And he was always incredibly satisfied, beaming from ear to ear!

Hearing Lu Wenjing use the word “marry,” Madam Lu was silent for a moment. “Jing’er, do you think this Miss Su is fit to be the principal wife?”

“Of course.” Lu Wenjing nodded vigorously.

The girl should definitely be the principal wife.

Especially a girl who can cook all kinds of delicious dishes.

Madam Lu fell silent again.

The He family, in principle, didn’t have many requirements regarding the family background of their daughter-in-law. As long as she was good-looking, had good character, was well-educated, and He Yanxiu liked her, that was enough.

How to say it about Su Yujin now, she seemed to be quite liked by He Yanxiu. Her looks were impeccable, and her character seemed good too, but her family background…

Su Yujin’s status no longer had the concept of family background; she was not even from a respectable family.

The future matriarch of the He family would have to handle all the trivial matters, go out to socialize, represent the He family, and withstand the gossip of others.

It could be said that even a humble family would do, but her background as a courtesan…

Was truly unsuitable for a principal wife.

At least, not the best candidate.

Unless He Yanxiu insisted.

But now He Yanxiu hadn’t mentioned it at home, had no intention of bringing Su Yujin home, and hadn’t even mentioned her whereabouts in the capital. This made Madam Lu somewhat puzzled about He Yanxiu’s intentions.

“What is gūmǔ thinking about?” Lu Wenjing tugged at Madam Lu’s sleeve.

Madam Lu came back to her senses, smiled, and said, “I was thinking about that crossbow hidden in a sleeve that you liked when you came to visit last time. I will give it to you when we get back.”

A crossbow hidden in a sleeve, as the name suggests, was a crossbow bolt hidden in a sleeve.

The bolts were exquisitely crafted and small, strapped to the forearm, and equipped with sixteen finely crafted bolts. Hidden in the sleeve, it was completely invisible from the outside, yet it could fire six bolts at the same time, and with great power, it could instantly knock down an opponent. It was an excellent weapon for self-defense, survival, and ambushing others.

However, such weapons were extremely difficult to make. The one belonging to Madam Lu was crafted by a skilled artisan over a long period and kept by the old master until Madam Lu’s marriage, when it was given to her as part of her dowry.

Madam Lu married He Chengye, a civil official, and naturally had no need for it, so she kept it as well. It wasn’t until Lu Wenjing visited the He family recently that she saw it by chance and liked it very much, but knowing it was her gūmǔ’s dowry, she was too embarrassed to ask for it…

Madam Lu clearly understood this, and bringing it out now was a way of currying favor with Lu Wenjing, thanking her for guiding her and introducing so much about Su Yujin.

Upon hearing this, Lu Wenjing was overjoyed. “Thank you, Gūmǔ!”

Lu Shi noticed that Lu Wenjing was speaking a little too loudly and quickly shushed her, signaling for her to lower her voice. “I’m your Xiǎoyí now, so don’t call me the wrong thing.”

“Yes, Xiǎoyí.” Lu Wenjing nodded hurriedly, still very excited and unable to contain herself.

This made Madam Lu somewhat worried about whether Lu Wenjing, who was overjoyed at the moment, could hide her identity well.

However, before she could think too much about it, Su Yujin had already prepared the meal and brought it to the table one after another.

Gānzhá Luóbo Wánzi, Liángbàn Jiècài Huāshēngrén, Bāsī Hóngshǔ, Cōngyóu Mèn Jī, Jiàng Ròusī, Qīngzhēng Guìhuā Yú, withTangmiàn Bǐng as the staple and Báiluóbo Páigǔ Tāngas the soup.

“A few home-style dishes; please don’t find them unappetizing, Madam and Miss Lu.” Su Yujin set out the bowls and chopsticks one by one.

Lu Wenjing waved her hand dismissively. “It’s alright; I’m just here to eat your home-style dishes.”   

After all, Su Yujin could make even wild vegetable dumplings so delicious that Lu Wenjing could eat three large bowls of them. Now, with meat, vegetables, hot and cold dishes, and soup, the taste was sure to be even better.

Thinking this, Lu Wenjing picked up a radish ball and put it in her mouth.

It was truly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with the radish shreds inside still slightly hot, carrying a hint of sweetness, and refreshingly delicious.

Lu Wenjing found the meatballs delicious and quickly picked one up for Lu Shi. “Gū…”

Lu Shi, “…”

Before Lu Shi could remind her, Lu Wenjing came back to her senses, made a “gurgling” sound, deliberately drawing out the sound, and exaggeratedly smacked her lips, “I must say, these radish balls are really delicious, Xiǎoyí, please try some.”

Although her words were rather abrupt, Lu Wenjing’s usual eccentric behavior did not arouse the suspicion of Su Yujin and the others.

Madam Lu breathed a sigh of relief, took the radish balls into her bowl, and even after swallowing them, she still felt unsatisfied. She ate three or four in a row before nodding repeatedly, “They’re quite good.”

She had eaten radish balls before, but never one as delicious as these.

It was a fresh, indescribable flavor, the kind of refreshing, crisp taste that could not be found at home, in restaurants, or even at palace banquets. It was so light and refreshing that it felt exceptionally pleasant on the palate.

There was naturally no way to eat only one dish throughout the meal. After Lu Shi finished the radish meatballs, she moved on to sample the other dishes.

The Liángbàn Jiècài Huāshēngrén was exceptionally refreshing, the Bāsī Hóngshǔ sweet and tender, the chicken fragrant, the shredded meat rich in flavor, and the steamed fish deliciously fresh. The radish stewed with ribs was so tender it practically fell apart, and even the Tangmiàn Bǐng had a distinctive flavor of its own…

In short, these home-style dishes were getting better and better with each bite, and she felt like she couldn’t stop eating them.

This was the first time Madam Lu had realized she could eat so much…

She even felt a little short of breath when she finally put down her chopsticks.

She couldn’t help it; she had eaten far more than usual, and her body wasn’t used to it.

“Just as Jing’er said, Miss Su’s cooking is outstanding,” Madam Lu praised without reservation. “After tasting Miss Su’s cooking today, I really can’t eat anything like this at home anymore.”

No wonder He Yanxiu always came to Qinghe.

Now Madam Lu felt she herself wanted to come over from time to time.

“Madam, you flatter me so much,” Su Yujin curtsied. “I am, but a humble servant, and I only enjoy experimenting with cooking methods. I am grateful that you don’t mind my humble request to have a few more bites. If you truly enjoy it, please come often. Although I cannot prepare any rare delicacies, I can certainly offer you some simple home-cooked meals.”

Her humble words and invitation to dine with her made Lu Shi have an even better impression of Su Yujin. On the spot, Lu Shi took off a jade bracelet from her wrist and put it on Su Yujin’s wrist.

“Madam, this is unacceptable…”

“Put it on,” Madam Lu said, putting the jade bracelet on Su Yujin’s wrist. She then examined it closely. “This jade bracelet is a light color, perfect for someone your age, so beautiful and youthful. Look, it suits your skin tone perfectly; it looks so good on you.”

“Consider this bracelet my gift to you, and also a token of my gratitude for your continued visits…”

She knew she would inevitably come again, so giving gifts would make her feel less embarrassed.

Su Yujin, “…”

This sounded so familiar…

(End of Chapter)

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