Mrs. Li had nothing to say, thanked for the kindness, and endured many discomforts as she returned to gather her luggage with Qin Yao, tidying up briefly.

The earthen house was dim, the walls had been battered for years, shedding dust in bursts.

If the conditions of Qin Yao’s home could only be described as clean and tidy in the eyes of wealthy families, then Old Liu’s house could only be described as shabby.

Although Mrs. Li didn’t complain, from her horrified expression upon cleaning out a pile of mouse droppings, her heart must have been quite shattered.

Qin Yao had previously gone to the Ding Family’s mansion as a bodyguard, and the small room they assigned her was also a brick house with stone slabs on the floor.

Here, the soil floor was uneven, the walls shed dust, and the dark, indistinct beams and thatched roof challenged Mrs. Li’s limits.

To think, a truly poor family could be this poor!

Fortunately, the soft bedding and thick bed curtains provided by Qin Yao alleviated a lot of Mrs. Li’s anxiety.

At least when the bed curtains fell, the small world inside was still fragrant and pleasant.

Mrs. Li clearly understood her role; she was there to serve, not to enjoy. The new master’s family treated them kindly, which was a great fortune.

Each day, after finishing her work, she could return home by evening without needing to attend to someone throughout the night, already much easier than before.

As for Little Lai Fu, being young, he found everything amusing, even when catching a bug in a vegetable patch.

When the village children came to invite him to play, he was, surprisingly, the quickest of the family to integrate into the Liu Family Village.

One family gave a bunch of green vegetables and two eggs, another offered half a piece of rice cake and a bowl of tofu; he returned with a sackful of food.

Aunties and grannies entrusted him with questions, "Mom, can you teach everyone how to do embroidery?"

It was just about dinnertime at Qin Yao’s house, and without much regulation, Little Lai Fu directly ran into the kitchen to speak with his mother.

When he saw Qin Yao coming back from the backyard with the Divine Arm Bow, he quickly called out crisply, "Madam!"

"Look!" The little guy pointed to the eggs, green vegetables, and tofu he had just placed in the sieve, "They were all given by everyone."

Qin Yao glanced and smiled, "They must find you adorable; others don’t get this treatment."

The little guy shyly blushed, his eyes sparkling with unspoken joy.

He really liked it here; no one looked down on him or bullied him because of his status, and others included him in their play, showing him how to catch fish and birds.

Of course, he also shared with them stories from outside and taught them games the previous noble master’s young master and miss enjoyed.

Qin Yao said to Mrs. Li in the kitchen, "The weather is getting hot, and these vegetables Little Lai Fu brought back won’t keep well. Let’s cook them all tonight, and you can take some home to eat."

Qin Yao tried to separate things as much as possible; the original family members already occupied enough space, and adding Song Yu’s family left no room, making it uncomfortable to eat.

It wasn’t just them; Song Yu’s family would also be uncomfortable.

To avoid them awkwardly suggesting eating separately in the kitchen while stiffly obeying the master’s orders at the dining table with no appetite, it was better to eat separately.

Qin Yao liked having someone help with work but didn’t like watching others ’kneel’ while working in front of her.

Mrs. Li was delighted and responded promptly, so she could save time and make the satin dress the madam wanted that evening.

Qin Yao placed the bow aside and went to the water jar to wash her face; the sun-soaked water was warmly comforting on her skin.

Now, having leisure time, the world seemed beautiful again, even the sound of Second Lang’s shouting as he tutored the Dragon and Phoenix Twins was agreeable.

Recently, spoiled by Mrs. Li, Qin Yao suddenly craved cake.

Her mouth watered more and more, the sweetness of the cake seemed to waft to her nose.

Unfortunately, she didn’t know the recipe.

When Mrs. Li placed the meals on the table and turned to take her family’s food and call her son home, Qin Yao suddenly mentioned:

"Mrs. Li, do you know how to make cake?"

Mrs. Li was slightly taken aback, then tentatively replied, "Do you mean steamed egg cake, Madam?"

Qin Yao waved her hand, "Not that, it’s baked, made with eggs, flour, sugar, and some kind of oil, and it’s fluffy and soft when eaten."

Mrs. Li shook her head, "Your servant has limited knowledge and has never heard of such a treat, but I can give it a try."

Qin Yao hadn’t held any hope when she said no, but seeing Mrs. Li willing to try, she immediately handed over two taels of silver, "Give it a try. If it’s not enough, come back for more, and if you lack ingredients, ask Ah Wang to help you buy them."

In short, Qin Yao was now desperately craving that taste of cake, even if it was a knock-off version.

Sometimes, people’s cravings are indeed peculiar!

Mrs. Li accepted the silver, feeling it was too much, but on second thought, experimentation naturally involved possible failure, and the wastage was uncertain.

Not to mention using costly ingredients like fine flour, eggs, and sugar, which would cost even more.

Mrs. Li left, pondering while holding the money.

Liu Ji stood at the door, keen-eyed, noticing the silver ingot in Mrs. Li’s hand, widening his eyes in shock.

Not until Mrs. Li had walked far enough for the silver to be out of sight did he stride in with his flashy book box, asking in shock, "Dear, why did you give Mrs. Li so much silver?"

"Let her help me research a little snack," Qin Yao glanced up, "Why, do you have a problem?"

Liu Ji quickly shook his head, "As if I dare."

Unable to help joking in a sarcastic tone, "What kind of precious snack needs two taels of silver? Why didn’t you give me the silver to help make it? Two taels of silver? If you wanted dragon meat from the sky, I could get it and stew it for you!"

Did Qin Yao not know his culinary skills?

He could manage some farmhouse dishes, but pastries—he hadn’t even eaten many himself. Expecting him to make cake was utterly ridiculous!

"Wash your hands, it’s time to eat." Qin Yao took back her gaze from Liu Ji and called out again, "Time to eat!"

Having practiced archery for two hours that afternoon, her stomach’s reserves were long depleted.

At the sight of a balanced table of meats and vegetables, her stomach began to rumble eagerly.

With Qin Yao’s signal, everyone in the courtyard gathered for the meal.

After the meal, the plates were polished clean enough to reflect faces.

It was Da Lang and Si Niang’s turn to clear the table today. Having completed their chores and with daylight still lingering, they had finished their studies and called Sanlang to join them in finding village children to play with at the village well.

As for Second Lang, the King of Quan wouldn’t let any chance slip by to study diligently.

Even Liu Ji was impressed.

However, today he decided not to join his son in the competition; he had pressing matters to discuss.

"The teacher said, with the good weather these days, he plans to leave two days earlier, telling me to prepare and set off for the Prefecture early the day after tomorrow, temporarily staying at the He Family’s to prepare for the exams."