Beneath the faint moonlight, Meng Qingping stared in surprise at the small box held in his palm. It felt somewhat like hard paper, yet distinctly different. Especially from within the box emanated an almost imperceptible, refreshing coolness that was incredibly soothing.
In this sweltering summer, this hint of coolness would make him instinctively want to draw closer.
Seeing her grandfather lost in thought again, Fu Xinci quickly urged softly, "Grandfather, this is milk. It's very nourishing, please drink it quickly."
"..."
Meng Qingping remained silent.
Fu Xinci knew her grandfather was thinking of Yu'er and was reluctant to drink it himself. So, she took out another box of milk from the space, inserted a straw in front of her grandfather, and gently placed it by Yu'er's mouth.
Instinctively, Yu'er took a strong sip. The sweet aroma entering his mouth made him unable to stop, and he finished the entire box of milk in a few gulps.
Now, Fu Xinci had taken the straw away, but the little fellow's mouth still showed signs of wanting more.
Fu Xinci dared not feed him more, fearing that drinking too much at once might overwhelm his digestive system.
After Yu'er finished, she gestured for her grandfather to drink quickly and, following the same method, more carefully took out a box of milk and offered it to Qi He.
Qi He was much faster than Yu'er, finishing a box of milk in one go. Fu Xinci removed the straw from his mouth, but he was still smacking his lips with lingering satisfaction.
Meng Qingping looked on as if in a dream, watching his granddaughter nimbly feed the two little ones before taking out a box of milk and drinking it with relish.
Then, with somewhat stiff movements, he brought the milk to his lips and, mimicking his granddaughter, took a small sip.
As the milk entered his mouth, his eyes instantly became distant, his thoughts instantly returning to decades ago, when his concubine was alive and he drank milk every day.
He was young then, and his concubine was frail. He wouldn't go anywhere, sticking to her side like a little sticky rice cake, chattering away like a little gossip to keep her company.
His concubine listened to his endless prattle patiently, stroking his face and hair with eyes full of affection.
But such rare moments of happiness did not last long. After his concubine passed away, no one doted on him anymore.
Except for an old servant left behind by his concubine who attended to his daily needs, all other servants followed the wishes of his legal mother and elder brother. They became increasingly neglectful, even withholding his rightful share and giving him the worst food.
He endured all of this until he could openly leave the Duke Meng's Mansion.
Meng Qingping held the milk in his mouth, reluctant to swallow. Although this milk was not as mellow as when his concubine was alive, it brought back memories of her.
He hadn't visited his concubine in many years. After leaving the capital, he had never returned to see her.
Seeing her grandfather seemingly stuck in a pause, motionless and lost in thought, Fu Xinci became worried and took out a piece of scallion pancake from the space, placing it in her grandfather's hand.
" ...?"
Meng Qingping turned to look at his granddaughter.
"Grandfather, this pancake is savory. Eat one so you don't get heartburn." Her grandfather's appetite was poor, so Fu Xinci chose an excuse that made perfect sense.
Touching the soft, fluffy pancake in his hand, Meng Qingping's spirit flickered for a moment.
"Grandfather, please eat. After eating, we can sleep a little longer so we have strength to walk tomorrow."
"Alright, Grandfather will eat." Seeing his sensible and heart-wrenching granddaughter, Meng Qingping finally emerged from his vague thoughts and began to eat the pancake.
The pancake, made from white flour and leavened, had a soft and fluffy texture with a salty taste, which brought light back into Meng Qingping's unfocused eyes.
On this difficult journey of exile, being able to eat food with salt was better than anything.
Especially since he was old and his stomach was not good. In the past, at home, his wife and daughters-in-law would prepare easily digestible foods for him three meals a day, such as steamed buns, baozi, and millet porridge.
But on this journey of exile, who else cared about his health besides his granddaughter?
Thinking of his wife's soft and well-cooked millet porridge and steaming hot steamed buns, Meng Qingping's heart ached again.
That pain made it difficult for him to breathe. In the darkness, no one saw his face contort with pain.
After a while, he rubbed his chest forcefully. He couldn't give up, nor could he collapse. The two children were still young and needed his care.
Thinking of the ravenous Meng clan members, if the two children were without his protection, they would be like two lambs awaiting slaughter.
He could not let the two children be enslaved by them, so he forced himself to keep eating the pancake in his hand.
Under the hazy moonlight, Fu Xinci had been secretly observing her grandfather's every move. Although she couldn't clearly see his face, she could clearly sense the profound sadness emanating from him.
Without needing to be told, her grandfather was missing his grandmother again.
But she couldn't find comforting words to say at the moment. Firstly, she was afraid of revealing too much if she spoke too much, and secondly, she genuinely didn't know how to comfort people.
Hesitantly, Meng Qingping also noticed that his granddaughter wasn't sleeping. He gave a wry smile and said softly, "Grandfather is full. Ci'er, go to sleep."
"Mm."
Seeing that her grandfather's voice had finally returned to calm, Fu Xinci leaned to the side and fell asleep.
She was truly exhausted. Even when a wolf howled in the distance, she only shifted her body and did not wake up.
When Fu Xinci was awakened again, it was already dawn.
"Grandfather, did we wake up late today?"
"No." Meng Qingping explained to his granddaughter, "According to Commander Jiang, the innkeeper warned him last night that there are wolves in these mountains and advised us not to travel at night, as it would be very dangerous if we encountered a wolf pack."
"Oh." Fu Xinci responded absentmindedly, her eyes showing no fear. To her, all creatures in the world were not as terrifying as the monsters in the apocalypse.
Qi He, who had just opened his eyes, excitedly leaned forward upon hearing Grandpa Meng mention wolves and asked, "Grandpa Meng, where are the wolves? Why didn't I see them?"
Hearing the boy's question, Meng Qingping chuckled in amusement, "You rascal, didn't you hear the wolf howls last night?"
"Wolf howls? Were there wolf howls?" Qi He had been so tired yesterday that he fell asleep the moment he lay down and hadn't heard any wolf howls.
"I didn't hear them either," Yu'er said after waking up. "But..." The little fellow smacked his lips and murmured reflectively, "Grandfather, I dreamed of eating delicious food yesterday. No, I misspoke, it was something to drink, very delicious to drink."
"I think I dreamed of it too. A sweet taste I've never had before, very fragrant and sweet," Qi He always felt that he had drunk something very good in his dreams, but he couldn't quite remember it.
"Yes. Just like Brother Qi said," Yu'er found resonance with Brother Qi, and his words began to flow.