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

"Sister! You're overthinking it!"

Meng Lingwan immediately saw what she was thinking, picked up a plate of meat, and brought it to Meng Lingshu's nose. "Doesn't it smell good? This is a special dish made by Lady Su. What's it called again?"

The last question is directed at Su Wanning.

"Sichuan peppercorn pork belly is made by taking pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, grinding Sichuan peppercorns into powder, and mixing it with fine salt for marinating."

Su Wan Ning carefully observed Meng Ling Shu's expression and noticed that she swallowed lightly. She then explained in more detail, "Flesh and blood are sentient beings that can nourish yin and replenish deficiencies, as well as replenish the qi and blood lost due to overwork. However, they are prone to accumulating dampness, which can be resolved by using two kinds of peppers. Sichuan pepper is warm in nature and can improve fatigue, while Sichuan pepper is spicy and refreshing, specifically targeting liver stagnation and irritability."

"Then I'll try some."

Meng Lingshu listened carefully, and the fragrant, numbing aroma of meat wafted into her nose. In the end, she couldn't resist picking up a piece.

The finely chopped seasonings landed on the tip of the tongue first.

The velvety texture quickly spreads the flavor from the tongue to the entire mouth, and only when the meat lands on the tongue can you feel the grains of sand.

The double pepper flakes are specially ground in two different coarsenesses to create different layers of texture!

This young lady is indeed quite capable.

Meng Lingshu glanced at Su Wanning before taking a small bite. The fatty meat was caramelized and bursting with juice, while the lean meat was tender and juicy. Combined with the spicy and slightly numbing flavor of the two peppers, everything blended into the simplest two words: "Delicious!"

"Try wrapping the meat slices with white lettuce or perilla leaves, along with some garlic slices."

Su Wanning led her to the table in front of the barbecue grill.

Several plates of roasted meat, various side dishes, and two large bowls of cold dishes were already on the table.

The cold dishes were all made with seasonal vegetables: cucumber, celery, lotus root, tofu skin, and carrot, all shredded into thin strips, and topped with fried peanuts and black and white sesame seeds.

The other dish contained the same ingredients, but with a thick layer of chili oil added.

The colors are very bright.

"How do you eat this?"

Meng Lingshu had seen a lot of the world, but this was the first time she was at a loss for where to start.

She saw her brother-in-law carrying meat, eating with another man at a small stone table, his face glowing. Her sister, with Xiaoguo'er, and several other young women were laughing and chattering.

There are several small stools in the yard, but apart from this table full of things, there isn't a proper round table for eating.

"This method was told to me by a friend; it's called self-service barbecue."

Su Wanning gestured towards Xu Lingxi with her lip, then pointed to the table, "We can eat whatever we want, it's completely up to us. We can eat standing up or sitting down, the main point is to be comfortable."

"You can tell me what you'd like to eat, and I'll be in charge of grilling meat and vegetables today."

Qingfang was busy grilling meat, but she didn't forget to greet the guests.

"That's really strange."

Meng Lingshu smiled and shook her head twice, accepting the suggestion quickly. She picked up her own bowl and chopsticks, and selected several kinds of meat she liked. "Would you like to eat with me, Madam Su?"

"That's natural."

Su Wanning also picked up quite a lot and sprinkled chili powder on top.

The two sat down on the small stools. What did manners and elegance matter compared to the comfort they felt at that moment?

The courtyard was filled with the aroma of roasted meat and various sounds of laughter and chatter.

Lin Jiabao waited outside the courtyard gate.

But he made a mistake; he came hungry!

That day, Jiang Tao'er cried to him, saying that Su Wan Ning was going to open some kind of medicinal cuisine shop, but he didn't believe her.

But for two days in a row, that fool didn't return to the Lin family! So he went looking for him as Jiang Tao'er had told him, and then he saw one person after another entering the courtyard.

And this rich aroma! It smells like meat!

Lin Jiabao kept drooling.

My hatred grew even stronger.

He's in debt, yet she has the money to open a shop and treat outsiders to meat? If he doesn't squeeze some money out of her today, he's not a Lin!

Su Wanning was chatting with Meng Lingshu.

When people are enjoying a good meal, it's actually very easy to get information out of them, and they might even blurt out their innermost thoughts without needing to.

Meng Lingshu felt quite full, and patting her slightly bulging belly, she said to herself with self-reproach, "How could I have eaten so much?"

She feigned anger, "Lady Su, it's all your fault for making such delicious food."

"Okay, okay, it's all my fault."

Su Wanning noticed that her eyes were slightly red, as if she was about to cry, which made her even more puzzled.

Meng Lingwan clearly said that her sister had no appetite, but the way she ate the barbecue just now didn't seem like she really didn't want to eat it. But after eating it, she felt so guilty that she was about to cry.

This is very strange.

So, she deliberately let out a surprised "Huh?" and attributed the problem to her figure, "But your cheeks are rosy and you look beautiful. You're not fat at all, so why are you worried about eating too much?"

"Oh, it's not because you're fat."

Meng Lingwan looked up at the moon, her eyes slightly moist. "The drought is severe, countless refugees outside are starving, and here I am..."

She seemed to be comforting herself, "The court only provides so little money and grain, and those refugees are unruly, so why should I worry about them?"

Brown rice is rationed; if each person gets a bowl, it's barely enough to fill their stomachs. But the price of rice rises every day, and the migrants are always fighting and scrambling for it, knocking over several pots today and crippling several people tomorrow. It's both annoying and heartbreaking.

Su Wan Ning had also heard these things from the little beggars.

An ordinary wealthy merchant's wife shouldn't be so "concerned about the country and its people" unless her husband works in the government.

Meng Lingwan never revealed Meng Lingshu's identity, meaning Meng Lingshu was deliberately concealing it. She didn't want to be exposed, which most likely meant she didn't want others to "climb the social ladder" for her… Therefore, Meng Lingshu is very likely the county magistrate's wife!

The thought flashed through her mind quickly, and Su Wan Ning casually said, "If it weren't for the need to have enough to eat, no one would want to leave their hometown. So as long as the refugees are fed, they won't fight anymore."

"It's not that easy, you..."

Before Meng Lingshu could finish her rebuttal, she suddenly looked at Su Wanning, her gaze darkening slightly. "Feeding refugees? It's not as easy as you say!"

But what if we actually let them eat their fill?

Those causing trouble again can't possibly be homeless people! There's something wrong with what's been happening lately!

Su Wanning's lips parted slightly, seemingly puzzled by Meng Lingshu's attitude, but she quickly smiled and said, "If we collect bran, broken millet, and dried wild vegetables, and add a little bit of dried grass, poria cocos, and wild hyacinth beans, and cook them together into a mixed vegetable porridge, it can not only fill our stomachs but also clear away dryness and strengthen our spleen."

The door to the storage room was open, and inside were many bags of various sizes.

She pointed to several of them, saying, "We can also collect shredded radishes, dried vegetables, and pickled vegetables, which can generate income for our people. These things can then be used to help refugees. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"

Meng Lingshu pondered her words. These things were much cheaper than coarse rice. If the refugees were full and dared to cause trouble again, it would be a good opportunity to find out who it was and investigate what had happened.

She chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I'm so old-fashioned, you're right."

"Madam, please don't say that about yourself. I just happen to have been shopping these past few days and am quite familiar with these prices."

Su Wan Ning seemed completely uninterested in her identity, but a huge weight was lifted from her heart.

In his previous life, the county magistrate's entire family was exiled to Guangnan because of his improper handling of displaced people. The succeeding magistrate was a thoroughly corrupt official, and Qingshan County was later ravaged by corruption, with many fleeing and others dying, a truly tragic situation.

She's been having her children keep an eye on the refugees these past few days, hoping to see if there's anything she can do about it.

Now that we've been given a second chance, let's do our best. As for the rest, that's for the magistrate and his wife to figure out themselves.

"sister!"

Suddenly, a piercing scream rang out.

The courtyard gate was also violently kicked open, and a figure flew in backwards, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Outside the courtyard gate stood several burly men, carrying sticks, staring menacingly at the courtyard.