Late at night, Madam Wang lay tossing and turning.

There was no money left at home, yet her husband still refused to touch the money set aside for her treatment. Madam Wang was deeply moved by this.

But perhaps because of that feeling, she also felt anxious.

Life right now felt like a dream that had somehow come true. They had split from the family. Although they hadn’t received much money, with her mother-in-law’s guidance, they had gained an unexpected stroke of fortune. Hope was now within reach, and Madam Wang wanted to protect that dream carefully.

But… how could they earn money?

She racked her brain and finally came up with an idea.

She could hand over the cooking to Li Xiaohan, and then head up the mountain to search for Sanqi.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt it was a great idea. Over the past few days, she had already noticed that Li Xiaohan had a natural talent in the kitchen and was very thoughtful.

Just like her daughter had said—ever since kneeling in front of her grandmother’s grave, it was like her mind had suddenly opened up. Madam Wang believed that Li Xiaohan could handle the task well.

Besides, Li Xiaohan was already thirteen. It wouldn’t be long before she turned fifteen and came of age. Now would be a good time to start building a good reputation. That way, when it came time to discuss marriage, it would be to her advantage.

Getting married was like a second life for a woman. Even if things turned out tough, Madam Wang felt her own “second life” hadn’t been all that bad. There were plenty of women in the world who had it worse than she did.

So as a mother, Madam Wang needed to start planning for her daughter’s future.

The more she thought about it, the more doable it seemed. She grew so excited she could barely sleep, only drifting off in the second half of the night.

At dawn, when Li Xiaohan saw the dark circles under her mother’s eyes, she figured her mother probably hadn’t slept well.

After Madam Wang shared her plan, Li Xiaohan didn’t object.

In her previous life, being thirteen still counted as child labor. But in this life, thirteen was already close to being a full laborer. In the village, there were plenty of kids just over ten years old already doing household chores.

Maybe because she was their only child, both Li Xiandong and Madam Wang had doted on her more. Even though she helped out every day, they never let her do any heavy or tiring work.

Now, seeing that her mother had gained some confidence in cooking and had even come up with an idea on her own, Li Xiaohan gave a firm nod.

“Mother, leave it to me. I can do it.”

“But Mother, since you’re going up the mountain, could you water the Sanqi seeds while you’re there? A moist environment with enough water helps them sprout better.”

“Alright,” Madam Wang replied. She didn’t really understand anything about ‘moist environments’ or ‘enough water,’ but she did know one thing: the same principles applied to planting crops. If the seeds were delicate, you had to water and fertilize them often to help them grow.

Sanqi was incredibly valuable, practically precious. No amount of care would be too much.

Li Xiandong listened to Madam Wang’s plan. With Li Xiaohan’s promise and Madam Wang’s face full of eagerness to earn money, plus Li Xiaohan’s bright eyes brimming with excitement to prove herself, he gave his nod.

At worst, if the cooking didn’t turn out well, they could always call his wife back to handle it.

After giving her instructions, Madam Wang picked up the carrying pole and headed up the mountain. She didn’t dare go far since she had to return by noon to check on things.

As soon as Madam Wang left, Li Xiaohan got busy. She had been helping Madam Wang every day and had a solid foundation thanks to her past life. She felt confident and believed she could handle it well.

At first, things went smoothly for Li Xiaohan. She picked vegetables, washed them, rinsed the rice, and started the fire. Though she was a bit slow, everything looked orderly.

Li Xiandong, who was working nearby, happened to glance her way. Seeing that she wasn’t flustered at all and looked just like Madam Wang, he felt deeply satisfied.

As expected, his daughter was smart and had inherited all the good traits from their family.

The others working there also noticed that Madam Wang wasn’t around today and saw Li Xiaohan handling everything. Although they were a little surprised, they didn’t find it strange.

In farming families, there’s no such thing as pampering children. A girl her age working at the stove wasn’t unusual at all.

Among them, the sharp-minded Li Xinhe, the mature Li Guiqian, and the well-informed old master quickly figured it out. The advice the old master gave yesterday had clearly moved Li Xiandong. But, judging from their financial situation, they probably couldn’t afford to hire help. So, Li Xiaohan took over in the kitchen, and Madam Wang went to earn money.

Once they understood, everyone felt it was a great plan. Madam Wang was so capable, she could at least be considered half as strong as a man.

At first, Li Xiaohan thought she could definitely do it. Then she felt she probably could. In the end, she figured she might just about be able to manage it.

But in reality, things weren’t going so well.

The rice had started to burn…

This wasn’t like the rice cookers of her past life where she could just press a button and wait for the meal. This was cooking with firewood.

Li Xiaohan had made the fire too strong, and the water evaporated too quickly. By the time she realized it, it was too late to pull the firewood out. A layer of scorched rice had already formed at the bottom of the pot.

She stared blankly at the scorched rice. Luckily, she caught it early. It was only golden brown and still edible. Some people might even enjoy eating this part.

But this scorched layer felt like a slap in the face of the overconfident Li Xiaohan from that morning.

Expressionless, she picked up the spatula and scraped up the burnt rice with force.

There was no helping it. She would need to change today’s meal plan.

Li Xiandong and the others had already smelled the burnt rice. But when they saw thirteen-year-old Li Xiaohan, face blank and full of determination as she scraped the rice with all her strength, she somehow gave off a commanding presence that none of them could interrupt.

The group of men fell silent all of a sudden.

Forget it. It was her first time cooking. The rice wasn’t completely burnt, and it was still edible. No one had the heart to criticize.

After scraping the rice out, Li Xiaohan poured in a ladle of water while the pot was still hot and scrubbed it clean.

Then she let the water boil off, added a spoonful of pork fat, and once the oil was hot, tossed in some wild onions and garlic. The aroma came out immediately. Then she added chopped pickled vegetables they had bought earlier and stir-fried them until the sour fragrance filled the air.

After that, she added some of the small fried fish left over from yesterday and poured in some water.

To be safe—since she really couldn’t afford to burn another dish—Li Xiaohan kept the flame low while stir-frying. But once the water was added, she turned the heat up to let it boil.

As the pot came to a rolling boil, the smell of the fish and the sourness of the pickled vegetables combined into a rich, irresistible aroma.

The men paused their work. Sure, the rice was burnt—but this dish smelled amazing.

Just then, Madam Wang returned.

Li Xiaohan’s cooking was almost done.

“Mother, go wash your face,” Li Xiaohan said as she looked at Madam Wang, whose face was covered in sweat, hair messy, and clothes speckled with dirt and dried leaves.

Madam Wang paused and looked at her equally sweaty daughter, then smiled. “When the food’s done, you go wash too.”

“Okay.” Li Xiaohan wiped her face and replied.

Cooking over a clay stove really wasn’t easy.

Once the pickled vegetables and small fried fish had cooked through and absorbed flavor, she poured everything into a dish—broth and all—and then stir-fried some fresh greens.

When she brought the food to the table, everyone tried not to glance at the bowl of scorched rice. Sometimes, the one who cooked held the highest authority.

Instead, it was Li Xiaohan who looked serious and spoke to Li Xiandong, “Father, this is how you eat the scorched rice.”

She picked up a piece of the crispy rice with her chopsticks and pressed it into the fish and pickled vegetable soup. The firm rice absorbed the thick broth and slowly softened.

She placed the piece in her father’s bowl and said, “Father, try it.”

Li Xiandong… didn’t dare say no. He picked it up and put it in his mouth.

First came the sourness of the pickled vegetables, then the rich flavor of the fish. As he bit down, the rice crackled between his teeth, releasing its smoky aroma.

“Tastes great,” Li Xianxong nodded in approval. He wasn’t just saying it—it really was delicious.

Li Xiaohan smiled faintly and stepped back.

Seeing his genuine reaction and smelling the mouthwatering aroma, the others followed suit, copying how Li Xiaohan had pressed the scorched rice into the soup.

“This scorched rice has a great texture, full of flavor, and fills you up.”

People at the time often used a lot of water to cook rice, trying to stretch a small amount of grain. The result was mushy rice with little fragrance

But this scorched rice was completely different—firm, crispy, and aromatic. It felt like they had discovered something new.

“These little fish are good too. Crispy yesterday, tender today. Pairing them with the pickled vegetables just makes you want more.”

“These stir-fried vegetables are nice too. The garlic and greens blend really well.”

“Why don’t you just say anything cooked in oil looks good to you?”

“Hahaha.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

“Xiaohan’s cooking is good enough to be served at formal occasions.”

As the future clan head, Li Xinhe knew how to say things that really resonated with people when he wanted to offer praise.

As expected, Li Xiandong replied humbly, “She’s still young. She has more to learn.”

But his face was filled with pride. “Come on, everyone, eat up.”