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

"Alright, alright, you sit down too. Why don't you try it and see?"

The old lady tugged at Zhou's mother's sleeve, "I think you're really getting senile."

After being told she was old twice, Mrs. Zhou's face flushed red. Despite her resentment, she had no choice but to sit down and angrily stuff a large chopstick into her mouth.

In her youth, she traveled far and wide with her ancestors; what hadn't she eaten? Wild yam vines are called wild game, but aren't they just grass leaves? How delicious could they be to warrant such... such...

Zhou's mother chewed it twice.

Something's not right, let me chew a couple more times... uh? Chew, chew, chew...

Her mind went blank. "How come this yam vine doesn't taste bitter at all?"

The first taste is a gentle blend of sour and sweet, with the fresh aroma of raspberries filling the mouth almost instantly, like flowers blooming overnight across the mountains. It's not overpowering, but rather full of vitality!

Then lick it with the tip of your tongue.

The yam vine is smooth, tender, and crisp, with an extremely rich texture. Its refreshing sweetness slowly covers the increasingly intense sweet and sour flavor, achieving a perfect balance—any less would be too bland, and any more would be too strong.

It's truly amazing!

The old lady was increasingly amazed by the food, and finally declared, "Lingxi, don't leave this time! Stay and learn to cook with me!"

"Hahaha! You overestimate me!"

Xu Lingxi laughed with her hands on her hips, "That day I said I wanted to show my respect to our ancestors, but I didn't know what to buy for you. So, Madam Su said, 'Why don't I cook a dish for you myself?'"

"You might be tired of the delicacies you've been eating, and you might prefer these fresh wild animals," she said, so she carefully taught me how to pick them, how to prepare them, and even helped me come up with the names.

"I followed her instructions strictly, step by step, and it tasted really good! I could never make it like that on my own."

After saying all that, she began to recount how Su Wan Ning had tried every means to prepare food for her along the way, gradually restoring her appetite.

The more Zhou's mother listened, the more she regretted it, and the more anxious she became.

This Lady Su is so meticulous and thoughtful, and her cooking skills are excellent! She really shouldn't have taken it upon herself to replace the silver given by the matriarch! She wonders what kind of temperament Lady Su has; what if she angers her?

Just then, Xuancao returned.

She held the familiar purse and a note in her hand. "Miss, you should read it yourself."

Actually, Su Wanning didn't write much on the note.

But if Xu Lingxi were to pay attention, she would definitely be able to sense the subtle emotions above and figure out what Zhou Mama had done. If she had indeed tampered with the reward money, she would be in serious trouble; if not, it wouldn't be a big deal.

But what if Xu Lingxi didn't notice at all...?

"Never mind," Su Wan Ning scoffed, quickening her pace.

She hadn't rested for a moment since entering the city that morning. By the time she finished what she needed to do, her legs were sore and aching, and she was starving.

She went straight to the noodle stall on South Street River.

I had just ordered a bowl of vegetarian noodles when I heard a familiar voice.

"That idiot will be back in two days. When that happens, you should try your best to trick her into giving you all the good stuff."

Su Wan Ning turned her body slightly to the side.

A quick glance confirmed it was indeed that ingrate Lin Jiabao.

Next to them was a vendor selling sweet drinks, and he was cuddling with his future wife, Jiang Tao'er, feeding each other.

It's fried honey cake, covered with a thick layer of oil.

"Brother Bao, don't worry, I know, but about the house..."

"She's saved up a lot of money in the palace. I've calculated it, she can definitely afford that house. And she's quite naive; as long as you make her happy, she'll be willing to give you her whole heart."

Then came the sucking sounds.

It's too greasy.

Su Wan Ning felt nauseous.

In her past life, when she returned home injured, Jiang Tao'er did take good care of her.

For example, you can stew chicken feet into "hen soup", stew a few finger-length fish into "fresh fish and tofu soup", or dig up a few wild grasses, blanch them in water, without adding salt or oil, and tell people that they are the tender tips that were picked out after being boiled all night, and that they are the most nourishing.

Out of consideration for Lin Jiabao, she forced herself to eat it. She had wanted to subtly offer some pointers on Jiang Tao'er's cooking skills, but the girl only agreed verbally and did the same thing again next time.

Looking back now, it was probably because he was impatient with taking care of himself, wanted a house, and was feeling resentful, so he deliberately tormented himself.

They all treated her like she was made of clay. But since that's the case, she should give her a chance.

Su Wan Ning lost her appetite for noodles and went straight to the clinic to buy a jar of Blood Dragon's Blood Jade Ointment.

This ointment is reddish-brown like blood and can nourish the skin and promote blood circulation.

She applied a thick layer of ointment to her right arm, wrapped it with strips of cloth, then hired an oxcart to return to the village and headed towards Shili Village.

They were discovered as soon as they approached the village.

"Whose young lady is this?"

The man looked her over carefully and was quite surprised to see the strips of cloth wrapped around her arm, with faint traces of red seeping through. "What happened to your arm?"

Su Wan Ning recognized the person, gave a bitter smile, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Aunt Wang, I... I'm Wan Ning."

"Late Ning?"

Wang Chunxiu slapped her thigh and started shouting at the top of her lungs, "Lin Lao Er's wife! Come quick! Your Wan Ning is back! Good girl, weren't you in the palace? Why are you back? Is your arm injured?"

As she spoke, she asked her daughter to fetch the village doctor.

The two went straight to the Lin family's house.

Many villagers gathered to watch the spectacle.

During the drought that year, the Lin family sold two of their daughters into the palace. Everyone said the Lin family was heartless.

But later, they discovered that the two girls not only hadn't died in the palace, but were doing very well, especially the younger one who often sent money back home! The Lin family built houses and bought land, and they actually became very wealthy.

I felt both regret and envy.

Seeing Su Wan Ning's miserable state, all sorts of guesses came to mind.

"What happened to her hand? Did a lady in the palace break it?"

"Who knows what terrible thing he did to get kicked out?"

"It's good enough that you came back alive. Making a living under someone important isn't that easy."

Su Wanning just walked away silently, without saying a word.

They quickly stopped in front of the Lin family's house.

In the courtyard, Li had already heard Wang Chunxiu's loud voice, but she had calculated the days, and the idiot would not arrive for at least two days. So why had he arrived ahead of schedule? Did that thing actually work out?

That hesitation.

When I looked up again, I met a pair of teary eyes.

Her heart, which had been pounding, calmed down slightly. Seeing the bandages wrapped around Su Wan Ning's hands, with faint traces of red, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and immediately put on a surprised expression. "Wan Ning?"

"aunt……"

Su Wanning took two quick steps, then stopped, her eyes looking timid.

"My Wan Ning, it really is you!"

Tears welled up in Li's eyes, and her voice began to choke as she rushed over.

This meal was enough for Su Wan Ning to see the layout of the courtyard clearly. She aimed at the right angle and rushed over faster and more fiercely than Li Shi, crashing headfirst into Li Shi's chest.

"aunt!"

"what!"

Li was knocked back several steps, tripped on a small stool, and fell backward to the ground.

A sharp pain shot through my chest and the back of my head, and I felt as if my soul had left my body. When I came to my senses, I felt a warm sensation on the back of my head. I reached down and touched it; it was covered in blood. I screamed, "My head!"