After pampering two villainous cubs, the rough hunter becomes addicted to flirting with her.

Old Wu's eyes lit up. He had eaten preserved meat in town years ago, and just thinking about its salty and savory flavor made his mouth water.

"If he refuses to keep it, I'll buy it myself! My dear daughter, whatever you cook, whatever delicious food you make, be sure to save some for me!"

Hearing Old Wu say this, Shen Yu quickly smiled and agreed, "Don't worry, Old Wu, there will be plenty for you to eat!"

But Li Xiaoyun poured cold water on the idea, saying in a nonchalant tone, "It's too late. Of these small animals, only one rabbit and one pheasant can be kept; the rest must be sent to Mingyue Tower."

"What!?" Shen Yu and Old Man Wu stared at him in unison, their faces full of disbelief.

Li Xiaoyun glanced at Shen Yu, her tone suddenly turning cold: "Madam, you seem to have forgotten that you still have some lingering ties with Mingyue Tower."

Shen Yu felt a sudden pang of fear, instantly recalling that day outside Mingyue Tower when she had indeed bumped into Li Xiaoyun and Manager Fang of Mingyue Tower talking together.

Did they make a deal in secret?

Or is it because of myself?

Li Xiaoyun seemed to see through her thoughts and slowly said, "That Manager Fang has been sending people around every day to inquire about you. From his description of your appearance, I knew he was looking for you. So, I went to find him myself."

"He promised not to bother you anymore, on the condition that I send him a batch of fresh game."

Li Xiaoyun's gaze swept over the prey in the cave, which was why he had gone into the mountains again before dawn today.

Shen Yu felt a pang of regret. One rabbit and one pheasant were simply not enough to make preserved meat; it was such a waste!

But she quickly came to her senses. How could this be blamed on Li Xiaoyun?

She muttered under her breath, "If the eldest son hadn't been in such a hurry to send me away that day, I wouldn't have broken my promise to Steward Fang and failed to deliver that batch of mushrooms..."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaoyun looked at her in shock: "Does Madam mean that this is all my fault?"

Shen Yu chuckled twice, her eyes darting around: "Heh...heh...it's naturally my fault, it's all my fault."

"You two keep chatting, I'm going to prepare dinner!"

After Shen Yu finished speaking, she quickly slipped away as if she had oiled her feet. Although she was saddened by the loss of the preserved wild game, she did not dare to argue with Li Xiaoyun anymore.

However, she quickly cheered up—being able to eat shepherd's purse and pork buns tonight would make up for the disappointment!

Before making the steamed buns, we need to prepare the two fish that Li Xiaoyun brought back.

Shen Yu placed the fish in a wooden basin, carefully scraped off the scales, cleaned the belly, and made several diagonal cuts on the fish to help it absorb the flavor.

Next, he sliced ​​some ginger, sprinkled it with coarse salt, and poured in the strong liquor that Old Wu had left over from last time to marinate the fish.

Only after she finished preparing the fish did she begin to make the steamed buns.

Shen Yu first took the flour, added warm water to make a smooth dough, kneaded it into a large ball and placed it on a clean wooden table. She then poked a hole in the middle of the dough and poured in the remaining liquor, which was said to make the dough ferment faster.

Cover it with a clean, damp cloth, and the dough will rise in just half an hour.

While the dough was fermenting, Shen Yu washed her hands and began preparing the filling for the buns.

She cut off a third of the pork belly that Old Wu had brought, chopped it finely into minced meat, added two eggs, a handful of chopped chives, and then added appropriate amounts of soy sauce, salt, melted lard, and minced ginger. Finally, she poured in the washed and chopped shepherd's purse, stirred it evenly in one direction, and the aroma of the filling instantly wafted out.

Seeing that the filling was ready, Shen Yu went to check on the fermenting dough. When she lifted the cloth, she saw that the dough had risen to a high level and was full of fine honeycomb-like structures. It felt soft and fluffy to the touch.

She quickly placed the dough on the cutting board and kneaded it repeatedly to release the air. In no time, it became smooth and firm.

Just then, Ya'er skipped in. Shen Yu picked up a rolled-out dough sheet and handed it to her, smiling as she asked, "Would you like to learn how to make steamed buns?"

Ya'er's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly, eagerly following Shen Yu's lead.

But the buns she made were either crooked and ridiculously ugly, or the openings weren't sealed properly, and the filling was almost spilling out.

Looking at the plump, white buns her sister had made, each one perfectly shaped, and then at the "ugly thing" in her own hands, Ya'er immediately hung her head, her face full of frustration: "Sister, why are yours so pretty, while Ya'er's looks like a mud poop?"

Shen Yu patiently patted her head and taught her step by step: "I practiced many times before I could wrap it well. Ya Ya, look, you have to lift the dough up and then pinch the pleats little by little like this, and it will look nice in time."

Under Shen Yu's guidance, Ya'er gradually found the knack, and became more and more skilled at wrapping the wrapping, and a smile returned to her face.

"Sister, this looks like playing in the mud! But I can make steamed buns now, I'm so good, look!"

The steamed bun in Ya'er's hand finally took shape, and Shen Yu, looking at her adorable appearance, sincerely praised her a few times.

Two figures, one tall and one short, were busy in the kitchen, their cheerful laughter echoing through the mountain cabin from time to time.

Li Erlang, who was studying inside the house, Li Xiaoyun, who was digging the ground outside as Shen Yu had instructed, and Old Man Wu, who was wandering around, all raised their heads and looked towards the kitchen when they heard the laughter. The corners of their mouths unconsciously curled up into smiles.

I wonder what mouthwatering dishes this big and little one will make tonight?

Before long, a rich aroma of steamed buns wafted from the kitchen, and one after another, steaming hot buns were brought to the table, each about the size of Li Xiaoyun's fist!

The buns have white and tender skin, steaming hot and fragrant, making your mouth water at first glance.

Although there was still a bowl of rice porridge for each person on the table, everyone's eyes were instantly forgotten in the face of these dozens of tempting steamed buns.

"These buns feel so soft and smell so good." Old Wu couldn't resist and picked one up despite the heat.

Li Erlang also took one, smelled it, and said softly, "It does smell good."

Ya'er was the third to pick up a steamed bun, but instead of eating it herself, she handed it to Li Xiaoyun, tilting her little face up and saying, "Big brother, Ya'er made this! You should try it!"

Looking at the crooked, ugly bun in Li Xiaoyun's hand, Li Erlang and Old Wu secretly rejoiced that they had acted quickly and hadn't gotten one like that.

Before they could even catch their breath, Ya'er quickly grabbed two ugly steamed buns and placed them in front of Li Erlang and Old Man Wu, saying in a clear voice, "Second Brother, Grandpa Wu, you should eat Ya'er's buns first! Ya'er's buns are ugly, so you have to eat them first!"

After saying that, she picked out two more decent-looking steamed buns, placing one in front of herself and the other next to Shen Yu's seat.

The three men, Li Erlang, Li Xiaoyun, and Old Man Wu, were all silent as they looked at the ugly steamed bun in front of them, their faces full of helplessness.