With three superpowers at his fingertips, he could dominate the 1970s.

Once inside the courtyard, Su Wanqing was like a completely different person.

As soon as she entered, she took off her coat, rolled up her sleeves, and headed straight for the kitchen. Ma Fangli was tidying up in front of the stove when she saw Su Wanqing rush in and was stunned for a moment. Before she could ask what was going on, Su Wanqing had already opened the cupboard and started rummaging through the pots and pans.

"Fangli, help me move that big steamer out and boil another pot of water."

Ma Fangli responded and busied herself quickly. Su Wanqing stood in front of the stove, tied her apron around her neck, glanced back at the living room, and couldn't suppress the smile on her face.

Jiang Zhiyu sat on the living room sofa, while Seventeen muttered to himself in his mind, "Host, your mother's state is like she's been injected with chicken blood."

She didn't reply, but simply picked up her teacup and took a sip.

The commotion in the kitchen grew louder. Su Wanqing rummaged through drawers and cupboards looking for seasonings, while Ma Fangli handed her plates. The two worked together enthusiastically. Jiang Zhiyu leaned back on the sofa and listened for a while, vaguely sensing that something was amiss.

Sure enough, Su Wanqing suddenly poked her head out from the kitchen, glanced around the living room, and then walked straight over and grabbed Jiang Zhiyu's wrist.

"Come with me for a moment."

Ma Fangli glanced up, then lowered her head again to continue chopping vegetables, without asking anything.

Su Wanqing pulled Jiang Zhiyu into the inner room, closed the door behind her, and said in a low voice, "Bring me a basket of seafood later, the big kind."

Jiang Zhiyu paused for a moment, then looked down at her mother. Su Wanqing's eyes sparkled, and the corners of her mouth turned up; her barely suppressed joy was evident in her eyes and brows.

"Mom, you really don't hide it at all anymore."

"What's there to be shy about? I'm happy today, and I just want to eat that stuff."

Jiang Zhiyu chuckled. Her mother used to be very cautious, always glancing at anyone who walked by in the yard, but today she was genuinely overjoyed.

"Okay, my mom wants to eat it, so we have to make sure. Is there anything else?"

"Give me one of those big fish too!"

"Okay, I'll bring it over to you in a bit."

Su Wanqing patted her hand, turned to leave, then looked back at her for a second, her gaze lingering on her face before pushing open the door and walking out.

Seventeen thought to himself, "Host, your mother is getting more and more savvy."

"Of course, that's how enlightened my mom is now. But if she wasn't so happy today, she wouldn't have said that, you believe me?"

"Then I truly believe her. She'd rather hide you in a crack in the ground so no one can see you, lest someone discover your secret and come to harm you."

Jiang Zhiyu did not refute it; what she said was correct.

She went into her room, closed the door behind her, and pulled a bamboo basket out of her storage space. She placed two enormous king crabs inside, their legs almost as long as her arm when spread out. She also grabbed two pounds of large prawns, each the size of a palm, their shells gleaming with a bluish-green light. She then picked up some shellfish and abalone, arranging them neatly at the bottom of the basket.

Carrying the basket to the kitchen, Su Wanqing saw that the things her daughter handed her were still leaking water, and gave her a reproachful glare.

"Look how wet it is! What will happen if someone sees it?"

As she spoke, she carried the basket to the sink, turned her body to block Ma Fangli's view, drained the water, and then placed it on the cutting board.

Ma Fangli leaned closer to take a look, and her eyes immediately lit up.

"Auntie, this seafood is so fresh! But some of it I've never seen before. What's this? And why is this crab so big? I don't know how to cook it."

"It's okay, just do what you can do, I'll take care of the rest."

Su Wanqing deftly flipped the king crab over to examine it, weighed it in her hand, and her face was full of satisfaction. Ma Fangli helped wash the shellfish, muttering about how much it cost per pound, but Su Wanqing smiled without answering.

Jiang Zhiyu stood at the kitchen door for a while, then turned and walked out. As soon as she stepped into the yard, a strong, salty smell of seafood wafted over, making her stomach clench and causing her to pause.

Seventeen immediately said, "Host, your sense of smell is now more than three times more sensitive than a normal person's. You can't stand the smell of seafood."

"knew."

She didn't go back into the kitchen. Instead, she moved a chair to sit under the grape trellis in the yard, basking in the afternoon sun, and closed her eyes.

Ma Fangli was busy in the kitchen, barely having time to breathe. Su Wanqing's skills were clearly superior; she demonstrated exactly how to dismantle and chop the king crab, and how to devein and devein the prawns. Ma Fangli assisted her, occasionally asking questions, but Su Wanqing was patient and taught her step by step.

...

When Zhuge Liang and Xu Yunzi returned from outside in the afternoon, they smelled a fresh aroma even before entering the courtyard.

Old Zhuge pushed open the door and saw that the table in the main room was already full of dishes. In the middle, two huge red king crabs lay on a plate, next to which a plate of boiled prawns was piled up like a small mountain, along with steamed fish, garlic shellfish, and salt and pepper abalone. There were about ten dishes in total, with a mix of meat and vegetables.

He rubbed his hands together and glanced around the table.

"Girl, it's not even Mid-Autumn Festival yet, how come this is so lavish? There's even king crab! That stuff is hard to come by, it must have been Zhiyu who got it."

Su Wanqing came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of cucumber salad, smiling as she replied, "Of course, my daughter had someone bring it from Hong Kong. We're just having some fun today."

"Alright, then we're in for a treat today."

Xu Yunzi followed him in, washed his hands, and sat down at the table. Hua Xinsheng ran over from the courtyard. The child looked very clever now. As soon as he entered the house, he looked around and immediately came up to Jiang Zhiyu.

"Sister Jiang, Sister Jiang!" The voice even had a slight foreign accent.

Jiang Zhiyu casually took out two milk candies from her pocket and handed them to him. Hua Xinsheng took them and smiled so hard his eyes narrowed. He obediently ran to sit down next to Su Wanqing.

Qi Zhengli and Liu Hong also arrived. Ma Fangli brought out the last dish, and everyone sat down around the table.

Su Wanqing ladled a bowl of soup for her daughter and placed it in front of her. Jiang Zhiyu took it, drank a sip, put down her chopsticks, and picked up a piece of cucumber salad.

As everyone started eating, Qi Zhengli picked up his wine glass first.

"Come on, come on, today's a good day, let's have a toast first."

The men clinked glasses and downed their drinks in one gulp. Qi Zhengli put down his glass and couldn't hold back any longer.

"Zhiyu, can we go back to work? The country needs manpower right now, and I think we should all be back at our posts. With the resumption of the college entrance exam this year, schools will definitely be short-staffed."

Jiang Zhiyu looked up at Zhuge Yunhe.

Old Zhuge touched his chin; there was no beard in that spot, so he didn't feel embarrassed at all when he touched nothing.

"That should be fine. I haven't seen anyone tailing us lately. But your safety should still be the priority." He glanced at Qi Zhengli and Liu Hong. "You two are alright; you're originally from Beijing and have positions here."

He then turned to look at Jiang Boxun and Su Wanqing.

"What about you? Do you also want to go back to your posts?"

Jiang Boxun put down his chopsticks and thought about it seriously.

"We still want to go back to school. But since Zhiyu is in Kyoto now, we want to be closer to her."

Su Wanqing nodded beside her, meaning the same thing.

"Alright, I understand. I'll coordinate things for you in the next couple of days. You can take up your posts here, closer to Zhiyu, so you'll feel more at ease. Plus, security is stricter here." Zhuge Yunhe paused, "Even though those people keeping watch are gone, we still need to be prepared."

Jiang Boxun nodded knowingly.

"That makes sense. Especially now that our country has resumed the college entrance examination, the number of talented people will definitely increase. Once they are trained, there will only be more spies."

Su Wanqing didn't respond to that question; her gaze fell on the bowl in front of her daughter. Jiang Zhiyu hadn't touched any seafood today, only eating light and refreshing cold dishes. Su Wanqing glanced at her for a couple of seconds but didn't ask any further questions, assuming her daughter had just eaten too much and didn't feel like eating much today.

The old men didn't notice these details. After a few rounds of drinks, the conversation flowed more and more freely, and before long, Old Zhuge's eyes welled up with tears.

"Things are different now, our country is different now. Once the college entrance exam is relaxed, talent won't be as scarce as before. Those who get in will be based on genuine ability and knowledge."

Xu Yunzi nodded in agreement, his voice a little hoarse.

"I heard that many of those who were wrongly accused in the cowsheds have been exonerated and returned to the city."

"Yes, they suffered terribly." Qi Zhengli put down his wine glass, his hand resting on the table. "We were only there for two months, and we almost didn't make it. Thinking about those who suffered for years down there, those who couldn't endure it, it's truly heartbreaking."

The table was silent for a few seconds.

Ma Fangli stood beside them, holding Song Sirui, her head bowed. Hua Xinsheng quietly ate his rice, saying nothing. Su Wanqing paused, her chopsticks in hand, and looked at Jiang Boxun, who was drinking silently, his head down.

Jiang Zhiyu slammed the cup down on the table.

"Have you all forgotten your original intentions? Today is for celebration, not for dwelling on past grievances. Whether the path you took was right or wrong, it's in the past. You should now pull yourselves together and look forward."

Everyone at the table was stunned by her sudden action. They looked at each other, and then Qi Zhengli laughed first.

"Yes, yes, the child is right. It's some of us who lose our composure after a few drinks."

Old Zhuge wiped his eyes with his sleeve and picked up his wine cup again.

"Come on, look ahead, look ahead."

The cups clinked together with a crisp sound.