There is a happy inn in the capital.

Li Shuchen: "I'm going downstairs to buy groceries. What would you like to eat? Do you have any dietary restrictions?"

Princess Changning: "I have no dietary restrictions; I'll eat anything."

Li Shuchen paused for a moment, then said, "Anything is fine, the most difficult thing is..."

Then she can really buy whatever she wants!

Li Shuchen jumped off the carriage: "I'm going."

Princess Changning lifted the curtain: "Alright, go quickly and come back soon. I'll be waiting for you."

Two quarters of an hour later, Li Shuchen handed the ingredients to Princess Changning's servants.

He boarded Princess Changning's carriage and went home.

As soon as he entered the house, Li Shuchen called out

"Father, Mother, Princess Changning is here as a guest."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Li and Mrs. Li came out together.

Master Li and Madam Li: "Greetings to Princess Changning."

Princess Changning quickly helped Madam Li up, saying, "No need for formalities, please rise."

Madam Li smiled and said, "In the blink of an eye, the princess has grown so much. I even held her when she was little."

Li Shuchen felt this sentence was familiar; was it a universal phrase?

Princess Changning naturally took Madam Li's arm: "Madam, how have you been lately?"

Madam Li: "Thank you for your concern, Princess. I'm fine. How is Princess Jiale?"

Princess Changning: "My mother is doing well."

Gradually they walked away, and Li Shuchen couldn't hear what they said afterward. He completely forgot that there was someone like him behind them.

Li Shuchen was initially worried that Princess Changning and her mother might feel awkward meeting because they weren't familiar with each other, and she was thinking about how to make things easier for them. She never expected the two of them to get along so well.

The clown was actually herself?! (?'?'??)

Li Shuchen gave up on the idea and went to cook. The servants of Princess Changning brought the ingredients to the kitchen, saving Li Shuchen some effort. Li Shuchen washed her hands and put on her apron.

Ingredients: Chicken, pork ribs, pork belly, bamboo shoots, bell peppers, potatoes, leafy greens, winter melon

Chop the chicken and ribs into small pieces, shred the potatoes, and cut the winter melon into chunks.

Heat oil in a wok, add the chopped chicken pieces. The chicken is fresh and oily.

Fry until golden brown on both sides, then remove and set aside.

Heat oil in a wok again, add scallions, ginger, garlic, and chili peppers (the peppers are very spicy). Add the chicken pieces that have been pan-fried until golden brown on both sides, a little Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and thirteen-spice powder. Stir-fry evenly.

Finally, add salt and remove from heat. The dish will have a golden color and an irresistible spicy aroma.

Cut the bamboo shoots into thin strips, and save the small pieces of the bamboo shoot hearts for fried rice tomorrow morning. Blanch the bamboo shoot strips for three minutes, then rinse them in cold water. Cut the chicken breast and green and red bell peppers into thin strips.

Add lard and chicken fat, stir-fry green and red peppers until fragrant, add chicken breast and stir-fry until it changes color, add bamboo shoots, then add soy sauce, thirteen-spice powder, and some salt before serving.

Mince the pork belly, remove the stems and seeds from the green peppers, stuff the filling into the green peppers, add oil, and fry briefly.

Add the sauce made with cornstarch, soy sauce, thirteen-spice powder, and salt, cook for a while, then remove from heat.

Heat a little oil in a pan, stir-fry some bok choy until softened, add salt, and it's ready to serve.

Put the winter melon in a clay pot, add water and simmer, then add some salt.

Li Shuchen didn't know what Princess Changning liked to eat, so he made all the different flavors.

Spicy, sweet, sour, bland

Today's dishes: Spicy stir-fried chicken, sweet and sour pork ribs, stuffed green peppers, stir-fried chicken with bamboo shoots, hot and sour shredded potatoes, stir-fried greens, winter melon soup, and rice.

Five people eating

Three meat dishes, three vegetable dishes, one soup, and one staple food.

Li Lingxiao walked into the front hall, her voice exceptionally cheerful: "Sister, what day is it today? There are so many dishes!"

Li Shuchen: "It's Princess Changning who's come to visit us."

Li Lingxiao said in a calm voice, "Oh."

He thought it was made especially for him ('-w??)

Li Shuchen noticed that Li Lingxiao was in a bad mood and asked gently, "What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"

Li Lingxiao said calmly, "Sister, I've been accepted into Ruhai Academy."

Li Shuchen said with delight, "Wow, that's amazing! You're so great! Eat more later!"

Li Shuchen gave Li Lingxiao a thumbs-up.

But Li Lingxiao was still a little down; his older sister cooked for others but not for him anymore.

Li Shuchen continued to coax, "Don't be upset. I bought you two outfits today, but you left them at the inn. I'll get them for you tomorrow."

Li Lingxiao's previous gloom vanished, and she said happily, "Okay."

His older sister would buy him clothes, but she wouldn't buy clothes for Princess Changning. Thinking about this made him feel much better.

Seeing that Li Lingxiao was in a better mood, Li Shuchen ordered him, "Go and call our parents and Princess Changning to come for dinner."

Princess Changning: "No need to call me, I came just by the smell! Li Shuchen, your cooking smells amazing!"

Li Shuchen: "Tonight, I wanted the princess to have a good time. She told me to cook whatever I wanted, so I made a few simple home-style dishes. I don't know if they'll suit the princess's taste."

Everyone sat down

Li Shuchen figured that most girls preferred sweet and sour flavors, so he placed a piece of pork rib on Princess Changning's plate: "Try my sweet and sour pork ribs."

Princess Changning took a bite, chewed, and said, "Mmm~ Delicious! Even better than what my cook makes."

Li Shuchen wondered if it was true or not, was it really that exaggerated?

Princess Changning pointed to a large plate and asked, "What dish is this?"

Li Shuchen was puzzled; couldn't she tell? But she still explained to her, "This is stir-fried chicken with chili peppers."

Princess Changning picked up a piece of golden-brown chicken, put it in her mouth, and her eyes immediately lit up.

Then, "Hiss~ Hah~"

Li Shuchen quickly handed Princess Changning a cup of water, saying, "This dish is a bit spicy; I put in a lot of chili. If you can't eat it, you can eat something else."

The glass of water was quickly emptied. Princess Changning looked at Li Shuchen with bright eyes and cheerfully uttered two words.

"good to eat"

Princess Changning: "I have never tasted anything like this in the manor."

Li Shuchen looked at Princess Changning and thought she didn't seem to be faking it. "Is that possible? She's never even eaten this before?"

Li Shuchen: "This is just regular chili peppers and chicken."

Princess Changning stuffed another piece of chicken into her mouth, not bothering to speak to Li Shuchen.

Pearl then said, "Miss Li, you may not know this, but because Princess Jiale and her husband love sweets, the dishes in the mansion are mostly sweet, and there are very few spicy dishes like this."

Li Shuchen: "Oh~", so many delicious spicy dishes, and Princess Changning has never tried them, poor thing.

Thinking this, Li Shuchen added another piece of chicken to Changning's plate.

"Hiss~ Ha~" Princess Changning's lips were burning red, but she was reluctant to put the tea down; she had already finished the whole pot.

Although Princess Changning ate quickly, her movements were extremely elegant and her manners impeccable. After all, she was a princess, and the etiquette and rules she had been taught were top-notch.

Li Lingxiao also ate very quickly, shouting at Changning.

You give me a piece, I give you a piece, I don't even know what we're after.

If Li Shuchen hadn't done so much, it wouldn't have been enough for the two of them to brag about.

The plate of chicken was almost empty, and the other dishes were mostly gone too. Li Shuchen couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he picked up a piece of stuffed green pepper and placed it on Princess Changning's plate.

Li Shuchen: "Try this."

Princess Changning: "Isn't this just a chili pepper?"

Li Shuchen: "Try it."

Princess Changning thought that since Li Shuchen's cooking was so delicious, the green peppers must be delicious too.

Pick it up and put it in your mouth; it bursts with juice when you bite into it, revealing a filling inside.

Princess Changning: "What's in this? It tastes so fresh!"

Li Shuchen: "It's seasoned pork filling, isn't it delicious?"

Princess Changning nodded: "Delicious."