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

Shen Yu swallowed hard, her throat bobbing slightly. She forced a smile, her voice weak and strained: "It was the people from Chenjia Village at the foot of the mountain who stopped me."

Seeing that there was no perfunctory attitude in her eyes, Li Erlang's expression softened slightly, and he pressed on, "Why did they arrest you for no reason?"

Shen Yu lowered her eyes and said in a light tone, "I can't say for sure what they're thinking."

She knew perfectly well that those people wanted to kidnap her and make her Li Xinyu's concubine. How could she tell such a sordid thing to two half-grown children? Wouldn't that be an insult to their ears?

"But I didn't let them get away with it. I injured a few people with my hairpin before I managed to escape with my life on the line."

As she spoke, Shen Yu took out the silver hairpin from her sleeve. The tip of the hairpin was still stained with dark brown blood, which gleamed coldly under the lamp.

Thinking back to last night, if she hadn't deliberately tucked the hidden hair ornament into her pocket before leaving, it would probably have already fallen into the hands of thieves. This hairpin had become her weapon of escape.

Li Erlang's gaze fell on the bloodstains on the hairpin, his eyes darkened, but the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, clearly satisfied with her counterattack.

He then sat back down at the table and picked up his bowl to eat noodles.

The hand-rolled noodles are chewy and substantial, topped with a sauce of stir-fried cabbage and minced meat, the aroma of which fills the air.

Li Erlang ate with great relish, even drinking the last drop of soup from the bottom of his bowl.

He wiped his mouth, put down his chopsticks, and said in a cold tone, "When my brother comes back, he will make those people pay the price."

Shen Yu was about to thank him when he added, his tone even colder: "Don't flatter yourself, I'm not doing this for you! Those people know you're a distant relative of the Li family, yet they still dare to bully us. They don't respect the Li family at all!"

"Such contempt and humiliation is utterly despicable!"

The boy clenched his fist and slammed it hard on the table, making the bowls and chopsticks rattle. His eyes were filled with anger.

After venting his anger, he stood up, flicked his sleeves, and turned back to his study to continue reading.

Shen Yu blinked and turned to look at Ya'er beside her.

With her mouth still full of noodles, Ya'er swallowed with difficulty, then clenched her little fists and shouted angrily, "I'm going to fight them and avenge my sister!"

Shen Yu couldn't help but chuckle, but her heart felt warm inside.

Normally, Li Erlang has a sharp tongue like a firecracker and never shows any mercy, but I never expected him to stand up for her this time.

Who said this young boy is a cold, hard stone, without a single thought?

Perhaps he still harbors some reservations about me, but at least the aversion and rejection he felt have faded considerably.

Shen Yu turned around and went to the kitchen to boil a large pot of water. The water tank had been empty for a long time, so she had to clean it up properly.

She closed the doors and windows, took a hot shower, and changed into clean clothes.

Li Erlang helped wash these clothes; otherwise, she wouldn't even have a change of clothes.

Thinking of this, Shen Yu looked at him with even more admiration. She wanted to thank him in person, but when she thought of his awkward personality, she couldn't help but laugh.

He thought to himself that no matter how harsh his words were in the future, he would just have to be more tolerant of him.

Leaning on her crutch, she worked all morning to refill the empty water vat. She then took down the mud-stained bedding and pillows from the bed, washed them clean, and hung them out to dry.

I was busy until noon, and time was really tight, so I just cooked a pot of sweet potato porridge for lunch.

During the meal, Li Erlang seemed to suddenly remember something, got up and walked to the cabinet, and took out two round eggs from inside.

"Haven't you been hoping they'd lay eggs?"

Shen Yu's eyes lit up, and she asked in surprise, "Did you really lay an egg? When did that happen?"

Li Erlang gently placed the eggs on the table, his brows furrowing slightly: "They were laid yesterday, but haven't laid any more today. There's something wrong with these two chickens."

Shen Yu was also puzzled; the chickens' egg-laying efficiency was too low.

However, she knew in her heart that the family in Chenjia Village who sold them the chickens must have known perfectly well that they were deliberately trying to fool people by selling chickens that couldn't lay eggs.

"How about... we go to town and buy a couple of reliable ones ourselves?"

Li Erlang suddenly looked up, his gaze sharp as he stared at her: "You want to go to town by yourself?"

Ya'er also raised her bright eyes, looking at Shen Yu expectantly: "Sister, can I come with you?"

Shen Yu looked at the brother and sister with a surprised expression: "You've grown up and never been to town before?"

The Li siblings both shook their heads.

Li Erlang explained, "My older brother said there are people who take pictures of beggars outside, and he's worried about us getting into trouble. He'll take us to see them when we're older."

Having grown up to this age, they had only ever set foot in Qingshan and Chenjia Village at the foot of the mountain, and didn't even know what the town looked like.

Shen Yu was filled with regret: "It's a pity we don't have any money on us, otherwise I would definitely take you to town for a stroll. Let me think of a way..."

In the afternoon, Shen Yu took the medicine she had missed.

Although I had been in bed for several days, my spirits actually improved a lot after taking the medicine.

She took Ya'er into the woods to collect some sticks, thinking they might come in handy.

As she walked, she spotted a cluster of plump mushrooms under an old tree.

Shen Yu instantly dropped her crutch, rushed to the mushrooms, and burst into laughter: "I completely forgot, autumn is the season when mushrooms grow like crazy! We're going to make a fortune!"

Ya'er stood to the side, blinking her bewildered eyes, and muttered softly, "Has my sister gone mad from the fever?"

The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. She turned and ran back, shouting, "Second Brother! Second Brother! Sister has gone mad! She's probably delirious from the fever!"

When Li Erlang brought the flustered Ya'er back, Shen Yu had already stood up, her face beaming, and was waiting for them.

"Quickly bring the basket and sickle, we're making mushroom hot pot tonight!"

Just thinking about the delicious mushroom hot pot made Shen Yu swallow hard.

Li Erlang glanced at the cluster of mushrooms, then looked at Shen Yu with a cold face, his tone serious: "My elder brother said that many mushrooms are poisonous, and eating them indiscriminately can cost you your life. Are you out of your mind?"

Shen Yu put her hands on her hips, threw her head back, and laughed loudly: "That's because you don't recognize mushrooms, that's why you get poisoned! I happen to know quite a few edible mushrooms!"

"These mushrooms taste incredibly fresh, even better than meat, and their nourishing properties are even stronger than ginseng!"

"Especially this nest of them, they're rare termite mushrooms! You're living right here on this mountain, and you don't even know they're treasures, it's such a waste!"

Shen Yu felt more and more regretful as she talked about it, and immediately decided that she must cook a pot of chicken mushroom hot pot tonight.

She picked a whole basket full of those termite mushrooms; each one was big, white, and tender.

We also found some morel mushrooms along the way, and picked them as well.

She reluctantly left the woods as darkness fell.

When the steaming hot pot of mushrooms was served, Li Erlang and Ya'er only dared to hold their steamed buns and stare at the mushrooms in the pot, but dared not pick up their chopsticks.

Seeing this, Shen Yu first scooped up a large mouthful of mushrooms and put it in her mouth.

Even without dipping sauce, just a little lard and salt for seasoning, the umami of the mushrooms explodes in your mouth instantly, the flavor so intense it hits you right in the head, leaving you wanting more.

"Wow...it's so delicious, just a little hot, but incredibly fresh!"

Shen Yu ate until she was sweating profusely, her face full of satisfaction.

Ya'er was so engrossed in watching that she swallowed hard. If Li Erlang hadn't been holding her back, she would have pounced on it long ago to try it out.

She tugged at Li Erlang's sleeve, urgently calling out, "Sister, save some for me! Second Brother, look, Sister's eaten it and it's fine, let go of me!"

Li Erlang had been waiting for Shen Yu to test the poison, but seeing that she had no adverse reaction after eating it for a long time, he finally let go.

Ya'er immediately picked up her chopsticks and stuffed a large mouthful of mushrooms into her mouth. After chewing a couple of times, she exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! This is so delicious!"

The delicious taste almost made her swallow her tongue.

Shen Yu ate soup and steamed buns while watching them.

Seeing Ya'er's appearance, Li Erlang finally couldn't resist and also picked up a piece of mushroom to taste.

The next second, a look of amazement flashed in his eyes, and then, disregarding his image, he began to eat heartily.

Suppressing a laugh, Shen Yu asked the brother and sister, "How about it? Isn't this chicken-of-the-woods mushroom a delicacy? Why don't we pick some and sell them in town to earn some money?"