After a night of sweet dreams, Shen Shujiao woke up beautifully on the pink bed in her space.
Her body felt indescribably comfortable, with not a trace of pregnancy symptoms.
Her sister, Shen Shuyue, had suffered terribly during her pregnancy, constantly crying and longing for home due to severe morning sickness. Even after their parents brought her back, she continued to vomit endlessly.
Thinking of the hardships her sister endured while carrying a child, Shen Shujiao felt that the baby in her own belly was truly a heavenly reward.
After washing up, Shen Shujiao naturally went to check on her little treasures.
“Good morning, babies! I’m Mom. Let me see if you’ve been behaving and growing up nicely.”
“Mmm, you’ve become even cuter! When you’re born, you’ll definitely be the most beautiful and adorable babies in the world.”
“Babies, Mom loves you so much! Thank you for choosing me as your mother.”
Watching the four little ones float gracefully inside their transparent bubble spheres, Shen Shujiao knew they were responding to her.
Since they were spiritual koi babies, they could understand her even though they weren’t fully developed.
“Babies, Dad will come to see us in just five days. Let’s look forward to his arrival together. I’m going to eat now, but I’ll come chat with you when I have time!”
Shen Shujiao left the wooden house and went to the Spirit Spring Well. She scooped up a cup of spring water and sat at the stone table to eat the meal Zhang Dazhuang had delivered to her yesterday.
Since it was rice with side dishes, she drank two large cups of spring water during the meal.
The parenting manual said that drinking Spirit Spring Water every day would help the babies develop better, so she wasn’t worried about drinking so much.
After a night of growth, the yellow chicks had grown wings, and the fish in the river were already palm-sized.
“Tomorrow I can make braised fish,” Shen Shujiao thought as she ate, feeling the days in the space were extremely pleasant.
After breakfast in the space, she left and looked at the empty house, unsure what to do.
Today, she had originally planned to go to the department store to buy items for the babies.
Although the space supermarket had plenty of baby supplies, they all required exchanging fruits grown in the space, and the exchange rate was far higher than outside. She couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Because for her now, money was still the most abundant resource.
Even in Shanghai, she couldn’t spend money freely. Once she went to follow the army, there would be even fewer opportunities to spend it.
Besides, people outside were watching her. Going out to stock up would risk revealing her wealth. To be safe, she decided to stay home.
Remembering the pile of vegetables Qin Qingtang had given her yesterday, Shen Shujiao decided to experiment with cooking.
Since she was going to follow the army, and neither Huo Zhoubai nor she could cook, eating at the mess hall every day wasn’t ideal.
Moreover, the compound had many women who loved to meddle and gossip. If she couldn’t even cook, she would become a joke in their eyes.
In her previous life, she had already been a laughingstock.
This time, reborn, Shen Shujiao was determined to infiltrate the women’s circle and avoid being a joke in anyone’s eyes.
True to her word, she went to the kitchen and took out various vegetables from her space.
Looking at the ingredients before her, Shen Shujiao hesitated—having never cooked before, she didn’t know where to start or how to make it tasty.
Just as she pondered, a cooking inspiration suddenly flashed in her mind:
Pan-Fried Green Eggplant and Mixed Fish Soup: Slice the green eggplant into 3mm pieces, fry until both sides turn golden and absorb flavor. Prepare an appropriate amount of mixed fish: clean thoroughly and score the fish. Heat a pan with cold oil, add ginger slices, and fry the fish until both sides turn slightly yellow and tender. Set aside.
Use some oil left in the pan to sauté green onion sections, garlic slices, and dried chili. Add soy sauce for flavor. Pour in enough water and bring to a boil. Add the pan-fried green eggplant and fish, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
At that moment, Shen Shujiao, who had never cooked before, moved her hands as if she were a master chef. Using her mind, she pulled three crucian carp, three catfish, and three bass from her space.
Though she had never killed a fish before, her hands moved as if guided by divine power. She quickly gutted and cleaned them, even removing the fishy lines—a task she had never heard of before.
Shen Shujiao knew her sudden cooking skills were a superpower granted by the koi babies in her belly.
She was excited to taste the finished pan-fried green eggplant fish soup.
Half an hour later, following the inspiration in her mind, her dish was ready.
She ladled a spoonful of fish soup and eagerly tasted it.
Heaven! This was true delicacy.
The soup was so fresh and flavorful it made her eyebrows lift.
Shen Shujiao thought that if she opened a restaurant, even just this one dish could make her wealthy.
Of course, in her previous life, until she died, the country didn’t allow private business. Besides, opening a restaurant wasn’t her goal.
The main point was that making such a delicious dish on the first try was clearly not her own talent—it was the gift from the koi babies in her belly.
Perhaps once she gave birth, her clairvoyance, clairaudience, and cooking talent would disappear.
With that thought, she decided to make as many delicious dishes as possible while she still could.
Shen Shujiao then went into a cooking frenzy.
Without realizing it, she had finished cooking all the vegetables Qin Qingtang had given her, along with pork, beef, and cured meat from her space.
Looking at the large table full of dishes she had accidentally prepared, she worried—there was no way she could eat it all.
Just as she thought this, a knock came at the door.
“Jiaojiao, are you home?”
Shen Shujiao went to the yard and saw three people standing at the gate—a man and two women.
They were her neighbors on the left, Zhou Hong and his wife, and their daughter, Zhou Jianan.
Shen Shujiao then remembered that today was the day Zhou Hong’s family had been interrogated by the Red Armbands and released.
Zhou Hong was a private lawyer. Because he had represented many capitalists in lawsuits, his family had been called in for questioning.
“Uncle Zhou, Aunt Zhou, Jianan, you’re back! Come in and sit,” Shen Shujiao said, running to open the door.
“Jiaojiao, you really moved back home? Did you hire a chef? The food smells so good… Isn’t it inappropriate to hire a chef at this time?” Zhou Hong said, worried.
Having just returned from three days and nights of interrogation, Zhou Hong didn’t yet know that Shen Shujiao had turned over her property to the state.
“Uncle Zhou, don’t worry. Even if I had ten pairs of guts, I wouldn’t dare break the law. I didn’t hire a chef—it’s all me.”
Before Zhou Hong could respond, Zhou Jianan looked shocked.
“Jiaojiao, you’re joking, right? You’re the one who can’t even tell green onions from chives, and now you can cook? The sun hasn’t even set in the east yet!”
Zhou Jianan, three years younger than Shen Shujiao, was 18 this year. Having grown up right behind Shen Shujiao, they were more like sisters and spoke bluntly.
“You don’t believe me? Then don’t eat. Uncle Zhou, Aunt Zhou, you came back just in time. I was bored alone and accidentally made a table full of dishes, worried I couldn’t finish them. You’re perfect timing—come in and eat!”
Back from the police station, the aroma of Shen family’s food filled the air. Seeing Shen Shujiao suddenly move back home, Zhou Hong wanted to ask why, so he didn’t bother being polite.
In the dining room, Zhou Jianan couldn’t believe her eyes, looking at the table full of colorful, fragrant, and delicious dishes.
“Jiaojiao, did you really make all of this yourself? You really didn’t hire a chef?” Zhou Jianan asked, even stepping into the kitchen to check if the chef was hiding somewhere.