I won't be a prince's concubine; I'll cook delicious food and raise two villainous cu

Li Erlang intended to let his sister take the cake, but Li Xiaoyun reached out and pressed down on his wrist.

He reached out and patted his little sister's head, his voice softening: "You're still holding half a pancake. Finish that first, and I'll save this half for you."

After saying that, Li Xiaoyun put the remaining half of the cake in her hand into Li Shuoya's bowl.

Looking at Li Shuoya's round little belly, Shen Yu asked softly, "Ya'er, are you really not full, or are you trying to eat more because you're afraid of going hungry again?"

That day, Ye Xiaoqin caused a huge scene on the mountain. Although Li Shuoya bravely stood up and told Shen Yu everything about how Ye Xiaoqin had abused her, Shen Yu discovered that the child's young heart had already been traumatized.

In her previous life, when she was in the Li family, she discovered that this girl was exceptionally gluttonous and had an exceptionally large appetite. Even though her belly was round and full, her body remained thin and weak.

Looking back now, Li Shuoya probably had bulimia.

She was terrified of Ye Xiaoqin's hunger and was always worried that she would not have enough to eat, so whenever she saw food, she would instinctively stuff it into her mouth, and she couldn't stop even when she was uncomfortable from being full. Over time, her spleen and stomach were completely damaged.

That's why she was always sick and had a very poor constitution, which is why she was known as "Sickly Beauty" when she grew up.

Shen Yu felt that it wasn't too late to improve the health of the brother and sister, but it would require all three of them to cooperate with her.

Li Shuoya answered timidly, "I'm afraid... I'm afraid of being hungry..."

These words caused Li Xiaoyun and Li Erlang to frown instantly, their hearts feeling as if they had been stabbed by a needle, a mixture of pain and anger. This was their beloved younger sister, whom they cherished dearly, yet she had been bullied to such an extent by that widow, Ye Xiaoqin!

Enraged, Li Erlang slammed his fist on the table, his chest heaving, a sinister hatred flashing in his eyes: "Brother! That poisonous woman has gone too far..."

It was obvious that he had completely harbored a grudge against Ye Xiaoqin.

Not only that, but his gaze toward Shen Yu was also full of wariness and hostility. In his opinion, this woman of unknown origin, like Ye Xiaoqin, had no good intentions.

Li Xiaoyun clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles turning white, her heart filled with regret—she hated herself for being blind to have sent her younger sister to Ye Xiaoqin for care.

Shen Yu noticed the oppressive atmosphere in the room and quickly broke the silence: "The most important thing now is to help Ya'er get better, not only physically, but also to slowly heal her emotional wounds."

Li Xiaoyun looked at her, a hint of inquiry in her eyes: "You have a way?"

Shen Yu nodded firmly: "As long as we take care of her digestive system and give her enough security, her condition will naturally return to normal over time."

Li Erlang clearly didn't believe her at all and immediately said to Li Xiaoyun, "Brother, send her away! Can't we afford to raise Ya'er? We don't need her meddling in our affairs!"

Li Erlang was like a little hedgehog covered in thorns, full of hostility and wariness towards Shen Yu. Shen Yu had no choice but to turn her gaze to Li Xiaoyun, hoping he would believe her.

Li Xiaoyun rubbed her thumb repeatedly on her fist, remaining silent for a long while before finally speaking again: "Then tell me, how exactly should we do it?"

Shen Yu's face instantly lit up with a joyful smile, and she thought to herself: Although Li Xiaoyun is a rough man, he is still willing to listen to advice, much easier to get along with than this future great villain Li Erlang!

She quickly said, "We're out of food at home right now, and we're also short of vegetables, meat, and eggs. I'll have to trouble you, young master, to buy some more. If you have time, please also go to the doctor and get some medicine to regulate your spleen and stomach."

"This is a slow process. Besides eating and taking medicine, we also need to spend more time with Ya'er."

"The eldest son can take Ya'er out for a half-hour walk every day to relax."

"We'll take it slow with the rest."

After listening, Li Xiaoyun hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.

His gaze fell on the half-eaten cake on the table, and Shen Yu immediately reminded him, "If you trust me, young master, Ya'er must not eat this half-eaten cake. Her stomach can't take it anymore."

Shen Yu even guessed that Li Shuoya might get sick in the next couple of days—she noticed that the child hadn't had a bowel movement for several days.

Li Xiaoyun paused for a moment, then tucked the cake into his pocket and said in a deep voice, "I have to go out today and won't be back until dark."

Shen Yu's heart tightened: Wouldn't that mean she would go hungry all day? She regretted using the last bit of food to make pancakes; she should have at least kept some rice to make some thin soup to fill her stomach.

As if reading her mind, Li Xiaoyun added, "You don't need to worry about going hungry. The village chief's servant will bring things over before noon."

Shen Yu nodded, and Li Xiaoyun paused before adding, "I need to go to town."

He's going to town? Shen Yu's eyes lit up instantly.

After tidying up the dried fish and packing up the few small prey that had been stored for several days and were still on the verge of death, Li Xiaoyun deliberately walked to Shen Yu's door before leaving and hesitantly asked, "Do you... want me to bring some things back for you?"

At this moment, Shen Yu was inside wiping Li Shuoya's face and combing her hair. Upon hearing Li Xiaoyun's words, she immediately responded excitedly, "Yes, young master! If it's convenient, could you please bring me back a bolt of cloth?"

Shen Yu was both surprised and delighted. She hadn't expected that this seemingly rugged man would be so thoughtful and would even think of asking her a question.

Her clothes were so dirty they were practically rotten, the fabric worn smooth and stained; she was long overdue for a new set. Fortunately, she had learned to sew on the estate, so she could make clothes herself as long as she had fabric.

She knew it was shameless of her to ask for things so readily, but she was penniless and had no other choice. She secretly resolved to take better care of the Li siblings in the future to repay their kindness.

After Li Xiaoyun left, Shen Yu braided Li Shuoya's hair into two cute pigtails and changed her into clean clothes. When Li Shuoya was squatting in the yard, clean and refreshed, Li Shuozhou happened to see this scene from the window of the room.

He had to admit that his sister had indeed become much cleaner and tidier these past few days, and that woman... didn't seem to be completely useless after all. At least his sister was now quite dependent on her, something that had never happened before.

But Li Shuozhou still couldn't understand why her elder brother would believe her nonsense. How could a woman of unknown origin be genuinely kind to the three of them?

'Gurgle—'

A sudden rumbling sound came from his stomach, and Li Shuozhou paused, unable to concentrate on reading another word.

The aroma of the pastry from this morning still lingered in his nose; it looked so delicious... He hadn't eaten anything all morning and was starving.

If his older brother had advised him against it, he might have actually tried a bite. And the soup that came with the flatbread, though it looked thin and watery, had a few specks of oil floating on top.

My brother's cooking skills are terrible. He makes nothing but thin porridge and roasted sweet potatoes every day. When he occasionally makes noodles or meat, it's so bad that it's barely edible. It's a complete waste of good food.

Having grown up, Li Shuozhou had hardly ever eaten anything delicious. The only thing he could crave for a long time was the fried dough cakes his older brother would occasionally bring back from town.

Fried dough cakes... cakes...

A louder gurgling sound came from his stomach, and Li Shuozhou's mind was completely drawn to the pancake: the pancake that woman made this morning, it seemed to have been fried in oil as well?

Not long after, Li Shuoya stormed into the house and said to Shen Yu, "Sister! Second Brother was secretly eating in the kitchen, and he did it behind my back, thinking I didn't see him!"

Shen Yu was taken aback at first, then couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Indeed, there are no truly picky eaters in the world, only children who haven't had enough to eat.

She and Li Shuoya agreed to pretend they hadn't seen it, so as not to embarrass Li Shuozhou, who was so concerned about saving face.

Just then, the farmhand's voice came from outside: "Big Brother! Are you home? I've brought you some things!"