After Transmigration, I Picked Up A Husband and Daughter
Chapter 144: I Can Teach You Later

Chapter 144: Chapter 144: I Can Teach You Later

Holding Xixi’s delicate little hand, Su Yu took her seat beside Jiang Ziling, exchanging a knowing glance that contained not only mutual trust but also a determination to weather the storms from the outside world together.

Having witnessed this, Jiang Xunzhong felt the heavy stone in his heart quietly settle; he knew that if Su Yu were truly provoked, she would not hesitate to flip the table and walk away.

Just as Jiang Xunzhong was about to announce the official start of the dinner and encourage everyone to relax and enjoy the feast, Su Yu suddenly spoke up and stopped the guests who were about to pick up their chopsticks.

She quietly removed the silver hairpin tucked in her hair, carefully wiped it a few times, and then calmly dipped it into each of the appetizing dishes in turn, performing a rather eye-catching "poison-testing ritual."

This action caused the expressions on everyone’s faces to freeze instantly, and a subtle yet heavy atmosphere quietly permeated the room.

Such an overt demonstration of suspicion and defense was undoubtedly a public slap in the face to Lady Zhao, causing her to lose all her dignity.

With her tone neither warm nor fiery, Su Yu explained calmly and firmly, "In these turbulent times, it never hurts to be extra cautious. Especially towards my mother-in-law, with whom I have always had a grudge, and who now, shortly after the painful loss of her beloved son, hastens to put on such a lavish banquet—don’t you find it a bit strange?"

As soon as these words were uttered, everyone’s thoughts were stirred up like a tempest sweeping them off their original course, and upon closer consideration, they found Su Yu’s words to be not without reason.

Lady Zhao’s lips parted as if she had a thousand words to say, yet in the end, she only pressed her lips tightly together, swallowing back the retort that was on the verge of bursting forth.

Su Yu’s mouth curled into a casually indifferent smile, but her eyes were as sharp as a hawk’s, locking onto Lady Zhao with bone-chilling coldness in her voice, "Who can guarantee that she bears no resentment? If she truly wished us to join her prematurely deceased son in the afterlife, it would not be an impossibility."

This statement, like a thunderbolt, shocked everyone present, and the originally relaxed and cheerful atmosphere disappeared in an instant.

"You..."

Lady Zhao, burning with anger, was about to rise and lash out but was promptly held down by Jiang Xunzhong, a flash of helplessness and indignation passing through his eyes.

In the end, she could only sit back down angrily, took a few deep breaths, forced herself to swallow that anger, and strived to maintain an outward calm, though the storm inside her raged on and on.

Stay calm, she must absolutely remain calm; otherwise, she would fall into the cunning traps laid by this sly girl.

Lady Zhao reminded herself in secret, then adjusted her expression, and with a smile that was just right, she turned to Su Yu and said slowly, "Young Lady of the second branch, you might have misunderstood, but this also faults my past behavior for giving you the wrong impression. Hence, today, I specifically came to express my sincerest apologies to the main and second families."

The words of Lady Zhao were gentle and sincere, as if each word and phrase was carefully measured, leaving no room for fault, and the air seemed to carry an almost imperceptible hint of reconciliation.

Su Yu raised her eyebrows slightly, a cunning light twinkling in her eyes as she countered, "Oh? Is that really the case?"

The silver hairpin in her hand moved like a Spiritual Snake, gracefully weaving through the dishes on the plate. Each flash of silver light tugged at the heartstrings of the onlookers until all the dishes had been tested and the tense atmosphere in the room eased slightly.

"It seems I was overcautious."

After Su Yu finished speaking, she carefully wiped the hairpin clean and tucked it back into her hair, a harmless yet slightly crafty smile blooming on her face as if everything was well within her grasp.

Seeing this, Lady Zhao’s mouth twitched slightly, suppressing the discomfort in her heart as she quickly interjected, "Now, you must believe my sincerity, right? After all, we are family, and as for the past..."

However, Su Yu did not give her the chance to continue; she gently waved her hand, interrupting Lady Zhao, who was eagerly trying to reveal her heart, "I know you are anxious, but please remain calm. I have been busy all day; let me have a bite to eat and rest for a while first. That’s not too much to ask, is it?"

The continuous cold treatment made Lady Zhao quite embarrassed. Although she was reluctant to admit it, she had to acknowledge the depth of Su Yu’s thoughts. If she hadn’t been up against such a formidable opponent, she never would have fallen into such a passive situation.

Upon reflection, she realized that there would be an opportunity after dinner to make use of the village elders’ influence to ease the relations between the two families. There was still a long road ahead and plenty of opportunities.

"Right, right, eating is the priority."

Seeing this, Jiang Xunzhong hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

At the dinner table, Su Yu tenderly served Jiang Ziling and Xixi while saying, "Don’t be shy, eat up."

After that, she joined in heartily enjoying the meal.

Jiang Ziling initially felt the atmosphere was a bit delicate, but seeing Su Yu seamlessly transition the mood, his spirits lifted, and he began to enjoy the rare family dinner.

At the table, Su Yu casually critiqued each dish as she ate:

"This dish seems to have too little oil; it almost stuck to the bottom of the pan."

"If this meat had been stewed a bit longer, it would certainly have been more tender and flavorful."

"The technique for frying the peanuts needs improvement, they are still raw inside."

She pointed at a bland vegetable dish and said half-jokingly, "This dish is as insipid as the vegetarian meals in a monk’s temple. A bit of salt wouldn’t bankrupt anyone..."

Although her words were sharp, Su Yu’s chopsticks did not stop. She continued to enjoy each dish she tasted.

Her comments were incisive yet not without humor. Although they irked those who heard them, one couldn’t help but admire her frankness and sincerity.

Those around her thought to themselves, let’s see how long you can maintain this candor.

Just when everyone thought Su Yu would continue her acerbic commentary, she suddenly changed tack and said to Lady Zhao, "Right, big sister? What do you think?"

This seemingly innocent query shifted the focus abruptly to Xie Xinghua, who had been previously uninvolved, making her the center of attention.

Looking at Lady Zhao’s increasingly dark expression, Xie Xinghua felt uneasy: "This... I..."

Lady Zhao struggled to maintain a smile amidst her mixed feelings: "Oh, don’t worry about it. Everyone knows you aren’t very good at cooking. It’s alright, I can teach you later."

She bore the ache in her wrist from prolonged cooking, hoping her efforts might garner some recognition but was met with Su Yu’s nitpicking instead.

What made Lady Zhao feel even more suffocated was that Su Yu seemed to mistakenly believe that the imperfect dishes were made by Xie Xinghua, which left the actual cook, Lady Zhao, unable to express her frustration and anger.

Observing Lady Zhao’s livid expression on the verge of an outburst, Su Yu could not help but feel a hidden joy in her heart.

Xie Xinghua, who had just stood by her side, only emitted a faint scent of soap-nuts,