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

At first, Aunt Lvwu and Aunt Lv'e were a little embarrassed, but after they took their first bite, they didn't care about being impolite anymore.

Moreover, the whole table was full of children, and children don't care about formalities.

As soon as the meal was served, everyone busied themselves picking out their favorite dishes.

They were all shoveling vegetables faster than the last.

They were afraid that if they ate too slowly, they would miss out on a bite.

They looked like they wished they had an extra mouth.

[Stop talking nonsense, eat faster!]

Influenced by the atmosphere of the meal, they unconsciously sped up their eating.

Everyone ate until they were stuffed.

Every dish was eaten clean.

Shen Cao was very satisfied.

Early the next morning, Shen Cao went to the blacksmith to retrieve the item he had entrusted to him to make a month earlier.

A worker must first sharpen his tools if he wants to do well.

Many snacks require specific tools to make, and she had drawn out all the tools she could think of on paper a month in advance.

Fortunately, the blacksmiths in the county town were quite skilled, and although it took some time, they managed to finish it before Shen Yu'an and the others arrived.

Ever since Wanyue ate at Zuixianlou, she never wanted to try any other restaurants again.

She ate all her meals at Shen's Restaurant.

We eat different things every day.

She tried the boxed lunch at Shen's Restaurant a couple of days ago and fell in love with it immediately.

I would arrive at Shen's Restaurant early every noon and eat four different dishes each day.

If you find something delicious, eat it multiple times.

But after she learned about the prices at Shen Family Restaurant, she felt even more strongly that Shen Cao should open a restaurant.

In the past few days, after hearing from her cousin Shen Yu'an about Shen Cao doing business with them, she also had an idea in her mind.

She has been going shopping in Xin'an Street every day for the past few days.

She went out for a stroll after lunch today. When Shen Yu'an and the others asked her about it, she looked mysterious and wouldn't say anything.

As evening approached, just as Shen Yu'an was about to go find her, she returned skipping and hopping with Aunt Lü'e.

I'm in a very good mood.

Wei Siyu asked curiously, "Wanyue, what's the good news that makes you so happy?"

"Speaking out will make everyone happy."

Wanyue was unwilling to reveal her secret so soon.

"It's a secret, you'll find out later."

"I'm going to find Sister Grass."

After signing the agreement with the county magistrate, Shen Cao's business was done.

The remaining tasks were handed over to Shen Yu'an and Wei Siyu, who could come to her for clarification if they had any uncertainties.

As soon as Wanyue entered the kitchen, she saw a strange little girl who was about the same age as her.

Shen Cao has now gotten used to Wan Yue coming to the kitchen whenever she has free time.

She seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood today.

He even took the initiative to greet Li Xiaoyu.

Shen Cao then realized that the two had not met before, and immediately introduced, "This is my apprentice, Li Xiaoyu."

"Xiaoyu, this is Miss Wanyue."

"Greetings, Miss Wanyue." Li Xiaoyu could tell from the person's attire that she was a young lady from a wealthy family, so she spoke cautiously.

Wanyue noticed Li Xiaoyu's nervousness and stepped forward to take her hand. "We're about the same age, so you can just call me Wanyue."

"Xiaoyu, you are really amazing to be able to become Sister Cao'er's apprentice."

"I really envy you. You can follow Sister Cao'er around every day and eat Sister Cao'er's cooking every day."

"You're Sister Cao'er's apprentice, so your cooking must be really good too."

Wanyue pulled her aside and talked on and on, leaving Li Xiaoyu no chance to get a word in edgewise.

But her nervousness lessened considerably because of these words.

This young lady has no airs at all, unlike anyone I've met before.

She is not only beautiful, but also a good person.

Li Xiaoyu scratched her head and smiled shyly, "Miss Wanyue." She immediately changed her address when she saw Wanyue's expression change.

"Wanyue, I'm not as good as you say, I'm only a little bit good."

She gestured with her fingers to indicate that she still needed to work harder.

"That's still amazing! Sister Cao'er is incredibly powerful, and even though you're only slightly more powerful, you're already much more powerful than everyone else."

Li Xiaoyu was embarrassed by Wanyue's praise, "Then I'll cook for you sometime, and you can try it."

Upon hearing this, Wanyue was overjoyed and affectionately pulled her along, expressing her insistence on trying her cooking.

As the two were chatting, a pleasant fragrance suddenly wafted into their nostrils.

Wanyue pulled Li Xiaoyu to Shen Cao's side and asked, "Sister Cao'er, what delicious food are you planning to make today?"

"Didn't you want to eat the wolf tooth potatoes and candied sweet potatoes that Shen Wan mentioned yesterday?"

"I promised to make it for you today, so I'll make sure you get to eat it today."

Wanyue nuzzled Shen Cao with her head, "Sister Cao'er, you're so kind."

"This looks delicious. I want more of that chili pepper."

"Yesterday was the first time she tried chili oil, and the taste was especially to her liking."

Shen Cao was surprised that the little girl also liked spicy food.

She added a large spoonful of chili oil to the seasoning.

At this rate, she'll have to get the village chief to double the chili pepper planting area next year.

"So what are we having for dinner tonight? I see there are a lot of dishes on the table."

"hot pot."

"Hot pot?" This was a food that Wanyue had never heard of before.

"Now that it's getting cooler, hot pot is the perfect meal."

"Xiaoyu, why don't you and Grandma Zhang have hot pot before you go back today?"

Li Xiaoyu initially wanted to refuse, but Wanyue pulled her aside and said, "Xiaoyu, why don't you stay and eat with us?"

Li Xiaoyu thought about her grandmother's recent strange behavior and hesitated for a moment, "Okay, then I'll ask my grandmother later."

Among the things Shen Cao brought back today was a special hot pot with two broths.

After preparing the wolf-tooth potatoes and candied sweet potatoes, she had Wanyue take the snacks to the dining table.

The hot pot ingredients were already prepared, and she took out the hot pot seasoning and stir-fried two more pots of hot pot seasoning.

We'll still be eating at two separate tables today.

At the children's table, she put very little chili in the dish.

Add the purchased charcoal to the small earthenware stove underneath, and place the pot on the stove.

The small earthen stove is the perfect size; it sits at just the right height on the table, allowing everyone to easily reach the food inside.

Shen Cao specially prepared long chopsticks suitable for eating hot pot this time, so that she wouldn't get burned by the hot steam when picking up food.

After waiting for a while, Wei Siyu and Shen Yu'an finished their work and came out of the study.

Since they came to Xin'an County, they haven't gone anywhere else. They either go to the dock or stay at Shen's restaurant.

Shen Chen's study has been turned into their office.

Wei Siyu had just smelled a familiar aroma from today's meal. As soon as she entered the main room, she looked at the dining table.

Sure enough, it was the same food we had eaten before.

He looked excited and quickly walked to the dining table. "Wow! We're having hot pot today!"