Chapter 118: The Grand Assembly of Rice Dumplings

Seeing their son’s astonished expression, Mother Liu was also taken aback. Her sister and Father Liu, who were nearby, also turned their gazes toward him, looking somewhat puzzled.

"Brother?"

Liu Ping shook his head slightly and continued to ask, "Mother, are you certain about this?"

Mother Liu nodded and said, "Of course I am certain. You child, why would I lie to you? Tell me, how do you know your elder sister’s name, and why did you ask such a question?"

Liu Ping gave a bitter smile and said, "If I said I saw her, would you believe me?"

"You saw her?" Mother Liu’s eyes, filled with confusion, widened instantly. She asked in disbelief, "How could you possibly have seen her?"

Liu Ping thought for a moment and recounted the events from beginning to end, though he focused primarily on Qin Han.

After listening to the story, Mother Liu furrowed her brows and muttered, "My sister is indeed dead. How could this happen? Could it be that she has returned, but why wouldn’t she come to see me..."

Beside them, Liu Yue and Father Liu felt a chill run down their spines as they listened to this unbelievable tale.

Father Liu remarked, "In this bright and clear world, how could there be spirits or hauntings? If it were truly a manifestation of ghosts or deities, it shouldn’t be a life lived so mundanely."

Mother Liu did not respond but looked at Liu Ping and asked, "Do you remember where that place was?"

Liu Ping nodded and said, "It was in Cao County, outside the capital of Zhang Prefecture. It was on the path I had to take to return, so I remember it clearly. I also know the names of the villages in that area; it should be... the village before Cheng Family Village."

"I will get the map," Father Liu said. He brought over a map of the province, which detailed every village.

This world encouraged commerce, making travel between provinces smooth and maritime trade easy; therefore, such maps were common and not considered rare.

Father Liu held a candle and searched. Before long, he found the route his son had taken. His finger traced slowly along the map. "Cao County, Cao County... here it is. Cheng Family Village... hmm, found it. The one before Cheng Family Village is Luo Town?"

Mother Liu’s heart jolted as she stared intently at the map. "Is my sister in Luo Town?"

"That’s not right." Liu Ping looked at the map, his pupils slightly constricted, and he shook his head.

"What do you mean, not right?"

Liu Ping examined the map carefully and said, "The village I passed through was indeed before Cheng Family Village, but it absolutely could not have been Luo Town."

"Then where was it?"

Liu Ping frowned slightly and said, "Could I have taken the wrong path? That’s impossible... this is strange. Could it be that it’s not marked on the map?"

Father Liu frowned slightly. "This is the latest edition of the map..."

"Then, what is going on..."

The warm atmosphere upon his return had turned strange after this little episode. Looking at Mother Liu’s worried expression, Liu Ping felt a twinge of regret. He wished he hadn’t brought it up, at least not until he had figured out the facts himself.

***

In the end, no conclusion was reached. Even if they were to investigate later, there was no immediate rush.

After finishing dinner, the travel-weary Liu Ping went to the designated bathroom. Seeing the warm water prepared for him, he took off his clothes and stepped inside.

As he soaked, he noticed a faint fragrance in the air. He hadn’t paid much attention to it at first, but now he realized what it was.

It was the scent of the water...

Liu Ping leaned in. *Sniff. Sniff.*

"It has a faint, delicate fragrance... My parents each have their own wooden bathing tub, and as for my own, it hadn't been used because of the rush. Since she was the one who likely prepared it, this is most likely the tub Liu Yue uses daily. And this fragrance must be the lingering scent of her usual bath salts." Liu Ping touched his nose as he sank into the water, muttering, "No wonder the little girl smells so fragrant."

A voice came from outside the door: "Young Master, I have brought your towels and fresh clothes."

It was the voice of a maid, crisp and clear. Liu Ping vaguely remembered her name was Xiao Wu. She was about twelve or thirteen, with a delicate and clever appearance.

"Hmm," he replied faintly. Xiao Wu pushed the door open and placed the fresh clothes on the rack beside the screen.

Xiao Wu asked, "Young Master, do you need me to serve you?"

Liu Ping said, "No need."

Xiao Wu said, "Then I will withdraw. Please call for me if you need anything, Young Master."

Seeing that Liu Ping was too lazy to speak further, Xiao Wu quickly stepped out.

Soaking quietly with his eyes slightly closed, Liu Ping shook his head and thought, "With maids in the house, Liu Yue shouldn't have to do these menial tasks. She probably just gave the order for the bath to be prepared. That’s a good thing, but I keep feeling like we’ve grown a bit distant. Is it just my imagination...?"

Suddenly, Liu Ping sensed something. He pushed aside the screen and looked out to see a figure lingering by the door.

Watching the figure, who seemed hesitant, Liu Ping couldn't help but smile. "Liu Yue?"

His sister nodded from outside the door. "Yes."

Liu Ping asked, "Is something the matter?"

Liu Yue replied, "Nothing, Brother. I was just passing by."

Passing by and lingering for several turns? Liu Ping smiled, deciding not to expose her, and said, "Then help me wash my hair."

"Oh." Liu Yue responded and pushed the door open without hesitation. She immediately saw Liu Ping with the screen pulled back. Her small cheeks flushed red instantly. She covered her face with her hands, peeking at him through her fingers, and complained, "Why aren't you wearing any clothes..."

"How am I supposed to wash my hair while wearing clothes?" Liu Ping retorted. Seeing his sister’s blushing face, he asked, "Are you going to help or not?"

His tone was slightly condescending, which only made Liu Yue more obedient. She gave an "oh" and walked over.

***

"I’ve covered my lower half with a towel, you don’t need to be so shy," Liu Ping said casually as he lay back in the wooden tub, silently adding to himself, *You’ll see it sooner or later anyway.*

He couldn't help but let out a wicked, slightly lecherous grin. Liu Yue remarked, "Brother, your smile is really disgusting."

"Nonsense. How can you use the word 'disgusting' to describe your brother—a handsome, dashing, multi-talented, gentle, elegant, and chivalrous young man like me?"

Hearing this, his sister burst into laughter. She couldn't stop, and eventually, she was shaking with mirth, her laughter growing louder and louder in an exaggerated fashion.

He had meant to tease her, but he hadn't expected such a massive reaction. He felt a bit deflated. Was he not, in his sister's eyes, a handsome, dashing, multi-talented, gentle, elegant, and chivalrous young man?

"Hey, hey, hey, a little laughter is fine, but this is excessive."

"You and your glib tongue." After laughing for a long time, Liu Yue finally composed herself and gave him a coquettish glare.

She then unraveled Liu Ping’s hair and began to wash it carefully.

By now, Liu Ping’s hair had grown past the one-meter mark, and even he found it troublesome to manage. Truth be told, he really wanted to shave it into a crew cut, but he realized that would be far too shocking in this era, so he decided against it.

*The body, hair, and skin are gifts from one's parents—how could one cut them so casually?*

While this world was open-minded in some respects, it remained quite rigid when it came to such details.

Feeling a pair of soft, small hands gently scratching his scalp, Liu Ping felt a wave of comfort. The atmosphere was pleasant, and they didn't waste the moment, chatting about everything and anything, discussing recent events.

"By the way, I wrapped quite a few zongzi today. If you hadn't come back, Brother, I was going to go look for you," Liu Yue complained, clearly a bit dissatisfied with his late arrival.

"Zongzi... tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, isn't it?"

"That’s right."

"What kind of zongzi did you wrap?"

"I only wrapped sweet ones—egg yolk and sweet bean paste. I remembered you liked them, so I specifically made those," Liu Yue said proudly.

"You really are thoughtful." Liu Ping was stunned, feeling a wave of emotion. He remembered mentioning it only in passing; he hadn't expected his sister to actually remember.

"Yes, and besides those, there are meat zongzi, crab roe zongzi, plain ones, cured meat, chestnut, dried longan, candied fruit, and ham. It’s a real collection! I’ve never seen so many different kinds before." Liu Yue became animated as they talked about it, describing them with great excitement.

***

*There was a small bug in the previous chapter, which has been corrected. Many thanks to reader ‘k1001’ for the correction.*