Chapter 43 – Setting a Direction

An’an looked up and smiled at her mother. How could something this noble be considered causing trouble?

She was clearly creating an opportunity for her mother and the handsome uncle to spend time together!

And it even came at the cost of her own pride!

Looking into her daughter’s smiling face, Qin Ying couldn’t keep her heart firm. She leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “How about I make noodle sheet soup for you tonight?”

She would use the mushroom broth she had already simmered, tear thin sheets of dough into it—though it was only mixed with a little bit of white flour, the cornmeal for An’an had been ground repeatedly and passed through a fine sieve, so it definitely wouldn’t irritate her throat.

The noodle sheets would cook instantly upon hitting the water. Add some chopped spinach and a sprinkle of scallions—even without oil, it would still be delicious.

An’an leaned into her mother’s arms and nuzzled against her, softly calling, “Mama.”

Qin Ying beamed with joy.

An’an finally got her wish and received 0.02 energy.

Xu Xia quickly returned with the bundle, handed it to Qin Ying, then whispered with Zhao Hu for a while before the two men went up the mountain.

Qin Ying finished cutting the fabric and left the padding of the cotton clothes to Aunt Zhao.

An’an had napped for a while. When she checked the monitor, the handsome uncle was in her uncle’s room, leaning against the kang table reading a book.

Meanwhile, her mom and grandma had already made the basic shapes of the winter clothes.

Sigh, really worrying… With everyone scattered like this, how were they supposed to build a relationship?

Her eyes rolled with a plan forming in her little head. She rolled over and dove straight into the pile of sewing materials.

She gave Aunt Zhao and Qin Ying a fright.

Qin Ying quickly scooped her up. “When did she wake up?” She’d looked sound asleep just a moment ago!

Aunt Zhao scrambled to gather the scissors and sewing supplies, packed them into a bamboo basket, and placed it on the cupboard.

That scare alone contributed 0.06 energy to An’an, which made the little one giggle happily.

“You little rascal!” Qin Ying gently tapped her forehead. “You almost scared us to death!”

Aunt Zhao quickly said, “Yingzi, why don’t you watch her for a bit? I’ll handle the sewing, and if there’s anything I can’t manage, I’ll call you.”

Qin Ying got out of bed to give An’an some warm water. Just as she was about to agree, they heard Zhou Yu’s voice from the main room: “Aunt Zhao, Miss Qin, is An’an awake? I can help watch her for a bit.”

Thinking she could finish the clothes sooner, Qin Ying agreed. But she made sure to have An’an go potty first—just in case Zhou Yu had to deal with another accident.

Zhou Yu carried the little one into the west room. He listened carefully and noticed that Aunt Zhao and Qin Ying were still chatting while working and not paying attention to them. Only then did he sit down with An’an by the kang.

An’an felt that the handsome uncle was acting a bit strange today—but she couldn’t say exactly why.

Zhou Yu gently stroked her back. For a moment, he felt like he was going mad. How could he entertain such a wild fantasy?

Sensing his low mood, An’an looked up at him. Her little head tilted left and right as she made a confused “hmm?” sound.

Looking into her clear, bright eyes, Zhou Yu let out a self-deprecating chuckle and murmured, “I actually dreamed you could help me find someone.”

An’an blinked. Help find someone? Why not? She nodded her little head with confidence and beamed. “I can!”

Zhou Yu’s eyes widened in disbelief. He watched as An’an seriously nodded again and repeated, “I can.”

His heart began pounding wildly. He couldn’t help pressing a hand against his chest, fearing it might jump out.

An’an placed her paw on the back of his hand in a comforting gesture.

Zhou Yu took a deep breath and gently patted her head. Lowering his voice with solemnity, he said, “Anbao’er, Uncle has two younger sisters who are currently missing. Can you help Uncle find them?”

An’an tilted her head and looked at him. Her big eyes blinked slowly, reflecting Zhou Yu’s face in their clear depths.

Zhou Yu waited silently for a moment, then suddenly gave a bitter smile. “I really must be crazy.”

An’an could clearly feel Zhou Yu’s emotional turmoil. It wasn’t directed at her, so she didn’t gain energy, but the handsome uncle was clearly very sad.

“I know,” Zhou Yu’s eyes grew misty, “in that kind of situation, it would be hard for them to survive…”

Seeing him like this made An’an feel uncomfortable. She lifted one chubby little paw and gently placed it on his arm.

Then she activated her Sky Eye search.

With the energy she’d stored up, her Sky Eye permissions had expanded significantly. When scanning areas, she could now cover a radius of five li. When scanning people, though it still required physical contact, the range of detail had greatly increased.

For example, when she first scanned Zhou Yu, she could only detect a general outline of his life and close blood relatives that influenced his fate.

But this time was different.

She saw—

Zhou Yu’s grandfather, Zhou Hu, was currently being supported by the Ninth Prince Qi Zhao. Though riddled with illness, he lived comfortably.

Zhou Yu’s uncle, Zhou Wei, was Qi Zhao’s most trusted military commander. Zhou Wei’s son, Zhou Rong, served as Qi Zhao’s personal guard. Zhou Rong had recently been injured, and Zhou Wei had originally intended for him to bring his sister Zhou Wen to find Zhou Yu, but was dissuaded by a letter from Zhou Yu. Instead, he sent the siblings to seek shelter with their maternal relatives.

Zhou Yu’s biological younger sisters, Zhou Qi and Zhou Mian, had been ambushed by the Third Prince’s forces while fleeing with their father Zhou Shuo. Zhou Shuo, though gravely wounded, drew the pursuers away, giving his daughters a chance to escape.

However, during their flight, the sisters were separated from their guards and eventually wandered into a remote mountain village, where they were taken in by a local gentry family.

Of course, the gentry family didn’t have good intentions either. They had been an only-son household for five generations, and the current heir was a halfwit. Seeing how beautiful and noble the sisters looked, the patriarch wanted to make them his son’s brides.

The girls had been too young back then, so nothing was said outright—but now the marriage was about to be arranged.

An’an wanted to dig deeper, but suddenly felt dizzy and quickly stopped. Oh no! She hadn’t even spent energy—how could she be hurting herself?

Seeing An’an’s face suddenly pale, even her lips losing color, Zhou Yu was startled. He immediately pulled her into his arms, touched her forehead, and asked with urgency, “Sweetheart, are you okay?”

Ding! Energy +0.04

An’an let out a quiet sigh of relief. At least the pain wasn’t for nothing. She lifted her tiny paw and cradled Zhou Yu’s face, speaking softly: “East… South…”

Zhou Yu’s body froze. His eyes widened slowly, his pupils trembling with a mix of shock and joy. When he spoke again, his voice was hoarse and strained: “An… An’an, are you saying my sisters are in the southeast?”

“Mhm!” An’an nodded seriously. The handsome uncle looked kind of silly right now… but also a little pitiful. What was going on?

Zhou Yu’s nose tingled, his eyes turning red. He took a deep breath to calm himself, then went to get some warm water and fed it to An’an. Seeing her face regain some color, he finally felt a bit more at ease.

He then went to the east room to ask if An’an could eat something.

Aunt Zhao came out and found some roasted millet. She boiled water and mixed a small bowl for Zhou Yu.

Seeing An’an cuddled up sweetly on Zhou Yu’s shoulder, Aunt Zhao gave him a polite thanks before returning to work on the winter clothes.