Chen Mo took out a Youth-Preserving Pill and said to He Yushui, "This is good stuff. Open your mouth."
He Yushui opened her mouth, and Chen Mo slipped the Youth-Preserving Pill into it.
As soon as the Youth-Preserving Pill entered He Yushui's mouth, it instantly transformed into a warm current that flowed through her entire body.
She felt the fatigue she had just experienced vanish in an instant.
"Brother Chen Mo, what did you just give me to eat?" He Yushui asked curiously, feeling that it was somewhat magical.
"You must never tell anyone about this, including your best friend and your brother," Chen Mo said with a serious expression.
"Mm, don't worry, Brother Chen Mo. I promise I won't tell a soul," He Yushui nodded earnestly.
"This is a Youth-Preserving Pill that I formulated. After eating it, even after decades, your appearance will never grow old," Chen Mo said.
This Youth-Preserving Pill was concocted by Chen Mo based on a recipe provided by the System!
That's right, Chen Mo was a transmigrator. He had transmigrated into the Courtyard and become a resident here, and having bound himself to a medical system, concocting a Youth-Preserving Pill was an absolute breeze for him!
A Youth-Preserving Pill was an ultimate weapon of mass destruction for any woman. Even though He Yushui was not yet seventeen years old, she knew how precious such a thing was.
Chen Mo nodded solemnly and said, "This was made from a medicinal herb I managed to acquire with great difficulty—something even more precious than a thousand-year-old ginseng. It is extremely rare. If people found out about this, it would surely bring disaster, so you must never speak of it."
"Mm, I understand, Brother Chen Mo. Don't worry, this is a secret between the two of us. But I've eaten it, what about you?" He Yushui asked.
"You little fool, I concocted this pill myself, so of course I've eaten it too. In a few days, as the medicinal effects are fully absorbed, your skin will only get better and better," Chen Mo said.
"Brother Chen Mo, you're so good to me." Touched, He Yushui hugged Chen Mo and gave him a kiss.
"Then how are you going to repay me?" Chen Mo looked at He Yushui with a smiling gaze.
"I... I'll turn seventeen next month, and eighteen by traditional counting," He Yushui said shyly. "I can give myself to you then."
By this time, He Yushui had long since prepared herself to give her all to him. In this lifetime, she had set her heart on Brother Chen Mo, and she would marry no one else.
Chen Mo looked at He Yushui with a smile, tapped the little girl gently on the nose, and said, "It's getting late, let's make dinner. Today, your brother will show you what I can really do."
"Then I'll help," He Yushui said.
"Alright."
The two of them entered the kitchen together like a young couple, one washing vegetables and the other cooking.
Chen Mo took out his mysterious iron kitchen knife, and the massive blade moved like flowing water in his hands. It left He Yushui staring in utter amazement—she had no idea Brother Chen Mo was so incredible, and his knife skills were simply out of this world.
The ingredients seemed to come alive in Chen Mo's hands.
Chen Mo prepared a plate of braised pork, a plate of hot and sour shredded potatoes, a pot of stewed chicken soup, stir-fried cabbage in vinegar sauce, a plate of Kung Pao chicken, a plate of stir-fried tomatoes with eggs, and a fragrant bowl of white rice.
Five dishes and one soup, all of them substantial meat dishes, were neatly laid out on the table like a piece of art.
"Brother Chen Mo, I never knew your culinary skills were so amazing. I almost don't have the heart to eat it—this looks way too good," He Yushui said, her face full of admiration.
Because Chen Mo had not removed the protective barrier, the beasts outside failed to catch the aroma of the food. The two of them began to eat, but before long, the door was shoved open.
"Yushui," Shazhu's voice rang out.
As soon as Shazhu stepped into the room, he immediately saw Chen Mo and He Yushui seated at the dining table, upon which sat a spread of delectable dishes. Even Shazhu, upon seeing the food on the table and catching the scent, was struck with utter shock.
An outsider watches the spectacle, while an insider looks at the technique. The moment Shazhu caught the aroma, he instantly knew he was incapable of cooking such dishes himself.
"Shazhu, are you fucking blind to knocking? Trying to get yourself killed, are you?" Chen Mo glared at Shazhu and said angrily. Shazhu looked at Chen Mo and demanded, "Did you cook these dishes?"
"If I didn't cook them, did you?"
"How could someone like you possibly cook dishes like this?" Shazhu's greatest pride was his culinary skill; he absolutely refused to believe that his proudest craft could be outdone by Chen Mo.
"There are plenty of things you don't know. The thing you're most proud of is completely worthless in front of me," Chen Mo said.
Shazhu felt a surge of irritation and looked at He Yushui, saying, "Yushui, come home and eat."
"Yushui is eating at my place. You can leave," Chen Mo said.
"You—"
"Brother, you go on back. I'm eating at Brother Chen Mo's house," He Yushui said.
"Hmph, then don't ever bother coming back," Shazhu snapped angrily and stormed off.
Seeing Shazhu stomping back from the back courtyard looking furious, Yi Zhonghai hurriedly asked, "Zhuzi, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," Shazhu didn't feel like talking. He walked straight into his house, picked up some peanuts to munch on, and grew more and more furious the more he thought about it. Why? He had spent so many years studying culinary arts, while Chen Mo had certainly never learned cooking properly—how could he possibly make such incredible food?
Furthermore, thinking of what Chen Mo had said—*The thing you're most proud of is worthless in front of me*—made Shazhu feel even more unbalanced.
Why should that brat not only be ridiculously handsome, but also so wealthy, such a capable fighter, skilled in medicine, and on top of all that, a better cook than him?
With a squeak, Yi Zhonghai pushed the door open and walked in carrying a bottle of Erguotou and some side dishes to go with the liquor.
"First Granduncle, why are you here?"
Yi Zhonghai placed the Erguotou and side dishes on the table and said, "What on earth happened? Why did you come back from the back courtyard looking so steamed? Was it that brat Chen Mo again?"
"First Granduncle, tell me why that bastard Chen Mo clearly has never learned how to cook, yet managed to make dishes so good they practically rival mine," Shazhu said.
"What? How is that possible?" Yi Zhonghai refused to believe it the moment he heard it.
"Why would I lie to you? I just went to call Yushui for dinner, and she was right there at that kid's place. Man, it was a feast—Kung Pao chicken, braised pork, and chicken soup. Every single dish looked and smelled better than anything from a restaurant outside! You tell me how he pulls that off," Shazhu said.
Yi Zhonghai's brows furrowed deeply.
That brat Chen Mo was indeed thoroughly bizarre. But what concerned him more was the fact that Chen Mo was eating so well every single day, especially since this was still the period of natural disasters, and the monthly rations were shrinking.
Lately, Jia Dongxu had been constantly crying poor to him.
Because Jia Dongxu was the only one in the Jia Family with urban household registration while everyone else was registered as rural, a single person's ration had to support the whole family. Even though Mrs. Jia had been sentenced to a year and a half and Bangeng to three months, there were still three people left at home, including a pregnant woman.
Qin Huiru was pregnant and needed to eat well.
Yi Zhonghai wasn't certain whether the child Qin Huiru was carrying belonged to Jia Dongxu or to him, but given the clandestine relationship he maintained with her, he couldn't just let her go hungry.
Without food rations, the Jia Family had to buy high-priced grain, and how could Jia Dongxu's meager salary ever be enough?