After returning from Zhuangzi, Yan Qiushu's life actually didn't change much.

Apart from other things, the Xiao family still has sufficient manpower, so these things only need to be implemented and discussed by people.

Yan Qiushu was extremely envious.

In her previous life, she did all these things by herself. Even if she was not that high-ranking, she had to pay others for help. How could she be like them? She just asked for help and a bunch of people would do everything they could to help her without any policy approval.

Fortunately, she was a little smart and relied on the Xiao family, otherwise she would still be struggling like in her previous life.

So within two days of returning, a set of breeding procedures and the necessary plans had been developed. Xie Qingyun asked her to come over and work with Xiao Huaiqi to check for omissions and fill in the gaps.

If everything goes well, construction can begin once the final plan is finalized.

And during these few days, Yan Qiushu was not idle either.

Apart from cooking something to satisfy her appetite every morning, she would go shopping with Shui Yan and two young and strong servants at other times.

There are so many spices used in the marinade!

Common cinnamon and star anise are relatively good, but there are also uncommon ones, so she can only look for them in various pharmacies of all sizes. If she can't find them, she will draw them and ask them to hire someone to find them, which will cost more money.

Going back and forth, collecting some every day, trying to collect all the ingredients for the marinade as soon as possible.

Just when the Xiao family and she were busy, Yan Qiushu heard some rumors that the third prince really wanted Xiao Pingzhou, also known as Dongdong, from the Xiao family, to be his son's study partner!

But the Xiao family was not willing to do so.

This matter has not been really settled. Instead, the Jiang family has come to the door many times, seeming to want to agree, but Dongdong's surname is still Xiao.

Dongdong was furious when he heard the news. He asked for leave from class and ran to Yan Qiushu to complain: "My uncle said that he mentioned my birthday last time, but my uncle refused. I didn't expect him to come. Who wants to be his son's study partner?"

The little child used to be carefree, but at this moment Dongdong frowned, his round face twisted, and he looked like he had a deep hatred and resentment.

Yan Qiushu smiled unkindly, and Wan'er beside her also covered her mouth and laughed secretly.

Dongdong became even angrier: "Don't laugh! I'm already in such a miserable state, and you're still bullying me!"

"Then why don't you be the second prince's grandson's study companion? It's pretty good to be the prince's study companion." Wan'er restrained her smile and asked curiously.

Dongdong said: "Because he is not as good as me!"

"Wow, you are so awesome?" Wan'er looked at him in amazement.

Dongdong raised his chin and said, "That's right. I always get first place in every exam, including riding and archery. He always gets second place. The only thing that's better than me is his status. He even told me that I'm his study partner. So why should I be his study partner?"

Yan Qiushu rubbed her proud little face and praised: "Dongdong is really amazing, but don't worry, you probably can't be his study partner."

"Really?" Dongdong was surprised and happy, but still a little bit unbelieving: "His grandfather is the emperor, and both the eldest uncle and the younger uncle have to listen to him. Is that really possible?"

"Of course." Yan Qiushu nodded affirmatively.

Dongdong seemed to believe it, but apart from Yan Qiushu, no one told him so confidently. He hadn't seen his favorite uncle Xiao Huaiting in the past few days. Although his mother went out early and came back late every day, the mother and son still met, but his mother didn't understand political affairs, so now that he was comforted, he felt much happier.

Then he took the opportunity to pull Yan Qiushu aside and said, "Sister Shu, with such good news, I think we can celebrate. Maybe have a cake?"

Milk is delivered every day, egg tarts are available every now and then, but cakes are rarely made.

Because beating egg whites and yolks is too troublesome.

Although she could pay someone to do it, every time they were done, they couldn't even lift their arms when they went back, which made her feel bad, so Dongdong kept it in mind.

Yan Qiushu was so shaken by his pulling that she immediately begged for mercy: "Stop pulling, let's not make cakes, let's make something else."

Dongdong was a little disappointed, but also full of anticipation: "What?"

Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "Little crispy meat."

"What is this?" Dongdong opened his eyes wide in confusion.

"A very delicious thing!" Yan Qiushu said.

Dongdong showed great interest in the food and immediately said, "Then I'll help!"

Wan'er also raised her hand happily: "I'll help too!"

"Okay..." Yan Qiushu agreed with a smile.

Before he finished speaking, someone came running over and said, "Young Miss, Young Master, Young Master Pingyu is back!"

"Brother is back?" Wan'er was so surprised that her voice was much louder than usual. Her face flushed immediately, and she didn't care about what she had just said about helping Yan Qiushu. Instead, she wanted to leave anxiously. But she still remembered what she had promised. After taking two steps, she turned back and said to Yan Qiushu, "Sister Shu, my brother is back. I want to go find him first. I'm sorry, Wan'er broke my promise."

Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "It's okay. Things have their priorities. You go first."

"Yeah!" Wan'er lifted her skirt and trotted away.

Yan Qiushu smiled, then lowered her head to see a child standing motionless beside her. She chuckled even more and asked curiously, "Dongdong, why don't you go?"

Dongdong said with a bitter face: "I don't want to go."

There was a genuine fear on that chubby face. He shook his head in resistance and sighed, "Sister Shu, have Shui Yu block the gate to the courtyard later. If anyone comes looking for me, just tell them I'm not here, okay?"

Yan Qiushu was even more surprised: "Why is this?"

Dongdong looked painful and didn't want to say anything.

Yan Qiushu expressed her understanding of this. Even children have secrets, so she did not force it. She followed his instructions and asked Shui Yu to wait at the door while she cooked in the kitchen with this little helper.

It is now just past the afternoon, and it is time for dinner.

The two of them came to the kitchen. Yan Qiushu had wanted to make crispy pork for a long time, so she had cut and marinated the pork belly in advance.

Now all you need to do is make some flour paste, coat the marinated meat with the paste, and throw it into the frying pan.

Aunt Xu helped to light the fire, and Yan Qiushu made the porridge.

The porridge cannot be prepared casually. Eggs and fried peppercorns need to be added so that the taste is perfect from the inside out.

After the pan is heated, add a lot of oil and wait for a while. Three people holding three pairs of chopsticks stand in front of the stove and start rolling the meat strips in the paste and then put them into the pan.

This is done to ensure that most of the meat strips are heated evenly.

It won’t happen that one piece is almost burnt, and the next ones are just put in. When you take them out and fry them again, the shell will not be crispy enough.

The marinated pork belly strips, which were originally slightly gray-brown in color, were rolled in the batter and turned light yellow all over. When they were put into the oil pan, a "sizzling..." sound was heard instantly.

In just a few moments, the meat was shaped, some curved, some straight, and the batter around it expanded due to frying, and it also floated and rolled on the oil surface at any time, and the color was slowly deepening.

As more and more things are put into the pan, the meat strips can no longer be moved around freely. At about this time, you can take them out one by one.

The crispy meats that have been fished out are semi-finished products with a lighter color. Leave them for a while until they are completely cool, then put them back into the oil pan and fry them again.

When it was taken out again and set aside to control the oil, its overall color had become a slightly darker yellow, and you could tell how crispy it was just by looking at the outside.

At this time, the crispy pork did not smell very fragrant.

But even this unassuming thing tastes amazing.

Dongdong, who had long trusted Yan Qiushu's cooking skills, had been helping diligently. When everything was finished, he watched eagerly from the sidelines: "When can we eat?"

Aunt Xu reminded her, "It's just been fished out, it's hot, wait a little longer."

She tried to persuade Dongdong but failed to persuade Yan Qiushu. In a blink of an eye, Yan Qiushu had already reached out with her chopsticks and picked up a piece from the middle for herself. The piece from this place had been drained of oil for a while after being taken out, so it was not so hot or greasy.

Aunt Xu was at a loss for words. She walked out with the plate in her hand, muttering as she walked, "Aren't you afraid of getting burned?"

Dongdong looked at her enviously and followed behind Aunt Xu. Yan Qiushu had to go slower because this was just out of the pot and was really hot. Once she put it in her mouth, she could clearly feel the temperature with her teeth.

Fortunately, the weather is cold now. Yan Qiushu walked out of the kitchen and stood in the cold wind for a while. The temperature was just right. When she ate it again, there was a slight "crunch" as the crispy meat was bitten open. A stream of heat gushed out from the batter, and the tender yet not dry meat texture rushed into her lips and teeth that had been waiting for a long time.

After chewing, the numbing taste of the Sichuan peppercorns and the crispiness of the batter first stimulate the tip of the tongue, which is then immediately soothed by the salty and smooth taste of the pork belly.

Yan Qiushu bit off half of the crispy meat in one bite, but it felt like she had finished it in just two bites, leaving only a slight numb taste in her mouth. She threw the remaining half into her mouth again, and the "crunching" sound gave her a brief satisfaction.

After finishing one, she quickly walked to the restaurant.

At this time, Dongdong was holding the pork belly and blowing it with his chubby face. When he had almost finished blowing it, he licked it with his tongue, then frowned, as if stimulated by the taste, but continued to bite it.

"Wow, this is delicious too!" He took a bite and ate it with great relish.

After eating a few bites, Dongdong went for the second one.

Yan Qiushu stopped him: "Wait a minute, just eating this is too greasy, wait for other dishes to come up."

Dongdong immediately blinked innocently and said coquettishly, "Sister Shu, I just want one more bite! Just one more bite!"

Yan Qiushu silently let go of her hand: "Eat."

Dongdong was overjoyed and began to eat happily. However, after taking two bites, a clear and firm child's voice came from the gate: "Pingzhou must be here, get out of the way, I want to go in!"

Dongdong shook, and the second piece of crispy meat that he secretly picked up fell back. He looked at it in horror.

At this point, it was naturally impossible for the people in the courtyard to really stop the other party from coming in, so after a few breaths, a thin little boy with a jade crown and fair face, wearing a moon-white robe, came over and first earnestly bowed to Yan Qiushu as a junior: "Hello, Aunt Yan."

The boy's voice was clear and bright, and his stature was not as sturdy as Dongdong's, but his standing posture was exceptionally straight, and his walking movements had a unique charm.

Yan Qiushu was embarrassed by the call of "Aunt Yan". Dongdong was sweet-mouthed and called her sister directly, and asked Wan'er to follow suit. She was used to it, and it was a bit strange to feel like she was suddenly a generation older, but she couldn't help but brighten her eyes.

None of the people in the Xiao family have bad looks. Just looking at them now, it seems as if one can predict how many people will admire such a jade-like young man in ten years.

She smiled and said, "Pingyu, I made something to eat. It's almost time for dinner. How about staying for a meal?"

"Thank you, Aunt Yan, for your kindness. It's just that Pingyu just returned today and hasn't done his filial duty to Grandma yet." He smiled apologetically, like a prudent adult. "I've come here to invite Aunt Yan and Pingzhou to have dinner with Grandma."

"Then you guys go, I won't go." Yan Qiushu said with a smile.

When a family gets together, they must talk about personal matters. If she went, both parties would feel uncomfortable. As early as yesterday, Xie Qingyun told her that the son of the third daughter of the Xiao family would be back, probably tonight, and invited her to have dinner together, but she had refused in advance.

Chen Pingyu slightly curved his lips and nodded, his dark eyes looking at Dongdong who had remained silent, with a hint of oppression in them.

Dongdong seemed to know that he couldn't escape, so he sighed and said, "Let's go."

"You have to call me brother!" Shen Pingyu said slightly reproachfully.

Dongdong held it in for a moment, wanting to say something, but finally said honestly, "Brother, let's go."

Shen Pingyu was satisfied and turned to say goodbye to Yan Qiushu.

Dongdong left, but before leaving, he wanted to take the crispy meat away. However, just as he stretched out his hand, Shen Pingyu looked at him with sharp eyes, full of disapproval: "How can you pay so much attention to your appetite!"

Dongdong: “?”

He argued: "This thing is delicious, if you don't believe me, try it."

Shen Pingyu took two steps back, his face slightly gloomy, with a hint of disgust: "I don't have as good an appetite as you."

Dongdong: “…”

He angrily took a piece of crispy meat with his bare hands and stuffed it into his mouth: "I'll eat it!"

Chen Pingyu was very disgusted with the clothes, his hands behind his back, his chin slightly raised, his face tense, and he said in a deep voice: "You can only sleep tonight after reciting the clan rules!"

Dongdong looked at him with grief and anger, as if struck by lightning. After a long while, he came to his senses listlessly and left like a floating soul.

Shen Pingyu was behind, and he didn't forget to say goodbye politely.

Yan Qiushu was stunned.

Shui Yu covered her lips and smiled, "Young Master Pingyu has been raised in the Shen family since he was young. He attaches great importance to etiquette and has higher expectations for the young master than ordinary people. It's not just for one person, so please don't be offended, young lady."

Yan Qiushu closed her astonished mouth and confirmed these words.

It is said that the Shen family in Leping is full of famous people. Although they live in seclusion, they are well-known and respected by students all over the world. I didn't expect that they could teach a child who is only nine years old and he can be so good.

Unlike the husband of the fourth daughter of the Xiao family, although the husband of the third daughter of the Xiao family was also a son-in-law chosen by herself, because the direct line of the Shen family is only one line, the parents of the Shen family had already agreed in advance when their son took the initiative to marry into the Xiao family that no matter what, the first child would be the Shen family's.

The Xiao family had not been seriously damaged at that time, and they were not short of children. They were just afraid that their daughters would be bullied after marriage, so they agreed to this request. In the first year after marriage, the third daughter of the Xiao family gave birth to Shen Pingyu. She raised him until he was two years old and was sent to the Shen family. Then Wan'er was born.

It was said that the Shen family was so excited about breaking the tradition of having only one child that they almost moved to the capital. The emperor was so happy that he wanted to choose a mansion for them. However, not long after Wan'er was born, the Great Zhou was defeated, and the third uncle of the Xiao family, who was sent to the front line as a military advisor, was ambushed and died at the border.

The Shen family immediately gave up this idea and are still in Leping, with no one serving as an official in the court.

Now it seems that the Shen family is worthy of its reputation. Even Dongdong is so scared, which shows how much psychological trauma this brother has caused him.

Dongdong really has a psychological shadow on the three words "Shen Pingyu".

This person pays attention to red tape, but the Xiao family is full of "rough people". The most delicate one among them is the third daughter who likes to recite poems and write couplets.

However, she was not a beautiful and intelligent young lady in her early years. She once used a whip to beat the unfaithful man who had married into the Xiao family but secretly visited brothels.

Although Dongdong is smart and can compete with other children of the same age in the enlightenment class, he prefers to learn martial arts and will naturally be more inclined to martial arts in the future. If nothing unexpected happens, if he cannot achieve the same level of both literature and martial arts as his uncle, he will definitely give up literature.

However, Shen Pingyu is just the opposite. Influenced by the Shen family, he highly values learning literature. In addition, his father and grandfather died in the war, and his uncle Xiao Huaiqi is disabled and unable to walk. He is determined to let Dongdong learn literature like himself, so he has extremely high expectations for him.

Fortunately, he seldom goes home and only stays for a little over a month a year, so Dongdong can bear it.

But every time during this period of time, he felt the most frustrated.

No one in his family is on his side!

Except for my uncle!

However, my uncle has little say in the family, almost nothing.

Thinking of this, Dongdong sighed as he followed Chen Pingyu to sit down next to Madam Xiao in the main courtyard. He was so sad that he didn't even eat two pieces of crispy pork!

Mrs. Xiao, who was always serious, softened more than usual when her other grandson returned. She kept watching this child, but she also didn't ignore the others. Seeing Dongdong change from the greedy pistachio to the listless raisin, she felt a little distressed: "What's wrong? Your brother Pingyu is back, and you're not happy?"

Dongdong tried hard to smile, and was so well behaved that it made people feel distressed: "I'm happy because Sister Shu made crispy pork, and I want to eat it~"

Madam Xiao was speechless: "Then Grandma asked someone to ask your sister Shu if there is any more..."

Shen Pingyu disagreed: "Why do you have to pay so much attention to your appetite?" After a pause, he added: "But grandma, you can eat more. This is a good thing. You look much more energetic than at the beginning of the year."

As he spoke, a maid brought in the prepared dishes. Each dish was not large in portion, but surprisingly, it was quite banquet-quality. Surprisingly, some of the dishes were novel, which made people's appetites whetted. He smiled and said, "These dishes are already excellent."

Because the news of his return was sent out in advance, the Xiao family knew that he would arrive today, so dinner was prepared in advance, and the dishes were naturally very good.

Madam Xiao was amused, but she remained serious. She didn't tell him that many of these dishes were made by Ah Shu, who taught the kitchen staff how to make them. She just said, "Yes, yes..."

Xiao Huaiyu, the third daughter of the Xiao family, looked at her mother, then at her son, pursed her lips and smiled, then simply stopped talking. When she lowered her head, she saw her daughter giggling.

At this time, a clear young voice appeared in the restaurant: "Ping Yu, this is not true. If people don't pay attention to the desire for food, then what should they pay attention to?"

The young boy's eyes lit up, but his voice remained as reserved as ever: "Ping has met my uncle before. As a scholar, he naturally needs to focus on learning. Pingzhou has become much more mature recently. I think he has slacked off in many aspects, so naturally he should not focus on the desire for food!"

Xiao Huaiting approached from the courtyard gate, his long legs appearing before everyone's eyes in a matter of seconds. Upon hearing this, the smile on his lips turned somewhat helpless, and he shook his head: "When conditions permit, you can still pursue her. Otherwise, wouldn't life be boring?"

The elders said so, Shen Pingyu did not refute it blindly, but nodded.

At this time, another cheerful female voice appeared: "Lao Liu is right. How can we call it a meal if we don't have something delicious?"

The person walked even faster, arriving in the blink of an eye. Not only did he arrive, he was also carrying a food box. He said with a smile, "I just passed by and happened to see Ah Shu's maid coming to deliver food, so I took it. Come, everyone, try it first. Ah Shu said it was an appetizer, so it's just right to try it before dinner."

She opened the food box, revealing a large plate of crispy pork inside, freshly out of the pot. This time, there was still a puff of steam when she opened the food box. As a result, the crispy pork was still very crispy, and they were piled up one by one, forming a small hill.

Dongdong was extremely surprised: "Little Crispy Pork! Sister Ashu is so nice!"

Madam Xiao also sighed after seeing this: "Ashu is really skillful, but it's a pity that this child is too polite and doesn't even come to eat with us."

Because of etiquette, he didn't want to disturb her on weekdays. Except for bringing food, he seldom came over. Mrs. Xiao herself regretted whether she had left too serious an impression on the child at the beginning. However, the children at home were tough and she couldn't calm them down if she was not serious. In addition, she was depressed and it was difficult for her to laugh.

"Yes." Xiao Huaiwu smiled and nodded. She picked up some for her mother first, then picked up some for Dongdong, Chen Pingyu, and Wan'er, and urged them, "Eat quickly."

He didn't dare to refuse the elder's gift, so Chen Pingyu nodded obediently and took a small bite.

After a delay, the crispy meat didn't look so hot on the outside, but when he bit into it, there was a burst of heat inside. He subconsciously opened his mouth to breathe, but quickly reacted and closed his mouth again, frowning as if in pain.

Xiao Huaiyu had been paying attention to his son. Seeing him like this, he said nervously, "Don't you like it? Spit it out. It's okay."

Chen Pingyu shook his head. It would be so unsightly to spit it out, but it wasn't that bad yet. He relaxed for a moment, and the heat dissipated. Only the crispy skin of the crispy meat and the taste of the tender meat rubbing against his lips and teeth remained.

He seldom eats food with this flavor. The food in the Shen family is very light, in order to ensure that there is no bad smell in the mouth. So when he suddenly eats it now, it feels like an excessive stimulation.

But this smell really made his eyes light up.

After eating a small bite of crispy meat, Shen Pingyu found that his mother was still paying attention to him. His face turned red. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to be honest and respect his heart: "My son likes it very much."

Xiao Huaiyu smiled and said, "That's good. Ah Shu is very good at cooking. I learned a little from her. I will make you something delicious tomorrow."

"...Okay." Chen Pingyu shouldn't have answered, but seeing his mother like this, he couldn't find the words to refuse, so he nodded. After nodding, he continued to eat the remaining crispy meat.

The taste is really great. After getting used to the peppery and spicy taste, I want to eat more and more.

After finishing one, his mouth was watering and he subconsciously wanted to pick up the second one. When he looked up again, his younger brothers and sisters were busy eating, their little mouths opening and closing, which was not very pretty, but it made his heart soften.

Shen Pingyu suddenly didn't want to correct their etiquette at this time.

Never mind, we are all family, it shouldn’t be a big deal.

Thinking of this, he picked up another piece. A "click" sound appeared, and his heart seemed to be happier.

Xiao Huaiyu looked at his son twice more, and happily ate a few more mouthfuls, then scooped up a bowl of soup and handed it to him: "This is hot and sour soup, have a couple of sips, it's very appetizing. You're too thin, so eat more."

Seeing her mother like this, Wan'er also said in a crisp voice, "Brother Pingyu, there's also this sour plum soup, which is good for the appetite. Grandma will eat more after drinking it!"

Madam Xiao nodded and said, "Would you like to try it?"

When Chen Pingyu looked around, he met a pair of loving and intimate eyes. He swallowed the reminder that he had to eat without saying anything and accepted them one by one. The thing called sour plum soup was heated and hot, and the hot and sour soup was the same. However, after just two sips, he felt warm all over.

Most people were happy that night.

Except for the unlucky guy Dongdong who was obviously drowsy after eating and drinking, but was dragged to copy as punishment.

With tears in his eyes, he turned to his mother and uncle for help, but they both tacitly turned a blind eye at this moment and watched him suffer!

Early the next morning, Yan Qiushu was greeted by a burst of crying from the child.

"I was so sore from doing cross-legged exercises last night. I had to get up so early in the morning to exercise with him, and now he's rushing me to go to school, wuwuwu..." Dongdong became sadder and sadder as he spoke, and threw himself into Yan Qiushu's arms, his tears rubbing against her clothes around her waist.

Yan Qiushu felt very distressed about this, but she couldn't help him, so she could only say, "Be good, I'll make you a lot of delicious food at noon, and ask your friends to come and eat too."

Dongdong raised his head, wiped his sleeve, and his tears disappeared immediately. His eyes seemed to have been cleansed and clear. "I only have one friend. I don't need too many, just a variety of dishes. I want to eat egg tarts, chicken wings, sweet and sour spare ribs, and crispy pork. They're so delicious..."

Last time he found out that there were people in this group who were secretly bullying Sister Wan'er, he was unhappy too, so he didn't give them the food and gave it to Ah Heng instead!

"Okay." Yan Qiushu was amused and no longer felt sad.

Dongdong is indeed a child with strong self-healing ability.

Dongdong left with his soul satisfied, holding a beef pie in one hand and a sweet and milky tea in the other.

While walking on the road, he took a sip of milk tea.

Sweet, with a tea aroma, delicious!

I heard this is refreshing.

It’s worth it that he came here to act like a spoiled child so early!

However, when he walked to the outer courtyard, he saw a tall and thin young boy walking towards him. Their eyes met, the latter's brows slowly furrowed, and the former's face changed drastically and he ran out directly.

Shen Pingyu looked gloomy and asked the housekeeper beside him: "Are all the people in Pingzhou so lazy?"

He had asked him to go back and pack up, have breakfast and go to the Imperial College for classes half an hour ago, but he didn't expect him to go out now and eat while walking!

The housekeeper's face was covered in cold sweat, and he hesitated, not daring to say: "This...that..."

Chen Pingyu sighed: "Forget it, you don't have to say it, I understand." His expression gradually became firm: "In this case, then I will teach him."

The butler remained silent, silently looking at the young master who had run so fast that his tail disappeared, his eyes full of sympathy.

At this time, a somewhat unfamiliar maid passed by carrying a food box. As if she had just seen him, her eyes lit up and she stepped forward and said, "Young Master Ping Yu."

"Well, what's the matter?" Shen Pingyu asked.

Shui Yu curved her eyes and smiled, "Miss Yan made some milk tea, and I was just about to go to Young Master Pingyu's courtyard to deliver it."

Shen Pingyu raised his eyebrows. When Pingzhou left just now, he was holding a big cup in his hand. Is this it? He was a little interested and took a look.

Shui Yu thought he wanted it right away, so she opened the lunch box, took out the cup inside, and handed it to him: "There's a straw here, you can just drink it directly. It tastes very good, and it has tea leaves in it, which is a bit refreshing."

Chen Pingyu was caught off guard and had his hand filled with milk. The cup was very large, so he had to hold it with both hands, so his palms felt warm but not scalding. The milky flavor was very strong, but the color was a light gray-green. When he held it in his hand, the water rippled, and the aroma of milk tea wafted into his nose, with a hint of sweetness.

He subconsciously lowered his head and took a breath.

The hot liquid is sucked up, and after the tip of the tongue touches the rich milk flavor, it quickly tastes a slight bitterness, but is immediately soothed by the sweetness, and finally tastes the unique fragrance of tea.

After taking a sip, Shen Pingyu felt the warm liquid flowing down his throat into his stomach. In this slightly cold air, it warmed up his entire body from his stomach to his limbs.

The sweetness in particular made his earlier frustration with Pingzhou less intense. He felt happier, and he took another sip. Seeing Shui Yu looking at him expectantly, he smiled and said, "This is delicious. Aunt Yan, thank you for taking the trouble. I'm going to visit Aunt Yan, so why don't we go together?"

"Yes." Shui Yu breathed a sigh of relief and straightened his back with some pride.

The girl is so amazing!

Even the young master Pingyu, who cares least about his appetite, praised the food he made!

But if you're visiting, you have to bring gifts.

Therefore, Shen Pingyu still had to go back to his own yard.

After taking the gift, he went straight to Yan Qiushu's yard, but as he got closer, his steps gradually slowed down and his expression became a little strange.

Shui Yu was originally two steps behind, but because Shen Pingyu was slow, she unknowingly got ahead, so she also stopped and said, "Young Master Pingyu, what's the matter?"

The young boy took a deep breath and forced a smile: "Nothing."

He strode forward, much faster than before.

Shui Yan quickly jogged a few steps to catch up with his speed.

In this way, the two of them came to the yard.

At this time, Yan Qiushu, who always cooked leisurely, did not drink tea and eat snacks as the two men had expected. Instead, she blocked her nose and directed two middle-aged men to wash something with clean water.

Shui Yu waited until she got closer before she could smell the scent. She was stunned and asked, "Girl, what are you doing?"

Yan Qiushu straightened up, noticed a few people, and said hurriedly: "Hey, I'm making something to eat, why is Pingyu here?"

Seeing Shen Pingyu's look of disdain, he said with a stern face: "Aunt Yan, I came back in a hurry yesterday and was rude, so I made up for it with a gift today. I hope Aunt Yan won't blame me."

He presented a wooden box with polite hands.

Yan Qiushu didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "You call me Auntie, so why do you have to give me gifts? This is really embarrassing."

Chen Pingyu said seriously, "Grandma has been suffering from a poor appetite and weak body. Thanks to the sour plum soup made by Aunt Yan, she can eat more. As a descendant, I should be grateful..."

He seemed about to launch into a long speech.

Yan Qiushu was startled by the rumors she had heard from Dongdong, and she quickly took it. Fortunately, although she was busy just now, she hadn't really touched it, so her hands were clean. So after taking it, she said, "It smells a bit unpleasant here. Pingyu, I won't treat you. I'll have Shui Yu bring you something delicious later in the evening when I make it."

Shen Pingyu looked at her, wanting to say something but stopping himself. After a few seconds, he couldn't help but said tactfully, "Such a vulgar thing is really indecent. Sister A Shu, if you have any difficulties, just tell Pingyu. Pingyu is not talented, but he can still alleviate Sister A Shu's urgent needs."

"No, the Xiao family treats me very well, and I really don't lack money." Yan Qiushu said with a smile.

Chen Pingyu sighed: "Then why..." He looked meaningfully at the things being cleaned in the well beside him: "This smell is a bit too strong."

He had a sensitive nose and could adapt to fragrant things, but he couldn't stand this strange smell. Therefore, he smelled a little from a distance and felt something was wrong at the time. Unexpectedly, the further he walked, the stronger the smell became, and then he realized that the culprit was here.

Yan Qiushu coughed lightly, feeling a little embarrassed that the child had misunderstood her. She said softly, "Actually, this is delicious, but it requires cleaning and a special cooking method. You'll know when I give it to you tonight."

"Thank you Aunt Yan for your kindness, but Pingyu doesn't like to eat." Shen Pingyu failed to convince the other party, but saw that she was still trying to stuff food into her, and her face suddenly changed slightly in fear, and she quickly stopped her.

After saying this, he didn't dare to stay any longer and quickly bowed and left.

Shui Yu laughed, but rubbed her nose, feeling a little uncomfortable. She asked, "Girl, is this really how you make the delicious food you mentioned?"

Yan Qiushu spread her hands: "Really? You still don't believe me?"

"I believe it!" Shui Yu nodded quickly, his smile attentive but with a hint of guilt.

She just didn't expect the taste to be so "strong"!

A few days ago, she heard Yan Qiushu nagging about making braised food with pig offal. She went back and forth for several days without really doing anything. She went to the pharmacy to buy some things and spent most of the rest of the time reading various medical books. She thought Yan Qiushu had forgotten.

I didn't expect to be waiting here.

Yan Qiushu was also helpless. Because the Xiao family was of high status, most of the servants were family-born children who had lived in the Xiao family since childhood. They had never touched things like pig offal. She asked for pig offal and told them, and they tried their best to clean it, but the smell was not completely removed.

When he got closer, it was a little unbearable, so Yan Qiushu blocked her nose and gave instructions.

I asked someone to come and take care of it, and she even promised to pay me for it, just like beating egg whites.

After working for a while, the cleaning level finally met Yan Qiushu's requirements, and the two servants left.

Yan Qiushu took these things that no longer had any taste into the kitchen.

Because she had instructed in advance, Aunt Xu had already boiled the water. She then added some bay leaves, green onions, ginger, and a little rice wine. When the water was boiling in the boiler, she poured the pig offal in the basket into it.

This step is mainly to remove the fishy smell, but it is not easy to complete. When white foam appears in the water, take it out and wash it again. Only when you make sure it is really clean can you complete the first step.

Because she was worried that the smell of the pig offal would affect the cooking later, Yan Qiushu cooked it on the stove. There was a large iron pot above the stove. So after the pig offal was cleaned, the water in the pot that was originally used for blanching was poured out, refilled with water, and boiled again.

During this period, it seemed as if the spice bags had been prepared long ago, which contained a total of eighteen kinds of spices such as star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, nutmeg, etc. It was considered a low-end version of the ancient times. This was all she could find, but with her golden finger, the blessing should be able to be slightly comparable to the dozens of modern spices.

Yan Qiushu made a confident estimate, then took the soy sauce and other things and poured them directly into the pot.

Shui Yu had been listening to her muttering that braising pig offal could make it taste good. She had thought it was a very complicated process, but who knew it could be as simple and crude as throwing it into the pot?

She was still a little skeptical.

Yan Qiushu told her affirmatively, that's it!

She added the right amount of salt and finally covered the pot. "Okay, just cook it slowly. Check it from time to time and add a little water to prevent the pot from drying out."

Aunt Xu nodded hurriedly, then asked cautiously, "Is just watching the fire enough?"

"That's enough!" Yan Qiushu wiped her hands and said, "Eat less at noon today, something light. You can eat more at night!"

Shui Yu nodded and looked back at the pot. Does the girl really like it?

She vaguely remembered that the girl was quite clean?

But this doubt disappeared during lunch break.

Yan Qiushu's Life