Looking at the setup of the cave and feeling the warmth, his friend’s life is even more comfortable than he imagined, more comfortable than his own place.
Seeing this, Luo Song truly isn’t worried anymore. With the wise Grandpa Hua around, it surely wouldn’t go wrong.
Hua Jin was sitting nearby. She initially wanted to go back to her tent directly, but feared Luo Song might accidentally let something slip, so she thought it was safer not to rush back.
Granny Hua brought them into the cave and then went to help her daughter-in-law at the stove. With so many people to feed, even though there was ready-made meat soup, it was quite a hassle to prepare. Plus, there weren’t enough flatbreads at home, so Granny Hua hurried over to help.
"Granny, Auntie, we’ve already eaten, no need to trouble yourselves." Holding ginger tea, Luo Song looked at the always busy Granny at the cave entrance with some embarrassment.
"Don’t worry about it, it won’t take much effort," Granny Hua shouted while kneading the dough.
After all, it’s rare to see this child, they must prepare a hot meal.
"Alright, just sit down and relax," Grandpa Hua patted Luo Song’s arm, seeing his embarrassment.
"Have you been traveling an entire day?" Grandpa Hua felt a pang seeing the snow-covered boots of Luo Song, a boy about the age of his eldest grandson.
"Yun Ao, quickly take Xiao Song back to your tent to soak his feet, and lend him a pair of your shoes for now." He called out to his eldest grandson.
The two were about the same size, so their feet should be similar.
"Grandpa Hua, it’s not necessary, I’m not cold."
Even such simple words warmed the heart.
No wonder he thinks so fondly of his friend’s family. With such a warm grandfather and enthusiastic family, who wouldn’t like them?
"How could you not be cold? No need to be polite with Grandpa, hurry up," Grandpa Hua glared, urging him.
"Let’s go," Brother Hua directly pulled Luo Song up.
The gleam in Luo Song’s eyes brightened significantly, standing compliantly and smiling, "Okay, I’ll listen to Grandpa Hua."
His friend’s family treated him sincerely, being pretentious was pointless.
Hua Jin saw the opportunity and pretended to get up and return to her tent, taking advantage of the moment to get to her brother’s side.
"Big brother, remember to remind Brother Luo Song not to let anything slip," she said, making a pleading gesture with a wink before heading back to her tent.
Unbeknownst to her, Luo Song had already heard her words clearly while entering the tent, showing a knowing smile as he watched the cute girl who was charmingly pleading with her brother, his eyes suddenly becoming much deeper.
He suddenly realized that the little girl from before seemed to have grown up a lot.
Back in her tent, Hua Jin didn’t light up, instead, she returned to her space to take a comfortable hot bath, changed into warm pajamas, and started watching shows on her phone.
Most of the time, she slept in her space; no matter how warm the cave was, it couldn’t compare with the comfort in her space, where she could openly watch shows without needing earphones.
Thank goodness for her foresight, downloading several phones worth of movies and TV shows, adding a lot of fun to her otherwise dull life.
While Hua Jin was watching her shows, Luo Song soaked his feet, not only changing into his friend’s winter boots but also wearing his friend’s robe; his own shoes and clothes were drying by the fire outside.
He secretly rejoiced that, luckily, his feet didn’t stink, otherwise, he’d be even more embarrassed.
He then chatted with Grandpa Hua about the recent happenings, especially about how they returned to Shanggu Town.
Luo Song didn’t hide anything and narrated how he and his grandfather noticed something off and moved to the boat, ultimately deciding to come find them.
However, the plan couldn’t keep up with the changes; despite thinking it would go well, they still couldn’t find Hua Village once they arrived.
Hearing that Luo Song never gave up looking for them for months, Grandpa Hua was genuinely touched.
This is a good kid. In these times, he could have comfortably stayed in their sheltering cave until the extreme cold passed. Why risk the frigid weather to search for them?
A dutiful child, "Child, you’ve really worked hard."
Luo Song shook his head, smiling with closed lips.
He had his own motives too. Although worry was part of it, he also felt that the atmosphere in Hua Village was good; most importantly, the people were united under Grandpa Hua’s leadership. Every time he visited Hua Village, he had a rare sense of peace.
And the urgency within him pushed him to find Grandpa Hua and the others as soon as possible.
"Alright, stop chatting, Xiao Song come and warm up your stomach. Yun Ao, take out this basin for the brothers outside to warm themselves."
"Okay," Brother Hua nodded.
When a large basin of fragrant hot soup was brought out, along with a basket of yellow flatbreads, the people outside got excited again.
Along with the aroma of baked sweet potatoes, the hungry ones thanked them profusely.
Granny Hua served Luo Song a bowl full of meat soup, and the aroma made Luo Song, who thought he was full, instantly hungry.
When he was with his grandfather, it was fine as the servants prepared the meals. But once outside, he could only gnaw on hard flatbreads or drink some salted meat broth, which was tasteless.
Once he started eating, he couldn’t stop; Hua family’s food always suited his taste. He didn’t put down his chopsticks until his stomach felt stuffed.
This was the most satisfying and fulfilling meal he had had in a long time.
"Do you want more?" Granny Hua, feeling sorry for Luo Song, asked, seeing how urgently he ate, guessing he must have suffered on the way.
Feeling his stomach tight, Luo Song quickly shook his head, "Thank you, Granny Hua, I’m really full. The meals cooked by you and Auntie are too delicious to resist, I couldn’t help but get stuffed."
"If you want to eat, you can come over later, and Auntie will cook for you," Granny Hua said with a broad smile.
Whether or not he was just being polite, the words sounded genuinely pleasant. Mistress Qi, too, feeling pleased, looked at Luo Song, thinking how articulate he was, much better than her own son, and couldn’t help glaring at her eldest son.
"Okay then, I won’t be polite," Luo Song eagerly nodded.
He started to contemplate moving to Grandpa Hua’s place, but thinking about his grandfather’s health and the distance between them, he quickly dismissed the idea.
Given his grandfather’s health, traveling in such harsh conditions was definitely not viable; they had to wait for now.
"That’s the spirit," Granny Hua laughed heartily, "By the way, child, which mountain are you guys hiding on? Is it far?"
"Granny, it’s a bit far. We need to cross over dozens of mountains from our place,"
"Crossing over dozens of mountains, what a long distance, you’re really working hard, child. Why go so far?"
Brother Hua agreed with his granny. Staying outside for more than two hours was unbearable for him. He never expected that Luo Song, a pampered young master, could endure so much hardship.
"Initially, it was tough, but I thought I needed to train myself somehow, couldn’t just idle around. Gradually, I stayed outside longer, and with adequate preparation, it’s bearable."
Luo Song spoke nonchalantly with a gentle smile, yet everyone present knew that the process was surely strenuous.
Especially Granny Hua and Mistress Qi, who couldn’t stand being outside even for a moment. No need to mention this child who had been out for days consecutively.