Xu Qingzhu glanced in the rearview mirror. Master Xiao and Zizhen were already out of sight.
He looked away.
The green light flashing up ahead made him slowly press the brake.
"Mom, I want cake."
A conversation drifted in through the window from a mother and child walking closer along the roadside.
"Sure. I'll buy you some."
"Or—how about I make you some?"
"Mom just saw a really tasty cake online."
"Why don't you help me? We can make it together."
"Okay~"
Xu Qingzhu's lips curved slightly.
But the next second, his pupils contracted sharply.
He remembered!
He couldn't help tapping the steering wheel.
So... that had happened too...
Maple Leaf Crisp...
How had he never remembered it?
Xu Qingzhu couldn't help tapping his head again.
He wasn't even that old.
And already his memory was failing him.
Maple Leaf Crisp... He'd made it for Spirit Maple once...
Maple Leaf Crisp could be called a specialty of their family.
Back then, his mother made it every autumn.
That was why he'd loved autumn most as a child.
The weather was neither too hot nor too cold.
And there was Maple Leaf Crisp to eat.
Maple Leaf Crisp was really delicious.
Naturally, good things were meant to be shared with friends.
He took some of his mother's Maple Leaf Crisp to Spirit Maple.
Just as he'd expected, Spirit Maple liked it a lot.
Her usually cool expression seemed to soften a little.
He was happy.
No.
He was overjoyed.
After that, whenever there was Maple Leaf Crisp, he would bring some to share with Spirit Maple.
One Valentine's Day, on his way home from school, he happened to overhear some older girls discussing whether they should try making chocolate by hand...
His eyes lit up.
Of