Ah, the hearts of parents are truly compassionate. In her previous life, Tang Zhuojun had learned how to soften her parents’ hearts, and doing the same here still worked.
Tang Mingfan laughed heartily. “Really! Why would I lie? I never knew Ah Jun had such culinary skills. I always said she’s a good child… Come on, try it!”
As he spoke, he picked up a piece and put it into Tang Boxin’s bowl.
Tang Boxin didn’t touch it.
Tang Zhuojun said, “Then, Big Brother, try the pig’s blood.”
Once someone tastes it, they can’t resist. She didn’t believe that after trying her dish, Tang Boxin could actually refuse to eat.
Seeing her eagerly watching him, Tang Boxin’s heart softened. Reluctantly, he tasted a piece of the pig’s blood.
His eyes brightened briefly, though the gleam quickly faded.
Tang Zhuojun caught it and felt satisfied—she didn’t believe anyone could resist bowing before her cooking skills, hmph!
Even this proud older brother was no exception.
Her younger son, however, was smart. He remained silent, lowering his head to drink his meat porridge. From his expression, it was hard to tell if he liked it or not.
Unexpectedly, the most composed one at home turned out to be him.
She realized winning over Linlin would be a long and difficult task.
“Try some too,” Tang Boxin said, giving Linlin a piece of pig’s blood.
“It’s too spicy,” Tang Zhuojun quickly stopped him.
But Linlin, as if deliberately defying her, ate the whole piece. His small lips were red from the spice, yet he didn’t care and wanted more.
The three men cleaned out the entire pot of Mao Xue Wang. If it hadn’t been for the lack of rice, they probably would have soaked the soup in rice and eaten it all.
Tang Zhuojun was dumbfounded.
Now she strongly suspected that it wasn’t her who had spent the family into poverty—it was these three gluttons.
Tang Mingfan was delighted and asked his son, “Your sister cooked this dish well today, right?”
“Not bad,” Tang Boxin said haughtily. “Just uses too much oil and rice.”
Tang Zhuojun muttered softly, “Once it’s in your stomach, it’s not wasted.”
Tang Mingfan laughed. “That’s right, Ah Jun. You’re correct. Ah Jun, the past is in the past— just live well from now on.”
This was her father— he always had such simple expectations for his children.
Tang Zhuojun nodded. “I know, Father.”
Seeing everyone around, she mustered courage. “Um… Father, Big Brother, I have something I want to say…”
Tang Boxin immediately became alert.
Tang Mingfan said, “Go ahead, don’t hesitate. Nothing makes me happier than seeing you learn well. If there’s any difficulty, tell me. Your mother left too early… ah, never mind, Ah Jun, go on.”
Tang Zhuojun said, “I… I want to borrow twenty taels of silver from the family, but I can repay it in ten days… nineteen taels!”
She needed to quickly repay the loan, because Ruan Anruo also knew she had borrowed money. That schemer would likely try to stir trouble.
Before today, they hadn’t had a falling out, so Ruan Anruo couldn’t directly expose her secret. But now, she would probably act without restraint and bring up the loan.
Tang Zhuojun decided to preemptively stop that.
Tang Boxin slammed the table. “So that’s why your mood changed today! You want money. Not a single coin— don’t even think about it!”
His handsome face flushed with anger, and his hands trembled.
Tang Zhuojun could understand him. The fact that Tang Boxin hadn’t killed the former owner, even after all the trouble she caused, was already a miracle.
Tang Mingfan looked slightly disappointed, but still asked, “Ah Jun, borrowing money isn’t impossible. Tell me— what do you need it for?”
Tang Boxin was unusually furious. “Fine, fine! I’m done with this family!”
He stormed out, but soon returned, placing the money box on the table. Holding Linlin’s hand, he left without looking back.