Li Zhiyuan hung up the phone.

Next to him, Lu Yi asked with concern, "Did something happen to the village chief?"

"His wife won't let him in the house."

Lu Yi's expression turned serious, "In our Northeast, this is considered a big deal, especially in this weather. Since I was a child, I've heard several stories of husbands who got drunk in the winter and knocked on the door when they got home, only to have their angry wives not let them in. The next morning, when the door was opened, they found the person had frozen to death at the doorstep."

"It's not that serious for him."

Lu Yi: "Still, you should persuade him well."

"Hmm."

Leaving the store, Li Zhiyuan headed to Grandma Liu's house.

Aunt Liu was not at home recently, and it was too early for the cafeteria to serve breakfast. Li Zhiyuan planned to go for a walk with Alii on the playground later and then buy breakfast at the cafeteria, including a portion for the old lady.

However, just as he reached the courtyard gate and was about to push it open, he caught a whiff of a fragrant aroma.

In the courtyard, several small stoves were set up, and an elderly man with white hair and beard, along with two older women and two younger women, were quietly busy with work inside.

They were preparing meals.

The ingredients had been prepared in advance, but to ensure the taste, they were brought here to be cooked on-site.

The elderly man was personally busy while supervising his two daughters-in-law and two granddaughters-in-law. When he saw something not done properly, he didn't dare to scold them but would glare at them fiercely.

When he saw Li Zhiyuan coming in, the elderly man was momentarily puzzled. Then, with his left hand, he flipped the spatula and, with his right, he saluted.

"Young man, who might you be?"

"I'm from the family."

The old man immediately turned off the stove, put down the utensils, and respectfully saluted Li Zhiyuan.

He performed the Liu family's Outer Door ritual, implying that he was nominally part of the Liu family but not inheriting their skills.

The four women beside him also stopped their work to salute Li Zhiyuan. The two daughters-in-law did it quite properly, while the two granddaughters-in-law could only imitate roughly.

Li Zhiyuan sidestepped to evade their salutes and said, "The old lady said we don't need to use the old rituals at home anymore."

"The old lady is considerate of us below, but we can't forget our manners."

"Thank you for your hard work."

"We don't dare not to, the opportunity to serve the old lady is our blessing."

Li Zhiyuan walked into the house.

The old man immediately urged his daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law to quickly get back to work.

His family opened a restaurant in Jinling, not well-known among common folks, as anyone who could reserve a meal there was either rich or noble.

Early on, this restaurant was a Liu family asset, serving only the Liu family and honored guests with a Liu family invitation.

After the Qin and Liu families declined, the old lady dispersed most of the two families' assets, donating numerous mansions as heritage protection units. Many of these mansions were nominally left with their names displaying someone else's legacy, but in truth, the original owners were either Qin or Liu.

This restaurant was similarly handled, but the old lady was generous, unwilling to take shares or profits, and out of old allegiance, she genuinely gave it away.

Nobody is a fool, and nobody naturally enjoys being servile, but they can't help it; the old lady gave them so much, they felt bad not continuing to consider themselves servants.

Of course, the old man knew that profit was secondary, and for some people, building a rapport through good relations was even more important.

If it were up to him, he'd rather keep working in the Liu family's kitchen just like when he was a child, following his father.

Liu Yumei was doing Alii's hair when she saw Li Zhiyuan come in. She straightforwardly handed the comb to the young man:

"You do it. I'll go upstairs to let them settle down."

"Okay, Grandma."

Li Zhiyuan took the comb and started combing Alii's hair.

In the mirror, a smile appeared on Alii's face.

Liu Yumei noticed it and just smiled; she was no longer envious of it.

She couldn't help but think of the old man surnamed Li from Nantong, who always liked to mutter that she was a "shrewd old lady."

Li Sanjiang, that guy, might not have been wrong in his comments.

To put it simply, a son-in-law's status and treatment in his wife's family is earned through his skills and abilities.

This principle, even in the Dragon King family, couldn't be avoided.

Liu Yumei went upstairs, and when she came down again, Li Zhiyuan had already finished combing Alii's hair.

Then, the young man took Alii's hand and went for a walk on the playground.

When they returned, breakfast naturally started.

It consisted of simple small dishes and breakfast items, with the main course being porridge, noodles, or wontons, but each was made with attention to detail and care.

It's no exaggeration to say the culinary skills were much better than Aunt Liu's, as Aunt Liu was only one person and couldn't dedicate all her time solely to cooking.

The daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law each came in carrying small plates and dishes, which the old man deliberately let them do to show their faces.

Finally, the old man stood quietly by the side, hands folded, waiting for instructions from those at the table.

The old lady was indeed different from before. Having shed her burdens, the family's life anticipated a brighter future, and she became more approachable.

She picked up her chopsticks, picked up a soup dumpling, and placed it in Li Zhiyuan's bowl, "The Ma family's pastry skills are renowned throughout Jinling; you should try it."

Li Zhiyuan bit into one side, sucking the broth, and after finishing one, he nodded:

"Hmm, very delicious."

The old man beside him was relieved and smiled.

Liu Yumei laughed, "Not bad, you've not lost your skill."

The old man replied, "I dare not slack, just in case the old lady suddenly craves this taste again. If you can't experience the taste of old times, it would be my fault."

Liu Yumei casually pulled out a handful of gold nuggets from her pocket and placed them on the table.

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