Liu Ji seemed to have a dog’s nose, smelling the fragrance and returning home.

"Wife, what are you guys making? It smells so good! I smelled it from a distance."

Liu Ji strode into the house, washing his hands while loudly asking with curiosity.

Qin Yao and Mrs. Li had just taken the freshly baked cake out of the oven. Upon hearing him, Mrs. Li replied with a smile, "Master’s back! The madam and I were trying to bake a cake, it just came out of the oven. You came back just in time."

Qin Yao chimed in, "Yes, perfect timing, you get the first bite."

Liu Ji wondered if such a good thing could be true. Was he sure they weren’t trying to poison him?

But the aroma was indeed inviting, surely it couldn’t taste bad, so Liu Ji agreed cheerfully, "Alright, let me taste it."

The bake wasn’t quite perfect yet, the cake’s surface was burnt, brown and black, not much to look at.

But the sweet aroma from inside was irresistible. Liu Ji took a deep sniff, tore off a piece, the burnt outer layer gave way to a soft, fluffy yellow interior, like touching a cloud with his fingers.

Liu Ji tentatively placed the soft, yellow side in his mouth; it had no strange taste, rather it was sweet, fragrant, fluffy, and melted right away, very tasty.

Unlike the usual snacks, it wasn’t dense at all. A bite was soft, bouncy even, and even the slightly burnt crust had a unique bitter-sweet flavor.

"Is it edible?" Qin Yao saw Liu Ji about to reach for another piece and stopped his hand just in time, unsure.

Liu Ji nodded, not bothering to speak, maneuvered past Qin Yao’s block, and tore off a big piece to stuff in his mouth.

"The two taels of silver were well spent!" Liu Ji remarked, praising with his mouth full.

While eating, he asked, "Is there more? My mentor will be over for dinner later, we could let him try some too."

Since it was an experiment, they didn’t want to waste ingredients, so they only made enough to fill a small iron pot.

Of course, it was also due to the limitation of cookware. The only pot at home that could bake the cake was the one Qin Yao had from the army.

Porcelain was too precious to risk; they didn’t have a big enough porcelain bowl at home.

Earthenware was too fragile; baking at high temperatures could cause it to crack.

So, Qin Yao snatched the remaining cake and the pot into her arms, saying, "Liu Ji, you’re not allowed to eat anymore. This little pot is all there is, and neither I nor Mrs. Li has tried it!"

As for Gongliang Liao, they could talk after she’d had some herself first.

Succeeding on the first try, Qin Yao hardly believed it herself. She called out to Mrs. Li, and they carried the pot to the main room, cut it into small pieces with a knife, and each took a piece to taste.

Mrs. Li had never tasted cake before, so she didn’t know what it should taste like, but she found this piece in her hand had a wonderful texture.

Today they used regular sugar; if they could use honey and find some milk, the taste might reach another level.

Qin Yao, however, had a peculiar expression. After a couple of bites, she stopped moving, gaze fixed on some point, as if her soul wasn’t there anymore.

Liu Ji, hoping to sneak a piece, walked into the main room and saw this expression. He waved his hand in front of her eyes, "Wife?"

Qin Yao blinked lightly, the sparkle returning to her eyes, swallowed the cake in her hand, and a smile curved her lips, "This is the taste."

"What taste?" Liu Ji asked, curious.

Qin Yao replied, "The taste of home."

Mrs. Li laughed, "So the madam was craving a hometown specialty snack."

She didn’t know where Qin Yao’s family was from, thinking she was homesick, and felt a soft spot in her heart. Taking the now empty pot, she said, "Since it turned out well, let’s make more. As much as the madam wants to eat, she can eat."

Saying this, she went back to the kitchen to make a few more batches before dinner, so everyone at home could try it.

Meanwhile, Liu Ji watched Qin Yao, who looked so satisfied, his curiosity was piqued.

Mrs. Li didn’t know her hometown, but he did.

That barren land of the Northwest, how could it produce such fine delicacies?

Liu Ji was secretly observing Qin Yao. She was reminiscing while eating the cake, perhaps about the past or people from her hometown, not noticing his probing gaze.

Of course, maybe she just didn’t care about his curiosity, ignoring it.

Liu Ji’s gaze grew more audacious, openly inquisitive.

The more he thought about it, the more something felt off, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint what was wrong.

The person was flesh and blood, her appearance hadn’t changed; surely, she couldn’t be some transformed spirit.

Wait!

She had superior martial arts and unmatched strength, why would she still need to flee from famine? 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Memory suddenly flashed back to the first time he saw her at the county government office.

The woman had her head bowed, shoulders hunched, sitting curled up in a corner, clothes thin, bracing against the chilly autumn wind, her body radiating a numbing despair, lifeless.

At first glance, she seemed like she didn’t have much time left.

But when those eyes lifted, there was still a glimmer of resilience and captivating brilliance.

It was because of those eyes that Liu Ji felt sympathy, hurried home to borrow an ox cart, and brought her home.

Thinking that with eyes like those, she should be able to endure hardship, maybe she could stay.

Afterward... those resilient yet fragile eyes didn’t appear again.

Instead, they were replaced by the brazen, self-assured, commanding nature of the formidable Qin Yao.

At first, he was just shocked and fearful, thinking her true nature had been concealed and he’d been fooled by her weak facade.

She wasn’t a meek rabbit at all, more like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

But as he thought about it today, the gap of those short two days, he couldn’t quite bridge the transformation of this person.

Liu Ji was lost in thought, and by the time he snapped out of it, the rest of the cake had all gone into Qin Yao’s stomach.

She lay comfortably on the chair, eyes slightly squinting, watching the blue sky and flying birds above the courtyard, letting out a satisfied little burp.

Liu Ji immediately forgot his suspicions and only remembered to be angry.

"Wife, did you eat it all?" Liu Ji looked around inside, confirming she hadn’t hidden the remaining cake somewhere but had indeed eaten it all.

Qin Yao lazily responded with a hum, rolling her eyes at him, "Yes, I ate it all by myself."

A defiant expression as if daring him to do something about it.

He could tell she was in a really good mood, hence her smugness.

Liu Ji was momentarily stunned again, and inexplicably asked, "Did you often eat this cake at home?"

Qin Yao nodded and added, "If I could have a cup of milk tea, it’d be perfect."

Liu Ji frowned slightly, "Milk, tea?"

Having not traveled far often, he hadn’t been to her Northwest hometown, only knowing milk as milk and tea as tea, never having heard of mixing them into some milk tea.

Qin Yao snorted, "Hillbilly, such a good thing you’ve never tried. I truly pity you."

Suddenly remembering she couldn’t drink it in the post-apocalypse, let alone here, Qin Yao’s smile froze abruptly.

The hillbilly turned out to be herself!