Chapter 1 — Help You Earn 7,300,000 Yuan, You Only Give Me 70,000 Yuan?

I help my sister manage a private restaurant, making a net profit of 7,300,000 yuan a year. As a result, at the end of the year, she only gave me 70,000 yuan. I was so angry that the blue veins on the back of my hand were clearly visible. I tried to suppress my anger and asked:

"Sister, what do you mean? In the beginning, we agreed to divide the profits according to the ratio of thirty-seven, why are you only giving me 70,000 yuan now?"

My sister leisurely took a sip of coffee, her eyelids not bothering to lift:

“If it weren't for you giving up space, where would I have a place to cook?”

"Besides, for the past year I've been eating from you, at your house, even the apron you use was bought by me. An Ninh, as a human being you have to know enough."

I squeezed the check in my palm, the edge of the paper cutting into my thumb painfully. The so-called meals and activities that she talked about were nothing more than leftover meals from the previous night that the maid intended to throw away. My place is just a moldy folding bed stuffed in a storage room. I burst out laughing, stuffed the 70,000 yuan check into my pocket and turned to leave. Three months later, I opened my own restaurant. On the first day of opening, customers lined up all the way to the end of the street. That same day, my sister's private restaurant had an incident with its most famous dish. A regular customer got angry on the spot and canceled a party order worth 5,000,000 yuan. I know, that's just the beginning. With her skills and dignity, destroying her reputation is only a matter of sooner or later.

“Sister, the year-end accounts have been finalized!”

I tried to control the excitement in my voice, pushed open the door and entered my sister's office.

“Our net profit is 7,300,000 yuan!”

"Oh? Is that so?"

Tham Ngoc Dung nonchalantly flipped a few pages of the accounting book.

“Not bad, keep trying.”

Her reaction stunned me. I have stayed up countless nights editing the menu, standing by the kitchen testing dishes, personally going to the market to choose ingredients, to make this dying private restaurant full of reservations. Yet she didn't even say "it's been hard" yet. But thinking about the original thirty-seven profit sharing agreement, I would receive 2,190,000 yuan, the feeling of disappointment was quickly suppressed by expectations. I stood in front of the desk, my fingertips gently caressing the edge of the book, waiting for her to mention the matter of dividing the money. But she just looked intently at the notebook, occasionally holding a pen to make a few lines on the paper, as if she had completely forgotten about this matter.

“Sister, what about profit sharing…”

I finally opened my mouth.

"That's right, divide the money! Look at this sister's memory, but she forgot such an important thing."

Tham Ngoc Dung patted his forehead, pulled out the drawer, took out a check and pushed it towards me.

"Take it, this is your portion. I prepared it a long time ago."

“Thank you.”

I said my thanks. But the moment I saw the number on the check clearly, my throat felt like it was rubbed with sandpaper.

“What do you mean?”

My voice was tense.

“Initially, you said to divide it into three and seven, why are you only giving me 70,000 yuan now?”

Tham Ngoc Dung slowly took a sip of coffee, not bothering to lift her eyelids.

“If it weren't for you giving up the space, where would I get a place to cook?”

"Besides, for a year now I've been eating from you, at your house, even the apron you're wearing was bought by me."

“An Ninh, as a human being you have to know enough.”

I put my fist on the book.

“You called Food and accommodation?

Every word I gritted out through my teeth.

“I'm in the warehouse behind the kitchen. What I ate was leftovers left by guests!”

“And this apron…”

I pulled the washed gray apron until it was stiff on my body.

“It's something you called dirty and threw it to the cleaning lady three years ago!”

Finally, Tham Ngoc Dung raised his head. A look of impatience appeared on her face.

“Don't be an elephant asking for a fairy.”

“If it weren't for you taking care of me, I'd have to sell on the sidewalk right now.”

“Don't forget after your parents died, who raised you.”

“You raised me?”

I laughed out loud.

"The old house my parents left behind and the compensation money after the accident, I have never given you a dime."

“I went to culinary school to wash dishes and earn money. At night, I also help people prepare ingredients at the market."

“Besides giving me a folding bed in the warehouse and a few bowls of rotten soup, what else will you give me?”

“Is that what you call raising?”

Tham Ngoc Dung's hand holding the cup of coffee paused.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“What compensation?”

Looking at her still pretending to be stupid, the last bit of friendship in me was completely broken.

“Stop pretending.”

I pulled a file out of my pocket and threw it hard on the table.

“This is the parents' accident compensation payment record.”

“And this is the file to transfer the name of the old house.”

“Money and house are both in her name. Don't think I don't know.”

The file fell onto the table. The whole office was so quiet that only the ticking sound of the wall clock could be heard. The powder on Tham Ngoc Dung's face could not hide her pale appearance. She didn't expect me to investigate these things.

“So what?”

Very quickly, she turned the document upside down.

"I'm the eldest sister, of course I have to decide everything for the family."

“Besides, I'm still living well now.”

I looked at the jacket with pearl buttons on her body. Look at the shiny gold bracelet on her wrist. Then he looked down and looked at the grease stains that had eaten deep into his apron. How ironic. I stuffed the check in my pocket.

“70,000 yuan is 70,000 yuan.”

“But remember, this is the last time I will take advantage of you.”

When I turned to leave, Tham Ngoc Dung shouted after me:

“Tham Ninh!”

“Who do you think you are?”

“Without you, I wouldn't even be able to touch the kitchen!”

I stopped walking and turned to look at her.

“Tham Ngoc Dung, you are wrong.”

“Without you, this restaurant of mine wouldn't be able to sell even a bowl of soup.”

I carried an old canvas bag next to the book, without looking back once, walked straight out of the office. Leaving the restaurant, the sunlight shone on the white porcelain sign in front of the door, so bright it hurt my eyes. I called a taxi and read the address of Tham Ngoc Dung's house. The driver looked at me in the rearview mirror.

“Girl, just got off work? You smell like kitchen smoke.”

“Today is the last day.”

He didn't ask any more. Outside the glass doors, the restaurants on Ngo Dong Street retreated one after another. 70,000 yuan, not even a fraction of the amount I deserved. But it became the capital for me to leave. Returning to that large apartment, I went straight to the storage room next to the maid's room. As soon as the door opened, a stream of musty steam immediately hit my face. A folding bed. An old suitcase. A laptop used for six years. Some cookbooks turned yellow because of oil smoke. And the old knife set left by my parents. I squatted down and carefully wrapped each knife in cloth. Aunt Vuong, the maid, stood at the door. My hands kept reaching into my apron pockets and then pulling them out again.

“An Ninh, do you really want to go?”

"My sister just called home and told me to stop making trouble."

“There are guests tonight, tell me to prepare the lion crab head dish.”

I stuffed the last cookbook into my suitcase.

“Tell her to do it herself.”

Aunt Vuong lowered her voice.

“My sister can't make that dish.”

“The last time she tried it, the meatball fell apart as soon as she put it in the pot.”

“Didn't she say it was okay without you?”

Aunt Vuong's lips moved. But in the end, I still didn't dare to give any more advice. The phone suddenly vibrated. It's a message from Tham Ngoc Dung.

“Stop being angry.”

"Let's come home for dinner tonight. I told Aunt Vuong to make your favorite braised pork dish."

I looked at that message for a long time. Braised pork is her favorite dish. And I hate that greasy, sweet taste the most.