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

The others were also eating with great enthusiasm, sweating profusely. When Shen Cao noticed that the others had slowed down their eating pace, she went to the kitchen.

"It would be so comforting to have a sip of herbal tea right now," Wei Siyu remarked, putting down his chopsticks as the food he wanted wasn't ready yet.

He never expected that on such a cold day, eating would make him crave something cold to drink.

He finally understood why Shen Cao had said before that hot pot was suitable for eating when the weather was cold.

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Cao walked in carrying two jars.

She placed a jar on a table. "This is rock sugar pear soup that I specially made this afternoon. I thought it would be too hot to eat with hot pot tonight, so I put it in the ice cellar to keep it cold."

"It's perfect to drink now."

Wei Siyu quickly took the jar. "Cao'er, you really have a brilliant idea! I was just saying I wanted to drink some herbal tea."

He diligently got down from his seat and poured a cup of rock sugar pear soup into everyone's teacup at the table.

After pouring myself the last drop, I took a big gulp. It was icy cold and sweet, and it made my throat feel soothed.

"It's so cool!"

They ate for a while longer with the rock sugar pear soup, and everyone stopped when they were full.

After everyone else had finished eating, Shen Cao took out the ingredients she had been looking forward to.

Pig brain.

She had asked Uncle Li to save this for her several days ago.

Pig butchers typically don't cut open the pig's brain to remove it.

Because Shen Cao specifically instructed Uncle Li to split the pork when buying pig heads for several days in a row, and to take out the pig brains from inside specifically for her.

At first, he didn't know the trick and broke the pig brains into pieces. Later, after he got the hang of it, he was able to get a few whole pig brains.

Shen Cao bought all the whole pig brains.

"Hey! Grass, what is that? It looks kind of disgusting." Wei Siyu only glanced at it and found it a bit scary.

He felt it resembled a type of meat, but since he had never seen it before, he asked.

Shen Cao rolled her eyes at him before explaining, "These are really good stuff. You can't even buy them normally. I only managed to get a few because I specifically asked them to."

"This is pig brain, which, as the name suggests, is the brain of a pig."

"Huh!" Wei Siyu's head throbbed upon hearing this.

Although Shen Yu'an and Wan Yue did not show any disgust, they both frowned.

Shen Cao didn't continue to explain. This pig brain was unacceptable not only to people in ancient times, but also to many people in his previous life.

This stuff is like stinky tofu; people either love it or hate it.

These people are alright; they can all watch.

In order to enjoy this dish, she even went out of her way to remove the fascia from the pig's brain.

After asking around and confirming that no one else was eating, she then cooked her pig brains in the spicy broth.

Li Xiaoyu and Grandma Zhang said their goodbyes early because it was getting late.

Mr. Shen carried a lantern and personally escorted them home.

Shen Yu'an, Wei Siyu, and Wanyue all wanted to see what the delicious food Shen Cao had described would look like when it was cooked.

They didn't rush to leave, but waited beside Shen Cao for the pig brains to cook.

After waiting for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Shen Cao happily scooped out the pig brain.

The cooked pig brains were no longer pink as before; they had an added layer of hot pot broth color.

The three of them stared intently as Shen Cao ate pig brains.

Shen Cao wasn't surprised at all. She used to go out for hot pot with her friends and always ordered at least one pig brain at the end.

The others, just like now, waited for her to cook the pig brains and then watched her eat them.

Shen Cao first picked up a piece of pig brain with his chopsticks, dipped it in the condiment bowl, and put it in his mouth.

The texture of pig brain is very soft, like eating steamed egg custard.

Shen Cao closed her eyes in satisfaction, savoring the delicious food she hadn't tasted in a long time.

She devoured half a pig brain in no time, one bite after another.

At first, Wanyue found it hard to accept, but seeing Shen Cao enjoying the food so much, she felt a tickling sensation in her heart, as if little claws were scratching at her.

I want to try, but I can't get past my mental hurdle.

Just as she hesitated, she heard Wei Siyu's voice.

"Cao'er, let me have a taste too, don't eat so fast." Seeing Shen Cao eating so deliciously, Wei Siyu finally couldn't resist and picked up her chopsticks to have a bite as well.

He has always been very tolerant of food.

Shen Cao pushed her bowl towards him.

Wei Siyu picked up her chopsticks and took a small piece. It was one thing to dare to try, but the fear in her heart was another.

He closed his eyes and put the pig brain into his mouth.

Before he even started chewing, the pig brain had already melted in his mouth.

There was no other strange smell at all, and the texture was very similar to what it looked like, somewhat like steamed egg custard.

But it tasted even richer than steamed egg custard. He couldn't quite describe the flavor, but it was definitely delicious.

He opened his eyes, and a glimmer of light appeared in them.

Then he picked up a large piece and put it in his mouth.

This bite was even more flavorful than the previous one, and more delicious than many of the delicious foods he had ever eaten before.

He then tried to take a third bite, but was stopped by someone.

Wanyue pulled his hand, which he wanted to continue eating, and said anxiously, "Stop eating, you've almost finished it all."

"Let me try some too." Seeing that Wei Siyu was eating more after she had already eaten some, she realized that the pig brain wasn't as unacceptable as she had imagined.

She followed his example, first taking a small bite and then eating it with her eyes closed.

After eating, her reaction was exactly the same as Wei Siyu's.

Just as she was about to eat more, Shen Yu'an stopped her, and Shen Yu'an also picked up his chopsticks and started to try.

Shen Cao smiled as she watched the three people's reactions. From now on, she could cook pig brains in advance, as they tasted better the longer they were cooked.

In her past life, none of her friends were successfully persuaded to try it; she could only eat it last each time.

But judging from their reactions, they were indeed on the same page as me.

In the end, Shen Cao ate all four pig brains clean, and the others still weren't satisfied, saying they wanted Shen Cao to prepare more next time.

Well, I've found myself a few more to compete for food.

After eating and drinking their fill, the group leaned back in their chairs and began to chat.

"Now I finally understand why you all keep calling her Sister Cao'er whenever you go back."

"At this rate, I'll definitely gain a lot of weight before I get home."

"It's okay, you'll lose weight from hunger when you get back," Wei Siyu shared her experience with an air of seasoned wisdom.

"Ah! I wish Sister Cao'er could go to the capital too."

"Then I have to work hard, and one day I will open a shop in the capital."

"Really? Then I'll be waiting for Sister Cao'er in the capital. I believe we'll be able to meet in the capital soon."

"Sister Cao'er, what are we going to eat tomorrow?" Wanyue asked, squinting her eyes.

"Aren't you afraid of getting fat?" Wei Siyu teased.

"Didn't you say you'd starve yourself when you got back? What's there to be afraid of!"

Shen Cao [...]