.”
“We should never have let her inherit Cao Ji back then. Now she’s turning around and wiping us all out! Yu Shangmei is—too ruthless!”
Jiang Da listened quietly, barely reacting.
Sanpanger pressed again, “Do you want to take back Cao Ji? If we go to court, all of us senior disciples can testify that Master’s will was made while he was fully conscious.”
Jiang Da pondered for a long time, then shook his head. “…It’s meaningless.”
Sanpanger was disappointed.
But he respected his senior brother’s decision. Back then, they hadn’t stood firmly by Jiang Da’s side. That lack of courage had led them to this point—they had no one to blame but themselves.
“…However,” Jiang Da continued, “if you all have nowhere to go and don’t mind that my place is small, the work is tough, and the pay is low, you can join Jiang Ji.”
Sanpanger’s eyes lit up.
He had been helping out at Jiang Ji for a while. At first, he just lent a hand casually. But over time, he became more skilled and enjoyed the work.
Compared to being stuck in Cao Ji’s cold, automated kitchen, he found genuine happiness here.
And he wasn’t the only one. Fuman, Dazhuang, Ah Biao, and Xiangqing all had more smiles on their faces these days.
Especially Little Douzi.
With his good looks and smooth talk, he had become Jiang Ji’s poster boy. Fans lined up just to take pictures with him, which even made an old guy like Sanpang jealous.
Given the opportunity, they all wanted to stay.
But…
“Does the shop really need that many people?”
Jiang Da nodded. “We’re about to open a new branch. We need more hands. Think it over.”
“…Alright.”
That night, the senior disciples discussed among themselves and agreed—it was worth a try.
The next day, they gave Jiang Da their answer.
“We’re in!”
However…
“Our contracts with Cao Ji aren’t officially terminated yet. We need to go back and settle things.”
Jiang Da nodded. “No rush. The new shop is still under renovation. Take your time wrapping things up before coming over.”
“Got it!”
That afternoon, Sanpang led Fuman and the others back to F City.
Cao Dou, however, stayed. He had never signed a contract with Cao Ji, so he was free to work wherever he wanted. Jiang Da officially hired him as a full-time employee at Jiang Ji.
Now, Han Yunru no longer had to worry about finding new hires.
