Lu Wanqing thought for three seconds, then couldn't help but crouch down and ask Shushu, "Shushu, what kind of food do you usually like to eat?"
"Sweet and sour," Xiao Yu Shu replied earnestly.
Lu Wanqing looked at the child, blinked, and then smiled, "Okay." She agreed.
Sweet and sour, that was a flavor she hadn't considered, but it was fine if the child liked it. She remembered that she also loved drinking those sweet and sour drinks when she was a child; they were delicious.
But what dishes were sweet and sour?
Sweet and sour pork ribs?
Sweet and sour pineapple pork?
Dishes flashed through Lu Wanqing's mind, but looking at the ingredients in front of her, she found that they seemed insufficient.
It wouldn't be impossible to make do, but this was her first meal for Xiao Shushu at the Yu family's home. Shouldn't she do a better job? At least make it something Xiao Shushu loved the most, right?
"I wonder if there's a supermarket nearby that sells ingredients?" Lu Wanqing thought, and couldn't help but murmur.
"Mommy needs to buy groceries?" Xiao Yu Shu asked curiously.
Lu Wanqing lowered her gaze to the child, smiled, and nodded, "Mm, Mommy wants to buy some more ingredients and make the most delicious dinner for Xiao Shushu!"
The most delicious?
"Is it the same kind that Mu Lan and Xiao Yi ate?" Xiao Yu Shu asked expectantly.
Lu Wanqing was stunned. Shushu seemed to care a lot about what Lan Lan and Xiao Yi had received?
Lu Wanqing thought, feeling a pang of heartache. Had she delayed for too long, causing the child to unknowingly envy Mu Lan and Xiao Yi?
"No," Lu Wanqing said seriously, thinking.
She wasn't lying. Lan Lan ate all kinds of flavors and didn't seem picky. Xiao Yi slightly preferred sweets. Sweet and sour pork ribs, sweet and sour pineapple pork – she hadn't made these dishes at those two homes before. This would be her first time making them, specifically for Shushu, because Shushu liked sweet and sour flavors.
"Mommy wants to make sweet and sour pork ribs and sweet and sour pineapple pork for Shushu. Both have sweet and sour flavors and are very delicious," Lu Wanqing said.
Xiao Yu Shu's eyes lit up. She nodded emphatically, "Mm!"
Lu Wanqing raised her hand and dotingly ruffled the child's head.
It would be more troublesome to go buy ingredients now, but for the child, she felt it was all worth it.
Lu Wanqing thought, then went back to find Aunt Zhang.
Aunt Zhang was in the living room, attending to Madam Yu with care.
Lu Wanqing's steps only paused slightly before she entered with the child.
The Yu residence was quiet. The sound of their entry was not loud, but their footsteps were exceptionally clear.
Madam Yu and Aunt Zhang, sitting by the coffee table, both looked over.
Lu Wanqing thought for a moment and continued to walk forward with the child.
However, after a few steps, her hand was pulled by a small hand.
Xiao Yu Shu was clearly nervous. The child looked up at her mother and shook her head slightly, "Mommy, we went to see the plants and haven't bathed yet. We can't get too close to Grandma."
Grandma didn't like mutated plants, not even the smell of them.
Lu Wanqing: "..."
Alright, keep a distance.
Lu Wanqing stood still, looked at the people inside, and said, "Aunt Zhang, I want to make sweet and sour pork ribs and sweet and sour pineapple pork for Shushu, but we're missing some ingredients at home. I wanted to ask if there's a market nearby where I can buy ingredients."
"Sweet and sour pork ribs, and... skull meat?"
"What is that?"
Auntie was bewildered, looking at Lu Wanqing blankly.
Aunt Zhang quickly added, "The Yu family's ingredients are all cultivated by the Academy of Sciences themselves. Most of them have undergone minimal genetic mutation. If you need anything, you can go to the cultivation greenhouses to pick it, or call and have someone deliver it."
"I can pick it myself?" Lu Wanqing was surprised. At the Mu family's home, at the Zhongli family's home, they could only order from the star net. Occasionally, when they went to the market, they bought ready-made things. This Academy of Sciences was different. Does it count as growing and eating it yourself? That's great!
Aunt Zhang found Lu Wanqing's surprised expression amusing. She smiled and said, "Of course you can. I..."
"Xiao Zhang, you talk too much!" Madam Yu suddenly said coldly.
Lu Wanqing and Xiao Yu Shu: "..."
Aunt Zhang: "..."
Xiao Yu Shu secretly tugged at her mother's hand.
Lu Wanqing lowered her gaze, her eyes questioning the little one.
Xiao Yu Shu quietly pointed outside.
Lu Wanqing seemed to understand. She glanced back at Madam Yu, then left the living room with Xiao Yu Shu.
"I know where the greenhouses are," Xiao Yu Shu said as soon as they were outside.
"Okay," Lu Wanqing smiled and agreed.
Xiao Yu Shu seemed very familiar with the cultivation greenhouses. She pulled Lu Wanqing out, got into the hovercar, and then commanded the hovercar to go to the cultivation greenhouses.
"Daddy works over there, I go there often," Xiao Yu Shu said earnestly, sitting in the hovercar.
So that's how it was. Lu Wanqing nodded with a smile, "Okay."
"Where is your father now?" Lu Wanqing suddenly asked, remembering.
It seemed that after picking her up in the morning, Yu Nong had disappeared.
Xiao Yu Shu said earnestly and seriously, "He's probably at the Ancient Earth Plant Cultivation Base. Daddy is very busy every day; he has to work."
Ancient Earth plant cultivation, is that Yu Nong's job?
Lu Wanqing was suddenly curious. She wondered if that base had plants from Ancient Earth. It should, right? In the interstellar era, although many plants and animals had mutated, there were always some that had remained in their state from over three thousand years ago, right?
"Can we go see your father?" Lu Wanqing asked, thinking. She was quite curious. After more than three thousand years, what plants were still preserved? It seemed interesting.
"Mm!" This time, Xiao Yu Shu didn't hesitate. She nodded directly in agreement, then commanded the hovercar to change its destination and go find Daddy!
The hovercar drove forward, passing through a neighborhood that looked like a fairy tale. Lu Wanqing couldn't help but lean on the car window, gazing outside, unable to get enough of its beauty!
The distance between the family residential area and the work area was surprisingly short. In just a few minutes, the hovercar stopped.
Lu Wanqing snapped back to attention and looked outside curiously. Before her stood a large building. On the corridors of each floor, plants were grown in flower pots. Some were in bloom, some were not, and there were also some vines hanging down, which were very beautiful.
"Daddy works here every day," Xiao Yu Shu turned to Lu Wanqing and said, her voice still clear and cute.
Lu Wanqing ruffled the child's head and smiled in agreement, "Mm."
The mother and daughter got out of the hovercar together. Xiao Yu Shu led the way, heading inside.
However, the guard at the entrance of the building saw Lu Wanqing and stopped them.
"Outsiders are not allowed in," the guard warned.
"Uncle, Mommy isn't an outsider; she's my mommy!" Xiao Yu Shu quickly explained.
Xiao Yu Shu was Mr. Yu Nong's daughter. She used to come to the company to find Mr. Yu Nong every day. The guard naturally recognized her, and also liked Xiao Yu Shu very much. However, liking the child was one thing, and work was another.
The guard knew Lu Wanqing and her relationship with the Yu family, as this matter had caused a sensation throughout the federation for a long time. Lu Wanqing was so capable, and she had been broadcasted during the few incidents before, so it was hard not to recognize her.
But knowing was one thing, and the inside of the building was the most important part of the Academy of Sciences. Without a pass, outsiders could not enter casually.
"I know. Please wait a moment. I'll contact Mr. Yu Nong," the guard replied with a smile, the last sentence directed at Lu Wanqing.
Lu Wanqing nodded slightly and said, "Thank you."