I'm dressed up as the timid eldest daughter, and the whole family has to listen to me!

Lou Wangyue brought Su Banxia to her residence. As soon as Su Banxia entered, maids and servants greeted her, prepared tea and snacks for her, and led her to the main hall to sit down.

"I'll have the kitchen start serving the dishes in a little while. You can give me your feedback. If you have any good dishes, you can also ask the kitchen to make a few. When my mother comes, I can show off the delicious food in Fuping County to her."

Su Banxia smiled slightly:

"What can I comment on? I've only tasted it. Besides, the chefs who work in your household must be quite good. I'm just making a fool of myself in front of professional chefs."

Lou Wangyue waved her hand.

"That's right. I find your cooking delicious, and I'm sure my mother will like it too. If I'm really too clumsy to learn, then I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to cook a meal for me."

Su Banxia took a bite of the pastry on the table.

"How could that be? I think the pastry is quite good. But if you need anything, just call me anytime. Anyway, I don't have anything important to do."

Lou Wangyue had been waiting for her mother to arrive in Fuping County so that Su Banxia could meet with her. She was just worried about not having a reason to ask her to come. Now that Su Banxia had so readily agreed to come and help her cook, she certainly wouldn't refuse.

Thinking this, Lou Wangyue smiled and said:

"Then I'll have to swallow my pride and invite you over to cook a meal for my mother. Just tell me what ingredients you need. Once my mother arrives, I'll personally send someone to Sujia Village to pick you up. Is that alright?"

Su Banxia nodded.

"Don't be so polite with me. It's just a small favor. I'm happy to help you. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to thank you after you've helped me so many times."

Lou Wangyue poured Su Banxia a cup of tea.

"Didn't I say that there's no need for thanks between us? This is just what I, as a friend, should do."

As the two were talking, several maids and servants had already brought the food to the table. Su Banxia was a little surprised. She didn't expect the cooks in the Lou family to be so efficient. She had only been sitting down for a short while, and the food was already prepared and served.

"Your cook is truly skilled; he prepared the meal so quickly."

Lou Wangyue smiled. How could Su Banxia know that in order to invite her into the mansion, she had already sent someone back to deliver a message and had the cooks prepare the dishes. Now, she could have a hot meal as soon as she entered the door.

"It's nothing, just some home-cooked food. Please don't mind it. Try it and see if it suits your taste."

As she spoke, Lou Wangyue picked up a piece of meat and placed it in Su Banxia's bowl.

"I can tell you love meat, why don't you try this meat dish?"

Su Banxia nodded. She hadn't expected that Lou Wangyue, who had only eaten with her a few times, could remember her preferences so clearly. She was truly a clever person who could get along with anyone in the business world.

Su Banxia took a bite of the meat in her bowl. It was fatty but not greasy, but it had a strong meaty smell. It was indeed cooked too hastily, and the meaty smell hadn't been properly removed beforehand. If someone else were to eat it, they certainly wouldn't be able to taste anything different.

But Su Banxia was different. She always drank well water from the space, which had made her five senses extremely sensitive. So she could detect even the slightest strange taste.

So Su Banxia put down her chopsticks and smiled:

"If the meat were marinated in white wine or white vinegar for a while before cooking, it would taste even better."

Lou Wangyue looked at the maid beside her.

"Write down everything that Banxia said and pass it on to the kitchen later. We can't let the same problem happen again next time."

The maid nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, young master, I remember it all."

Su Banxia picked up another slice of stir-fried crisp lotus root.

"This lotus root is crisp and chewy, but it lacks sourness. If some flavor could be added, it would be perfect."

After tasting each dish on the table, Su Banxia pointed out areas for improvement.

After the maid remembered it clearly, she went to the kitchen to deliver the message.

Su Banxia knew that exposing Lou Wangyue's cook's shortcomings in front of him might offend the cook in the kitchen, but she had no relationship with that cook and wouldn't have any dealings with him in the future.

Naturally, Su Banxia wanted to give Lou Wangyue a good critique, since Lou Wangyue valued this matter highly and she didn't want to disappoint him.

Seeing that Su Banxia had put down her chopsticks, Lou Wangyue smiled and said:

"Since this chef is so useless, I think I'll have to trouble you to prepare a welcome feast for my mother when she comes to our house. What do you think?"

Now that Lou Wangyue had spoken, Su Banxia naturally wouldn't refuse. After all, he had just saved her life, and now he had taken her to his residence to eat so many delicious things.

So Su Banxia put down her teacup and nodded:

"Okay, then I'll come over and cook you a meal. Don't worry about whether it's good or not, that's about all I can do."

Lou Wangyue smiled and shook her head.

"How could that be? I love anything you make, and believe me, Mother will love it too."

Su Banxia smiled, stood up, and said:

"It's getting late, and I should go back now. I'm worried about my father and elder brother's health, and I want to go back and check on them as soon as possible."

Lou Wangyue hurriedly stood up as well, gave a few instructions to the maid beside her, and then turned to Su Banxia and said:

"Then I'll arrange a carriage to take you back."

Su Banxia hurriedly waved her hand.

"Oh, I can't accept that. I'll just go to the city gate and take Uncle Niu's oxcart back later."

Lou Wangyue smiled.

"Don't refuse me. You've helped me so much, how can I let you go back alone in the oxcart? Consider it my way of thanking you in advance for agreeing to cook for me."

Seeing that Lou Wangyue's words were truly sincere, Su Banxia had no choice but to nod and say:

"Alright, since that's the case, I won't refuse you. It'll be faster to get back to the village by carriage."

Lou Wangyue saw Su Banxia off onto the carriage and watched her walk quite a distance before turning back to his residence.

“Young master, everything you asked me to do has been done. Miss Su’s father and elder brother are both fine. As for the person in charge, I have already sent someone to take care of him. The Lin family has also been informed.”

Jixiang paused, glanced at Lou Wangyue's expression, and then continued:

“I noticed that Young Master Lin seems a bit unhappy that we’re touching his people. It seems he’s related to the manager, but this time the manager went too far, so Young Master Lin can’t say anything. I’m afraid that if he doesn’t say anything now, he might tamper with our things later.”