There were quite a few people in the Chen family kitchen, preparing ingredients for lunch. When they saw their eldest son and a plump girl enter, they all bowed.

Chen Yuancheng said, "Thank you for your help, Miss Xiao. Just tell them what you need."

"It's no trouble at all."

Xiao Yunying rolled up her sleeves, scanned all the ingredients she could see, and made a plan in her mind.

"Which one of you is the chef? I'd like to cook a few dishes and teach you. It would be best if you could come over and watch. If you don't understand anything, just ask me."

With Chen Yuancheng in charge, no one dared to say anything. Two men wearing aprons walked over.

Xiao Yunying named a few dishes, two of which were dishes that a professional chef could make, and she decided to make the other dishes.

Sweet and sour carp, sweet and sour pork with apples, Longjing shrimp, and yam and pork rib soup.

Since there was someone to help, Xiao Yunying told them what ingredients were needed and how to prepare them. With many hands making light work, the ingredients were quickly prepared and set aside for later use.

Because there weren't the wide variety of seasonings and vegetables available in supermarkets, Xiao Yunying had to keep things simple and cook with the ingredients she had on hand.

"Could someone who knows how to cook please clean the river shrimp in the bucket? Remove the shrimp veins, wash them, add a suitable amount of salt, stir them with egg white, and also brew me a pot of Longjing tea."

I took chicken breast and boneless chicken thigh meat, cut them into cubes, added salt and sake, and mixed them well. I also marinated the prepared carp with sake, salt, scallions, ginger, and chicken for 15 minutes.

It takes a long time for one person to cook four dishes at the same time, and the dishes cooked first will get cold. Xiao Yunying was busy with her own work, but she asked the idle cook to do other things for her: "Help me boil two pots of water, blanch the ribs and put them in the casserole."

The cook who was helping asked, "After blanching the ribs and putting them in the casserole, what's next?"

"Put ginger slices and a little wine in a clay pot, simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes, skim off the oil, then add the chopped yam and a suitable amount of salt. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for another 15 minutes."

The cook did as Xiao Yunying instructed, and Chen Yuancheng's servant voiced his doubts: "This soup isn't anything special, is it?"

The chicken and fish were marinated on the side, while Xiao Yunying made Longjing shrimp first.

"This soup is nothing special, just a very ordinary home-cooked dish. But yam is neutral in nature and sweet in taste, and it strengthens the spleen and stomach. Your son has been eating poorly for a long time because he has no appetite, so his spleen and stomach are weak. It is not suitable for him to eat such nourishing food right away. His stomach and intestines will not be able to handle it and he will not be able to absorb the nutrients in it."

"Lingqi has learned a lot; the young lady is very knowledgeable."

Xiao Yunying was busy with her work. The river shrimp were still a decent size, but in another half month, wild river shrimp would be much rarer.

He wrapped the Longjing tea in a clean cotton cloth and tied it into a tea bag, chatting with Ling Qi as he asked, "Your name is Ling Qi, what are the two characters in it?"

"Ling" refers to lofty ambitions, and "qi" refers to the four arts of qin (a stringed instrument), qi (chess), shu (calligraphy), and hua (painting).

Xiao Yunying put the tea bag and shrimp into the pot to blanch them: "It sounds pretty good."

Ling Qi said proudly, "Of course, this name was bestowed upon me by the young master."

Xiao Yunying smiled and said, "It's clear that your young master treats you very well."

Otherwise, Ling Qi wouldn't have dared to be so "unruly" in helping his master make a decision, agreeing to let him cook before Chen Yuancheng could even speak.

“My young master is kind-hearted and never mistreats his servants. He treats us all very well.”

He told someone to pour out the water from the pot: "They say your appearance reflects your heart, and it's true. When I first met your young master last time I brought snow fungus, I thought he was a golden boy from Guanyin's seat descended to earth. He's just a bit too thin; he'll be better if he gains some weight."

"Miss Xiao has good taste. My young master is extremely handsome. Back in the capital, he attracted countless young ladies..."

Chen Yuancheng, who was standing not far away, couldn't stand it anymore: "Ling Qi, come here, don't disturb Miss Xiao while she's cooking."

He used to dislike women clinging to him, but today, for some reason, he felt no disgust at being discussed about his appearance in front of others.

More than anything, I feel... a little embarrassed.

Ling Qi dared not speak and obediently retreated behind Chen Yuancheng.

Xiao Yunying gave Chen Yuancheng a friendly smile, indicating that she had no other intentions.

Tsk, you've made her blush.

She's a 25-year-old woman, so stop teasing a 16 or 17-year-old boy. Just because he has a good temper doesn't mean you can take advantage of him.

Let's focus on cooking.

Heat oil in a wok, add shrimp and stir-fry until fragrant. Pour in tea broth, tea leaves, and a little Shaoxing wine. Stir-fry quickly for about half a minute and it's ready to serve.

Xiao Yunying served the shrimp, garnished it with tea leaves, and then placed it in front of Chen Yuancheng with a pair of chopsticks: "Try it, see if you can eat it."

Chen Yuancheng added a piece of shrimp to his mouth, tasted it carefully, and swallowed it: "Tender and smooth, fresh and delicious, with a faint tea fragrance, refreshing and appetizing, truly delicious."

Xiao Yunying handed the plate to the person next to her and put it on the stove to keep it warm: "Wait, I'll go make you some other dishes."