Chen'er had completely lost her earlier spirit. "No, I'm buying these for Da Yuan and Yuan Zhu. They heard I was coming to town and were so envious, saying they'd never been. I thought I'd pick up some things for them."

Lin He chuckled. "You didn't buy anything for Xiao Bao and Da Xiong and Xiao Xiong, did you? They'll surely hold it against you."

"I did. I bought Xiao Bao a set of paper and brushes. These rattles and the painted masks are for Da Xiong and Xiao Xiong. I asked them before I left," Chen'er replied.

Lin He noticed Chen'er still couldn't muster any enthusiasm; she seemed shrouded by a mountain, completely drained of the liveliness she'd had moments before. Lin He truly couldn't fathom it. Chen'er had grown up with them, shared those hard times, yet she wasn't like the typical country girl. Lin He shook her head, unable to bear seeing Chen'er so downcast, and said, "Alright, stop looking like that, as if I've done something to you. How about this: you don't need to study the kitchen tasks for now, but you must produce a decent piece of clothing for me before the Mid-Autumn Festival this year. We can start on the kitchen next year."

Hearing Lin He's words, Chen'er instantly regained her spirit, bouncing up happily. "Big Sister, you promise?"

"Mmm, but if Mother scolds you, I won't take any responsibility," Lin He said, smiling.

"Mmm, as long as you don't say anything," Chen'er replied cheerfully.

After that, she happily took the items from the table to show Lin He, explaining who each item was for, what it was used for, and how fun it was. She even mentioned things she'd forgotten to buy and promised to go back out tomorrow. Lin He watched her, rolling her eyes. This Chen'er was such a **nuisance; she resolved never to bring her to town again for trivial reasons.

Two days later, it was Wen Ningxuan's birthday. Lin He woke up early, and after breakfast, she went to the small adjoining kitchen with Ziyu, intending to bake a cake. Last time, for Wen Ningmo's birthday, he had also asked Lin He for a gift, and on an impulse, she had made him a cake to take back. However, that previous cake was small, and the process was relatively simple; once done, a few pieces of fruit were haphazardly placed on top—a very crude cake, really. But to those people who had never seen one, it was naturally novel.

This time, Wen Ningxuan had specified that his cake needed to be different from the last one. Furthermore, since several people were invited to celebrate his birthday, she couldn't stingily make a small cake just for him to eat alone. Lin He planned to make a larger, prettier one so everyone could share the joy.

Lin He instructed Ziyu to prepare all the usable ingredients they had on hand, and then she and Ziyu busied themselves in the kitchen for the entire morning, finally completing all the steps. Fruit varieties were limited at that time, and Lin He couldn't find much suitable topping. She simply used whipped cream for the outer layer and ground some rose petal powder, crafting two rough roses for decoration. By the standards of the cakes Lin He had seen in her previous life, this creation was hardly presentable. Yet, Ziyu was mesmerized, exclaiming, "Miss, this is a cake? It looks too beautiful; I almost don't want to eat it."

Lin He smiled, asking Ziyu to cover the cake with a large box and move it into the house, away from the kitchen, lest the heat cause the cream to melt later.

Not long after lunch, Lin He was relaxing in the rocking chair on the courtyard when she heard Wen Ningmo's voice from outside. Lin He knew the Wen Ningxuan brothers must have arrived. She stood up from the chair and turned, spotting Wen Ningxuan just behind Wen Ningmo. Today, Wen Ningxuan didn't seem as cold as usual; when he looked at Lin He, there was a faint trace of a smile in his eyes.

Wen Ningmo said, "He'er, today is my second brother's birthday. He mentioned ordering something from you. I asked him what it was, but he wouldn't say. What is it? Let me see."

Lin He didn't reply, but Chen'er chimed in, "Oh, so it's Brother Xuan's birthday. I kept saying Big Sister was making a cake in the kitchen all morning, but I never got to see what it looked like. Big Sister, show him!"

"A cake? Is it like the one you made for my birthday last time?" Wen Ningmo asked.

"Yes, shall I have Ziyu bring it out now?" Lin He asked Wen Ningmo, though her eyes were fixed on Wen Ningxuan when she spoke.

"No need. Since we have nothing else to do today, Little Mo, let's just stay and have dinner here before heading back," Wen Ningxuan interjected.

Upon hearing they would eat there, Xiao Mo nodded quickly. "Great! It's been ages since I tasted He'er's stir-fries. Your cooking is much better than the chef's at home, Second Brother. You haven't tried it, but I guarantee you'll say it's excellent."

"Yes, my Big Sister cooks wonderfully. But she doesn't do it much anymore; it's usually the maids now. It's been ages since we've had it," Chen'er added from the side.

Lin He glanced at Chen'er, this girl loved to stir things up. She said, "Since you all speak so highly of me, I'll cook tonight. Tell Ziyu what you want to eat, and have her take Zihuan to buy the ingredients. I'll prepare it for you tonight."

"Alright! I want spareribs, and that salted duck, and cold-tossed tripe strips, and..." Xiao Mo rapidly listed a string of dishes.

Chen'er also kept adding to the list, claiming one dish per person, but these two had already requested close to ten dishes. Ziyu spoke up, "Today is Second Young Master's birthday. What does Second Young Master want to eat?"

"Anything is fine," came the usual somewhat aloof reply.

"Yes, my Second Brother eats everything. Oh, and I also want scrambled eggs, and..." Wen Ningmo continued to list his preferences.

"How about Third Young Master and Miss Chen'er go with us to buy the groceries? Whatever you want, just pick it up. You've listed so much; how can I possibly remember it all?" Ziyu said helplessly, wondering whose birthday it truly was today.

"That's enough now. Have Uncle Chang Geng go with you. I won't go; I still need to go out with Brother Xiao Mo later to buy a few things. You all go now," Chen'er said.

"You need to buy more things? Chen'er, you bought quite a lot yesterday! Half a month's worth of my allowance went into buying a pile of useless stuff for you. What else is there you haven't bought?" Wen Ningmo commented.

"Brother Xiao Mo, you are so stingy! You insisted on buying me things yourself, and now you're making such a fuss over a little money. I'll pay for what I buy today; my Elder Brother gave me money yesterday," Chen'er retorted, shaking the money pouch she carried.

"Then that's perfect. You can just go buy things with Ziyu and the others," Xiao Mo said, feeling a headache coming on at the thought of accompanying Chen'er to town.

"They are going to buy groceries. You go with me instead. How can Chen'er go to town alone?" Chen'er pulled on Xiao Mo's arm.

"Xiao Mo, you go with Chen'er. How can a young lady go by herself?" Wen Ningxuan interjected.