Looking at Lu Qiancha eating so sweetly and contentedly, her cheeks bulging and her face brimming with pure happiness, Shangguan Yunzhu couldn’t help but feel a spark of appetite. She picked up another char siu bun and took an elegant, small bite.
The meat was a bit dry, and the sweetness was somewhat cloying; it wasn’t exactly delicious.
‘It’s mediocre,’ she evaluated in her heart. But she kept a neutral expression, merely shaking her head slightly, her gaze returning to rest tenderly on the little one immersed in her food.
Lu Qiancha continued pecking at the food in small bites, looking extremely happy.
Seeing her total devotion to the meal, the corners of Shangguan Yunzhu’s mouth involuntarily curled upward.
“Hmm?” Lu Qiancha keenly caught Shangguan Yunzhu’s focused gaze.
She blinked her clear blue eyes and looked down at the char siu bun in her hand, which was half-eaten.
After a moment’s hesitation, she reached out with her small hand, carefully broke off the clean half she hadn’t touched, and offered it generously to Shangguan Yunzhu. “Here, do you want some?”
“Thank you.” Shangguan Yunzhu was slightly stunned; she clearly hadn’t expected the little one to share.
Warmth welled up in her heart as she reached out to take the small piece of bun, still warm from her hand, and took a gentle bite.
The taste was still average.
However, because Xiao Qiancha had given it to her, it was exceptionally delicious.
Next —
“Do you want some of this tanghulu?” Shangguan Yunzhu pointed to the bright red, crystal-coated, ice sugar hawthorn skewers not far away.
“Yes!” Lu Qiancha didn’t hesitate, and her eyes lit up instantly.
“The sugar-roasted chestnuts over there smell very fragrant. Should we buy some?” Shangguan Yunzhu suggested softly.
“Yes, let’s buy a bit. Junior sister likes those.” Lu Qiancha nodded vigorously, not forgetting Gantang back home.
The two of them moved through the bustling market, Shangguan Yunzhu holding Lu Qiancha’s small hand. They stopped and started, asking about various things.
Before long, Lu Qiancha’s arms were full of various treats, her face full of the joy of a good harvest. It wasn’t until the sun began to set that the two of them, carrying bags of spoils, set off on the road back to the Tianyuan Sect.
***
At the Tianyuan Sect Shimen.
“Goodbye, Junior sister Shangguan!” Lu Qiancha, holding her arms full of food, managed to free a small paw and waved it vigorously at Shangguan Yunzhu, saying goodbye in high spirits.
Then, with light steps and the scent of food trailing behind her, she skipped back to Tianquanfeng.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
She first knocked on Gantang’s door.
“Coming, coming!” Gantang’s voice was full of excitement as she quickly opened the door.
When she saw Lu Qiancha standing outside holding a small mountain of packages, her mouth fell open in surprise.
“Senior brother?! Are… are all of these for me?” She never expected her senior brother to buy so much.
“These two bags are yours.”
Lu Qiancha carefully placed the items on the ground and precisely picked out a bag smelling of caramel and chestnuts, along with a package of dragon saliva pastry that looked delicious from its exquisite packaging, and placed them before Gantang.
“Thank you, Senior brother.” Gantang took them happily, hugging them like treasures. Then, she lowered her eyes and asked expectantly, “Senior brother, do you want to come in and sit for a while?”
“No.” Lu Qiancha shook her head decisively. Seeing Gantang’s eyes instantly dim, she explained, “I still have to deliver treats to Master and my Respected Mother. I shouldn’t delay.”
“Okay, fine.” Gantang nodded understandingly. Though a bit disappointed, she quickly turned and ran back into the room.
A moment later, she ran out holding a neatly folded, small blue and white bundle. “Senior brother. This, this is a return gift.” Gantang’s cheeks flushed slightly.
Inside the bundle was an exquisitely crafted small dress. She had originally prepared it meticulously to give to Lu Qiancha on her birthday.
However, she had recently found another gift that suited her better, so she took this opportunity to give the clothing early.
‘New clothes?’
Lu Qiancha looked down at the bundle. She already had beautiful clothes from her master, and she wasn’t particularly obsessed with clothing.
However, looking at Gantang’s expectant and even slightly nervous face, she still reached out with both hands and seriously accepted the bundle. “Mm, I’ll take it.”
“Hehe! As long as Senior brother likes it!” Gantang instantly beamed. She couldn’t help but reach out and quickly rub the top of Lu Qiancha’s soft hair and small ears.
Lu Qiancha didn’t dodge. She waited obediently for Gantang to finish before walking away.
Next, Lu Qiancha brought the remaining packages to the quiet room where her master, Xuanya, was cultivating.
Xuanya took the package of pastries Lu Qiancha offered and didn’t say much.
She simply swept her calm gaze over her young disciple, and spoke indifferently, “It is good to have a lively mind. However, if you could spend a few more portions of that focus on your cultivation and reach the immortal path sooner, you would then find the freedom that is a blessing of endless bounty.”
These words and this tone instantly caused Lu Qiancha to recall her high school days in her distant previous life — that homeroom teacher would also always say earnestly, “High school is a bit bitter and tiring, but grit your teeth and endure. Once you get to university, things will be easier.”
Even after many years in another world, she clearly remembered that the so-called easy university life wasn’t actually that easy.
‘Truly, no matter which world it is, the encouragement of elders is so similar…’ she sighed inwardly.
Coming back to her senses, Lu Qiancha still gave Xuanya a standard, respectful disciple’s bow and said in a clear voice, “This disciple will remember Master’s teachings.”
Finally, she ran toward her mother’s residence with the portion specifically saved for Xun Xue.
“Xiao Qiancha,” Xun Xue said, taking the gift her daughter brought. A smile as warm as the sunshine bloomed on her face.
She gently pulled Lu Qiancha into her embrace, and lowered her head to nuzzle her small head with her nose. “I like it very much. Thank you.”
Hearing her mother’s gentle words and feeling that familiar pampering, Lu Qiancha’s deep blue eyes instantly sparkled with bright light.
‘Mother likes what I gave her.’
‘I’m so happy.’
Her tail wagged.
After all the gifts were delivered, exhaustion surged in like a tide. In today’s battle, the consumption of ling power was as great as 1 week’s worth of accumulation, and her spirit had been tightened to the limit. Lu Qiancha felt as if the bones in her body were falling apart.
She took a simple bath and changed, wrapping herself in only a large bath towel.
Like a small animal returning to its nest, she instinctively burrowed into Xun Xue’s bed, which smelled of a crisp frost fragrance, felt warm, and was filled with a sense of safety.
Smelling the scent of her mother that made her feel incredibly at ease, the wolf cub’s nerves, which had been tense all day, finally relaxed completely.
In a moment, the sound of steady, light breathing rose as she sank into a sweet and stable dreamland.
***
The next day.
When Lu Qiancha opened her eyes again, the sun was already high outside. Bright sunlight spilled across the floor through the window lattice.
“Hah~” She let out a large, drowsy yawn, rubbing her sleepy eyes against the warm covers. The bath towel she had been wrapped in last night had mostly slipped off in her sleep.
She lazily sat up, tossing the crumpled towel aside and putting on a set of clothes. Having slept for too long and too deeply, her head felt like it was filled with lead — heavy and muddled, her thoughts like paste.
However, Lu Qiancha had no intention of using a qingxin mantra to forcibly dispel this laziness.
‘It’s not easy to find time to slack off. Why should I give myself extra work?’ she thought contentedly.
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