"So it's Aunt Jiang. Please come in."
Recognizing the voice, Xu Taiping hurried forward to open the door.
Xiaoyu's mother was named Jiang Ru. When they had greeted each other earlier, she had insisted that Xu Taiping call her Aunt Jiang.
"I haven't disturbed your rest, have I, Taiping?"
Jiang Ru spoke with some embarrassment.
"Not at all. It's still early."
Xu Taiping smiled faintly.
He noticed that Jiang Ru's eyes were red. She had clearly had a cry before coming.
"Huang Que told me you're leaving for Youyun Heaven tomorrow, Taiping. You didn't seem to have prepared much, so I took it upon myself to pack some necessities for you."
Jiang Ru set a bundle on the table.
"Thank you, Aunt Jiang."
Xu Taiping felt rather overwhelmed by her kindness.
"Also, these dishes and pastries are things Xiaoyu often used to ask me to prepare. She said she wanted to send them to you, but every time they were ready, we would hear that you had left Qingxuan, so we never managed to send them."
With a trace of bitterness in her smile, Jiang Ru placed a food box on the table.
Xu Taiping opened the food box for a look. Besides the pastries, there was a slip of paper introducing them, clearly left by Duan Xiaoyu.
After setting these things down, Jiang Ru seemed to want to say something. In the end, however, she merely let out a long sigh, rose, and took her leave of Xu Taiping.
"Taiping, I won't disturb your rest any longer."
With that, she turned and walked away.
"Aunt Jiang."
Just as Jiang Ru was about to step out, Xu Taiping suddenly called her back.
"Is there something else, Taiping?"
Jiang Ru looked at Xu Taiping in surprise.
"Back in the Immortal Gourd