Chapter 29 Goodwill Value

"Mum, I'll cook lunch today," Xu Ying cooed as she ran over, willing to cook ten dishes a day if it meant unlocking the space and recipes sooner.

Before Mrs. Xu had a chance to refuse, the radishes had been taken from her hands by Xu Ying.

Watching her daughter enter the kitchen, Mrs. Xu's brow twitched involuntarily. It wasn't that she didn't want her daughter to cook; it was just too costly in oil.

Tasty as it was, it was expensive.

"Daughter, why don't I cook and you take a break?" Mrs. Xu blinked, her voice laced with a hint of pleading.

Xu Ying chuckled and shook her head directly in refusal, "Mum, didn't you want me to learn how to cook before?

I specifically looked at a few cookbooks the other day, and now you're not happy when I cook for you?"

Mrs. Xu was left momentarily speechless. "Mum is of course happy, but..."

Without waiting for her mother to finish, Xu Ying interrupted, "Mum, as long as you're happy, I'll take care of all the lunches and dinners at home from now on. I've discovered I have a real talent for cooking, and it's so much fun too."

"If you enjoy it, then go ahead," Mrs. Xu said resignedly.

Oh well, let it be expensive in oil; she'd save up more to buy oil in the future.

Xu Ying entered the room gleefully with two radishes in hand, thinking of radish recipes—there seemed to be only chicken stewed with radish soup, but the family had all tried it, so it likely wouldn't earn any points now.

Right, her uncle's family had eaten the spicy rabbit meat last time but hadn't tried the stewed chicken soup.

There were two wild chickens and two fish left at home, and eighteen duck eggs.

For lunch, she decided on wild chicken stew with radishes and scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

The tomato plants in the vegetable garden were on their last crop, and once picked, there would be none left.

Xu Ying asked Mrs. Xu to help pick the tomatoes and Shitou to help light the fire while she prepared to stew the chicken soup.

Using the previous method, the wild chicken soup had just started stewing when a faint scent began to waft through the air.

Mrs. Xu entered the kitchen, lured by the aroma, and seeing that the oil on the cutting board had diminished by another large spoonful, her heart almost bled.

Her daughter just didn't understand the cost of household necessities because she didn't manage the household.

There was no helping it; she was spoiled by her own mother.

"Daughter, what do you need the tomatoes for?" Mrs. Xu, seeing that the wild chicken soup was already stewing, asked with curiosity.

"I'm making scrambled eggs with tomatoes, we still have quite a few duck eggs left in the house," Xu Ying said as she took five duck eggs, cracked them all, and poured them into a bowl.

Mrs. Xu felt another pang of sympathy.

"Alright, alright, if you want to eat it, we'll make it." Mrs. Xu spoke and then walked out, barely containing her sense of loss.

Shitou, who was watching the scene, barely held back a chuckle.

Oblivious to what had transpired, Xu Ying rinsed the tomatoes and cut them into small chunks.

Then she moved the chicken soup to simmer on a low flame at the back and placed another pot on the front burner. Once the oil was hot, she added the eggs, scrambling them into small pieces.

The scrambled eggs were dished out onto a plate to be used later. Then she cranked up the heat, added the tomatoes, stirred in a little sugar to release the juices, and then combined them with the scrambled eggs, seasoning lightly with salt. The scrambled eggs with tomatoes were done.

"Shitou, try a bite. Is it tasty?" Xu Ying offered Shitou a piece of the scrambled eggs with tomatoes, full of anticipation.

"How is it?"

"Mmm, it's really delicious," Shitou said with sparkling eyes. "It has a fresh sweetness without being cloying and just the right touch of saltiness. Just all-around delicious."

[Good Perception +1.]

Hearing the system prompt, Xu Ying's smile widened.

Just twenty more points and she could unlock a new recipe, and the corresponding area for the recipe would unlock as well.

Good, she'd keep it up.

"Mum, try the scrambled eggs with tomatoes I made."

"Hu Zi, you try some too."

[Good Perception +1,+1,+1.]

"Is it good?" Xu Ying's smile was uncontrollable.

Mrs. Xu watched her daughter so happy and only then realized how much her daughter loved to cook.

"Delicious, Daughter, you were born to cook, huh?"

Xu Ying, feeling smug, brought the chicken soup and stir-fried tomatoes and eggs to the table with a smile.

The staple food was a bit simpler by comparison, made from cornmeal into steamed cornbread.

"Sis, what yummy food did you make? It smells so good," Xu said, taking a deep breath and chuckling.

Mr. Xu, too, was full of anticipation. Before, he used to come home from work completely exhausted. Now, he only had to smell the aroma upon returning, and all his fatigue would vanish in an instant.

"What's cooking? It's chicken soup! How can it not smell good?" Mrs. Xu retorted without much enthusiasm.

Really, those boys are getting off too easy, still needing to feed on her daughter's cooking, and they're all grown up already.

Xu chuckled, his mouth involuntarily swallowed saliva without his control.

"Mom, take some of the chicken soup to Grandpa and Grandma," Xu Ying said as she ran out with a basin full of wild chicken soup.

Mrs. Xu watched her daughter act first and report later but was at a loss for words, helplessly waving her hand, "Go ahead, go on."

Hearing her mother's approval, Xu Ying happily ran off with the chicken soup.

Seeing this scene, Mrs. Xu felt a surge of frustration in her heart, thinking that her daughter had learned to be considerate after falling into the river once, but this was a bit too considerate.

Whenever there was something good, she never thought of enjoying it herself first; instead, she thought of others and put herself last. Mrs. Xu wished her daughter could be a little more selfish and not so overly sensible.

Look at how thin her daughter had become these days.

The more Mrs. Xu thought about it, the more irritated she became, and she glared at her husband with a scowl.

Mr. Xu felt depressed after getting glared at by his wife, wondering whom he had offended.

"Cough, cough, let's eat first!" Mr. Xu said in front of his son, trying hard to regain some dignity.

Mrs. Xu rolled her eyes directly at this, "Our daughter isn't back yet. Eat what? Everyone wait for her to return, then we'll eat."

Mr. Xu's face stiffened, "Listen to your mother, wait for your little sister to come back before eating."

With that, Mr. Xu returned to his room.

Xu Ying, carrying a basket and humming a tune, headed toward the Old Mansion. She moved quickly, and it only took a few minutes to reach her destination.

"Grandma!" Xu Ying called out cheerily.

Zhao Lingling heard the voice and quickly opened the door. Seeing Xu Ying, she asked with a smile, "Yingying, what brings you here? Have you had lunch yet?"

"I've brought some chicken soup for Grandma; I'll eat when I get back," Xu Ying said, handing over the basket.

Zhao Lingling took the basket, and the tantalizing aroma made her swallow subconsciously.

"Is it Yingying?" Mrs. Xu's voice, aged but strong, called out.

Xu Ying's eyes flickered, and she quickly went into the main house.

"Grandma," Xu Ying affectionately ran over to Mrs. Xu and took her arm.

Mrs. Xu was momentarily taken aback by the touch on her arm.

Mr. Xu also showed a hint of surprise on his face before laughing, "Your sister-in-law said you were better, and it seems that's true now."

There was a hidden meaning in his words, and Xu Ying immediately understood what it meant.

Before she met Dong Zhiqing, Xu Ying might have been ill-tempered, but she was always very close to her family.

But since knowing Dong Zhiqing, her whole world became about him, and visits to the Old Mansion these past years could be counted on one hand.

Her eyes reddened slightly, and with a bit of nasal tone, she said, "Yeah, I know I was wrong. I won't associate with Dong Zhiqing anymore."

Xu Jianjun was eavesdropping at the doorway, and when he heard Xu Ying say she wouldn't associate with Dong Zhiqing anymore, his mouth stretched into a wide grin.

"Yingying, you've got good sense now. Ever since you met Dong Zhiqing, just look at what became of you, you had no eyes for us elders," Xu Jianjun said.

"Uncle, I'm sorry," Xu Ying pleaded with her Uncle Jianjun, her eyes soft and endearing, completely melting his heart.

"Knowing your mistake is good," Xu Jianjun said sternly.