Chapter 210 Father...you eat...

In that house,

His poor, emaciated little daughter lay curled up on the straw mat, barely breathing.

He kept tilting his head, trying hard to look towards the door.

The moment she saw him step into the room, her eyes lit up instantly.

In that era of simultaneous natural disasters and man-made calamities, severe drought...

He returned empty-handed, but his daughter never complained about him in the slightest.

Instead, her eyes were smiling, her chapped lips moved, and with the last bit of strength she stuffed that small piece of coarse bran cake, which she had kept hidden for who knows how long and which was now dry, hard, and black, into his hand.

Her voice was weak and feeble: "Father...you eat..."

"sweet……"

That was his daughter's last understanding of sweetness, and her only longing.

But he was powerless to help, and she ultimately never got to taste a real sweet treat.

In the midst of hunger and cold, on that night when the wind howled, she closed her eyes in his arms.

"sweet……"

Du Qian murmured unconsciously, tears instantly streaming down his face, and even the blurry image of him holding the milk tea began to tremble violently.

At that very moment, the pain of losing a daughter that had spanned a thousand years was completely ignited by this overly sweet milk tea.

Du Qian's illusory figure held the milk tea tightly, looking down quietly, a silent sorrow instantly spreading around him.

Lin Yan'an and Zhong Wan were both stunned upon seeing this.

They never expected that a cup of milk tea would elicit such a strong reaction from Mr. Du.

The two looked at the silent and sorrowful Du Qian, then at each other.

Seeing the confusion in Lin Yan'an's eyes, Zhong Wan shook her head slightly.

She turned her head to look at the faint black mist beside Du Qian's illusory figure, and subconsciously reached out to touch it.

The passive skill, "Spiritual Reflection," was also activated at this moment.

Zhong Wan instantly sensed the source of that sadness and saw the scene in Mr. Du's mind.

In an instant, several blurry images flooded her mind: dilapidated houses, the cold night wind, a withered, thin, and barely breathing little girl...

That was a little girl's last, unfulfilled longing for sweetness, and also a father's eternal pain.

Zhong Wan understood instantly.

Her heart felt as if it had been violently clenched; it hurt so much, so very much…

Zhong Wan looked down at the milk tea in Mr. Du's hand, then at the cake on the table.

Zhong Wan's eyes stung and reddened again.

She looked at Mr. Du's silent yet sorrowful figure, neither disturbing him nor offering any words of comfort.

At this moment, language once again seems so inadequate.

Zhong Wan put down her milk tea, looked down at her palm, and with a thought, black mist slowly rose around her hand. In an instant, the banknotes reappeared in her hand.

"Wanwan..."

Lin Yan'an looked at Zhong Wan with concern and whispered her name.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Wan looked at him and shook her head slightly without saying anything, but Lin Yan'an understood what was happening in front of her.

They didn't make a sound to disturb them.

Her gaze was resolute, and Lin Yan'an knew at a glance that there was no point in him saying anything more.

She seems gentle and easy to talk to, but she is actually stubborn and obstinate.

Especially when it comes to her "work".

Lin Yan'an lowered his eyes, then stood up and walked behind Zhong Wan.

He wasn't particularly capable, but he stubbornly stayed by her side.

Since he couldn't help Zhong Wan with these things, he would stand by her side and face them together.

Actually... it was only after Lin Yan'an privately inquired with Zhong Suisui and received his assurance that he felt somewhat at ease.

Zhong Suisui had promised him that no matter how difficult the mission was, it would not involve her life. At most, she would be in a coma like last time, but it would not affect her health or lifespan.

Moreover, it has said that as long as it exists, Zhong Wan will be there.

Unless Zhong Wan dies of natural causes...

Thinking of this, Lin Yan'an lowered his eyes and looked at the black spot on the ring finger of his right hand.

That was Zhong Suisui's promise to him.

As long as Zhong Wan is still around, the stain will always exist.

Zhong Wan had no idea that Lin Yan'an had thought so much in that instant, nor did she know that he had actually asked Zhong Suisui for a guarantee in private.

She glanced at the man standing beside her, gently grasped the hem of his shirt with her left hand, met Lin Yan'an's gaze, shook her head slightly, and whispered, "Don't worry, it's alright."

"Um."

Looking into Zhong Wan's determined eyes, Lin Yan'an gave a soft "hmm" after a long while.

Zhong Wan then withdrew her hand, looked down at the white paper she had just unfolded, and took a deep breath.

She closed her eyes, carefully recalling the scene she had just experienced, the blurry outline of the little girl...

Zhong Wan opened her eyes, lowered her gaze, picked up the pen, her wrist hovering in the air, and then slowly lowered it.

She suddenly had a strong urge to draw that little girl, and also to let her taste the sweetness of life.

Zhong Wan didn't know if the painting was still useful, nor did she know if the little girl's soul was still there.

Perhaps... she was reincarnated long ago.

Zhong Wan lowered her eyes, stopped thinking about it, and focused on drawing what she wanted to draw.

She did not choose to depict realistic portraits, as that might have been too cruel for Mr. Du.

She chose to depict the content she wanted to draw using a softer, warmer anime style, specifically a chibi-style anime.

The pen tip flew across the white paper, quickly sketching a cute, chibi-style little girl dressed in old Tang Dynasty clothes, but washed clean.

The little girl had round, big eyes, a slightly pale face with a sweet smile, and two little pigtails on her head.

She sat there quietly in a clean, bright courtyard full of flowers, holding a huge, soft, and delicious cake in her arms.

She was diligently scooping food with a small spoon, a little cream still on her lips. In her other hand, she held a cup of milk tea with cute designs on it, squinting her eyes and sucking contentedly through the straw.

The whole scene is filled with childlike fun, light, and sweetness, which contrasts sharply with the harsh reality she perceives.

As Zhong Wan painted, a faint mist slowly drifted out from the painting and from her brush.

Zhong Wan painted with utmost care, wanting to send all her best wishes and hopes to this little girl from a thousand years ago. She poured all her emotions into the painting.

The light mist seemed to contain a power that could soothe the soul.

The mist awakened Du Qian from his grief.

He stared blankly at everything before him.

Looking at the mist, he tremblingly reached out his hand.

In an instant, all the happy events of his life seemed to flash through my memory.

Like rain after a long drought, or meeting an old friend in a foreign land.

On their wedding night, they were honored with their names on the imperial examination list.

In the very end,

All that remained in his mind were the kind smiles of his parents.

The warm smiles of his wife and daughter...

They were reunited.

That's great...