Zhou Meiniang stubbornly reached to grab it back, but Ye Qiuling stepped aside with a quick lunge, handing the clothes to Ye Feng and urging him to try them on.
Ye Feng took the clothes to change, and Ye Qiuling winked at him proudly.
Zhou Meiniang pouted pitifully. “Sister, you don’t have to be like this. I just wanted this. Why did you snatch my clothes?”
Ye Qiuling didn’t let her have any advantage and snapped back sharply, “I saw it first. You came to grab it, and now you dare accuse me? How can your face be so bold?”
Zhou Meiniang hid her tears behind a handkerchief and whined, “No, no, if you want it, Sister, I’ll let you have it.”
At that moment, Ye Qing walked in. Seeing a beautiful woman pointing at Ye Qiuling, she sided against her, accusing, “The young lady only wanted a dress, why did you have to snatch it from her?”
Ye Qiuling rolled her eyes at the oblivious Ye Qing. She seemed to appear everywhere.
Calling over the shopkeeper, Ye Qiuling asked, “You agree I picked it first, right?”
Not wanting to offend anyone with interests at stake, the shopkeeper spoke honestly, “Indeed, this young lady picked it first.”
Zhou Meiniang’s face flushed red. She glared at the shopkeeper with indignation, then turned and left. Ye Qing’s expression darkened, but she didn’t leave. She wanted to watch and see exactly how Ye Qiuling had paid, hoping she wouldn’t get kicked out.
Ye Qiuling ignored her and continued browsing more clothes, buying several sets for Shen Wanru and Ye Dazhi.
She came across some brightly colored fabrics she liked just as Ye Feng walked out wearing his new outfit.
The green-and-white embroidered clothes suited him perfectly, making him look like a refined young gentleman.
Blushing, Ye Feng shyly called out, “Sister.”
Ye Qiuling’s eyes lit up. “Looks great, very handsome.”
Hearing the praise, Ye Feng’s face grew even redder, shyly silent.
Even the shop clerk complimented him, saying the young master looked like a dashing scholar.
Ye Feng politely thanked the clerk, “Thank you.”
Ye Qiuling took coins from her pocket and handed them to the clerk. Ye Qing stared in disbelief at the pile of coins in her hands.
Doubtfully, she said, “Ye Qiuling, you didn’t steal these coins, did you? That’s so many.”
Ye Qiuling, holding the bag of clothes, shot her a cold glance. “Just because you can’t, doesn’t mean I can’t earn money.”
With that, she grabbed Ye Feng’s hand and left. Shen Wanru and Ye Dazhi, waiting outside, naturally took the clothes from their daughter.
Ye Qing chased after them, complaining to Shen Wanru, “Ye Qiuling has so many coins! She must have stolen them.”
Shen Wanru retorted sharply, “All of Qiuling’s coins are earned through her own efforts. Don’t accuse her of theft the moment you open your mouth. Don’t think I didn’t hear you slander your own sister at such a young age. Shameless!”
Ye Qing turned pale and was left speechless. Ye Qiuling led them away.
Her heart secretly thrilled at how impressively her mother defended her.
Ye Qing glared at their backs, stomping her foot before turning away. Nearby, Zhou Meiniang saw this and smirked, muttering softly, “Fool.”
Passing by a wonton shop, it was already midday, and their stomachs growled. They sat down.
Immediately, a waiter came over. “Welcome, how many bowls of wontons would you like?”
Ye Qiuling ordered five large bowls. While waiting, she observed that the other tables were nearly empty.
She wondered if the taste here was bad, otherwise, at lunchtime, a shop wouldn’t be so deserted.
Before she could dwell on it, the waiter brought a steaming tray of wontons.
Ye Feng eagerly scooped a wonton with his spoon, blew on it, and tried to eat it. It was too hot, so he blew on it again. Grimacing, he said, “So hot, so hot.” He took a bite, the tender pork melting on his tongue, the flavor exceptional.
Ye Qiuling also took a bite and couldn’t help praising it. “Mmm, delicious, even better than what you’ve had before.”
The wontons were freshly hand-rolled, slightly chewy, and very tasty.
A question crossed her mind again: why was such a good wonton shop empty?
Ye Feng beckoned to the waiter, who approached.
With a troubled expression, the waiter explained, “You may not know, but Zhou Meiniang opened a wonton shop. Some old customers wanted to come here but were intimidated by her influential connections, so they all went to her shop instead.”
Naturally, business here suffered, and perhaps in a few days, the shop might change hands.
Ye Qiuling pondered silently, finishing her bowl quickly.
After paying, the family returned home. Ye Dazhi collapsed onto a bench, exhausted.
Shen Wanru smiled. “Qiuling, you should rest a bit.”
Ye Qiuling yawned, “Ha… alright… I’ll sleep a little.” She climbed upstairs.
Ye Feng said, “Father, Mother, I’m going to sleep too,” and Shen Wanru and Ye Dazhi nodded.
Sleepy-eyed Ye Feng ran upstairs to his room, gazing at his beloved new clothes.
After a nap, the sky darkened. The distant horizon glowed orange with the setting sun, and the moon gradually turned pale.
When Ye Qiuling retrieved something, Shen Wanru and Ye Dazhi were surprised—it was pig-feeding vines. How had she gotten them?
Ye Qiuling broke off the leaves, discarded the roots, and explained they were edible. They followed her example, picking a whole basketful.
Shen Wanru rushed into the kitchen, exclaiming. Ye Dazhi ran over, asking hurriedly, “What happened?”
Shen Wanru pointed at the newly renovated kitchen. Ye Dazhi followed her gaze, noticing the luxurious setup with unfamiliar cooking utensils and some round vessels whose purpose they didn’t understand.
Ye Qiuling rubbed her eyes and came down, hearing the commotion. She explained, “Father, Mother, I had these custom-made.”
Shen Wanru, trusting her daughter’s talent for creating such beautiful tools, worriedly asked, “It must have cost a lot. If not, there’s still the coins you gave me.”
Ye Qiuling held her mother’s hand, smiling, “No, the shopkeeper allowed credit. I’ll pay him later,” she admitted, sheepishly turning her head and touching her nose.
Shen Wanru laughed. “Next time the craftsman comes, thank him properly.”
Ye Qiuling changed the subject. “The day after tomorrow, we’re opening the hotpot restaurant. Mother, could you recruit some staff?”
Shen Wanru froze. “Recruit staff? So soon? Tomorrow it opens?”
Ye Qiuling nodded. “Yes, the day after tomorrow. The chef said the pots will arrive tomorrow.”
Shen Wanru smiled at her husband, planning how to hire people.
Ye Qiuling carried sweet potato leaves to the kitchen, turning on the faucet to wash them.
While thinking about what dishes to prepare tonight, Hamster 66 suddenly appeared, letting out an evil laugh. “Haha… good news, host! Tomorrow I can transform into a human!”
Ye Qiuling entered the system space and saw the little hamster staring at the ceiling, giggling foolishly.
She quickly complimented him. “Congratulations, system big guy. Can I do something for you?”
Hamster 66 ignored her, lost in his joy.
Ye Qiuling wandered through the system store’s vegetable section, where the shelves were filled with fresh, fragrant vegetables.
The thought of making fish-flavored shredded pork popped into her mind, and instantly the secret recipe appeared.
She bought the necessary ingredients and headed to the fish section, picking a fat fish.
She soaked dried wood ear mushrooms in water, then sliced them after removing the stems.
Carrots and celtuce were peeled and cut into thick strips. Pork tenderloin was cut into thin strips and marinated briefly. Now with electricity, she could use the induction stove instead of a large pot.
She heated oil in a pan, added the marinated pork strips, stir-fried quickly, added soy sauce, and cooked until the color changed, then set aside.
In a clean pan, she added oil, sautéed ginger and garlic until fragrant, added a spoon of starch water, then the carrots, wood ear, and celtuce. After stir-frying a minute until just tender, she added the cooked pork, stirred evenly, and poured in the special fish-flavored sauce. Increasing the power, she stir-fried quickly until the sauce thickened and coated the food. Garnished with scallions, the dish was ready.
The crucian carp was cleaned, patted dry to prevent sticking, scored, and lightly salted for five minutes.
After heating oil, she seared the fish, leaving it untouched until golden, then flipped it. Medium-low heat ensured both sides were golden. Set aside once done.
In a clean pan, she sautéed ginger, garlic, and dried chili until fragrant, added soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar, then poured water to cover the fish. She added the seared fish, brought it to a boil over high heat, then simmered for fifteen minutes, finally reducing the sauce until thick and garnished with scallions.
Lastly, she stir-fried the sweet potato leaves. After cooking until tender, she added oil, stirred again, and served.
Boiling water first, she added the leaves, cooking until soft. The sweet potato leaf soup was ready.
Sleepy-eyed Ye Feng came down from upstairs, sniffed the aroma, and ran quickly. “Sister, it smells amazing!”
Seeing the golden-seared fish with the savory sauce in front of him, it looked incredibly tempting.