My sister, whom I raised, has turned evil after faking her death for three years.

Su Qing stood in the kitchen, wearing a light gray apron, holding a spatula in her hand, and a smell that was hard to describe was emanating from the wok in front of her.

Three plates of cooked dishes were laid out on the counter... if the word "cooked" isn't too far-fetched.

The first dish was a dark brown, lumpy mess. The original plan was to make braised pork ribs, but something went wrong and the finished product looked more like a pile of charcoal that had been forgotten in the oven and overcooked.

The second dish was a yellowish-green paste. I originally intended to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes, but the oil was too hot when I poured the eggs into the pan, and I was three seconds too late in flipping it. In the end, it turned into something somewhere between scrambled eggs and pancakes.

The third dish was recognizable as green vegetables, but the leaves had been cooked to an almost transparent dark green, and water was still dripping from them when picked up with chopsticks, like a defeated general who had given up the fight.

Su Qing looked at the three dishes, remained silent for two seconds, and then asked in her mind in a very calm tone, "System, analyze this."

[Analyzing...]

The system's voice remained the same emotionless, synthesized electronic tone: [First dish, braised pork ribs, the degree of caramelization exceeds the edible standard by 300%, the estimated benzo[a]pyrene content exceeds the standard, and the carcinogenic risk rating is C.]

[The second dish, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, showed excessive protein denaturation leading to complete structural damage. The distribution of seasonings was also highly variable, with sodium content varying by as much as twenty times across different areas of the dish.]

[The third dish, boiled green vegetables, has completely lost its vitamin C and its dietary fiber structure has broken down. Currently, the main components of this dish are water and cellulose residue.]

It paused for a moment, as if making a difficult summary.

[Overall conclusion: It's edible. However, it's not recommended. The level of recommendation is strong.]

Su Qing looked down at the three dishes, put down the spatula in her hand, picked it up again, sighed, and reached out to untie the straps of her apron.

"I'm ordering takeout."

She had just turned around when she saw Jiang Ran had come out of the room at some point and was standing at the kitchen door.

  

The little one, wearing the newly bought dress and holding the white lop-eared rabbit in her arms, stood on tiptoe and peered at the kitchen counter.

Her gaze fell on the three dishes, her eyes widening slightly, not out of disdain, but with a curious surprise.

"Did my sister make this?" she asked softly.

Su Qing opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Jiang Ran had already walked to the counter, tiptoed to pick up a pair of chopsticks, and carefully reached for the darkest-colored braised pork ribs.

Her movements were slow but firm. When she picked up a piece of shiny black pork rib, her chopsticks trembled slightly, the rib dangling on the tip of her chopsticks, and a drop of dark broth dripped onto the counter.

Su Qing grabbed her wrist: "Don't eat."

Jiang Ran turned to look at her, her expression serious: "It smells... nice."

Su Qing was taken aback.

Indeed, while it may be burnt and charred, the caramelization reaction of soy sauce and sugar at high temperatures still gives off an enticing caramel aroma.

However, smelling delicious and tasting delicious are two completely different things, and she was well aware of the actual destructive power of her three dishes.

"It's better not to eat it."

Su Qing took the ribs from Jiang Ran's chopsticks and put them back on the plate, a rare blush of embarrassment appearing on her face. "I ordered takeout, it'll be here in fifteen minutes."

Jiang Ran was led away from the kitchen by her wrist. As they walked, she glanced back at the three dishes, then looked up and said in a small but earnest voice, "What my sister made... must be delicious."

Su Qing paused for a moment.

She looked down at Jiang Ran, who was looking up at her with her big, dark eyes filled with nothing but pure, heartfelt trust, without any flattery or politeness.

In her mind, everything her older sister gave her was good: hot steamed buns were good, strawberry milk was good, a new dress was good, so the food her sister cooked must also be good.

Su Qing bent down and gently tapped Jiang Ran's nose with her index finger.

"You're so sweet-talking."

Jiang Ran blinked when her nose was tapped, her nose wrinkled slightly, but the corners of her mouth curled up into a small arc.

Holding the rabbit, she was led by Su Qing to sit down at the dining table.

Then Su Qing returned to the kitchen, ruthlessly dumped the three dishes into the trash can, thought for a moment, then soaked the plates in the sink. While waiting for the takeout, she leaned against the counter, took out her phone, opened the notes app, and typed a new line under "To-Do Items".

Learn to cook.

Cooking skills need to be practiced.

Since we're going to take good care of this little guy, we can't just eat takeout every day.

When I lived alone, it didn't matter; I could just eat instant noodles or takeout. But now that there's a little one in the house who needs extra nutrition, those makeshift solutions won't work anymore.

Then she typed another line: Three dishes to start, at least edible.

She read the memo twice, then added three more lines: braised pork ribs, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and green vegetables. Then she locked the screen and placed her phone on the counter.

The system spoke in her mind: [Host, you've finally decided to face your shortcomings in cooking skills.]

[Based on learning curve models, if you practice three times a week, you should be able to reach an average level of home-cooked cooking in about two months.]

"Two months?"

[This is an optimistic estimate.]

Su Qing ignored it and picked up her phone to open a cooking tutorial app.

When the takeout arrived, Jiang Ran was already sitting obediently at the table waiting.

Su Qing opened the lunch boxes one by one: sweet and sour pork, garlic broccoli, steamed egg with shrimp, a bowl of winter melon and pork rib soup, plus two bowls of rice.

Steam rose, filling the entire restaurant with the aroma of food.

Jiang Ran picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of sweet and sour pork and put it in her mouth, puffing out her cheeks as she slowly chewed.

Su Qing sat opposite her, eating while making plans in her mind.

school.

Jiang Ran is seven years old. According to the normal school enrollment age, she should be starting first grade this year.

Having stayed at that beast's house for almost two years, he definitely didn't go to school.

School is about to start, and if we want her to get into a nearby primary school, we need to get her household registration transferred and enrollment procedures sorted out first. She's not afraid of these things, though, because she has the system with her; it also handled her previous adoption procedures.

Then comes the entrance assessment... Given the little guy's current mental state, will he be able to adapt to a normal classroom environment?

Will I be bullied by other children?

Will I be unable to say a single word when the teacher asks me a question?

She added another entry to her memo: Contact the school. Admission assessment. Mental preparation.

Su Qing looked up at Jiang Ran across from her, who was struggling with a shrimp. The little girl tried several times with her chopsticks but couldn't pick it up. Instead of asking for help, she changed her angle and slowly and patiently continued to try. Finally, she managed to pick up the shrimp steadily into the bowl.

A small but satisfied expression appeared on her face, and then she looked up at Su Qing.

Su Qing looked away and added another line to her memo.

I'll buy an elementary school math textbook tomorrow and read it through myself first.