Chapter 37

There were many secrets at home, and the most feared thing was the presence of too many people and prying eyes.

Shen Qingyun trusted her completely. Even if something happened, as long as she spoke, he would believe her without a second thought, never overthinking things.

But these two elders were clearly observant. After such a long time, who could guarantee that no clue would be revealed?

However, Yin Xiaoman could not stand seeing Engineer Ning show that cautious expression in front of her.

It reminded her of her grandmother.

Both had experienced hardships, both were thin and frail.

When she left home all those years ago, her grandmother had not yet reached the age Engineer Ning was now. Seeing Engineer Ning like this made Yin Xiaoman uncontrollably think of her.

She couldn’t bear seeing the elderly person in difficulty.

Moreover, he was a benefactor to her family.

So, even though she was reluctant, Yin Xiaoman could not bring herself to refuse.

At worst, she would just be more careful in the future, she sighed quietly in her heart.

“Alright, you do whatever is convenient.” she smiled as she responded to Engineer Ning, then asked him to step out and rest, saying she would call them once the meal was ready.

Engineer Ning had been out for less than two minutes when Shen Qingyun walked in.

His expression was tinged with embarrassment as he circled around Yin Xiaoman, neither speaking nor leaving.

Bang.

Yin Xiaoman placed a basin in front of him, looking at him with disdain as she said: “Stop wandering around here, go get half a basin of water, wash the bamboo shoots again, and tear them into pieces.”

The bamboo shoots had been soaked two days in advance. They were originally meant for stir-frying clams in the evening, but now they were just right for use.

“Hey.”

A smile immediately appeared on Shen Qingyun’s face as he quickly agreed and hurried out to fetch the water.

His expression didn’t seem like Yin Xiaoman had assigned him some task; it looked more like she had given him a piece of candy.

“Really!” Watching the man’s retreating figure, Yin Xiaoman clicked her tongue in frustration.

Then she couldn’t help but laugh.

In front of outsiders, especially in the Military Camp, Shen Qingyun always maintained a tough guy image.

After all, as the leader of a combat military unit, if he didn’t carry a certain fierceness, he wouldn’t earn the respect and admiration of his subordinates, making it impossible for him to stand firm.

Many people who weren’t familiar with him, when talking about him, would often mention terms like “serious and unsmiling.” “black face and ruthless hands.” and “not someone to provoke.”

Only Yin Xiaoman knew how attentive, how gentle and soft he could be at home.

He came in not because Yin Xiaoman had been assigned a task, but because he sensed that Engineer Ning’s suggestion had put her in a difficult position and wanted to comfort her.

But since those two elders were ones he had worked so hard to bring back, this trouble was caused by him, and the guilt prevented him from being able to say any comforting words.

But isn’t it the case that when a family is together, they should support and understand each other? Yin Xiaoman didn’t feel any difficulty at all.

“This guy, what is he always thinking about?” Yin Xiaoman muttered quietly, and then she didn’t have time to dwell on him any longer.

Because everyone was waiting for dinner, and there wasn’t time to cook on low heat for a long time, the dried bamboo shoots with braised meat turned into stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork.

The pork belly was sliced thin, stir-fried on high heat, then the soaked and shredded dried bamboo shoots were added, quickly stir-fried with seasonings. Soon, a plate of stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork was ready, salty and slightly sweet with a hint of spiciness in the aftertaste.

She invited the two elders to sit in the main seats. The family sat in the other spots, and they were ready to eat.

She glanced at the table—

The stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork glistened with oil, every piece of bamboo shoot wrapped in the sauce, exuding a rich fragrance.

The steamed grouper, though a bit overcooked because dinner was delayed, had a slightly tougher texture, but the layer of hot oil seasoned with Sichuan peppercorns that Yin Xiaoman poured over it revived its fresh, sweet taste.

The wild vegetable pancakes were a beautiful shade of green with golden edges, clearly made with plenty of white flour and eggs.

Even the bowl of kelp and vegetable soup looked especially appetizing, with tiny shrimp shells floating on top, making it all the more pleasing to the eye.

In addition, there was a small bamboo basket placed on the table, clean and neat, containing steamed pumpkin and potatoes.

Beside the bamboo basket, there was even a small dish of pickled vegetables for cleansing the palate, also tossed in chili and Sichuan peppercorn oil.

This kind of meal would be sufficient even for hosting a state guest, wouldn’t it?

Staring at the table, both elders displayed an expression of nervousness.

“Little Yin, you really can’t go to such lengths. Are you using up your whole family’s food budget for the year? We can’t have this.”

“We just came to eat with you, as usual. You really don’t have to make such a big deal for us. This… this is too extravagant.”

This time, it was Old Hua who spoke first, and Engineer Ning quickly nodded in agreement.

“I didn’t specially make anything. It’s just that you two are lucky today, it just so happens.”

Yin Xiaoman propped her sleeve with one hand, using the other to pick up chopsticks and serve a piece of pork belly to each elder, then smiled as she explained.

Seeing their doubtful expressions, she first pointed to the wild vegetable pancakes.

“We dug these wild vegetables ourselves this morning, and the eggs inside are from the sea duck eggs the kids picked up while beachcombing. As for the white flour and the rice we’re having today…”

At this point, she chuckled. “Isn’t it just a coincidence? I went to the county yesterday, and by chance, I found some fine grain, so I bought a little. If you two had come a couple of days earlier, you wouldn’t have gotten any.”

“As for the rest…”

Yin Xiaoman’s gaze swept over the other dishes on the table, her tone sincere. “We live by the sea, so getting these things isn’t hard. But this meat, well, it’s because of you two that we’re having it. Otherwise, we might not even eat it more than a few times a year.”

As she said this, she glanced at Da Bao and Erniu. Before she could speak, the two children simultaneously turned to Engineer Ning and Old Hua, shouting: “Thank you, Grandpa!”

The children’s childish voices, along with the grateful look in their eyes, made both elders’ eyes well up with emotion. They almost lost their composure.

“No need to thank, no need to thank, just eat the food, eat the food!”

Old Hua used his untouched chopsticks to serve a generous helping of meat to each of the two children, placing it in their bowls.

But he understood in his heart that what Little Yin was really doing was easing the hearts of these two old men!

Even if the wild vegetables and duck eggs didn’t cost anything, the other ingredients—the oil, salt, sauces, rice, and white flour—weren’t inexpensive either. She made all this for them, without taking any credit, clearly out of concern that they might feel burdened.

What an honest child!

Glancing at the young couple who had already started eating, Old Hua said nothing more, but he deeply engraved this kindness into his heart.

After the meal, Engineer Ning and Old Hua left, and Shen Qingyun went back to work.

Once the two children were napping, Yin Xiaoman headed to the Imperial Kitchen.

Although she always had confidence in her disciple’s skills, a whole day without seeing results kept her heart in suspense.

She went straight to the small room where Lichun was.

Upon entering, Yin Xiaoman paused for a moment.

To her surprise, in the locked wooden cabinet, she saw an altar with a spirit tablet!

She wasn’t sure how to address it, as it simply had four characters written on it: *Xianzi Daren* (Fairy Lord).

She couldn’t help but twitch her mouth.

Fortunately, Lichun’s mind wasn’t completely muddled, and she still had some sense left. She knew that the Imperial Kitchen wasn’t allowed to light open flames, so she hadn’t offered incense.

Instead, she had placed two delicate porcelain plates in front of the tablet, one filled with exquisite pastries and the other with freshly offered seasonal fruits.

Yin Xiaoman stared at the items for a long time, lost in deep speechlessness, unable to snap out of it for a while.

Though she knew very well that she was no longer in this world, the feeling of seeing someone offer things to her was not something that could be easily brushed off by just anyone.

After a long moment, Yin Xiaoman cast one last deep glance at the spirit tablet and then pushed the thought aside.

There was no need to ask anything now; the problem on Lichun’s side must have already been resolved.

Otherwise, with how often she and Lichun had been in contact, she would have never thought of offering anything before.

The thought of offerings made Yin Xiaoman’s head ache again.

She tried hard to ignore the discomfort, squatting down to check the items Lichun had placed in the lower level of the cabinet, the ones she had requested.

This time, Lichun must have been very excited and completely forgot the advice the “Fairy” had given her—just prepare the items listed on the note.

Not only had she left a well-prepared, cleanly slaughtered chicken, but there was also an assortment of cured meats, smoked sausages, and air-dried rabbit legs.

Clearly, after a few interactions, Lichun had somewhat figured out Yin Xiaoman’s preferences. There was nothing rare or difficult to find among the items, just the kinds of things regular folk enjoyed most in their daily lives.

Looking at the full bag of food, Yin Xiaoman wore a helpless yet happy expression. This time, she didn’t leave behind any money, nor did she reject the offerings. Instead, she took everything back to her little room.

She knew this was Lichun’s heartfelt gesture, her way of showing gratitude. If she didn’t accept it, the little girl would surely overthink it and drive herself crazy.

Before leaving, Yin Xiaoman glanced at the spirit tablet once more. After a few moments of hesitation, she couldn’t hold herself back and picked it up, throwing it under Lichun’s desk, into a pile of miscellaneous things meant to be cleaned up.

Then she grabbed the brush on the table and wrote two characters: *Throw away!*

Before leaving the room, she stared at the cabinet for a long while, but in the end, she couldn’t control herself. She took the pastries and fruits that the silly girl had offered and placed them all into the bag she had brought with her.

Yin Xiaoman carefully organized the items in her room in the palace, sorting them into categories, and only took a few fresh fruits with her as she left the space.

She intended to give the two little ones a sweet treat when no one was around.

But just as she stepped out, she heard Wang Jun’s voice calling from outside the yard: “Sister-in-law, is Sister-in-law at home?”

She knew he must have come personally to deliver the rations for Engineer Ning and Old Hua.

She quickly responded and went out to meet him.

However, when she opened the gate, she froze for a moment.

What Yin Xiaoman hadn’t expected was that she wasn’t the only one coming; behind Wang Jun, there were two other people.

One was Liu Chuang, the assistant who had been with Engineer Ning on the train.

The other one, she recognized from their previous encounter.

It was Lin Hui, the woman who had once subtly criticized her at the train station, expressing disdain for her being from the countryside.