Following his master's instructions, Xiaoman cut the large watermelon into pieces. He finished eating the small watermelon and stared longingly at the cut large watermelon, but for now he could only look on with envy and his stomach was full.

Fu Yuchi brought over a jar, laid a layer of watermelon at the bottom, covered it with a layer of sodium sulfate, then another layer of watermelon, and so on, repeating this process several times until the jar was full.

"Seal the jar tightly and leave it in a cool, ventilated place for a while. The white frost that precipitates on the outside of the jar is watermelon frost." Fu Yuchi patted the powder off his hands and pressed the jar down firmly with a stone.

Sun Miao'er never expected that the steps for making watermelon frost would be so simple, yet ingenious. It turns out that the real watermelon frost is made from the outer white frost; she really thought it had to be made from a watermelon.

After sealing the jar, it was getting late. Sun Miao'er suddenly remembered something. "Master, do you know that the bear cub has grown a lot recently? It's as long as my arm. Recently, when Xiaoman goes to play by the river, she always brings some small fish for it to eat!"

Fu Yuchi had almost forgotten about this. "Then feed it well, and you can release it back next time you go up the mountain."

Sun Miao'er was tidying up herbs in the yard, while Xiaoman ran out to play in the wild. Occasionally, a few birds chirped in the forest. Perhaps because the season was almost over, the cicadas weren't chirping as enthusiastically as before.

There was a pile of watermelon rinds left on the stone block, greenish-white. Sun Miao'er was about to clean them up and throw them away when she remembered a dish she had eaten before.

She abandoned her previous idea, rinsed the watermelon rind with water, removed the thick outer skin, leaving only the crisp, white and green part.

Heat the wok and oil, then quickly stir-fry the watermelon rind in the oil for a few seconds. A refreshing side dish is ready.

"Are you planning to feed your teacher this?" Fu Yuchi's eyes were fixed on the plate of watermelon rinds. Ever since he ate fried cicada nymphs, he had considered himself to be used to these things, but when he saw Sun Miao'er putting the watermelon rinds into the pot, he couldn't help but frown.

Sun Miao'er had anticipated his reaction; she had felt the same way when she first tried the dish. "Master, you'll know once you try it! It's refreshing and delicious!"

"Hmm," Fu Yu responded softly, but whenever he looked up, he always met those clear and bright eyes.

At times, she reveals a fleeting cunning, which is almost imperceptible unless you look closely. Fu Yuchi often wonders whether she is a fox or a rabbit.

He had never pondered a woman's thoughts, nor had he ever intended to. But ever since he took this apprentice, he couldn't help but let his mind wander while tidying up medicinal herbs and organizing medicinal plants, wondering what delicious food would appear next.

Sun Miao'er prepared some side dishes and then cooked a pot of mung bean porridge. "Master, did you try the box of pastries I had Xiaoman deliver to you the other day?"

"I've tried it." Fu Yuchi nodded. "It's a bit too sweet. I prefer sesame seed cakes."

He expressed his preferences in a serious manner, more like he was commenting on a poem or a lyric than on ordinary food.

Sun Miao'er walked around from behind him and stared at him without any attempt to hide her gaze.

It's so beautiful.

How could such a handsome man happen to be her master?

For a moment, my heart seemed to skip a beat, and something slipped through my fingers.

After a long while, Sun Miao'er finally looked away, still somewhat unsatisfied, and asked, "Master, what did you do before?"

Fu Yuchi took a sip of tea to moisten her throat. Just now, her gaze had been too intense, falling on her without any attempt to conceal it.

Many girls had looked at me like that before, but I had never felt so thirsty and wanted to drink water as I had just experienced.

But when he actually picked up the cup, he was awkward, reserved, and took small sips.

"I used to do all sorts of things." Fu Yuchi wondered where to begin.

Is it that his family was destroyed and his entire clan was slaughtered? Is it that he lived in the mountains for months eating raw meat and drinking blood? Or is it that he has not yet escaped the pursuit of those people, and once his whereabouts are discovered, it will be a matter of life and death in an instant?

Remembering something, Sun Miao'er knew he didn't want to say more, so she didn't press further, "Why can't Master stay in Fushui Village forever?"

“I just happened to return here and have settled down temporarily, but I can’t just save the people here. There are too many people in the world to save.” Fu Yuchi’s eyes darkened further, and his smile disappeared.

This was the first time Sun Miao'er had seen him truly suppress his smile, no longer displaying his usual gentle demeanor, as if he were a master she had never met before.

She and her master were on two completely opposite paths.

She needed to make a living, find a way out for her younger brothers, and rack her brains to come up with a solution in this desolate Fushui village where no one could help her.

She could not follow the path her master had taken. Her master was a carefree person who could do whatever she wanted without any worries at any time, but she had nothing but worries behind her.

"Master, the porridge is ready." Her words broke the silence in the room, and also interrupted her fleeting, subtle thoughts.

Sun Miao'er served the porridge and arranged the side dishes. "Try the watermelon rind. My master taught me how to make watermelon frost, so I'm treating him to watermelon rind. Isn't that a good deal?"

Fu Yuchi scoffed lightly, "You're not at a loss, you've made a huge profit."

However, the watermelon rind was unexpectedly crisp, yet predictably delicious, because his apprentice had never made a mistake in cooking.

The same applies this time.

"Next time I'll buy more watermelons, and I'll save the rinds for you." Fu Yuchi took a few bites, and with the mung bean porridge, his interest in food increased quite a bit in the summer when his appetite was waning.

Sun Miao'er laughed. Her master still made her feel like she was bathed in a spring breeze, very comfortable. "Then you have to save all the melon pulp for Xiaoman, otherwise you won't have any free helpers to use in the future!"

“He did call me master, so we can’t just disregard his words because he was just a child, can we?” Fu Yuchi’s smile deepened, his eyes curving into two arcs, revealing only his dark pupils.

Sun Miao'er waved her hand, "It counts, it counts! My brother and I are both Master's good disciples! We'll be there whenever he calls!"

The two bantered back and forth, and the sky had already begun to darken; they needed lanterns to see the road outside.

"Master, I should go back now." Sun Miao'er looked outside, and the last trace of crimson light sank off the mountain.

Fu Yuchi stretched and yawned. "How about I give you a ride? There are a lot of stray dogs on this road at night."

"So it really was Master that night! Why didn't you say so sooner? You could have given me a chance to repay your kindness!" Sun Miao'er turned around, and the scent of herbs wafted towards her, just like that night.

The scent of medicine enveloped her completely.

Fu Yuchi lit a lantern and used it to light her way from behind, saying gently, "Let's go."