Chapter 32

Smelling the delicious aroma, the children were running around the courtyard, shouting, “It smells so good! I really want to eat!”—all eagerly waiting to taste the food their little sister had made.

Even the adults, like Granny Zhou and the others, were quite surprised. They had been wondering if such a tiny little girl could really cook anything that tasty.

“It really smells good! And it looks like she’s using cooking methods just like ours. But the aroma—oh my, it’s amazing! Our little Sweetie is just a tiny kid, but she’s going to be a divine chef one day,” sighed Zhu, the eldest daughter-in-law.

Granny Zhou was delighted. Her precious granddaughter was blessed and lucky—only someone with great fortune could be taught cooking skills by a divine dream.

“That’s right. The food our Sweetie makes has to be the most delicious,” Granny Zhou praised.

To the aunties, Sweetie was the most capable person in the family. Though she was just a child, she had no shortage of talent.

None of them had ever expected her to have such culinary skills. Some ingredients, in fact, they had never seen before.

Zhang, the second daughter-in-law, pointed at the curry and asked, “Sweetie, what is this? Second Auntie has really never seen it before.”

Sweetie replied sweetly, “This is curry. I bought it from a southern traveling merchant. It’s really good for cooking chicken and potatoes.”

Zhang nodded repeatedly—if it weren’t for Sweetie, she might never have known such a thing existed.

Despite her small size, Sweetie was wielding a large spatula and ladle with ease, as if she had endless strength.

Zou, the third daughter-in-law, commented, “Our Sweetie is really strong! She looks stronger than even her older brothers. Just look at how she’s handling the utensils—so professional!”

Surrounded by a circle of vegetables and neatly cut meat, her chubby little face was filled with concentration—utterly adorable.

Granny Zhou cherished Sweetie dearly, and the more others praised her, the happier she felt.

The men of the Song family were chopping wood and fetching water. When they came into the house, they couldn’t help teasing Sweetie a bit. And to be honest, the food this cute little girl made smelled truly amazing.

Occasionally, neighbors passing by or stopping in for a visit were stunned to see Sweetie in charge of the kitchen.

Naturally, word spread quickly in the village: the little lucky girl from the Song family was incredible—not only good at making money but also great at cooking.

Some were skeptical. How could a five-year-old possibly cook? She probably didn’t even fully understand what she was doing.

But eyewitnesses swore they saw her stir-frying the dishes, and the aroma was even better than anything from a professional chef at a town restaurant.

And it wasn’t just about the smell—Sweetie cooked fast and made dishes that had everything: color, aroma, and flavor.

By evening, dinner was ready right on time.

Each dish was made in two large portions—one table for the men and one for the women, with the same food for both.

Everyone was stunned by the presentation. The food looked so neat and beautiful.

The crabs and shrimp were bright red, with not a leg out of place, looking almost like carved jade. The dishes were so perfect they seemed unreal.

The braised ribs, stewed beef, and other meat dishes looked like they came straight out of beautified photos.

The cold cucumber salad looked crisp and refreshing, the candied sweet potatoes had long, transparent sugar threads, and the golden sweet potato balls were beautifully arranged—every single dish looked incredible.

Culinary art is all about color, aroma, and taste. As the best little chef in the world, Sweetie absolutely nailed the presentation.

With half the village filled with the delicious aroma, she had certainly achieved the “color” and “aroma” parts.

Looking at these dishes that seemed straight out of a game or food illustration—and knowing that even half the village could smell it—Sweetie thought it might be a bit over the top.

But then again, if she wanted to be the best chef in the world, she had to surpass ordinary people by a wide margin.

The eldest son said first, “Wow, is this food? It looks like a painting! It’s too beautiful. I almost feel bad eating it.”

The brothers immediately agreed—it was so beautiful, they didn’t even dare to dig in.

Even Grandpa Song was shocked. This little girl was only five! Other children her age probably didn’t even know what they wanted to eat.

But his own granddaughter could whip up an entire table full of dishes. He had traveled far and wide and eaten in countless restaurants, yet he had never seen a chef present food this beautifully.

“Unbelievable. My Sweetie is amazing—really amazing. I’ve truly learned something new today,” exclaimed the fourth son, Song Futian.

Grandpa Song added with a laugh, “Even I—an old man who’s traveled everywhere—have never seen a restaurant serve dishes that look this pretty.”

The women in the Song family had rarely been to restaurants, so they couldn’t compare. But even as rural folk, they had never seen cooking like this.

Granny Zhou said, “I’ve lived for decades and never seen stir-fried dishes look this good. Even our village’s top cook, Old Niu, can’t do this.”

In rural areas, celebrations or funerals were often held at home with banquet-style meals, and every village usually had a local cook.

Zou nodded, “That’s right—Old Niu can’t make food this pretty.”

The little boys had been drooling over the aroma for ages, and now that the adults were only admiring the presentation, they were getting impatient.

“Mom, the food smells so good—can we try it now?”

“Mom, it smells amazing—I want to eat!”

The boys pleaded, desperate to dig in.

Song Tian’er scooped out half a bowl of rice and topped it with two spoonfuls of curry potatoes. “This curry rice is super tasty. We don’t have this here—everyone should try it!”

Everyone copied Sweetie’s way of eating, and after one bite, they were stunned.

Even though it was a completely unfamiliar flavor—it was unbelievably delicious.

The potatoes were soft, the chicken tender and flavorful, and the curry sauce paired with the fluffy rice was a delight.

Grandpa Song nodded repeatedly as he ate. He picked up a piece of braised rib next—it had the perfect balance of fat and lean meat and was so fragrant it tasted like it had some magical flavor enhancer. It was far better than anything he’d had before.

“Oh my, this is too good. No restaurant in town could make something like this. Sweetie, your skills are amazing. Truly amazing!”

Even Grandpa didn’t know how to praise her properly—she was just too talented.

The rest of the family nodded as they focused on eating. The uncles and children didn’t say a word—they were afraid that talking would mean less eating time.

Liu was filled with pride. Seeing the whole family eating so happily, her heart swelled with joy. After all, this incredible little girl was her own daughter.

Zhu picked up some candied sweet potatoes. Oh my—this was way tastier than just steaming them.

“So good—every dish is amazing! I’m going to eat until I burst today. Sweetie, you really have to teach Auntie your cooking secrets. Just teach me a little—it’s too delicious!”