The Female Supporting Role Shows Out

After leaving the capital, Lin Dan and Lady Qi settled themselves temporarily in a nearby small town. While they were there, the old marquis had sent several groups of people to look for them, but Lin Dan had politely declined their help.

It was another day where she sent away another group of people. Lady Qi finally couldn't hold back anymore and said pitifully, "Dan'er, it's actually okay to go back to the Marquis’ residence. We have nobody to depend on, it’s better to have someone taking care of us. We also cannot afford to leave your dad’s house and the restaurant behind. With the support of the old marquis, we can bring the case to the officials and make your second and third uncles return everything."

Lin Dan waved her hand and said firmly, "Mother, you’re making things seem too simple. What do we have besides 120 taels of silver? We have no property deed, how are we able to bring this to the officials? The old marquis is a kind man and said that we are the guests of the Marquis Residence, but do you understand what’s our current identity? We’re just slightly better off than the slave who has signed a deed. Now that the marquis’ daughter is at the crucial moment of being chosen as the concubine, you know how strict the marquis’ residence will be. The marquis’ brother-in-law is still in jail for injuring others while riding a horse and no matter how badly his wife begs, the old marquis has never given in to her request. Do you think he would care about our losing lawsuit? He is trying to bring us back because he is kind-hearted and sentimental. But we should not take it for granted and squander his feelings for us away."

Lin Dan sighed and added, "Besides, as long as the Yan family and our family are living in the same place, they will definitely find all ways to tarnish father's reputation in order to restore theirs. The second uncle and the third uncle will also stop us from taking back our properties by secretly plotting against us. Apart from having some money, what else do we have? The old marquis can protect us for now, but can he protect us forever? Staying in the capital means that we will be facing never-ending troubles, I thought it is better for us to leave and start our lives anew. Don’t you think so, mother?"

Although Lady Qi was unwilling, she was successfully persuaded by her daughter and could only nod in tears.

Lin Dan rented a small courtyard to live in temporarily and went out to explore the area. Her child-like face was wearing a solemn expression. On this day, she walked further than she always did and unknowingly took the official road to the relay station. There were loud sounds of clamor and the neighing of horses at the station, which made the place seemed very lively. There was also a straw shed outside the station, and an old woman was busy serving food.

She was unsure what food was served, but she could smell the nice aroma from afar. Lin Dan was attracted by the smell and walked quickly over. The merchants in the inn also came outside to take a look.

"Auntie, your tofu balls smell good, how much does a bowl of it cost?" A trader asked loudly.

"Two copper coins for one bowl." The old woman replied with a smile.

"Great, I’ll have one please." The trader immediately sat down in the straw shed, staring straight at the oil pan.

When Lin Dan came, the tofu balls were done deep-frying and were being scooped up by the old woman to drain the oil. She then poured the tofu balls into another pot, and boiled them in the bone broth, causing the sweetness of the soup to be blended with the aroma of deep-fried balls. After boiling, the tofu balls were done after sprinkling it with a handful of chopped green onion. The golden and crispy tofu balls were tumbling in the milky and rich soup, beautifully decorated with the green onion. The fragrance of the tofu, broth, green onion, and some pepper was mixed together to create a mouth-watering flavor.

Lin Dan hurried into the straw shed and saw that the trader could wait no more. He picked up one piping hot tofu ball and put it into his mouth. He puffed as he chewed before giving the old woman a thumbs up. He said, "You’re such a great cook! I’ve traveled the world and have never eaten tofu balls as good as this."

Lin Dan immediately ordered a bowl for herself. She took a bite after blowing it and her face was filled with awe. After biting through the crispy deep-fried skin on the outer layer, she was surprised to find the extremely soft and tender tofu on the inside that was made with minced meat and mashed yam. The tofu balls melted in her mouth and were extremely delicious. What made the tofu balls even better was the thick broth that was wrapped in the innermost layer of the ball. It seemed to be produced by bone broth seeping into the ball, but also seemed to be made from the juice produced by meat and yam after being heated. She tasted it with the tip of her tongue and found that the broth had the freshness of bone marrow, saltiness of minced meat, as well as the sweetness of the yam. All the flavors were blended perfectly, which made people wanting for more.

Lin Dan paid special attention as she ate it before finishing all the soup and sighed with contentment. The trader had already eaten three bowls and was already on his fourth. His companions were all attracted by the aroma, and the small shed was soon filled up with patrons.

Lin Dan did not leave after finishing the tofu balls. Seeing that there was an increasing number of patrons, she offered to help the old woman to burn firewood, fetch water, serve, and wash the dishes. The old woman initially refused her help but relented eventually. When work was over at night, she took out twenty copper coins and wanted to pay her.

"Auntie, money is not what I want," Lin Dan turned down the coins. She continued sincerely, "I’m willing to help you every day, but I only ask that you teach me how to make these tofu balls."

"You want me to teach you how to cook? What's so…" Before the old woman could finish speaking, a young woman walked into the shed and said angrily, "Where did this brat come from? How dare you try to take advantage of my family? If my mother teaches you, do you think she can still enjoy such a good business? Get out of here, or I’ll chase you out with a broom!” As she was speaking, she opened the drawer and poured all the hard-earned money of the old woman into her purse. Her eyes were filled with greed.

"Didn't you want to learn how to cook as well? I can teach you.” The old woman frowned.

 "I'm your daughter-in-law, we are one family. But who the hell is she?" The woman pointed at Lin Dan with the other hand on her waist.

Lin Dan quickly explained, "Auntie, don't worry, I can work for you every day for free and will go somewhere far away after learning how to make this dish. I will never open a stall near you. I have a mother to feed and we are just two defenseless ladies. If you see me opening a stall near you someday, you can always beat me up or smash my stall."

The woman could tell that Lin Dan came from another region from her accent. She thought that having free labor was not a bad idea after all. Since the family was big enough, she was also not afraid of being fooled by a young girl who came elsewhere. She eventually agreed to Lin Dan’s request, but she remained nasty and acted as if she was doing charity.

The old woman pulled Lin Dan aside and walked her out of the straw shed. She quietly gave her a pouch and whispered, "Good girl, this is your pay today. Take this and don’t tell anyone about it."

Lin Dan was about to return the pouch, but the old woman had already walked back into the shed. She could soon hear that the old woman was scolded for earning lesser coins than yesterday. She did not seem to be here to learn cooking but seemed to be here to boss around.

Lin Dan shook her head, feeling a little upset.

—

That night, Lin Dan hid in the backyard to practice her cutting skills. When her scarred fingertips touched the food or the blade, it made her frown because of the pain. After cutting a gourd, she picked up the pieces of gourd that were cut unevenly and sighed helplessly.

"Dan'er," Lady Qi, who had been observing Lin Dan in the corner for a long time, appeared. She said softly, "Cooking should be a happy affair, you should not push yourself too hard. Let's stop here for the day and take a rest, alright? It’s not your fault for losing to Yan Langqing, it’s normal to perform badly at times."

Lin Dan was stupefied for a moment before realizing that Lady Qi had misunderstood. Lady Qi thought that her defeat against Yan Langqing had caused a psychological trauma which made her unable to use a kitchen knife normally. But Lin Dan knew that it was not the case. She could pick up the skill again, but it would take time.

"Mother, I'm fine. Don't worry." Lin Dan didn't explain, but she said firmly, "One day I will earn back everything we’ve lost. If we can’t make Yan's dishes, I will learn new ones. The world is so big, we will definitely find a way out. "

"Sigh… Fine, as long as you are able to figure everything out. Now, stop what you’re doing and go to bed." Lady Qi caressed her daughter's head with a look of relief. Her daughter had become more taciturn recently, but she had also become stronger and more courageous, as though she was unafraid of the challenges ahead. 

"Okay, you should rest early too." Lin Dan sent Lady Qi back to the room and stood in the corridor for a long time without moving an inch. On this dreary night, she unknowingly saw a memory that did not belong to her. It was from the other "Lin Dan" who was nowhere to be found.

The other Lin Dan left a deep feeling of regret and reluctance but also left an emotion deep in her heart. She was a charming young girl, who loved having fun and never loved cooking. Lin Baotian asked her to learn cooking several times, but she cried and refused. One day, she accidentally upset the marquis’ daughter and was almost beaten up. It was the young marquis who happened to pass by and saved her. The young marquis's gentle smile had since become her life’s obsession.

There was once she asked the young marquis what he liked and he replied jokingly: "I love eating." The next day she took off her beautiful clothes, put on a dirty apron, and walked into the kitchen. It had been seven years since. She never liked cooking, but only wanted to gain the young marquis’ attention.

Lin Dan did not agree that she should depend her life on another person. It is a sad life, if that person leaves or dislikes her, all that is left ahead is the abyss.

What Lin Dan had to do was to find her own way. It did not matter whether she had fallen or injured, she must do everything to reach her goal. Since the old Lin Dan was a chef, she would continue to be a chef. There was an infinite variety of delicious food in the world, and she did not have to worry about not having a place or a teacher to learn from.

—

From that day onwards, Lin Dan started learning how to make tofu balls from the old woman. The old woman had three sons, the eldest son had always idled around, the second son fell ill and died when he was young, and the third son was only seven years old and was still waiting to be fed. In order to feed her two sons, the old woman got up early and sold tofu balls until late at night, she had lived a tough life. Fortunately, she had excellent culinary skills and did not have to worry about making a living.

Her eldest daughter-in-law had always said that she wanted to learn cooking from the old woman, but she was lazy and cunning. She made Lin Dan do all the dirty work in the stall. Lin Dan had to get up early to cook the beans, peel the tofu, and take orders. She even had to carry more than a hundred catties of water back and forth, which almost injured her waist. But Lin Dan never complained, as long as she can learn something, she was not afraid of hardships, no matter how difficult it was.