2:00 PM

It was just the time for the Xiao family to have dinner.

Every time at this time, the aroma of food from Yan Qiushu's yard would waft out, some strong, some weak, but undoubtedly, it always made people's mouths water and wanted to eat it very much.

The same is true today.

The only thing I'm not used to is the second bedroom's yard.

Yan Qiushu's yard was close to the main house and not far from the second house, so the fragrance drifted over quite a bit.

Song Mingdai also smelled it, and her calm eyes fluctuated slightly, then turned cold again.

Xiao Pingsong, however, couldn't sit still.

The twelve-year-old boy was taller than his mother because of his martial arts training. He was strong and healthy, so naturally he had a big appetite. In the past, when he was at his grandmother's house, he would eat a snack an hour before lunch.

But today, I was delayed because I went back to Xiao's house. I felt hungry before I had any snack. When I smelled the food, my stomach started to growl in protest.

Fortunately, the people from the kitchen came over with the food at this time.

He craned his head in anticipation, and when the food box was opened, everything smelled delicious, but nothing could compare to the faint aroma that wafted over.

Xiao Pingsong's heart felt like it was scratched by a cat. It didn't hurt, but it was itchy, an itch that couldn't be touched!

For the first time, he asked a question about food: "Wait a minute, I smelled a very fragrant smell just now, why is it not in this dish?"

The maid who served the food smiled and said, "Master Pingsong, that is a dish made by Miss Yan from the mansion. I don't know what it is. How about I go and ask?"

"Is that so..." Xiao Pingsong waved his hands awkwardly: "No need."

Although he had heard that there was a guest in the mansion who was very good at cooking, in the past two months, because of Dongdong, many parents of children in the Imperial Academy sent their own chefs to learn a few tricks in order to deal with their own children's dislike of the food at home.

But I didn't expect it to taste so good.

He had just returned and was not familiar with the other party, so he didn't have the nerve to ask. Moreover, the food brought by the maid was also very delicious, at least it was a delicacy that he remembered the Xiao family didn't have.

Xiao Pingsong picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

Hmm, this meat is delicious. I think it’s called spicy chicken?

I just heard the maid say that it was really delicious. It would be nice to drink it.

And this chicken wing, it tastes good too.

He ate the food like a little mouse that fell into a rice jar, feeling extremely satisfied. However, after he had taken a few bites, someone else came into the yard and said, "Miss Yan asked me to bring some food to the Second Young Master's wife and Young Master Pingsong."

Xiao Pingsong's eyes lit up and he looked at his mother.

Song Mingdai nodded implicitly: "Thank you for your help."

The maid quickly brought it over: "Miss Yan said to eat it while it's hot. These few days are New Year's Day, and I think everyone is tired of eating big fish and meat, so we didn't make a lot of meat dishes, but it's very delicious."

Then the dishes were placed out one by one.

Casserole with minced meat and eggplant, pan-fried tofu covered with soup, and a milky white tofu and fish soup.

The familiar fragrance appeared at the tip of his nose, and before the maid left, Xiao Pingsong couldn't wait to reach for his chopsticks.

The first time, the minced meat and eggplant stew was delicious!

He chewed twice and quickly took a big mouthful of rice. The sweet and light rice blended with the salty, sweet and sour taste of the eggplant stew, just right. The eggplant was soft, tender and smooth, wrapping the rice, and he swallowed the rice unknowingly.

tasty!

It’s also good with rice!

Xiao Pingsong's eyes sparkled. It was the first time he knew that eggplant was so delicious?!

He looked at his mother and said eagerly, "Mom, try it, it's delicious!"

"Mom doesn't like such strong flavors." Song Mingdai shook her head slightly and continued eating her vegetables.

Xiao Pingsong gave up disappointedly and ordered the fried tofu. The tofu was supposed to be off-white, but it was covered with thick brown soup, which looked pleasing to the eye. He thought it would have the same strong taste.

But when you take a bite, the first thing you feel is the subtle spicy taste and the strong salty aroma. Then the crispy outer shell of the tofu separates under the pressure of your teeth, revealing the tender tofu inside. It is really crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, but not bland, because the tofu inside has also been soaked in juice.

Not heavy, but not bland either, just the right texture and flavor.

Xiao Pingsong immediately looked at his mother, wanting to share something, but thinking of what had just happened, he hesitated for a moment and directly gave his mother a piece of tofu: "Mom, try it."

A square piece of tofu fell on the white rice, and the surrounding rice turned brown.

Song Mingdai's eyes were filled with helplessness. She didn't like these heavy-tasting foods, but since her son had picked some for her, she might as well eat it.

She opened her mouth slightly and took a bite. The expected strong taste did not come. The soup hanging on top was thick but not heavy. After the crispy outer shell of the tofu, it was sweet and tender.

The three flavors of numbing, spicy and salty are all light, just light enough for her to taste without putting too much burden on the tongue. This tofu can also be eaten as is.

It is still more attractive than plain rice.

As Song Mingdai was thinking this, she heard her son's smiling voice asking, "Mom, how does it taste?"

Song Mingdai lowered her eyes to look at the tofu she had already eaten, then glanced at her son and said calmly, "Not bad."

"You're obviously enjoying your meal!" Xiao Pingsong grumbled in dissatisfaction, and gave her a piece of tofu and an eggplant: "Eat more, you're eating too little!"

Song Mingdai's eyes softened and she took a bite of the eggplant without resistance.

Then this meal was the largest she had eaten in recent years.

Not only a bowl of rice and four pieces of tofu, but also a bowl of fish soup and a few pieces of eggplant!

A wonderful lunch ended.

The children surrounding her yard went back to their homes. Yan Qiushu yawned lazily, took a walk in the inner yard, and went to sleep.

The two dishes and one soup I made today were so delicious that she was a little overwhelmed.

As I was walking, I suddenly saw a slightly thin little boy coming from the other side. He looked at the road and seemed to be going to a yard.

However, when the little boy saw Yan Qiushu, he limped over, walked towards her, and tried to smile and shouted, "Hello, Sister Shu!"

Zhou Zhaoheng is now the eldest grandson of the emperor.

However, the little boy is still the same as before, simple, straightforward and easy to get along with.

Yan Qiushu was confused for a while when she first learned his identity, but soon she calmed down. She didn't ask for anything, so she didn't care. She still thought he was just Dongdong's good friend, so she smiled subconsciously: "Hello, Ah Heng."

Noticing his forced smile, she changed the subject: "What's wrong with Ah Heng? Are you feeling unwell?"

Because of Zhou Zhaoheng's special status, in order to avoid any accidents, he always follows Madam Xiao when eating and other things. Even yesterday when he came to her place to eat some snacks, they were tested for poison by palace maids. Logically, nothing should have happened.

As soon as she asked, the little boy's eyes turned red. Maybe he felt that she was very close to him. He came over and hugged her waist, sobbing softly: "Woo woo woo..."

"What's the matter?" Yan Qiushu hugged him back, her tone becoming softer, and at the same time she looked at the palace maid who came with him.

This palace maid was the deposed crown prince, sent by the current Prince Chang to protect his son. She should know something.

When she saw this, the palace maid also smiled bitterly and said helplessly, "Miss Yan, the young master is feeling uncomfortable because of the news from His Royal Highness Prince Chang."

Yan Qiushu wanted to ask more, but the other party had already avoided her eyes. Perhaps it was difficult to say.

There are always many things that the royal family cannot say.

Yan Qiushu took Zhou Zhaoheng's hand and said, "How about coming to my place and sitting down?"

"Yeah." Zhou Zhaoheng nodded dejectedly.

The two returned to the courtyard and dismissed the servants. Yan Qiushu asked, "Can you tell me what's going on with your father?"

Zhou Zhaoheng wiped his tears and whispered, "Actually, my father was poisoned. I miss him and my mother, but he won't let me go back..."

Poisoned?!

Yan Qiushu's eyelids twitched, but she felt that it was expected, because in the plot, when the deposed prince died the next year, the emperor was immediately so angry that he fell seriously ill. It was also the same. The remaining two princes made even more trouble, but the old emperor had no energy to care and let them make trouble until it became a big deal...

If it were someone else, Yan Qiushu might just ignore it in this situation.

She can hardly protect herself.

But now the Xiao family is obviously close to Prince Chang, and the children are taken over at this time. The two parties have no intention of hiding it at all. I don't know whether they are confident or trying to lure the snake out of its hole.

Under such circumstances, the better off Prince Chang is, the better off the Xiao family will be.

Yan Qiushu's breathing became heavy. She felt that it was time for her to be useful, but she didn't know how.

On weekdays, she learned a lot of superficial medical knowledge from the doctors in the mansion. She could handle some common headaches and fevers by herself, but she couldn't handle anything more difficult.

After observing, smelling, asking and palpating, there was no clue at all.

Unless—she can help make the medicine!

Using her golden finger to stimulate the medicinal properties will naturally lead to better treatment. Even if it is food supplement, it can better strengthen the body.

Thinking of this, Yan Qiushu looked at the child in front of her.

Zhou Zhaoheng grabbed the hem of his clothes nervously, and his depressed voice became much more energetic: "Ah, Sister Shu, what's wrong?"

Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "Ah Heng, do you want to see your father?"

Zhou Zhaoheng trusted her after all. In this family, besides Dongdong, the one closest to him was this elder sister in front of him. Not only was she gentle, she could make a lot of delicious food and she could also play with them. So when he heard the question, he nodded subconsciously: "I want to! Nanqi said it would rain in two days. My dad is not in good health. He will be in great pain when it rains. He must be very uncomfortable now that he is poisoned..."

He became a little hesitant and said, "But my father won't let me go back. He said there are a lot of things going on at home and I'm safe here. I can only go back after he has sorted out the things at home."

Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "You can go back and take a look, then come back. It will only take a little time on the way. There will definitely be no problem, right?"

Zhou Zhaoheng's heart moved slightly and he nodded vigorously.

Yan Qiushu continued to induce: "Do you want to make medicine for your father yourself?"

Zhou Zhaoheng nodded again and looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to come up with a solution.

"Then how about this, you go first..." Yan Qiushu whispered in his ear and gave him some advice.

Zhou Zhaoheng's face flushed when he heard this, but his wet eyes brightened up a lot. After he finished speaking, he jumped off the chair and was about to walk out, nodding vigorously at the same time: "Okay, I'll go right away!"

Yan Qiushu quickly stopped him and said, "Wait, the people haven't come back yet. Let's talk about it in the evening. I will teach you how to make sugar cakes. Medicine is bitter, but it won't be bitter if you eat sweet ones. If you make this, your parents will be very happy."

Zhou Zhaoheng responded expectantly: "Okay!"

Xiao Mansion

It was past 3 p.m., just in time for the Xiao family to have dinner.

The second wife came back today and we will have dinner tonight. Plus the new year isn't over yet, so all the Xiao family members gathered here to eat together.

Although Shen Pingyu left, Xiao Pingsong came again. The Xiao family was very happy. It was Chinese New Year, so they opened some wine.

Men drink slightly stronger wine, and women drink some fruit wine with lower alcohol content.

The charcoal stoves burning around keep the temperature from being too low, and the atmosphere is just right while eating hot meals.

Xie Qingyun took a sip of wine and noticed that Song Mingdai and her son didn't talk much, so she took the initiative to ask: "Sister-in-law, Pingsong, did you eat the dishes made by Shu for lunch today? Was it delicious?"

The honest young boy nodded honestly: "Yeah, it's delicious. Sister Shu is a great cook. Pingsong was so full that he practiced martial arts for an hour before he felt better."

Song Mingdai glanced at the strange woman who had heard the noise and looked over, and nodded coldly: "Not bad."

Xiao Huaiwu snorted coldly: "You call this okay? Is Second Sister-in-law's cooking skill better? Otherwise, why don't you make it for us some other day?"

Song Mingdai's face was slightly cold, and she seemed about to retort.

Xiao Pingsong beside her laughed out loud and said, "Fourth Aunt, my mother is okay, that's very good. You don't know, she is also very tired. She didn't even take a break at noon, and kept watching me practice martial arts~"

Xiao Huaiwu was waiting for the other party to refute so that he could continue to ridicule: "Puchi——"

Song Mingdai's coldness suddenly split her, her ears turned red, and she said in a deep voice, "Pingsong!"

However, that aura gave off a feeling of being strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

Xiao Pingsong blinked in confusion, not understanding what he had said to make his mother yell at him like that. He quickly lowered his head innocently and dared not say another word.

Xiao Huai Ting found it funny. Only his second brother and Pingsong could control someone like his second sister-in-law. He shook his head and drank a glass of wine. A burning sensation went from his throat all the way to his stomach. In the midst of his joy, his gaze met a pair of big eyes staring at him, and the action of pouring the wine was paused.

"Ah Heng? What's wrong?" Xiao Huaiting shouted.

It was at this moment that Yan Qiushu quickly winked.

Zhou Zhaoheng secretly pinched his thigh, his eyes turned red, his mouth squinted, and he looked like he was about to cry but didn't, looking extremely aggrieved. Then he looked at Xiao Huaiting and said pitifully, "Uncle Xiao, I miss my parents. Can I go back to see them? I'll be back soon after I see them!"

The pitiful look gave the tipsy boy a sudden shock. He was sober now and thought it would be no big deal to just take a look. He also wanted to go there, so he nodded and said, "How about... tomorrow?"

success!

Zhou Zhaoheng nodded vigorously, and then said timidly: "Can I join Sister Shu? My parents will definitely like the food she cooks!"

Xiao Huai Ting was silent, and looked at the woman next to him. Before he could ask, she nodded. He also nodded and said, "Okay."

Zhou Zhaoheng's small body relaxed and he smiled widely: "Thank you, Uncle Xiao Liu!"