My whole family sucked my blood; after being reborn, the little cook went on a killing spree.

As soon as the two entered the house, they were warmly welcomed by everyone.

Li Rouhui rushed out to greet them, pulling one girl on each side to the matriarch's side. "Grandmother, you must reward these two girls handsomely today. That Thousand-Thread Longevity Scroll—not only have the villagers never seen it before, but even I have never seen it before. It's truly novel, and its meaning is auspicious!"

Then she pulled Li Jun over as well, "And Jun'er, they came all this way to wish you a happy birthday, and all they got to do was work in the kitchen all day!"

Everyone in the room laughed, and Li Jun felt a little embarrassed.

Su Wanning glanced at Madam Feng without making a sound.

Today's events were definitely Feng's scheme. However, the maid is still locked up in Xu Lingxi's courtyard. She and Xu Lingxi discussed it and decided to let the old lady celebrate her birthday properly first, and put these matters aside for the time being. They will come to complain again tomorrow.

So the room was full of people who only heard that things were a bit unsettled in the shed today, but they didn't know the specifics.

Li Rouhui's words were ostensibly a request for rewards for the three young ladies, but in reality, they carried a hint of resentment. After all, the young ladies had been pampered and protected since childhood, and had never experienced such hardship.

The weather was already hot, and the kitchen was steaming with heat.

She couldn't stand it for even a quarter of an hour, but her daughter worked there for most of the day!

No matter how well you do or how much you stand out, she's not happy!

"It's all my fault for making poor arrangements. Those people just happened to come one by one. Come on over."

Madam Feng originally intended to scheme against that wretched girl Su Wan Ning, but who would have thought that Li Jun and Xu Lingxi would also be involved? After the maid was locked up, she immediately prepared gifts to apologize.

A maidservant followed behind her, carrying a tray.

On the tray were three pieces of jewelry, two of which were gilded. One was a hairpin inlaid with white jade, and the other was a hair ornament with a dangling ornament. They were all simple and elegant.

The last one, however, was completely different.

It is crafted from red gold filigree, with the mutton fat jade in the center of the flower being of excellent quality. The fine lines on the lotus petals are clearly visible, making it lifelike. It also has double-layered pearl tassels, and its texture far surpasses the other two.

Su Wan Ning had seen many fine things in the palace; Feng Shi's trick was too clumsy.

The three people had three sticks, which looked about the same, but anyone with a discerning eye could tell that the two inferior sticks were worth at most seventy or eighty taels, while the superior one could be worth a hundred taels.

The difference of only twenty or thirty taels was enough to ignite a greedy and competitive spirit.

"Yun'er, Lingxi, which one do you like?"

Madam Feng pointed to the two gilded pieces of jewelry on the tray, took out the pure gold one separately, and handed it to Su Wan Ning with both hands, "Madam Su really put in a lot of effort today. There were many people and things were chaotic in the kitchen, and you were also frightened. This hairpin is not worth much money, just consider it a way to calm your nerves."

The old ancestor's expression changed slightly. "Frightened? How come I didn't know?"

Xu Lingxi and Li Jun exchanged a glance and looked at Su Wanning.

"Don't worry, Ancestor."

Su Wan Ning didn't take the hairpin, but bowed to the ancestor, saying, "It's normal for things to bump and knock over in this chaotic environment."

"Yes, I hope Madam Su doesn't mind."

Madam Feng gave a light snort, but her face was full of praise for Su Wan Ning. "Madam Su is magnanimous and has such skill. She is destined for great things."

This was to prevent her from complaining to Xu Lingxi, so they first labeled the maid who splashed water as "too many people involved," and then praised her and gave her the most valuable hairpin.

Li Jun, who had previously been quite friendly towards her, now looked much uglier.

Xu Lingxi didn't care about these details. She casually took one, stuffed the other into Li Jun's hands, and then tried to snatch the one from Feng Shi's hand. "Oh dear, Third Aunt, you're so slow to give me something. Anyone who didn't know better would think you're reluctant to part with it."

She handed the hairpin to Su Wan Ning, saying, "Take it, don't let your third aunt's good intentions go to waste."

"Yes."

Su Wan Ning then accepted it.

Madam Feng's smile was somewhat stiff. She then took out two more fifty-tael silver notes and gave them to Xu Lingxi and Li Jun as compensation for today's wages.

He then feigned concern, "I've long heard that Madam Su opened a medicinal cuisine shop. Could this Thousand-Thread Longevity Roll be one of the dishes from that shop? Oh dear, quite a few people saw how it's made today. What should we do?"

In the food industry, who doesn't know that recipes need to be kept secret?

Although using longevity scrolls instead of peaches is auspicious, beautiful, and delicious, and very popular, it takes more than just the three young ladies to make hundreds or thousands of them. Many maids and servants present could see it clearly and decided to try it when they got home. Those with skillful hands might be able to make them successfully.

Many of those women were from nearby villages. Some of them were quick-witted and could make money off the money. Did they really intend to chase after them all to their homes?

From now on, it will be difficult for Su Wan Ning to make money with the Thousand Silk Longevity Scroll.

Thinking of this, Madam Feng became much happier.

Although we couldn't cripple her, there's plenty of time ahead. Cutting off her path to making money for now will allow us to find another opportunity later.

"Thank you for your concern, Third Madam. However, when I was in the Imperial Kitchen, I participated in many banquets, and I never encountered a situation like today. You have been in charge of the household for many years, so you must not be unable to manage the servants properly, let alone discover the strangeness of today's events."

Su Wanning spoke calmly.

Although she deliberately did not keep the method of making the Thousand-Thread Longevity Scroll a secret, it does not mean that the Feng family can take advantage of it.

Inside the room, the people who were initially regretting the 'recipe being leaked' were reminded by her words and all looked at Madam Feng.

"Yes, Third Sister-in-law, you still need to investigate this matter thoroughly."

"Our Li family has hosted so many banquets, but this is the first time we've had such a big blunder."

The matriarch glanced at Madam Feng, and although she was also dissatisfied, she smiled and smoothed things over, changing the subject, "Wan Ning, come here."

"Ancestor."

Su Wanning stepped forward respectfully.

Unexpectedly, the ancestor reached out to remove the bracelet from her wrist.

It's obvious he wants to make it up to her because of what happened today!

Su Wanning quickly took two steps back, "Grandmother, please let me say a few words first."

Her expression was solemn. The old ancestor paused in his work, then smiled and said, "Go on, I'm listening."

"On your seventieth birthday, I was originally hired by Miss Lingxi as a cook, but I am also a good friend of Miss Lingxi. Do you remember the first time I visited your estate?"

The others inside the room were unaware of this.

But the old woman was deeply impressed and nodded with a smile, "You have a sweet tongue, young lady. This old woman just loves chatting and laughing with young women like you."

Su Wanning countered, "Then do you remember saying that Lingxi is your beloved great-granddaughter, and since we are destined to be together, you'll treat this place as your own home from now on?"

"Of course, that always stands!"

The old ancestor spoke with a firm and resounding tone.

Su Wan Ning felt a sudden pang of sadness. Having never experienced true family affection in either of her two lives, she now felt as if she were being protected.

She quickly lowered her head and bowed respectfully. "Since you have asked me to treat this place as my home, how could I not send a gift for my ancestor's birthday? However, Wan Ning has only been away from the palace for a little over a month and doesn't have anything worthwhile to offer. Please accept this Thousand Threads Longevity Scroll as a small token of my appreciation."

"what?"

Everyone in the room was stunned.

Even the ancestor couldn't hide the surprise on his face. "Do you know the value of this Thousand-Thread Longevity Scroll?"