“Mother!”
“Hee-hee~” She was very happy.
“Mother, I’m hungry… I mean, could you get me something to eat?”
After all, she had never lived in a place like this before, and finding food in a short time would definitely be difficult.
Since Zhu Xiaxia was right above her, asking for some food should be fine.
“Is my daughter not doing well over there? You can’t even get a meal?”
Zhu Xiaxia wasn’t intentionally teasing; she truly hadn’t expected this.
“It was just a small accident, nothing major.”
“All right then, Mother will send it over right away. I hope my daughter likes what I made.”
“Thank you, Mother! I’m at the spot where the house was teleported.”
“Okay.”
“Hee-hee-hee~”
“There’s food to eat!”
Zhu Qiu skipped back to the house.
As soon as she opened the door, she ran into Sodlan, who had gotten up to move around.
“Father, why are you out of bed?”
“I think it’s better if I handle the cooking, so I got up to check. But shouldn’t you be in the Kitchen? Why did you go outside?”
“I… I just went out for a stroll to get some fresh air.”
“But if you went outside, why did you block my bedroom door?”
“It must have been the wind. Don’t worry about those trivial things.”
Sodlan rubbed his chin in thought.
He always felt like his son was acting strangely, and it was always for some mysterious reason.
“Anyway, today I want to show you a new dish I’ve made. I guarantee it will satisfy your appetite.”
Saying this, he walked straight toward the Kitchen.
“Wait a minute!”
Zhu Qiu shouted from behind.
“What’s wrong? Or do you not like your father’s cooking?”
“No, it’s just…”
“Just what?”
“It’s just, it’s just…”
‘Think, you stupid brain, what should I say? What is it?’
Zhu Qiu patted her head frantically and suddenly thought of a great excuse.
“It’s just that I also want you to taste my cooking.”
“Your… cooking? Are you sure you know how?”
“Of course, I’ve learned. I guarantee I’ll blow you away,” Zhu Qiu said, puffing out her chest.
Sodlan gave her an incredulous look before quickly suppressing it.
“Let’s give it a try then. However, if cooking requires you to hit your own head, it might be better if I do it.”
“That’s impossible. Just relax and go back to your room to rest.”
Zhu Qiu shoved Sodlan back into the room and once again pushed the dining table over to block the door.
“Whew…”
She let out a long sigh of relief.
‘That was close. If Father saw that there’s nothing in the Kitchen, I wouldn’t know how to explain the food when Zhu Xiaxia arrives.’
She sat at the front door, quietly waiting for Zhu Xiaxia to deliver the items.
As the minutes passed, the sky grew darker.
Zhu Qiu rested her chin in her hands, her eyelids growing heavy as she drifted into a drowse.
“Mother is here~”
Zhu Xiaxia’s sudden landing surprisingly didn’t wake the Young Dragon.
“Zhu Qiu, what are you doing sitting at the door?”
“Huh? What? Me?”
Zhu Qiu jolted awake and looked forward in a panic.
‘Oh, it’s just Zhu Xiaxia. She scared me.’
“Zhu Xiaxia, can you give me a heads-up next time? It’s terrifying, you know?”
“Sure, sure. Come and see the dinner I’ve prepared for you. You’re going to love it.”
Zhu Xiaxia pulled a massive plate from behind her, covered with a hemispherical lid.
“Isn’t this a bit too big?”
“It’s not big at all. The portion size isn’t that large. It only looks big because the plate is huge.”
“Oh, I see.”
‘It seems Zhu Xiaxia really put a lot of effort into this.’
“If there’s nothing else, you should head back for now.”
“We have to part again so soon… Can’t you spend a little more time with Mother?”
Zhu Xiaxia was a bit disappointed.
She had thought her precious daughter was going to have dinner with her.
“Oh, come on. You’re already an adult dragon. Why are you acting like a child? Will you die without me?”
“But Mother has been living in the Imperial Palace all alone lately. No one is there to keep me company. I can only hide under the covers and be sad by myself in the dark of the night, enduring the crushing loneliness.”
“What about Xiaguang? Isn’t she always at the Imperial Palace? Let her keep you company.”
“Xiaguang had some family matters yesterday, so I let her go back. I’m not sure exactly when she’ll be back.”
Zhu Xiaxia lowered her head like a child who had done something wrong.
“Fine. Since my daughter is unwilling, I’ll just go back for now.”
“Another lonely night.”
She wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes and turned to leave.
Watching Zhu Xiaxia’s sorrowful figure as she walked away, Zhu Qiu felt a bit bad.
It was quite pitiful to live in the vast Imperial Palace alone.
She didn’t like being lonely either, especially when doing everything by herself.
Zhu Qiu quickly reached out and called to her.
“You… don’t be sad. I’ll go back to the Imperial Palace to stay with you tonight.”
“Really?”
“Really, I’m not lying to you. But we have a deal—no getting handsy with me.”
Despite having many similar experiences, Zhu Qiu was still afraid of Zhu Xiaxia’s “methods.”
“Great! Then thank you, my precious daughter. I’ll be waiting for you at home.”
Zhu Xiaxia revealed a long-awaited smile and turned to leave.
Zhu Qiu’s face instantly turned red because of those words.
They lingered in her mind like a lollipop, refusing to go away.
‘Mother actually said thank you to me?’
“Hee-hee~”
“I’m so happy!”
“Father, time to eat!”
Sodlan pushed open the door and walked out, his expression solemn.
“Son, what did you just call me?”
“I said… Father.”
“That’s better. I thought you had regressed to your childhood again.”
Sodlan tried to pat his son’s shoulder, but she dodged.
“Anyway, let’s eat first. Come and taste this to see if it’s good.”
“Alright.”
Sodlan went to the Kitchen to get two bowls, preparing to taste the dish.
“I have to say, just looking at the plate makes me quite excited for this meal,” Sodlan remarked.
“Exactly. I specifically prepared a large plate for this dish.”
“By the way, doesn’t a large plate like this only exist in the Palace? Where did you get it?”
“Huh?”
Zhu Qiu was stumped by the question.
“Does it matter where I got it? We should just eat.”
“True.”
Sodlan nodded.
“Today is the first time my son is showing off his culinary skills. I shouldn’t be a killjoy father.”
With that, Sodlan reached out and lifted the lid from the plate.