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

Three days later...

Early in the morning, Steward Zhou was waiting in front of Shen's restaurant with his own carriage.

In the early morning, sunlight filters through the dappled leaves, casting patches of light and shadow on the ground.

Shen Cao got up early because she was going to Grandma Zhou's house to cook. She was wearing a beige cotton dress, the fabric of which was soft and comfortable, clinging to her slender figure and making her look very fresh and natural.

She skillfully braided her long, cascading hair into a single braid and gently placed it behind her back.

Then, she took out a square scarf of the same color as her clothes from the cabinet and carefully put it on her head.

This small headscarf not only added a touch of gentleness to her, but also made her look both simple and neat.

Once everything was ready, Shen Cao began to pack all the necessary ingredients into the bamboo basket on her back.

"Xiaoyu, Wanyue, let's go!" Shen Cao called out with a smile.

Upon hearing the sound, Li Xiaoyu and Wanyue quickly ran over, their faces also beaming with smiles, and followed Shen Cao into the carriage that was already waiting outside.

With a crisp crack of the driver's whip, the horse's hooves clattered, and the carriage slowly drove away, heading towards Old Mrs. Zhou's house.

Along the way, a gentle breeze caressed their faces, bringing a touch of coolness and lifting a corner of Shen Cao's skirt, as if a beautiful painting was slowly unfolding.

At dawn, sunlight streamed through the windows into the Zhou family's kitchen, illuminating every corner.

Meanwhile, whispers could be heard coming from the kitchen. Everyone was talking about something interesting—a young cook would be coming to cook for Grandma Zhou today.

Aunt Ma quietly pursed her lips and stood aside, silently watching the others busily tidy up the kitchen.

She frowned slightly, and her hands, which were tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, trembled involuntarily, as if revealing a hint of anxiety deep within her heart.

You should know that Aunt Ma has been cooking in the Zhou family's kitchen for more than ten years.

Over the years, thanks to her superb culinary skills and dedicated cooking, every dish Aunt Ma makes has been deeply loved by the masters of the Zhou family.

That's why she was so comfortable and at ease in the kitchen.

Not only did she build a brand-new and beautiful house with the money she earned from working hard at the Zhou family, but she also saved every penny to send her son to a famous local academy, hoping that he would make something of himself in the future.

Whenever this matter is mentioned, even her neighbors look at her with envy, praising her husband for being so lucky to have married such a virtuous and capable wife.

What's even more heartwarming is that Aunt Ma's mother-in-law has never put on airs or deliberately made things difficult for her over the years.

Sometimes, even if Aunt Ma came home a little late because she was busy with work, her mother-in-law would always thoughtfully prepare delicious meals in advance and patiently wait for her to return so that the family could eat together. All of this was thanks to her being the cook in the Zhou family.

However, for some reason, for almost a month now, Grandma Zhou has been vomiting whenever she eats the food she makes.

Sometimes I can't even stand the smell.

This made her extremely cautious during this period, and she often made mistakes when cooking, resulting in food that was either undercooked or a bit too salty.

Although the host family didn't say anything, she was very apprehensive.

If her master doesn't like the food she cooks, then she has no value and is not far from being driven away by her master.

Just a few days ago, several groups of chefs came to our house to cook, but in the end, it all came to nothing because Grandma Zhou didn't eat the food they made.

But the young cook who's coming today is said to be very capable. Not only does she run a restaurant that's doing very well, but she also made the only chicken soup wontons that Old Mrs. Zhou has had recently.

If the food she cooked today is very popular with Old Mrs. Zhou, then she will definitely lose her job.

Thinking of this, she felt extremely anxious and uneasy.

They didn't even hear the people next to them talking.

"Aunt Ma?"

"Aunt Ma!!" When the person next to her didn't react, he nudged her with his elbow and raised his voice.

She felt the pain in her arm, which brought her back to her senses and helped her calm down.

Following the reminder from the person next to him, he looked at the head maid standing to the side.

The head maid didn't notice her absent-mindedness and patiently asked again, "Aunt Ma, have all the ingredients that Steward Zhou asked us to prepare yesterday been ready?"

Aunt Ma nodded. "As soon as Butler Zhou mentioned it yesterday, I started preparing, and everything that was missing was delivered early this morning."

The head maid nodded in satisfaction. "That's good."

She looked at Aunt Ma, knowing why Aunt Ma was so distracted, and she felt very sorry for her.

She had served Old Mrs. Zhou for decades and still didn't understand why Old Mrs. Zhou was acting this way.

However, she really hoped that the young cook's skills would allow Old Lady Zhou to eat more.

If Grandma Zhou continues like this, I'm afraid things will turn out badly for her.

Thinking of this, she looked worriedly towards the door. Why hadn't he arrived yet?

After waiting for less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they saw Butler Zhou leading three girls toward the kitchen.

The woman in the lead carried a basket on her back and followed closely behind Steward Zhou. She looked very relaxed, as if she were a guest at the Zhou family's home. In contrast, the little girl in a cotton and linen dress next to her looked around somewhat nervously, but quickly looked away.

The youngest girl, dressed in a pink, shimmering ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), followed the girl carrying a basket on her back the whole time, not even bothering to look her over.

Shen Cao and the others followed Butler Zhou all the way to the kitchen.

It must be said that the Zhou family truly deserves to be one of the wealthiest families in Xin'an County. Their house is indeed very large, and the scenery in the courtyard is exquisite, clearly showing that it has been carefully arranged.

Shen Cao had visited gardens in Suzhou in her previous life. This courtyard showed traces of garden design, but it was not as exquisite as the gardens in Suzhou.

Aunt Ma felt a sense of relief when she saw the young cook introduced by Steward Zhou.

The little girl looks to be about the same age as her daughter.

She's probably been cooking for longer than she's old, so the chicken soup wontons from before were probably just a coincidence.

“Miss Shen, I have already given instructions to the kitchen. If you need anything, just ask Aunt Ma. No one knows the kitchen better than her.”

Shen Cao greeted Aunt Ma with a smile.

He pointed to the head maid standing next to him, "This is Zhang Mama. She has been serving Old Madam Zhou. If you have any questions about the old lady, you can ask her."

Shen Cao nodded.

"Then I'll leave the kitchen to you. I'll go take care of my business now." With that, Butler Zhou left.

This was the first time Shen Cao had ever seen the kitchen of a wealthy family.

It has to be said that this kitchen is almost the same size as the kitchen of Shen's Restaurant.

She quickly glanced around when she came in; all kinds of ingredients were available, and various kinds of meat, both fresh and cured, were hanging from the beams of the kitchen.

Besides Aunt Ma and Granny Zhang, there were four other women in the kitchen who were about the same age as Aunt Ma; they were probably the ones helping out in the kitchen.

Shen Cao greeted them one by one with a smile.

Just as Shen Cao was looking around the kitchen, the people inside were also looking around at Shen Cao and his group.

Looking at the little girl in front of them, who was about the same age as their own daughters, they thought much the same thing as Aunt Ma.

What kind of cooking can this little girl do? She probably can't even cut vegetables properly.

Zhang Mama had been sizing up Shen Cao the moment she saw him, and she knew she would have to send someone to buy chicken soup wontons later.

This girl probably only knows how to make one dish: chicken soup wontons.

In Mrs. Zhou's elegantly and neatly furnished room, Mr. Zhou was sitting quietly by the bed.

He gently helped up the elderly Mrs. Zhou, whose head was full of silver hair, whose face was kind but who looked particularly thin, and spoke to her tenderly.

Mr. Zhou spoke softly to Mrs. Zhou about inviting Shen Cao over to cook, his words filled with concern and worry for his mother's health.

However, after listening, Grandma Zhou only sighed softly, "Oh, child, I understand your filial piety. But right now, I really have no appetite at all." After saying that, she shook her head helplessly, as if even saying another word would make her feel exhausted.

As Mr. Zhou gazed at his mother, who had become so thin that her cheekbones were clearly visible, a pang of sorrow gripped his heart, and his eyes involuntarily reddened slightly.

His voice trembled slightly as he pleaded, "Mother, even just a tiny bite would be enough to comfort your son. From now on, I will never do this again."

Seeing her son's sincerity, Mrs. Zhou finally nodded, indicating that she was willing to give it a try.

But then she added, "Never do this again! Just think about it, what will Aunt Ma in the kitchen think when you suddenly invite outsiders to cook?"

Master Zhou quickly agreed: "Yes, Mother, I understand. Even if you don't want to eat, it's because you're not feeling well, not the kitchen's fault, so I will absolutely not punish them for it."

Hearing this, Grandma Zhou smiled with relief. She knew that her son was kind-hearted and upright, and would never make things difficult for the people in the kitchen.

However, she couldn't help but start to worry about her health. Was it really time for her to get up?