“Why are you buying so much? It’s wasteful if you can’t finish it. Let me give you two portions instead. That’s all that’s left,” said Uncle Li as he began preparing the orders for Gu Xingzhao. Twenty-six servings of steamed meat buns? Was she joking? The freezer downstairs didn’t even have that much, and steaming them would require running upstairs to grab more. What a hassle.Gu Xingzhao was a regular customer. She bought breakfast here at least three or four days a week, so she knew Uncle Li well. He owned the building and collected rent, so he didn’t really need the money. He just ran the breakfast shop to keep busy, and sometimes, when he was too lazy, he’d just tell customers he was sold out.

“Uncle Li, don’t be lazy now. Please steam them up for me quickly; I’m in a hurry to eat,” Gu Xingzhao said, smiling.

Who runs a business and refuses to make money?

Uncle Li was speechless. Twenty-six portions of steamed buns—almost 200 pieces—was she possessed by a hungry ghost?

After waiting for twenty minutes, Gu Xingzhao paid for the buns, thanked him with a smile, and headed home while munching on a meat bun.

Meanwhile, in the ancient timeline, the exiles had been marching for over an hour. They were starving and had finally been given some food by the guards, but it was just one flatbread per person—hardly enough. Some prisoners began to complain loudly.The guards weren’t having it. They snatched back the bread and sneered, “Do you still think you’re some kind of noble from the capital?”

“You’re lucky to have bread at all! Stop being so picky!”

One prisoner tried to argue but got whipped for his trouble. Seeing this, the others quickly lowered their heads and ate their bread in silence. They couldn’t imagine what their future would hold; they could only survive one day at a time.

When Gu Xingzhao arrived with her provisions, she hesitated. It was broad daylight, and carrying such a large bag of food would certainly draw attention. At night, she could distribute the food more easily without being noticed. She thought about asking Lu Qing to find something to cover the food, but she couldn’t see him anywhere. So she concentrated and called out, “Lu Qing, are you there?”

“!!!” Lu Qing, who was squatting in a secluded spot, nearly fell over. His ancestor’s timing couldn’t have been worse.

When Gu Xingzhao didn’t get a response, she called again, “Lu Qing?”

Sighing, Lu Qing quickly pulled himself together and answered, “I’m here, I’m here!”

Finally spotting him, Gu Xingzhao said, “I brought some food for you, but it’s broad daylight, and I’m worried about being seen. Can you find something to cover it up so I can bring things to you more easily in the future?”

Lu Qing thought for a moment and went to discuss with his youngest son, Lu Xingyan. The area around them was desolate, making it difficult to find something like a basket or a bamboo container to store the food.

Some of the other prisoners’ families had brought bags or baskets, but those belonged to others, and asking to borrow one might raise suspicion…

They were really stuck between a rock and a hard place.In the end, Lu Xingyan took off his outer garment and tied the sleeves and hem to make an improvised bag. His health had always been poor, and he was good-looking. When he was imprisoned, the guards had taken pity on him and hadn’t mistreated him too much. They even allowed him to keep an outer garment, which was now coming in handy.

When Lu Qing brought the makeshift bag back, he explained, “We don’t have anything else. This is my youngest son’s clothing. If it’s inappropriate, I hope you won’t mind.”

Gu Xingzhao accepted the cloth bag and recognized it as Lu Xingyan’s. “It’s fine.”

She suddenly wondered how valuable ancient artifacts would be if she could bring them back to the modern world! But the Lu family, in their current state, didn’t have anything to offer.

Realizing they had probably finished the food she’d brought the night before, she added some compressed biscuits and chocolate bars to the bag—things that would help restore their energy.

Gu Xingzhao handed the filled bag to Lu Qing and said, “Traveling is tough. If any of your people get injured, there are medicines inside. You know how to use them.”

Feeling the heavy bag in his hand, Lu Qing was deeply grateful once again.

When Lu Xingyao saw his grandfather sneaking around, he immediately approached to see what was going on. As soon as he opened the bag, the aroma hit him.

Lu Xingyao’s eyes lit up. He nearly drooled. “Is that the smell of meat?”

Even Lu Qing hadn’t expected the food from his ancestor to include meat.

Each family member got a portion. Lu Xingyao, despite his own hunger, delivered the food to each person, quietly reminding them multiple times to keep it a secret.The Lu family understood. The other prisoners didn’t even get bread. The fact that someone was secretly providing food to the Lu family was something they couldn’t afford to let slip. But as they tasted the long-missed flavor of meat, many of them wept.They ate in secret, wiping away tears. Over the past few days, they had harbored resentment. If the old master hadn’t offended the emperor, they wouldn’t be in this situation. But when they saw the old master covered in wounds, with cuts and bruises all over his body, their resentment quietly dissolved.

On the road to exile, no one knew where this food had come from, but they understood how precious it was. The fact that it even included meat, and that the old master was willing to share it with them, showed that he truly regarded them as family.

Many of them choked up with emotion, trying to hide their tears.

At this moment, the twenty-six members of the Lu family were truly united.

After all the food was secretly distributed, Lu Xingyao finally sat down beside Lu Qing. The two of them ate together, savoring the steamed meat buns. As the taste hit his tongue, Lu Xingyao almost cried. It was so delicious!

How could anything taste this good?Standing behind them, Gu Xingzhao watched the grandfather and grandson sneakily enjoying their meal and couldn’t help but laugh. They were adorable.What she didn’t know was that her laughter was clearly heard by Lu Xingyan, who was sitting a little farther away, leaning against a tree.

Lu Xingyao wasn’t stupid. He had been observing all day and hadn’t seen his grandfather interact with anyone. Yet somehow, after just a brief disappearance, the bag was filled with food. And it was still warm.

Noticing his grandson’s curious and suspicious look, Lu Qing knew that they couldn’t keep the truth from him any longer, especially since they’d need his help in the future.

After looking around to make sure no one else was nearby, he whispered, “Actually, a hundred years ago, one of our ancestors ascended. Recently, that ancestor has appeared and provided us with these supplies.”

Lu Xingyao’s eyes widened, and his mouth hung open, leaving him speechless. “……”

The Lu family had an ancestor who had ascended and was now sending them food?As amazing as the food was, the idea of an ancestor appearing from nowhere was too incredible to believe.

Seeing his grandson’s disbelief, Lu Qing was about to sigh again when Gu Xingzhao walked over to them, squatted down, and tugged on Lu Xingyao’s sleeve.

Feeling the pull on his sleeve, Lu Xingyao looked down to see his clothing seemingly being tugged by an invisible hand. He thought he was imagining things and rubbed his eyes…

The next moment, he saw a water bottle floating in mid-air!

“!!!”

Lu Xingyao’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.He tugged on his grandfather’s sleeve with a trembling hand, stammering, “Grandfather… I think I just saw great-grandmother…”