"What? Didn't you get enough just now? Want another round?"
"No."
"Isn't that what you're after?"
Seeing the knowing smile on his wife's face, Grandpa Xiao couldn't help giving an awkward grin.
For a moment, he really had considered playing another round with his grandson.
"Come on, Xiao Xiao. Let's go eat first."
"After we eat, you and I can have a game."
"All right."
Xiao Xiao smiled as he followed his grandfather toward his grandmother.
The sky was just beginning to lighten. The thin mist had yet to clear, and the faint sunlight held little warmth. The air was chilly.
Xiao Xiao walked into the courtyard.
The familiar plum fragrance filled his breath, easing his expression and lifting the corners of his mouth.
Almost without thinking, he turned toward the Plum Tree.
But then his expression froze.
He walked over to the White Plum Blossom.
"Plum Blossom Woman."
He looked up at the yao sitting on a branch, staring blankly beyond the courtyard.
In the hazy morning light, among the plum blossoms that seemed carved from white jade, Plum Blossom Woman appeared to glow all over.
She seemed almost unreal.
Xiao Xiao clearly saw Plum Blossom Woman stiffen at the sound of his voice.
She had evidently been startled.
He raised an eyebrow slightly.
Had she really been that lost in thought?
She hadn't noticed him approaching at all.
This was a first for Plum Blossom Woman.
Actually, he'd sensed something was off from the moment he entered.
Usually, when he walked into the courtyard and looked up, he would see Plum Blossom Woman nearby, smiling as she gathered her skirts in greeting.
Had something happened?
"Lord Xiao Xiao."
Plum Blossom Woman gracefully drifted down before him, then bent at the waist and