Chapter 293: Given Separately

Upon seeing with their own eyes what Liu Yao had done and hearing from their own children about her true intentions, those who had once looked down on her—those who had belittled and even openly or secretly disparaged her—lowered their heads in shame.

They couldn’t even meet their children’s gazes… After all, in times of famine, they had witnessed people selling their own sons and daughters for silver. They would never say it out loud, but the thought had occasionally crossed their minds.

Now, they finally realized—every time Liu Yao scolded or berated their children, they paid more attention to them. That rebellious instinct had, in turn, wiped away any fleeting thoughts of selling their children.

“You bunch of little brats! I don’t have a man and can’t raise children, so I’m nice to you lot so you’ll take care of me when I’m old!”

“You all make me sound so saintly—I might actually start believing it myself!”

Saying this, Liu Yao turned to Gu Ning’an and nonchalantly added, “Not long ago, I even stole a steamed bun from you, sir. Could someone like me really be a good person?”

Gu Ning’an waved his hand dismissively. “Taking without permission is stealing, but I saw you take it and didn’t stop you. That means I allowed it—so it’s not stealing.”

“Sir, you’re too generous!”

Liu Yao cupped her hands in mock salute. “If I were younger and prettier, I’d definitely try to win you over as my man.”

She yawned as she spoke, a tear sliding down from the corner of her weary eye. Squinting, she snatched her broken bowl from Chen Nan’s hands and wandered off to a large tree, leaning against it before lying down to sleep.

Seeing this, the crowd exchanged glances, stunned into silence for a long moment.

Eventually, a few elders waved their hands and simply said, “Let her sleep.” Only then did everyone gradually disperse and settle down for the night.

But in the latter half of the night, the usual chorus of snores was replaced by the sound of restless turning and shifting…

As the morning sun rose, the sky was a vast, cloudless expanse of blue—like a breathtaking painting.

The refugees, having spent the night in the forest, gradually woke up. And almost as if by instinct, the first thing they did was look toward a particular tree.

There, beneath it, Liu Yao, her frail body hunched over, was drinking water from her broken bowl. The moment they saw her, they quickly averted their gazes.

“Mr. Gu has left.”

An aged voice sighed, drawing everyone’s attention.

An elderly man with a walking stick held a piece of paper in his hand, with a dark blue bundle slung over his arm.

Everyone recognized that bundle—it belonged to Mr. Gu.

“Mr. Gu said there are just enough steamed buns in here for everyone to have one each. He had intended to give them out last night but was worried that eating too much at once might upset everyone’s stomachs.”

“So he held off until today.”

“Mr. Gu also said… there aren’t many people left in this world who, despite hardship, can still be kind and support one another. He told us to live well—hard times will eventually pass…”

As the elderly man finished speaking, the refugees began to voice their admiration for Gu Ning’an. Some called him the greatest benefactor in the world. Some knelt on the ground and bowed toward the direction he had gone, thanking him with tears in their eyes. Others even swore to repay him in their next life.

Before long, the elder began distributing the buns, just as Gu Ning’an had instructed.

At first, everyone insisted that Liu Yao take one first. But she merely scoffed, leaving behind a single remark before disappearing: “I already took mine last night.”

And so, when they finished handing out the buns, they found that they were precisely one short.

Which meant that if Liu Yao hadn’t “taken” one the night before, the count would have been exact…

As the group debated what to do, Chen Nan stepped forward and said, “Give mine to her—after all, it was my child who ate her steamed bun.”

But before anyone could respond, Liu Yao’s voice rang out from somewhere unseen.

“No need! I took my share. If any of you insist on giving me another, are you trying to make me a thief for life?”

“And seriously, why are you all taking so long to split a few buns? Are we leaving or not?”

“If you’re not going, I’m leaving first!”

With that, Liu Yao grabbed her tattered cloth bag and strode toward the edge of the forest.

The others had no choice but to gather their things and follow.

Walking ahead of the group, Liu Yao listened to the footsteps behind her. As she let out a quiet sigh of relief, she muttered regretfully to herself, “If I’d known there was one for me, I wouldn’t have taken it last night… Should’ve had a proper bite of it while I had the chance…”

Gurgle~ Gurgle

Feeling the protest from her stomach, Liu Yao reached into her tattered cloth bag, rummaging around to see if she had any food left.

Just as her fingers brushed against something soft and springy, about the size of a fist, she instinctively froze.

A certain image flashed through her mind—the figure of that handsome man in white. She took a firm bite of the steamed bun and mumbled with her mouth full, “Mr. Gu… if I were younger and prettier, I’d almost believe this was the start of my springtime…”

Tap tap tap~ tap tap tap!

The sound of light, hurried footsteps approached.

The five-year-old boy who had stood up for Liu Yao the previous day came running over, holding a bowl in his little hands. Inside were small chunks of broken steamed bun.

He stopped in front of Liu Yao, lifted the bowl with a big grin, and said, “Auntie Yao, this is from everyone! They each took a piece from their own bun and saved it for you!”

“Village Chief Grandpa said it was his idea, so just accept it for his sake. If you don’t, he might get so mad he drops dead, and then you’d have to bear that guilt forever!”

Hearing that, Liu Yao crouched down, pinched the little boy’s cheek, and chuckled. “Aren’t you impressive? You memorized such a long speech all in one go?”

“Of course!” The boy lifted his chin proudly. “Aren’t I amazing?”

Liu Yao nodded with a smile. “Amazing, absolutely amazing!”

“Auntie, hurry and take it! My arms are getting tired!”

The boy shoved the bowl into Liu Yao’s hands, then lowered his voice and added, “Auntie, don’t worry about not having a man… When I grow up, I’ll marry you!”

Liu Yao blinked in surprise, then shook her head. “Nope, you’re not good enough for me.”

“Huh? Why not?” The boy tilted his head in confusion.

Liu Yao held up the steamed bun she had taken a bite from and smirked. “They say you can tell a person’s future from how they are at three years old. When you grow up, there’s no way you’ll be as handsome as Mr. Gu…”

The boy frowned. “So if I’m not as handsome as Mr. Gu, it won’t work?”

Liu Yao nodded. “Of course! Didn’t you see? This steamed bun—Mr. Gu secretly put it in my bag. Do you know why he had to sneak it in, why he gave me a separate one?”

The boy smacked his lips in thought, then suddenly beamed. “I know! It’s because Mr. Gu knows you’re as stubborn as a mule, so he gave it to you separately to stop you from making a fuss!”

Liu Yao’s face darkened. She raised her hand, feigning a slap. “You little brat! You looking for a beating?!”