“Miss, you can’t leave. Qiuyi heard that the person who’s making dumplings has arrived and is so happy. You look like a kind-hearted girl, and surely you wouldn’t want to disappoint an old lady who has been hungry for two meals and is now craving the dumplings you made, would you?”

Mrs. Gu held onto Li Shuping’s hand, afraid that if she let go, the person would leave.

She was deliberately mentioning how Li Yunshu had once picked things off the ground to eat when she was little, a slap in her face.

Li Yunshu’s behavior was clearly disdainful and looked down on others.

After being the third miss of the Li family for so many years, she seemed to have forgotten where she came from.

After experiencing the turmoil of war, who hadn’t suffered? But she still acted like this.

The person was invited by her son Zhenyuan.

They came because of Zhenyuan’s face, so she had to stand up for them.

Li Shuping hesitated, then nodded and said, “You speak well, old lady. I stayed because of your kindness.”

“Good, good…” Mrs. Gu smiled and repeatedly praised her.

Li Shuping gave Li Yunshu a quick glance and then walked to the counter to start kneading the dough.

Mrs. Gu didn’t leave and stayed in the kitchen, constantly praising Li Shuping’s quick movements.

Li Yunshu stayed in the kitchen as well, feeling a lump of frustration inside her that she couldn’t release, making her extremely uncomfortable.

Sister Wang began preparing lunch.

Li Boyan was rare to return, and they were going to stew chicken, cook fish, and boil shrimp for lunch.

The dough was left to rise in the covered pot, and Li Shuping started chopping the filling.

Li Boyan and old Mr. Li came downstairs and sat in the living room, chatting with Gu Zhenyuan.

They heard the sound of the filling being chopped in the kitchen and looked toward it.

At first, Gu Zhenyuan was a little worried.

Li Yunshu was too domineering and picky, which might make Li Shuping feel wronged, but after his mother entered the kitchen, he wasn’t worried anymore.

With his mother’s temperament, she couldn’t stand anyone being wronged in front of her, and his mother was Li Yunshu’s nemesis.

“Uncle Gu isn’t home today?” Li Boyan asked.

Gu Zhenyuan came back to his senses. “My father went fishing with Uncle Qi early this morning. He probably won’t be back until the afternoon.”

His father would often go fishing for a whole day.

“Uncle Gu still likes fishing that much. When we were young and needed nutrition, all the fish we ate were caught by Uncle Gu in the river.”

Though life was tough back then, the warmth of it made people nostalgic.

Gu Zhenyuan replied, “My father, apart from playing chess, only has fishing as his hobby…”

Once the filling was chopped and placed into a ceramic bowl, it was time to season it.

Li Shuping picked up the salt jar, but suddenly heard Li Yunshu say, “Put less salt. It’s not good for the elderly to eat too much salt.”

Li Shuping glanced at her, then added two spoonfuls of salt. Li Yunshu immediately began calling again. “I told you to put less salt, didn’t you hear me?”

Li Shuping put the salt jar down, stepped back a little, and made a gesture. “You do it.”

Li Yunshu: “…”

Mrs. Gu spoke up, “Xiao Yan, this is a large bowl of filling, is two spoonfuls of salt enough? Without enough salt, it will taste bland and no one will be able to eat it.”

“You don’t even know how to cook, so stop directing us around.”

“…” Li Yunshu choked on her words.

She didn’t know how to cook, only making simple porridge or noodles, but that didn’t stop her from bossing others around when they were cooking.

Sister Wang secretly nodded. Yes, directing others around. Every time Li Yunshu came back, she had to follow her instructions around in circles.

When things didn’t taste right under her guidance, Li Yunshu would blame the cook for the mistakes.

“Aunt Mu, I’m just…”

Before Li Yunshu could finish, Mrs. Gu interrupted. “I know you’re thinking about your mother’s health, but the most important thing right now is to make sure your mother can have a delicious meal that she wants to eat and can stomach.”

“And, the dumplings made by her are not salty at all, and the flavor is just right.”

Mrs. Gu had eaten Li Shuping’s dumplings several times and thought the flavor was perfect; adding too much or too little made all the difference.

“I can continue now?” Li Shuping asked. “If not, you can do the seasoning.”

Li Yunshu didn’t say anything.

If she could season the filling to the taste her mother liked, would there be a chance for this country bumpkin to come into the Li family?

Seeing that Li Yunshu didn’t speak, Li Shuping continued with the seasoning.

She always added a light hand when cooking, whether it was stir-frying or seasoning the filling with salt.

When she was young, an old Chinese doctor always said that people shouldn’t eat too much salt because it’s bad for their health.

Once the filling was ready, Li Shuping took the dough from the bowl, sprinkled some flour on the counter, and kneaded the dough, releasing the air bubbles inside.

Then she rolled the dough into long strips, tore off small pieces, and with her unique method, flattened the pieces and quickly pinched them into dumpling wrappers. Mrs. Gu watched in awe.

“Ah, Shuping, your hands are really skillful. You don’t even need a rolling pin to make the dumpling wrappers.”

While chatting, Mrs. Gu had learned Li Shuping’s name.

Li Shuping smiled. “I helped out in a dumpling shop when I was young, learning from the master there.”

Mrs. Gu said, “You really are a sensible girl, helping at a dumpling shop when you were young, lightening the load for your family.”

“I don’t have a family. I’m an orphan. I once lived on the streets and was even a beggar. Later, some kind-hearted neighbors helped me, and I grew up eating meals from different families.”

An orphan?

Mrs. Gu was taken aback and asked, “How old were you when you ended up on the streets?”

Li Yunshu thought for a moment, frowning. “I’m not sure, but from what I remember, I’ve been on the streets since I was about five or six years old.”

“Do you remember anything from before you ended up on the streets?” Mrs. Gu asked again.

Li Yunshu shook her head. “I don’t remember.”

Mrs. Gu asked, “Do you have any birthmarks on your back, like a red birthmark shaped like a butterfly?”

“…No.”

She had never seen any birthmarks on her back, nor had anyone mentioned them.

Mrs. Gu sighed with disappointment.

Li Yunshu smirked, thinking, I knew it was impossible.

After the dumpling wrappers were done, Mrs. Gu, who hadn’t made dumplings in a long time, washed her hands and joined Li Shuping to make dumplings.

“Shuping, your dumplings are so beautiful, they look like ingots.”

“Grandma, yours are also good,” Li Shuping said, genuinely liking Mrs. Gu for her kindness and approachable nature, like a very dear elder.

Li Yunshu rolled her eyes at their mutual compliments and turned to leave the kitchen.

“Yunshu, how are the dumplings coming along?” old Mr. Li asked when he saw her leave.

“They’re already being made, I’m going upstairs to check on Mom.”

Old Mr. Li nodded, and Li Yunshu went up the stairs.

In the bedroom, Mrs. Yu was lying on the bed with her eyes closed. When she heard footsteps, she opened her eyes.

“Are the dumplings ready?”

Li Yunshu’s face stiffened. “…Almost.”

She just didn’t understand.

What’s so good about a simple dumpling?

Why was her grandmother so obsessed with them?