Xie Shuxian spoke while giving Zhao Yulian a meaningful glance.
Although she had been in Licheng for several years, she was aware of the buzz surrounding the gifted class at Seventh Middle School back in the capital.
She had heard that the class was incredibly difficult to get into, and even if one managed to enroll, it wasn't guaranteed they could stay.
And here was this young girl, who had actually studied in that gifted class.
This clearly indicated she possessed genuine talent and knowledge.
Xie Shuxian didn't doubt Su Xiaotian's words.
She didn't know much about Su Manxiu, only that she came from a rural area in the northwest.
However, the fact that Su Manxiu had written two books with very good sales made her believe that the Su family might not be ordinary farmers, but rather the kind of scholarly farming families the elders used to talk about.
Otherwise, how could one explain a woman from the countryside like Su Manxiu being literate and able to write books?
It seemed unsurprising for the niece of a writer to be admitted to Seventh Middle School and eventually become a university student.
Xie Shuxian hadn't just started thinking this way today; it was a conclusion she had reached through her observations of Su Manxiu over time.
Of course, part of the reason was her belief that Chen Zi'an, being an official, wouldn't possibly choose a completely useless country girl.
Xie Shuxian thought this, but Zhao Yulian was unaware.
Having grown up in the city with parents who had good jobs, Zhao Yulian inherently looked down upon Su Manxiu, who was rumored to have parents who were farmers.
Therefore, when she spoke, she adopted a condescending attitude.
Even after Su Xiaotian revealed her status as a university student, Zhao Yulian remained skeptical, believing that Su Xiaotian and Su Manxiu were simply being stubborn and saying this to elevate themselves.
Fortunately, Zhao Yulian was only arrogant, not foolish.
Upon noticing Xie Shuxian signaling her, she immediately understood her meaning.
"Exactly. I almost couldn't believe it. While I'm not entirely sure what the gifted class at Seventh Middle School is like, I've heard bits and pieces. They say it's full of child prodigies."
As Zhao Yulian spoke, she carefully observed Su Xiaotian and Su Manxiu's expressions.
There was nothing unusual on their faces.
After all, they were speaking the truth, so there was no reason for them to be nervous.
"Sister-in-law, I need to take Xiaotian to the market to buy vegetables, so I won't chat with you any longer."
Su Manxiu, who was not good at dealing with such people, directly took her leave.
"Oh, we're heading to the market too. Why don't we go together!"
Before Xie Shuxian could respond, Zhao Yulian's voice was heard.
Su Xiaotian frowned; she didn't particularly like Zhao Yulian.
The way Zhao Yulian looked at her was filled with disdain and contempt, yet she put on a friendly and affectionate demeanor, which felt incongruous.
However, since they were going the same way, it was difficult to refuse.
In the end, the four of them went to the market together.
The market was not far from the residential area of the government compound, and it took them only about ten minutes to get there.
Su Manxiu had initially thought that Su Xiaotian wouldn't know seafood and wouldn't be able to pick the freshest.
She planned to explain it slowly to Su Xiaotian.
To her surprise, Su Xiaotian immediately started selecting seafood herself, and she chose the highest quality items.
If Su Manxiu hadn't known Su Xiaotian, she might have thought the girl was a regular at the seafood market.
Zhao Yulian, who was waiting to see Su Xiaotian make a fool of herself, was also surprised to find that Su Xiaotian, whom she assumed knew nothing about seafood, could speak so knowledgeably when choosing it.
Whether it was fish, shrimp, or shellfish, Su Xiaotian's comments were insightful and accurate.
Even the seafood vendors repeatedly praised Su Xiaotian.
Unfortunately, most of what they said was in dialect, which Su Xiaotian could only vaguely understand and couldn't respond to.
"Manxiu, aren't you from the northwest? This child Xiaotian looks like she grew up by the sea."
Xie Shuxian asked curiously, her gaze towards Su Xiaotian becoming more scrutinizing.
What kind of family was the Su family, really?
"Xiaotian is a child with broad knowledge."
Su Manxiu could only offer this explanation, as she herself didn't know why Su Xiaotian knew so much about seafood.
The group quickly bought their groceries and then turned back towards the compound.
Su Xiaotian really didn't want to talk to Zhao Yulian, so she quietly discussed the evening's menu with Su Manxiu.
Some of the dishes were familiar to Su Manxiu, while others were new even to her.
However, Su Manxiu listened attentively, feeling that they were worth trying.
The two women beside them listened with a sense of frustration.
How could such a young girl know so much?
Was this something that could be achieved simply by having broad knowledge?
"Xiaotian, are you good at cooking?"
Hearing Zhao Yulian speak to her, Su Xiaotian could only reply, "Aunt Zhao, I don't know how to cook!"
Upon hearing Su Xiaotian say she couldn't cook, Zhao Yulian immediately felt she had something to say.
"Xiaotian, it's not that I'm lecturing you, but you're not young anymore. In a couple of years, you'll be getting married. If you still don't know how to cook then, your in-laws might not like you."
Hearing Zhao Yulian's words, Su Xiaotian's mouth twitched. What was she implying?
If she didn't cook well, her in-laws wouldn't like her?
"Auntie, while what you say has some truth to it, it's not entirely accurate. If in-laws dislike their daughter-in-law just because she's not a good cook, then they might as well find a cooking auntie to be their daughter-in-law!"
Zhao Yulian clearly hadn't expected Su Xiaotian to directly refute her words.
At that moment, Zhao Yulian's expression turned somewhat displeased.
Finding a nanny who could cook as a daughter-in-law, what did that even mean?
While her two sons weren't top-tier individuals, they were still presentable and had good jobs.
This wretched girl was truly tactless, so unlikable, and so annoying.
However, in front of Su Manxiu, even if she was dissatisfied, Zhao Yulian could only suppress her displeasure.
The atmosphere became awkward.
Xie Shuxian smiled and said, "Xiaotian's words are quite right. Girls don't necessarily have to be good cooks to be liked by their in-laws."
"Xiaotian says she can't cook, but she has many excellent ideas. I even think it would be better to prepare these ingredients in a different way!"
Xie Shuxian was genuinely curious why Su Xiaotian claimed not to know how to cook but could speak so eloquently.
Most of them, being wives of officials, were not locals. Since arriving in Licheng, they had cooked seafood according to local methods, and finding the taste good, they had continued to do so.
But clearly, Su Xiaotian's ideas sounded even better, and seafood prepared this way should taste much better.
Xie Shuxian was already thinking of trying to eat seafood with a new flavor profile when she got home.
"Aunt Xie, I'm just good at talking. When it comes to actually cooking, I'm really not very skilled."
Su Xiaotian had actually learned to cook with Grandma Su and Liang Xiu over the past two years. With two chefs teaching her, even if she didn't have much talent for cooking, the dishes she made wouldn't be bad.
It was just that they lacked the amazing quality of Grandma Su's cooking.
Saying she couldn't cook was purely a humble statement.
Fortunately, the distance was short, and they soon returned to the residential area.
The residential area of the Licheng Government Compound consisted of ten five-story buildings.
Chen Zi'an's home was on the second floor of Building No. 3, while Xie Shuxian and Zhao Yulian both lived in Building No. 2.
The two buildings faced each other.
After saying goodbye, Su Manxiu took Su Xiaotian home.
"Aunt, have you been wronged in this compound over the years?"
Su Manxiu couldn't help but laugh at Su Xiaotian's serious tone.
"You think too much, girl."
"Aunt, I can tell."
"It wasn't very good before, but now, your uncle is the top official, and others don't dare to look down on me!"
"Aunt, I think sometimes it's good to be low-key, but sometimes it's also good to be a bit more assertive!" Su Xiaotian said earnestly.
Perhaps due to her past experiences, Su Manxiu had always been very low-key, not wanting to attract too much attention.
Hearing Su Xiaotian say this, Su Manxiu playfully remarked, "You know everything, little girl!"