Liu Xiangbai looked at his wife’s thinner frame, then glanced at his own increasingly bulky body. Although his wife hadn’t said anything, he had taken it to heart.
His wife was working hard for their family, and it had taken a toll on her physically, leaving her thinner.
Even though he couldn’t contribute much to the family at the moment, he could at least maintain the appearance his wife liked.
That’s right. He couldn’t let himself get any bigger.
Even though the offerings from the gods of the Lu family were delicious, he couldn’t indulge anymore. He was already five years older than his wife. One day, when they reunited, she would still be beautiful, and he didn’t want to be some overweight, rundown man.
Noticing her husband’s troubled expression, He Zhen immediately guessed he was overthinking things.
She gently pulled his hand, leading him into the house. “I never disliked your weight. You don’t know how much I’ve worried about you every day at home, hearing about how many people died on the journey of exile. My heart was always filled with fear.”
Tears nearly fell from He Zhen’s eyes as they reddened. “I worried that you wouldn’t have enough to eat, that you wouldn’t be warm enough. I was afraid you’d get hurt. Now, seeing you safe and sound, my heart is finally at ease. At least I don’t have to worry as much.”
Liu Xiangbai hadn’t expected to hear such heartfelt words from his wife. He tightly held her hand. “It’s my fault for being useless and making you suffer.”
Meanwhile, Gu Xingzhao was lounging on the sofa, observing the dream sequence where the couple reunited. She had been curious to see He Zhen’s reaction to her husband’s weight gain, but instead, she had witnessed this touching scene.
Suddenly, she started to believe in love a little more.
Watching the couple gaze deeply into each other’s eyes, their faces drawing closer, she felt like she was watching a melodrama. As they were about to kiss, Gu Xingzhao found herself getting excited.
Just then, a blur of pixels appeared, obscuring the couple.
Gu Xingzhao: “???” What was this?
[“Attention, Host. Non-family-friendly behavior detected. The Youth Protection System has been activated and has screened this content.”]
Gu Xingzhao’s eyebrow twitched. “Wait, I’m in my twenties. Why are you doing this?”
[“Attention, Host. Non-family-friendly behavior detected. The Youth Protection System has been activated and has screened this content.”]
Gu Xingzhao: “…”
Great. It had turned into a broken record.
Who censors a simple kiss with a blur? Others at least censor below the neck—this system had blocked just the kiss! Was that necessary?
And seriously, the pixelation was so half-hearted, covering only their mouths.
Seeing the blur, Gu Xingzhao felt as if she were watching something inappropriate for children. She lost interest and went back to her room to sleep.
The next day, Gu Xingzhao woke up early, contacted Yang Hui, and had the fireworks shipment she had recently ordered delivered. She had also included some sparklers.
He Zhen set the price for the fireworks relatively high—ordinary families couldn’t afford the large fireworks, but the sparklers, which could be held and lit, would appeal to children and young ladies. They were priced affordably enough for most families.
Although their target market was the wealthy, it was also a good idea to cater to a wider audience, allowing even ordinary families to enjoy the festivities.
Thinking that the children would like the sparklers, she took some with her to give to Lu Youtang and the others.
When Lu Xingyao saw the sparklers, he paused for a moment, staring at them intently as if remembering something. His expression visibly brightened with excitement.
Seeing him so excited, Gu Xingzhao had a sudden thought. Could it be that he recognized what they were?
She hadn’t expected Lu Xingyao to figure it out just by looking at them!
But then, Lu Xingyao grabbed the sparklers and ran to Lu Qing, shouting, “Grandfather! The ancestors have sent us incense!”
Gu Xingzhao: “?”
“…”
So, he mistook them for incense sticks.
Upon hearing this, Lu Qing quickly took the sparklers from Lu Xingyao’s hand. Could it be that the ancestors were displeased that they hadn’t been worshiping them? Was this a subtle reminder from them?
Lu Zhou didn’t think much of it, but Madam Song grew anxious.
“Father, do you think the ancestors are angry with us?”
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to worship their ancestors—it was just that they had nothing to offer in their current situation. Offering only incense without proper tributes would seem too meager.
Holding the sparklers, Lu Qing didn’t know what to think. He wasn’t sure how to inquire about the matter from their ancestors either.
Lu Xingyan suggested, “Father, I heard that in a couple of days, we’ll arrive in Ji County. Why not speak to the officials and pay them to buy some offerings?”
If they were truly going to worship their ancestors, they couldn’t cut corners.
Lu Qing thought it was a good idea. After all, the Lu family’s ancestors had shown their power multiple times, as even Du Hangwu and others had witnessed. Surely, the officials wouldn’t mind negotiating.
As for the money, they could use some of the silver that You Xian had given them earlier.
Gu Xingzhao was elated. Although this was a bit of a misunderstanding, if the Lu family wanted to offer tributes to her, it meant she would receive a lot of offering value!
This was a great development!
“Lu Qing, I’ve sent something fun for the children. It’s meant for them to hold and light—pretty sparks come out, and it’s harmless. You should try it out tonight.”
Lu Qing hesitated for a moment, glancing down at the sparklers in his hand. Was this what the ancestor was referring to?
But weren’t these incense sticks?
“Ancestor, which object are you referring to?”
Gu Xingzhao smiled. “It’s the thing you’re holding right now.”
Lu Qing: “…”
Meanwhile, Lu Zhou and Lu Yang were debating what to buy as offerings for their ancestor when they reached Ji County.
Lu Zhou argued, “We should buy food. That’s the standard way to honor ancestors, and it shows sincerity.”
Lu Yang disagreed. “Food is fine, but no one has ever seen a real deity. Our ancestor is real—we can’t just offer food. Jewelry would be much more appropriate!”
After all, their ancestor had done so much for the Lu family. Offering food alone would be too cheap.
Gu Xingzhao squinted at Lu Yang. Now he was speaking her language.
Madam Xu also agreed with her husband. If they were still in the capital, she would have gone to her family’s treasure house to pick out some valuable offerings for the ancestor.
Her family’s treasure house had the best goods in all of the capital. They had everything—rare and exotic items, even things the palace didn’t have.
Such a pity.
Lu Qing cleared his throat and handed the sparklers back to his grandson. “These are just toys. Take your siblings and play with them later. Light one end with fire, and it’ll be fun.”
“What?” Lu Xingyao was confused.
He stared at the sparklers in his hand, his mind swirling with question marks: ????
So… these weren’t incense sticks?
“Are we still offering tributes in a couple of days then?” Lu Xingyao asked his grandfather.
Gu Xingzhao perked up, listening closely. She had been so excited when the Lu family mentioned tributes—surely they wouldn’t back out now, right?
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