He found it hard to believe as he took another spoonful, the faint flavors lingering on his taste buds were indeed fragrant, salty, and spicy.

Feng Shuo furrowed his brows slightly, causing his personal guard beside him to jump, fearing the food didn’t suit his master’s palate.

But then, he noticed Feng Shuo picked up the ebony chopsticks inlaid with silver and sampled other dishes—braised fish, eight-treasure duck, and braised pig trotters—each with its unique flavor.

The sensations of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy exploded on his taste buds, a feeling that was quite unfamiliar.

Feng Shuo held the ebony chopsticks, his expression indecipherable. “This dish…”

The guard quickly replied, “I’ll have the fire brigade redo it right away.”

Feng Shuo shook his head and used a silver spoon to scoop up a piece of tofu pudding. “This dish… it’s acceptable, the tofu pudding is well made. Reward them.”

It seemed his sense of taste had somewhat returned.

He tried to maintain a calm demeanor, not wanting anyone to notice anything unusual.

However, the guard was quite surprised.

He had been by Feng Shuo’s side for years and had never seen him reward a cook before; this was the first time.

He immediately paid closer attention to what Feng Shuo ate.

Whatever dish Feng Shuo ate, he noted it down discreetly.

Eventually, he noticed that the bowl of tofu pudding had been cleaned out.

The guard could hardly believe his eyes; his master always had a bowl of tofu pudding with every meal, but in the past, he would only take a single bite before losing interest.

Today was a completely different story.

The guard thought it necessary to reward the fire brigade’s cook properly, especially the one who made the tofu.

As night fell, a bonfire was lit outside the barracks.

Each camp had sent people to collect their meals, and the fire brigade members finally had some leisure time, gathering in groups outside the barracks to sit on the ground.

Jiang Yanyi had only managed to drink half a bowl of coarse rice porridge today and was now starving, her stomach pressed against her back.

The dinner they were given was a soup of green vegetables and coarse rice with boiled taro.

Compared to the clear porridge from noon, this rice soup was indeed much thicker.

In the military camp, only the generals had refined meals with fine rice and a few side dishes.

Ordinary soldiers had only two buckwheat dumplings and a bowl of coarse rice porridge for breakfast, a meal of coarse rice steamed with vegetables for lunch, and a soup of green vegetables and coarse rice for dinner.

The kitchen measured the rice and vegetables precisely, keeping track of everything; the fire brigade members dared not pilfer.

Jiang Yanyi carried her bowl of porridge to a secluded spot to sit down.

The coarse rice was difficult to swallow, and she couldn’t help but think back to noon when a few women in the barracks had given the two cooks some benefits.

Did they really offer silver just for this bowl of coarse rice soup?

Jiang Yanyi glanced at the group of women sitting at a distance, including Chunxiang, who seemed to be on good terms with the others.

However, none of them were holding bowls of porridge.

Noticing Jiang Yanyi looking in their direction, they whispered to each other.

Soon, Chunxiang glanced over at Jiang Yanyi.

It seemed she had reconciled with Liu Cheng and deliberately raised her voice in a flirtatious tone, as if afraid Jiang Yanyi wouldn’t hear, while also throwing her a provocative look.

Jiang Yanyi couldn’t be bothered to roll her eyes this time and simply expressionlessly drank her coarse rice soup.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her, and a pockmarked soldier sat down in front of her, grinning widely, revealing a mouthful of yellowed teeth. “I heard you’re the new camp prostitute?”

He leered at Jiang Yanyi, “Are you seeking death, or are you still a virgin?”

Jiang Yanyi felt disgust crawling up her spine, and she simply picked up her porridge bowl to leave.

But the pockmarked man blocked her way, grinning mischievously. “Why are you running away? I’m not going to eat you.”

The people around them wore expressions of amusement, clearly enjoying the scene.

Jiang Yanyi coldly replied, “The great general has issued an order; those who cavort with prostitutes will face military law!”

The pockmarked man burst into laughter. “I’m just here to chat with you; how can that be considered cavorting?”

Laughter erupted among the crowd.

Jiang Yanyi understood that this man was emboldened, assuming that as a camp prostitute, she would never dare report him to the great general.

“She’s barefoot, does she really think she can intimidate someone wearing shoes? Let’s make a big deal out of this and see what happens!”

She raised her hand and splashed a bowl of vegetable soup over the pockmarked face: “Take that, you old hag!”

The pockmarked face let out a scream as the hot soup burned him.

After wiping the soup off his face, he pretended to strike Jiang Yanyi: “You stinking brat, giving me face but refusing to back down!”

“What are you doing?” A deep voice stopped the pockmarked face.

It was a small steward from the kitchen, about the same age as Chef Li, with two bushy mustaches at the corners of his mouth, giving him a shrewd look.

Immediately, the pockmarked face complained, “Zhao, this woman splashed hot soup on me! Look at how burned I am!”

Zhao glanced at him: “Enough, Wang Mazi. Put away your tricks.”

He then turned to Jiang Yanyi, his eyelids drooping. “Someone from the general’s side has come for you. Come with me.”

Jiang Yanyi’s heart sank.

Was it possible that the tofu pudding didn’t suit the general’s taste?

As she walked back to the barracks, she could feel the eyes of others on her.

Their expressions ranged from sympathy to pity, or even schadenfreude, making her even more anxious.

Upon entering the barracks, she saw a flag officer in full armor standing in the middle.

He was broad-shouldered and had a long scar across his face, giving him a fierce look.

A large knife hung at his waist, making the people in the room afraid to even breathe.

Chef Li and a few other cooks stood stiffly to the side.

Seeing this scene, Jiang Yanyi felt even more unsettled.

She forced herself to maintain her composure and greeted, “Sir, you called for me?”

The flag officer looked her up and down, his voice booming like thunder: “Did you make the tofu pudding?”

Jiang Yanyi’s heart raced, and sweat began to bead on her palms.

Was she really going to be executed because the general didn’t like her tofu pudding?

She might become the fastest character to die in a novel.

Jiang Yanyi licked her dry lips and slowly replied, “Yes… yes, it was me who made it.”

The flag officer reached toward his waist—

Was he going to execute her right here in the kitchen?

How uncivilized!

Jiang Yanyi’s legs felt weak, nearly unable to support her, but her mind was racing with all kinds of thoughts.

“Your dishes are good; the general has rewards for you!”

The flag officer pulled out several coins from his waist.

Chef Li received two coins, while the other cooks each got one.

The flag officer handed the last coin to Jiang Yanyi: “The general said your tofu pudding was quite good.”

Onlookers, who had expected Jiang Yanyi to be punished, were surprised that she was actually being rewarded, revealing expressions of envy.

They knew that without any battles, the monthly salary for these miscellaneous soldiers was only six hundred coins, and one coin equaled one thousand coins.

Jiang Yanyi held the copper coin in her hands, feeling utterly bewildered.

Had she just been rewarded?

Why did it feel like she was about to be executed?

She was dazed for a while, gradually coming to her senses.

Chef Li thought she was foolishly happy and cautioned, “Don’t be arrogant or impatient; the real skill is to make every dish well.”

Jiang Yanyi nodded and thanked Chef Li.

The general didn’t know she was the one who made the tofu pudding, and whether Chef Li took the credit for it remained to be seen.

But Chef Li had not done so; the reward was secondary.

The key was that this gave her an opportunity to stand out, and Jiang Yanyi sincerely appreciated Chef Li.

Liu Cheng watched the scene unfold nearby, a flicker of unwillingness in his eyes—if it weren’t for him relinquishing this opportunity, how could Jiang Yanyi be the one to make tofu?

Chunxiang also looked displeased.

She had lost face in the kitchen today, while this newcomer was stealing the spotlight one after another.

How would she stand among the other women after returning?

The look she gave Jiang Yanyi grew increasingly hostile.

Jiang Yanyi tucked the rewards she had received into her sleeve, feeling the reassuring weight of the coins, which brought her an inexplicable sense of stability.

Because of this wave of rewards, the fire brigade members had become courteous towards her, and the women in the barracks even initiated friendly conversations with her.

Jiang Yanyi felt her emotions were quite complex.

She remembered a saying she had heard before: “When you become powerful, you’ll find that everyone around you is kind, and everyone treats you with warmth.”

Now, in this unfamiliar world, she was experiencing firsthand the realities of social dynamics.

Having poured out her earlier porridge, she was about to scoop a fresh serving when the kitchen suddenly became busy again.

Seeing Liu Cheng was nowhere to be found, Chef Li glanced around and called out to Jiang Yanyi, “Hey, you there! Come help me out.”

Thinking it was the military preparing for a second meal, Jiang Yanyi didn’t hesitate and hurried to the stove.

Chef Li handed her a list. “Go find Head Zhao and get the ingredients on this list weighed and brought over. Just tell him I’ll cover the costs later.”

Jiang Yanyi knew about weighing and keeping account of the ingredients, but she was a bit confused about the part about covering costs.

Holding onto the principle of doing more and asking less, she took the list and went directly to find Head Zhao.

After glancing over the list, Head Zhao readily handed her the ingredients and chattered casually while weighing them: “These days, things have changed in the West Zhou camp; I wonder if Old Li can still keep this private kitchen running…”

Jiang Yanyi was taken aback, realizing that Chef Li was secretly selling the dishes to the soldiers in the camp.

No wonder Chef Li needed to pay for the ingredients.

From Head Zhao, she subtly learned that during the tenure of the former general, the food in the camp had been so poor that soldiers would sneak out at midnight to steal food from nearby villages, causing discontent among the locals.

After Chef Li started this private kitchen, soldiers who were hungry or dissatisfied with the meals would come to buy food.

The former general had turned a blind eye to this, but Chef Li would give a substantial portion of the profits he made from the private kitchen as tribute to the former general.

Now, with peace restored, the national treasury was plentiful, and the court had not withheld funds from the West Zhou camp.

The soldiers were still eating coarse rice daily, which evidently indicated corruption among those in charge.

It was obvious who that corrupt person was.

After taking the ingredients back to the stove, Jiang Yanyi prepared everything as instructed by Chef Li.

She was nimble and diligent; no matter what Chef Li needed while cooking, she could provide it on time.

There were even some seasonings or steps that Chef Li forgot to mention, and she was able to prepare them.

Chef Li recalled how Liu Cheng used to clumsily assist him and couldn’t help but sigh.

Once the private order was completed, the dishes were packed into food boxes. Before long, several soldiers arrived to pick up the boxes.

After settling the bill, they handed Chef Li a new list for the next day’s private order.

One of the food boxes was taken away by a woman who had given benefits to the fire brigade at noon.

That made Jiang Yanyi realize why they hadn’t eaten the coarse rice porridge earlier.

While everyone else had gone back to their quarters, it was still early, and Chef Li, along with a few other cooks who had received rewards that day, were in high spirits.

They set up a table outside the barracks, warmed a pot of wine, and prepared a couple of simple side dishes to enjoy while chatting.

Jiang Yanyi was still hungry; even though she now had money, seeing Chef Li and Head Zhao happily enjoying their drinks and chatting, she tactfully chose not to interrupt them to say she wanted to buy food.

—Chef Li’s private orders were all pre-ordered the day before.

Although she could cook, she still needed Head Zhao to weigh the ingredients.

It would seem out of place to want to open her own private kitchen on her first day in the fire brigade.

Looking at the porridge bucket from earlier, she saw some coarse rice vegetable soup still left, warm to the touch.

She grabbed a bowl and squatted in a corner, taking small sips.

At that moment, two sentries came in from their shift change.

The night was chilly and damp, and one of them rubbed his arms, asking Chef Li, “Hey, Chef Li, do you have anything to eat left?”

After a long day of work, Chef Li and the others were finally able to rest, feeling a bit lazy.

At this hour, they weren’t planning to start cooking again, so he replied, “Dinner is already over; there’s nothing left.”

“Chef Li, everyone knows your cooking skills. Just whip up something for us, will you? We’ve only had two coarse buns all day, and we have to go back on duty soon. We’re really starving.” The sentry placed seven or eight copper coins on the table and sat down with his companion, clearly a regular customer buying a late-night snack.

With the request made so directly, Chef Li knew these men often missed meals during their shifts.

They were familiar with him, and it was hard to turn them down.

But after having a few cups of wine, feeling slightly tipsy, he didn’t want to move. Turning his head, he noticed Jiang Yanyi sitting in the corner, drinking her cold porridge.

The girl had a lovely appearance but looked as if she had endured a lot of hardship these days, her chin was sharp from weight loss, her complexion appeared very pale under the light, and she had a blood-stained bandage wrapped around her head, making her look even more pitiful.

Feeling a pang of compassion, he said, “Take this handful of copper coins; get some substantial food for these two soldiers, and get yourself something to eat too.”