Yan Qiushu cut for a while and her hands felt sore. She looked down and saw Wan'er looking at her eagerly.

She handed the dough over directly: "Would you like to try it?"

"Can I?" Wan'er was startled and waved her hands helplessly, as if she was resisting, but her eyes were still fixed on the dough.

Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "Of course, this is very simple."

She demonstrated it and Wan'er took notes carefully. It was indeed very simple. Once she really took over, she was able to cut the face smoothly very quickly.

Yan Qiushu freed her hands and continued to light the fire on the stove that had just been used to boil the scissors. She took out a small milk pan, poured some oil into it, and started to season the other side with green onions, ginger, garlic, salt and other things.

Taking into account Wan'er's dislike for spicy food, this seasoning was made in two portions, one salty and fragrant, and one spicy.

After finishing, Wan'er also cut up the remaining noodles. She came over excitedly to take credit: "Sister Shu, I'm done! Those little shrimps in the bowl are all running around!"

"Wow, that's amazing." Yan Qiushu gave a thumbs up.

Wan'er was so happy that she was smiling from ear to ear, and was happier than usual, jumping around in the kitchen.

Yan Qiushu was afraid that she would get hurt, so she rushed her out. She was still smiling, with no trace of gloom between her brows.

Yan Qiushu looked at this and felt relieved, then started to scoop up the noodles.

The soup was filtered out with a colander, and a small bowl was filled with white and plump noodles that looked like small shrimps. Finally, it was topped with the seasoning that had been prepared in advance and a spoonful of delicious chicken soup. The bowl was exactly 80% full, and the scissors noodles were ready. "This is yours. Try the scissors noodles made by our Wan'er and see if they are delicious!"

"Yeah!" Wan'er nodded expectantly, and ran to the stone table early to sit and wait.

The maid brought her portion to her.

Yan Qiushu followed suit and brought a portion, but her bowl was much larger than Wan'er's palm-sized bowl. The food at the banquet was cold, and she was used to eating what she cooked herself, so she didn't eat much and was still hungry.

The two sat down and looked at each other until Yan Qiushu said, "Eat."

Wan'er then took the spoon and started eating.

The chicken soup is delicious, mixed with the fragrance of noodles. The hot soup is brought to your mouth by a spoon. You take a sip, and your bland lips and teeth are immediately stimulated and you can't wait to take the second bite.

After tasting the soup, eat the scissors noodles.

Different from the usual long and thin noodles, or hand-rolled noodles cut into neat sheets, the scissor noodles are pointed at both ends and have a soft texture, but the middle is soft with a little hardness. When you chew them carefully, the slightly fragrant soup cannot stop the sweetness of the starch from spreading in your mouth.

Especially the scissors noodles, which are so small that sometimes I don’t want to chew them. I take a sip with the soup and swallow them directly with a gulp. The noodles are so slippery!

As Wan'er was eating, she realized the noodles had already gone into her stomach before she had time to chew them. It felt like a fish had slid into her stomach. Her eyes widened in shock, but she also found it particularly amusing. "Sister Shu, this is so delicious! I didn't even take a bite, and it went into my stomach!"

"Yes, it's very slippery!" Yan Qiushu responded with a smile.

Hers was spicier than Wan'er's, and she liked vinegar, so she added some sourness. It was salty with sourness, sour with spiciness, spicy with numbingness, and combined with the aroma of onions brought out by the hot oil and the deliciousness of the chicken broth as the base, it tasted so good that she didn't want to stop.

"Huh..." She blew on the spoon full of scissors noodles to cool it down a little, took a big bite, and swallowed it with a gulp.

It was worth it that her hands were sore from cutting.

The noodles are not too thick and you won’t choke even if you are too lazy to chew them.

She swallowed it without chewing, which made Wan'er giggle and continue eating.

After finishing a small bowl at this speed, she put down the spoon, supported her chin with both hands, and watched Yan Qiushu eat.

The little girl is very sensible. She knows that it is not advisable to eat too much at night as it is easy to cause indigestion, so she always eats as much as she is given and never asks for more. If Dongdong is not full, she will definitely pester her to continue eating.

Although naughty children easily attract adults' attention, Yan Qiushu pays more attention to the quiet little girl. She usually asks Dongdong to take care of her, and now she has been paying attention to her and found...

Why is this kid still looking at me?

Her eyes were dark and bright, as if they could see straight into people's hearts. Yan Qiushu felt a little embarrassed by her gaze, and blinked and said, "Why are you staring at me?"

Wan'er smiled shyly and covered her eyes when asked.

Yan Qiushu thought she would stop talking, so she continued eating. But after a while, she put down her hands again, and asked in a soft voice with a hint of sincere doubt: "Sister Shu, why don't you hate me and give me delicious food?"

Yan Qiushu was surprised: "Why should I hate you?"

The little girl pursed her lips and said, "I don't have a father. My grandfather is leaving, and my brother doesn't want me anymore. They don't want to play with me, saying I'm a fatherless child and that our Xiao family is unlucky..."

Yan Qiushu's face darkened: "Who said that?!"

Wan'er closed her mouth and said nothing.

The nurse behind her sighed, "They're the two children from the Du and Liang families. There's no point in arguing about it. The Third Young Miss also made a scene before, but they say children speak without restraint. You can't just grab someone's child and beat them up. This time, the young lady wanted to play with them, but the two children didn't want to, so they said something like this. The young lady is very sensitive and ran out crying."

Yan Qiushu thought about the two families that the wet nurse mentioned, but couldn't remember.

She didn't have much contact with outsiders as her identity was not suitable. She went to Dongdong's place only to deliver his birthday gift as promised, and then she left.

But after hearing this, she still felt a little regretful.

I shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble to make so many delicious dishes!

She asked the Xiao family to get a lot of fresh fruits. Although the quantity was not large, there were many varieties. Some of them were out of season, but thanks to someone's cleverness, they had preserved a small amount of them.

But these things were eaten by the bullied Wan'er and the children of the Xiao family, especially the third young lady of the Xiao family, who seemed to have a very good temper, and she even made a fuss. This must be a serious matter, so she was very heartbroken.

Yan Qiushu's face turned cold, she leaned over and hugged Wan'er, saying softly:

"Don't pay attention to what they say. It's because they're stupid that they think the Xiao family is unlucky. Think about it, what kind of people are your family? Generations of warriors, defending their country. If it weren't for them, would this group of people be standing here talking now? They're probably all displaced because of the defeat in the war..."

She gave examples to prove her conclusion, and then concluded, "These people are just stupid. A bunch of idiots. Do we need to pay attention to them? Do we, Wan'er?"

Wan'er felt a little dizzy and nodded subconsciously: "Yes! No need!"

Yan Qiushu was satisfied: "That's right. Wan'er, if you hear those idiots talking in the future, will you still remember it?"

"I don't remember!" Wan'er's voice became much louder.

"Yes, I don't remember!" A more determined child's voice interrupted, louder and more resolute than what Wan'er said.

The two of them looked at the same time and saw three people, one big and two small, walking in from the courtyard gate. The big one was naturally Xiao Huaiting. The boy had an unconcealable look of joy on his face, and his expression was very gentle when he looked over.

The younger one is Dongdong, and he was the one who spoke.

The other one was a little boy who was slightly taller than Dongdong, but much thinner. His face looked a little sallow in the bright candlelight, his chin was pointed, his eyes looked a little big, and his clothes were rather plain. He looked like a child from an ordinary family.

But it was strange. Dongdong, with his status, only interacted with children of nobles. Why would he bring a child from an ordinary family to her yard at this time?

"Uncle!" Wan'er shouted loudly, got off Yan Qiushu's legs, and looked at them happily: "Dongdong~"

Yan Qiushu also stood up to greet him: "Come in quickly."

"I'm so sorry to bother you so late." Xiao Huaiting bowed shyly. Just as he was about to express his inner apology, Dongdong came running over with the child in his arms, excitedly saying, "Sister Ah Shu, this is my good friend Ah Heng! I thought he wasn't coming to celebrate my birthday, but it turns out my uncle brought him here just now!"

Ah Heng?

Yan Qiushu's mind raced, and she soon matched the child that Dongdong talked about every time he came home from school. Although he didn't mention his identity, those who could go to the Imperial College were all children of aristocrats. How could someone dress so simply?

She was greatly shocked, thinking that this child was some unlucky unloved child from some unloved family. She hurriedly said with a smile, "Hello, Ah Heng. You came so late. Have you eaten yet?"

Dongdong answered quickly: "No!"

Then he winked at her, full of suggestion.

Yan Qiushu understood. She had originally planned to let them try the noodles, but now she couldn't. She deliberately pinched Dongdong's face, making it puff up with anger. "Poor child, why didn't you come earlier? Where are the candied haws?"

But today is his birthday, so I should just pamper him.

Dongdong also felt guilty, so he stood there obediently, looking up at her face and letting her pinch him to her heart's content.

Yan Qiushu was reluctant to really hit him, so she pinched him, then let go and pulled the little boy over to the stone table. "Sit down first. Shuiyu, bring some sour plum soup. Drink it first to whet your appetite, and then we'll eat the meat."

"Thank you, Sister Shu." The little boy smiled embarrassedly, pursed his lips and sat down next to Wan'er. His little face turned red and he looked extremely at a loss.

Yan Qiushu gave a few instructions, saying that Xiao Huaiting was still watching over her, and then she went to the kitchen.

But Dongdong was still following her. When she arrived at the kitchen, she turned around and embarrassedly took out his hand that had been hidden behind his back. It was a bag filled with various meats.

He begged, "Sister Shu, can you make something delicious? Ah Heng rarely eats these. I asked him to come over and eat a lot of food, but he came too late and everything was gone..."

He thought Ah Heng was not coming, and he was angry, so he did not stay.

Unexpectedly, on the way back from the birthday party, he saw his uncle and Ah Heng standing there waiting for him. He immediately regretted not leaving anything, so before coming, he insisted on going to the big kitchen to get something. If Sister Ah Shu was not resting, he could ask her to help make something.

If she rests, then she can only eat something simple.

Good thing she didn't take a break!

Yan Qiushu had already promised him, so she naturally didn't care about this. She took it and said, "Okay, go greet your friends. I'll take care of this."

"Yes!" Dongdong responded happily: "Thank you for your hard work, Sister Shu!" After saying that, he hesitated for a moment, then stood on tiptoe and pulled her hand. When Yan Qiushu was possessed, he leaned close to her ear and said, "Sister Shu, when you get married, I will definitely give you a huge dowry! Then you will become a general, and no one will dare to bully you!"

Yan Qiushu: “?”

She was embarrassed and waved her hand: "Go away, go away!"

"Sister Shu, don't be shy! Girls all have to get married." Dongdong left, but before leaving, he smiled and said this, then skipped away.

Yan Qiushu closed the door angrily.

Who to marry?

In ancient times, for women to get married, the benefits were too great and it was a losing business. So she decided not to get married. With the support of the Xiao family, she could buy a farm and become a local landlord, farming and raising chickens and ducks. That would be good enough.

She was muttering when the door was pushed open.

Yan Qiushu didn't even turn around: "What else? If you have nothing to do, go out and play. I can handle it myself."

"It's me." A clear young voice appeared.

Yan Qiushu quickly turned around, and the young man smiled and said, "I'm sorry to bother you so late. I'm here to help you."

"No need, go play with them." Yan Qiushu refused.

Xiao Huaiting didn't leave. Instead, he walked over to her and took the garlic she was processing: "Is that so?"

"...Yeah." Yan Qiushu nodded, silently made some space, and glanced over there.

The boy was tall, and when she stole a glance at him, she could only see his strong jawline and a very obvious and somewhat sexy Adam's apple.

Looking down, I saw a pair of slender hands peeling a garlic carefully but clumsily.

Her lips curved secretly.

This hand is so beautiful.

The ingredients Dongdong brought were all meat.

There were lamb chops, pork chops, and even a whole chicken. It was obvious what he wanted to eat.

Yan Qiushu decided to satisfy him, but it would take a little longer. The roasted whole chicken needed to be marinated. In order to save time, she asked Xiao Huaiting to take a needle and poke holes all over the chicken while she prepared various seasonings.

She waited until Aunt Xu came over and said the stove was lit before putting the roast chicken and lamb chops in.

It takes a little longer to roast the chicken, so she put it inside, and the lamb chops outside. While waiting, she found a few oranges, put two of them in the oven and roasted them. It can not only cure coughs, but also prevent colds and coughs.

In addition, I made some orange tea with oranges, which has the effect of helping digestion after boiling.

This is what Yan Qiushu learned from the doctor in the mansion after she discovered the magical effect of her golden finger. It is quite effective in dealing with Dongdong who likes to eat too much.

They will definitely need it later.

Three children were talking and chatting in the yard. After a while, only two children were left. Wan'er was carried by the wet nurse to say goodbye to Yan Qiushu. The little girl had a good sleep and rest schedule and seldom stayed up late. It was a little late at this time and she could hardly open her eyes. She said goodbye to Yan Qiushu in a baby voice.

After she left, the yard seemed a little quieter.

Until the aroma of barbecue filled the air, the two children, who were also a little tired, sat up straight and turned to the barbecue oven on their left, staring at it intently.

Zhou Zhaoheng, who had never seen such a fragrance, murmured, "What a nice smell..."

Dongdong raised his chin proudly: "Yes, my sister Shu is an amazing cook! Not only is it fragrant, but it's also super delicious! I guarantee you've never tasted it before!"

"Yeah!" He nodded vigorously, his eyes full of anticipation, and finally swallowed secretly.

It smells so good.

In fact, he had already eaten dinner, but now he felt so hungry that he could eat a cow!

As if she had heard their thoughts, Yan Qiushu moved. She was about to open the oven when Xiao Huaiting spoke first, "Let me do it. How do I do it?"

Seeing this, Yan Qiushu stood aside and gave instructions. When the lid of the oven was opened, a wave of heat came. It was the first time for the boy to do such a thing. Feeling the heat that seemed to burn his hair off, he found that cooking was really dangerous.

He carefully took out the oranges that were roasted with thin skin and lots of juice.

He brought the two scalding oranges through the cloth and placed them in front of the two children. They were still smoking.

Yan Qiushu took out the other things with tongs and took a look. The oven could not control the temperature, so she had to estimate the time herself. When it was almost time, she would take it out, take a look, turn it over, etc.

After the lamb chops were taken out, they were actually already cooked to the point where they were edible, but not completely cooked yet. She spread the prepared garlic sauce on them, and the children would eat garlic if they didn't like spicy food.

The roasted chicken also needs to be turned over and coated with oil.

After sending it back in, Yan Qiushu went to the kitchen again and started to make a fire and cook.

The two children put their heads close together and ate an orange together, enjoying it very much, especially Zhou Zhaoheng. He had heard Dongdong talk about roasted oranges several times, but this was the first time he ate it. Xiao Huaiting helped him peel the orange. After peeling off the thin orange peel, the unusually plump flesh inside seemed to be able to expand at any time.

He waited until it cooled down a little before he dared to put it in his mouth. As soon as he bit into it, the sweet and sour juice, accompanied by the warm temperature, was so sweet that it touched his heart!

Zhou Zhaoheng was already looking forward to this delicious meal, but after just one bite, he felt that his expectations were already fulfilled!

Even a simple orange can be made so novel and delicious, the flesh must be even more delicious!

Yan Qiushu did not disappoint the children's expectations.

After two cups of tea, she timed it for Xiao Huaiting to bring out the grilled lamb chops.

The strong garlic aroma paired with the lamb smeared with cumin and other spices made Zhou Zhaoheng drunk with just one sniff.

The eldest brother got two lamb chops, the two children got one, and Xiao Huaiting got one. The young man even took a knife and helped them chop it.

The mutton fat was sizzling from being roasted, and it seemed to be still roasting when it was taken out. Finally, Dongdong couldn't wait any longer and his mouth was already watering: "Eat it quickly, this is the best! It's just that it makes me get angry easily, and Sister Shu won't let me eat too much."

He felt extremely regretful, so whenever he had something to eat, he would gobble it up like a wolf, like now, he took a big bite!

The lamb, roasted until it was separated from the bones, was torn off. The abundant juices dripped out secretly, but most of it went into his mouth. The salty and fragrant garlic blended with the lamb. Dongdong ate so much that he didn't want to open his eyes. It felt like his mind was full of roasted lamb chops: "Mmm! So delicious!"

Zhou Zhaoheng, who also wanted to eat a lot, was a little shy at first. When his father sent him out, he was reminded to be polite and reserved as a guest. But seeing Dongdong like this, he forgot his father's instructions and just wanted to eat as much as he wanted.

He opened his mouth as wide as possible and bit hard on the lamb chops.

The meat juice and garlic juice rushed to the tip of his tongue. Just this point made his heart tremble. When he ate the meat, he was even more intoxicated.

It’s really delicious!

Dongdong is so happy living in such a home.

The little boy was full of envy for his friend. While eating, Zhou Zhaoheng also glanced at Dongdong. The latter did not open his eyes, but Xiao Huaiting was also beside him and happened to see this clearly. His heart was suddenly choked and he could not swallow the delicious food in his mouth.

But Zhou Zhaoheng didn't notice it. After reading it, he just focused on eating.

The lamb chops were not big, so the two boys shared them, and each took three or four bites before they almost finished them.

The lamb chops were very fat, but you didn't notice it while eating. After finishing, both of them felt a little greasy. Yan Qiushu brought three cups of hot orange fruit tea. The orange fruit tea was sour and sweet, with a slight bitterness. After drinking it in one gulp, the tea flowed down the mouth into the esophagus, taking away the greasiness in the mouth.

Dongdong smacked his lips: "Sister Shu is so amazing!"

Just then, a sweet smell appeared in their noses.

The two of them looked at the same time.

Yan Qiushu came out with a plate: "Sweet and sour pork ribs, try it."

There is no tomato for coloring, but there is sugar. The sweet and sour spare ribs she made are browned, somewhat similar to braised spare ribs, but the sweet taste is still particularly attractive.

Xiao Huaiting took the lead and took a chopstick for each of the two children: "Eat quickly, this will not taste good if it gets cold."

The meat of the ribs will shrink a little after being cooked, and the bones will be exposed at both ends, with meat in the middle, so it is very easy to remove the bones, similar to lamb chops, but compared to lamb chops, these ribs are sweet and sour, with a hint of saltiness.

Dongdong was so happy while eating that he wanted to hum a song. His short legs couldn't touch the stone bench, so he started shaking unconsciously, feeling very happy.

Zhou Zhaoheng was a little more reserved, but he also ate with complete immersion, one bite at a time, not forgetting to clean the sweet and sour sauce off the bones. After finishing, he looked at Yan Qiushu and praised her sweetly, "Sister Shu, this is so delicious! I love it the most!"

"Next time I'll cook and let Dongdong bring it to you." Yan Qiushu smiled with satisfaction. In addition to satisfying her own appetite, cooking also requires praise from others. She was happy to hear it and felt that her tiredness was worth it.

She held her orange fruit tea and took a sip. Compared with sour plum soup, orange fruit tea had another kind of sweet and sour taste, with the aroma of orange fruit, which helped digestion. She cooked so many extra dishes in the evening and she couldn't help but taste a few bites. She had to drink some, otherwise she would be too full when she went to bed later.

By the time we finished eating all the sweet and sour pork ribs, the last roast chicken was also ready.

However, when the fragrant roasted chicken came out of the oven and was placed in front of the two children, they burped at the same time. Dongdong covered his stomach and said with regret: "It's over! My stomach is so full!"

Zhou Zhaoheng also rubbed his stomach and realized the same thing: "I can't eat anymore either."

Even if he still wanted to eat, the child's stomach was so small, and he had also drunk a lot of tea, so it was unexpected that he could eat so much today.

Both children watched eagerly, their mouths watering, but no one touched the food. They thought that if they forced themselves to eat even if they couldn't, it would be a waste of food.

Yan Qiushu suggested that Zhou Zhaoheng be taken away directly. Her suggestion was strongly supported by the two children, so when the child was sent out, he was holding a large food box in his arms, which contained a pot of sour plum soup and a roasted whole chicken.

He was escorted all the way to the palace gate, and then someone came out to pick him up. After various silent transportations, he finally returned from outside the palace to a dilapidated palace somewhere outside the imperial city.

The person who sent him back left without daring to stay any longer.

Only the seven-year-old child felt no danger. He just felt that tonight was the happiest and most satisfying day he could ever remember. He ran towards his parents happily.

The deposed Crown Prince and the deposed Crown Princess, who had not slept yet, were also looking forward to it.

Sensing the commotion, the two quickly came out to greet them. Their son's thin face was filled with excitement, as he held up a large food box with both hands. "Mom and Dad! This is a gift from my friend Ah Shu. Try it while it's hot! It smells delicious, better than anything I've ever eaten!"

They both laughed. The deposed Crown Princess brought her son into the house and said with a smile, "Mom doesn't like it, so I'll save it for you to eat tomorrow."

Zhou Zhaoheng looked at his mother in surprise. He quickly opened the food box and presented the still warm and fragrant food to her like a treasure: "This is really delicious!"

How could anyone not like food this good?!

The deposed Crown Princess just shook her head and smiled, firmly refusing this.

Confused, Zhou Zhaoheng looked at his father again. His father had eaten it last time and said it was delicious. He thought he would accept his kindness, but this time, the man just shook his head: "Dad has eaten it before, that's enough. You can eat this tomorrow. Ask your mother to heat it up for you then."

"Okay." Zhou Zhaoheng felt very sorry. The frustration of not being able to share this good thing with his loved ones made him sigh maturely. Suddenly remembering something, he took out a sticky object from his sleeve. His childish voice was crisp and revealed intimacy: "This is also delicious. It's called sweet and sour spare ribs. It has a lot of sugar in it. It's sour and sweet. I secretly hid it for you~"

He felt a little embarrassed when he spoke, and shared a portion with Dongdong. The sweet and sour pork ribs were not much, but he was reluctant to finish it all. However, since it was not his food, he was embarrassed to say that he wanted to take it back.

So when I finished eating, I couldn't help but secretly leave one in my sleeve, thinking of bringing it back for my parents to have a taste.

The two people who had no reaction to the delicious roasted chicken held their breath at this moment.

By the dim light of the oil lamp, their eyes all fell on the object held in the small hands.

The stuff was really sticky. When the little hands held it, you could pull out strings, which stuck between the fingers and the thing called ribs. This child's most precious piece of clothing without patches was definitely stained with sugar.

But he didn't care, because he just thought that his parents must have never eaten these delicious things. Their family was locked up in this square palace. Except for him, his parents had never gone out for so many years, which made them even more pitiful.

But in fact, although they have not eaten such good things, they have used better ones. What are the top-quality blood bird's nest, lychees that are well preserved, and spare ribs?

A dead silence fell in this dilapidated palace.

The woman's breathing became rapid and restrained, while the man slowly reached out, took the sweet and sour pork ribs that his son had brought to them as a treasure, and slowly put it into his mouth.

The cold sweet and sour pork ribs were a bit hard and greasy, and had a slightly salty taste from the sweat on his son's palms. The taste was not good. If it were five years ago, he would not even look at it, but now he ate it more carefully than anything else.

After eating, he asked, "Ah Heng, do you want to leave here?"

Zhou Zhaoheng noticed his parents were in a bad mood and subconsciously threw himself into his mother's arms. Suddenly, facing his father's question, his mind buzzed and he whispered, "Can we leave?"