He Jing met his gaze calmly and composedly.

“A genius like you can cook delicious food just by using your brain, and you can learn everything just by watching a TV show. You don’t need to work hard or put in a lot of effort to achieve success. As for me, I can only barely reach your level by constantly studying and working hard, and I can’t even compare to one-tenth of you.”

How could someone like you possibly understand my pain?

“If I don’t submit satisfactory dishes, the He family will also be dragged down by me.”

Words of resentment, anger, and hatred echoed throughout the kitchen, making one's ears ring.

He Jing felt both amused and helpless. She slowly asked, "Is that how you feel?"

"Otherwise what!" He Zhou fished the crab out of the water again and tied it with straw rope. "Do you expect me to believe that someone who suddenly appeared in the He family would care about the safety of the He family?"

“If you don’t care, of course you won’t feel any pressure, and of course you can say those things without feeling the pain. But I can’t. The He family is so poor, yet they have so many people to support. How can I let the He family lose money for me? If I do something wrong, I can only bear the consequences myself.”

Life is like a sharp blade hanging over their heads; none of them dare to relax, and they desperately want to contribute to this family and bring a glimmer of light to it.

This is something that a rich girl like He Jing could never understand. She's not a real rich girl, yet she's been so fortunate to enjoy wealth and luxury for over a decade. Would she really stoop down and genuinely understand their hardships?

She won't.

He didn't believe she would.

“Phew…” He Jing stared at him for a while, then exhaled. “Although I understand Third Brother’s difficulties, he has been occupying the kitchen for so long, so it’s mine now.”

He Zhou's expression changed drastically, and he asked incredulously, "What do you mean?"

He Jing quickly washed the dishes, dried her hands, and then carried the groceries she had bought from the market that evening to the kitchen counter, saying, "Literally speaking, Third Brother, you've already occupied the kitchen for four hours. I think as a member of the He family, I should also have the right to use it. There are only two hours left before everyone's rest time. It's not unreasonable for Third Brother to use four hours and I to use two hours, is it?"

He Zhou's expression instantly turned cold and his voice became tinged with annoyance: "Are you deliberately trying to cause me trouble?"

He Jing looked up and smiled sweetly: "How could that be? My request is very reasonable."

He Zhou was speechless with emotion. He had just tied up the crabs and was about to put them in the pot to steam, but he had no choice but to put them down.

What could he do? If he got into a fight with He Jing, no one in the He family, except He Yi, would help him.

So he turned to leave, but out of the corner of his eye he saw He Jing taking out fresh crabs and shrimp from a bag. His heart skipped a beat, and he paused, stopping at the kitchen doorway.

He Jing glanced at him, and He Zhou said, almost angrily, "Can't I cook? Can't I even watch?"

"Of course you can watch." He Jing smiled. "The dishes I'm making are a bit complicated, so Third Brother, why don't you bring a chair over and sit down to watch?"

"No, why should I listen to you?"

"..."

He Jing skillfully cleaned all the shrimp and crabs, chopped them into pieces with a swift motion, and fried them in a pot. She also soaked a head of cauliflower in salt water and separated the eggs, beating them separately.

He Zhou was momentarily confused about what she was trying to do.

It wasn't until He Jing took the initiative to speak that she said, "I want to make garlic seafood udon noodles, boiled tiger prawns, boiled broccoli as a side dish, and a simplified version of Ryugin apples for dessert."

He Zhou: "..."

What's wrong with this woman!

She can even make desserts?