Quick Transmigration: Not My Story

Chapter 3 The Cook Mistress（part 2）

When Qi Shi woke up, it was already evening. Seeing Lin Dan, she started silently shedding tears. It seemed she was unwilling to accept the situation, murmuring repeatedly, "You followed your father to learn cooking at the age of seven, and now it's been five or six years. To call you an old chef wouldn't be an exaggeration. How could you lose to that girl from the Yan family? I don’t know how people outside are now slandering your father. We couldn’t protect his reputation, and when he’s gone, how can we explain it to him? Baotian, I’m so sorry..."

Looking at Qi Shi crying uncontrollably, Lin Dan thought to herself: If the original Lin Dan were still here, she would probably be heartbroken and deeply regretful. But the original Lin Dan was gone, and now I carry her identity. This family still needs me to hold it together.

The original Lin Dan was just twelve or thirteen, small in stature, with a youthful face that looked a couple of years younger than her actual age. Yet, she had to shoulder such heavy responsibilities so early on, which was truly not easy. If it weren’t for Lin Dan suddenly replacing her, who knew what would have become of her now?

Qi Shi, probably also worried about the future, gradually quieted her sobs, but her sighs continued in a steady stream. At that moment, two servant women entered, saying they had a message from the marquis. They assured

Qi Shi and Lin Dan that they could continue staying in the marquis’s manor, as the manor had no shortage of places to eat. Lin Baotian had served the marquis for over a decade, even accompanying him to battle, and the bond was not one of simple obligation. Now that he had passed, the marquis would not make things difficult for his family.

The Yongding Marquis was a great food connoisseur with a more refined palate than most chefs. How could he not distinguish the difference between two plates of Crab Roe Chicken Purée with Cabbage Hearts? But he chose to say both dishes were similar, perhaps to show favor to Lin Dan and protect Lin Baotian’s reputation. However, his son, a younger gourmand with a more sensitive palate and a direct personality, had forced Lin Dan to admit defeat.

On the day of the competition, many of the capital's old food connoisseurs had attended, along with a sizable audience. Lin Baotian’s hard-earned reputation could no longer be preserved. Now, word had spread, and people were calling him an ungrateful and dishonorable man who had betrayed his master. If Qi Shi and Lin Dan left the marquis’s manor, they would likely be bullied by everyone.

Qi Shi, fearing the gossip and rumors, was relieved to hear that they could remain in the marquis's manor.

Lin Dan, a calm and rational person who was also very good at assessing situations, knew that staying in the marquis’s manor was the best option. Neither she nor the original Lin Dan knew much about the outside world, and if they left, they might not even be able to support themselves, let alone care for the sickly Qi Shi. But an even stronger intuition told her that if they truly stayed in the manor, many bad things would happen. Although she didn’t remember her true identity or past experiences, she trusted her instincts without hesitation.

After the servant women left, Lin Dan firmly said, "Mother, we should leave. You’re afraid of the rumors outside, but how do we know that the rumors in this manor aren’t even worse? After all, people have been envious of us for a long time. Now that we’ve fallen from grace, we will undoubtedly be ostracized and oppressed. In the past, my father had the marquis’s favor, so we had face in the manor. But now, we’re nothing, mere dirt that anyone can step on. I lost to Yan Langqing, and I can no longer be the head chef here. If we stay, we’ll have to serve as slaves. You, too. Even if the marquis doesn’t bring it up, do you have the face to stay here as a guest forever?"

The head chef of the marquis's household was different from other servants. Instead of signing a contract of servitude, he signed a work contract, which gave him a higher status than the marquis's head steward. As such, Qi Shi and Lin Dan remained in the marquis's residence as family members, living as guests. However, now the situation had changed. Without Lin Baotian, they could no longer enjoy the privileges of being treated as guests with maids and servants at their beck and call; they would have to find some work to do.

Qi Shi was a proud woman, and upon hearing that they would have to serve as servants if they stayed, she immediately began to pack her things. She refused to let herself sink to the level of the people who once served her.

"Your father bought a house outside the city, and he and your second and third uncles jointly opened a restaurant, which is said to be doing well. We can go out and establish ourselves, we won’t stay in this marquis’s manor any longer." Qi Shi opened her chest and began to pack her belongings, the sorrow in her eyes fading significantly. Having lost everything, she could no longer scold her daughter. Surely, her daughter must be the one suffering the most.

Lin Dan let out a small sigh of relief, then dragged out a gilded rosewood box from under the bed. She whispered, "I will return the golden knife and the recipe to Yan Langqing and ask the old marquis for permission to leave."

Qi Shi stared at the box for a long time, finally letting out a helpless sigh. "Go ahead."

Lin Dan did not open the box to admire the precious golden knife or the legendary divine chef's recipe. Instead, she took them directly to the Young Marquis's courtyard. At that time, Yan Langqing was still the Young Marquis's personal maid, in charge of the small kitchen.

When Lin Dan arrived, Yan Langqing was pleading with the Young Marquis to get back the golden knife and the recipe. She feared Lin Dan might destroy them in her resentment. While the golden knife could be repaired if damaged, if the recipe were burned, all her efforts to infiltrate the marquis’s household would have been for nothing. If Qi Shi hadn’t fainted and Lin Dan hadn’t slipped away so quickly, she would have demanded that the items be returned right then and there.

The Young Marquis, who knew Lin Dan a bit, thought to himself that Lin Dan could indeed go to extreme lengths for revenge, so he agreed to stand up for her. The two were about to leave to find someone when a servant entered with a chest, saying it was from Miss Lin. Upon opening it, they found the golden knife and recipe, both wrapped carefully in red silk and well preserved.

The Young Marquis instinctively looked at Yan Langqing, who blushed, looking quite embarrassed. Her earlier cautious words now seemed like she had wrongly assumed Lin Dan would act like a petty person.

The two left the room and saw a small figure slowly walking away, her steps calm and composed.

…………

Although Lin Baotian had enjoyed the marquis’s favor and had been rewarded generously, he had spent it all on helping his two brothers or purchasing expensive ingredients, leaving little money behind. Qi Shi searched through the entire house before she found 120 taels of silver, leaving her somewhat stunned. Fortunately, they still had property and shops outside the manor, so they didn’t have to worry about their future livelihood.

Qi Shi’s optimism, however, did not affect Lin Dan. From her memories, she knew that Lin Baotian’s two brothers were not trustworthy. When in need, they would come to their elder brother for help, but when there was a profit, they took it all for themselves. They were selfish and self-serving. They claimed to be managing the restaurant for Lin Baotian, but there was never any monthly profit sent, and only when the business was struggling did they humbly request his help. Now that Lin Baotian's reputation as the "golden knife chef" had been destroyed, indirectly ruining the restaurant's business, it was no surprise they were unwilling to let it go.

Sure enough, when Qi Shi went to settle into the house her husband had bought, she found it had already been taken by the second and third households. They refused to let her enter, showing her the deed with only the second and third brothers' names written on it and telling her to leave.

Qi Shi tried to argue, but the two sisters-in-law only mocked her, saying it would be good for the eldest uncle’s already tarnished reputation to be spread even further. Qi Shi, unwilling to make a scene, wiped her tears and headed for the restaurant. She knew the restaurant had most likely been taken over by her two brothers-in-law, but she couldn’t give up without seeing it for herself.

Lin Dan quietly supported her, offering no opinions. The fault lay in Lin Baotian’s blind trust in his two brothers. He had never bothered with the details of the property or the restaurant when buying them or when managing them, and now, even if they went to court, they wouldn’t win. Moreover, with Lin Baotian's reputation in tatters, no one would stand up for his widow and orphan.

As they walked, they endured the pointed stares and gossip of the people around them. Lin Dan had already prepared herself for the worst. When they arrived at the restaurant, they were indeed stopped at the door by the manager, who refused to let them enter and demanded they present the deed or proof of ownership, threatening to report them to the authorities.

Qi Shi, her eyes red with anger, couldn’t find any words to rebut. Lin Dan gently rubbed her trembling back to comfort her. When she looked up, she saw that the restaurant’s sign had been changed, from "Lin Family

Restaurant" to "Yan Family Restaurant," the red and gold plaque looking very grand.

The second son of the Lin family came out, pointing at the plaque and saying, "Sister-in-law, the shameful deeds of my elder brother have really embarrassed us! Now, my third brother and I have decided to give up half of our stake in the restaurant to the Yan family to atone for our brother's sins. You can cause a scene all you want, but we owe them, and we must repay them. We are doing this to accumulate some good karma for my brother’s next life. If you really care about my brother and the reputation of the Lin family, please calm down." He sighed helplessly after finishing his words.

The bystanders began to clap, praising the second and third sons for being different from their elder brother, saying they had a good conscience, practiced kindness, and were truly rare and admirable. They promised to often come and support the restaurant’s business in the future.

Qi Shi's face turned pale, and she swayed as if she might collapse. Lin Dan, however, lowered her head and sneered. The two branches of the Lin family are truly calculating—using the widow and orphan of their elder brother as a shield, quickly pulling themselves out of this scandal and saving the restaurant business. If only Lin Baotian had half their cleverness, his wife and child wouldn’t have ended up in this plight.

But Lin Baotian was already dead, and there was no point in lamenting anymore. The real task now was to figure

out how to survive. As Lin Dan was about to take Qi Shi away, she saw Yan Langqing and her father arriving in a carriage, with the Young Marquis riding beside them, looking rather grand.

The second and third sons hurried to greet them, bowing and flattering them with exaggerated courtesy.

The Young Marquis dismounted expressionlessly, casually lifting the curtain for Yan Langqing. Yan Langqing’s cheeks flushed slightly as she smiled shyly, and when she caught sight of Lin Dan standing aside, she paused in surprise.

Lin Dan did not even glance at the two of them. She simply helped her mother away. Perhaps her indifference had provoked Yan Langqing, who, with a sharp temper, immediately blurted out, "Lin Dan, since you’ve already lost, please don’t pretend to be the heir of the golden knife chef anymore, and don’t cook Yan family dishes either."

Lin Dan was calm by nature, but that didn’t mean she was willing to stand there and be insulted. She had chosen to keep the peace before because she knew the situation was unfavorable for her, and no amount of fighting would help. It was better to conserve her energy and think about what to do next. But now, Yan Langqing was trying to push her to the edge, and Lin Dan could no longer hold back.