The last dish was eggplant casserole! We brought out the freshly bought eggplants from the kitchen that morning, and peeled off all the skin and seeds.

Simply cut the pork into hair-thin strips, dry them in the sun, and then use a plump hen to make a rich broth.

Place these hair-thin eggplant strips on a steamer, with chicken broth burning underneath. The flavor of the chicken broth permeates the eggplant strips as it steams.

After steaming the eggplant, take it out and dry it in the sun. Then, repeat the same steps to make a rich broth with a plump hen, and steam the eggplant shreds again in a steamer.

The eggplant shreds were steamed and dried nine times, taking more than a month in total. Finally, the dried eggplant shreds were sealed in jars.

When you want to eat it, take out some and stir-fry it with other various meats, vegetables, fruits and other side dishes.

Cut the chicken breast into small dice, marinate with salt and Shaoxing wine for 15 minutes, then coat with egg white and cornstarch.

Heat oil in a wok, add diced chicken, shiitake mushrooms, dried tofu, various nuts, diced bamboo shoots, rice wine, soy sauce, salt, sugar, and vinegar, and stir-fry until fragrant.

Add the shredded eggplant, pour in half a bowl of rich chicken broth and simmer. Thicken with a little cornstarch slurry, stir-fry a few times until it's thin, then remove from the heat and serve.

The process is so complex that most people simply don't have the patience or the resources to make this dish.

However, Lu Qi began to study the recipe diligently after looking at it.

He looked at the recipe while Fatty Wang helped out, peeling the eggplant, removing the seeds, and shredding it.

It's a shame that Wang Yan saw it; her grandfather used to beat her father with his shoes back then, he really got what he deserved!

Aside from not knowing how to match ingredients when stir-frying, Fatty Wang is very meticulous in everything else. He can peel and shred an eggplant in just a few strokes.

The knife moved so fast it seemed to leave afterimages, and the cut vegetables were clearly separated, with each root being roughly the same thickness and length.

It's such a pity that things look so good, but when it comes to the real challenge, oh no! They just can't cook! They just can't!

Not to mention her grandfather and Uncle Lu, even Wang Yan herself felt like taking off her shoes and giving her father a couple of whacks.

You might say he's stupid, but he does every other kitchen task with meticulous care. You might say he's not stupid, but he can't even make the simplest stew.

…………………………………………………………

After handing the recipe to Lu Qi, Wang Yan was about to leave the manor. After all, this dish would take about a month to prepare, and she couldn't stay in the manor for another month.

As luck would have it, Wang Yan ran into the Third Young Master when she left the manor. How unlucky! She just happened to run into such an "unlucky person".

Logically, she should have entered through the side gate and wouldn't have encountered him. But who knew what had gotten into the Third Young Master, who stormed in through the side gate on his way back to the manor?

The old woman guarding the side gate was startled.

He rushed over in a fit of rage, and Wang Yan quickly stepped aside.

After he left, Wang Yan looked at his back again and couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement. What happened now?

I must say, in the three years since I entered the mansion, I've seen plenty of jokes and gossip about the second wife's family.

This "Eight Trigrams Radar" has become a conditioned reflex; oh dear, she's really curious.

The reason was simple: Gu Ting was forced to go to the countryside by his second wife, Zheng Jin.

They missed the old lady's birthday banquet and had no way to bring Aunt Yang back.

On the way back, something happened that made him particularly upset and uncomfortable.

How is that possible? How could this be? Why?! Why does Jiang Lanling have such good luck?

It turned out that when the group was halfway there, they passed through a village called Yangshu Village. The wheels of their carriage broke down, so they had no choice but to go into the village to see if there were any craftsmen who could help them.

In the end, they found a carpenter who said he could repair the wheel, but the wood wasn't suitable and they would have to go up the mountain to cut down trees first.

The group could only rest in the village for a while, as the carpenter's house didn't have enough space and could only accommodate one person.

Jiang Lanling and Yang Liu then went to stay at another house recommended by the carpenter's wife.

That family consisted of an elderly couple; their son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and granddaughter had all gone out to work. Therefore, they had a spare room in their house.

After thanking them, Jiang Lanling followed them and knocked on the door of the elderly couple.

As soon as the door opened, the two people standing face to face stared at each other. Jiang Lanling and the others watched as the old man's hand trembled as he reached out, his whole body shaking uncontrollably.

Yang Liu was terrified. What's going on? She stepped forward and grabbed the old man's hand. What are you doing?!

Jiang Lanling was also stunned, her lips trembling, unable to speak.

The old man was the same. The old woman saw several people standing at the door, not saying or moving for a long time. Out of curiosity, she brought over a basin of water.

He glanced at Jiang Lanling, then at her again, and the basin of water in his hand slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground with a thud.

Ignoring the shattered shards of the large porcelain basin, the old woman slowly made her way to her, her voice hoarse and choked with emotion.

"You, you are Lingzi?"

Jiang Lanling was speechless, but tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Yang Liu and the carpenter's wife were stunned. What happened? What happened?

Before the carpenter's wife could ask anything, Aunt Jiang rolled her eyes, leaned back, and fainted, about to fall to the ground.

Fortunately, Yang Liu quickly took a big step to help the person up. What a mess! There were broken pieces of porcelain all over the ground.

Thank goodness, I caught it.

Then the situation got out of control. The carpenter's wife got angry and kindly brought you to a place to stay.

What are you doing?! This made Aunt Jiang faint with anger.

His expression was unpleasant, his tone was unpleasant, and he immediately tried to send Jiang and her son away.

Jiang's father was speechless at this moment. When he saw Dazhu's wife (the carpenter) telling him to leave, he quickly waved his hands and burst into tears.

Yang Liu, standing to the side, also got angry. "Oh dear, Auntie, now is not the time to chase us away or not. We need to help the old lady inside to rest and find a doctor!"

"Ah, yes, yes! Come in with me, you're a young man, you're strong! Come on in."

Yang Liu carried the old woman to the main room, put her down, and then ran off to find the doctor in the direction the carpenter's wife had pointed out.

The old man finally realized what was happening and grabbed Jiang Lanling's arm, afraid she would be chased away.

Later, a doctor came and prescribed two doses of medicine for the old lady, and also gave the old man a few acupuncture treatments and prescribed two doses of medicine for him as well.

After several needle pricks, the old man was finally able to speak.

"Ling!" The piercing cry was nothing short of a wail.

Jiang Lanling was also trembling on the other side. The doctor took one look and said, "Oh dear! She also needs two acupuncture needles."

And so, because of this journey, the family was miraculously reunited.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lanling's brother brought his sister-in-law back from town.

Although my brother works as an accountant in town and also writes letters, the family's financial situation has been quite poor over the years.

The money he earned, after covering his family's food and expenses for a year, was given to caravans to help them gather information.

Her sister-in-law was also very excited to see her younger sister. She was quite young when she married into the family, and there wasn't much difference in age between her and her younger sister.

The two of them did embroidery together, went to the fields together, and strolled around town together.

But their good fortune didn't last long. Just six months later, a flood struck, and the family was torn apart.

She and Jiang Lanling's brother and the elderly couple were also separated by the flood. It wasn't until the following year when she returned to her hometown that she was reunited with the elderly couple who had also fled the disaster.

But Jiang Lanling seemed to have vanished into thin air, and there had been no news of her for so many years.

Seeing that her sister-in-law was safe and sound, her sister-in-law also burst into tears.

Back then, her sister-in-law gave her a piece of wood that she had retrieved, and that's how she herself was swept away by a wave and landed somewhere else.

Over the years, although the family has settled here, they have sent messages back to their hometown in Jiangnan every year, but they have never received any news.

Old Man Jiang couldn't hold on any longer this year, so he thought of erecting a cenotaph so that his daughter wouldn't suffer in the afterlife, unable to eat a good meal or drink a cup of hot tea.

The whole family had given up hope, but who would have thought that it would be such a coincidence that they would meet again.

Jiang Lanling also cried, and told her family about their experiences over the years.

I sent a message back to the caravan with the money I received from selling myself back then, but I don't know why I didn't receive it?

What happened? The merchant Jiang Lanling entrusted with delivering the message went to Jiangnan, had a couple of cups of hot wine, and then fell asleep in a daze.

When he woke up, the fleet was about to depart, so he decided not to bother searching.

When I returned the following year, I did want to ask her, but I had lost the note Jiang Lanling had written ages ago and didn't remember anything, so I didn't say anything.

As for the money Jiang Lanling saved up to send messages back after she got married, her uncle Yang took it back as soon as she gave it to someone.

That Uncle Yang was a despicable scoundrel! No wonder he suffered the consequences! He did something utterly immoral; he got his comeuppance for it!

In any case, Jiang was finally reunited with her parents and family.

Even the old lady was fine; after receiving acupuncture and a dose of medicine, she woke up that very night.

The doctor prescribed two doses of medicine, and after taking them for a few days, I felt much better and looked quite energetic.

They've found their daughter, but their son-in-law has just passed away, so the family definitely needs someone to take care of things.

The elderly couple insisted they weren't staying there anymore and wanted to return to the capital with their daughter.

Jiang Lanling nodded repeatedly; she also wanted to take her parents back with her.

Moreover, she could afford to support them; her son worked in Fanlou, and she sold flowers.

Although Uncle Yang hasn't accumulated much wealth over the years, he still received compensation from Old Madam Hou last time.

When Yangmei got married, she refused all the money, saying that her mother had risked her life for her and that she would never take it.

Jiang Lanling felt a bit resentful about the money, so she used the family savings she had accumulated over the years to prepare a dowry for her daughter.

But now she doesn't mind the money at all; she takes it and spends it as she pleases, because it's what she deserves.

Moreover, to be honest, Jiang Lanling harbored deep resentment towards Yang Shi ever since she saw her again.

Those who harm others feel no remorse, while those who are cheated constantly blame themselves.

She kept regretting that she had been so stupid and had helped such a poisoner.

Only after seeing her family did she realize that all the kindness had not been in vain, and that those who uphold sincerity and truth are blessed by God.

Jiang Lanling was truly happy and no longer resented herself. She felt she had been foolish. She had been kind to Yang Shi back then because her own brother and sister-in-law had also been kind to her when she was at home.

The fault doesn't lie with her, it's with that vicious and wicked Aunt Yang! So I'll still curse that rotten woman Yang to die a horrible death!