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

Li Shuozhou buried his head in the dumplings on the table and ate them with gusto, one after another, clearly captivated by their deliciousness. He couldn't utter a single word of criticism that he usually had.

Shen Yu made a total of seventy dumplings, which was originally planned as follows: Li Xiaoyun would eat twenty-four, Li Shuozhou would eat twenty, and she and Li Shuoya would each eat thirteen.

But who would have thought that she would only eat ten before the plate was empty? Li Shuoya had already put thirteen dumplings into her own bowl, and the remaining forty-seven were all eaten by the brothers Li Xiaoyun and Li Shuozhou.

At this moment, the two, one big and one small, leaned back in their chairs, patting their round bellies and burping contentedly, their faces full of satisfaction.

Shen Yu only ate half full, shook her head helplessly, and comforted herself: just consider it as maintaining her figure.

She had just gotten up to clear the dishes when Li Xiaoyun stopped her, saying, "Let me do it!" He looked a little embarrassed, clearly realizing that he and his brother had taken Shen Yu's food.

Shen Yu's legs were still not very agile, and she was indeed tired after making dumplings all afternoon. Seeing that Li Xiaoyun took the initiative to wash the dishes, she did not compete with him and stood aside watching him quickly clean up the stove.

Watching Li Xiaoyun's efficient movements, Shen Yu thought to herself: If this man were in modern times, he would definitely be a rare good man. Even in ancient times, such a diligent man was not common.

As if sensing her gaze, Li Xiaoyun suddenly turned around to meet her eyes and said in a deep voice, "I will be going into the mountains for a few days tomorrow, so I entrust everything at home to you, Mother."

"Going into the mountains? Brother, you're going into the mountains again?" Li Shuozhou suddenly jumped up from the stool, his face full of excitement, his eyes frequently glancing at Shen Yu, his expression full of hesitation and worry.

Li Xiaoyun looked at him and explained, "It's already late autumn. I'll go into the mountains again to hunt more things so we can have a safe winter."

Winter in Qingshan is extremely dangerous, with wild beasts often appearing, so Li Xiaoyun never goes into the mountains to hunt in winter.

Li Shuozhou lowered his head, naturally aware of his elder brother's habit. Every late autumn, Li Xiaoyun would go into the mountains for several days, sometimes even staying for ten days or half a month, and each time the harvest was the most abundant of the year.

In previous years, when Li Xiaoyun went into the mountains, Li Shuozhou would stay at home with Li Shuoya. Only in the spring and summer would Li Xiaoyun occasionally take him into the mountains and send Li Shuoya to Widow Ye's house for foster care.

The thought of Widow Ye made Li Shuozhou grit his teeth in hatred. Looking at Shen Yu, although she had cooked well these past few days and was gentle and patient with Li Shuoya, and didn't seem to have any bad intentions, what if she revealed her true colors after her brother left, drugged his and his sister's food, and kidnapped them to sell?

Li Shuoya was filled with worry, but having just eaten the delicious dumplings made by Shen Yu, she was too embarrassed to voice her malicious speculation. She could only keep giving Li Xiaoyun meaningful glances, hoping that her brother would reconsider and send the woman of unknown origin down the mountain.

But Li Xiaoyun seemed completely oblivious to his gaze. After finishing her sentence, she turned away and focused on washing the dishes, ignoring his hints entirely.

Shen Yu witnessed all of this. She walked up to Li Shuozhou and asked with a half-smile, "Second Brother, you're a grown man, are you afraid that I, a cripple with inconvenient legs, will do anything to you?"

Provoked by Shen Yu, Li Shuozhou flew into a rage, his face flushed red as he roared, "How could I be afraid of you! You're nothing but a cripple; don't even think about trying anything dirty while my brother's away!"

"Erlang!" Li Xiaoyun turned around abruptly and shouted sharply. Although he only turned half of his face, his sharp eyes were fixed on Li Shuozhou with an unquestionable air of authority.

Li Shuozhou immediately shut his mouth after being yelled at by his elder brother, not daring to say another word.

Shen Yu was surprised that Li Xiaoyun would defend her when she heard him coldly add, "Be more polite to your mother." It turned out that he was just telling Li Shuozhou to be polite, not protecting her. Shen Yu immediately understood and couldn't help but think to herself with a self-deprecating smile: I was overthinking it. Li Xiaoyun wasn't protecting her at all; he was probably worried that she would mistreat his younger siblings after she left.

To be met with such suspicion after such sincere sincerity—even a clay figure would have some temper. A surge of anger welled up within Shen Yu, and she said to Li Xiaoyun, "Don't worry, Eldest Young Master, when you return, I guarantee Ya'er and Erlang will be perfectly healthy, and even plumper than they are now!"

After saying that, Shen Yu, leaning on her crutch, took Li Shuoya's small hand and went back to the room.

Li Xiaoyun watched her departing figure, her brows furrowed slightly, and she wondered to herself: Is she really angry?

On the other side, Li Shuozhou was still gloating, patting his chest and assuring Li Xiaoyun, "Brother, don't worry, I will definitely keep an eye on her and never let Ya'er suffer any more grievances! Tomorrow night I will let Ya'er sleep with me, and I will keep a close eye on her during the day to prevent her from doing anything naughty!"

Looking at her younger brother's confident expression, Li Xiaoyun felt a pang of reluctance in her eyes. She couldn't bear to discourage him. Li Shuoya had long been won over by Shen Yu's delicious food. In her heart, her two older brothers were probably not as important as a bowl of rice cooked by Shen Yu.

After coaxing Li Shuoya to sleep, Shen Yu lay in bed, tossing and turning in anger, unable to sleep.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that Li Xiaoyun was a deep and cunning man. He looked rough and dull, but he was actually very shrewd and much smarter than his straightforward younger brother!

He said he was entrusting family affairs to her, but in reality, he was using his younger brother to warn her. Didn't he see his true feelings these past few days?

If she had even the slightest ill intention, why would she only eat ten dumplings tonight and leave most of them for them?

Just then, her stomach suddenly growled twice. Shen Yu sighed helplessly and thought to herself: She was eating dumplings so deliciously, but then these two brothers stabbed her in the heart. They really are a family!

"Sister, why are you sighing?" Li Shuoya rolled over, lay face down on the pillow, and asked her with her big, watery eyes.

Shen Yu pinched her soft little face and said gently, "It's okay, Ya'er, be good and go to sleep."

How could she possibly confide her deep sorrow and resentment to a child? But Li Shuoya earnestly said, "Sister, please don't be angry with my brother and second brother, okay? I'll spank them for you!"

Shen Yu chuckled at her words and asked, "If you spank them, will they let you?" The thought of Li Shuozhou and Li Xiaoyun, those two tough guys, being chased and spanked by a little girl made Shen Yu laugh.

Li Shuoya giggled along, waving her little fists and shouting, "Hit! Let's hit!"

With the comfort of Li Shuoya, Shen Yu's mood finally calmed down a bit.

She hugged the little girl, thinking to herself: at least my efforts weren't completely unseen; I've at least won over this little girl, Ya'er.

From the first day she arrived at Li Xiaoyun's house, Li Shuoya clung to her. Shen Yu couldn't help but wonder if this child had grown up without a mother and lacked maternal love, which was why she acted this way.

The thought that Li Shuoya had only her two older brothers to accompany her since infancy, without the gentle guidance and care of a woman, made Shen Yu's heart ache slightly.

When Shen Yu first approached the Li siblings, she did indeed intend to curry favor with the future bigwigs. But now, holding Li Shuoya, her heart was truly sincere.

Thinking about Li Xiaoyun and Li Shuozhou's attitudes, Shen Yu gradually felt relieved: her origins were unknown, and Li Xiaoyun was a withdrawn person who was unwilling to make close friends. Even if she cooked a few meals, she might not be able to gain their trust.

Li Xiaoyun's decision to leave her younger siblings in her care this time was likely out of necessity; it's only natural that they would be wary of her.

Shen Yu thought to herself: If these two brothers are still like cold stones that can't be warmed up after three months, then even if she has no face to stay any longer, at least she can leave some goodwill in their hearts by providing them with food for these three months.