She Lives without Regret in This Life

"It's all in the past, no worries anymore!" She couldn't deny that the woman was her biological mother, yet she couldn't escape from the blood ties either. The Su Family's kindness towards her now was because of Su Yun; otherwise, she would have had no connection with the Su Family. Su Jiang's actions after the fact were actually in her favor. Sheng Ning hadn't expected it would be so, and when she saw the newspaper, her shock was stronger than anyone's.

Past grudges should have faded by then.

Sheng Ning didn't want to bring it up anymore, and everyone could tell, as the old master nodded happily.

"I'll cook today!" Sheng Ning volunteered, standing up and taking off her cotton-padded coat, rolling up her sleeves.

"Ningning can cook?" Su Jiang was shocked. In his memory, his little sister had never entered the kitchen; she couldn't even make noodles, let alone cook.

"Dad, Ningning's cooking is really delicious!" Su Huai'an spoke with delight.

The old master and Su Hai quickly agreed, and the family's aunt swiftly relinquished her position as the main cook, offering to assist Sheng Ning. So, Sheng Ning, assisted by the aunt, busied herself in the kitchen while the four men chatted in the living room.

Today's ingredients were plentiful—chicken, duck, fish, meat, and vegetables like radishes, cabbage, green peppers, probably brought by Su Jiang from the Southern District. There were even lotus roots, which she hadn't eaten in a long time.

It was a rare family reunion meal, and after today, they would return to their respective units to eat. Sheng Ning was determined to showcase her culinary skills.

Her grandfather's health wasn't good, so he couldn't eat greasy food; she made fragrant sticky millet porridge, prepared vinegary shredded radishes, and steamed fish fillets with garlic sauce. The aunt helped make a Tianjin-style stuffed lotus root. Round and golden crispy on the outside, yet the inside was fresh and delicious. As soon as they were ready, the men in the living room found themselves swallowing their saliva covertly.

Nowadays, the chance to eat meat was scarce; even wealthy families didn't eat meat with every meal. Sheng Ning wasn't interested in creating fancy dishes, just made some braised pork. It was satisfying and appetizing.

The chicken was half cooked as mouthwatering cold chicken and half as fragrant crispy chicken.

The ducks were already prepared, so they added dried mushrooms to make a clear stewed duck. The stew had a clear soup that tasted smooth and delicious. The duck meat was so tender it almost melted in the mouth, and the dish had none of the gamey smell typical of duck.

The aunt hadn't taken Sheng Ning seriously before, but after she cooked the vinegary radishes and Tianjin-style stuffed lotus root, she was left in awe.

"Ningning, how did you manage to do this?" The aunt marveled, looking at the clear stewed duck still simmering on the stove. It wasn't even ready yet, and she already felt like drooling. "How did you make this soup?"

Sheng Ning smiled, "It's simple; if you'd like to learn, I can write down a recipe for you."

"Really?" the aunt asked excitedly. "Would you teach me?"

"It's nothing technical." Sheng Ning didn't take it to heart; these dishes were nothing compared to what she learned at the Five-star Hotel. Now, the conditions weren't sufficient—ingredients, seasonings, and kitchenware were all inadequate, otherwise, she could have made even tastier dishes.

People from the North weren't as particular about food as those from the South, and considering the shortage of supplies in that era, having meat to eat was already exceptional; who had the time to study how to eat?

Only when the common people's lives improved in the future would they think about how to make tastier food. Just the few dishes Sheng Ning made had won over the aunt who had been working for the Su Family for decades; once she came out of the kitchen, she affectionately called Ningning with every sentence.

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The men chatting in the living room were also distracted, their thoughts drawn to the kitchen.