“Fairy sister, Shu Shu… can eat… by herself!”
“Mhm, Rui Rui can too… can eat by himself too!”
After snapping back to reality, the two little ones looked at Fang Jinzhu with disbelief and fervor in their eyes.
Wow, so fragrant, such white noodles!
They had never seen such beautiful food before.
This must be the kind of food only a fairy sister can eat, right? Could they really have it?
While swallowing hard, Rui Rui cautiously asked, “Sister, are these… all for us?”
As he spoke, his little hand hesitantly poked at his own small chest.
“Of course, they’re all yours. If it’s not enough, I’ll cook more for you!”
Fang Jinzhu’s eyes softened, her pupils slightly widening.
Such well-behaved and adorable little children!
They spoke in two-word bursts, especially the little girl named Shu Shu, whose words were still unclear—it was absolutely heart-melting!
Hearing this, the two little ones were so delighted that three little circles seemed to appear on their faces, and they couldn’t help but clap their hands joyfully.
Seeing this scene, Fang Jinzhu couldn’t help but break into a smile.
The troubles and pains that had piled up one after another over this period seemed to dissipate quite a bit.
After the initial excitement, a hint of hesitation appeared on Rui Rui’s little face. Staring at the bowl of noodles while swallowing, he waved his little hand at Fang Jinzhu and said, “Sister, this food… is too expensive… We… we don’t have… money…”
“Sister… do you have leftovers?”
Shu Shu also nodded seriously at Fang Jinzhu, “Sister, Shu Shu… can eat leftover food… that’s enough!”
Looking into their innocent, sensible big eyes, Fang Jinzhu felt a pang in her heart. She pushed the bowl of noodles closer to the two little ones and said, “This is the leftover food I had. Go ahead and eat!”
Huh?
The two little ones exchanged wide-eyed glances, their small mouths dropping open in disbelief once again.
Wow, even the leftover food at Fairy Sister’s house is so, so good!
No wonder the soldier uncles said they would live in the sky someday.
The sky is really, really nice—there’s food everywhere, and no one goes hungry!
Hearing it was leftover food, the two little ones felt reassured. They moved their little hands together, helping each other with chopsticks before starting to eat.
Though they were extremely hungry, both ate with focused and careful manners, their every movement reflecting good upbringing.
Taking advantage of this break, Fang Jinzhu quickly searched the kitchen and storage room.
Since everyone had left the Farm, there wasn’t much left. The refrigerator only contained some simple food she had bought: two rows of calcium milk, two bags of croissants, and a five-pack of instant noodles. The storage cabinet still had half a bag of rice and a bag of flour.
Setting aside two days’ worth of food for herself, Fang Jinzhu packed up everything else.
She planned to let the two little ones take these things back. Though she couldn’t help them in the long run, since they had crossed paths, it would be good to let the two children have enough to eat for a while.
When she finished packing and went out, she found the two little ones sitting upright, looking over at her. Their bowls still had more than half of the noodles left.
Fang Jinzhu approached curiously, “Are you full?”
The two little ones quickly nodded, but Shu Shu couldn’t help glancing at the bowl afterward, her little mouth unconsciously smacking—clearly, she hadn’t eaten her fill and was still craving more.
A thought struck Fang Jinzhu, as if she understood something. Pretending to reach for the bowls, she said, “Really full? Then I’ll take these away. There’s so much left—it shouldn’t go to waste. It’ll be just right to feed the chickens…”
Rui Rui’s small hand anxiously grasped Fang Jinzhu’s hand as she was collecting the bowls. Then, realizing his hands were dirty, he quickly pulled back, his little face flushed as he said, “Sister, can… can Rui Rui take this food home?”
Shu Shu also looked nervous and expectant, afraid that Fang Jinzhu would really feed the leftovers to the chickens.
Fang Jinzhu couldn’t bear to tease them any longer. She sat down facing them and asked softly, “Rui Rui, do you want to take the food back for your family to eat, right?”
Hearing this, Rui Rui’s eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes! Uncle is hungry, and Grandmother is hungry too…”
“Sister, can Rui Rui take it back?”
Fang Jinzhu couldn’t help but pat his head. “Of course you can…”
“If your family treats you well, sister naturally hopes they won’t go hungry either. But I’m worried that the things here are very different from what you have there. If you take them back, might it cause trouble for you?”
“No, no!”
Rui Rui stood up excitedly, waving his little hands. “Uncle is very, very good! Grandmother is very, very good too…”
Fang Jinzhu felt relieved. As long as it wouldn’t cause trouble for the two little ones, she was naturally willing to help their family.
She stood up and went inside, bringing out the packed items, then smiled and said, “These are all foods sister doesn’t need anymore. If you two finish your noodles obediently, sister can give all of these to you to take home!”
Seeing the two large bags of rare foods they had never seen before in Fang Jinzhu’s hands, the two children widened their eyes again and quickly sat down obediently. This time, they finished every last bit of the noodles, not leaving a single drop of broth.
“Fairy sister, can we… can we still come see you?”
After the meal, Fang Jinzhu escorted the two children to the shed door. Rui Rui held Shu Shu’s hand, looking at her with reluctance.
Fang Jinzhu’s eyes suddenly felt a bit sore. “Don’t come back after this trip. Sister is going to move away. Who knows if a god or a monster will move in here next? If you accidentally come here again, you might be in danger.”
Hearing that they would never see their sister again, tears instantly welled up in Rui Rui and Shu Shu’s eyes, but they nodded understandingly. “We… will be good and listen to sister…”
Fang Jinzhu stuffed a large plastic bag into each child’s hand and also managed to place two white-feathered meat chickens with their legs and wings tied into their small hands. Then, she opened the shed door for them.
Helping the two little ones push the items outside the shed door, Fang Jinzhu’s heart leaped into her throat when she saw that one more step would send them tumbling into the fishpond.
But the moment she withdrew her hand, the two children and the items vanished together.
Fang Jinzhu stood there dazed for a long while before cautiously stepping out of the shed door. She extended one leg, hovering it over the fishpond for a long time, but nothing unusual happened. She shook her head with a wry smile and turned to leave.
Tangwu Dynasty, Beiliao County, Zhenbei General’s Mansion.
Though called a general’s mansion, it was empty, old, and dilapidated everywhere, with no trace of luxury or grandeur.
At this moment, Lady Chu was frantic with worry, searching the entire courtyard for Rui Rui and Shu Shu with her trusted Old Nanny.
“Grandmother—”
“Shu Shu is here!”
A crisp little girl’s voice responded from the empty granary in the backyard.
Hearing the sound, Lady Chu and Old Nanny hurried over.
Though it was a granary, there wasn’t a single grain inside—not even a mouse could be found in the emptiness—so it wasn’t locked at all.
Pushing open the slightly ajar warehouse door, Lady Chu immediately saw the two little ones struggling to drag something outside.
“Where have you been? Do you know how much you scared your grandmother? What—what are all these things? Where did you pick them up?”
At a glance, she noticed the unusual objects and the white-feathered chicken in her grandchildren’s hands, and Lady Chu asked with a mix of shock and doubt.