Li Juan wiped away her tears, her voice hoarse: "I'm already so old, and you and Dad still have to worry about me so much. It's all my fault."

Grandma Li sighed, patted her daughter's hand, and comforted her, "Marriage is a woman's second life. You didn't marry well, and you're only now escaping this misery at this age. I'm really happy for you. Don't say things like that in the future, or you'll become estranged from your parents."

Upon hearing this, Li Juan felt increasingly aggrieved, and finally hugged Grandma Li and burst into tears, just like a child.

Grandpa Li was also secretly wiping away tears.

Su Yan knew that her mother was crying for her past self, wanting to release the suffering she had endured in the Su family for the past few decades.

She didn't say anything to stop them, but silently took the groceries she had bought and went into the stove to cook dinner.

The stove is small, only enough for one adult; two people would be too crowded. Eggs and cured meat are hanging from the beam.

The Li family wasn't well-off either, but they still had to raise Hu Cub. Thinking about his future, they often ate only coarse grains for lunch and porridge for breakfast and dinner.

Tiger is the child left behind by Su Yan's uncle; he is only one year and eight months old.

Su Yan cut out three catties of pork belly, planning to make a braised pork stew with vermicelli, a stir-fried pork liver, a soup with scallions, eggs, and mulberry leaves, and finally stir-fry some water spinach.

Now that she's here, she'll definitely take good care of the original owner's family; it's her way of repaying them for taking over their body.

An hour later, a rich aroma wafted out from the Li family's house, making the surrounding neighbors' mouths water!

Whose stir-fried dishes smell so good?

"Dinner's ready!" Su Yan called out.

Little Su Lei had been drooling with anticipation, and as soon as he heard his sister's call, he rushed into the kitchen to bring out the dishes.

Li Juan had cried enough half an hour earlier. Su Yan went to cook, so she simply held Hu Zi and chatted with her parents.

Three dishes and one soup, and two large steamed buns for each person.

Grandma Li scolded, "Ayan, you can't eat like this even if you've earned money. You have to be more frugal."

Li Juan told Su Yan that she had sold it for 30 yuan.

Su Yan, munching on a large steamed bun, smiled and said, "Grandma, people need to eat and drink well, otherwise what's the fun in life? I'll make some braised dishes for you to try later. If you like them, I'll take them to town to sell. Don't worry, from now on, I promise that we'll have meat at every meal!"

"Okay!" Su Lei's mouth was stuffed full. He swallowed and continued, "Sis, just ask me for anything. I'll make money for you! We can eat meat every meal!"

Su Yan raised her eyebrows and patted his head. "I won't hold back with you."

Money isn't so easy to earn. However, Grandma Li and Grandpa Li didn't want to discourage their granddaughter's confidence, so they showed a relieved smile on their faces.

Everyone finished their meal tonight, their faces glistening with oil and looking completely satisfied.

While clearing away the dishes, Li Juan couldn't help but say, "Ayan, when did your cooking become so delicious?"

She remembered that her daughter used to burn the food when she cooked, let alone make it look, smell, and taste good.

Su Yan was cleaning the duck parts and pig intestines she had bought in the yard. Upon hearing this, she replied without changing her expression, "Mom, I was focused on getting into university back then, so my cooking must not be very good. You can leave the cooking to me from now on."

“Oh, okay… no!” Li Juan suddenly looked up, put down her chopsticks and walked over to her daughter, looking at her with a serious expression. “Your college education issue hasn’t been resolved yet. You have to resolve this before you start a business. You can’t delay it.”

She can't rest easy until this matter is resolved.

Making money is important, but nothing is more important than my future!

Su Yan stopped what she was doing and hesitated before saying, "Mother, I'll go to the post office to ask in five days."

It's the end of June now, and school starts in September. The acceptance letter is expected to arrive in a while, so she's not in a hurry.

Li Juan frowned, still worried. "I go to the post office every day to ask for you. We can't let the Su family take advantage of this!"

Su Yan was both amused and exasperated by this. "Mom, if you go every day, won't people get annoyed with you? I'll handle this. Don't worry."

"If the Su family gets the acceptance letter, I'll give you a good beating!"

Li Juan finished speaking in a huff and turned to wash the dishes.

My daughter's indifferent attitude is infuriating!

Su Yan felt helpless, understanding her mother's anxiety.

In this mountain village with poor educational resources, it's really difficult to produce a college student. The original owner was a very good student and was the second college undergraduate in Anping Town after the resumption of the college entrance examination. This is something to be proud of. If other families had such a daughter, they would probably be happy and set off firecrackers. Only the Su family has a ridiculously strange way of thinking.

After spending half an hour cleaning the duck parts, Su Yan moved them to the kitchen to blanch them. After blanching, she started to caramelize the sugar, throwing a handful of white sugar into the pot.

Li Juan felt heartbroken looking at it, and frowned as she exclaimed, "You used so much sugar to make these things, you really know how to waste it!"

Sugar is much more expensive than these meager meats these days. Why has her daughter become so extravagant with money? She wasn't like this before.

Su Yan knew that Li Juan was used to saving money, so she didn't say anything.

"Mom, once it's done cooking, I promise you won't feel bad about wasting this little bit of sugar."

Li Juan remained silent, watching as the five pounds of duck parts and large intestines were stir-fried into an extremely appetizing color, and suddenly she felt a craving.

Su Yan stir-fried for a while and then added spices. After stir-frying until fragrant, she poured in enough boiling water to cover the food and one-third of the white wine, stirred well, and then covered the pot to simmer.

The stove was small, with the mother and daughter cooking and burning firewood, the candlelight casting a warm and peaceful scene on the wall, giving off a sense of tranquility.

Su Yan put down the spatula and said, "It can be eaten after simmering for 40 minutes."

"Then go take a shower. I'll stay here and keep watch to prevent any unscrupulous people from sneaking in," Li Juan said.

The yard was surrounded only by bamboo, but it had collapsed halfway over time, making it easy to walk in with just a step; there was absolutely no safety.

As Su Yan responded, she was already thinking about whether she should renovate her house once she earned some money. At the very least, she would need to build a wall around the house and expand the kitchen.

She wanted to resolve everything at once by buying a big house in town and bringing her grandparents there, but she couldn't lose sight of her roots; she still needed to come back to worship the gods during festivals. So, she decided to repair the house.

Well, President Su does believe in feng shui to some extent.

After simmering for about thirty minutes, the aroma wafted from the stove.

When Su Yan finished washing the clothes and came out, she saw her neighbors pacing back and forth in their yards with their children, craning their necks toward her house.

She pretended not to see and went to the stove, saying to her mother, "Mom, go wash up. It'll be ready to eat when you're done."

"Okay." Li Juan stood up and said with a smile, "It smells really good. I almost couldn't resist opening the lid and tasting it just now."

As she was leaving the stove, she was about to take a shower when there was a knock on the door.

"Knock knock!"

As Li Juan walked out, she asked, "Who is it so late at night?"