The soup needed to be simmered for two hours in advance.

Jiang Yanyi listed the ingredients she needed for lunch, and Liu hurriedly instructed the kitchen staff to go buy them.

Jiang Yanyi took the opportunity to check on Jiang Yan Gui in his courtyard.

When she entered the room, she saw him holding a book, and there was a thick stack of books piled up on the bedside table.

The room felt a bit stuffy with the charcoal brazier burning, and although there was a small gap left in the window, it seemed to dissipate much of the warmth, and the air wasn’t circulating well.

Jiang Yanyi couldn’t help but think about the heated kang (a traditional Chinese heated bed) in the Feng residence; if Jiang Yangui could recuperate in such a courtyard, it would be much better for his recovery.

“Does your leg feel any better today?” Jiang Yan Yi asked.

Jiang Yangui was so engrossed in his reading that he didn’t notice someone entering until Jiang Yanyi spoke up. “It doesn’t hurt much anymore,” he replied.

When Jiang Yangui smiled, two dimples appeared on his cheeks, giving him a shy look.

Jiang Yan Yi asked, “What book are you reading?”

“I’m reading various kinds of books to pass the time,” Jiang Yangui hesitated for a moment and then said, “Sister, I’d like to hire a tutor. We can pay for it ourselves.”

She was pleased that he wanted to study, replying, “That’s great! I’ve been looking for a house with a landlord these days. We can move out soon.”

Jiang Yan Gui frowned, “Didn’t we say we would move to the house behind your shop?”

Jiang Yan Yi explained, “It’s too noisy there; it’s not good for your recovery. If you start studying, living there wouldn’t work at all.”

Jiang Yangui was worried about the expense and quickly said, “As long as I can be with you, I’m willing to live anywhere. You don’t need to spend money just for my sake.”

“I was planning to change to a bigger shop anyway, so it’s not all just for you,” Jiang Yanyi reassured him.

Just then, Chu Zhong, the guard in charge of looking after Jiang Yan Gui, came in and said, “Miss Jiang, there’s a girl at the front gate with two fish, saying she’s looking for you.”

Jiang Yanyi was puzzled; she didn’t know many people in Xizhou.

When she went to the front gate, she saw it was Qiukui.

Dressed like a little ball, she was holding two perch and grinned when she saw Jiang Yanyi. “Hua Hua, Chef Yao bought some fish and asked me to bring you two.”

It was hard to fish in this cold weather, and it was also difficult to buy fish in the market.

It seemed that Chef Yao had a good relationship with the fishmonger, who must have specially reserved these fish for him.

“Chef Yao is so thoughtful. Did you freeze out there in this snow? Come in and warm up by the fire,” Jiang Yanyi said with a smile as she led Qiu Kui inside.

Qiu Kui followed her like a little tail.

Jiang Yanyi wanted to go to the kitchen to handle the pig bones that had been bought, and Qiu Kui, just like before in the shop, naturally followed her.

Jiang Yanyi thought she was just shy, so she didn’t mind.

When Liu heard that someone from the Antique Soup Shop had come, she quickly rushed to the kitchen, realizing that Jiang Yanyi couldn’t cook or make soup and that the person was someone she had hired to help her cover for her shortcomings.

Rushing into the kitchen, Liu’s first words were, “Oh, I heard we have guests at the residence?”

To the Chu family, Qiu Kui wasn’t really a guest, and Liu’s statement would only embarrass her.

Jiang Yanyi had always been protective of her own, previously willing to play along with Liu for appearances’ sake, but her attitude had now clearly become firm and distant. “She’s a girl who helps at my Antique Soup Shop, and she came to bring fish. It’s freezing out, so I let her in to warm herself by the fire.”

Seeing Jiang Yanyi suddenly change her attitude, Liu felt a surge of joy in her heart, becoming even more certain of her suspicions.

She smiled and said, “Since she’s from Ayi’s shop, we can’t neglect her. Let the girl sit in the guest room; how can we let her stay in the kitchen?”

Although Qiu Kui was a bit slow, Liu’s words still made her uncomfortable.

She pinched the hem of her clothes and said, “I’m not going; I’m here to help Huahua.”

She glared at Liu in frustration, convinced that Liu was a bad person who bullied Jiang Yanyi.

Her way of thinking was somewhat different from ordinary people, as she had her own little world in her head.

After Jiang Yanyi left yesterday, Chef Yao and the old scholar shook their heads and sighed, indicating that Jiang Yanyi wasn’t doing well here.

Qiu Kui felt that if she left now, Jiang Yanyi might suffer because of this noblewoman.

Liu was instantly reminded of what Jiang Yanyi must have said about her when Qiu Kui glared at her.

However, she also noticed that the girl seemed a bit off.

Looking at Jiang Yanyi, she said, “Ayi, what’s with the people in your shop…”

Not wanting Qiu Kui to be seen as a fool, Jiang Yanyi interrupted Liu’s words: “Aunt, could you lend me a hand? Help me peel some garlic.”

In the past, whenever Liu cooked, the ingredients were always prepared by the servants.

Each step was guided by the chef at the stove; all she needed to do was add the various ingredients to the pot, and that was considered her cooking.

When Jiang Yanyi asked her to peel garlic, Liu was momentarily taken aback. “Peel… garlic?”

Jiang Yanyi had initially just wanted to give Liu something to do.

Seeing Liu’s expression, she thought Liu was unwilling and said nothing more.

She then called a kitchen servant to help her with the task.

Because Jiang Yanyi and Liu were cooking personally today, many servants found it quite novel, so several of them peeked into the kitchen door to watch.

Worried that the matter might reach the old lady’s ears and that her impression of Liu would worsen, Liu hurried forward and snatched the garlic from the young maid’s hands. “It’s just peeling garlic; I can do it.”

She cast a sidelong glance at Qiu Kui, silently mocking her.

Liu thought Jiang Yanyi was just trying to buy time, wanting to drive her away and let the girl who had rushed over from the shop take over the cooking.

While peeling garlic, Liu’s mood lifted slightly.

However, Liu’s hands were also seldom immersed in water.

Every day, she applied countless fragrances to keep her hands as delicate as a young girl’s.

Her skin was fragile, and she didn’t have long nails.

While trying to peel off the thin skin, she ended up cutting herself several times, and the garlic juice seeped into the wounds, causing a burning pain that felt like fire.

Liu had never endured such suffering before; she found her thumb aching and burning.

Unable to help herself, she cried out, “My hand…”

Just as Jiang Yanyi finished blanching the pork bones and turned around, she saw Liu nearly in tears from peeling garlic.

For a moment, she didn’t know what to say and advised, “Aunt, go soak it in cold water and apply some medicine.”

Liu thought this was Jiang Yanyi’s scheme to distract her.

What was a little garlic juice compared to exposing Jiang Yanyi’s lies? This bit of pain was nothing!

Liu gritted her teeth, saying, “Just a bit of redness and swelling, it’s nothing. Ayi, you should hurry and cook; I’m still waiting to learn!”

Seeing Liu tightly wrapping her thumb in silk and clearly in pain yet still unwilling to leave, Jiang Yanyi was puzzled.

The process for making the pork bone soup was the same as yesterday.

After she put the broth in the pot, she started handling the two fish Qiu Kui had brought.

She weighed them in her hands, both over three pounds.

Considering that both Old Lady Chu and Jiang Yanguo didn’t have much of an appetite, she decided to make pickled fish.

Since the weather was too cold, the fish had been out of water for too long and had already frozen to death, which spared Jiang Yanyi the trouble of stunning them with a wooden mallet.