Chapter Seventy-Two: Malicious Intentions

The four of them sat down at the table. Looking at the dishes, each resplendent in color, fragrance, and taste, Gu Xiaoyao couldn't help but think they looked far better than what she could prepare herself.

"Xiaoshu, where did you get these cooking skills from? The food is wonderful," she praised.

Hearing his sister's compliment, Gu Xiaoshu blushed, his hands clenched tightly in excitement as he replied, "Last year, didn't I do odd jobs in the kitchen at the restaurant? I learned by watching secretly! Sister, do you really think I did well?"

Back when he went to the restaurant, he had already been thinking about picking up some skills, because being a chef meant never having to worry about going hungry.

Gu Xiaoshu had seen with his own eyes in the kitchen that all the cooks were plump, never lacking good food even on ordinary days.

"Of course. Neither Mother nor I have such skills. If I were to cook these meats and dishes, it would be a real pity," Gu Xiaoyao said.

Though she was not a picky eater and could eat anything edible, who wouldn't want their meals to taste better? In the past, whenever they managed to get some good food, she would take the time to cook it properly, but it was never as leisurely as it was here.

After all, once you got your hands on food, if you weren't strong enough, your first thought was always to swallow it as quickly as possible, so others wouldn't snatch it away.

"Really, Sister? Do you think I should learn to cook? I'm really interested in it," Gu Xiaoshu said eagerly.

He longed to learn the culinary arts, but apprenticing to a master depended as much on luck as on skill.

If you happened to meet a good master, they would be willing to teach you. But if you met a bad one, they'd treat you like a servant, and after three years, you would have achieved nothing.

"I think there should be a bookshop in the city's market. They might have cookbooks there," Gu Xiaoyao suggested, though she wasn't entirely sure. She glanced at Chu Chengjin, hoping he would chime in.

Under the earnest gaze she fixed upon him, Chu Chengjin smiled softly and began to explain the situation at the foot of the mountain.

"There is indeed a bookshop in town. If Xiaoshu really wants to learn to cook, he can start by reading some cookbooks."

"As for restaurants, there seem to be only one or two in town. Learning to cook there might not be feasible."

There were few restaurants, naturally, because most townsfolk and villagers around couldn't afford to dine out, so few people bothered to open such establishments. There were, however, plenty of small noodle stalls—just two coins a bowl, eaten right on the roadside, requiring little effort.

"Oh..." Gu Xiaoshu sounded disappointed.

He had always lived in the mountain village and, after coming to town, had imagined it to be a big city. He hadn't realized that there were so few restaurants, thinking instead that they must be grand and impressive.

"If you truly wish to learn cooking, then we will work toward it. But, Xiaoshu, don't you want to go to school and learn to read?" his sister asked.

Through memories inherited from her predecessor, Gu Xiaoyao understood that scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants each had their place, though merchants were no longer looked down upon as much as before.

Still, scholars stood above the rest, and for poor children, studying was often the only path out of hardship.

Even if you didn't climb the ranks through study, literacy was always useful—when seeking work elsewhere, those who could read always commanded a higher wage than those who could not.

"Sister, how could our family have money to send me to school? I won't go," Gu Xiaoshu replied, his gaze flickering. Though his heart longed for it, he stubbornly insisted he had no interest.

"Soon, our family will have the money to send you to school. You needn’t worry about that—I will take care of it," Gu Xiaoyao assured him.

Once her health improved, she would venture deeper into the mountains to hunt, and then sell the game in town. If there was any way to make quick money now, it was surely through hunting in the mountains. After all, wealthy families were always willing to spend on wild game.

"Let’s eat now. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can rest," she said.

There was a tough battle to fight tomorrow, and Gu Xiaoyao thought it best to get some good rest.