After Lu Xiaomei washed the scallions, Jiang Xuan cut them into three-centimeter-long sections.

Next, she poured cooking oil into the pot and turned on the heat.

She said to Lu Xiaomei, "These scallions are wet, and the oil might splatter out later. You should go out first."

"Okay, then I'll go back to my room and pack my things."

"What are you packing?"

Lu Xiaomei gave a sarcastic laugh and said, "My dad asked me to make room for his own daughter."

"The oil is hot, I need to get busy first, we'll talk later."

Jiang Xuan put the chopped scallions into the pot, and the hot oil immediately made a sizzling sound. Before long, the aroma of scallions filled the entire kitchen.

She gently turned the scallion segments with a spatula until they turned golden brown and emitted a rich aroma, then turned off the heat and set the scallion oil aside.

Since her grandfather and the others hadn't returned yet, and Lu Shengye was still sleeping, Jiang Xuan planned to boil water and cook noodles later.

She went to the room next to the kitchen.

Because it was built later, this room is larger than the other rooms. Inside, there is a 1.8-meter bed, a large wardrobe, a large desk, and two chairs.

On the bedside table near the door, there were magazines and comic books piled up haphazardly, along with snacks, cosmetics, and other items.

The wardrobe door was open, and Lu Xiaomei was picking out clothes.

"Little sister, what did you mean by that? Where does Uncle want you to move to?"

Lu Xiaomei sneered, "He told me not to interfere with Lu Tingting's studies and to move to the house with twinkling stars."

"Lu Tingting?"

Lu Xiaomei threw a few pieces of clothing on the bed and said, "Didn't my brother tell you? She's Wang Yingqiu's daughter."

Jiang Xuan understood.

No wonder Lu Shengye and Lu Xiaomei don't like Lu Pei'an. It turns out he's a real idiot; he can't tell which way to go just because someone whispers in his ear.

Jiang Xuan took Lu Xiaomei's hand and said, "Do you want to move too?"

"Actually, it doesn't matter where I live. I'm only staying here for a year, and I won't be coming back after graduation."

“Little sister, listen to me, there’s still a year left. Haven’t you ever thought about making your uncle regret what he said today? For example, by getting into a good university.”

Lu Xiaomei was taken aback for a moment, then laughed, "My grades are among the worst."

"Current results don't represent the future. Besides, there's still a year left. If you want to catch up, you can definitely do it."

Lu Xiaomei felt a surge of warmth in her heart.

Over the years, apart from her brother occasionally encouraging her, no one else has ever said that to her.

They had given up on her long ago.

When she was little, she had good grades and was always first in her class.

She was only 8 years old and in the second grade when her mother passed away. Before she could recover from the grief of losing her mother, her father remarried Wang Yingqiu.

From then on, she lost interest in studying, and her grades plummeted.

That year, she unexpectedly dropped to 40th place in the final exams.

The total number of students in the class is only 45.

However, Lu Tingting, the daughter Wang Yingqiu brought along, came in first place.

She still remembers the way her father mocked and questioned her when he learned her score.

"Did you really take those exams? You didn't cheat, did you?"

"Even a pig could score higher than you if you took the exam."

She was already feeling terrible, and instead of comforting her, he made sarcastic remarks.

"Little sister?"

Lu Xiaomei came to her senses and said in a low voice, "Thank you, Sister Xuanxuan, but my foundation is too weak, and I may not be able to catch up."

Jiang Xuan laughed and said, "You're too insecure about your studies. You'll only know if you can catch up after you try. I've been to school too, I'll help you."

Jiang Xuan refused to believe that with the original owner's and her own dual academic prowess, they couldn't help Lu Xiaomei.

Lu Xiaomei nodded and said, "I'll listen to you."

*

As soon as Lu Rongde entered the door, he smelled the aroma of scallions.

He knew that Wang Yingqiu had gone back to her parents' home, and he also knew that his granddaughter couldn't cook.

Who's cooking?

Hearing the door open, Jiang Xuan came out.

"grandfather."

Lu Rongde smiled broadly, "Xuanxuan, you're back! Was your journey safe?"

"Everything went smoothly, Grandpa. Are you hungry? Please come back inside and sit down. I'm making scallion oil noodles."

Lu Rongde was even happier that his granddaughter-in-law could cook, and he kept saying "good" while humming a traditional opera tune as he entered the house.

Before the food was even boiled, Lu Pei'an returned carrying several aluminum lunchboxes.

He had already eaten at the military canteen, but Lu Shengye hadn't come to get any food yet, so he packed several portions to go.

Jiang Xuan came out of the kitchen wearing an apron and said, "Uncle, I'm making noodles, they'll be ready soon."

"You don't need to bother, I've already gotten the food."

Lu Rongde shouted from the main room, "You go and eat by yourself after you've finished cooking. I'm waiting to eat noodles."

Lu Pei'an didn't say anything, but placed several aluminum boxes on the kitchen counter and said, "I've already eaten. You can decide what to do with these dishes."

He left after saying that.

The thought of this person making Lu Xiaomei move out made Jiang Xuan angry. Since Grandpa said to eat noodles, then she would make noodles.

As for the food, let Wang Yingqiu handle it when she gets back.

Jiang Xuan pushed the lunchbox aside, took out several large bowls, and began to add seasonings.

Soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and salt.

To make the noodles more chewy, she had just scooped up a basin of cold boiled water.

In the hot summer, the Lu family specially prepared a jar for cooling boiled water.

After the noodles were cooked and rinsed, Jiang Xuan scooped them into a bowl, then drizzled hot scallion oil over them and began to mix them.

Soon, each noodle was tossed with scallion oil, its beautiful color making it look incredibly appetizing.

Finally, she sprinkled chopped green onions on top.

She tried one, and the taste was just right, neither too salty nor too bland.

She also made a cold cucumber salad.

Lu Xiaomei came in to help.

Jiang Xuan asked, "Aren't Diandian and Fanxing coming back for lunch?"

"Yes, they eat at kindergarten."

"Alright then, let your brother sleep a little longer, we'll eat with Grandpa first."

The two of them carried three bowls of noodles and a bowl of cucumber salad to the main room.

Grandpa was stern, so Lu Xiaomei didn't dare to dress casually and changed into a shirt.

Lu Rongde looked at his granddaughter's hair and asked, "What happened to your hair?"

Lu Xiaomei said calmly, "Grandpa, this is a color-changing experiment that we are required to do in our chemistry class."

"Huh? You need to use hair for experiments?"

“Other hairs can be used, but I find it too troublesome. Anyway, it just needs to react with melanin. Grandpa, please eat your noodles.”

Lu Xiaomei secretly nudged Jiang Xuan, and the two smiled at each other.

Jiang Xuan came up with this excuse, and surprisingly, it actually fooled them.

Lu Rongde didn't say anything more. He only valued Lu Shengye, and he couldn't really say he liked this granddaughter.

He scooped up a mouthful of noodles, took a sip, and nodded repeatedly.

This noodle dish doesn't look like it has any side dishes, but it's still delicious.

This granddaughter-in-law's cooking skills are really good.

"Little sister, go and get a piece of garlic."

As a native northerner, Lu Rongde enjoys eating noodles with garlic.

The three of them were enjoying their meal when Lu Shengye walked in.