Chapter 158: Brother Chengjin Really Likes You

Chu Chengjin also caught the subtle hint of triumph in her eyes, reached out to pat her head, and soon gathered his belongings and left.

After all, the sooner he finished the task at hand, the sooner he could return to "play" with her.

Seeing him leave, Gu Xiaoyao did not linger in place. With her bamboo basket on her back, she asked around until she found the alley where the Jia family resided.

"Godmother, you shouldn't wait here in such cold weather. Just let me wait. If they come, I'll be sure to let you know right away."

The young girl standing on the threshold rubbed her hands together, her sweet and crisp voice sounding quite pleasant.

Upon hearing her thoughtful words, Cook Li smiled and stroked her hair. Other dishes would be a different story.

However, this vegetable was the master's current favorite these past few days, and since the master kept asking about it, she naturally had to pay closer attention.

"It's fine, I'm just standing here for a little while. Lately, the master's absolute favorite is this dish, so I have to keep an eye on it."

"If I don't keep watch, that person in the kitchen will try to meddle. These past few days, she's been giving me nothing but cold shoulders and dirty looks."

At the thought of Madam Liu in the kitchen, Cook Li couldn't help but roll her eyes. Their duties had been clearly divided from the start; what use was it for her to be green with envy?

If she truly had any talent, she should make dishes that the master loved. Whenever she received a reward, she acted as though everyone in the kitchen needed to know.

When others received a reward, she would make sarcastic and snide remarks. Who knew whether her tongue was too long or too short to speak such nonsense!

"Cook Liu is going too far. Godmother, you go out so early every day to look for vegetables, and when you come back, you still have to listen to her nagging. She isn't even a head housekeeper."

The young girl, wearing her hair in maid's double-buns, clenched her fists with an indignant expression, her slightly rounded face wrinkling up like a bun.

"Alright, don't get angry. I'm already used to her temper. You must be careful yourself, and make sure not to show any of your feelings in front of her."

Seeing the girl standing up for her, Cook Li felt a gentle warmth in her heart. As she turned slightly, she happened to see Gu Xiaoyao approaching with her bamboo basket.

She quickly hurried down the stone steps, smoothed her skirt, and greeted Gu Xiaoyao with a smile.

"Oh my, I thought you'd be coming a bit later. You've arrived quite early. You brought the bean sprouts, didn't you?"

Cook Li stretched her neck out, eager to catch a glimpse of the sprouts inside the basket. Such a large basket must hold quite a few bean sprouts!

"When you came to my house last time, I was out due to some matters. I'm sorry about that. The fifty catties of bean sprouts you wanted are here."

Gu Xiaoyao explained the reason for missing each other last time, took the basket off her back, and lifted the cloth covering to show her the bean sprouts inside.

With her seasoned eyes, Cook Li gave them a brief inspection and nodded in satisfaction.

"These bean sprouts of yours are truly exceptional. Such vegetable-growing skill would be welcomed anywhere. Come, come, follow me into the kitchen!"

Although she was confident there was no issue with the bean sprouts, adhering to a conscientious and responsible attitude, she still led Gu Xiaoyao into the back kitchen.

The three of them entered through the back door and walked past the moon gate to reach the Jia family's kitchen. Because people frequently wandered in and out of the kitchen, nobody found it strange to see Cook Li bringing someone along.

"Xiaoyuan, go get a large wooden basin and put all these bean sprouts into it. Miss Xiaoyao, don't worry, once I've weighed the empty basin, I'll weigh it for you to see."

After giving instructions to the young girl beside her, Cook Li called over a kitchen helper to bring the scale.

Seeing the young girl struggling to hold the wooden basin steadily, Gu Xiaoyao reached out with one hand and effortlessly took it from her. Once Cook Li weighed the basin, the two of them transferred the bean sprouts into it.