Seeing the reactions of the two women, Lu Xingyao grew curious and tried to sneak a peek, but Mrs. Song quickly hid the paper. Still curious, he was about to press further when Mrs. Song hurriedly urged him to leave. This only made him more intrigued—what on earth had the ancestor sent that made his mother and aunt react so strangely, as if it were something improper?

Once her son had walked away, Mrs. Song unfolded the paper. The image depicted a girl without clothes, wearing a scant piece of cloth over her lower body. The ancestor’s drawing skills were extraordinary, making the image appear almost lifelike, which made it all the more embarrassing.

However, the ancestor wouldn’t have sent this without a reason; there must be some deeper meaning. She called Mrs. Xu over to take a look. “Sister-in-law, come here. It seems the ancestor has sent us something very useful.”

Hearing that it was useful, Mrs. Xu, though blushing, moved closer. Her gaze fell on the girl in the image, who was shown putting something on and then later discarding it. Mrs. Xu, being sharp-witted, connected the dots and hesitantly guessed, “Could this be a menstrual cloth?”

Since their exile and the journey that followed, whenever one of the women got her period, they had no choice but to use makeshift cloths, which were uncomfortable and difficult to clean. This made the whole experience miserable, often forcing them to dispose of the cloth afterward.

Lately, they had been worrying about what to do when their periods came again. But now, the thoughtful ancestor had sent these items, solving their urgent problem!

Mrs. Song’s eyes lit up as she tightly grasped Mrs. Xu’s hand. “The ancestor is truly insightful; this must be menstrual cloths!”

Mrs. Xu was also overjoyed. This was indeed wonderful—there were enough for everyone to use!

“I’ll take some to the others. One of the girls just started today and was fretting over not having any menstrual cloths to change into.”

She grabbed a few packs and quickly walked towards the other women in the family, a smile brightening her face. It was obvious to anyone who saw her that she was pleased, though they wouldn’t know why.

The young girl who had her period blushed when she saw the illustration. After Mrs. Xu opened a pack and explained how to use it, the girl took the item and went into a tent to change.

To her amazement, the product was nothing like the menstrual cloths she had used before. Though small, it could be stretched to a much larger size and was surprisingly elastic! She wondered what material it was made of—it was truly remarkable.

Nervously, she slipped her feet through the openings and pulled the item up like a pair of pants. She was astonished to find that the material absorbed blood instantly, leaving no sticky residue. The fabric fit snugly against her skin, wrapping around her bottom comfortably.

With the old menstrual cloths, she always felt sticky and uncomfortable, often staining her clothes. This made her reluctant to leave her room, sometimes not even getting out of bed, for fear of embarrassment and ruining her reputation.

But with these new “pants,” she felt secure and comfortable, confident that even if she jumped around, nothing would stain her clothes. They were far superior to anything she had used before!

Overjoyed, the girl emerged from the tent, excitedly telling the other women how comfortable and absorbent the product was, marveling at how it didn’t leave her feeling sticky.

“I’ve never used anything so wonderful before. Aunties, you all have to try this!”

Seeing her so delighted, the women were happy too. They wanted to open a pack to see what it looked like, but hesitated, not wanting to waste it if they couldn’t use it right away. Still, they knew they’d get to use them soon enough.

Mrs. Song, smiling, advised the young girl, “The ancestor wrote on the paper that this should be changed twice a day. Since we have to travel during the day, you should change it once in the morning and again in the evening. After you’ve used it, just throw it away.”

The girl nodded eagerly, feeling deeply grateful to the ancestor.

“Our ancestor is truly considerate, even providing us with such a convenient item. We are truly blessed.”

“Indeed. Back in the capital, we had servants to take care of everything. Who would have thought that life out here would be so inconvenient, with even basic hygiene being a struggle?”

Someone hesitated, voicing a thought that had been nagging at them. “I wonder who this ancestor really is, to know so much about women’s needs. Could it be a woman?”

Mrs. Song was surprised. “A woman?”

The others were also taken aback. They had never considered this possibility before, having assumed the ancestor was a man simply because the spirit had first contacted the old man. But now that they thought about it, it could very well be a woman!

At that moment, Gu Xingzhao placed some rice beside Lu Qing. “Lu Qing, I brought some food. You can call everyone over to eat.”

Lu Qing had already smelled the aroma but had kept silent, not wanting to disturb the ancestor. Now that the ancestor had spoken, Lu Qing quickly responded, “Thank you for your hard work, ancestor. I’ll have everyone come over now.”

Gu Xingzhao made the food visible to everyone. Princess Shunyu was the first to see it. Seeing so much food appear out of nowhere, she was shocked, her mouth slightly agape!

Even though it wasn’t the first time she had witnessed such a miraculous event, she still couldn’t remain calm.

Seeing her reaction, Gu Xingzhao picked up a box of rice and a pair of chopsticks, placing them on the table in front of the young princess.

Watching the rice box move in front of her, realizing it was a gift from the Lu family’s deity, Princess Shunyu blushed. Not knowing where the deity was, she shyly whispered a “thank you” to the rice.

Seeing her, Gu Xingzhao couldn’t help but feel like he was caring for a younger version of herself and had to stifle a laugh.

As soon as the Lu family members heard that food was available, they came in groups to get their share, each person taking a box. Some took theirs into their tents, trying to be discreet to avoid making the other prisoners jealous.

However, the aroma was so enticing that it couldn’t be hidden, making the other prisoners drool with envy.

Princess Shunyu opened her box and found it filled with meat and vegetables, still steaming hot and looking delicious. Her stomach growled as she picked up her chopsticks, but then she noticed that Mr. Liu Xiangbai was still standing nearby, reading. She asked, “Sir, aren’t you going to eat?”

Liu Xiangbai coughed lightly. “You go ahead, Your Highness. I’m not hungry.”

No sooner had he spoken than a box of food hovered in front of him, leaving him stunned. “???”

Gu Xingzhao held the box in front of Liu Xiangbai, thinking that while enduring hardships was admirable, there was no need to endure unnecessary ones.

Princess Shunyu gently covered her mouth with her hand and said, “Sir, the deity personally handed this to you. How can you not accept it?”

Prompted by the young princess, Liu Xiangbai suddenly realized, “!”

How could he make the deity wait for him?!
He quickly set down his belongings and respectfully accepted the food with both hands. “Thank you for the divine gift!”

Seeing this, the old man chuckled from the side.

Just then, Gu Xingzhao’s pocket vibrated. He pulled out his phone, and his forehead twitched when he saw a new friend request on the screen.

The message read: “Gu Chengzhang: Xiaozhao, it’s your father.”