My whole family sucked my blood; after being reborn, the little cook went on a killing spree.

The shop has a great location, facing the street and next to the South Street River. It's a food stall, and after some renovations, it will be open for business soon. There's also a large courtyard connected to the back of the shop, with three rooms that people can live in. The courtyard is also fully equipped with a well, vegetable plots, and an outhouse.

The price is also much cheaper than other courtyards.

In her past life, she had wanted to buy this shop and give it to Lin Jiabao, who was about to get married. The couple could sell some food, which would be a good business.

Lin Jiabao outwardly agreed, but behind Jiang Tao'er's back, he instigated her to make a scene, insisting on having that big courtyard across the river.

If they don't buy it, we won't get married.

Su Wan Ning didn't want to do something good that would backfire, so she had to sell a few more recipes to raise enough money to buy a house. Now that she thought about it, it turned out the two of them had already chosen a place and were just waiting for her, the sucker, to come back and pay them.

This time, she wanted to see if the two of them would be willing to get married without a house.

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Su Wan Ning made an excuse, "I have a friend who's a broker. She told me beforehand that the shop was good and that the price would drop in a few days. Yesterday, when I went into town, I went to pay the deposit to her."

"Wow, that's impressive! You've already secured the shop as soon as you got back. I was thinking of selling my shop and partnering with you."

Xu Lingxi looked regretful. "What do we do now? You have a shop and you have the skills. How can I partner with you now!"

This was something Su Wanning really hadn't expected.

Why would a rich young lady like her want to do business with me?

Having no foundation of his own, partnering with Xu Lingxi would be entirely beneficial—unless Xu Lingxi later uses her power to intimidate him and forcibly seize his shop!

The food stall is the foundation of her future livelihood. She wants to expand the stall, make a lot of money, and gain a great reputation before returning to the capital to reclaim everything that belongs to her. She absolutely cannot let Xu Lingxi take away everything that she has just made a name for herself.

But Xu Lingxi doesn't seem like that kind of person... No, no, I must not trust her so easily.

This matter needs further careful consideration.

Su Wan Ning looked helpless. "Miss Xu is of noble birth. How can she open a shop with a commoner like me? Besides, running a food shop is tiring. You have to get up early."

"Never mind then."

Upon hearing that she had to get up early, Xu Lingxi immediately abandoned the idea.

The ancestor, however, glanced at Su Wan Ning and smiled as he spoke of the Spring Mountain Snow Plum Blossom dish.

The three chatted and laughed, and soon Zhou Mama returned. She then ordered the maids to serve the meal, and the table was quickly set.

Among the four cold dishes, there was one dish of salted loach.

The loach was skinned, cut into thin strips, and drizzled with plum honey water. It was cool, refreshing, and not fishy, ​​making it very appetizing.

In addition, there is also a dish of crystal lotus root, which is sliced ​​into translucent thin slices and then soaked in mint syrup. The method is simple, but the taste is extremely sweet and crisp.

The drought meant no new lotus roots; the Li family's resources were deeper than she had imagined.

The hot dishes were even more plentiful, including loach and tofu, bamboo shoot and walnut chicken, braised egg with mushrooms and minced meat, stir-fried fish fillets that were obviously prepared for Xu Lingxi, and candied jujube pastries for Su Wan Ning.

The main soup is Solomon's Seal Chicken Soup, which suits the tastes of our ancestors. The soup is clear and not oily, and it can relieve dryness and heat and replenish qi and blood. The main dishes are several baskets of small buns with various fillings and a dish of Poria and Yam Ointment.

This pomp and circumstance is better than that of many concubines in the palace.

Su Wan Ning made no attempt to hide her amazement, praising her lavishly. She then ate until she was completely full, much to the delight of the old ancestor, who insisted that she stay and be fattened up.

Xu Lingxi pretended to be jealous, and after finishing her meal, she quickly ran away with her people.

The two returned to their courtyard. Xu Lingxi's expression was solemn. "From now on, you're not allowed to call me Miss Xu anymore! Since you said you don't mind what happened with Mother Zhou, then we're friends from now on. Wouldn't it be better to just call each other by our names affectionately?"

"...Okay, Miss Xu."

Su Wan Ning agreed, then noticed Xu Ling Xi glaring at her and realized what was happening. "Ah, okay, Ling Xi?"

"Yes, that's more like it. Let's talk in bed."

Xu Lingxi pulled her onto the bed. "Let me tell you, you really need to be careful about your aunt's family. Zhao the镖头 (bodyguard) is acting very strangely, and, uh, don't be angry when I say this."

"What's wrong? Tell me."

Su Wanning was genuinely curious.

"My ancestor was very strict about my friendships. As soon as she heard that your family was in Shili Village, she sent people to investigate. But she found out that your uncle and that younger brother were lazy and good-for-nothing. They didn't farm, and they didn't work hard at any of the odd jobs they did. They were always cheating and shirking their duties."

"Whenever your aunt has money, she eats, drinks, and buys things; she doesn't seem like someone who lives a proper life."

"And Zhao, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), is very strange; he doesn't seem like a proper镖师 at all."

Xu Lingxi counted on her fingers.

Su Wan Ning's smile slowly faded. "Actually, I also felt something was strange. Perhaps because I'd been cooking so much on the way here, my arm felt a bit uncomfortable, so I bought some ointment and applied it. But after I got home, my aunt actually…"

She seemed reluctant to speak.

"What's wrong with her?" Xu Lingxi asked anxiously.

Su Wan Ning's eyes were filled with doubt, and her face with confusion. "She mistook the ointment on my hand for blood. Before I could even explain, she immediately insisted that my wrist was broken? She even told others that I'm a cook, and that I won't be able to chop vegetables or flip woks anymore... Then she said it's okay, that she'll take care of me for the rest of my life..."

"!!!"

Xu Lingxi sat up abruptly. "Don't be afraid, I will definitely send someone to find out the truth! They are definitely up to something! And your arm and wrist, I'll have the royal physician take a good look at them later!"

At the same moment, our ancestor also lay down.

Mother Zhou bowed and replied, not only recounting what she had seen and heard that morning, but also finding out about Lin Mao being beaten. "This old servant watched as that boy pushed someone out of the outer courtyard. I never expected it to be Su Niangzi's uncle, who tricked us into coming here and ruining so many hams for nothing."

"What a waste of such good ingredients! Has the ham already been destroyed?"

The old ancestor's voice was devoid of emotion.

"Yes, that steward surnamed Feng was afraid that the guests would get sick from the food, so he did not take Su Niangzi's advice and destroyed all the ham overnight. In addition to the seventy taels that Lin Mao paid as compensation, he also added eighty taels himself."

"He's cautious enough to know what's most important; he might get a promotion sometime. Also, when Lady Su goes back, you should personally escort her; she's a pitiful child, so give her some support."

The old ancestor suddenly smiled and said, "He's also a clever and principled one."

Mrs. Zhou agreed, inwardly concurring with the sentiment that her daughter might mature faster by associating with such a person.

The breathing inside the room gradually became longer and more even.

The sun sank lower and lower until it illuminated half the sky in fiery red.

Every household put away their farm tools, lit their cooking fires, and prepared to eat or rest.

An astonishing piece of news suddenly reached Shili Village and the ears of the Lin family.

Zhao the镖头 has gone missing.