Nanny Wei beside her quickly stepped forward, taking the heavy objects from the children’s hands, her eyes also filled with astonishment.
This… is a chicken?
But in all her life, she had never seen a chicken with snow-white feathers!!
“Grandmother, Ruirui and Shushu met a fairy sister! She gave us delicious food to eat, and also sent so much delicious food for us to bring home, saying it’s for Uncle and Grandmother to eat until full too!”
“Mm-hmm, Grandmother, at the fairy sister’s place, there are so many, many chickens!”
The two little ones eagerly recounted what they had seen and heard, with Shushu even stretching out her short little arms to draw a large circle as she spoke.
“Mother!! Ruirui, Shushu!!!”
Just as Chu Old Madam was lost in shock, a deep, clear, and urgent voice came from outside the storeroom.
Immediately after, a man clad in armor and holding a long spear rushed in.
His sword-like eyebrows extended toward his temples, and his narrow, deep eyes held an imposing authority even without anger, now filled with intense anxiety. The stubble around his mouth revealed deep exhaustion and weariness.
The black armor on his body was worn and tattered, covered with the scars and dents of fierce battles.
Yet it did nothing to diminish his imposing presence; instead, it exuded a blood-soaked aura that made others retreat.
“Uncle—”
Seeing the newcomer, Shushu’s eyes sparkled like stars as she threw herself into the man’s arms.
Ruirui, however, shifted his gaze guiltily. “U-Uncle…”
Chu Ye’s eyes softened slightly, only to be replaced by a stern expression. “Ruirui, as the older brother, how could you take your sister and run off like that? Do you know how worried you’ve made Grandmother and me??”
When the people from his mother’s side rushed to the military camp in a panic, saying the two children were missing, he had sprinted all the way back, his heart burning with anxiety.
It hadn’t rained for half a year. Now, Bei Liao was facing shortages of food and water, pushed to the brink. Outside, there were already instances of people exchanging children to eat. He was terrified, afraid that the two children would be snatched away by evil people the moment they left the estate!
Hearing this, Shushu quickly tightened her arms around Chu Ye’s neck, pressing her little face against his slightly prickly cheek, and said softly, “Uncle… don’t be angry… don’t blame Brother…”
“It’s Shushu… too hungry… Brother brought Shushu here… to look for food… We…”
As she spoke, the little girl pointed toward the large grain bin at the far end of the storeroom. “We went to the fairy sister’s house!”
Chu Ye’s eyes first softened involuntarily, then hardened again. “Fairy sister? Shushu, Uncle taught you not to speak frivolously of supernatural forces…”
If there really were immortals, why couldn’t they see the injustices of this world? In the Capital, corrupt officials lived in luxury, indulging in pleasure and excess, while the three armies defending the borderlands of Bei Liao endured hunger and hardship, and the common people struggled to survive.
“Aye, look at this first!”
Chu Old Madam quickly signaled Nanny Wei to step forward.
The White Feather Chicken in Nanny Wei’s hands flapped its wings at just the right moment, full of life.
Chu Ye’s eyes widened in shock. “This… where did this come from??”
Chu Old Madam’s expression was indescribable. “Ruirui and Shushu brought it back, saying it was given by a fairy sister…”
The storeroom fell silent for a moment.
Ruirui quickly raised his little hand as if taking an oath, looking earnestly at Chu Ye. “Uncle, Ruirui doesn’t lie. We really saw the fairy sister!”
Chu Ye was still stunned and distracted when Shushu struggled out of his embrace, walked over to Nanny Wei, and asked her to place the things on the ground.
The little one followed the method taught by the fairy sister, opened the packaging bag, took out a croissant from inside, and ran back to Chu Ye with quick, light steps. She held it up high as if presenting a treasure, saying, "Uncle eat, this, sister give!"
A sweet fragrance he had never smelled before drifted into his nose. Chu Ye's stomach seemed to sense the call of food, churning excitedly and even twitching with a pained, almost aggrieved sensation.
He instinctively swallowed, his throat dry, and uncontrollably took a bite.
After long periods of hunger and thirst, his body had developed a muscle memory for cherishing food, so he only took a very small bite.
Soft, sweet, and an unparalleled flavor he had never experienced before made his parched mouth moisten, and his soul trembled uncontrollably.
"Shushu, you eat!"
Chu Ye's voice trembled slightly as he instinctively pushed the bread toward the little one's mouth.
Even back in the Capital when he had plenty of food and clothing, he had never tasted such delicious food.
Now, with food scarce, such hard-won delicacies naturally had to be saved for the children and his mother.
Shushu swallowed her saliva and shook her head repeatedly. "Shushu ate already, big, pretty noodles, and eggs…"
"Brother ate too, made by fairy sister!"
Ruirui also took a piece of bread and held it to Chu Old Madam's mouth. "Grandmother, eat too!"
Under the children's insistence, Chu Ye and Chu Old Madam each ate a piece of bread.
With every bite, Chu Old Madam swallowed with tears in her eyes.
At a time when even filling their stomachs was difficult, she could still eat such delicious food. If she wasn't dreaming, then her two dear grandchildren must have truly encountered a fairy!
"Nanny Wei, eat!"
Shushu didn't forget Nanny Wei and took another piece, feeding it to her mouth.
Nanny Wei glanced at the dwindling number of bread pieces left in the bag and took several steps back. "No, no, Nanny isn't hungry…"
"Gurgle…"
Before she could finish, a loud protest erupted from her stomach.
Shushu was startled, then tugged at Nanny Wei's clothes, urging her to crouch down. Without another word, she pressed the bread to her mouth. "Nanny lying, Nanny hungry! Open mouth, eat!!"
Nanny Wei's eyes reddened, tears welling up as she opened her mouth and took a bite.
Even in her final moments later in life, she never forgot the soul-stirring impact of that bite of food fed to her by Miss Shushu.
After eating, the two little ones eagerly pulled the adults' hands and led them to the front of Dou Cang.
Chu Ye and the other two looked at the small grain-release door at the bottom of Dou Cang, just big enough for two children to walk through side by side, and asked in disbelief, "This… is the way to the fairy sister's home?"
The two little ones nodded repeatedly.
Then, as if afraid the adults wouldn't believe them, they held hands and crawled inside.
"Ruirui!!"
"Shushu!!!"
The small door led into the interior of Dou Cang, but Chu Ye and the other two stared intently, watching as the two children didn't walk into the granary but instead vanished into thin air at the small door. They panicked instantly.
As if sensing their family's anxiety, after just four or five breaths, the two little ones walked back out from the small door.
Witnessing this miraculous scene with their own eyes, Chu Ye and the other two were left speechless in shock.
"Uncle, the fairy sister said… she's moving away. She said other fairies and monsters will be moving in, so she won't let us go over there anymore!"
"Mhm, sister is afraid that brother and Shushu might be in danger!"
Ruirui and Shushu still firmly remembered the fairy sister's instructions, earnestly relaying them to their family.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Chu Ye felt as if his chest were trembling like thunder, his heart about to leap out.
The fairy sister is moving away!
Sister is afraid that brother and Shushu might be in danger!!
Suddenly, Chu Ye abruptly began removing his armor and threw down his spear.