Song Zijin shivered slightly, feeling something unpleasant churning in his stomach.

Sheng Xinglian thought he was feeling affectionate toward her. In truth, she didn’t mind getting more intimate with him.

After all, she had been married in her past life and wasn’t an innocent eighteen-year-old girl. However, her Brother Zijin never took the initiative to go too far.

To maintain her value, Sheng Xinglian couldn’t afford to be too forward in seducing him.

She only occasionally teased Song Zijin, giving him a taste of sweetness, but it was always her who lost control first, while Brother Zijin refused to take the forbidden fruit.

“Brother Zijin, let’s keep it simple for lunch today. There’s still some time before afternoon classes~ Hehe~”

Song Zijin couldn’t miss the implication in her words, especially with her honey-like, sticky laughter that made his bones melt.

The earlier disgust had long been thrown to the winds, especially since Lian’er was the true daughter of the Sheng family.

He didn’t dare to offend the Sheng family, and Song Zijin was more than eager to get intimate with her in the woods.

“Lian’er, you’re such a little temptress who can’t stand loneliness. Just wait and see how I’ll deal with you later~”

“You’re so annoying~ Lian’er doesn’t even feel like eating anymore~”

“Then Brother Zijin would feel bad if Lian’er went hungry~ I’ll go buy some meat buns for you.”

“Brother Zijin is so good to Lian’er~”

And so, Song Zijin and Sheng Xinglian skipped lunch…

At the Su household, everyone ate their fill, including Gu Jinghua, who was on the verge of death and managed to eat half a bowl of rice.

When he had heard his adopted sister’s words earlier, his heart felt as if it had been thrown into an icy cellar, cold and frozen.

His mind went blank, and he could only watch himself rage until he passed out.

He truly realized that worldly affairs are the most genuine, while human relationships are the most fickle.

After the meal, Su Qinchun and Father Su quickly cleaned up the dishes, while Mother Su prepared her food stall.

Gu Jiaojiao brewed a cup of tea for everyone, claiming it was her homemade health tea to help with digestion and cut through the greasiness after the meal.

In reality, it was digestive tea from her space.

Uncle Dong initially didn’t think much of it, but after taking a sip, he couldn’t stop praising it. He had genuinely never tasted such delicious tea before.

The ingredients in the teacup were all familiar and common, but no one else would combine them like this, and the taste was surprisingly good.

Grandfather Gu laughed heartily. His granddaughter was extraordinary, and the resentment he had felt towards Sheng Xinglian earlier dissipated.

“The Sheng family raised my granddaughter well. Even after they unilaterally cut ties with her in the newspaper, Jiaojiao still risked her life to save her adopted mother.

That debt of gratitude has been repaid. Besides, our Gu family also gave the best to Sheng Xinglian.

Jiaojiao, you don’t owe the Sheng family anything anymore. Don’t ever impulsively risk your life to save someone again.”

“That’s right, Jiaojiao, we no longer owe the Sheng family any gratitude,” Mother Gu said indignantly, holding her daughter’s hand.

But she was still a patient, and her voice lacked strength, so it didn’t sound very angry.

Dong Qihua noticed that his friend Su Shuoci was smiling continuously—not the polite, distant smile from before, but a genuine, heartfelt one.

The gloom on him had dissipated significantly, and he seemed warmer overall, with a healthy glow on his face.

Curious, Dong Qihua asked, “Su Shuoci, what kind of snacks are you planning to sell?”

The Gu family all looked at Su Shuoci and Gu Jiaojiao, clearly eager to know.

Gu Jiaojiao knew everyone was concerned about them, so she listed off a whole series of items like treasures.

“We plan to sell liangpi (cold skin noodles), roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), egg pancakes, meat buns, vegetable buns, and pickled vegetable buns. We won’t repeat the same items within a week.

Let me make a jianbing guozi for you all to try and see if my skills are good enough to make money.”

“Sister-in-law, you know how to make snacks?” Dong Qihua asked in disbelief.

He thought he knew quite a bit about Gu Jiaojiao’s reputation, but he had never heard that she could cook.

“My Jiaojiao’s cooking is delicious,” Mother Su said, being Gu Jiaojiao’s number one fan.

“Then let me show you my skills,” Gu Jiaojiao said without further ado.

To make jianbing guozi, the first step was to prepare the ingredients. She had everything in her space, so she pretended to go to the kitchen to get ready.

Soon, Gu Jiaojiao was prepared. She teased, “Watch carefully. The moment of miracle is here.”

Everyone watched with anticipation, giving her their full attention.

Gu Jiaojiao calmly stirred the batter, then spread the mixed batter onto a round griddle that was already emitting some heat.

Holding a tool that looked like a hoe, she skillfully spread the batter, and under her practiced hands, the slightly yellow batter obediently formed into a round pancake, gently covering the griddle.

As the batter began to set, the surface of the pancake, glistening with oil, started to dance with the sizzling oil.

Gu Jiaojiao nodded in satisfaction as she saw the pancake develop a slight crispness. She picked up a bottle, shaking the yellow liquid inside.

With a casual flick of a chopstick, she lifted the large pancake and began to drizzle oil underneath it.

With a sizzle, the oil instantly crackled, and the pancake became as translucent as jade.

The sound of the plastic bottle being squeezed mixed with the sizzling oil, accompanied by a faint, enticing aroma.

Gu Jiaojiao pulled out two eggs from a box under the snack stall. With a crack, two eggs were spread over the pancake.

Under the intense heat, the eggs and pancake embraced tightly, and soon, a golden sheen began to shimmer.

She then pulled out some spicy strips from the box. “These are homemade spicy strips. You can eat them directly.”

In reality, they were from her space, but since she knew how to make them, she lied without batting an eye.

She dumped a handful onto the pancake, then used a spatula to casually spread some lettuce over the spicy strips.

From a paper bag nearby, she pulled out two thin, crispy sheets that had been fried until slightly bubbly.

For the sauce, there was extra spicy and mildly spicy. She asked everyone which they preferred.

No one understood, and even Uncle Dong didn’t get it, but he habitually said, “Use whatever you think is best.”

“Alright~” Gu Jiaojiao chirped.

Holding a brush as if she were writing calligraphy, she waved her hand gracefully, spreading the sauce over the pancake and its toppings.

The dark brown sauce, mixed with red specks, released an alluring aroma under the heat.

What happened next nearly made everyone drop their teacups in shock.

A colorful, towering pile of ingredients was stacked high, and Gu Jiaojiao, wielding two spatulas like a magician, deftly folded the pancake.

With a crisp crunch, the large pancake, now wrapped around a heap of fillings, was complete.

She gently peeled it open with the spatula, revealing the neatly arranged fillings inside the pancake.

Some of the sauce’s oil slowly oozed out, lingering on the surface of the pancake.

“One yuan each. Whoever wants it, take it.”

“I’ll take one~”

“I want one.”

“…”

It wasn’t that the Gu family was deliberately hyping her up, but they couldn’t help but shout out in excitement, forgetting they had no money on them.

They just blurted it out, including Uncle Dong and Dong Qihua.