After returning from the farm, Yan Qiushu's life didn't really change.

Regardless of other things, the Xiao family still has sufficient manpower, and these things only need to be instructed to be implemented and discussed.

Yan Qiushu was extremely jealous when she saw this.

In her previous life, she did all these things herself. Even if she was not bad at it, she still had to pay others to help her. How could she be like them, where she just asked for help and a bunch of people would do everything they could to help her without any policy approval.

Fortunately, she was smart enough to rely on the Xiao family, otherwise she would still face the same difficulties as in her previous life.

So within two days after returning, a set of breeding procedures and the necessary plans had been developed. Xie Qingyun invited her to come over and work with Xiao Huaiqi to check for omissions and fill in the gaps.

If all goes well, we can start construction once the final plan is finalized.

And during these days, Yan Qiushu was not idle either.

Apart from cooking something to satisfy her appetite every morning, she would go shopping with Shui Yan and two young and strong servants at other times.

There are so many spices used in brine!

The common cinnamon and star anise were relatively good, but there were also less common ones, so she could only look for them in various pharmacies of all sizes. If she couldn't find any, she would draw a picture and ask them to hire someone to find them, which would cost more money.

Going back and forth, collecting some every day, trying to collect all the halogen materials as soon as possible.

Just when the Xiao family and she were busy, Yan Qiushu heard some rumors that the third prince really wanted Xiao Pingzhou, also known as Dongdong, from the Xiao family, to be his son's study partner!

But the Xiao family was not willing.

This matter has not been really settled. Instead, the Jiang family has come to the house many times, seeming to want to agree, but Dongdong's surname is still Xiao.

Dong Dong was furious when he heard the news. He asked for leave and didn't go to class. He ran to Yan Qiushu to complain: "My uncle said that he had mentioned my birthday last time, but my uncle refused. I didn't expect him to come. Who wants to be his son's study partner?"

The little child used to be carefree, but now Dongdong's brows were furrowed, his round face was twisted, and he looked as if he was filled with deep hatred.

Yan Qiushu smiled unkindly, and Wan'er beside her also covered her mouth and laughed.

Dong Dong got even angrier: "Don't laugh! I'm in such a miserable state, and you still bully me!"

"Then why don't you be the second grandson's study companion? It's good to be a study companion to the prince." Wan'er restrained her smile and asked curiously.

Dong Dong said: "Because he is not as good as me!"

"Wow, you are so awesome?" Wan'er looked at him in amazement.

Dong Dong raised his chin and said, "That's right. I always got first place in every exam, including the horse riding exam. He always got second place. The only thing that is better than me is his status. He even told me that I was his study partner. Then why should I be his study partner?"

Yan Qiushu rubbed her proud little face and praised: "Dongdong is really amazing, but don't worry, you probably can't be his study partner."

"Really?" Dong Dong was surprised and happy, but still a little bit unbelieving: "His grandfather is the emperor, and the eldest uncle and the younger uncle have to listen to him, is it really possible?"

"Of course." Yan Qiushu nodded affirmatively.

Dongdong seemed to believe it, but apart from Yan Qiushu, no one else told him so confidently. He hadn't seen his favorite uncle Xiao Huaiting in the past few days. Although his mother went out early and came back late every day, the mother and son would still see each other, but his mother didn't understand political affairs, so now that he was comforted, he still felt a lot happier.

Then he took the opportunity to pull Yan Qiushu aside and said, "Sister Shu, with such good news, I think we can celebrate it, like having a cake?"

Milk is delivered every day, egg tarts are available every now and then, but cakes are rarely made.

Because beating egg whites and egg yolks is too troublesome.

Although she could pay to hire someone, every time they were done, they couldn't even lift their arms when they went back, and she felt bad about it, so Dongdong kept it in mind.

Yan Qiushu was so dizzy by his pulling that she begged for mercy: "Stop pulling, let's not make the cake, let's make something else."

Dong Dong was a little disappointed, but also full of expectation: "What?"

Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "Little crispy meat."

"What is this?" Dongdong widened his eyes in confusion.

"Something delicious!" Yan Qiushu said.

Dongdong showed great interest in the food and immediately said, "Then I'll help!"

Wan'er also raised her hand happily: "I'll help too!"

"Okay..." Yan Qiushu agreed with a smile.

Before he finished speaking, someone came running over and said, "Young Miss, Young Master, Young Master Ping Yu is back!"

"Brother is back?" Wan'er was so surprised that her voice was much louder than usual. Her face suddenly turned red, and she didn't care about what she had just said about helping Yan Qiushu. Instead, she wanted to leave anxiously. But she still remembered what she had promised. After walking two steps, she turned back and said to Yan Qiushu, "Sister Shu, my brother is back. I want to go find him first. I'm sorry, Wan'er broke my promise."

Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. Things have different priorities. You go first."

"Yeah!" Wan'er picked up her skirt and trotted away.

Yan Qiushu smiled, then lowered her head and saw a child standing next to her, not moving. She became even happier and asked curiously, "Dongdong, why don't you go?"

Dong Dong made a bitter face: "I don't want to go."

On that chubby face, there was a kind of fear from the bottom of his heart. He shook his head in resistance and sighed, "Sister Shu, let Shui Yu stand guard at the gate of the yard later. If someone comes to look for me, just tell him that I'm not here, okay?"

Yan Qiushu was even more surprised: "Why is this?"

Dongdong looked painful and didn't want to say anything.

Yan Qiushu expressed her understanding of this. Even children have secrets, so she did not force it. She followed his instructions and asked Shui Xuan to wait at the door while she took this little helper to cook in the kitchen.

It is now just past the afternoon, and it is time for dinner.

The two came to the kitchen. Yan Qiushu had wanted to make crispy pork for a long time, so she had cut and marinated the pork belly in advance.

Now all you need to do is make some flour paste, coat the marinated meat with the paste, and throw it into the frying pan.

Nanny Xu helped to light the fire while Yan Qiushu made the porridge.

The porridge is not prepared casually. Eggs and fried chopped peppers need to be added to it, so that the taste is online from the inside out.

After the pan is heated, add a lot of oil and wait for a while. Three people hold three pairs of chopsticks and stand in front of the stove. They start to roll the meat strips in the batter and then put them into the pan.

This is done to ensure that most of the meat strips are heated evenly.

It won’t happen that one piece is almost burnt because the ones behind are just put in and when they are taken out and fried again, the shell will not be crispy enough.

The marinated pork belly strips, which were originally slightly gray-brown in color, were rolled in the batter and turned light yellow all over. When they were put into the oil pan, a "sizzling" sound was heard instantly.

But after a while, the meat was shaped, some of it was curved, some was straight, and the surrounding batter expanded due to frying, and it also floated and rolled on the surface of the oil, and its color gradually deepened.

As more and more food is put into the pan, the meat strips can no longer be moved as you wish. At this point, you can take them out one by one.

The crispy meat that has been scooped out is already a semi-finished product with a lighter color. Leave it for a while until it cools down completely, then put it back into the oil pan for re-frying.

When I took it out again and put it aside to control the oil, its overall color had become a slightly darker yellow, and you could tell it was crispy just by looking at the appearance.

At this time, the crispy pork did not smell very fragrant.

But even though it's not that eye-catching, it tastes really good.

Dong Dong, who had long trusted Yan Qiushu's cooking skills, worked hard to help. When everything was finished, he watched eagerly from the sidelines: "When can we eat?"

Madam Xu reminded her, "It's just been picked up, so it's hot. Wait a little longer."

She persuaded Dongdong but not Yan Qiushu. In a moment of hesitation, Yan Qiushu had already reached over with her chopsticks and picked up the one in the middle for herself first. The oil in this area had been absorbed for a while after it was picked up, so it was not so hot or oily.

Aunt Xu was at a loss for words and walked out with the plate in her hand, muttering as she walked, "Aren't you afraid of getting burned?"

Dongdong looked at her enviously, and followed behind Aunt Xu. Yan Qiushu had to go slowly, because this food was very hot right out of the pot. Once she put it in her mouth, she could clearly feel the temperature with her teeth.

Fortunately, the weather is cold now. Yan Qiushu walked out of the kitchen and stood in the cold wind for a while. The temperature was just right. When she ate it again, there was a slight "crunch" and the crispy meat was bitten open. A stream of hot steam gushed out from the batter, and the tender yet not dry meat texture was pushed into the lips and teeth that had been waiting for a long time.

After chewing, the numbing taste of the Sichuan peppercorns and the crispness of the batter first stimulate the tip of the tongue, which is then immediately soothed by the salty, fragrant and smooth taste of the pork belly.

Yan Qiushu bit off half of the crispy meat in one bite, but it felt like she had finished it in just two bites, leaving only a slight numb taste in her mouth. She threw the remaining half into her mouth, and the "crunching" sound gave her a brief satisfaction.

After finishing one, she quickly walked to the restaurant.

At this time, Dongdong was holding the pork belly and blowing it with his chubby face. When he had blew it almost enough, he licked it with his tongue, then his face wrinkled as if stimulated by the taste, but he continued to bite it.

"Wow, this is delicious too!" He took a bite and ate it with great savoury taste.

After eating a few bites, Dongdong went for the second one.

Yan Qiushu stopped him and said, "Wait a minute, just eating this is too greasy, wait for other dishes to come up."

Dong Dong immediately blinked innocently and said coquettishly: "Sister Shu, I just want one more bite! One more bite!"

Yan Qiushu silently let go of her hand: "Eat."

Dongdong was overjoyed and started eating happily. However, after taking just two bites, a clear and firm child's voice came from the gate: "Pingzhou must be here, you guys make way, I want to go in!"

Dongdong shuddered, and the second piece of crispy meat that he had secretly picked up fell back. He looked at it in horror.

At this point, it was impossible for the people in the yard to really stop the other party from coming in, so after a few moments, a thin little boy with a fair face and a white robe came over and first bowed to Yan Qiushu earnestly: "Hello, Aunt Yan."

The boy has a clear and bright voice, and his stature is not as sturdy as Dongdong's, but his standing posture is exceptionally straight, and there is a certain charm in his walking movements.

Yan Qiushu was embarrassed by the call of "Aunt Yan". Dongdong was so sweet that she just called her sister, and asked Wan'er to follow suit. She was used to it and felt a little strange that she had suddenly grown a lifetime older. However, she couldn't help but brighten her eyes.

None of the Xiao family members have bad looks. Just by looking at them now, it seems that one can predict how many people will admire such jade-like young men in ten years.

She smiled and said, "Ping Yu, I made something to eat. It's time for dinner. How about staying for a meal?"

"Thank you Aunt Yan for your kindness, but Ping Yu just came back today and has not yet fulfilled his filial duty to Grandma." He smiled apologetically, like an adult who knows when to act and when to retreat: "I came here now to invite Aunt Yan and Ping Zhou to have dinner with Grandma."

"Then you guys go, I won't go." Yan Qiushu said with a smile.

When a family gets together, they are bound to say some private things. She and both sides would feel uncomfortable if she went. As early as yesterday, Xie Qingyun told her that the son of the third daughter of the Xiao family would be back and should arrive tonight. He invited her to have dinner with him, but she declined in advance.

Shen Pingyu slightly bent his lips, nodded, and looked at Dongdong, who had been silent, with a hint of oppression in his dark eyes.

Dong Dong seemed to know that he couldn't escape, so he sighed and said, "Let's go."

"You have to call me brother!" Shen Pingyu said slightly reproachfully.

Dong Dong held his breath and wanted to say something, but finally said honestly: "Brother, let's go."

Shen Pingyu was satisfied and turned to say goodbye to Yan Qiushu.

Dongdong left, but before leaving he wanted to take the crispy meat away. However, just as he stretched out his hand, Shen Pingyu looked at him with sharp eyes, full of disapproval: "How can you care so much about your appetite!"

Dong Dong: “?”

He defended himself: "This thing is delicious, why don't you try it?"

Shen Pingyu took two steps back, his face slightly gloomy, with a hint of disdain: "I don't have as good an appetite as you do."

Dong Dong: “…”

He angrily picked up a piece of crispy meat with his bare hands and stuffed it into his mouth: "I'll eat it, I'll eat it!"

Shen Pingyu threw away his clothes in disgust, put his hands behind his back, raised his chin slightly, and said in a deep voice with a tense expression, "You can only sleep tonight after you recite the clan rules!"

Dongdong looked at him sadly, as if struck by lightning. After a long while, he came to his senses listlessly and left like a ghost.

Shen Pingyu was behind, and he did not forget to say goodbye politely.

Yan Qiushu was stunned.

Shui Yu smiled and covered her lips, "Young Master Ping Yu grew up in the Shen family since he was young. He is very particular about etiquette and his requirements for Young Master are higher than those for ordinary people. It's not just for one person, so please don't be surprised, young lady."

Yan Qiushu closed her surprised mouth and affirmed these words.

It is said that the Shen family of Leping is full of famous people. Although they live in seclusion, they are well-known and are respected by students all over the world. I didn't expect that they could teach a child who is only nine years old and can be so amazing.

Unlike the husband of the fourth daughter of the Xiao family, the husband of the third daughter of the Xiao family was also a son-in-law chosen by herself. However, because the Shen family was a single-line family, the parents of the Shen family had already made it clear when their son took the initiative to marry into the Xiao family that no matter what, the first child would be the Shen family's.

At that time, the Xiao family had not been seriously damaged, nor did they lack children. They were just afraid that their daughter would be bullied after marriage, so they agreed to this request immediately. In the first year after marriage, the third daughter of the Xiao family gave birth to Shen Pingyu. She was sent to the Shen family when she was two years old, and then Wan'er was born.

It is said that the Shen family was so excited at that time that they almost moved to the capital because of breaking the tradition of having only one child. The emperor was so happy that he wanted to choose a mansion for them. However, not long after Wan'er was born, the Great Zhou was defeated, and the third aunt of the Xiao family, who went to the front line as a military advisor, was ambushed and died on the border.

The Shen family immediately gave up this idea and have remained in Leping ever since, with no one from the family entering the court to serve as an official.

Now it seems that the Shen family is worthy of its reputation. Even Dongdong is so scared, which shows how much psychological shadow this brother has cast on him.

Dongdong really has a psychological shadow about the three words "Shen Pingyu".

This person pays attention to red tape, but the Xiao family is full of "rough people". The most delicate one among them is the third daughter who likes to recite poems and compose couplets.

However, she was not a really beautiful and intelligent lady in her early years. She once used a whip to whip the ungrateful man who had hooked up with the Xiao family but secretly visited brothels.

Although Dongdong is smart and can compete with other children of the same age in the enlightenment class, he prefers to learn martial arts and will naturally be more inclined towards martial arts in the future. If nothing unexpected happens, if he cannot be as proficient in both literature and martial arts as his uncle, he will definitely give up literature.

However, Shen Pingyu is just the opposite. Influenced by the Shen family, he highly respects learning literature. In addition, his father and grandfather died in the war, and his uncle Xiao Huaiqi is disabled and unable to walk. He is determined to let Dongdong learn literature like himself, so he has extremely high expectations for him.

Fortunately, he seldom went home and he only stayed for a little over a month a year, so Dongdong could bear it.

But every time during this period, he felt the most frustrated.

No one in the family is on his side!

Except for my uncle!

However, my uncle has little say in the family, almost nothing.

Thinking of this, Dongdong sighed as he followed Shen Pingyu to sit down next to Mrs. Xiao in the main courtyard. He was so sad that he didn't even eat two pieces of crispy pork!

Mrs. Xiao, who was always serious, was much gentler than usual when another grandson came back. She kept looking at this child, but she didn't ignore the other children. Seeing Dongdong change from the greedy pistachio eater to the listless grape, she felt a little distressed: "What's wrong? Your brother Pingyu is back, but you're not happy?"

Dongdong tried hard to smile, and was so well behaved that it made people feel distressed: "I'm happy, it's just that Sister Shu made crispy pork, I want to eat it~"

Madam Xiao was silent: "Then grandma asked someone to ask your sister Shu if there is any more..."

Shen Pingyu disagreed: "Why do you have to pay so much attention to your appetite?" After a pause, he added: "But grandma, you can eat more, which is a good thing. You look much more energetic than at the beginning of the year."

As he was talking, a maid brought the prepared dishes. Each dish was not large in portion, but surprisingly, it was of a banquet standard. Surprisingly, some of the dishes were novel, which made people hungry. He smiled and said, "These dishes are already excellent."

Because the news of his return was sent out in advance, the Xiao family knew that he would arrive today, so dinner was prepared in advance, and the dishes were naturally very good.

Mrs. Xiao was amused, but she remained serious. She did not tell him that many of these dishes were made by Ah Shu in the kitchen. She just said, "Yes, yes..."

Xiao Huaiyu, the third daughter of the Xiao family, looked at her mother, then at her son, pursed her lips and smiled, then simply stopped talking. When she lowered her head, she saw her daughter giggling.

At this time, a clear young voice appeared in the restaurant: "Ping Yu, this is not right. If people don't pay attention to the desire for food, then what should they pay attention to?"

The young boy's eyes lit up, but his voice was still as reserved as before: "Ping has met my uncle before. As a scholar, he naturally has to focus on learning. Pingzhou has become much more mature recently. I think he has been slack in many aspects, so naturally he can't focus on the desire for food!"

Xiao Huaiting approached from the courtyard gate, and his long legs seemed to appear in front of everyone in two or three steps. Hearing this, the smile on his lips turned a little helpless, and he shook his head: "When the conditions are right, you can still pursue her, otherwise, wouldn't life be boring?"

Since the elders said so, Shen Pingyu did not continue to refute and just nodded.

At this time, another cheerful female voice appeared: "Lao Liu is right. How can we call it a meal without something delicious?"

The person who came walked even faster, arriving in the blink of an eye. Not only did he arrive, he was also holding a food box in his hand. He said with a smile, "I just passed by and happened to meet Ah Shu's maid coming to deliver food, so I took it. Come, everyone try it first. Ah Shu said it was an appetizer, so it's just right to try it before dinner."

She opened the food box, revealing a large plate of crispy pork inside, just out of the pot. This time when she opened the food box, there was still a puff of steam, and therefore the crispy pork was still very crispy. The pieces of pork were piled up one by one, forming a small hill.

Dong Dong was very surprised: "Little Crispy Meat! Sister Shu is so nice!"

Mrs. Xiao also sighed after seeing it: "Ah Shu is really skillful, but it's a pity that this child is too polite and doesn't even come to eat with us."

Out of courtesy, he didn't want to disturb her, so he seldom came except to bring her food. Mrs. Xiao herself even regretted that she had left too serious an impression on the child at first. However, the children at home were strong-willed, and a little seriousness would not calm them down. Also, she was so depressed that it was difficult for her to laugh.

"Yes." Xiao Huaiwu smiled and nodded. She first picked some for her mother, then picked some for Dongdong, Shen Pingyu, and Wan'er, and urged them, "Eat quickly."

Not daring to refuse the gift from the elder, Shen Pingyu nodded obediently and took a small bite.

After such a delay, the crispy meat didn't look so hot on the outside, but when he bit into it, there was a puff of hot air inside. He subconsciously opened his mouth to breathe, but quickly reacted and closed his mouth again, frowning as if in some pain.

Xiao Huaiyu had been paying attention to his son. Seeing him like this, he said nervously, "Don't like it? Spit it out. It's okay."

Shen Pingyu shook his head. It would be so ungentle to spit it out, but it was not necessary to do that. He slowed down, and the heat dissipated. Only the crispy and numb skin of the crispy meat and the taste of the tender meat rubbing against his lips and teeth remained.

He seldom eats food of this flavor. The Shen family's food is very light, to ensure that there is no bad taste left in the mouth. So now that he suddenly eats it, it feels overly stimulating.

But this smell really made his eyes light up.

After taking a bite of the crispy meat, Shen Pingyu realized that his mother was still paying attention to him. His face turned red. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to be honest and respect his heart: "My son likes it very much."

Xiao Huaiyu smiled and said, "That's good. Ah Shu is a very good cook. I learned a little from her. I will make you something delicious tomorrow."

"...Okay." Shen Pingyu shouldn't have answered, but seeing his mother like this, he couldn't find the words to refuse, so he nodded. After nodding, he continued to eat the remaining crispy meat.

The taste is really good. After you get used to the spicy and numb taste, you will want to eat more and more.

After finishing one, his mouth was watering and he subconsciously wanted to pick up the second one. Then he looked up and saw his younger brothers and sisters were busy eating. Their little mouths were opening and closing. It was not very pretty, but it made his heart soften.

Shen Pingyu suddenly didn't want to correct their etiquette at this time.

Forget it, we are all family, it shouldn’t be a big deal.

Thinking of this, he picked up another piece. A "click" sound was heard, and he seemed to feel a little happier.

Xiao Huaiyu looked at his son twice more, ate a few more mouthfuls of food happily, and then scooped up a bowl of soup and passed it to him: "This is hot and sour soup, have a couple of sips, it's very appetizing. You're too thin, you should eat more."

Seeing her mother like this, Wan'er also said in a crisp voice: "Brother Pingyu, there is also this, sour plum soup, which is also good for appetite. Grandma can eat more after drinking it!"

Mrs. Xiao nodded and said, "Ping Yu, what do you think?"

Shen Pingyu looked around and met a pair of loving and intimate eyes. He swallowed the silent reminder and accepted it one by one. The thing called sour plum soup was heated, and the hot and sour soup was the same. However, after just two sips, he felt warm all over.

Most people were happy that night.

The unlucky guy Dongdong was dragged to be punished even though he was drowsy after eating and drinking enough.

With tears in his eyes, he turned to his mother and uncle for help, but the two of them tacitly turned a blind eye at this moment and watched him suffer!

Early the next morning, Yan Qiushu was greeted by a burst of crying from the child.

"I was so sore from the punishment of doing hand-wringing last night. I had to get up so early in the morning to accompany him in exercise. Now he is rushing me to go to school, wuwuwu..." Dongdong became more and more sad as he spoke. He threw himself into Yan Qiushu's arms, and his tears even wetted the clothes around her waist.

Yan Qiushu felt very distressed about this, but she couldn't help him, so she could only say, "Be good, I'll make you a lot of delicious food at noon, and let your friends come and eat together."

Dongdong raised his head, wiped his sleeves, and his tears disappeared immediately. His eyes seemed to be cleansed and clear: "I only have one friend. I don't need too many, just a variety of dishes. I want to eat egg tarts, chicken wings, sweet and sour spare ribs, and crispy pork. They are so delicious..."

Last time he found out that there were some people in this group who secretly bullied Sister Wan'er, he was unhappy too, so he didn't give the food to them but gave it to Ah Heng!

"Okay." Yan Qiushu was amused and no longer felt sad.

Dongdong is indeed a child with strong self-healing ability.

Dongdong left with his soul satisfied, holding a beef-flavored pie in one hand and a cup of sweet and milky tea in the other.

While walking on the road, I sipped my milk tea.

Sweet, with tea aroma, delicious!

I heard this is refreshing.

It’s worth it that he came here to act coquettishly so early!

However, when he walked to the outer courtyard, he happened to see a tall and thin young boy walking towards him. When their eyes met, the latter's brows slowly wrinkled, while the former's face changed drastically and he ran out directly.

Shen Pingyu looked gloomy and asked the housekeeper beside him: "Is everyone in Pingzhou so lazy?"

He had asked him to go back and pack up, eat breakfast and go to the Imperial College for class half an hour ago, but he didn't expect him to go out now and eat while walking!

The butler's face was covered in sweat, and he stammered, not daring to say: "This...that..."

Shen Pingyu sighed: "Forget it, you don't have to tell me, I understand." His expression gradually became firm: "In this case, let me teach him."

The housekeeper kept silent, silently looking at the young master who had run so fast that his tail disappeared, his eyes full of sympathy.

At this time, a maid who looked unfamiliar passed by carrying a food box. She seemed to have just seen him, her eyes lit up, and she stepped forward and said, "Hello, young master."

"Well, what's the matter?" Shen Pingyu asked.

Shui Yu tilted her eyes and smiled, "Miss Yan made some milk tea, and I was just about to go to Young Master Pingyu's yard to deliver it."

Shen Pingyu raised his eyebrows. When Pingzhou left just now, he was holding a big cup in his hand. Is this it? He was a little interested and took a look.

Shui Yu thought he wanted it right away, so she opened the lunch box, took out the cup inside, and handed it to him: "There's a straw in it, you can just drink it directly, it tastes very good, and it also has tea leaves, which is a bit refreshing."

Shen Pingyu was caught off guard and had his hand filled with milk. The cup was very large, so he had to hold it with both hands, so his palms felt warm but not hot. The milk flavor was very strong, but the color was a light gray-green. When he held it in his hand, the water rippled and the aroma of milk tea wafted into his nose, with a hint of sweetness.

He subconsciously lowered his head and took a breath.

The hot liquid is sucked up, and the tip of the tongue feels the rich milk flavor and then quickly tastes a slight bitterness, but is immediately soothed by the sweetness, and finally tastes the unique fragrance of tea leaves.

After taking a sip, Shen Pingyu felt the warm liquid flowing down his throat into his stomach. In the slightly cold air, it warmed up his entire body from his stomach to his limbs.

Especially the sweetness, which made him feel less disappointed with Pingzhou. He felt happy again. He took another sip and saw Shui Yu looking at him expectantly. He smiled and said, "This tastes great. Aunt Yan, thank you for taking such trouble. I'm going to visit Aunt Yan now. Why don't we drink together?"

"Yes." Shui Yu breathed a sigh of relief and straightened his back with some pride.

The girl is so amazing!

Even Master Pingyu, who cares least about his appetite, praised the food he made!

But if you are going to visit, you have to bring gifts.

Therefore, Shen Pingyu still had to go back to his own yard.

After taking the gift, he went straight to Yan Qiushu's yard, but as he got closer, his steps gradually slowed down and his expression became a little strange.

Shui Yu was originally two steps behind, but Shen Pingyu was slow, so she unknowingly got ahead, so she also stopped and said, "Young Master Pingyu, what's the matter?"

The young boy took a deep breath and forced a smile: "Nothing."

He strode forward, much faster than before.

Shui Yu quickly trotted two steps to catch up with his speed.

Just like that, the two of them came into the yard.

At this time, Yan Qiushu, who was always leisurely cooking, did not drink tea or eat snacks as the two people thought. Instead, she blocked her nose and directed two middle-aged men to rinse something with clean water.

Shui Yu waited until she got closer before she could smell the scent. She was stunned and said, "Girl, what are you doing?"

Yan Qiushu straightened up, noticed a few people, and said hurriedly: "Hey, I'm making something to eat, why is Pingyu here?"

Seeing Shen Pingyu's look of disdain, he said with a stern face, "Aunt Yan, I was in a hurry to come back yesterday and was rude, so I'm giving you a gift today. I hope you won't blame me."

He presented a wooden box with polite hands.

Yan Qiushu didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "You call me aunt, why do you have to give me a gift? This is really embarrassing."

Shen Pingyu said seriously: "Grandma has been suffering from a poor appetite and weak body. Thanks to Aunt Yan's sour plum soup, she can eat a few more bites. As a descendant, I should be grateful..."

He seemed about to go on to a long speech.

Some rumors she heard from Dongdong gave Yan Qiushu a shock, and she quickly took it. Fortunately, although she was busy just now, she didn't really touch it, so her hands were clean. Therefore, after taking it, she said, "It smells a bit bad here. Pingyu, I won't treat you. I'll ask Shuixian to bring you something delicious later in the evening."

Shen Pingyu looked at her, wanting to say something but stopping himself. After a few seconds, he couldn't help but said tactfully, "Such a vulgar thing is really indecent. Sister Shu, if you have any difficulties, just tell Pingyu. Although Pingyu is not talented, he can still relieve Sister Shu's urgent needs."

"No, the Xiao family treats me very well, and I'm indeed not short of money." Yan Qiushu said with a smile.

Shen Pingyu sighed: "Why then..." He looked meaningfully at the things being cleaned in the well beside him: "This smell is a bit too strong."

He had a sensitive nose and could adapt to fragrant things, but he couldn't stand this strange smell. Therefore, he smelled a little from a distance and felt something was wrong at the time. Unexpectedly, the further he walked, the stronger the smell became. Only then did he realize that the culprit was here.

Yan Qiushu coughed lightly, feeling a little embarrassed that the child had misunderstood her. She said softly, "Actually, this is delicious, but it needs to be cleaned and cooked in a special way. You'll know when I give it to you tonight."

"Thank you Aunt Yan for your kindness, but Pingyu doesn't like to indulge in food." Shen Pingyu failed to convince the other party, but saw that she was still trying to force food into him. He was frightened and his face changed slightly, and he quickly stopped her.

After saying this, he didn't dare to stay any longer and quickly bowed and left.

Shui Xuan laughed, but rubbed his nose uncomfortably and asked, "Girl, is this really how you make the delicious food you mentioned?"

Yan Qiushu spread her hands: "Really? You still don't believe me?"

"I believe it!" Shui Yu nodded quickly, with a smile that was attentive but also a little guilty.

She just didn't expect the taste to be so "strong"!

A few days ago, she heard Yan Qiushu nagging about making salty food and using pig offal. She went back and forth for several days without really doing anything. She just went to the pharmacy to buy some things and spent most of the rest of the time reading various medical books. She thought Yan Qiushu had forgotten about it.

I didn't expect to be waiting here.

Yan Qiushu was also quite helpless, because the Xiao family was of high status and most of the servants were family-born children who had lived in the Xiao family since childhood. They had never touched things like pig offal. When she wanted some pig offal and told them to, they tried their best to clean it, but the smell was not completely eliminated.

When they got closer, it was a little unbearable, so Yan Qiushu blocked her nose and gave orders.

I asked someone to come and take care of it, and she even promised to pay me for it, just like beating egg whites.

After working for a while, the cleaning level finally met Yan Qiushu's requirements, and the two servants left.

Yan Qiushu took these tasteless things into the kitchen.

Because she had instructed in advance, Nanny Xu had already boiled the water. She then added some bay leaves, green onions, ginger, and a little rice wine. When the water in the pot was boiling, she poured the pig offal in the basket into it.

This step is mainly to remove the fishy smell, but it is not easy to complete. When white foam appears in the water, scoop it out and wash it again. Make sure it is really clean before completing the first step.

Because she was worried that the smell of the pig offal would affect the cooking later, Yan Qiushu cooked it on the stove. There was a large iron pot on top of the stove. So after the pig offal was cleaned, the water in the pot that was originally used for blanching was poured out, refilled with water, and boiled again.

During this period, it seemed as if the spice bags had been prepared long ago, containing a total of eighteen kinds of spices including star anise, cinnamon, bay leaf, nutmeg, etc., which were considered low-end versions of the ancient times. These were all she could find, but with her golden finger, the blessing should be able to compare slightly with the dozens of modern spices.

Yan Qiushu made a confident estimate, then took the soy sauce and other things and poured them directly into the pot.

Shui Yan had been hearing her talking about how saltiness can make pork offal taste better, and she thought it was some complicated process, but who knew it could be so simple and crude as just throwing it into the pot?

She was still a little skeptical.

Yan Qiushu told her affirmatively, that's it!

She added the right amount of salt and finally covered the pot. "Okay, just cook it slowly. Check it from time to time and add a little water to prevent the pot from drying out."

Madam Xu nodded hurriedly, and then asked cautiously: "Is it enough to just watch the fire?"

"That's enough!" Yan Qiushu wiped her hands and said, "Eat less at noon today, eat something lighter, and you can eat more at night!"

Shui Yu nodded and looked back at the pot. Does the girl really like it?

She vaguely remembered that the girl was quite clean?

But this doubt disappeared during the lunch break.

Yan Qiushu's Life