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

"Sister, could you cook us a dish?"

Shen Qing begged.

Shen Cao disgustedly removed the two hands that were trying to cling to her, saying, "It's not time to eat yet."

"Where did you two go? Your faces are all covered in graffiti like little kittens."

The two women hesitated for a moment, saying, "Sister, we told you, you can't tell Father and Mother."

"You guys go first."

"We went to the riverbank to roast potatoes and sweet potatoes and ate them."

"Xiaoyu's roasted sweet potatoes are so delicious." The two got excited when food was mentioned.

"None of ours were cooked through; they were rock hard."

"But Xiaoyu's baking is so delicious, we couldn't get enough even when we shared it."

"I told her that my older sister's cooking is delicious," Shen Wan began to describe the situation.

"But she insisted that the food her grandmother brought back was the best."

"That's why she said that, because she's never eaten her older sister's cooking."

"Even the shit my sister makes tastes better than everyone else's," Shen Qing said smugly.

Shen Cao: [There's no need for that. Your sister still has her pride.]

Besides, everyone has their own expertise, and your older sister has high standards for herself.

Fearing that her younger brother would spout nonsense again, Shen Cao picked up the vegetables she had picked and smacked him on the head twice.

"I'm not as amazing as you say. If I made shit, would you eat it?"

Shen Qing stuck out his tongue. "I'm not eating."

"That's it."

"So, you all came back to have me cook so that other people could taste my cooking skills?"

Shen Qing clutched the hem of his clothes, his expression as docile as a cute little puppy.

"Sister, we just want them to know how delicious your cooking is."

"So, I'm the one you guys are showing off to?"

"Sister, of course, Aqing and I are incredibly proud to have you as our sister."

"If other people knew that we had such a wonderful older sister like you, they would definitely envy us."

Shen Cao looked at the little kitten's face, her eyes sparkling with admiration. She had to admit, the flattery was spot on.

She gently stroked Shen Wan's nose with her finger. "Then hurry up and call them in."

"They won't come in; they just hide by the back door, chattering away and disturbing the neighbors."

"Sister, you agree."

"Since you two have both said so, if I disagree, wouldn't that not fit the image of the good older sister you've described?"

"Sister, how did you know they were at the back door?" Shen Qing was surprised that his sister knew their secret meeting place.

"Then why do you think the door was never locked every time you sneaked back?"

"Sister..." Shen Qing said, trying to hug Shen Cao.

Shen Cao extended her index finger and pressed it against his forehead, stopping him from taking any closer steps.

"Stop, enough with the nonsense. If you want to eat something good, then stop here."

Shen Qing's raised foot stopped in mid-air.

"Sister, I'm not your favorite little brother anymore."

Shen Cao ignored him.

"Oh, right, you two each take a basin, fill it with water, and clean yourselves up. The others do the same." She held out her hand and gestured to her face.

Shen Wan and Shen Qing first went to the back door, opened it, and invited their friends who were waiting quietly and cautiously behind the door to come in.

"My older brother isn't here today. When you see my sister later, you'd better behave yourselves. You're my friends, Shen Qing, so don't embarrass me."

The others were very reserved when they first visited Shen Qing's home.

They also visited other children's homes, but the adults there didn't like them going.

I always speak with a blank expression, and I feel completely uncomfortable.

Shen Qing led the group to the main room, and then Shen Qing took the chubby-faced Ah Hu to the backyard to fetch a basin of well water for each of them.

Shen Qing went to his room and his second sister's room to get a face cloth.

He placed his face cloth in one of the basins, saying, "Boys use this basin to wash."

He then put his second sister's face cloth into another basin, saying, "Girls should use that basin to wash."

Several people were still holding potatoes and sweet potatoes that they had roasted and eaten a few bites of earlier.

They were all children from poor families, and afraid of wasting food, they could only take it back to continue eating.

When Shen Cao walked in carrying an iron basin, she saw about seven or eight children surrounding two basins of water, each child's face covered in smears like a little kitten.

The black charcoal ash was concentrated near the corners of the mouth, clearly indicating that it had been accidentally rubbed onto the food while eating.

Several children, holding potatoes and sweet potatoes, didn't know where to put them. The ground was kept very clean, as if they were afraid of making a mess for others.

"Alright, you guys can put your things in here."

The group was startled by Shen Cao's sudden voice and stood awkwardly in place, not daring to make any move.

"Sister."

"Sister!" the others called out along with Shen Qing and Shen Wan.

"You must be Awan and Aqing's friends, hello." Shen Cao's friendly tone made the group relax a bit.

"Since you still have some sweet potatoes and potatoes left over today, I'll use them to make you something delicious."

"After you wash your faces, Awan and Aqing, take them to play in the backyard. I'll call you when I'm done."

Li Xiaoyu was one of the older and more sensible ones among them. "Sister, thank you for your trouble."

Shen Cao glanced at Li Xiaoyu, who looked nervous and somewhat embarrassed.

"No trouble at all. Aqing and Awan's friends are my friends too, so you can have fun without worry."

"Oh, right, Awan, there's some chilled pear soup in the kitchen. You and Aqing go get some for your friends."

Awan nodded.

Shen Cao was about to turn around and go to the kitchen when she saw Li Xiaoyu walking over.

He hesitated, trying to speak.

"what happened?"

Perhaps it was Shen Cao's gentle voice that eased Li Xiaoyu's unease, because she spoke softly, "Sister, can I go to the kitchen to help you?"

"Aren't you going to play with them?" Shen Cao felt that the little girl in front of her was more sensible than she had thought.

"Sister, I like to help out."

Shen Cao thought the little girl was asking for help because she was shy, and was about to refuse and tell her to just have fun.

The other person was afraid she would refuse, "Really, sister, I like to help in the kitchen. When I'm at home, I often help my grandma. Sometimes when she's too busy to cook, I'll cook for her."

Shen Cao saw a glimmer of light in the girl's eyes, which reminded her of her past self.

Moreover, she found the girl very pleasing to the eye and liked her very much.

So she nodded, "Okay, then I'll trouble you..."

"By the way, what's your name?"

“Li Xiaoyu, you can call me Xiaoyu, sister.”

"Okay, then I'll trouble Xiaoyu to go to the kitchen and help my sister."

Li Xiaoyu happily followed Shen Cao to the kitchen.