Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 355 Feng Xiaolu's Treasure Chest

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The first night after the Cloud Hidden Sect's mountain gates closed was exceptionally quiet.

There was no whistling of the night wind through the treetops, no chirping of summer insects unwilling to be silent, and even the faint spiritual energy that used to linger in the mountains and fields was completely silent. It was an absolute, almost vacuum-like silence, as if the whole world had been encased in a soundproof glass dome.

Chen Anran stood on the stone steps outside the main hall, looking up at the night sky.

The stars were still sparse, and the crescent moon hung like a hook, seemingly no different from the night before. But he knew that everything was different. The "strings" of heaven and earth had been forcibly plucked back to another tone, and he, inexplicably, had become the one holding those strings.

Very light footsteps came from behind.

Wei Qingyi came out, holding an outer robe in her hand. She didn't say anything, but simply walked to Chen Anran's side and handed him the robe.

"It's chilly at night," she said.

Chen Anran took it, but didn't put it on immediately; she just held it in her hand. The fabric was fine cotton, carrying the clean scent of sunshine.

"Second Senior Sister," Chen Anran didn't look at her, still gazing at the sky, "Are you scared?"

Wei Qingyi remained silent for a moment.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "Sometimes I feel like I'm going on a long trip tomorrow. Other times I feel... like I'm standing on a very high place, looking down, and I feel a little panicked."

Chen Anran's throat tightened, and she gripped her outer robe with slightly greater force.

Wei Qingyi also raised her head, looking at the stars that seemed to be nailed to the dark blue velvet.

"Three days is actually a lot of time to get things done. For example, I'll organize my study notes in my room when I get back, and you can look at them if you get bored later. Also..."

She suddenly stopped, turned her head to look at Chen Anran, and the moonlight softened her cool profile.

"Tomorrow morning, I want to eat your noodles. Thin noodles, lots of scallions, and a soft-boiled egg."

Chen Anran's nose suddenly stung with tears. "Okay."

"Junior Brother! Second Senior Sister!"

Feng Xiaolu's voice came from inside the hall, still a little sleepy. She rubbed her eyes and came out, a coat haphazardly draped over her shoulders, her hair disheveled. "Why aren't you all asleep? I got up to get some water and saw a shadow outside..."

She walked between the two men, naturally hooked her arms around each of theirs, and leaned her head on Wei Qingyi's shoulder, letting out a small yawn.

"Want to see the stars? The stars are so beautiful tonight," she muttered, her voice gradually fading. Then, as if remembering something, she suddenly looked up, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight. "Oh, right, Junior Brother! I discovered yesterday that several clumps of termite mushrooms are growing under that old tree on the back mountain! They're so plump! Shall we go pick some tomorrow? We can make soup with them. There's still a small piece of ham that Fatty Li brought last time; it'll be perfect for adding flavor!"

She spoke with great enthusiasm, as if "tomorrow," like countless tomorrows in the past, was full of small, concrete moments of happiness to look forward to.

Wei Qingyi didn't say anything, but simply adjusted her posture slightly to make Feng Xiaolu more comfortable.

Looking at Feng Xiaolu's excited face and then at Wei Qingyi's calm profile, Chen Anran felt a strange, lingering, dull pain in his chest replaced by a softer, more persistent ache.

"Okay," he said again, "we'll go pick them tomorrow."

Feng Xiaolu shook her head happily, tightened her grip on their hands, and sighed contentedly, "That's great."

The three of them stood quietly on the stone steps, nestled together, gazing at the same silent starry sky. None of them mentioned the three days, the five days, the vanished senior sister, or the blood pool.

The chill of the night gradually seeped into our clothes, but the warmth of being huddled together seemed enough to keep us warm.

………………

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Chen Anran appeared in the kitchen.

The fire in the stove blazed, its orange light flickering and dispelling the morning chill. He scooped out fine white flour, added water, kneaded it into a smooth dough, covered it with a damp cloth, and let it rest. Then he chopped scallions and minced ginger, and prepared a simple soy sauce broth. When frying the eggs, he was extra careful, watching the oil temperature in the pan, ensuring the egg whites were just right, the yolks trembling, almost set, like they were enveloped in a pool of sunlight.

The noodles were cooked, scooped into a large, coarse porcelain bowl, broth poured over them, sprinkled with bright green scallions, and topped with a golden fried egg. He made three bowls.

Wei Qingyi and Feng Xiaolu entered the dining hall almost simultaneously. Feng Xiaolu sniffed, "It smells so good!"

The three sat around the old wooden table, quietly eating noodles. The slurping of noodles and the soft clinking of chopsticks against the bowl were particularly clear in the quiet morning.

"The eggs are fried perfectly," Wei Qingyi commented.

"The broth is a bit bland," Chen Anran said.

"I think it's just right!" Feng Xiaolu blew on the steam, "It would be even better with more chopped green onions!"

After finishing their noodles, Feng Xiaolu insisted on washing the dishes, humming an off-key tune. Wei Qingyi got up and said she wanted to check on the medicinal herb field. Chen Anran tidied the table, wiped the stove, and stood at the kitchen doorway, watching the gradually brightening sky in the yard.

In the morning, they really did go to the back mountain. Feng Xiaolu, carrying a small bamboo basket, led the way like a nimble deer, carefully parting the grass to reveal plump, tender termite mushrooms underneath. She picked them very meticulously, cutting them clean off the base with a small knife, without damaging the mycelium, muttering to herself, "This one's big, I'll make soup for Second Senior Sister. This one's pretty, I'll save it for Junior Brother..."

Wei Qingyi followed behind her, also carrying a basket. Occasionally, she would squat down to pick a few herbs along the way. When she saw some rare ones, she would point them out to Chen Anran, telling him about their medicinal properties and processing techniques, her tone as calm as if she were teaching the most ordinary class.

Chen Anran listened and took notes, but her gaze lingered more on her two senior sisters. It fell on the strands of hair that cascaded down Wei Qingyi's head as she lowered her head, and on Feng Xiaolu's cheeks, flushed with surprise at discovering a large clump of mushrooms. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the ground with playful light; everything was so peaceful it seemed unreal.

In the afternoon, Feng Xiaolu said she was going to organize her "treasure chest." It was a large camphor wood chest, filled with the "treasures" she had collected over the years.

She sat cross-legged in front of the box, lifted the lid, and a faint scent of camphor wood mixed with the smell of old paper and plastic wafted out.

She carefully took out the boxes of PS5 game discs and the black game console, and placed them aside. Then she took out a tablet computer wrapped in a soft cloth. The screen had some small scratches on the edge, but the screen protector was still in place.

"I bought this with the first money I earned." Feng Xiaolu wiped the screen with her finger, pressed the power button, and the screen lit up. "I thought it was so interesting at the time. Such a thin tablet, yet it could play movies and videos. My senior sister even said that it would interfere with my cultivation, but actually I always played it after finishing my homework."

Inside the box were several adorable power banks, a few pairs of Bluetooth earphones, a stack of pop CDs and a few vinyl records, several fashion magazines, and a complete set of the Chinese edition of the Harry Potter novels, the pages of which were slightly curled. At the very bottom, there was even a mini drone about the size of a palm, though one of its propellers was broken and taped back together.

"This drone," Feng Xiaolu held it in her palm, smiling a little embarrassedly, "I wanted to use it to take a panoramic photo of our Yunyin Sect, but it flew too high and crashed into a tree on the back mountain and fell down... This is what it looks like after I picked it up."

She took out each item one by one, carefully wiping each one, and whispering about their origins: this one was won in a lottery at the resort's opening ceremony, and that one was exchanged with a young tourist who came to soak in the hot springs using spiritual food from the sect.

Sunlight streamed obliquely through the window, casting dappled shadows on the dust motes. Feng Xiaolu crouched amidst a collection of modern objects, her eyes sparkling as if she possessed the world's treasures. She picked up a cat-ear-shaped Bluetooth headset, put it on, and turned to Chen Anran, asking, "Junior Brother, does it look good?"

Chen Anran looked at her hair, which was outlined with soft golden edges by the sunlight, and at the pure smile on her face.

"nice."

Wei Qingyi silently picked up the book "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," turned to the title page, and saw a letter in Xiaolu's childish handwriting: "A birthday present for Xiaolu—Presented by Su Wan." She ran her finger over the words without saying a word.