Although Yan Qiushu was an outsider and didn't understand the situation of this era, she knew what Shuilu meant.

Originally, she thought that she was not the formal master of the Xiao family, so she seldom ordered anyone around. In the past two days, she asked Shui Yu and Aunt Xu to help, and she would treat them to food. If she cooked too much, Shui Lu and others would also have some.

Unexpectedly, she didn't want to listen to her all along, just because she was arrogant.

Yan Qiushu was speechless. She had never learned how to manage her facial expressions, and a strange and funny look appeared on her face.

Xiao Huaiting had just refused out of habit, wiping the sweat off his face with his sleeve. Suddenly, he caught sight of this look, and his sword-like brows furrowed. However, he didn't say anything immediately. Instead, he said in a deep voice, "All of you go down."

He was the true master of this house. As soon as these words were spoken, everyone left. Shui Lu finally got the chance to show her courtesy, but she was rejected outright. Her face turned pale, but she also sensed that Xiao Huai Ting's expression was not right. She immediately gritted her teeth and approached him: "Sixth Young Master, you are sweating all over. You should wipe it off. My handkerchief is clean."

Xiao Huaiting's expression turned even colder, and he looked directly at Shui Yu: "Drag him away!"

Shuelü's mind buzzed and she was almost dumbfounded.

"Yes!" Shui Yu shuddered all over and took action without hesitation.

Shui Lu did not resist this time. She was pulled down with her limp hands and feet, and her vision went black.

Yan Qiushu was originally finding it a little funny, but when she saw this, she couldn't laugh anymore. The main reason was that this young man had a very strong aura. When his face was cold, his pair of eagle eyes were particularly intimidating. There seemed to be a murderous aura floating around him, which made her feel uneasy.

The key point is that she herself has some shameful situations, and she is a little worried when she sees this. Could she have discovered something again?

It’s a bit frustrating to say that she only had one skill, cooking, to save her life, but the original owner didn’t know how to do it. Although the original owner didn’t know many people, what if this person was good enough and she could find him?

Just when she was feeling nervous, the young man in front of her stretched out his hand towards her, holding one end of a small hard-cover notebook between two fingers, facing her.

It was written in black letters: Road Guide

Yan Qiushu paused for breath, her anxiety instantly vanishing, leaving only joy in her heart. Her eyes sparkled, "Is this mine?"

"Yeah." Xiao Huaiting nodded. He didn't expect her to be so happy. He felt a little guilty. In fact, this thing could have been done a long time ago, but he had been trying to confirm her identity.

The Xiao family holds military power, and there are too many people watching them, so he has to be cautious.

Yan Qiushu took it and opened it. She saw that the characters of this era were traditional Chinese characters, which she recognized. It said: Native of Wucheng. Because of the rampant bandits and the suffering of his family, he came to the capital to seek refuge with relatives.

There were no identity cards in ancient times, but the government registered the population born locally.

If the household registration is checked by the government, it will be done every six months, and the search is very strict. Almost no one can escape. If a person is not on the household registration, he or she will need a pass to show where he or she is from.

If you don’t even have a travel permit, you are an illegal resident.

Yan Qiushu was previously removed from her original place of household registration, and she was unable to apply for a travel permit, so she thought of clinging to Xiao Huaiting.

Unexpectedly, she got the ID card after only two days in the mansion.

Everyone in the Xiao family is a good person!

Yan Qiushu was deeply moved: "Thank you, General Xiao! Don't worry, I will definitely fulfill my promise and be your cook for the rest of my life!"

Feeling more and more guilty under the gaze of those eyes, Xiao Huaiting looked away with a somewhat erratic look: "No need to thank me, you have done a good job these past two days, and my mother has eaten a little more than before. This is what you deserve. If you want to settle down, that's also possible."

"That's fine." Yan Qiushu didn't care about this. Having a pass was actually enough. When she saved enough money to buy a house in the future, she could settle down directly without having to trouble others.

As her mind raced, she caught a glimpse of the omelet on the table and subconsciously said, "General, have you eaten yet? If not, why not stay and have some?"

This is a common saying in modern times. If someone has guests coming to their house and it happens to be dinner time, they will definitely invite the guests to stay for a meal.

When she went back to her hometown before, which was also in the countryside, people would often eat at her place, and she was used to it. But for people of this era, it was a little strange for a woman to entertain male guests.

Yan Qiushu didn't realize it, but Xiao Huaiting did.

He looked at the girl with a face full of anticipation. Her cheeks and nose were flushed with joy. She stared at him straight, as if he was the only one in her eyes.

The boy's wheat-colored skin flushed red. He coughed lightly and shook his head, "No, I still have some unfinished business."

Yan Qiushu enthusiastically gestured for him to come in and sit down: "There's no rush, it'll be quick. Tonight's dinner is egg burritos, and I'll add some soup later. After you finish eating, you can go back to work."

Now that she was eating and drinking at the Xiao family's expense, she could make something to repay them, so her smile was particularly warm.

Xiao Huaiting's throat tightened when he heard this, and he felt a little greedy. After eating the food made by Yan Qiushu, he always felt that other food was missing that flavor. Even if they were all spicy dishes, they were not as delicious as hers. However, it was not good for a man and a woman to be alone, so he was about to refuse again.

Yan Qiushu had already said, "Dongdong will be back soon. Please sit down first. I'll go get busy."

Xiao Huaiting swallowed his refusal. Thinking that Dongdong would come too, they wouldn't be alone, and they could also taste the freshest delicacies. He decisively compromised and didn't ask to leave again: "Thank you for your trouble."

"No trouble." Yan Qiushu smiled and went to the kitchen to cook.

The first thing to do is of course to make a few egg burritos as the staple food.

But in addition to this, there must be a little soup, otherwise it will be a bit dry.

Xiao Huaiting was such a nice person. He gave her the reward she wanted most before she had worked there for long. So she couldn't just be perfunctory and gave it to him with the sour plum soup she had had before. Besides, he must have a big appetite.

Yan Qiushu looked around the kitchen, and her eyes lit up when she saw the fungus, tofu and other things that were delivered in the afternoon.

Based on her observations yesterday, she felt that although he could not accept such a sour taste, a little sour taste was acceptable to him, so she planned to make a hot and sour soup, which would be appetizing, refreshing, and filling.

The hot and sour soup is simple to make. It mainly involves shredding ingredients such as black fungus, tofu, and carrots. Heat oil in a pan and quickly add peppercorns and green onions when the oil is hot. Stir-fry until fragrant. Then add water and wait for the water to boil. Remove the peppercorns and other condiments to avoid biting the peppercorns when eating later.

Then add water starch to make the soup slightly thicker, and finally add the various ingredients that have been prepared in advance, stir with a long spoon, and suddenly the thick but substanceless soup becomes full-bodied.

And since these things are chopped very finely, they don’t need to be cooked for a long time before they are ready to eat.

Seeing that the time was almost up, Dongdong, who had successfully completed his delivery mission, came back just in time. He jumped into the yard and shouted at the top of his voice: "Sister Shu! I delivered everything. Everyone liked it very much. I also gave you a lot of things!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Xiao Huaiting, his eyes lit up, and he rushed over happily: "Uncle!"

Xiao Huaiting came out as soon as he heard the noise. He stretched out his hands and waited for the child to come closer. He held him under his armpits and lifted him up with force. The uncle and nephew talked affectionately.

It wasn't until he smelled a sour and spicy aroma that the little foodie Dongdong noticed it immediately. He sniffed the air with his little nose and said, "What a nice smell! What is this?"

"Hot and sour soup." Yan Qiushu brought it over, one bowl for each person, and added some sliced egg rolls: "Come and eat."

Dongdong immediately stopped Xiao Huaiting from holding her, and ran down to the dining table, sitting upright, waiting for the tableware to be distributed and to start eating.

When Yan Qiushu handed him the spoon, he immediately took the bowl and started drinking from it in small sips without any hesitation, obviously trusting her cooking skills.

Xiao Huaiting couldn't help but be speechless and followed him. However, due to the psychological shadow of sour plum soup, he looked at the thick soup in front of him with a faint sour and spicy taste, and did not choose to eat it immediately. Instead, he ate the egg roll first.

There is a generous amount of egg, the wrap is tender, and there is not too much seasoning, just a light salty taste, but it is also rich in flavor with carrots, chopped shrimp, etc.

It is light but not bland. Instead, if you savor it carefully, you can taste a variety of rich flavors.

Xiao Huaiting ate with gusto and had to admire the girl's excellent cooking skills.

No wonder his mother couldn't resist.

However, since they were unfamiliar with each other, he didn't say much. He just ate diligently, mouthful after mouthful, as if it were some kind of delicacy from the mountains and the sea. Yan Qiushu felt choked at the sight, so she reminded him, "Have some hot and sour soup. It's delicious, not sour at all."

"Yeah." The boy raised his eyebrows after being reminded, but he did not show any rejection. He just drank carefully and did not dare to take a big sip anymore.

But surprisingly, this time, although there was a sour smell, the taste in the mouth was very little, just enough to whet his appetite, and it was more of a salty and spicy taste.

Along with this thick soup, you can also eat tender tofu, slightly crisp carrots, and soft yet tough wood ear mushrooms. The texture is so slippery that it seems to pass through your mouth and into your stomach.

His throat had been dry from eating the egg burrito just now, and now it immediately felt better, and he even felt like he wanted more.

"This tastes good!" Xiao Huaiting liked it and finally couldn't help but praise it.

Dongdong nodded vigorously, but his taste was not as strong as Xiao Huaiting's, so he added: "Oven pancakes are the best!"

As they talked, they gulped down the drink and ate seriously, without stopping at all.

Before leaving, Dongdong was still reluctant to leave: "Uncle, can I come back for lunch tomorrow?"

Xiao Huaiting slapped him in the face, blocking his pitiful look: "No."

"Oh..." Dongdong was extremely disappointed, his lively facial features shrank, like a puppy whose bones were taken away.

Yan Qiushu asked curiously, "Where is he going tomorrow?"

Do I have to go back to the Jiang family?

Xiao Huaiting explained, "Dongdong attends classes at the Imperial College. He arrives at 12:30 a.m. every day and leaves 12:30 p.m. every day. He has taken leave for the past two days and will have to go to school tomorrow."

So that’s how it is. Yan Qiushu understood.

Taixue was a school that only the royal family and the children of some well-connected marquises and ministers could attend. The teachers in the school were all great scholars invited by the emperor himself and had extremely high status. However, because it was located in the imperial city, although it was the outermost area, people could not enter and exit freely.

Of course, students are not allowed to come back for lunch.

Seeing Dongdong's pitiful expression, Yan Qiushu said, "It's not impossible. I'll make it tomorrow and have someone from the mansion send it to the Imperial College. As long as Dongdong can come out and get it."

Dongdong's eyes lit up, and he shook Xiao Huaiting's hand frantically: "Uncle~~~"

Xiao Huaiting pinched his chubby face unhappily, but seeing his nephew so lively, he couldn't bear to refuse: "But it's too much trouble for you."

"It's okay, it's okay. I just made some for the occasion. I also like doing this." Yan Qiushu waved her hands quickly.

Xiao Huaiting did not refuse again. Dongdong thanked Yan Qiushu sweetly, and the two left happily.

But not long after the person left, the nanny beside Xie Qingyun came over and said that she needed Shulu's help with some work. She took the pale-faced Shulu away directly, without letting Yan Qiushu worry at all.

She had to sigh again that the Xiao family was really good people. Although they looked like a military family and did not have as many rules as those who claimed to be a scholarly family, they were really thoughtful in this regard!

Especially since she had only asked Dongdong to deliver some egg burritos, but they all specially returned the gifts.

Although it is not particularly expensive, it is worth enough to buy a luxurious meal.

Not to mention that all the ingredients are from the Xiao family, so the Xiao family is losing money!

Yan Qiushu looked at the gift in front of her and sighed deeply.

The Xiao family is too good. Now she feels uncomfortable when she thinks that Xiao Huaiting will die in two years, the Xiao family will be completely wiped out, and the Xiao family army will be incorporated by the Prince of Jin and become the main force to purge the court and consolidate his throne.

But what can she do?

Yan Qiushu fell into deep thought.

On the other side, the Jiang family

But it is not as peaceful as the Xiao family.

Having failed to bring Dongdong back, the Jiang family's head and wife both looked unhappy. Nanny Ji, the rather superior figure Yan Qiushu had met that morning, now bowed her back and fawned over her master, "This servant really has no choice. It's all the fault of the Xiao family for tempting the young master with food. The young master is a glutton and loves to play, so naturally he doesn't want to come back."

Jiang's mother's blessed face looked approachable when she smiled, but at this moment, there was no smile at all on her face. Only disgust filled her face as she angrily said, "What does the Xiao family mean? They have too much evil energy, and they can bring bad luck to everyone. And yet they still force my grandson to stay. Do they want to kill him too?!"

Because she was angry, she slapped the table hard with her hand, causing the flesh on her face to tremble.

The smile lines at the corners of my eyes are almost gone.

Nanny Ji could only smile bitterly: "It was Nanny Huang from Madam Xiao's side who came to deliver the message personally. I didn't dare to force it anymore, so I had to come back and report."

Hearing the three words "Madam Xiao", Madam Jiang's face changed slightly, and she was a little timid, but when she came to her senses, she became even more angry and sneered: "The Xiao family... Ha!"

Lord Jiang, who had been silent on the side, said with embarrassment: "The Third Prince's eldest son has announced that he wants to select a study partner. I was thinking of letting Dongdong be the study partner, but that is..."

He swallowed his words before he could finish them, muttering, "Why are you getting close to the Xiao family again?"

Madam Jiang was obviously aware of this and was extremely dissatisfied. She angrily rebuked Madam Ji, "I've told you that you can't even do a single thing. It's just a little food. Go tell the kitchen to prepare it and send it to the Imperial College tomorrow. Then coax the young master back, okay?"

"Yes, I'll figure it out right away." Nanny Ji nodded quickly and said with a smile, "Our chef knows the young master's appetite best and will definitely be able to bring him back."

In order to win over Dongdong, the Jiang family spent a lot of money to hire a retired royal chef from the palace to come back and cook for him. This was the way they had done before, and they kept Dongdong time and time again until he lived in the Jiang family for a long time. If it weren't for the fact that the child liked Xiao Huaiting so much, he would not have gone back in the past two days!