Wan’er settled between them.

The barbecue table, designed for four, was a bit cramped with three children and one adult. However, Yan Qiushu had a full meal at noon and found meat hard to digest, so she felt too full after eating too much. Therefore, she gave up her seat, letting Shui Yu and Aunt Xu take turns grilling and watching over the children.

The charcoal stove was set up with iron sheets on top, and Shui Yu placed fresh meat slices on it. As soon as they hit the grill, the sound of sizzling filled the air.

The reluctance faded from Shen Pingyu’s face, replaced by curiosity. “Are you going to eat it raw?”

With a smile, Shui Yu explained, “It can be eaten after it’s grilled. There are seasonings in front of you, so if you find the flavor lacking, you can dip it.”

Shen Pingyu’s eyes sparkled as he watched the meat on the grill.

This method was new and fascinating!

Shui Xi moved quickly, squeezing oil from the pork belly and placing other meats around it. Once they absorbed the fat and changed color, they were ready to eat.

The thinly sliced meat grilled quickly due to the strong charcoal underneath.

Dongdong and Wan’er were also captivated. When the first piece was ready, the three children held their breath in anticipation.

A silent longing spread across the small dining table.

Initially casual, Shui Yu suddenly felt pressure under their eager gazes. She said with a grin, “This will be quick. Everyone will have one. Don’t worry.”

Shen Pingyu tilted his head, lightly coughing to get their attention. “Pingyu, don’t worry, let Wan’er and Dongdong have theirs first.”

Seeing this, Shui Yu handed the first piece to Wan’er and the second piece to Dongdong.

Wan’er forced a wide smile, thanked her, and picked up the meat. After taking a small bite, she savored it, her eyes lighting up with joy as she continued eating.

Dongdong still remembered his previous grievances but didn’t expect Shen Pingyu to offer him a piece first. Unable to hold back his delight, he smiled shyly and whispered, “Thank you, brother.”

Shen Pingyu’s lips curled up, and at that moment, a piece of meat landed in his bowl.

“Hiss!” After Dongdong expressed his gratitude, he popped the piece into his mouth, startled by the heat.

But soon, he caught his breath and adjusted.

The meat had been marinated with a slightly spicy and salty flavor. According to their taste buds, it didn’t need extra seasoning, as it was already delicious. Because it was thin, it was easy to chew and could be devoured in just a few bites.

As the warm slices of meat filled his stomach, Dongdong felt a pleasant warmth.

Shen Pingyu’s eating style was more restrained, but he enjoyed the meat just as much. It was tender and surprisingly easy to chew, even for the children. The whole experience was quick, almost like a blink of an eye.

After finishing the first slice, their appetites were fully whetted.

Everyone eagerly eyed the next piece of meat.

Shui Yu: …

This was too stressful!

She wasn’t used to grilling meat that quickly!

As a last resort, Aunt Xu, who had originally planned to take turns, joined in. Each person wielded chopsticks on either side, each responsible for half of the plate.

Even so, it was barely enough.

Fortunately, Yan Qiushu had also roasted eggplants, lotus root slices, and other vegetarian dishes in the oven to fill the gaps.

While they were enjoying their meal, Yan Qiushu was busy too. She peeked into the tidy kitchen full of ingredients, contemplating what to prepare.

Speaking of snacks, she made a lot of food, but snacks were rare, mainly because she initially focused on ensuring Mrs. Xiao ate more.

Although Nanny Huang seldom visited Madam Xiao’s place, she always returned the food box after deliveries, sharing how much Madam Xiao had eaten that day.

Madam Xiao suffers from a mental illness that affects her appetite. However, her cooking is delicious, which encourages her to eat more. Despite some improvement, she still struggles with a normal appetite and hasn’t considered snacks yet.

Now, it seems it’s time to think about snacks.

After pondering for a while, an idea suddenly struck Yan Qiushu. During the barbecue preparations, she had kept a small, scrap piece of iron that seemed useless. She loved collecting kitchen items, just in case they came in handy one day.

Now, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to use it!

Yan Qiushu gathered a lot of eggs, broke them open, and retrieved some iced milk from the snow. She also asked someone to fetch black sesame seeds from the kitchen. Thanks to winter, the milk stayed fresh much longer.

She mixed the three ingredients, added flour, and stirred until it formed a light yellow batter. Then she added sugar and continued to mix.

Next, she raised the stove.

To prepare larger batches of food, she had commissioned a blacksmith to make a frying pan. After setting it on the stand and greasing the bottom, she heated it up and scooped a spoonful of batter into the pan. Then, she pressed it down with the flat iron.

“Hiss—” A faint sound echoed.

The runny batter spread out across the pan.

With the coal fire still burning underneath, the sweet aroma of milk began to waft through the air.

Yan Qiushu was pleasantly surprised. At that moment, Dongdong, who had a keen sense for food, appeared, his mouth smeared with oil. He asked excitedly, “Sister Shu, what is that? It smells amazing!”

Yan Qiushu raised an eyebrow proudly, “Egg rolls!”

“Is that how you make egg rolls?” Dongdong was puzzled, recalling that the last time they were made differently.

Yan Qiushu explained, “This is a different kind of egg roll, but it’s delicious!”

As the fragrance intensified, Yan Qiushu had been pressing the egg roll for a while. Confidently, she said, “Wait and see! It’s going to be delicious!”

However, upon lifting the lid, she found that while the food smelled great, the light yellow pancake was unevenly cooked, with bumps and holes revealing the dark bottom of the pan. The stickiness on top had caused it to lift slightly, but the bottom was perfectly golden brown with a bit of crispiness.

It smelled good, but compared to her previous creations, it felt somewhat inferior.

Dongdong, biting his finger in doubt, asked, “Is it really… delicious?”

Yan Qiushu was taken aback. The egg roll had flipped over?!

The two sides were heated unevenly; one side was cooked while the other remained raw!

Fortunately, Yan Qiushu had made a lot of food and reacted quickly.

Though not fully cooked, the shape was already set.

She grabbed chopsticks and a spatula to flip the egg roll.

“Hiss…” The familiar sound came again. This time, Yan Qiushu didn’t wait long. After about thirty seconds, she lifted it out, placed it on a round plate, pinched the outside with chopsticks, and rolled it gently. The hot, soft egg roll took shape.

“Success!” Yan Qiushu exclaimed, wiping her brow. “It didn’t fail. Come and try it.”

She handed the egg roll to Dongdong.

Despite his earlier skepticism, he was drawn to the beautifully shaped egg rolls, round and light yellow, adorned with black sesame seeds, exuding the warm aroma of milk.

He remembered the previous one, which had the same sweet milky scent, but this one looked even better!

Dongdong held it in both hands and took a big bite, crunching through the crispy exterior.

“Ugh!” he exclaimed, feeling bits of the food fall, quickly extending his little hands to catch the crumbs.

That bite allowed him to savor the flavor.

The texture was entirely different from cake; it was slightly firm but not too hard, crisping perfectly between his lips and teeth, leaving only a sweet milky taste behind.

After that bite, he quickly devoured the rest, the sound of crunching echoing as he polished off every last bit.

The Xiao family taught him not to waste food, and since he loved eating, he couldn’t let anything delicious go to waste.

Once finished, he sighed with satisfaction and said, “It’s delicious! Sister Shu, is this for my classmates?”

Yan Qiushu, busy with her work, smiled in response: “Yes.”

Dongdong’s smile widened at her answer.

Just then, Shen Pingyu called from the restaurant, “Dongdong!”

Reluctantly, Dongdong shrank back. He really wanted to stay and enjoy a few more bites.

Yan Qiushu encouraged him, “You all have nearly finished eating, right? You can start chatting and share what you really think.”

Dongdong hesitated for a moment.

Yan Qiushu looked at him encouragingly. “Just tell me; what if he listens to you?”

After thinking it over, Dongdong pulled Yan Qiushu closer and said, “Sister Shu, come with me!”

Her heart melted at his eagerness, and she smiled, “Okay, just wait for me.”

She finished off the last bite of the egg roll in her hand, picked up the iron sheet, and, despite its rough surface, found it smooth again after flipping it over. Holding it with chopsticks, she applied pressure and rolled up another egg roll.

Before it could get too hot, Yan Qiushu quickly cut the egg roll in half with a knife and took it into the restaurant.

***

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