The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

In a room of the inn...

The small room was crowded with people. The older man at the head of the group was dressed in official robes and looked like a palace eunuch.

The men beside him stood tall and straight, their eyes resolute, observing their surroundings with practiced discipline.

Wanyue and Shen Yu'an sat on the stools in the middle of the room, while Wei Siyu stood to one side.

"This servant greets the princess!" The head eunuch, Li, performed a palace salute to Princess Wanyue.

"Get up." Wanyue hadn't expected to see Eunuch Li here.

After rising, Eunuch Li bowed to Shen Yu'an and said, "This servant greets Young Master Shen."

"Greetings, Young Master Wei."

"Eunuch Li, what brings you here?"

"Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine saw your letter and specifically sent me on this journey."

"I'm handing you this reply, saying that you'll understand after reading it."

Wanyue took the letter from Eunuch Li, opened it with a nervous expression, and quickly glanced through it.

The more I looked, the more obvious the smile on her face became.

"My mother really agreed to let my cousin and me go to Xin'an County together."

Shen Yu'an was incredulous. He took the letter and read it carefully.

As expected, her aunt agreed to let Wanyue go to Xin'an County with her.

He didn't understand why his aunt did this. Xin'an County was far from the capital, and although Xin'an County was not as far from the border.

However, due to its unique location, Xin'an County has a very diverse population, with people from various countries.

Although the country is now peaceful and prosperous, its borders are frequently harassed by neighboring small countries.

Wanyue was very happy with her mother's decision, as she was completely unaware of the situation in Xin'an County.

All he knew was that his mother had told him to go out and play.

When she gets back, she must hug her mother and kiss her several times.

She turned around, crossed her arms, and made a smug face at Shen Yu'an.

See? Mother has agreed.

You wouldn't believe it, would you?

hey-hey! !

Eunuch Li noticed Shen Yu'an's worry. He walked up to Shen Yu'an and pointed to the guards beside him.

“Young Master Shen, the Imperial Concubine is aware of your concerns, and she has pleaded with the Emperor.”

"His Majesty specially dispatched a team of secret guards to protect the princess in secret."

"In addition, the Imperial Concubine also specially selected two personal maids for the princess."

"She told you to relax and that nothing would go wrong."

With things having come to this point, Shen Yu'an could only nod in agreement.

He turned around and looked at Wanyue, who had a happy face, and remembered what his grandfather had said before.

The aunt protected the princess too well, so she had no idea of ​​the hardships of life.

As a member of the royal family, he has no cunning whatsoever.

I don't know if it's a good thing or not.

"Your servant, Green Willow!"

"Your servant, Lü'e!"

"No need for formalities, sisters. I'll leave the rest to you."

"It is the duty of the servants."

After giving the imperial concubine her instructions, Eunuch Li returned to the capital.

Shen Yu'an and his companions dared not linger any longer, for if they did not hurry on their way, they feared they would not reach the next inn before nightfall.

With her mother's approval, Wanyue felt much more relaxed and chattered away, full of curiosity about everything along the way.

In Xin'an County, after seeing Manager Ma off, Shen Cao went to the general store again.

I made an appointment with the shopkeeper yesterday.

As soon as she arrived, the shopkeeper immediately went out. "Miss Shen, the matter you asked me to inquire about is quite a coincidence."

“Early this morning, Kiln Master Zheng brought his newly fired jars.”

"I left the person here, and they're having tea in the backyard right now."

"I was just about to send someone to find you."

"I didn't expect you to come."

Shen Cao was surprised that someone brought her a pillow just as she was getting ready to go to sleep.

She came specifically for the custom-made sauce jars.

She followed the shopkeeper to the backyard, where she saw the Zheng kiln owner that the shopkeeper had mentioned in the main room.

The man was about forty years old, dark-skinned and chubby, and looked very honest.

"Hello, Master Zheng."

Shen Cao was the first to greet him.

After sitting down, Shen Cao told Zheng, the kiln owner, about her needs.

After hearing Shen Cao's request, the other party nodded, "Miss Shen, making these sauce jars isn't difficult."

"It's the kind of cork you mentioned, we've never made it before."

"So we have to go back and try again."

Shen Cao nodded after hearing what Zheng, the kiln owner, said.

She originally thought that if Zheng Kiln Master couldn't make the cork stopper, then so be it, but she didn't expect him to say that he would try when he got back.

Being willing to try means that you have a certain level of confidence.

"No problem, this is indeed not easy to do."

"I just don't know how long it will take for Master Zheng to make these sauce jars? I need them urgently."

After thinking for a moment, Kiln Master Zheng said, "Give me a day first, and I'll go back and try firing a few samples."

"Once the sample is successfully made, I'll send it over for you to see."

"If I could, I would burn them in bulk."

Shen Cao readily agreed and paid the deposit.

With the custom sauce jars project progressing smoothly, Shen Cao happily left the grocery store.

As soon as they entered Shen Family Restaurant, Mother Shen came over with a letter in her hand.

"Cao'er, a messenger just delivered a letter, saying it's from the capital."

"Take a look, is it another letter from your brother?"

Did her older brother write a letter? Could it be that Shen Yu'an received her letter and wrote back?

She carefully opened the envelope and began to read.

“Mother, it’s not my elder brother’s letter, it’s Brother Shen’s reply.”

"Oh." Mrs. Shen was a little disappointed and turned to attend to her own business.

Shen Cao was surprised that Shen Yu'an and Wei Siyu had come to Xin'an County.

She thought they would wait until after the New Year to come.

Since they're coming, there are some things she needs to prepare in advance.

She put the letter away and went into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Li Xiaoyu was teaching Grandma Zhang how to wrap wontons.

Li Xiaoyu has a great talent for cooking; she can learn many dishes after being taught only once.

She's not quite good at knife skills, which require a lot of practice.

"Xiaoyu, Grandma Zhang."

"Grass".

"Little Grass Sister, you're back."

"How's it going? Has the matter been resolved?"

Shen Cao nodded.

Grandma Zhang was very grateful to Shen Cao; this young girl could be considered her benefactor.

She originally thought that she would only be able to support her granddaughter by fishing for the rest of her life.

Now, her granddaughter not only has no worries about food and drink, but has also learned a skill.

Even he himself doesn't need to get up early and work late to fish. He does easy work every day and can also spend time with his granddaughter.

The family's life is getting better and better, all thanks to this little girl who is about ten years old.

If that child hadn't been abandoned, he would be about this age now.

Sigh, she hoped that child could also survive those difficult years, just like her.

Otherwise, she would really be letting her old friend down.

I won't have the face to face her after I go down there.

"Grandma, what are you thinking about?"

"Grandma thinks that now that life is better, your parents can finally rest easy."