“Big Sister Qingyun, thank you for standing up for me and Mo Qiuyu today. You even helped us get our things back. This bag of White Rabbit Milk Candy is just a small token of my gratitude. Please accept it!”
Qi Xue solemnly offered the bag of White Rabbit Milk Candy to Ye Qingyun with both hands.
Ye Qingyun hadn’t expected an extra reward. She thought to herself that this girl really knew how to conduct herself.
“Alright. From now on, Big Sister’s got your back!”
White Rabbit Milk Candy was a scarce commodity these days and difficult to buy. Not only did Qi Xue have some, she had even brought out more than half a bag. Her generosity was a little surprising.
Ye Qingyun guessed the young girl’s family background was anything but ordinary.
She gave the girl an appreciative pat on the shoulder and reached out to accept the candy.
Unexpectedly, she felt a bit of resistance.
Looking up, she found the girl staring at the candy with obvious reluctance in her eyes.
The corners of Ye Qingyun’s lips curved upward.
With one firm tug—
Mine now.
Qi Xue froze for a moment before quickly accepting it.
She might not fully understand what kind of person Sister Qingyun was…
But she was certain she wasn’t a bad person.
Being completely unfamiliar with this place, having Sister Qingyun looking out for her would definitely make life much easier.
Ye Qingyun slipped the half bag of White Rabbit Milk Candy into her pocket, though in reality she stored it inside her personal space.
She unwrapped one piece and popped it into her mouth.
A rich milky flavor melted across her tongue.
Sweet.
Creamy.
Absolutely delicious.
Turning toward Mo Qiuyu, she saw the girl staring at Qi Xue in astonishment, the envy in her eyes not yet concealed.
Ye Qingyun deliberately waited for a while.
Even then, Mo Qiuyu made no move.
It wasn’t that Ye Qingyun wanted any reward.
After all, she’d decided to go after Zhou Guifen and the others mainly to protect her own reputation.
Still…
Nothing highlighted the difference more than comparison.
Compared to Qi Xue’s sincere gratitude, Mo Qiuyu’s thanks amounted to nothing more than a casual sentence.
She couldn’t even fake a little sincerity.
Ye Qingyun didn’t really care.
Leaning closer to the obliviously wealthy Qi Xue, she reminded her,
“Kid, acting like this makes you an easy target.”
Qi Xue blinked in confusion.
“What do you mean?”
Ye Qingyun simply waved goodbye to the two girls and happily headed home with half a bag of White Rabbit Milk Candy tucked away.
She had been delayed for quite a while.
It was almost dark.
There were still five mouths waiting for her to cook dinner, so she quickened her pace.
Unexpectedly, when she walked through the front door…
Her master and all four children had already eaten.
Wang Tiezhu sat at the table with a thoroughly satisfied expression, directing Fu Min to wash the dishes while teaching the twins how to wipe the table with a rag.
Even Fu Xiangdong was clutching a broom taller than himself as he diligently swept the floor.
The moment they saw her return, the four children happily shouted,
“Mom!”
But not a single one of them rushed over for a hug.
Ye Qingyun looked at her master in surprise.
“You cooked for them?”
Wang Tiezhu nodded proudly.
“That’s right! It was this old man himself!”
“Wait a minute. What’s with that disbelieving look? Have you forgotten? Back when you and your fellow disciples were little, I was the one who raised… I mean, took care of all of you!”
He waved a hand dismissively.
“It’s just cooking one meal. No big deal.”
Ye Qingyun turned to the children.
“Did everyone eat their fill?”
The four siblings nodded enthusiastically.
“We’re full!”
Xinyang even let out a satisfied burp before patting her little tummy.
“Super full.”
Looking from her master to the well-fed children, who had even taken the initiative to do chores, Ye Qingyun felt deeply gratified.
She patted each child on the head encouragingly before smiling and heading toward the stove to prepare her own dinner.
She completely failed to notice the guilty expressions suddenly shared by the old man and the four children behind her.
Cheerfully, Ye Qingyun lifted the lid of the rice jar.
…Wait.
Why was the rice level so much lower?
She hurriedly opened the cupboard and took out the bowl that had held the pork.
Empty.
Half a jin of pork had disappeared completely.
Not even a drop of grease remained.
The bottom of the bowl was so clean it reflected her furious face.
“Wang! Tie! Zhu!”
Ye Qingyun slowly turned around through gritted teeth.
The old man and the four children smiled back sheepishly, trying to look adorable.
She slammed the empty bowl onto the table with a loud bang.
“Comrade Wang Tiezhu! Do you even know what kind of household we’re living in? How dare you eat white rice with braised pork?!”
She had been living in the countryside for so long…
Even she hadn’t dared to live so extravagantly!
Wang Tiezhu showed no intention of admitting fault.
Instead, he gave Fu Min a meaningful look.
Ye Qingyun frowned and shifted her gaze toward her eldest daughter.
Fu Min flashed her a wide grin, shuffled over in tiny steps, quickly ran to the stove, lifted the lid, and carefully carried out a bowl of steaming rice.
The fluffy white rice was piled into a little mountain.
A layer of rich braising sauce covered the top, and two thumb-sized cubes of braised pork gleamed temptingly under the lamplight.
Fu Min held the bowl out to her mother.
Gulp.
Ye Qingyun swallowed involuntarily.
Wang Tiezhu smiled slyly.
“We saved this especially for you.”
In an instant…
Every trace of Ye Qingyun’s anger vanished.
“Oh…”
“Then it’s fine.”
She eagerly accepted the bowl, sat down at the table, picked up her chopsticks, and began eating heartily.
The rich sauce had soaked completely into every grain of rice.
Every bite carried the savory taste of pork.
Combined with the satisfying chewiness of the rice, layers of flavor exploded across her tongue with overwhelming force.
Even a powerful sword cultivator who had lived on fasting for years and spent every meal since her rebirth drinking thin porridge had no choice but to surrender.
Without stopping for a single breath, Ye Qingyun polished off the entire bowl of braised pork over rice.
White rice really was far more filling than sweet potato porridge.
The warmth and fullness spreading through her stomach made simply being alive feel like an incredible blessing.
As for how much rice they had used…
Ye Qingyun no longer wanted to think about it.
Life only lasted a few short decades.
If she couldn’t even enjoy eating…
She’d rather die immediately.
The four children, who had been anxiously waiting for their mother’s temper to explode, realized the storm had passed.
All four let out simultaneous sighs of relief.
Wang Tiezhu glanced at the children.
The children glanced back at him.
One old man and four little ones exchanged triumphant smiles.
After Ye Qingyun finished eating, Fu Min voluntarily collected her bowl and went to wash it.
Ye Qingyun certainly wasn’t the type of mother who made her children do all the housework.
But if the children genuinely enjoyed helping…
She wasn’t about to stop them.
The master and disciple sat side by side on the doorstep, watching the four children play in the courtyard.
The stars seemed especially bright that night.
After quietly enjoying the rare warmth and peace, Ye Qingyun remembered the White Rabbit Milk Candy Qi Xue had given her.
She discreetly took six pieces from her pocket—or rather, from her storage space—and called the children over.
“Wow! White Rabbit!”
Xinyang covered her mouth in delighted surprise and looked at her mother expectantly.
With a loud thump, Fu Xiangdong crashed into his mother’s arms.
He reached out immediately, intending to grab them all.
“Fu Xiangdong!”
Ye Qingyun called his full name sternly.
The little boy instantly withdrew his hand and looked up at her with an adorably flattering smile.
The children’s parents both had good looks.
All four of them were exceptionally cute.
Especially before the age of three—
They had been unbelievably fair and adorable.
Ye Qingyun cleared her throat twice, suppressing the urge to melt.
“One piece each. Your sisters’ candy belongs to them. No grabbing. Understand?”
Fu Xiangdong blinked his big eyes and nodded obediently.
He glanced at his mother.
Seeing her smile, he immediately grabbed one piece.
Then he pointed at the candies still resting in her palm, urging his sisters to hurry up and take theirs.
Xinyu and Xinyang each took one, unwrapped it, and immediately popped it into their mouths.
Fu Min, however, tucked hers into her pocket instead.
Curiously, she asked,
“Mom, where did the candy come from?”
“A coworker gave it to me,” Ye Qingyun replied. “Why aren’t you eating yours? Not tempted?”
As if she wasn’t.
Every child loved White Rabbit Milk Candy.
Taking a deep breath to resist the temptation, Fu Min pointed at her teeth.
“Dad said we shouldn’t eat candy at night. It ruins your teeth. I’ll eat it tomorrow.”
Oh no.
Ye Qingyun’s heart skipped a beat.
She looked up.
The moment the other three children heard their sister mention their father…
The happy smiles disappeared from their faces.