The clansman eagerly reached for the bamboo basket on Lu Xingyao’s back, his face lit up with excitement. He had been eyeing the basket for a long time—it was the only way for ordinary people like them to connect with their esteemed ancestor. Who wouldn’t want to get their hands on it?
When Lu Xingyao was injured, they had taken turns carrying the basket. Now, just when it was finally his turn, Lu Xingyao had suddenly recovered, not even waiting a single extra day before taking the basket back for himself.
His opportunity was slipping away!
Knowing that only those prepared could seize the chance, the clansman had been keeping a close eye on Lu Xingyao, waiting for just the right moment. And now, he thought it had come. He tugged hard, trying to pull the basket away.
But Lu Xingyao held tightly to the hemp straps, refusing to let go. “No need, no need, I can manage.”
The clansman was persistent, not wanting to miss out. “No, really, let me help!”
“I said it’s fine!”
“Come on, Brother Yao, just let go!”
“I really don’t need help!”
“Your injury clearly hasn’t healed fully. You can’t do this!”
“I can!”
“…”
Gu Xingzhao watched this tug-of-war over a simple basket, completely baffled. It was just a basket—why the fight?
She shook her head and walked away, muttering to herself. “These ancient people are so hard to understand.”
In the end, Lu Xingyao successfully guarded his basket, clutching it protectively as he warily eyed the others around him. Slowly, he began to unload the contents.
The crowd’s eyes lit up—it turned out the ancestor had sent more supplies!
There were plenty of rice balls, enough for everyone to have one, with some left over. Each member of the Lu clan grabbed one, and those who hadn’t eaten their dry, hard pancake yet felt fortunate. The soft, fragrant rice, mixed with the savory meat filling, made them glad they hadn’t filled up on the tasteless pancake earlier.
Those who had already eaten their fill of pancake had to save their rice balls for later, hoping to enjoy them when hunger struck again.
The children were given jelly, though at first, they didn’t know what it was. Having some experience with the ancestor’s gifts, Lu Youtang bit into one, savoring the sweet juice inside, and happily taught the others how to eat it.
Peeling back the thin layer, the children giggled in delight as the jelly melted in their mouths, sweet and smooth. Yuan’er received two but didn’t eat them right away, instead tucking them into her pocket.
Lu Youtang found this strange and tugged on Xu’s sleeve. “Mother, why isn’t Sister Yuan’er eating hers?”
Xu guessed it was because Yuan’er had suffered hardships. “Yuan’er has been through tough times, dear. She probably wants to save it for later. Be a good girl and take care of her, alright?”
Lu Youtang nodded, taking her mother’s words to heart.
But Lu Yang pulled his daughter aside, looking serious. “Wife, you’re wrong. Our little Youtang is still a child herself.”
His implication was that their daughter couldn’t be expected to take care of others just yet.
Xu, however, chose to ignore him.
Once everything was distributed, Lu Xingyao slung the basket back over his shoulder. It wasn’t until then that he realized something—when he had nearly fallen earlier, it had felt like someone had caught him. Could it have been the ancestor?
Excited, he looked around, his heart racing. The ancestor was truly kind, even helping him up!
But by now, Gu Xingzhao had already returned to the modern world and was out running errands. She wouldn’t see Lu Xingyao’s excited expression but would still receive the offerings made in gratitude.
As the Lu family enjoyed the food sent by the ancestor, the other exiles looked on with envy. The rations Lu’s clan had given them the previous days had long been eaten, and those had been the best meals they’d had in over a month. Even just a small piece had kept them full for hours.
If only they could get their hands on more.
Those who hadn’t benefited from Lu’s generosity sneered, mocking those who had. “Look at them, acting like dogs, and they don’t even get scraps.”
“Exactly! They suck up to the Lu family, and for what? It’s pathetic.”
“Gentlemen, as scholars, even in exile, we must hold on to our dignity. How could we lower ourselves for a few morsels of food and become someone else’s lackey?”
“Of course not!”
Their ridicule made some feel uncomfortable. Yes, they had helped the Lu family in the hopes of gaining some favor, but that didn’t mean they were proud of it. Still, opportunities to curry favor didn’t come around every day.
At that moment, two members of the Lu clan approached, carrying extra rice balls. “Thank you again for your assistance the other day. Here are some rice balls as a small token of our gratitude.”
The eyes of those around them lit up, and they eagerly accepted, thanking the Lu family profusely.
Others quickly gathered around, but there weren’t enough rice balls to go around. Two people had to share one, but the taste of rice, so rare on this journey, brought tears to their eyes as they thought of home.
The rice balls weren’t large, and half a ball couldn’t fill their stomachs, but it did warm their hearts.
The ones who had been mocking them earlier scoffed. “Look at them, scrambling for leftovers. It’s disgraceful.”
“Seriously, they’ve got no pride. Brother Ao, we can’t associate with people like that.”
Despite the loud mockery, those eating the rice balls only savored them more. Who cared about pride? They were exiles now—what use was pride when it couldn’t fill their bellies?
Besides, this wasn’t just any food; it was sent by the ancestor. Even if the Lu family discarded it, it would still be worth eating. For all they knew, it might even bring good fortune!
With this comforting thought, their earlier embarrassment faded away.
When Lu Yang saw the two clansmen return from distributing the food, he couldn’t help but sigh. “They’re not even close to us. Why bother sharing with them?”
They had already thanked the exiles enough for their help with the rioting refugees. Why did they need to do more?
Lu Zhou had a hunch that his father was trying to win the exiles over to their side. If the Lu family had enough people with them in the northern wilderness, they could rebuild their influence there.
“Father has his reasons. As sons, we just need to follow his lead.”
Seeing that he couldn’t convince his brother, Lu Yang turned to Lu Xingyan for support. “Third Brother, don’t you think Father is being too generous? We could’ve kept that food for ourselves.”
Lu Xingyan glanced at him, then silently tucked his rice ball into his pocket. “Second Brother, I only got one. You can’t have it.”
Lu Yang: “???”
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