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

Shen Yu deftly put the rice into the steamer and then cut the pork into evenly thick slices.

With very few vegetables left in the house, she could only pick out a cabbage, carefully tearing off the leaves one by one, keeping the crisp cabbage stalks to stir-fry with meat, and setting the leaves aside for later use.

I searched the entire kitchen but couldn't find any scallions, garlic, or soy sauce; the only thing I could use was a small pinch of coarse salt.

Shen Yu sighed softly, thinking that once her leg injury was better, she would go up the mountain to dig up some wild vegetables or seedlings to plant, and buy some beans to make sauce and brew some soy sauce. She couldn't keep lacking seasonings like this.

Soon, the enticing aroma of meat wafted from the kitchen, and the three Li siblings all smelled it.

Li Xiaoyun was sitting in the courtyard polishing his hunting bow and arrows. After smelling the fragrance, his hands moved faster unconsciously, but his face remained expressionless.

Inside the house, Li Shuozhou was even more restless, swallowing hard and glancing towards the kitchen every now and then, his heart filled with anticipation: What delicious food will this woman make this time? He forced himself to read, but his eyes were fixed on the pages, and he couldn't concentrate on a single word.

It smells amazing! It smells so good!

Li Shuozhou was inwardly furious, cursing Shen Yu as an annoying woman. If it weren't for her, how could he have become a gluttonous little sister who only knew how to eat?

He turned and glared at Li Shuoya beside him, only to see the little girl swallowing hard, waving her arms and legs excitedly, and muttering, "My sister is definitely making me something delicious!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Li Shuoya dashed out of the room and headed straight for the kitchen.

"Sister! Sister! I smell something delicious!"

Shen Yu smiled and gently scratched her little nose, saying softly, "Little glutton, just wait a little longer, dinner will be ready soon."

She put the previously cooked rice back into the steamer and steamed it for a while longer. The rice grains became fluffy and soft, with each grain distinct.

Rice porridge is good for the stomach, so Shen Yu first served Li Shuoya a bowl, and then asked her to call her two older brothers to come and eat. Only then did she put the rice, vegetables and soup on the table.

Although the stir-fried cabbage stalks released some water, Shen Yu controlled the heat well, so there wasn't much broth.

There weren't many slices of meat on the plate, but for the three Li siblings, this was a meat dish they hadn't had at the dinner table in a long time.

Li Xiaoyun's cooking skills have always been terrible. In the past, Li Shuozhou and Li Shuoya would find the smell of the meat he made disgusting, and he himself found it hard to swallow. So he simply stopped cooking meat altogether.

He had planned to send two pieces of meat to Ye Xiaoqin's house to improve his sister's meals when he sent Li Shuoya to her house. However, Ye Xiaoqin was vicious and not only abused Li Shuoya, but also made her never even taste meat.

Now, the Li family finally has meat dishes on their dining table again!

Li Xiaoyun took the first bite of stir-fried cabbage with pork. Although the dish was not as refined as the ones in restaurants, the taste was surprisingly good.

The cabbage stalks are sweet and crisp; the lean meat is tender and not dry, with no fishy smell, while the fatty meat is rich but not greasy. With one bite, the oil melts in your mouth, filling it with fragrance.

Li Xiaoyun looked up and gave Shen Yu a deep look, making her wonder: Had she made a mistake? She quickly took a bite as well. Although the taste was a little bland due to the lack of seasoning, it was still delicious.

"Does the eldest son not like this dish? It's mainly because it's missing soy sauce and fermented black beans, otherwise it would taste even better," Shen Yu said, seizing the opportunity.

Li Xiaoyun frowned and asked, "Do I need to buy these things?"

"Once my leg injury heals, I'll be able to do some things myself, but I'll need to rest for a while now," Shen Yu replied.

Li Xiaoyun nodded and said nothing more.

Meanwhile, Li Shuozhou and Li Shuoya had already started their meal, constantly picking at their food and eating with great relish.

Li Xiaoyun tasted a mouthful of rice, looked down at the rice in the bowl, and felt a wave of sadness wash over her: How many years has it been since she ate such delicious rice? It turned out that it wasn't the rice that was the problem, but that she simply couldn't cook it to taste this good.

When he looked up again, there was hardly any food left on the plate.

Looking at her younger siblings wolfing down their food, Li Xiaoyun smiled sheepishly and said to Shen Yu, "Mother's cooking is delicious. You can make more in the future."

Shen Yu was surprised to see the rough-looking man with a full beard smiling. Was he pleased with her cooking skills and praising her? She then thought of the practical problem and said, "Young master, if we cook like this every day, the rice, flour, and vegetables in the house probably won't last more than a few days."

Shen Yu truthfully explained the situation of the food in the house. In the past, the three siblings would just eat whatever they could find, and this rice and noodles could last for a month. But now that they had to cook properly, the food would be consumed much faster, and she had to make things clear to Li Xiaoyun.

Li Xiaoyun had anticipated this and was not surprised. Instead, she comforted her, saying, "Mother, just focus on eating rice and meat. Don't worry about anything else."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yu immediately smiled with relief.

Li Xiaoyun was dazzled by her smile and awkwardly looked away.

Li Shuoya clapped her hands and cheered, "Sister's smile is so beautiful!"

Li Shuozhou quickly warned in a low voice, "Don't look at what you shouldn't see, eat your food properly!"

The kitchen was suddenly filled only with the clattering of bowls and chopsticks as rice was shoveled in.

The two children had almost finished eating the vegetables and meat, so Shen Yu mixed rice with the oily broth. Li Shuoya wanted to try it too. After taking a bite, she frantically shoveled rice into her bowl, leaving Li Shuozhou stunned.

His bowl was already empty, and he was craving it, but he could only watch as the rice mixed with oily soup ended up in Li Xiaoyun's bowl.

Just after finishing his meal, Prince Yu woke up in the courtyard.

Li Xiaoyun brought him a bowl of water and carried it.

Prince Yu drank the wine in a few gulps, wiped his mouth, and then realized that he was sitting under the eaves, half of his body exposed to the rain, and his body was not only muddy but also mostly wet.

Prince Yu looked at Li Xiaoyun with a gloomy expression. In his eyes, this burly man with a full beard was nothing more than a short-sighted country bumpkin.

He suppressed his displeasure, propped himself up to stand, and bowed with feigned gentleness, saying, "Thank you for saving me, brother. I am in dire straits and have caused you much trouble."

"Would it be possible for me to stay here for a couple of days? My servant will be here soon, and I will be very grateful!"

Prince Yu adopted the air of a superior, his words carrying an air of unyielding authority.

Li Xiaoyun remained silent, his dark eyes showing no fear. He didn't want to take in this pampered young master from the bottom of his heart—at least Shen Yu could work, but this young master probably only knew how to wait to be served.

Li Xiaoyun didn't care about any reward of gold or silver. He could support his family and even have some left over by hunting.

But he also knew that if he refused outright, this person would hold a grudge and might bring disaster upon the Li family in the future.