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

After Shen Cao left, the group started discussing amongst themselves.

They weren't surprised at all that Li Xiaoyu volunteered to help in the kitchen; Li Xiaoyu had always loved cooking and always insisted on being the one to cook.

On the contrary, they were very fond of Shen Qing and Shen Wan's elder sister.

"Aqing, your older sister is so beautiful. Not only is she beautiful, but her voice is also lovely," a little boy said shyly.

"And your older sister is such a kind person, she doesn't look down on us at all." In the past, whenever they visited other people's homes, the adults would treat them with disdain, thinking that they were too young to notice.

Therefore, they dislike going to someone's house the most; they feel uncomfortable and uncomfortable there.

However, at the Shen family's home, they not only didn't receive any disdainful looks, but were also treated with courtesy.

Moreover, their older sister took the initiative to cook delicious food for them and even gave them tasty pear soup to drink.

He was even a little envious of Shen Qing and Shen Wan.

Others were also somewhat envious.

"Shen Qing, Shen Wan, I like your family."

The others nodded emphatically as well.

Shen Qing and Shen Wan proudly distributed pear soup to their companions.

Each person gets their own bowl; it's icy cold, sweet, and very delicious.

After everyone finished their drink, they quickly grabbed the remaining pear soup from the pot, and the pot was soon empty.

"I'll go get it in a bit."

Shen Qing hadn't expected them to drink so quickly. Although his sister had just told him to finish his drink before getting more, the two pots of pear soup were gone in no time. He didn't want his sister to think that his friends were the kind of people who didn't know their limits.

The others nodded in agreement with Shen Qing's words, and some who hadn't finished their drinks began to sip them carefully.

Those who finished drinking could only lick their tongues.

"Come on, I'll take you to play in the backyard." Shen Wan led them to the backyard.

Li Xiaoyu followed Shen Cao into the kitchen.

As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, she was shocked by the scene before her.

This kitchen is much bigger than her kitchen at home.

The kitchen was filled with all sorts of knives and pots, which dazzled her.

"What are you standing there for? Come in."

Shen Cao saw Xiao Yu standing at the door without coming in, so she called out to her.

Li Xiaoyu walked in, and when she reached the spice wall, she was shocked once again.

These bottles are neatly arranged, covering an entire wall. Although you can't see what's inside, you can tell from the smell that they are seasonings.

Moreover, the names of the seasonings are written on the surface of the bottle.

Fennel, Sichuan peppercorns... there are some words she doesn't recognize, but she can recognize most of them.

"Can you read?" Shen Cao asked, seeing Xiao Yu staring at the condiment wall, assuming she was curious.

"I know some of them, and I don't know others."

Shen Cao was surprised that Xiao Yu could read. She pointed to the words on the bottle in front of her and asked, "What is this?"

"star anise."

“My father taught me to read. When I was little, he would teach me to read whenever he had free time.”

“But my father passed away when I was seven years old, so I only know the things he taught me, and I don’t know the things he didn’t teach me.”

"I'm sorry, I didn't know your father had passed away."

"It's alright. My grandma taught me that ignorance is no excuse."

Do you live with your grandmother and mother now?

“My mother passed away not long after my father, and my grandmother and I lived together.”

Shen Cao was surprised to find that the little girl had such a tragic background. Afraid of hurting the little girl, she went closer and hugged her.

“In the future, you will have many friends, and your grandma must be a very good person to have raised you to be so sensible.”

"By the way, you just said you like helping out in the kitchen. Do you enjoy cooking?"

Shen Cao was afraid of bringing up the girl's sad story, so he quickly changed the subject.

Li Xiaoyu nodded emphatically after hearing Shen Cao's words.

"I like to cook, but I'm not good at it."

“My grandma has been bringing me delicious meals a lot lately, and I’m always so happy when I eat them. I wish I could cook such delicious meals too.”

When Shen Cao saw this little girl whose eyes lit up at the mention of the kitchen, she thought of her past self. In her previous life, her favorite thing to do when she was a child was to go to the kitchen and help her grandfather.

Grandpa would always ask me to do some simple tasks, and most of the time he would tell me how to make this dish, how to make that dish, and the stories behind some of the dishes.

I was always very happy when I heard this, especially when I secretly watched the expressions of the guests after they ate. As long as they liked it, I was just as happy as my grandfather.

She handed over the basin and took a peeler. "Can you peel potatoes? Can you peel sweet potatoes?"

Li Xiaoyu nodded. "Yes."

"Okay, then peel all the sweet potatoes and potatoes in this bowl."

Fearing there wouldn't be enough to eat, Shen Cao added a few more sweet potatoes and potatoes.

Shen Cao took a bowl and poured her a bowl of chilled pear soup. "Drink some before you cook."

Li Xiaoyu first put the potatoes and peeler in her hands into the basin, and then took the pear soup handed over by Shen Cao with both hands.

I took a small sip carefully; it had a subtle sweetness and was refreshingly cold.

My throat felt very comfortable after drinking it.

"Delicious."

"If you like it, drink more. There's plenty more."

Shen Cao became more and more satisfied with Xiao Yu. This child was not only sensible but also well-mannered. Although she was nervous, she was not too timid.

Most importantly, she has the same special feeling for the kitchen as she does for herself.

He's a promising talent.

Shen Cao took some cilantro, scallions, garlic, and other ingredients and sat down next to Li Xiaoyu.

"Xiaoyu, from now on you can call me older sister."

"Sister," Li Xiaoyu said softly.

"Would you like to learn how to cook?"

Li Xiaoyu nodded heavily upon hearing Shen Cao's words, but then seemed to lose her enthusiasm as if she had thought of something.

She had heard before that it would cost a lot of money to become an apprentice, and that one could not go home during the apprenticeship period; one would not only be busy in the shop every day, but also help out at the master's house.

But she thought about her grandmother's old age, and if she went out to learn a trade, her grandmother would be all alone.

Shen Cao noticed her concerns but was not in a hurry.

"We can talk about these things later. If you have time in the future, could you come and help me out?"

"I won't let you help for free; I'll pay you every month."

First, calm people down.

"But I still need to help Grandma, she's getting old..."

Shen Cao knew she had misunderstood, so she quickly explained, "What I meant was that you should help me all day long, but that you should come whenever you have time, just like today."

"As long as you help me, I'll make you a new and delicious meal every time."

"How about it?"

Li Xiaoyu felt dazed, as if she had been hit on the head by a pie falling from the sky.

However, her grandmother had told her that one should not receive a reward without merit, and that there is no such thing as free food in heaven.

She shook her head, refusing Shen Cao's offer.