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

Shen Yu was thinking to herself that she needed to find a way to earn some money.

In this world, it's practically impossible to get by without money.

Her experience of being kidnapped a few days ago made her fully realize that in this hierarchical feudal dynasty, if you are alone and have no power, you can only be like a fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others.

She had neither a distinguished family background nor a powerful patron. Only by keeping money in her own hands could she avoid being passive and manipulated by others.

Moreover, she was also thinking of returning all the money Li Xiaoyun had spent on her.

So, ever since she saw that cluster of plump termite mushrooms, a clear idea popped into Shen Yu's mind.

Go to town to sell fresh mushrooms!

If the fresh mushrooms can't be sold, we'll pick them, dry them, and then sell them!

You can store some on ordinary days, and when you want to eat it in the cold winter months or next year, you can take it out anytime to make a pot of soup, which is both warming and nourishing.

Li Xiaoyun only knew that most mushrooms in the mountains were poisonous and should not be touched, but she did not know that many mushrooms were top-quality ingredients with extremely high nutritional value!

Shen Yu looked at Li Erlang and Ya'er with eager eyes. She never intended to fool these two children as if they were ignorant little kids, so she told them frankly about the business she was planning.

"There must be even more mushrooms hidden in the woods. Let's go pick them first thing tomorrow morning."

"We picked mushrooms early in the morning and carried them to the market in town to sell."

"If I can't sell them, I'll pawn my silver hairpin and get some food in return!"

"If it sells well and we make money, I'll give you and your brother 20% each. What do you think?"

This was a novel and tempting prospect for the Wen siblings, who had never traveled far from home, making it almost impossible for them to refuse.

Ya'er was so happy she almost jumped for joy, grabbing Li Erlang's arm and shaking it repeatedly: "Second Brother, Second Brother! Let's go, let's go! Let's just go to town and take a look, okay!"

Li Erlang, however, looked at Shen Yu with suspicion and a hint of wariness in his eyes: "You wouldn't be thinking of kidnapping my brother and me to sell, would you?"

Shen Yu sighed helplessly and said, "Erlang, although you are intelligent and precocious, you are as thin as a stick; Ya'er, on the other hand, eats a lot but is weak, and has been spoiled since childhood. Neither of you has the strength to do any work, who would buy you to take care of?"

"Besides, can't you trust your sister even a little bit more?"

Li Erlang gave a haughty snort and retorted defiantly, "Who acknowledges you as their older sister? Only a little fool like Ya'er would believe you!"

When Ya'er heard her second brother scold her, she angrily pounced on him, demanding an apology.

Li Erlang didn't verbally agree to sell mushrooms, but he also didn't explicitly object to Shen Yu's suggestion.

The next day, just as dawn broke.

As soon as Shen Yu and Ya'er stepped out of the house, they saw Li Erlang standing in the courtyard with a basket, waiting for them.

"Second Brother!" Ya'er excitedly rushed over.

Ya'er has been sleeping with Li Erlang for the past few days, but she sleeps very restlessly, and Li Erlang has long been exasperated by her.

At first, she would be jealous of Shen Yu, but she couldn't stand being disturbed every night and her mental state was getting worse and worse.

So last night, when Ya'er was hugging her little pillow and wanted to go back to Shen Yu's place to sleep, Li Erlang chased her away without saying a word.

Before leaving, he still reminded them at the door: "Lock the door tightly and brace it with a stool."

His eyes flickered for a moment, and after saying that, he quickly turned and left under Shen Yu's smiling gaze.

Actually, he heard noises outside that night.

He had expected Shen Yu to scream in fright, so he covered Ya'er's mouth early on to prevent her from making a sound.

Unexpectedly, Shen Yu was carried away silently, and it even seemed as if she had opened the door herself.

Why did she open the door?

Was she stupid and unaware of the danger, or... was she trying to protect the brother and sister?

Li Erlang was naturally thoughtful and exceptionally intelligent, and he quickly came up with the latter possibility.

That night, the wind and rain raged, with lightning and thunder, and a torrential downpour began.

He grew increasingly anxious, and just as he was about to lose his composure, he saw Shen Yu stumble and run back on her own...

This incident subtly changed his opinion of Shen Yu.

This seemingly delicate and troublesome woman, it seems... is not as useless as he thought.

Since we're going mushroom picking together, we naturally need to have a good meal first.

Moreover, since she didn't know how long the journey to town would take, Shen Yu decided to make a more substantial breakfast so that everyone could have a good meal.

She first put the rice in the pot to cook, and then started preparing the side dishes.

Take out the two ounces of meat left over from making hand-pulled noodles yesterday, cut it into small cubes, and set it aside for later use.

All we had at home were cabbage leaves to use as a side dish.

Before long, the rice was almost cooked. Shen Yu scooped out the cooked rice, drained it, and poured the rice water back into the pot.

I grabbed a handful of porcini and termite mushrooms and put them into the soup, seasoning it with just a little salt and lard.

Once the mushrooms are stewed until soft and flavorful, a pot of fragrant mushroom soup is served first.

Then wash the pot clean and heat it over a fire.

Pour the diced meat into the pot and stir-fry for a while to render the fat. Shen Yu then immediately cracked the two eggs from yesterday into the pot and quickly scrambled them.

Each diced meat was coated with golden egg liquid, and she then grabbed a handful of cabbage leaves and threw them into the pot to stir-fry.

Once the vegetables and diced meat are stir-fried evenly, add the drained cooked rice.

Sprinkle with a little salt and stir-fry quickly.

Shen Yu served the fried rice only when every grain of rice was distinct and the diced meat, vegetable leaves, and rice were evenly mixed and flavorful.

Unfortunately, the wild onions we collected earlier all withered and rotted before we could even plant them.

Otherwise, if wild onions were used instead of cabbage leaves, the aroma of this fried rice would definitely be even stronger.

Even with limited seasonings, Shen Yu thought the egg fried rice was quite good.

Ya'er and Li Erlang were eating this kind of food for the first time. After each taking a couple of bites, they couldn't resist and started wolfing it down.

"Sister, is this made from chicken eggs? It smells so good!"

"Could I eat this delicious fried rice every day?"

"Sister, can I eat another half bowl?"

"Sister, sister, the meal you cooked today is the best it's ever been!"

As Ya'er ate, she chattered incessantly, her mouth stuffed full, looking just like a round little pufferfish, which was extremely cute.

Shen Yu was about to respond when she heard Li Erlang say in a cold voice, "No talking while eating or sleeping! Ya'er, don't talk while you eat! If you make any more noise, you're not allowed to go to town today!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yu swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

This Li Erlang is not old, but he is quite mature for his age. However, what he said makes sense.

After being scolded by her second brother, Ya'er dared not say another word.

He immediately lowered his head and obediently ate his meal.

But when it bites into a piece of meat, it opens its curved eyes and looks at Shen Yu and Li Erlang, its face full of satisfaction and excitement. Its adorable appearance is really endearing.

Looking at Li Erlang, though he didn't say anything, he was eating with a look of great pleasure on his face.

Indeed, no matter the era, fried rice with eggs is always a favorite delicacy for children.

The three of them each had a bowl of egg fried rice, along with a bowl of delicious mushroom soup. They ate their fill and felt warm all over.

After a satisfying meal, it's time to head out and pick mushrooms.

Shen Yu tried to put down her cane, locked the door, and, carrying her basket on her back, slowly led Li Erlang and Ya'er into the dense forest.

They hadn't walked far when they indeed discovered a patch of newly grown mushrooms.

Ya'er excitedly picked up her small sickle, ready to pick some mushrooms, but Shen Yu quickly stopped her: "Ya'er! Listen to your sister, those red-umbrella-shaped mushrooms with white stems will make you sick if you eat them!"

"The more brightly colored the fungus, the more poisonous it tends to be."

"So, if you see any mushrooms, don't pick them yourself. You must ask me first. Wait until I confirm it's safe to pick them before you start, understand?"

Shen Yu rarely spoke to them in such a serious tone, and Li Erlang immediately realized the seriousness of the matter.

He held Ya'er's hand tightly and replied earnestly, "Yes."

This was the first time Li Erlang had ever been so obedient and followed her wishes, and Shen Yu's eyes lit up instantly.

Under Shen Yu's intense gaze, Li Erlang realized he had been too compliant earlier. He immediately straightened his face and pretended to be fierce, saying, "Are you going to town or not? It's getting late!"

Shen Yu couldn't help but laugh: "Go away! Erlang! Haha!"

She was overjoyed, because she could clearly see that Li Erlang's ears were burning red.

It seems that the day will not be long before we take down this stubborn but soft-hearted treacherous official!