The next day, Ruan Shu couldn’t resist the urge to visit her dad.
To make it special, she got up extra early, planning to bake some little cakes to bring along.
But then, she remembered her dad didn’t particularly like cakes.
“Hey, big brother, what month is it now?”
“It’s August. Why do you ask?”
Ruan Fengsi came in, holding a glass of water.
August… Ruan Shu suddenly thought of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
She turned her head. “During the Mid-Autumn Festival, we eat mooncakes.”
She knew how to make mooncakes herself.
“What festival?”
Ruan Shu paused for a moment. “Don’t you celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival here?”
Seeing her puzzled expression, Ruan Fengsi guessed that she must be talking about a holiday from the “dream” world she’d mentioned before.
He walked over and gently ruffled her hair.
“Tell me about it?”
Ruan Shu glanced at him and, in a soft voice, began to tell him the story of the Mid-Autumn Festival, focusing on the famous tale of Chang’e flying to the moon.
As she spoke, a poem about the moon and reunion came to mind.
In her past life, because she was introverted and didn’t like talking to people, she found solace in reading all sorts of books, especially ones about crafts and poetry.
“In the history of that world, there was a poet named Su Shi who wrote a beautiful poem about the moon and reunion. I can recite it for you, big brother!”
Seeing him nod, Ruan Shu began reciting Shui Diao Ge Tou in her soft, tender voice: “When will the moon be clear and bright? With a cup of wine in hand, I ask the clear sky. In the heavens on this night, I wonder what year it would be…”
The allure of ancient poetry transcends worlds.
Although Ruan Fengsi wasn’t exactly a cultured man, that didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate beauty.
In this universe, most races didn’t particularly excel in literature. For students in their world, literature wasn’t a required subject, though history and politics were.
Even so, Ruan Fengsi found himself moved by the strange yet captivating rhythm, experiencing the beauty of literature for the first time.
“May we all be blessed with longevity. Though far apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together…”
He murmured along, then sighed. “They’re just ordinary words, yet combined like this, they’re so beautiful—both the poem and the story you told.”
Ruan Shu nodded happily, humming as she began making mooncakes, with the tune of Shui Diao Ge Tou in her mind. She even pulled her big brother over to help.
Most of the process was done by the household robot, which was programmed for such tasks, so all she had to do was prepare the filling—not too much work.
When the mooncakes were done, the first one went straight to her big brother.
In this world, many foods were similar to those in her past life, but some things were different.
Everyday foods were generally the same, but the special festival foods didn’t exist here.
For example, there’s the green rice balls for the Qingming Festival, mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival, zongzi for the Dragon Boat Festival, and rice balls for the Lantern Festival.
Ruan Shu wasn’t a picky eater; she enjoyed both sweet and savory foods, but most of her family members weren’t fond of sweets. So, she made plenty of mooncakes with salted egg yolk and ham flavors.
Clearly, Ruan Fengsi liked these flavors too—he devoured ten mooncakes in one go.
Ruan Shu: … He was about to finish all the mooncakes she’d made for her dad.
She sat down next to him, nibbling on a mooncake filled with red bean paste.
“Big brother, you promised that after you’re done eating, you’ll take me to see Dad. Don’t break your promise to Shushu!”
Ruan Fengsi polished off a ham mooncake in just a few bites, then playfully tapped her on the head.
“As if I’d lie to you.”
Ruan Shu gave him a goofy smile, then quickly went to pack up the mooncakes she’d prepared for her dad.
“Is Grandpa with Dad too?”
It seemed that ever since Dad had sent messages to Grandpa and her older cousin the other day, Grandpa had also been busy.
“Yeah.”
“Then I’ll pack some for Grandpa too.”
She filled up two boxes with mooncakes. Ruan Fengsi carried one box for her while holding her with his other hand, bringing her to the car.
As soon as they got in, Ruan Shu eagerly snuggled into her little nook in the back seat, her gaze fixed on the plush tiger on her brother’s dashboard with a big grin.
“Big brother, you put it here!”
Ruan Fengsi’s expression wavered. “Not exactly.”
He actually kept this little plush tiger on his office desk at work, forbidding anyone from touching it. After work, he’d bring it along and put it on his car dashboard.
Wherever he went, the tiger went too.
Not only that, but he’d even taken a picture of it, posted it on his social media, and proudly mentioned that it was a gift from his sister.
Seeing his colleagues’ likes on the post, he suddenly understood why Grandpa liked to show off photos so much.
He got a bit addicted to it, then posted the little knot Shushu had made for him too.
Recently, he’d been debating whether to show off his little sister, but he wasn’t used to it, so he felt a bit conflicted.
Wait, he could show off the mooncakes Shushu had made!
With all these thoughts in his head, Ruan Fengsi maintained his usual calm demeanor while driving, deciding he’d post once they arrived.
Ruan Fengsi’s hovercar stopped at the entrance of the Third Army headquarters for a security check.
After verifying his identity, the guard proceeded to check inside the car.
When the back window rolled down, he was met with a pair of bright blue eyes, clear as glass.
A little bundle, soft and white as snow, was sitting obediently in the child seat, her tiny fingers fidgeting, perhaps a bit nervous.
Noticing someone watching her, Ruan Shu tilted her head slightly and instinctively offered a soft, fluffy smile.
The guard was momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting such an adorable scene.
“Knock, knock…”
Ruan Fengsi tapped on the car window. “All done?”
The guard quickly nodded, standing upright and saluting him.
As Ruan Fengsi’s car pulled away, the guard remained a bit dazed.
Ah… that little one looked so soft and sweet, just like his dream of a perfect, well-behaved daughter!
“Don’t be nervous; this is our family’s legion. Just treat it like home,” Ruan Fengsi reassured her.
Ruan Shu quickly shook her head and replied in her soft, sweet voice, “I’m not scared! I’m just a little nervous since it’s my first time at Dad’s workplace.”
After parking the car, Ruan Fengsi went to the back seat, lifted his sister out, and held her hand tightly as they walked to the waiting room.
Ruan Shu’s small, soft, fair hand clung securely to her big brother’s fingers. She followed closely, her curious eyes taking in everything around her.
Whenever she encountered someone, she would flash a polite smile, looking both well-behaved and courteous.
The military headquarters was filled with tough men of steel, so they had rarely seen such a tiny, snowy-white little bundle of cuteness around. Everyone who passed by couldn’t help but take a second look at the child.
Ruan Shu was dressed in a light blue, pretty little dress. Her arms and chubby little legs, as fair as lotus roots, were exposed, making her look irresistibly adorable.
“Officer Ruan.”
“Officer Ruan, here to see the Marshal? And who’s this?”
Those who recognized Ruan Fengsi couldn’t resist stopping to greet him and took the opportunity to ask about the little one’s identity.
Even though Ruan Fengsi had changed careers, he had lived at the military headquarters for a long time and would come back to train here every year, sometimes even serving as an instructor for the new recruits.
So, many people still knew him well.
Ruan Fengsi simply said, “My sister.”
In just two words, his tone carried a hint of pride.
“So this is the Marshal’s daughter!!!”