Chapter 12: Shopping Trip with the Two Children

"That would be perfect. You don't need to be on guard against me. Let's make a pact: we live together in peace, wouldn't that be better?" Fu Xiaoxiao met Lu Lin's gaze, and he remained silent for a long moment.

"You really won't drive us away?" Lu Chen, unable to keep his thoughts to himself, finally asked.

"I will only say this once, so listen carefully," Fu Xiaoxiao said, her expression turning serious as she dropped her smile. "I, Fu Xiaoxiao, have never once thought about driving you away."

Lu Chen looked into the sincerity in her eyes. Could they really trust her?

"Fine," Lu Lin decided to believe her. As long as she didn't want to cast them out, they were willing to live in peace with her.

"Then, can you two go wash your faces and have breakfast now?" Fu Xiaoxiao asked with a bright smile. "If you don't eat soon, the egg and vegetable pancakes in the pan will go cold."

"Let's go!" Seeing his brother agree, Lu Chen's wariness of Fu Xiaoxiao faded significantly. Upon hearing that she had made the same egg and vegetable pancakes as the day before, he pulled Lu Lin along to wash up.

"By the way, I want to buy some things. Do you know where I can go?" Fu Xiaoxiao asked, watching the two of them. She had noticed how many daily necessities were lacking in the house—the two boys were even sharing a single towel. Lu Feng was a rough man, and the children never asked for anything.

"We'll take you," Lu Lin thought for a moment. Since Fu Xiaoxiao didn't want to drive them away, he would consider this her truce. She wasn't a bad person, and for the sake of their father, he and his brother would look after her.

"That's wonderful!" Fu Xiaoxiao clasped her hands together and smiled.

"Brother, she doesn't look like a bad person," Lu Chen whispered to Lu Lin while eating his pancake.

"Observe her for a while longer," Lu Lin nodded. She was nothing like Aunt Li, who always put on a kind face in public but refused to cook or do chores in private, often even stealing things from their home.

"If she isn't a bad person, then I'm willing to like her," Lu Chen said, happily munching away. Just for the sake of these pancakes, he decided he liked her a little bit. "She makes these so well. Even better than Grandma Liu next door."

"…Mm," Lu Lin looked at the golden-brown pancake in his hand. With its fragrant, crispy, yet soft texture, it was hard to disagree.

After breakfast, Fu Xiaoxiao headed to the kitchen to wash the dishes, only to find Lu Lin already standing on a stool, washing them with practiced ease. Seeing her enter, he glanced at her. "We will help with the chores. You cook, I'll wash the dishes, and Little Chen will sweep the floor. We won't be freeloaders."

Listening to him, Fu Xiaoxiao realized how much "advice" Aunt Li must have given them. Lu Lin was dutifully fulfilling his role as an older brother, determined not to let anyone think they were sponging off her.

He was sensitive and cautious. Though they were still just young wolf cubs, he would never show weakness when protecting his brother, even against larger opponents; he would bravely defend his territory and his food.

"That's good," Fu Xiaoxiao nodded with satisfaction. "Then thank you for your hard work. I'll wait for you outside."

Fu Xiaoxiao did not know that her decision to walk out of the kitchen without hesitation helped thaw some of the coldness in Lu Lin's eyes.

As she stepped out of the house with the two boys, she was immediately met with curious gazes. Fu Xiaoxiao waved at the women nearby with a friendly smile. "Good morning, ladies."

Seeing her greet them, one woman gathered her courage and asked, "Oh, Officer Lu's wife, where are you all headed?"

"Oh, I was planning to buy some supplies, but I didn't know where to go. So, I asked these two little gentlemen to take me!" Fu Xiaoxiao replied with a laugh.

Hearing her call them "little gentlemen" in front of everyone gave the boys a sudden sense of being relied upon, causing Lu Chen to puff out his chest. Lu Lin and Lu Chen acknowledged the women with a nod, just as Fu Xiaoxiao had done.

"Uh… oh! Be careful on the road then." The women exchanged surprised looks. They had heard from Aunt Li, who used to look after the boys, that the children were impossible to get close to, had terrible tempers, and were unruly. Usually, they wouldn't even acknowledge anyone and would just run off to the mountains.

Seeing them now, the women whispered among themselves. "They don't seem that bad, do they? They seem to be getting along quite well with the new wife."

"Exactly. They were actually quite polite; they even nodded at us."

"If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have even recognized them."

"Do you think the new wife is just putting on a show?"

"I think she seems quite decent—open and generous. And the boys don't look like they've been mistreated at all…"

The group launched into a heated discussion about Fu Xiaoxiao and the two brothers.

Fu Xiaoxiao noticed Lu Chen walking with a spring in his step after her little compliment, and even Lu Lin, though his face remained cool, had a lighter gait. She curled the corners of her mouth upward. If emotions could be made visible, their little tails would surely be wagging incessantly. Paired with Lu Lin's stoic face, it was quite a sight.

They reached the exit of the military base, where registration was required. As Fu Xiaoxiao filled out the forms, she noticed the soldier watching her sternly. Lu Lin and Lu Chen waited for her by the gate, and even after she emerged, the soldier kept his eyes on her.

Once they were a distance away, the soldier immediately called the office of Liu Hongjun to report the situation.

"She took Lu Lin and Lu Chen out of the base? Where to?" Liu Hongjun frowned at the report. Taking the children out of the base now? She wasn't planning on abandoning them, was she?

He shook his head, instinctively choosing to believe her. She had promised him just yesterday that she would honor Lu Feng's trust and take good care of the children.

"She registered that she is going to buy supplies," the soldier reported.

"The supply station in town is a two-hour walk away. Why didn't she come to me?" Liu Hongjun hung up the phone and pondered for a long time. There was nowhere nearby to shop; families usually left notes for the soldiers who went to procure supplies daily. Hadn't Lu Feng told her?

Liu Hongjun sighed and decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. He ordered the soldiers to keep an eye out and to inform her of the proper procedure for procuring supplies once she returned.

Fu Xiaoxiao had been walking for twenty minutes with the boys. There was no one around, and although a village could be seen in the distance, the path they were taking didn't seem to lead there.

"How much further do we have to walk?" Fu Xiaoxiao asked, watching how effortless it was for the boys. Her own legs were already feeling numb, and she began to doubt reality—was her stamina really inferior to that of two children?