Although Yan Qiushu was an outsider and did not understand the situation of that era, she knew what the word "shuilu" meant.

Originally, she thought that she was not the formal head of the Xiao family, so she seldom ordered people around. In the past two days, she asked Shui Yu and Nanny Xu to help, and she would treat them to food. If she cooked a lot, Shui Lu and others would also have some.

Unexpectedly, she didn't want to listen to her just because she was too proud.

Yan Qiushu was speechless. She had never learned how to manage her facial expressions, and a strange and funny look appeared on her face.

Xiao Huai Ting just refused out of habit and wiped his sweat with his sleeve. Suddenly he saw this look and frowned. But he didn't say anything immediately. Instead, he said in a deep voice: "All of you go down."

He is the real master of this house. After saying this, everyone left. Shuilu finally got the chance to show her courtesy, but she was rejected directly. Her face turned pale, but she also felt that Xiao Huaiting's expression was not right. She gritted her teeth and went up to him: "Sixth Young Master, you are sweating all over your forehead. You should wipe it off. My handkerchief is clean."

Xiao Huaiting's face turned even colder, and he looked directly at Shui Yu: "Drag him away!"

Shuilu's mind buzzed and she was almost dumbfounded.

"Yes!" Shui Yuhun shuddered and took action without hesitation.

Shuilu did not resist this time. She was pulled down with her limp hands and feet, and her vision went dark.

Yan Qiushu was originally finding it somewhat amusing, but after seeing this, she could no longer laugh. The main reason was that this young man had a very strong aura. When his face was cold, his eagle eyes were particularly intimidating. There seemed to be a murderous aura floating around him, which made her feel uneasy.

The key point is that she herself has some shameful situations, and she is a little worried when she sees this. Could she have discovered something again?

It’s a bit frustrating to say, she only has one skill, cooking, to save her life, but the original owner doesn’t know how to do it. Although the original owner doesn’t know many people there, what if this person is very powerful and she can find him?

Just when she was feeling anxious, the young man in front of her stretched out his hand towards her, holding one end of a small hard-covered notebook between two fingers, facing her.

It was written in black letters: Road Guide

Yan Qiushu took a breath, and her anxiety instantly disappeared, leaving only joy in her heart, her eyes sparkling: "Is this mine?"

"Yeah." Xiao Huai Ting nodded. He didn't expect that she would be so happy. He felt a little guilty. In fact, this thing could have been prepared a long time ago, but he was always trying to confirm her identity.

The Xiao family holds military power, and there are too many people watching them, so he has to be cautious.

Yan Qiushu took it, opened it and saw that the characters of this era were traditional Chinese characters, which she recognized. It said: My hometown is Guan Wucheng. Because bandits were rampant and my family suffered, I came to the capital to seek refuge with my relatives.

There were no identity cards in ancient times, but the government registered the population born locally.

If the government checks the household registration, it will be done every six months, and the search is very strict, almost no one can escape. If you are not on the household registration, you need a pass to show where you are from.

If you don’t even have a pass, you are an illegal resident.

Yan Qiushu was previously expelled from her original place of household registration, and she was unable to apply for a travel permit, so she thought of clinging to Xiao Huaiting.

Unexpectedly, she got the ID card after only two days in the mansion.

The Xiao family are all good people!

Yan Qiushu was deeply moved: "Thank you, General Xiao! Don't worry, I will definitely fulfill my promise and be your chef for the rest of my life!"

Feeling more guilty under those eyes, Xiao Huai Ting looked away a little: "No need to thank me, you have done a good job these two days, and my mother has eaten more than before. This is what you deserve. If you want to settle down, you can."

"That's enough." Yan Qiushu didn't care about this. With the pass, it was enough. When she saved enough money to buy a house in the future, she could settle down directly without bothering others.

As she thought about it, she caught a glimpse of the pancakes on the table and thought subconsciously, "Has the general eaten yet? If not, why not stay and have some?"

This is a common saying in modern times. If someone has guests at home and it happens to be dinner time, the guest will definitely be invited to stay for a meal.

When she went back to her hometown before, which was also in the countryside, people would often eat at her place, and she was used to speaking up about it. But for people of this era, it was a little strange for a woman to entertain male guests.

Yan Qiushu didn't realize it, but Xiao Huaiting did.

He looked at the girl with an expectant face. Her cheeks were rosy with joy, and her nose was also red. She stared at him straight, as if there was only room for him in her eyes.

The boy's wheat-colored skin immediately turned red. He coughed lightly and shook his head, saying, "No, I still have some official business to attend to."

Yan Qiushu enthusiastically motioned for him to come in and sit down: "There's no rush. It will be quick. Tonight we're having egg rolls. I'll add some soup later. After you finish eating, you can go back to work."

Now that she eats and drinks from the Xiao family, she can make something to repay them, so her smile is especially warm.

Xiao Huaiting's throat tightened when he heard this, and he felt a little greedy. After eating the food made by Yan Qiushu, he always felt that the taste was missing when he ate other food. Even though they were all spicy dishes, they were not as delicious as hers. However, it was not good for a single man and a single woman to be together, so he was about to refuse again.

Yan Qiushu had already said, "Dongdong will be back soon. Please sit down first. I will get busy."

Xiao Waiting swallowed his refusal. Thinking that Dongdong would come too, they would not be alone and could taste the freshest delicacies. He decisively compromised and did not ask to leave again: "Sorry for the trouble."

"No trouble." Yan Qiushu smiled and went to the kitchen to cook.

The first thing to do is of course to make some egg rolls as the staple food.

But in addition to this, there must be a little soup, otherwise it will be a bit dry.

Xiao Huaiting was such a nice person. He gave her the reward she wanted most before she had worked there for long. So she couldn't just be perfunctory and gave him the sour plum soup she had had before. Besides, he must have a big appetite.

Yan Qiushu looked around the kitchen, and her eyes lit up when she saw the black fungus, tofu and other things that were delivered in the afternoon.

Based on her observations yesterday, she felt that although he could not accept such a sour taste, a little sourness was okay, so she planned to make a hot and sour soup that would stimulate the appetite, moisten the mouth, and be delicious and filling.

The method of making hot and sour soup is simple. It mainly involves shredding the fungus, tofu, carrots and other ingredients, then heating oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, quickly add the Sichuan peppercorns and green onions and stir-fry until fragrant. Then add water, and when the water boils, scoop out the Sichuan peppercorns and other condiments to avoid biting the Sichuan peppercorns when eating later.

Next, add water starch to make the soup slightly thicker. Finally, add the various ingredients that have been prepared in advance and stir with a long spoon. Suddenly, the thick but empty soup becomes richer.

And these things are cut very finely, so they don’t need to be cooked for a long time before they can be eaten.

Seeing that the time was almost up, Dongdong, who had successfully completed his delivery mission, came back just in time, skipping into the yard and shouting at the top of his voice: "Sister Shu! I delivered everything, everyone liked it very much, and gave you a lot of things!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Xiao Huai Ting, his eyes lit up, and he happily rushed over: "Uncle!"

Xiao Waiting had come out when he heard the noise. At this time, he stretched out his hands, and when the child came close, he lifted him up by the armpits. The uncle and nephew talked affectionately.

It wasn't until he smelled a sour and spicy aroma that the little foodie Dongdong noticed it first and sniffed the air with his little nose: "What a nice smell! What is this?"

"Hot and sour soup." Yan Qiushu brought it over, one bowl for each person, and added some sliced ​​egg rolls: "Come and eat."

Dongdong immediately stopped Xiao Huaiting from holding him, and he ran down the stairs and sat down at the dining table, sitting upright, waiting for the tableware to be distributed so that he could start eating.

When Yan Qiushu handed him the spoon, he immediately took the bowl and began to drink from it in small sips without any hesitation, obviously trusting her cooking skills.

Xiao Huaiting couldn't help but be silent, and followed him. However, due to the psychological shadow of the sour plum soup, he looked at the thick soup in front of him with a faint sour and spicy taste, and did not choose to eat it right away. Instead, he ate the egg roll first.

The egg was generous, the wraps were tender, and there wasn't too much seasoning, just a hint of saltiness, but with carrots, chopped shrimp, etc. to give it a rich taste.

It is light but not bland. On the contrary, if you savor it carefully, you can taste a variety of rich flavors.

Xiao Huaiting ate with gusto and couldn't help but admire this girl's excellent cooking skills.

No wonder his mother couldn't resist.

However, since they were unfamiliar with each other, he did not say much. He just tried his best to eat, mouthful after mouthful, as if it was some kind of delicacy. Yan Qiushu felt choked when she saw him, so she reminded him, "Have some hot and sour soup. It's delicious and not sour."

"Yeah." The young man raised his eyebrows after being reminded, but he did not show any rejection. He just drank it carefully and did not dare to take a big sip anymore.

But surprisingly, this time, although the sour taste was there, it was less sour when he tasted it. It just whetted his appetite just right, and it was more of a salty and spicy taste.

Along with this thick soup, you can also taste tender tofu, slightly crisp carrots, and soft yet tough black fungus. The texture is so smooth that it seems to pass through your mouth and into your stomach.

His throat was dry from eating an egg roll just now, and now it suddenly felt relieved, and he even felt like he hadn't finished eating yet.

"This is delicious!" Xiao Huaiting liked it and finally couldn't help but praise it.

Dong Dong nodded vigorously, but his taste was not as strong as Xiao Wai Ting's, so he added: "Egg pancakes are the best!"

As they talked, they gulped down their drink and ate seriously without stopping.

Before leaving, Dongdong was reluctant to leave: "Uncle, can I come back for lunch tomorrow?"

Xiao Huaiting slapped him on the face, blocking his pitiful look: "No."

"Oh..." Dongdong was extremely disappointed, his lively facial features were shrunken, like a puppy whose bones were snatched away.

Yan Qiushu asked curiously, "Where is he going tomorrow?"

Do I have to go back to the Jiang family?

Xiao Huai Ting explained, "Dong Dong attends classes at the Imperial College. He arrives at 15:00 every morning and leaves at 15:00 every evening. He has specially asked for leave these two days, so he has to go to school tomorrow."

So that's how it is. Yan Qiushu understood.

Imperial College was a school that only the royal family and some children of related marquises and ministers could attend. The teachers in the school were all great scholars invited by the emperor himself and had a very high status. However, because it was located within the imperial city, although it was the outermost area, people could not enter and exit freely.

Of course, students are not allowed to come back for lunch at noon.

Seeing Dongdong's pitiful expression, Yan Qiushu said, "It's not impossible. I'll make it tomorrow and have someone in the mansion send it to the Imperial College. As long as Dongdong can come out to get it."

Dong Dong's eyes lit up, and he shook Xiao Huaiting's hand crazily: "Uncle~~~"

Xiao Huai Ting pinched his chubby face unhappily, but seeing his nephew so lively, he couldn't bear to refuse: "But it's too much trouble for you."

"It's okay, it's okay. I just did some of it. I also like doing this." Yan Qiushu waved her hands quickly.

Xiao Huaiting did not refuse again. Dongdong thanked Yan Qiushu sweetly, and then they left happily.

But not long after the person left, the nanny beside Xie Qingyun came over and said that there was some work that needed Shuilu's help. She took the pale-faced Shuilu away directly, without letting Yan Qiushu worry at all.

She couldn't help but sigh again that the Xiao family was really good people. Although they looked like a military family and their rules were not as many as those of families claiming to be scholars, they were really thoughtful in this aspect!

Especially since she only asked Dongdong to deliver some egg rolls, but they all specially returned the gifts.

Although it's not particularly expensive, it's enough to buy a luxurious meal.

Not to mention that all the ingredients are from the Xiao family, so the Xiao family lost money!

Yan Qiushu looked at the gift in front of her and sighed deeply.

The Xiao family is too good. She feels uncomfortable when she thinks that Xiao Huaiting will die in two years, the Xiao family will be completely destroyed, and the Xiao family army will be incorporated by the Prince of Jin and become the main force to purge the emperor and consolidate the throne for him.

But what can she do?

Yan Qiushu fell into deep thought.

On the other side, Jiang's

But not as peaceful as the Xiao family.

The Jiang family's head and his wife were not happy because they failed to bring Dongdong back. Nanny Ji, who Yan Qiushu had seen in the morning and looked quite superior, now bowed her back to her master and said flatteringly, "I really have no choice. It's all the fault of the Xiao family for tempting the young master with food. The young master is greedy for food and fun, so naturally he doesn't want to come back."

Jiang's mother had a blessed face that looked very approachable when she smiled, but at this moment, there was no smile on her face. She only looked disgusted and angrily said, "What does the Xiao family mean? You have too much bad luck, and you can't bring good things to anyone. And you still want to force my grandson to stay. Do you want to bring him to death too?!"

Because she was angry, she slapped her hand on the table so hard that the flesh on her face trembled.

The smile lines at the corners of my eyes are almost gone.

Nanny Ji could only smile bitterly: "It was Nanny Huang who came to deliver the message personally from Madam Xiao. I dare not force her any further, so I had no choice but to come back and report."

Hearing the words "Mrs. Xiao", Mrs. Jiang's face changed slightly. She was a little timid, but when she came to her senses, she became even more angry and sneered, "The Xiao family... Ha!"

Lord Jiang, who had not said much, said in embarrassment: "The eldest son of the Third Prince has announced that he wants to select a study partner. I was thinking of letting Dongdong be the study partner, but that is..."

He swallowed his words before he could finish them, muttering, "Why are you getting close to the Xiao family again?"

Madam Jiang obviously knew about this and was also very dissatisfied. She angrily rebuked Nanny Ji: "You can't do anything right. It's just a little food. Go and tell the kitchen to make it and send it to the Imperial College tomorrow. Then coax the young master back. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I will think about it now." Nanny Ji nodded quickly and said with a smile: "Our chef knows the young master's appetite best and will definitely be able to bring him back."

In order to keep Dongdong under control, the Jiang family spent a large sum of money to hire the retired chef Yu from the palace to come back and cook for him. This was how it was before, and they kept Dongdong in the family time and time again until he lived in the Jiang family for a long time. If it weren't for the fact that the child liked Xiao Huai Ting so much, he would not have gone back in the past two days!