As Lu Qing knelt on the ground, he thought that once the situation improved, he would repair the ancestral shrine with the Lu family and dedicate it to their ancestors to repay their kindness.

Seeing him still kneeling despite his injuries, Gu Xingzhao quickly went to help, saying, “We’re all family. It’s only natural to take care of you. You don’t need to keep kneeling.”

[Collected Lu family member Lu Qing’s gratitude, Offering Value +20!]

Gu Xingzhao was genuinely surprised that Lu Qing would kneel over just a bit of food. If this continued, would he age prematurely?”

Go and get someone to bring the food. The children are still growing and shouldn’t be hungry.”

Lu Qing immediately called Lu Xingyao, who was accompanied by Lu Xingyan. Both were stunned when they saw the food.Lu Xingyao was astonished at how capable his grandfather was.

Gu Xingzhao, looking at the two, reminded Lu Qing, “Remember to distribute it quietly. Don’t make a fuss.”At the sound of Gu Xingzhao’s voice, Lu Xingyan’s hand, holding the food, tightened suddenly.

Who was speaking?

Lu Qing, aware of the treacherous nature of people and the harsh conditions, instructed his son and grandson to distribute the food quietly and avoid drawing attention.

Lu Xingyao understood the importance of this, “Grandson understands.”

Lu Xingyan was shocked, his pupils constricted.

There was indeed someone speaking, and it seemed they were talking to his father…The wilderness… was it haunted?

The two hid the food and distributed it to the twenty or so people, repeating the instructions over and over.

Looking at the unfamiliar food in her hand, Lu Zhou asked her son, “Where did this come from?””Father doesn’t know either. It must be arranged by some noble person,” Lu Xingyao guessed.

Lu Zhou was suspicious, “A noble?”

If such a noble had helped, the Lu family wouldn’t have fallen to the state of exile. This food seemed rather strange.

Lu Xingyao couldn’t explain, as he hadn’t seen any noble, just making assumptions. He carried the food to others.

Lu Youtang, a young child who loved sweet foods, was thrilled to eat a Snickers and excitedly showed it to Xu Shi, “Mother, it’s delicious!”Seeing her daughter, Xu Shi made a decision.

With tears in her eyes, she embraced her daughter, understanding the pain and hardships of being a parent.She gave her piece of food to her daughter, feeling pained by her young child’s suffering.

Lu Yang, having seen his wife give her share to their daughter, put his piece into his wife’s hand.Knowing his wife didn’t like him and avoiding touching her hand to avoid rejection, he turned to his brother, “This food is better than hard biscuits. It looks novel. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Song Shi was surprised. The second master had tasted everything from all over, yet there was something he hadn’t tried?

Lu Zhou wondered if there was truly someone in the court helping the Lu family. Seeing her husband’s worried expression, Song Shi joked, “Could it be the ancestors of the Lu family have blessed us with food?”

Lu Xingyan, however, caught on to the key point, “Ancestors blessing us?”

Lu Yang, who had been quick to speak, added, “You missed it, Third Brother. Father, to comfort Youtang, said that the Lu family’s ancestors were blessing him with food and medicine while in prison!”

It was surprising that their usually serious father, who didn’t believe in ghosts or gods, would say such things to comfort Youtang.

Lu Zhou’s expression darkened, “Second Brother, don’t speak nonsense. Father survived a great ordeal. Don’t spread baseless stories.”

Lu Yang stopped talking but gave his brother a knowing look.

Lu Xingyan’s lips pressed thin, contemplating deeply. Could that voice have been from an ancestor?

[Collected Lu family member Lu Xingyan’s gratitude, Offering Value +10!]

Gu Xingzhao was about to leave when the notification popped up, causing her to pause. It was the first time she received offering value from someone other than Lu Qing.

“System, can I still collect offering value from Lu family members if they don’t know about me?”

The system explained, “Host, Lu Xingyan must have sensed your presence.”

Gu Xingzhao was surprised. She remembered Lu Xingyan, but had seen few images of him on TV, only recalling he was born to Lu Qing when he was nearly fifty and had been teased by colleagues.

Curiosity piqued, she walked over to where the others were resting. Lu Xingyan, with a pale complexion and a hint of illness, was quite noticeable.

Gu Xingzhao squatted down to observe him closely. He was the most similar to Lu Qing in appearance among the three sons.His refined and gentle looks were overshadowed by his sickness, making him appear delicate.

“He’s truly a sickly beauty…”

The voice echoed again, causing Lu Xingyan to become nervous.

He felt the pressure of the “ancestor” so strongly he could barely breathe.

Just then, a commotion erupted as officials hurriedly went to the carriage at the rear, returning shortly with grim expressions, some even cursing, “Does she still think she’s a precious princess? Doesn’t she see she’s been exiled…”

“Don’t worry about her. If she starves, it’s not our concern.”

“Really not concerned?”

“The emperor has abandoned her, so why be afraid?”

Nearby, Lu Qing was talking to a maid beside the little princess. The maid went away after a while.

The little princess, used to the luxuries of the palace, couldn’t stomach the coarse bread and water and had vomited. She wanted some warm food, but the officials, deeming her too delicate, were unwilling to serve her and cursed her.

The maid sought Lu Qing’s help, likely feeling the princess’s situation was tied to Lu Qing.