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

Shen Yu wasn't the only one who saw through the implications.

If any woman were to follow Li Xinyu and serve him for a period of time, only to be casually abandoned by him in the end, her reputation would be completely ruined for the rest of her life, with no chance of ever recovering.

After all, whether she serves sincerely or goes along with it insincerely, how could such a woman possibly remain chaste in the eyes of outsiders?

Even if she were lucky enough to go to the capital with Li Xinyu and live a life of luxury for a year or two, how could a country girl easily navigate the complexities and dangers of those grand mansions and live a peaceful life?

To think you could gain a foothold in such a place is simply wishful thinking!

Moreover, the emperor's favor is like a fleeting cloud in the sky, coming quickly and going even faster; it is nothing more than a passing cloud.

Most men are fickle and easily bored. Today they may cherish you like a treasure, but tomorrow they may discard you like trash and not even bother to look at you.

The most terrifying thing is that if you encounter a ruthless beast like Li Xinyu, he will crush your dignity, drain your lifeblood, and leave you with nothing and a life worse than death!

Shen Yu was well aware of this. Li Xinyu's principal wife and his mother, the Dowager Consort, were both ruthless women in the inner palace. Their thoughts and schemes were enough to bring ruin to others.

In her previous life, she was skinned alive in such a dark and secluded place, ultimately losing her life.

Therefore, in this life, she will never let herself fall into such a desperate situation again, no matter what!

In this ancient society that was extremely harsh and cruel to women, Shen Yu had already personally experienced its darkness and cruelty.

That's why she felt an extreme disgust for the sycophantic and obsequious women down the mountain!

These women clearly knew that following Li Xinyu was definitely not a good thing, but they still treated women as ladders to climb up the social ladder, attempting to step on other people's fates to gain their own unrealistic benefits.

"Erlang, thank you so much for what you did earlier."

Shen Yu turned around, looking at Li Erlang with tender eyes, her tone full of sincere gratitude.

To her utter surprise, this child, who was only eight years old, would step forward to help her at a crucial moment, a gesture that truly warmed her heart.

Li Erlang glanced at her, gave a cold snort, and said in a stiff tone, "I just don't want our family to be without a cook!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around, dropped the broom in his hand, and hurried back to his room, as if staying even a second longer would be too much trouble.

Shen Yu watched his retreating figure and called out, "Okay! How about I make you some wild scallion and egg fried rice for lunch today?"

As Li Erlang reached the door, he heard the words "wild scallion and egg fried rice," and his throat involuntarily moved. He swallowed hard, but his steps did not falter at all.

Watching him go into his room to read without looking back, Shen Yu thought to herself: As expected of a future great villain, he is so determined at such a young age. It was so noisy outside, yet he was able to calm down and read so quickly.

Little did Shen Yu know that Li Erlang, who was sitting at his desk with a book in his hand, had a gloomy look in his eyes as he stared at the pages, his restlessness preventing him from reading a single word.

People around him said behind his back that he and his sister were his burdens. In his eyes, these gossipy and unrestrained people deserved to die!

The three siblings only wanted to live a secluded life, relying on each other and living quietly, and never thought of provoking anyone.

But these people just have to come and disrupt their lives, interfering in their affairs and making irresponsible remarks!

Therefore, Li Erlang despised all those who harbored ill intentions towards them from the bottom of his heart!

Shen Yu originally planned to make wild scallion and egg fried rice, but unfortunately, the two hens that had just been herded up the mountain did not lay a single egg by noon.

Unfortunately, the plan to make fried rice with eggs has to be put on hold for now.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Yu decided to make a bowl of pea jelly for lunch today.

She first scooped out a spoonful of pea flour, added water in the right proportion, and slowly mixed it. Then she added a tiny bit of salt to enhance the flavor.

Next, pour water into the pot. Once the water boils and bubbles, slowly pour the prepared starch paste into the pot while stirring constantly with a spoon to prevent it from sticking.

As the heat increased, the starch paste in the pot became increasingly viscous, eventually becoming so thick that it was almost impossible to stir. Only then did Shen Yu scoop it out and carefully pour it into a container.

After waiting a while, once the jelly had solidified slightly, she scooped up a bowl of cold water and poured it onto the surface to help it set better.

After doing all that, all that's left is to patiently wait for the jelly to completely solidify.

Looking at the nascent jelly in the container, Shen Yu thought to herself: Judging from this, this time the jelly shouldn't be a failure!

While waiting for the jelly to solidify, Shen Yu pondered how to make a sauce to enrich the flavor.

I searched through all the seasonings in the house, but all I could find was a little salt and some wild scallions that I had just picked yesterday. I couldn't find any other seasonings at all.

She couldn't help but think to herself that if she had ginger, garlic, chili peppers, a little vinegar, and chili oil, she could definitely make a sauce that would be the soul of the dish, instantly elevating the taste of the jelly noodles to a whole new level!

Even with few seasonings, Shen Yu was still confident that she could make this bowl of jelly delicious.

She picked up a kitchen knife, chopped a lot of wild onions, and then shredded some cabbage. She then put the shredded cabbage into boiling water to blanch it, took it out, drained the water, and set it aside for later use.

At this moment, Shen Yu stared blankly at the two remaining portions of cold rice noodle crisps in the bowl.

To be honest, this was her first time making jelly, and she was lucky to have done it this well without any mishaps.

As for the cold rice noodle crust, she remembered that there seemed to be such a snack in modern times, but she couldn't recall the specific recipe for it.

"Does it mean we'll stir-fry it?"

Shen Yu secretly guessed what was going on, then put the rice crust aside and decided to try frying it that evening to see how it would taste.

Ya'er was thinking about the jelly and ran over to ask several times. Just as she was peeking around for the last time, the jelly finally solidified completely.

Shen Yu poured out half of the jelly from the container, cut it into thin strips with a knife, and then divided it evenly into three bowls.

She put blanched cabbage leaves into each bowl, sprinkled on some chopped green onions, added a little salt, and finally poured the freshly melted lard on top with a sizzling sound. Instantly, a rich aroma filled the air.

Despite the limitations of ingredients and seasonings, the mixed jelly tasted even better than Shen Yu had expected.

She immediately called out, "Dinner's ready!"

As soon as the shout fell, Ya'er rushed in like a gust of wind, her eyes fixed on the cold noodles on the table.

Although Li Erlang's steps were steady, his pace was noticeably faster, revealing his eagerness.

Seeing this, Shen Yu secretly laughed to herself: Hehe, this kid may be tough on the outside, but he has already been conquered by my cooking skills, right?

She secretly thought to herself: Hmph, kid, there's plenty of time. I refuse to believe I can't completely subdue you!

Shen Yu was secretly smiling slyly when she noticed that Ya'er and Li Erlang were both staring at the three bowls of cold noodles on the table, and had not yet made a move.

"What is this?"

Li Erlang grabbed the restless Ya'er, his brows furrowed. He brought the bowl to his nose and smelled it. He could smell the fragrance, but the contents of the bowl were something that neither he nor Ya'er had ever seen before.

He couldn't help but wonder: Could this woman have poisoned it?

Or is it that eating this will cause diarrhea?

Looking at Shen Yu's smug smile, Li Erlang felt increasingly uneasy and became suspicious of the bowl of cold noodles.

Shen Yu sighed helplessly, pointed to the bag of pea flour in the corner, and explained, "This is pea jelly made with that bag of pea flour."

Even after hearing the explanation, the look of doubt on Li Erlang's face did not fade.

Looking at him like this, Shen Yu couldn't help but ask, "Erlang, do you feel that everyone in this world, except for your brother and Ya'er, harbors ill intentions towards you?"

She thought to herself: This little treacherous official is far too suspicious of people!

After spending so many days together, he still thinks he would tamper with the food, which is both ridiculous and absurd.

Li Erlang stared coldly at her, his tone carrying a hint of accusation: "Then what were you laughing at just now?"

Shen Yu was taken aback by his words, her heart filled with surprise: she had only secretly smiled, yet this kid had seen it all?

Is he really only eight years old? His insight is amazing!

Shen Yu reluctantly pulled up a chair and sat down, saying somewhat petulantly, "I was just laughing at how well I made my jelly today! If you don't want it, fine, I'll eat it myself! I wouldn't be stupid enough to poison myself, would I?"

After saying that, she shook her head, picked up a bowl of cold noodles and placed it in front of her. After mixing it, she picked up a spoon and started eating.

The jelly is smooth and chewy. Although it doesn't have many seasonings, the rich aroma of lard mixed with the fragrance of wild onions balances the jelly's refreshing taste, making it not greasy at all and with just the right texture.

Shen Yu ate with a satisfied look on her face, a smile on her lips. Seeing this, Ya'er could hardly resist.

"Sister, I want to eat too!" Ya'er pushed her brother's hand away, ran over to Shen Yu with her short legs, sat down, picked up a bowl of cold noodles, and eagerly started shoveling them into her mouth.

"Mmm, delicious, so delicious, mmm..."

As Ya'er ate, she mumbled praises, saying that the refreshing and smooth texture of the jelly was a delicious taste she had never experienced before.

Not just jelly, but every dish Shen Yu made these days had a fresh taste that she had never tasted before.

That's why everything she tried caught Ya'er's eye.

Even though Shen Yu was worried that she would overeat and served her smaller portions each time, controlling her food intake at almost every meal, Ya'er was still extremely satisfied with what she ate.

Every day, she eagerly anticipates what new surprises the next meal will bring. Although her tummy is always fluctuating between full and hungry, her heart is filled with sweet joy.

Shen Yu and Ya'er were only focused on eating their own food, completely ignoring Li Erlang standing to the side.

Seeing this, Li Erlang reluctantly moved to the table and sat down. Seeing that the two of them were eating without any problems, and that they looked so delicious, he became even more tempted. So he slowly pulled his bowl in front of him.

He picked up a spoon, carefully scooped up a mouthful of jelly and put it in his mouth. The next second, his eyes lit up instantly, clearly amazed by the deliciousness.