After Jiang Yanyi returned home, she looked at the bright red chili pepper in her garden, thinking about how she could soon start seedling cultivation.

Sitting on a small stool, she propped her chin on her hand, grinning foolishly.

The chili seeds would be used for seedlings, and the leftover chili shells could be used as seasoning.

It would be impossible to make a red soup hot pot with this small amount of chili, but dishes like Mapo Tofu, chopped chili fish head, spicy boiled meat slices, and spicy diced chicken…

Just thinking about any Sichuan dish made Jiang Yanyi’s mouth water.

Qui Kui, seeing her lost in thought, walked over with some concern and touched Jiang Yanyi’s forehead: “Hua Hua, why are you staring at that chili pepper and grinning like an idiot?”

Meanwhile, in the neighboring courtyard, Feng Shuo had a gloomy expression as he grabbed the parrot that was mimicry-talking randomly.

Upon hearing the words “chili pepper,” he couldn’t help but listen intently to the commotion from the other courtyard.

The parrot clawed at Feng Shuo’s hand, its already round eyes looking even rounder, as if it had the words “fear” written all over its little face.

“Hua Hua, didn’t you just water the chili pepper this morning? Why are you watering it again now?”

“I’m happy.”

“Your attention to detail is not wasted; the chili pepper is growing really well…”

She takes such good care of that chili pepper?

Feng Shuo couldn’t help but smile a little.

The parrot remembered that soft, gentle voice filled with laughter; it was like heavenly music to its ears.

Because whenever that voice was heard, its harsh master would loosen his grip on its frail body.

It didn’t want to eat anymore; it just wanted to go back to its cage and continue its confinement.

But its harsh master had taken it up to the top of the pavilion.

The pavilion was built on a high terrain, allowing Feng Shuo to see what was happening beyond the courtyard walls.

He saw Jiang Yanyi half-squatting in the flower bed where she planted the chili peppers, lovingly stroking each chili pepper.

Those peppers had turned from the greenish-red she received from him to a vibrant red, clearly having been carefully nurtured.

His heart felt like a small stone had been thrown into a pond, creating ripples that spread outward.

Although the chili peppers were precious, she was a daughter from a noble family; surely she wouldn’t be so enchanted by a single pot of plants.

Sitting atop the pavilion, one leg bent, the other dangling outside, Feng Shuo rested his hand with the parrot on his bent knee.

The gentle breeze tousled his hair, which fell slightly over his forehead, slightly obscuring his long, clear eyes.

He murmured, “Actually, you must have feelings for this prince too, right?”

However…

In the next moment, Jiang Yanyi beamed as she plucked all the bright red fruits from the chili plant and turned to Qui Kui, saying, “After waiting so long, I finally got them red! I’ll fry them tonight to make something delicious.”

Feng Shuo’s smile, which had just begun to form, froze instantly.

And just then, the silly parrot on his hand began mimicking his earlier words: “Actually, you must have feelings for this prince too, right?”

Feng Shuo: “……”

He decided to add a dish tonight and have the cooks prepare a clear soup with parrot.

---

That evening, after Jiang Yanyi picked the chili peppers, she removed the seeds and spread them out in a sieve under the eaves to dry.

She used two peppers to stir-fry a plate of fish-flavored shredded pork and planned to dry the remaining ones to grind into chili powder.

At dinner, Qui Kui stared hungrily at the entire plate of shredded pork, her eyes nearly bulging out, yet she couldn’t find a piece of fish.

Jiang Yanyi had already picked up some shredded pork with her chopsticks and started eating rice.

Seeing Qui Kui holding her bowl without eating, she couldn’t help but ask, “Qui Kui, why aren’t you using your chopsticks?”

Qui Kui poked at the rice grains in her bowl with her chopsticks, looking a bit confused, “There’s no fish?”

Jiang Yan Yi burst into laughter: “Although this dish is called fish-flavored shredded pork, it’s not made with fish.”

Seeing that Qui Kui still didn’t quite understand, Jiang Yanyi drew an analogy, “Remember when we made lion’s head meatballs in the fire camp? We didn’t use meat from a lion’s head either, did we?”

Qui Kui nodded in a dazed manner, finally letting go of her confusion about the dish’s name.

She picked up a large piece of wood ear mushroom and shredded pork, putting it in her mouth with her eyes narrowed in satisfaction: “Delicious!”

Even though it wasn’t made with fish, there seemed to be a fish flavor in the mouth.

She suddenly asked, “Hua Hua, can green vegetables and radishes also be made to taste like meat?”

Jiang Yanyi paused in her actions of picking vegetables and said, “It might be a bit difficult to make green vegetables and radishes taste like meat, but there are indeed quite a few vegetarian dishes that can be made to have a texture similar to meat.”

Qui Kui’s eyes instantly sparkled: “I want to learn. If I can’t afford meat, it’s best to make vegetables taste like meat!”

This child was afraid of the hard days from before.

Jiang Yan thought for a moment and said, “If you want to learn cooking, we need to start practicing the basics from tomorrow.”

Although they had settled down here for now, who could say what the future held?

Qui Kui was a bit slow compared to others and had previously been a camp prostitute.

Jiang Yan wondered if she would ever meet a good husband who wouldn’t mind her past.

If Qui Kui mastered a skill, no matter what happened in the future, she could work as a cook in someone else’s restaurant or serve as a kitchen maid in the homes of wealthy officials, which would provide her with a way out.

When Qui Kui heard Jiang Yan say this, she put down her bowl and wanted to serve tea to her.

Jiang Yan hurriedly said, “Let’s not go through that master-apprentice routine. I’ll teach you as much as you can learn.”

Qui Kui earnestly replied, “I’ll learn just a little; that way, I can help Huahua later.”

Having spent some time in the fire brigade, Qui Kui knew that no cook would easily teach someone else how to cook since that was their livelihood.

Jiang Yan had already been very good to her; Qui Kui wasn’t greedy, but when she heard Jiang Yan say she could make vegetables taste like meat, it piqued her interest.

However, Jiang Yan said seriously, “If you want to learn, you must learn earnestly; otherwise, wouldn’t it be a waste of my teaching? If you can cook, when our restaurant gets bigger in the future, you can help me a lot.”

Qui Kui was so touched that her tears began to swirl: “Then I’ll work hard to learn and help Huahua earn lots and lots of silver!”

Jiang Yan’s heart softened by her silly words.

She said, “Good, let’s all make a fortune; first, let’s eat.”

Qui Kui sniffed and then happily picked up her bowl again.

That night, Jiang Yan’s side was peaceful and harmonious, but the Hu family was in chaos.

After Hu Baiwan failed to flirt with a commoner woman, he was dragged off to the Xizhou government office, which was known to Madam Hu.

Madam Hu was the niece of the governor of Xizhou.

Since she had an outstanding figure from a young age, when she reached marriageable age, no one came to propose to her.

To gain a better footing in Xizhou, the Hu family had their legitimate son marry the governor’s niece.

Madam Hu was so plump that even walking would leave her breathless.

Three maids standing together wouldn’t match her size.

Yet, she was also jealous and possessive, relying on her influential family; if Hu Baiwan so much as looked at a maid in their house, she would buy the maid directly.

The two elders of the Hu family, despite their dissatisfaction with this daughter-in-law from a noble background, didn’t dare show it.

As long as the younger generation didn’t cause too much trouble, they preferred to stay out of it.

Faced with such a strong and hefty wife, Hu Baiwan often found it difficult to even approach her and would end up making excuses to sneak away.

Tonight, he was carried back, his backside almost beaten to a pulp, crying out for his parents all the way.

The guards who brought him in were from the government office, and even though Governor Xie wanted to protect his nephew-in-law, he couldn’t ignore the face of the office and had to impose a strict punishment.

Madam Hu was furious to learn about her husband’s antics, her double chin trembling with anger.

She smacked Hu Baiwan’s backside twice with a feather duster.

Hu Baiwan screamed in pain, and only then did Madam Hu realize her husband had just been punished and couldn’t hit him again.

Looking at his wife, whose eyes were nearly hidden by her fat face, Hu Baiwan suppressed his disgust and wept, saying, “Jiao Jiao, I was wrong, but it was really that woman who seduced me…”

He was a good-for-nothing rogue, but he could marry the governor’s niece thanks to his decent looks. However, years of indulgence in wine and women had left his eyes puffy and his body terribly thin.

Madam Hu snorted coldly: “Do you really think I don’t know your little tricks?”

Hu Baiwan immediately forgot about the pain in his backside and took her hand, sweet-talking her. Being a frequent visitor to the brothel, he had some skills in flattery, and Madam Hu was soon comforted by him.

“The governor is really something, allowing his people to be so heavy-handed.” Once her anger subsided, Madam Hu began to pity her husband.

She fetched some medicinal wine to personally tend to Hu Baiwan’s wounds, but her strength was too much, and Hu Baiwan nearly fainted from the pain, sweating profusely and turning pale while trying to put on a grateful facade.

At this point, Madam Hu had completely stopped being angry with her husband.

She let him rest and went to the outer room.

After questioning the servants about how Hu Baiwan became acquainted with Jiang Yanyi, Madam Hu was so furious that she hit the armrest of the chair twice and cursed, “That shameless little vixen, sneaking into my flower room under the guise of buying flowers—she’s clearly after my husband!”

Several maids serving nearby wanted to speak but knew her temper well, so they didn’t dare say a word.

Only Madam Hu treated Hu Baiwan like a treasure, while decent women outside avoided him at all costs.