As soon as Gan Yuwan set up her stall, she started calling out to customers.

"Homemade pastries are clean and hygienic. Try them before you buy; if you don't like them, you don't have to pay!"

She cut the pastries into small cubes the size of a fingernail, stuck them on tiny wooden skewers, and laid them out in front of her stall. This was the method her little girl had been talking about yesterday, something she called "tasting."

The middle-aged women passing by had never seen anything like it before, and they all gathered around.

"Oh, you think you can get a free sample?"

A plump woman picked up a piece of mung bean cake and stuffed it into her mouth. Her eyes widened instantly, and without a word, she pulled out a coin: "Give me five mung bean cakes! No, ten!"

Seeing this reaction, the people around them got even more excited.

"I want ten sponge cakes!"

"Save me two pieces of jujube cake! The ones I bought in town last time can't compare to this!"

"What's that white thing? Yam cake? Five, please!"

The stall was surrounded by three or four layers of people. Gan Yuwan, Yun Pianpian and Yun Shuangshuang were busy wrapping pastries and collecting coins, while Yun Huaikang was maintaining order. Zhen Linqing, who had difficulty walking, was in charge of giving change. This gentleman was very good at arithmetic and never made a mistake with a single coin.

Yun Qiaoqiao held the still-unconscious Yun Shengsheng in her arms, sitting at the very back of the oxcart, watching longingly as the pastries on the stall dwindled one by one.

Mung bean cake, all gone. Jujube cake, all gone. Sponge cake, three pieces left.

She swallowed hard.

He hugged Yun Shengsheng even tighter, trying his best not to look at the pastries.

Yun Shengsheng woke up at this moment.

She rubbed her eyes and saw a scene resembling a battle. The whole family didn't have enough hands, and even Zhen Linqing, the lame man, was there making change for people, his expression as focused as if he were calculating military pay.

Before noon, the pastries were all gone, with only seven or eight left lying in the bamboo basket.

Gan Yuwan looked at the children and smiled as she raised her hand.

"That's all for now, let's pack up and eat the rest ourselves!"

The children cheered and each took a piece to eat.

On the way back, Yun Huaikang drove the oxcart, and Gan Yuwan, her three daughters, and Zhen Linqing squeezed into the back of the cart to count their coins.

The oxcart swayed back and forth, the coins clattering away – the sound was incredibly pleasant.

I finished counting when I got to my doorstep.

Yun Pianpian stared at the pile of copper coins and screamed, "Mother! A whole string of coins! A whole string of coins!"

One string of cash is equivalent to one thousand coins, or one tael of silver. That's enough for Gan Yuwan to earn five days' wages working for someone else.

Yun Shuangshuang's eyes shone like two lamps as she began to calculate on her fingers: "Mother, one tael of silver a day, that's thirty taels a month. And a year is—"

She calculated for a long time, then gasped in shock.

"Three hundred and sixty taels! Mother! We've struck it rich!"

Everyone in the car burst into laughter.

Even Zhen Linqing's eyes crinkled with laughter, simply because she found the lively family scene quite amusing.

As soon as the oxcart arrived at her doorstep, Gan Yuwan saw a person standing there.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Aunt Liang from Master Huang's kitchen.

"Aunt Liang? What brings you here? Come in and have some water."

Aunt Liang waved her hand and grabbed her arm, saying, "No, no, do you have time now? Come with me right away."

Gan Yuwan was taken aback: "What's wrong?"

"Great news!" Aunt Liang grinned from ear to ear. "Remember when you cooked for someone the other day? A friend of theirs had their child love your winter melon and pork rib soup. They specifically asked someone to come and ask you to cook it for them again at noon."

Gan Yuwan looked at the sky; it was only half an hour until noon.

"Isn't it a bit late to go now?"

"It's not too late, it's not too late. I talked to that family, and they said it's okay if it's a little late. Their child is weak and doesn't eat on time. As long as you're willing to do it, it's fine."

Gan Yuwan hesitated for a moment, then Aunt Liang leaned closer and whispered, "Do you know how much it costs? Two taels of silver for a meal."

Gan Yuwan laughed on the spot.

"Let's go, let's go now."

Cooking for wealthy families had a hidden perk—meals were provided, and meat was included. So Gan Yuwan always brought one of her children along for a free meal. Today, she looked at her three daughters: "Which of you will come with me?"

Yun Pianpian opened her mouth, then closed it again. She still had to take care of Zhen Linqing. So she gave the opportunity to her younger sister.

Yun Shuangshuang also had something to do, so in the end, Yun Qiaoqiao carried Yun Shengsheng and followed them onto the oxcart.

Yun Huaikang led the rest of the group to find their own lunch.

The oxcart swayed along for a quarter of an hour. As Yun Qiaoqiao looked at the increasingly grand houses on both sides, she suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Yun Shengsheng was the first to realize what was happening, and her little brows furrowed.

【Huh? Isn't this the house of that kid from last time?】

I wonder what happened to him afterwards. Did that person poison him again? I hope he's alright.

Yun Qiaoqiao and Gan Yuwan both shuddered.

I remember now, it was at this very place last time that Yun Shengsheng saved a child who was almost poisoned.

Gan Yuwan wants to leave now, but it's too late.

An elderly butler with gray hair looked at the group with a smile.

"Lady Gan, you've finally arrived! Please come in! Our young master hasn't had much of an appetite these past two days, and he's hoping you can get him to eat a little more."

Gan Yuwan smiled awkwardly and could only follow him inside with her two children.

After passing through numerous corridors and around several screen walls, we finally stopped in front of a small kitchen.

Yun Shengsheng looked at the kitchen, her little face twitching.

[Isn't this the scene of the poisoning incident last time?]

Gan Yuwan and the other woman became even more nervous upon hearing this.

Gan Yuwan subconsciously glanced around, her hands clenching involuntarily. Could it be that the person who poisoned them discovered Sheng Sheng and therefore deliberately set a trap to lure them here to kill them?

But the old butler in front of me had a gentle face and gray hair, and didn't look like a bad person at all.

Yun Shengsheng, however, remained calm, turning her little head back and forth.

[Huh, the guy who poisoned us last time isn't here. Did that kid find out and get rid of him?]

[Whatever, nobody knows what I did last time anyway. I'll just wait for my mom to finish cooking, grab the money, and leave. Perfect.]

Gan Yuwan sighed, thinking that made sense. Since she was already there, she might as well make the best of it and quickly made the pork rib soup before leaving.

The old butler, surnamed Chen, stood at the kitchen door and said in a gentle tone, "Since you're here, besides the pork rib soup, please also prepare a few other dishes. My young master has a weak stomach and can't eat anything. We've had several chefs come and gone, but he only eats a bite or two each time. Last time, he at least drank most of that bowl of pork rib soup you made."

Butler Chen's eyes were almost red as he spoke.

He was truly worried. He would do anything to let his son eat one more bite of food, even call him "ancestor."

Meanwhile, in the backyard.

The little boy sat quietly in the pavilion, his eyes slightly closed, as if he were resting.

A dark shadow landed silently beside him.

"Master, the child and his mother have arrived."

The boy's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes, a slight smile curving his lips.

"Understood. You may leave..."

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