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

Ya'er clutched the hem of her new clothes, her little face filled with unease, and asked timidly, "Big brother, second brother, where's my sister? Where did she go?"

Li Xiaoyun's gaze fell on the clothes that Ya'er was holding, his brows furrowed instantly, and his face darkened.

Before he could even speak, Li Erlang interrupted, angrily shouting, "What sister! She was just a stranger passing by, she's long gone! You're not allowed to call her sister anymore!"

Ya'er was startled by Li Erlang's roar and froze, as if she had been doused with a bucket of cold water. All her expectations vanished in an instant.

She stood there blankly for a few seconds, then collapsed to the ground with a thud, bursting into loud sobs: "I want my sister! I want my sister! Waaah... Sister, don't go, I don't want her to leave..."

Seeing his sister crying, Li Erlang felt no remorse for the trouble he had caused yesterday. Instead, he gave a heavy snort and turned his head away, unwilling to look any longer.

He stormed to the stove, intending to boil water and cook rice himself, but the moment he lifted the pot lid, he froze on the spot.

The pot contains golden-yellow and green fried rice with fried pork cracklings and scallions, mixed with white rice. Next to it, a clay pot is simmering with a rich and thick mushroom soup, steaming and emitting a wonderful aroma.

This was clearly something she had prepared before she left...

Li Erlang was stunned for a long time before slowly reaching out and carefully taking out the fried rice and mushroom soup and placing them on the dining table.

He turned to look at Ya'er, who was still crying her heart out on the ground, his tone harsh yet carrying a barely perceptible hint of softness: "Do you want some of the fried rice with pork cracklings your sister made?"

Upon hearing this, Ya'er immediately scrambled to her feet, wiped away her tears, and ran into the kitchen, sobbing, "Eat! I want to eat my sister's cooking!"

Afterwards, the brother and sister sat down at the table and started eating their own food, without glancing at Li Xiaoyun at all. Li Erlang didn't even prepare a bowl or chopsticks for Li Xiaoyun.

Looking at the two children's deliberate actions, Li Xiaoyun rubbed her temples with a headache and walked helplessly to the cupboard, intending to find a bowl to serve herself rice.

But when he opened the cabinet door, he was shocked by what he saw inside: the cabinet was filled to the brim with a dazzling array of items.

A bowl of golden and crispy pork cracklings, a large basin of solidified snow-white lard, and rows of small bottles and jars that look like various seasonings.

Looking into the bamboo basket in the corner, there were many fresh vegetables, most of which were varieties that Ya'er and Li Erlang had never seen or eaten before.

Li Xiaoyun silently took a bowl and walked back to the dining table. Just as she was about to serve herself rice, she saw Li Erlang carrying a rice bowl. He first scooped a large bowl for himself, then filled a full bowl for Ya'er, and finally used chopsticks to press the rice down, leaving only a small half bowl in the bowl.

Seeing the two children's obvious "exclusion," Li Xiaoyun lost all appetite. He slammed his bowl on the table, turned, and walked out of the kitchen.

Just then, a loud "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" crowing of a rooster came from the henhouse.

Li Xiaoyun was puzzled and quickly walked over. When she lifted the curtain of the chicken coop, she was stunned: she had only bought two chickens before, but now there were five chickens in the coop, including a big rooster with bright feathers and a proud chest.

"Cluck cluck~ cluck cluck~" A hen had just laid an egg and was clucking proudly.

Hearing the commotion, Li Erlang ran over and reached into the chicken coop, where he found two warm eggs.

These are the eggs laid by the hen that Shen Yu bought yesterday; another hen had laid eggs earlier as well.

Li Erlang looked at the egg in his hand, and a long-lost smile finally appeared on his face.

Li Xiaoyun stopped Li Erlang, who was about to turn back to eat, and asked in a deep voice, "Where did these three chickens come from?"

Without looking up, Li Erlang replied, "Bought it yesterday."

After saying that, he didn't give Li Xiaoyun a chance to ask any more questions. He turned around and ran back to the kitchen, where he ate the oily, hot fried rice and mushroom soup in big mouthfuls. In his heart, he thought: After eating this meal, I'm afraid I'll never be able to eat her cooking again.

After breakfast, the sun gradually rose, and golden sunlight filled the courtyard.

Ya'er sat on the stone steps under the veranda, tightly hugging the new clothes that Shen Yu had made for her, tears silently streaming down her face, wetting the hem of the clothes.

Seeing his daughter's state, Li Xiaoyun wanted to go over and comfort her, but as soon as Ya'er saw him coming, she immediately stood up, turned around and ran back to her room, slamming the door shut.

Li Xiaoyun froze on the spot, her face instantly turning angry: So they thought of her as the villain who drove Shen Yu away?

Just as he was about to knock on the door, it suddenly opened, and Ya'er ran out carrying another set of clothes and a bag of loose silver. She choked up and said, "Big brother, sister made another set of clothes, and lots of loose silver...it's all on the table."

Li Erlang walked over, took the clothes, and held them up to himself. The length and width of the robe were clearly made to fit his body.

He murmured in shock, "It's mine... Is this for me?"

He was involved too? She even made clothes especially for him?

From the time Li Erlang could remember, the clothes he and Ya'er wore were all ready-made clothes that their eldest brother bought in town. They were either too big or too small; no one had ever made a single garment for them to be tailored to their measurements.

When he saw Ya'er holding the new clothes earlier, he didn't feel anything, but now, touching the well-fitting clothes, Li Erlang's nose suddenly stung and his eyes instantly reddened.

Li Xiaoyun picked up the bag of loose silver, tossed it in his hand, and was surprised: there was so much.

He looked at the silver in the bag, then at the two children in front of him who were immersed in grief, his face full of surprise and astonishment.

Clearly, he knew far too little about what had happened in town yesterday!

Li Xiaoyun stared at the two men and coldly ordered, "You two, tell me everything that happened yesterday, in detail!"

So, Li Erlang and Ya'er started talking back and forth, beginning with their trip to the mountains to dig for mushrooms the day before, then talking about meeting Old Man Wu on the way down the mountain, then changing their appearance after arriving in town, meeting the manager of Mingyue Tower at the market, then getting money, going to the cloth shop, and the fight at the market.

After finally escaping danger, Li Erlang went to the study, while Shen Yu changed her makeup and took Ya'er shopping.

Li Erlang wanted to keep what happened outside the study a secret, but Ya'er told him everything, including how Shen Yu protected them and how she brought them home safely.

The more Li Xiaoyun listened, the more gloomy his face became, and the lower the pressure around him seemed to drop.

Li Erlang and Ya'er's voices grew softer and softer until they fell completely silent, their heads bowed, not daring to look at him.

Li Xiaoyun sneered, her sharp gaze fixed on Li Erlang: "You two certainly had a fascinating day. Erlang, have you forgotten what I've always told you?"

Li Erlang lowered his head abruptly, his face full of shame, and his voice was barely audible: "Brother, I know I was wrong."

Li Xiaoyun clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles turning white: "I don't deny it, she protected you and did a lot for you—earning money, buying chickens, cooking, taking care of you in every possible way, no wonder you all side with her."

"But there's one thing she made wrong!"

"She shouldn't have taken you to Shanqing Town!"

"Erlang, I cannot tell you in detail where we came from or why we are hiding in these deep mountains, but you should understand my good intentions!"

Li Erlang's thin shoulders trembled slightly; he knew, of course, his elder brother's difficulties.

From the time he could remember, it was his eldest brother who personally taught him to read and write. He had no teacher or classmates; his eldest brother was not only his elder brother but also his teacher and, more importantly, a pillar of support like a father.

Therefore, he always kept his elder brother's words in mind.

Their lives were filled with hardship, and they hid on Mount Wu to avoid persecution. They could not interact much with outsiders, and only hoped to grow up safely so that they could learn the truth about their origins in the future.

but……

If the eldest brother was so cautious, why did he let that woman into their lives, and then drive her away in such a sorry state in the end?

A faint sense of grievance welled up in Li Erlang's heart, but he quickly suppressed it.

He should listen to his older brother.

If he hadn't gone to town yesterday, and if he had let Ya'er go with him alone, would his older brother not have been angry, and would she not have left?

The woman wasn't wrong. She just wanted to buy them chickens so they could eat eggs every day; she just wanted to earn some money to buy more vegetables to improve their meals; she just felt compassion when she heard them yearning for the outside world.

Li Erlang understood everything, but he couldn't blame his elder brother.

Tears, however, rolled uncontrollably from her eyes and dripped onto her clothes.

Li Erlang hurriedly raised his hand to wipe away his tears, his heart filled with astonishment: He actually cried for that woman?

When exactly did he begin to feel this reluctance to part with her?