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

Shen Yu's heart sank suddenly, and she knew something was wrong.

After witnessing Li Xiaoyun's overwhelming rage today, she finally understood that this rough man not only didn't want his younger siblings to show their faces in public, but probably also didn't want to have much contact with outsiders from the foot of the mountain.

So, by agreeing to let Old Man Wu come to our house for dinner without permission, she must have seriously offended him and violated his taboo!

But she was innocent; she had no idea he would suddenly return today.

If she had known earlier, she wouldn't have caused all this trouble, even if she had a hundred times the courage.

Now that things have come to this, no amount of regret or remorse will change anything.

Shen Yu quickly wiped the water droplets off her hands with her apron, then limped into the yard, leaning on her crutches, intending to step forward and smooth things over.

Before she could even speak, Li Xiaoyun was already standing in the middle of the courtyard, completely blocking Old Man Wu who had just entered. The atmosphere between the two was tense.

Shen Yu quickly stepped forward and explained, "Young Master, this is Elder Feng from Fangjia Village in the mountains. We were able to get to town today thanks to Elder Feng for giving us a ride in his donkey cart, so I agreed to treat him to a meal as a token of my gratitude."

The courtyard fell into a deathly silence, and even the rustling of the leaves in the wind could be heard clearly.

After a long pause, Old Wu broke the silence with a few dry laughs: "Ha...haha...Big Brother, when did you get back? I remember you went hunting in the mountains a few days ago, didn't you?"

"Now that you're back, you'd better send me some of the best game tomorrow!"

"You have no idea how much I crave that game! Just thinking about it keeps me up at night!"

Li Xiaoyun slowly raised her eyes and replied calmly, "How about the pheasant?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yu was startled and realized that Li Xiaoyun and Old Man Wu had known each other for a long time!

Moreover, judging from this situation, Old Wu is one of Li Xiaoyun's regular customers!

However, upon further reflection, it was indeed the first time Old Wu had come up the mountain today, and he had never met Li Xiaoyun's younger brother and sister before. So it was true that he did not recognize Li Xiaoyun when they first met at the foot of the mountain during the day.

Since the two already knew each other, it was up to them to decide whether Old Man Wu should stay or leave; she couldn't interfere.

Shen Yu turned around and hurriedly returned to the stove, picked up the spatula and stirred the hot oil in the pan, preparing to continue cooking.

She first scooped out the fried oil residue, and then used the boiling hot oil in the pot to fry the radish balls.

In no time, a pot of golden radish balls was fried and filled a large bowl. They smelled delicious and were crispy and crunchy.

Looking at the bowl of meatballs, Shen Yu thought to herself that when she left tomorrow, Ya'er would have these meatballs as snacks to satisfy her cravings, which would be much better than drinking thin porridge every day.

She ladled out the excess lard and carefully placed it in the innermost corner of the stove before starting to stir-fry the vegetables.

Before long, a rich aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, gradually filling the entire yard and making everyone's stomachs rumble.

Inside the room, Li Erlang was reading a book when he smelled the aroma. Suddenly, his stomach rumbled loudly, and he quickly clutched his stomach, looking annoyed.

He thought to himself: "This woman will be gone tomorrow. I'm afraid I'll never be able to eat such delicious food again. What hope is there for me in this life?"

Young and impetuous, he made up his mind to eat until he was stuffed tonight, preferably until he was sick of the girl's cooking, so that he wouldn't miss it anymore!

Unable to resist the allure of the aroma, Ya'er rubbed her red eyes and ran into the kitchen, tugging at Shen Yu's clothes, calling out in her soft, delicate voice, "Sister... Sister..."

Seeing this, Shen Yu pinched a few steaming hot radish balls and handed them to her.

Ya'er took the dumpling, blew on it with a "hissing" sound, and skipped away.

Before long, the sound of crunching meatballs being bitten could be heard from the courtyard. The sound, mixed with the aroma, made Old Wu's mouth water.

He paced back and forth in the yard, rubbing his hands together repeatedly, his eyes filled with eagerness and anticipation.

Suddenly, he stopped and looked at Li Xiaoyun, who was still chopping wood in the darkness of the corner of the courtyard. He leaned closer and asked, "Big Brother, how's your cousin's cooking? Just smelling it, I know it's going to be pretty good! She won't disappoint me later, will she?"

Old Wu was still a little apprehensive, worried that his expectations were too high and the food might not taste as good as he hoped. He feared that his disappointment would be too obvious and would embarrass the young woman.

When Li Xiaoyun heard the word "cousin," she was stunned for a moment before realizing that Old Man Wu was referring to Shen Yu. Her brows furrowed, and she was about to speak when Old Man Wu raised his hand to interrupt her.

"Forget it, forget it, you'd better just shut up!"

"With your personality, you wouldn't even know how to cook the finest delicacies, let alone appreciate the finest flavors. Even if I put delicious food in your mouth, all you'd probably say is 'delicious,' without understanding the slightest nuance of appreciation!"

"Tsk tsk, speaking of which, I heard that the young lady sold the mushrooms to Mingyue Tower today, and Mingyue Tower even offers a seasonal cured meat and mushroom soup hot pot!"

"That soup pot costs five taels of silver a bowl! That's highway robbery!"

"If only your cousin could make me a mushroom hot pot tonight, so I could satisfy my craving."

Upon hearing the words "Mingyue Tower," Li Xiaoyun abruptly interrupted Old Wu's reverie, her tone tinged with wariness: "Mingyue Tower? What's going on?"

Upon seeing this, Old Wu quickly covered his mouth, looking full of regret.

"This...I...I promised that young lady that I would keep her secret after eating her meal!"

"It seems your cousin is still in the dark, so I'd better not say anything more!"

After saying that, Old Wu dashed off to the kitchen as if he had oiled his feet. His movements were so nimble that he didn't look like an old man at all; he was just like a mischievous old man.

Li Xiaoyun narrowed her eyes, a thoughtful look flashing in them. It seemed she would have to have a good talk with Erlang about what happened in town today!

Just then, Shen Yu's soft voice came from the kitchen: "Erlang, Ya'er, dinner's ready!"

Li Xiaoyun stood frozen in place, a bitter feeling rising in her heart: Could it be that just because they had fallen out, she wouldn't even call her for dinner?

In fact, Shen Yu wasn't that petty at all; she just didn't know how to break the deadlock between them.

Besides, she was too lazy to bother trying to mend the relationship; after all, tonight's dinner was just a farewell dinner.

During this time of cooking, she had already figured it out: who can't live without whom?

Anyway, she had left some impression on Li Erlang and Ya'er. Even if they met again in the future, they should at least help her out of consideration for their past relationship, right?

Moreover, in this life, she only wants to live a peaceful and ordinary life as an ordinary citizen, so she probably doesn't need this favor.

Having figured all this out, Shen Yu's mood instantly brightened.

Let's part amicably. Li Xiaoyun has never treated her badly; on the contrary, he saved her life and helped her with Zhang Hexuan's matter.

On the contrary, it was I who, without his consent, took his younger siblings to town, which definitely crossed his bottom line.

The kitchen was steaming, and the dining table was laden with dishes.

A large bowl of fragrant mushroom and meatball soup, a large plate of tender wild mushroom and meat stir-fry, and golden, tempting fried radish balls, with red and white tomato and egg stir-fry that is even more eye-catching.

On the table were five bowls piled high with white rice, and next to them was a small dish of crispy fried pork cracklings.

Shen Yu specially brought out this dish of fried pork cracklings. She was thinking that she would be leaving tomorrow and wouldn't be able to eat it anymore, so she simply brought it out for everyone to try. Actually, there was a whole big bowl of it hidden in the cupboard.

Whenever Li Xiaoyun wanted to improve the children's meals, using these pork cracklings to make soup or stir-fry was incredibly convenient.

"Wow!! Sister, are we celebrating Chinese New Year?"

Ya'er wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, eagerly climbed onto the stool, and stared wide-eyed at the table full of dishes.

Looking at the sumptuous meal on the table, Li Erlang couldn't help but swallow hard, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Old Wu clapped his hands and cheered, praising without reservation, "Excellent, excellent! Just looking at the presentation and the aroma, your young lady's cooking skills are already eighty percent there. Quick, get me a bowl and pour me some wine!"

Shen Yu replied, "Okay, please sit down."

She paused, then turned around and took a bowl for Li Xiaoyun, who was standing to the side, and placed it on the table.

Old Wu poured the wine, but instead of drinking it, he picked up his chopsticks and tasted each dish one by one.

He had never seen this way of making scrambled eggs with tomatoes before. The sweet and sour taste, combined with the tender eggs, was amazing.

The wild mushroom and meat slices were so incredibly fresh that he almost swallowed his old tongue.

And this mushroom and meatball soup! The meatballs are smooth and bouncy, and the mushrooms are crisp and soft. After a sip of the hot soup, he felt so comfortable that he almost floated away and wished he could ascend to heaven!

As for the fried radish balls, they were just as I imagined—crispy, crunchy, and fragrant, with more and more flavorful the more you chewed them!

The dishes weren't particularly fancy in appearance, but each one tasted absolutely delicious, exceeding his expectations.