Then, she heard He Sanlang's deep and hoarse voice say, "Don't go to the Ying household in the future."

Chu Lian nodded. She was thinking the same thing.

Her biological mother had passed away a long time ago, Chu Qizheng didn't love her, and she couldn't count on the Matriarch and Duke either. Moreover, she wasn't the original Chu Lian, so she was like a stranger to the Ying household. In the future, it would be best if they didn't interact as much as possible.

Suddenly, hunger struck her. Chu Lian turned her head slightly and looked at He Sanlang's chiseled face. "Did you eat lunch?"

He Changdi's lips curved up. "What, Lian 'er wants to make something good for me?"

"Yes, what do you want to eat?"

He Changdi was indeed hungry, but he had been worried about Chu Lian and didn't think much of it. Now that she mentioned it, he suddenly felt his stomach empty.

He lightly kissed Chu Lian's rosy cheeks. "I'll eat whatever you make."

Chu Lian glared at him and pushed him away. She jumped off the couch, put on her embroidered shoes, and left.

He Changdi thought about it, but he was still a bit worried. He called Wenqing, who was waiting outside, in and asked her about today's events in detail. Then, he had Wenqing go to the kitchen and keep an eye on Chu Lian to make sure she didn't eat anything cold.

Chu Lian went to the kitchen and saw the ingredients on the chopping board. She immediately knew what to make.

Wenqing stared at Chu Lian from the side, afraid that Third Young Madam's hands would shake and take something cold.

Seeing that Chu Lian only took mutton, lamb ribs, lamb chops, and various other lamb offal, she relaxed and asked, "What is Third Young Madam making?"

Chu Lian smiled. "Mutton soup."

Wenqing was startled. Mutton soup?

Did mutton soup need so much from the sheep?

Chu Lian turned around and ordered Wenqing, "Go steam some buns and flower rolls. We'll eat them with the mutton soup later."

When Chu Lian went into the kitchen to cook, Senior Servant Gui didn't let the other maids near her. The only ones who could help her were the first ranked maids by Chu Lian's side.

Although mutton soup was also sold in the market, and business was especially good in winter, it was not delicious. The smell of mutton was too strong. Chu Lian had tasted it when she went out, and a picky person like her couldn't even drink a mouthful.

In the Great Wu Dynasty, mutton was considered a relatively high-grade meat. Ordinary commoners could only afford to eat pork, chicken, and duck. For mutton, the price was about three to four times that of pork. Ordinary people would not easily buy mutton. They would only buy a few catties of it during festivals to improve their meals.

The method of cooking mutton and mutton soup at home was rather simple and crude. The price of mutton soup sold on the market was also very high. The price of a bowl of mutton soup was enough to eat several bowls of plain noodles.

However, mutton soup warmed the body and the stomach. When one's body was shivering from the cold, drinking a bowl of steaming hot mutton soup and eating a large piece of guokui was something that even the gods wouldn't trade for.

Therefore, even though the mutton soup was expensive, it did not have to worry about sales.

Wenqing hadn't had mutton soup in a long time. When she heard that Third Grandma was going to make it, she immediately looked forward to it.

Ever since they returned to Shengjing, Third Grandma had never made a new dish!

In reality, the method to make a delicious mutton soup was not complicated. First, the fresh mutton leg bones were cracked open and the mutton and goat offal were stewed in a pot. The pot had to boil continuously like this. After a long time, the smell of mutton would disappear, and the fragrance would become stronger and stronger.

When it reached a certain temperature, all sorts of condiments could be added. A few pieces of carrots could also be added to get rid of the smell.

Finally, the cooked mutton and goat offal were taken out and cut into thin slices. When it was time to eat, these slices of meat would be tossed into the soup and then poured over the thick mutton soup. The taste would be delicious and fragrant, and there would be no smell at all.

After preparing the mutton soup, Chu Lian had Wenqing look over the stove. She took the food box with the buns and went to find He Sanlang.

The mutton soup needed to be simmered for a long time. She estimated that it would take more than two hours. These freshly made buns were just enough to satisfy her hunger.

Chu Lian asked Wenqing to make steamed buns from Shandong. They were bigger than a man's fist. The meat inside wasn't minced, but rather, it was diced into small cubes and marinated with a lot of spring onions before being wrapped into steamed buns. These steamed buns were big and fresh. They were comparable to the soup dumplings from the south.

The exquisite food box could only hold four buns at a time.

Laiyue, who had been watching the small kitchen, took advantage of Chu Lian's departure to shamelessly ask Grandma Gui for a meat bun.

He Changdi was hungry, so he ate three buns in one go. Even Chu Lian, who didn't like greasy food, ate one of these Shandong buns.

After eating the buns, the smell of the mutton soup wafted out.

The east wind was blowing today. Songtao Court's small kitchen was on the east side. When the wind blew, the fresh smell instantly filled the entire courtyard.

Even He Sanlang couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

Chu Lian found it funny. "I made the mutton soup. It'll be ready in an hour."

He Changdi raised his eyebrows. The two of them sat on the long couch. Chu Lian sat with her legs bent by the window while He Sanlang leaned on the outside. He lifted the blanket on Chu Lian's legs. "Mutton soup?"

"Yes, I used to see the northern army eat it often!"

The northern Liangzhou was different from the hinterland of the Great Wu Dynasty. The barbarians' main source of meat was sheep, so it was normal to eat mutton.

He Sanlang's lips twitched. When he thought of the mutton and soup that the soldiers in charge of cooking, he immediately lost his appetite.

The northern soldiers joked that the top three dark dishes of the border army were sheep soup, followed by green fruit porridge, and lastly, guokui, which was harder than a rock.

Wenqing stood guard in the kitchen. When she saw that the mutton soup was almost ready, she personally ladled it into a specially prepared earthenware pot and placed it in a food container before sending it to the main room.

Because Count Jing 'an's wife was still taking her medicine, and there were many taboos in her diet, Chu Lian didn't send anyone to deliver the mutton soup. As for the Matriarch, since they were already at loggerheads, there was no need to rush over and stick to the cold shoulder.

Thus, the mutton soup was to be enjoyed by the three branches alone.

Of course, Chu Lian didn't forget about the glutton, Godly Doctor Miao. She had Wenlan bring the Shandong buns and mutton soup over.

Pan Nianzhen was strolling in the manor's garden when a servant girl suddenly came to report that the third young master and his wife had returned.

Pan Nianzhen was surprised. She knew that He Changdi and Chu Lian had gone to the Ying Public House today. She heard that it was the hairpin ceremony of the Ying Public House's Eighth Lady. The Eighth Lady was Chu Lian's biological sister. With such a close relationship, Chu Lian should not have come back so early. Why was she back so early?

Pan Nianzhen bit her lip and went to report to her mother.

Eldest Grandaunt, He Ying, was much more thoughtful than her daughter. Her eyes darted around as she clenched the handkerchief in her hand tightly and gritted her teeth.

After Matriarch He personally asked for Guilin Restaurant back, it was handed over to He Ying to manage.

Guilin Restaurant, which had been closed for many days, had reopened on the same day that it was taken back. It had already been open for two days. However, what was shocking was that Guilin Restaurant, which was so popular that one had to reserve a table months in advance, now had very few customers coming to eat.