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

After baking for about half an incense stick's time, Shen Cao took the grilled eel out of the oven, as it would easily burn if left to bake for too long.

The grilled eel came out of the oven, and just as Shen Cao had expected, it was a glossy, dark brown color and smelled sweet.

She placed the grilled eel on top of the rice she had prepared in advance.

There happened to be a small, round basin in the kitchen with a flat bottom, which was perfect for serving eel rice.

She first laid a layer of rice at the bottom of the bowl, and then added a layer of shredded egg that she had just made on top of the rice.

She fried the shredded eggs in lard, giving them a rich egg flavor; they were delicious on their own.

A layer of yellow egg shreds was spread on top of white rice, and she placed pieces of eel on top of the egg shreds one by one.

The glistening eel, laid atop shredded egg, looks incredibly tempting.

That eel was so big that it made just enough for two servings of eel rice. She calculated that it was just enough for one small bowl for each person.

There was still some juice left from the grilled eel at the bottom of the baking pan. She poured it into a pot, simmered it into a thick broth, and then poured it evenly over the eel rice.

After the eel rice was cooked, her cooking was nearing its end.

The sun was shining brightly today, so they decided to have their meal in the yard.

Two large eight-immortal tables had already been set up in the courtyard, each table filled with food.

After the eel rice was set out, Shen Cao asked Li Xiaoyu to call them over for dinner.

"Sister Cao'er, they arrived a long time ago and have all gone to wash their hands."

Sure enough, when Shen Cao went out again, they were already sitting at the table.

Before Ji Lingfeng could even sit down, he walked up to Shen Cao, took the plate from her hand, and asked, "Any more?"

You've had a long day!

Shen Cao smiled and said, "It's alright, eat more later."

Ji Lingfeng nodded.

"How many dishes are left?"

"There's only one dish of spare ribs left. I'll go reduce the sauce a bit, and then we can eat."

"Okay." Ji Lingfeng picked up the plate and left.

Shen Cao then asked Xiao Qiao to add firewood, as she was preparing to reduce the sauce for the preserved plum ribs.

After removing all the spices from the ribs, the broth in the pot quickly thickened and its color became much richer under the high heat of the fire.

You can tell that the ribs have been stewed until they fall off the bone, because some bones have already broken off the meat.

Once the sauce had completely evaporated and the liquid at the bottom of the pot had turned into clear oil, Shen Cao scooped the ribs out of the pot and sprinkled them with white sesame seeds and chopped green onions.

Plum-flavored pork ribs are ready.

The plum-flavored spare ribs, cooked in a rich, dark sauce, have a sweet and sour plum aroma.

It's tender and falls off the bone, with a sweet and sour taste and a touch of soy sauce flavor, leaving a pleasant aftertaste. It tastes better than anything she's made before.

These ancient grain-fed pigs were indeed delicious.

She could already picture the children fighting over the ribs.

She put a piece on Xiaoqiao's plate; there was no way around it, being a kitchen helper meant you had special privileges.

Xiaoqiao ate it and only said it was delicious.

The two carried the ribs out. "Plum ribs, this is my new dish, everyone should try it."

When He Yu saw the preserved plum ribs, he took a careful sniff and glanced at He Wu.

"I'll definitely try this plum-flavored pork ribs later. I have complete faith in Cao'er's cooking skills."

He Wu had already regretted his overestimation of his abilities. From the moment Shen Cao started cooking, the aroma wafted continuously from the kitchen.

They were all busy working, but they were no longer paying attention.

The smell was absolutely wonderful.

And when he sat down at the table and saw a table full of delicious-looking dishes, most of which—no, almost all of them—were dishes he had never seen or even heard of before, he realized how foolish he had been.

Someone who can cook such delicious food doesn't need his guidance.

He wished he could slap himself twice right there and then.

Compared to the food in front of him, what he had made before could not even be called a dish; it was merely edible.

Therefore, when he saw He Yu's gaze, he guiltily avoided meeting his eyes.

He pretended not to see it and sat further away from He Yu, so that he could find a chance to secretly taste the preserved plum ribs later.

After Shen Cao took her seat, she began by introducing the dishes for the day.

"This dish is stir-fried razor clams with soy sauce. Razor clams are at their plumpest right now. I was worried that some people might not be able to handle the spice, so I only added a little dried chili for flavor."

"This dish is steamed scallops with garlic and vermicelli. Scallops are currently in season and are very plump and delicious."

"This dish is braised eel." She looked at He Yu. She had just asked He Fei, and it turned out that He Yu had been bitten by a snake when he was a child, and it was a venomous snake.

He was unconscious for a day and a night and almost died.

From then on, Crane Feather, who feared neither heaven nor earth, nor even death, had only one fear: snakes.

It's easy to imagine that Shen Qing had indeed frightened him.

Before dinner, she also took Shen Qing to apologize to He Yu.

At this moment, Tsuruha seemed to have forgotten what had just happened. He looked at the braised eel in front of him and couldn't find any trace of the same thing that had happened before.

He had originally said he wouldn't eat eel, but he couldn't resist trying it.

"This dish is braised pork."

"This is eel rice, made with eel. I'll serve each of you a bowl later. You must try it; it's one of my favorite dishes."

"This is..."

Shen Cao made a total of twenty dishes, eight of which were cold dishes, all of which she had made before.

We squeezed between the two tables, barely managing to sit down.

Shen Cao picked up her teacup, using tea instead of wine, and turned to Ji Lingfeng sitting next to her, saying, "Young Master Ji, I'd like to offer you the first cup."

"I didn't intentionally hide what happened before." After saying that, she tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp.

Then he poured himself another glass, saying, "Please bear with me in the days to come."

Then she turned to everyone and spoke.

"From now on, you are all members of my Hundred Herbs Garden, and I, as the manager, will definitely protect you."

Finally, after she sat down, she leaned down and whispered in Ji Lingfeng's ear, "I know you're doing something big, but remember to protect yourselves."

"I will definitely do my part whenever I am needed."

Ji Lingfeng looked at the petite girl in front of him, who only reached his shoulder, her cheeks flushed red from the heat of the kitchen.

She appeared even more delicate than her sister, but her words conveyed a sense of conviction that she wasn't just making empty promises, but that she meant what she said.

He was very curious about just how much energy was contained within that small body.

He chuckled, raised his wine glass, and said softly, "Then I'll have to ask Miss Shen for your guidance in the future!"