The magistrate had been eating the same dishes prepared by the chefs in his prefecture, and they all tasted the same. He couldn't taste anything different.

Why is Zhao Heng, who has never been particularly interested in food, suddenly showing interest? Just how delicious is the food that this Golden Woman makes?

"Alright, then I'll stay here today and try your Aunt Jin's cooking!"

Zhao Heng ran off in a flash. After Liang Shuyan learned that the county magistrate wanted to stay and taste her cooking, she began to think about what kind of food to make.

Both daughters-in-law were helping their mother-in-law in the kitchen. After thinking for a moment, Zhang took out a bag of dried mushrooms from the cupboard and said, "Mother, there are still some dried mushrooms here. How about we stir-fry some leek and mushrooms? Just thinking about that dish makes my mouth water."

After thinking for a moment, Liu said, "Mother, I think that since the magistrate is used to eating delicacies, it would be better if we cooked some home-style dishes that would suit his taste."

Liang Shuyan looked at Liu Shi and nodded: "Yes, that's right, that's exactly what I mean, so we'll just cook some home-style food!"

Zhao Heng stood at the door, grinning, "Auntie, I know what my dad likes to eat. He's picky about everything the chefs in the manor make. Actually, my dad just likes noodles. If you also prepare two side dishes that he doesn't usually get to eat, he'll be very happy and will go back to brag about it!"

With Zhao Heng's guidance, Liang Shuyan immediately got the hang of it and said, "Okay, then let's make a small batch of 'xiaojiupian' (a type of noodle dish). There are so many people, and xiaojiupian isn't too much trouble. Eldest daughter-in-law, you prepare some chives!"

While picking chives, Zhang asked, "Mother, didn't Zhao Heng say he wanted to prepare two dishes? What dishes should we prepare?"

"One is the egg and mushroom stir-fry you mentioned. And the other one? Second son's wife, think about it?"

"No need to think about it, Mom. Just take two of our pickled radishes, cut them into thin strips, and decorate them a bit, that'll do."

Liang Shuyan washed her hands and prepared to knead the dough in the basin. Liu was standing in front of the cutting board, cutting pickled radishes. You could smell the sourness from afar.

"Soak it in cold water for a while, slice it thinly, and of course, the finer the shreds, the better."

The best way to make pinched noodles is to use cold water and salt water to knead the dough. This makes the dough smooth and elastic, which is more suitable for making pinched noodles.

Zhao Heng revealed the information and then came to the courtyard.

Jin Dashan cleaned up the courtyard, placed a square wooden table, and instructed the magistrate to sit down. Ruyan politely served a cup of tea and handed it to the magistrate with both hands.

Jin Erniu was busy working at the martial arts school when he learned that the county magistrate was coming to his house for dinner, so he returned home early. As soon as he entered, he smiled and bowed to the county magistrate: "This humble subject, Jin Erniu, greets the county magistrate!"

"Get up, get up! What do you mean, 'commoner'? Don't call me that! Your grandfather was a great general! Don't talk like that! Get up!"

The people in the courtyard were all from Liang Shuyan's family. Sanwang was talking with a smile about what happened at Qiongxianlou. Jinwang and Zhao Shi also came to Liang Shuyan's house after learning that the county magistrate was coming to their house for dinner.

One after another, Li Zheng and his group of people arrived at Liang Shuyan's house.

Wearing an apron, Liang Shuyan politely served a bowl of noodles to the county magistrate and greeted Li Zheng and the others with a smile, inviting them to sit down.

Li Zheng waved his hand and said, "No need. We've all eaten at home. When we heard that the magistrate was coming, we all wanted to come and see him. That's why I, Li Zheng, brought everyone here."

There weren't any more stools at home, and Liang Shuyan's own family members were all standing, so they offered their stools to the villagers and Li Zheng. However, Li Zheng noticed that Liang Shuyan's family wanted to eat, so he waved his hand and said, "No need, we've already eaten. You can sit down and eat. It's okay for us to stand."

Zhang brought over all the food, and Zhao Heng sniffed and said, "Oh my, this food is so delicious! How come I could smell this aroma from so far away? What is this?"

Ruyan smiled and said, "Young Master Zhao, these are mushrooms. Try them, they're quite delicious. My aunt often gives us these."

The magistrate tentatively picked up a bite, put it in his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and nodded: "Hmm, not bad, delicious. This tastes just like meat. I thought it was meat."

Liang Shuyan stood to the side and explained, "The magistrate is like a mushroom from the mountain. We picked it, dried it, and then stir-fried it. If you like it, you can eat more."

Zhang placed another plate on a small table and warmly instructed, "Lizheng, fellow villagers, I'm sorry, but there's really no other spacious room in the house, so please bear with us and try this!"

Li Zheng had already smelled the aroma of the mushrooms. She had tasted the mushrooms that Liang Shuyan had made before, but at this moment, she still couldn't help but smack her lips twice.

The magistrate said, "Since we're already here, and there's not much left, let everyone have a little. No wonder my son doesn't want to go back to the magistrate's mansion; it turns out we can eat such delicious food here! Haha!"

Li Zheng and his fellow villagers set out chopsticks at the table, but each person only took a small bite before the food was gone.

Liang Shuyan moved over and said, "Lizheng, you and the villagers came without even saying hello beforehand. Look at this..."

"It's alright, we've all eaten. Who can accommodate so many people at once? It's just that your cooking is so delicious, we only had a little bit, haha."

Mr. Su from the school placed a wine pot on the table and said with a smile, "Your Excellency, I'm quite old, but I'm still lucky to have such delicious food every day. Look at me, my face has gotten all plump!"

"We have wine? Not bad, not bad!"

Mr. Su poured a glass of wine for the magistrate and said politely, "Magistrate, you see, our school in Daling Village has just been built, and it's just a small room in the ancestral hall used to store miscellaneous items. Wouldn't it be a disservice to your son, the magistrate's son, to have him study here?"

After a few drinks, the magistrate slammed his fist on the table and said, "Who said that? He's being treated unfairly. Zhao Heng came here to learn. How can he be being treated unfairly? All the children in the village can study here. How special is Zhao Heng?"

Liang Shuyan said, "However, Shengming Academy has a better reputation, a better environment, and is closer to the government office. But Zhao Heng wants to come to our Daling Village. The dormitory conditions at the academy and the living conditions in this woman's home are probably not suitable for Zhao Heng!"

Upon hearing Liang Shuyan's words, Zhao Heng quickly interjected, "Auntie, what's so difficult about this? My father is the county magistrate. He'll build a new school for our Daling Village. Besides, isn't all this money allocated by the imperial court for things like building schools and repairing roads?"