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

Bang Bang Bang!

The sound of chopping bones came from the Shen family's kitchen.

Lai Cai heard the noise from the kitchen while standing at the kitchen doorway and paced back and forth.

Its tail wagged so hard it kicked up dust from the ground.

It knew perfectly well that whenever it heard that kind of noise in the kitchen, it meant it would have bones to eat that day.

It excitedly pounced on the ground with its front paws.

After a few times, it ran to the edge of the pond and excitedly shared the good news with the big fish in the pond.

Wang Wang Wang!

Wangwangwang!

Wang Wang Wang!

Shen Cao specially chose the largest black-boned hen today, which weighed a full three pounds.

The cleaned and gutted black-boned chicken has a layer of chicken fat on its belly.

She deliberately saved the chicken giblets and chicken fat to stir-fry later.

After cleaning the chicken fat, add black-boned chicken meat, ginger slices, ginseng, red dates, ophiopogon japonicus, and longan to a clay pot, then pour in enough water and simmer over low heat.

After the water boils, skim off the foam that rises to the surface of the chicken soup.

After simmering for more than an hour, the entire kitchen was filled with the aroma of chicken soup, which was fresh, sweet and delicious.

Shen Cao took a clean, dry cloth, placed it on the lid of the casserole, and carefully lifted the lid.

The moment the lid was lifted, the aroma of the chicken soup wafted out.

She gently blew away the steam, revealing the chicken soup in the pot.

The originally clear water, after being tempered by time and heat, absorbed all the essence from the chicken, turning into a yellowish-brown chicken soup.

A layer of golden chicken fat floated on the surface.

The color of this chicken fat is so tempting, it makes your mouth water.

She scooped out the chicken fat with a spoon.

Then add the washed goji berries and a little salt to the chicken soup for seasoning.

After covering the pot with the lid, the casserole was taken off the stove.

Shen Cao divided the chicken soup into three portions: one for the Shen family, one to take to the Shen residence to give to her maternal grandmother, and one for Shen Chen.

In the Spring-Paying Courtyard of Shen Mansion

Inside the room, Old Mrs. Shen smiled, holding Shen Cao's hand with her left hand and Wan Yue's arm with her right, saying, "You two haven't come to see this old woman in a long time."

"Cao'er is here because her older brother is about to take the autumn imperial examination. As for you, I haven't seen you for several days." After saying that, Old Madam Shen turned to look at Wanyue, her face clearly showing dissatisfaction.

Wanyue felt a little guilty under his gaze. "It's all because of Father. During this time, he's been preparing for the autumn imperial examinations, and there's not much going on in the palace. He's been going to Mother's palace all day long, and he always tests my studies."

"Now I finally understand why Sister Cao'er didn't want to live in the palace."

"If I had known, I would have moved out of the palace and lived with Sister Cao'er. That way, I could have come to see you, Grandmother, every day."

She snuggled into Old Mrs. Shen's arms, begging and pleading for forgiveness.

Grandma Shen couldn't stop laughing at her antics. "Alright, alright, hahaha."

"You little rascal, only the Emperor can keep you in check."

"You'd better stay in the palace obediently, hahaha."

"Grandmother!" Wanyue pouted, pretending to be angry.

"Look, she's angry now, hahaha."

"That's what Grandma Shen said to Shen Cao."

"Grandmother, I was just joking with you." Wanyue suddenly turned around with a smile.

The three of them, grandmother and grandson, played around for a while before the nanny stepped forward and said, "Madam, dinner is ready. Would you like to eat?"

"Okay, put it on the table."

The food had just been set out when a sound came from the courtyard.

A maidservant walked in with a smile, "Madam, An-ge'er has brought Mo-ge'er."

With a smile, Old Mrs. Shen instructed, "Quickly, invite them in."

After saying that, she turned to Shen Cao and said, "These two brats were most eager to come to my yard when you came."

She glanced at the chestnut cake Shen Cao had brought, and the ginseng and black chicken soup that had just been simmering in the kitchen.

"I guess they came here today because of the food you brought."

Sure enough, as soon as Grandma Shen finished speaking, Shen Yu'an's voice was heard, "Grandmother, the food here is indeed different. I can smell the aroma even before I get close."

"What kind of soup is this? It smells so good," Shen Yumo said, sniffing the air.

Grandma Shen gave the two of them a light glare, then looked at Shen Cao and said, "See? I wasn't wrong."

"You two rascals, what brings you to visit this old woman at this hour?"

May Grandmother be well.

“I went to check the accounts today and ran into Shen Cao. I mentioned to her that you said yesterday that you missed her, so I thought she would definitely come today.”

Shen Yu'an sat down next to Shen Cao without any hesitation and said those words without batting an eye.

Shen Cao rolled her eyes at him. This guy, he got scolded by his grandmother and now he had to drag her into it too.

She quickly smiled and said to Grandma Shen, "Grandmother, don't listen to my cousin's nonsense. I was planning to come see you today anyway."

"This chestnut cake was made especially for you, and there's also ginseng and black chicken soup. Please drink more of it later."

Grandma Shen smiled and nodded, "My little grass still cares about me the most."

Shen Yu'an, [Wasn't this chestnut cake prepared especially for him?]

He probably won't be able to take it away in a little while.

Shen Yu'an decided to eat more chestnut cake after dinner before leaving.

The nanny ladled a bowl of chicken soup for everyone.

The chicken soup had only a thin layer of chicken oil floating on the surface, and was sprinkled with some bright green scallions and cilantro.

The aroma of scallions and cilantro perfectly balances the greasiness of the chicken fat.

Take a bite, and you'll find it incredibly flavorful.

Shen Cao had already stewed it for over an hour, and then simmered it in the Shen family kitchen for another hour until the chicken was so tender it fell off the bone.

The savory flavor of the chicken is completely infused into the chicken soup.

The chicken is so tender it melts in your mouth.

Grandma Shen couldn't resist and ate a small bowl of rice soaked in chicken broth.

Even after finishing the meal, he kept licking his lips as if he wanted more.

"Grass, this chicken soup is so delicious."

Shen Cao replied with a smile, "Grandma, if you like it, I'll stew it for you again tomorrow."

Having heard the answer she wanted, Grandma Shen smiled contentedly and replied emphatically, "Yes!"

Shen Yu'an and Shen Yumo exchanged a glance, their meaning clear.

I'll come to my grandmother's for dinner again tomorrow.

After dinner, Shen Cao and the others chatted with Old Madam Shen for a while longer.

The chestnut cakes on Grandma Shen's table were all eaten by Shen Yu'an and Shen Yumo.

The chestnut cake isn't particularly sweet, but it's full of chestnut flavor and has a very smooth texture.

It also has a faint milky flavor.

A bite of chestnut cake paired with a sip of tea.

They both ate until their stomachs were bloated.

That night, the two brothers' stomachs were bloated, and the noise from their room lasted until late into the night.

As darkness fell, Shen Cao led Wan Yue back home.

Before leaving, Shen Cao gave Shen Yu'an the chestnut cake she had prepared for him.

"Grandma has a sensitive stomach, so I didn't stop you from eating."

"This is for the two of you."

"Don't sneak a snack at night. Eating too much chestnut cake can cause bloating."

What Shen Cao didn't know was that neither of the brothers took her words to heart; otherwise, the noise from their room wouldn't have lasted until late at night.