Charlie felt his appetite surge the moment heid eyes on the spread Matilda had prepared. Yet, out of courtesy, he refrained from diving into the dishes right away. Instead, he reached for a bottle of liquor and poured several sses for everyone.


    Holding his wine ss, he beamed and said, “Aunt Matilda and Paul, wee back to China and Aurous Hill. It’s truly a pleasure to have you as our guests. Let’s raise a toast together today!”


    Jacob chimed in eagerly, “Absolutely! Let’s enjoy a drink together!”


    Matilda lifted her ss and expressed her gratitude, saying, “I truly appreciate your kindness and hospitality towards my son and me. I never expected to share a home-cooked meal at my old ssmate’s house on my first day back in Aurous Hill. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.”


    Jacob smiled warmly and replied, “Matilda, we’ve been friends for so many years. There’s no need for such formality over something as simple as this!”<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    He continued, “Besides, all these delicious dishes on the table tonight are thanks to you! You did all the cooking, and I feel a bit embarrassed that my old ssmate took on the task of preparing dinner for everyone while she’s a guest.”


    Matilda chuckled and said, “Why should you feel embarrassed? We already agreed that I would cook for everyone tonight.”


    Charlie interjected with a smile, “Come on, let’s raise our sses and toast together!”


    As everyone lifted their sses, the three men downed their drinks, while the two women took a modest sip from their wine sses.


    ire’s expression was slightly frosty, but it was understandable. She had made a genuine effort to be weing towards Matilda.


    Matilda recognized that ire might have some reservations about her. In an effort to bridge the gap, she smiled and suggested, “ire, why don’t you try the braised shrimp I made? I’d love to know if you enjoy it.”<fncebd> Find the newest release on find[?]ovel</fncebd>


    With that, Matilda picked up a shrimp and ced it in ire’s bowl.


    ire felt a bit awkward. After all, this was the woman who had been her father’s first love, now serving her food in her own home. It felt unusual to her.


    Nevertheless, she nodded graciously and replied softly, “Thank you, Aunt Matilda.”


    ire then took a bite of the braised shrimp.


    To her surprise, the vor was extraordinary. She had never tasted such delicious braised shrimp before, despite having eaten it many times in the past.


    Matilda’s shrimp was a perfect blend of sweetness, saltiness, and aroma. ire thought to herself, even the finest restaurant wouldn’t be able to match the vor of Matilda’s cooking.


    She was genuinely impressed. Aunt Matilda was indeed remarkable—not only was she stunning and had a wonderful demeanor, but her culinary skills were exceptional as well.


    At that moment, ire couldn’t help but think back to the meals her mother had prepared over the years. There was only one word to describe her cooking: terrible. The contrast between Matilda’s talents and her mother’s was stark!


    What was even more frustrating was that her mother had never tried to improve her cooking, which still tasted the same as it had two decades ago.


    After ire married Charlie, ine shifted the cooking responsibilities onto her. Fortunately, life improved for the family after that.


    While Charlie’s cooking was decent, it still paled inparison to Matilda’s culinary expertise.