“Big Sis, I think Miss Cui seems nice enough. Why don’t you like her?” Lin Qingwan crouched in front of the mud stove, trying to ignite the fire, and popped her head up to question Lin Qingxu, who was peeling potatoes with a small knife.

Lin Qingxu’s grip on the knife tightened slightly, her sharp gaze enough to make Lin Qingwan flinch and avert her eyes in fear.

“Little fragile flowers… can’t stand them,” Lin Qingxu spat out the words through gritted teeth.

“Huh?” Lin Qingwan glanced at the fire that had sputtered out again, waved away the drifting black smoke, and frowned. She didn’t quite get what her sister meant.

Lin Qingxu’s lips twitched in resignation and adjusted her wording. “I don’t like how she carries herself. Simple as that.”

Now Lin Qingwan was intrigued. She stuffed more kindling into the stove and started chattering like a rapid-fire crossbow: “What about her bothers you, Sis? Her personality, her family background, her looks? Or do you dislike all of the above?”

Lin Qingxu shot her a dismissive eye-roll, too tired to engage with her.

“The fire’s gone out again,” she said calmly, observing the black smoke billowing from the stove. Lin Qingwan grimaced, starting the fire all over again.

After five or six failed attempts to get it started, the two of them were on the verge of suffocation from the smoke, when—finally—the fire sparkled back to life, its glow growing steadier and hotter.

One pot for steaming rice, the other for stir-frying vegetables.

The two kitchen novices labored side by side for a solid half hour, grimy and flustered, as they juggled their efforts. Both were on the edge of collapse.

Lin Qingxu’s hand trembled as she added salt to the charred potatoes and pork, her frustrated expression matching the dark, dull colors in the pot.

Lin Qingwan glanced at the rice that still hadn’t had its lid lifted, the unmistakable burnt scent hanging in the air, as well as the firewood now reduced to ash. She pursed her thin lips and hesitantly asked. “Sis, do you think Mom will, like, really scold us when she gets back?”

Lin Qingxu gave a dry laugh, clearly uncomfortable. “Let’s hope not…”

It wasn’t long after they finished “making lunch” that Fang Xiu finally returned home.

“Mom, you’re back!” The two sisters buzzed around her like diligent little bees, one of them quickly taking the bag from Fang Xiu’s hands while the other showered her with a flurry of sweet words.

Fang Xiu glanced at their overly eager expressions, then at the smoke still rising from the stove, and easily guessed the situation. “Did you ruin the food?”

Though Lin Qingxu and Lin Qingwan were known as the “kitchen destroyers,” they sometimes tried their hand at cooking when Fang Xiu wasn’t around. However, they rarely made a proper meal.

Both sisters nodded dutifully, awaiting Fang Xiu’s judgment.

Fang Xiu, with a bit of humor, nodded back, then said. “Since the food’s ruined, I guess we’ll skip dinner tonight.”

Lin Qingxu and Lin Qingwan: “…” Well, this was definitely not what they had imagined would happen.

Seeing the bewildered looks on their faces, Fang Xiu couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. “What’s this? Don’t want to eat lunch now?”

“Of course, we do!” The two sisters quickly nodded in unison.

They exchanged a brief glance, silently conveying one shared thought — Mom’s in a good mood today!

In the kitchen, Fang Xiu disdainfully lifted the pot lid. The dish was hot, but there wasn’t a hint of aroma. “A’Xu, this isn’t cooking, this is more like making poison.”

Lin Qingxu shrank her neck, silently accepting her mother’s teasing.

In the end, her dish met the same fate as garbage.

The rice, though somewhat burnt due to lack of water, still held most of its flavor. As for the firewood — clever Lin Qingwan had already scooped up some fresh wood from outside, covering up the evidence.

Sadly, as her mother’s sharp, all-seeing gaze met hers, Lin Qingwan could only tremble with nervousness, her heart heavy with guilt.

Time flew by in a blink, leaving little room for anyone to prepare for what was coming.

The day Lin Qingwan left the mortal realm, it was a bright, sunny day.

The intense, blazing sunlight poured down onto the earth, causing the temperature to rise rapidly and giving the false impression of summer arriving prematurely. Lin Qingxu squinted her eyes, feeling the sting of the sunlight as it burned her vision.

“Mom, Sis, I’ll remember everything you’ve told me. I’ll try my best to keep my temper in check and work hard at cultivating,” Lin Qingwan’s tiny frame rushed into Fang Xiu’s embrace, tears streaming down her face. Her voice was choked with emotion as she continued, “I’ll practice diligently and return as soon as I can. Please, don’t forget about me.”

Lin Qingxu blinked, silently wiping away the tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes. She saw that Fang Xiu’s eyes were also brimming with tears. She gently stroked Lin Qingwan’s head. “Of course, I won’t forget you. No matter if you’re in the mortal world or the realm of cultivation, you’ll always be our strong and brave child. Don’t cry anymore.”

Fang Xiu wiped the tears from Lin Qingwan’s cheek and gently lifted her face with a smile. “Your sister’s right, you need to become even stronger.”

“The path you’re about to take is one your sister and I can’t walk beside you on. How far you go is all up to you. But no matter what, you need to remember—Mom and your sister will always support you. If there’s something you want to do, and you believe it’s the right thing, just go for it.”

As she spoke these words, Fang Xiu’s throat tightened, and she found herself unable to continue.

Fang Xiu’s life had never been easy.

From a young age, her parents had never shown her love. They’d always favored their son and had looked down on her.

^_^