Lu Youtang pulled Yuan’er along, sneaking glances at Liu Xiangbai to make sure he wasn’t looking their way. When she saw that the coast was clear, she quickly took out a piece of chocolate she had saved from the day before and slipped it into Yuan’er’s hand.
“Something delicious.”
Yuan’er tried to return it. “I don’t want it, you should eat it.”
Lu Youtang blinked, looked at the chocolate in her hand for a moment, then opened the wrapper, broke it in half, and offered it again. “It’s really tasty!”
Though young, Lu Youtang knew that now she had a little sister, she should share. Besides, Yuan’er had just lost her mother, and she remembered how her own parents would comfort her with sweets when she was sad.
Yuan’er looked at the small piece of chocolate in Lu Youtang’s hand, unsure what it was. She shook her head, about to say, “You don’t have to—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Lu Youtang took advantage of the pause to pop the half piece of chocolate into her mouth.
Yuan’er was stunned, staring at Lu Youtang in confusion.
Lu Youtang, now beaming, watched her reaction.
As the chocolate melted in her mouth, the sweet flavor spread, and Yuan’er couldn’t help but lick her lips. Her eyes lit up. It was delicious.
Lu Youtang laughed. “See, I told you! It’s really good, right?”
Yuan’er nodded enthusiastically. “Yes!”
She had never tasted anything so good before.
Seeing her enjoyment, Lu Youtang handed the other half of the chocolate, still in its wrapper, to Yuan’er. “You can have the rest.”
Yuan’er gripped the chocolate, looking at Lu Youtang curiously. “Aren’t you going to eat any?”
Lu Youtang licked her lips and smiled. “I’ve had some before. Watching you eat it makes me happy.”
Yuan’er was surprised. She had always learned to hold on to food, knowing that you never knew when you’d be hungry again. But Lu Youtang had shared so freely, simply because she had eaten before.
Seeing that Yuan’er wasn’t as reluctant anymore, Lu Youtang made another request. “But since you’ve eaten what I gave you, you have to stay here with me tonight, okay? You can’t leave.”
Yuan’er hesitated, glancing over at Shunyu out of the corner of her eye. After some internal struggle, she reluctantly nodded, unable to resist the sweetness of the chocolate in her pocket. “Okay.”
She carefully pocketed the remaining half, thinking she would eat half now and save the other half for later.
Lu Youtang assumed Yuan’er was just saving it for a later snack.
Unaware of what banishment truly entailed, Lu Youtang only knew her family was going far away and that she would lose her old playmates. But now with Yuan’er here, even if she wasn’t much of a talker, Lu Youtang felt much happier.
That night, Madam Xu urged the children to sleep early, reminding them it was important for their growth. Lu Youtang, tired from reading and writing, quickly fell asleep.
The other children slept soundly, but Yuan’er suddenly opened her eyes. Seeing that everyone around her was asleep, she carefully tried to slip out. However, she noticed that Lu Youtang was holding tightly to her hand.
Yuan’er frowned, trying gently to pull her hand free without waking her. Just when she thought she was succeeding, Lu Youtang rolled over, throwing her leg over Yuan’er and grabbing her with her other hand.
Yuan’er: “…”
The next morning, Lu Youtang sat with Yuan’er, nibbling on her biscuit and telling her about a dream she had the night before. Madam Xu noticed her daughter was no longer clinging to her every moment, and though it was bittersweet, she welcomed the break.
Lu Yang, however, wasn’t as pleased. His face was long and sullen as he watched his daughter follow Yuan’er everywhere, barely even speaking to him anymore. She even shared her dreams with Yuan’er instead of him.
His fatherly heart was truly wounded.
Madam Xu, for her part, was glad to see their daughter had a friend and couldn’t bear to watch her husband’s ridiculous sulking.
Seeing Yuan’er had finished her Pancake, Lu Youtang tore a piece from her own and handed it to her.
Yuan’er hesitated but thought of the half piece of chocolate still in her pocket and declined.
The night before, thanks to Lu Youtang’s clingy sleeping position, Yuan’er hadn’t been able to slip away as planned and had eventually fallen back asleep. With only two days left, she knew she had to act soon to avoid suspicion.
The Lu family, meanwhile, ate their dry rations, thinking longingly of the hot, delicious food the ancestor had once provided—especially the little steamed buns, with their thin skin, rich fillings, and flavorful broth inside. Since that last time, however, the ancestor had not delivered any more morning delicacies.
Lu Xingyao, especially, chewed on his dry, hard pancake, thinking longingly of the wonderful ancestor and the divine food. If he had known that would be the last time, he wouldn’t have been so modest. Why had he let the others eat so many? He should’ve had more himself!
Many of them couldn’t even finish half of their pancake. Cold and hard, they decided to save the rest for the evening when they could warm them over the fire.
Liu Xiangbai seemed distracted as well. His wife had recently written that she was working on the god’s behalf, making a lot of money, and had even moved back to the capital with their daughter. She had rehired the old servants and guards his father had dismissed and was rebuilding their household.
While this was good news, Liu Xiangbai had tried to visit his wife in a dream, only to find their daughter. It turned out his wife had been so busy working that she barely slept, sometimes staying up all night to manage the accounts. Though proud of her success, he felt helpless, unable to be by her side.
His desire to reunite with his family only grew stronger, but he could do nothing as they continued marching farther and farther away from them.
Gu Xingzhao, meanwhile, had been busy preparing for the opening of her new supermarket. That morning, she made a quick trip to the past, noticing Liu Xiangbai’s troubled expression. She realized she hadn’t heard from He Zhen lately and decided she would check in later. But for now, she had a meeting to attend.
She dropped a large bag of cookies, jellies, and rice balls into the bamboo basket. With no more breakfast from Uncle Li’s shop and her regular restaurant orders not yet ready, she had to make do with these snacks.
Lu Xingyao’s injury had mostly healed, and he had resumed carrying the bamboo basket. But today, as he carried it, the weight suddenly shifted, dragging him down unexpectedly.
Gu Xingzhao instinctively reached out to steady him in surprise.
Lu Xingyao froze, confused. “Huh?”
A nearby clansman quickly rushed over to help, taking the basket from him. “Oh no, looks like you still need a few more days to recover, Brother Yao. Let me carry it for you!”
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