Liu Yumei sensed she had accidentally let something slip right after speaking.

She lowered her head and quietly glanced at her granddaughter, who was holding her hand.

The granddaughter, as usual, quietly helped her towards the bed without looking up at her or digging into her slip of the tongue.

Liu Yumei felt relieved and lay on the bed, closing her eyes as her cheeks flushed lightly.

She had recovered, but she remembered the happenings of the previous period.

Liu Yumei knew she had a bad temper when she was young, but she never thought she could be so absurd.

Seeing herself in the mirror made her realize how devoted the old man was to her back then, and how difficult it must have been.

Unfortunately, the old man was not blessed to enjoy her belated thoughtfulness.

Alii brought the small stool over again, planning to sit and continue to "watch over" her grandmother.

Liu Yumei slightly raised her hand and said, "Alii, Grandma is fine now. Xiao Yuan has returned, go play with Xiao Yuan."

She spoke naturally, as if the earlier words "Male and female should not touch" and "How improper" hadn’t come from her own mouth.

And now, it was already dark.

People are like that; often, the hardest slap comes from their future selves.

Alii packed up the stool without hesitation, and without any worry of putting on a show, she was off to find Xiao Yuan to listen to stories.

Every time Li Zhiyuan returned from his travels, it was the busiest time for Alii.

Before leaving, Alii removed the cloth covering the memorial plaque, revealing the plaques beneath.

Earlier, the cover was meant to shield the young Liu Yumei from being shocked by these plaques.

Leaving the East Room, she shut the door.

In the flower beds down the yard, Aunt Liu was applying ointment to Uncle Qin’s chest.

Miss Liu had shown some restraint, using the sword’s side rather than its edge; the force, however, was not restrained.

If it weren’t for Uncle Qin’s sturdy build, and if it were Xiong Shan being struck twice like that, he’d be incapacitated for at least three months.

When Alii arrived at the terrace on the second floor, Li Zhiyuan had just finished bathing.

Both were in their developing years, perhaps unnoticed when together, but separating for a while and then reuniting made their subtle changes evident.

Alii was gradually shedding her youthful charm, and Li Zhiyuan’s face was gaining a few more angles.

While reminiscing, neither could outshine the version of themselves when they first met.

One sat indoors, embroidered shoes perched on the threshold, eyes steadily gazing forward;

The other sat on the terrace, flipping through a book, eyes dropping down, engrossed.

Yet true beauty never lies in static moments but in the continuous flow from past to present or from now back to past, like growing up together.

They sat on wicker chairs, started playing chess; during the game, Li Zhiyuan recounted his last venture.

Two highlights: the dire scenes seen in Seven Stars Temple after his group went there, courtesy of the old lady.

And Zhao Yi’s tirade against Emperor Fengdu, forcibly sacrificing two lazy dogs.

These two events were the most intriguing; besides, Li Zhiyuan preferred not to delve too much into matters with his Body.

Just as he finished, Aunt Liu’s voice came:

"Time for dinner!"

With so many things happening, dinner was much later than usual.

Liu Yumei didn’t come out for dinner; indeed, no one called her.

Everyone knew the elderly lady valued her face; she needed time alone now.

As for the excuse of amnesia, those who wanted to conceal it couldn’t hide it.

Run Sheng and Lin Shuyou each had a large copper bowl, with a thick layer of rice underneath, topped with various dishes.

No matter how tasty Chuanyu cuisine was, after a while, Run Sheng started missing Aunt Liu’s cooking.

Lin Shuyou, meanwhile, was in a spat with the child, and apart from other aspects, their appetites were comparable; even if stuffed, they shared the discomfort of an aching stomach.

Incense burned, like pressing a timer, the two held chopsticks in their right hand and a spoon in their left, and began eating ravenously.

Aunt Liu: "Don’t rush, I made extra soup specifically. If it’s not enough, I can cook you some noodles later."

After eating, Run Sheng cleaned up the first-floor tableware, chairs, and dishes that were just brought back in. Every time he’s full, he always finds some chores to do.

Lin Shuyou lay sideways on a bench, showing his tummy, eyes constantly widening, arguing with the child.

Yin Meng headed to the kitchen, bringing out the longevity noodles Aunt Liu had cooked, complete with three eggs.

This was to be delivered to Tan Wenbin staying at Big Beard’s house.

Tan Wenbin had Xiao Yingying bring him a cake, there must be a celebration there tonight; however, everyone tactfully kept away.

After finishing his chores, Run Sheng squatted in front of the kennel.

Xiao Hei had fully grown up; if he stood up and acted intimidating, even adults, let alone dogs from four miles around, would feel frightened.

His bone structure, fur, and muscle build were impressive, and Run Sheng patted his back vigorously.

Ordinary people would be bent over by such a pat, but Xiao Hei enjoyed this force, extending a paw to clamp Run Sheng’s wrist downward, signaling for more, to stretch muscles and improve circulation.

Run Sheng: "Come on, let’s go for a walk."

Xiao Hei disliked going out; besides eating and sleeping, he resisted any exercise. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Yet, he dared not disobey Run Sheng’s words, having been taken care of by Run Sheng since young.

Wobbling to stand up, he craned his neck, producing a crisp sound; then extended his paws and lowered his body, doing a stretch.