"Grandfather, *wu wu*, Sister, *wu wu*, Yu'er is thirsty, Yu'er is hungry."
Perhaps it was the instinct of this body, but when Fu Xin Ci heard Yu'er's cries, she unhesitatingly grabbed a bottle of purified water and left the space.
At this moment, Meng Qing Ping was holding Yu'er and coaxing him. Fearing he would disturb others, he walked a bit further away with his grandson, about five or six zhang from the crowd.
Fu Xin Ci cautiously glanced around. The snores in the dark night continued, and it seemed no one was paying attention to their movements, the three of them. Only then did she quietly follow, gently tugging at her grandfather's clothes.
Seeing that his granddaughter had woken up, Meng Qing Ping's worried brow finally relaxed a bit.
"Ci'er is awake."
"Grandfather." Fu Xin Ci tugged at her grandfather's clothes, signaling him to sit down.
Meng Qing Ping understood and immediately sat on the ground, holding his grandson.
Fu Xin Ci could no longer hold back. She opened the lid of the purified water and brought it to her grandfather's lips.
Meng Qing Ping subconsciously took a small sip. When he tasted that it was water, he immediately took the bottle and fed it to his grandson's mouth.
Yu'er was both thirsty and hungry. He whimpered and leaned into his grandfather's embrace, drowsy.
Suddenly, water was offered to his mouth, and Yu'er immediately perked up. With a gulp of water, the little fellow sat up, grabbed the bottle his grandfather was holding with both hands, and began to drink it himself, "gulp, gulp, gulp."
Meng Qing Ping, afraid his grandson would choke, leaned close to Yu'er's ear and whispered, "Yu'er, drink slowly, don't choke."
"Mhm. Grandfather, you drink." Although Yu'er was young, he understood that the water in the bottle was precious and he couldn't drink it all by himself. Grandfather and Sister needed to drink too.
Meng Qing Ping smiled, relieved that his grandson was sensible. He then gestured for Yu'er to drink more. Seeing that his grandson had drunk his fill, he took the bottle and offered it to his granddaughter.
"Grandfather, I've already drunk."
"Ci'er." Meng Qing Ping, fearing his granddaughter would be reluctant to drink water and that something like what happened during the day would occur again, insisted on handing the bottle to his granddaughter.
Fu Xin Ci leaned against her grandfather and said in a voice only he could hear, "Grandfather, I really have drunk. Grandfather, you drink."
Fearing her grandfather would be reluctant to drink, Fu Xin Ci told him directly, "Grandfather, we will never go hungry or be without water again."
Without waiting to see if her grandfather understood, Fu Xin Ci seized the opportunity to grab two handfuls of egg yolk biscuits from the space and placed them in her grandfather's and Yu'er's hands respectively.
She knew her current hands were very small, and she feared that a handful of egg yolk biscuits wouldn't be enough to even moisten her grandfather's gums, so she grabbed two more handfuls and placed them in her grandfather's hands.
Meng Qing Ping took a small sip of the sweet, clear water. He then felt the small snacks in his hand. Seeing that Yu'er had already started eating, happily shaking his little head as he ate.
This was the first time Yu'er had tasted such delicious snacks in his life. The sweet fragrance, the delicious taste.
After eating three pieces, he refused to eat any more. He wanted to save the remaining two for Brother Qi. He hadn't forgotten that in the past few days, when he couldn't walk, his grandfather and Brother Qi had taken turns carrying him.
However, the snacks were too delicious. He smacked his little lips, but he held back.
Meng Qing Ping was the same. He only drank two small sips of water and refused to drink any more, no matter what.
"Grandfather, why aren't you drinking anymore?"
"Such good water, Grandfather wants to save some for that brat Qi. He's also growing, how can he be hungry and thirsty."
Meng Qing Ping thought of the help Qi He had provided them, the three of them, throughout their journey and felt immensely grateful.
He was also a grandfather himself. Since he was grateful for the boy's kindness, when he had good things, of course he would think of that boy and save some for him.
"Grandfather, you drink. We won't be without water or food in the future."
His granddaughter's words filled Meng Qing Ping with astonishment. It was at this moment that Meng Qing Ping remembered to ask his granddaughter where these things came from.
Before he could even ask, he heard a rustling sound from behind, and then saw Qi He, who darted over like a monkey.
"Grandpa Meng, did Little Yu cry from hunger again?"
"Mhm. Drink this." Meng Qing Ping lowered his voice and said in Qi He's ear.
Qi He felt something appear in his hand. He quietly tested it and heard the sound of water. He could no longer think of anything else and quickly brought the object to his mouth.
A mouthful of sweet, clear spring water flowed down his throat, and in the blink of an eye, he had drunk more than half the bottle.
Just as Qi He was about to speak, he felt a small hand place something in his hand. Then he heard Yu'er's milky voice say, "Brother Qi, eat. Yu'er saved it for Brother Qi."
"Eat quickly." Grandpa Meng's voice sounded in his ear again, and Grandpa Meng also placed something in his hand.
Knowing that Grandpa Meng and Little Yu were both giving him food, Qi He didn't stand on ceremony. He was too hungry, and his hands moved faster than his brain. He grabbed the food in his hands and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Eh, this food tastes so good. I'm reluctant to swallow it, even on my tongue."
"Wu wu, but I'm too hungry."
Qi He had grown up in the countryside. His aunt always prepared just enough food for their three meals a day, and he had to compete with his uncle's children for food. If he was slow, he wouldn't get any.
The small egg yolk biscuits were nothing. In a blink of an eye, they were swallowed.
"Wu wu, it's not even enough to fill the bottom of my stomach."
However, he didn't ask for more. After all, half a bottle of water, plus a few pieces of snack, although it didn't even make him half full, at least he wasn't thirsty. That was better than anything.
The feeling of thirst was too unbearable.
Fu Xin Ci knew that no one had eaten their fill. Since she had already concocted a story in her mind, she had no reservations. She grabbed another handful of egg yolk biscuits for Yu'er and two handfuls each for her grandfather and Qi He.
This time, neither the old man nor the two youngsters spoke. They ate quietly. Moreover, they ate with great skill, making no loud noises.
When they had eaten their fill, Fu Xin Ci took out another bottle of purified water and handed it over. Meng Qing Ping, seeing his granddaughter actually take out another bottle of water, felt his unease deepen.
After the initial shock subsided, his mind began to work. Regardless of anything else, he had grown up in the Duke's mansion and had served as a county magistrate for over twenty years. He still had some discernment.
It was night, and the surroundings were pitch black. Although his eyes could not see clearly, when he first took the bottle of water handed to him by his granddaughter, he felt that this water bottle was different from anything he had ever seen before.
He had secretly examined it for a moment. Although it was dark, when he brought it close, he could still see some things. This water bottle was transparent, and he could see the water inside.
Glassware existed in this era, so it wasn't strange to be able to see things inside a bottle. What was strange was that this water bottle did not feel like glass.