18 twists and turns

  By mid-afternoon, all the mooncakes were baked. Qiuqiu took one and piled up a large plate, sitting in the courtyard in a daze.

  The freshly baked mooncake smells so good, but unfortunately the person who made it with me just now is gone and will never come back.

  He deserved it for having no good luck with food.

  Qiu Qiu took a mooncake and bit into it fiercely after tearing it open.

  The pineapple filling is hot and soft, like honey, sweet and fragrant, especially delicious. If it were usual, Qiuqiu would be so touched that she would almost cry.

  But today, somehow, the delicious mooncake tasted bland when it reached her mouth. The sweet filling made her tongue feel sour instead. After chewing a few times, she only felt how sticky it was, stuck in her throat, and had to drink some tea to swallow it down.

  The master is not here, the sisters are not here, and even the children have left. Autumn suddenly feels that this courtyard is very large and empty.

  A bit of white fluffy edge appeared on the edge of the table, followed by two big ears, then a forehead, and three-lobed mouth.

  "What's up?" Qiuqiu touched its head, feeling very good, fluffy and smooth, also very soft, and most importantly, it still had a warm tone: "What are you doing here? Where is your wife and child?"

  The big white eyes stared unblinkingly at the large plate on the table.

  Qiu Qiu lowered her head and took a glance: "Do you want to eat?"

  Can rabbits eat mooncakes? This thing is both flour and sugar and oil, can the rabbit's small intestine digest it?

  But Da Bai and Er Bai are no ordinary rabbits - ordinary rabbits wouldn't gnaw on candles.

  Qiu Qiu moved the plate a little closer to Da Bai.

  The big white stretched out two paws, picked up a mooncake, revealed two large front teeth, and started gnawing at it with a crunching sound. In an instant, more than half of the mooncake was gone.

  Rarely have I seen such a gluttonous rabbit - could it be that there's a master for every servant?

  Anyway, Qiuqiu didn't have an appetite, but seeing Dabai eat without a problem made the whole family of rabbits happy. Seeing them lined up from big to small, each holding a mooncake and gnawing on it, was enough to make one smile.

  Luckily they were still there.

  Qiu Qiu looked at Da Bai and suddenly became a little distracted.

  Why did she have to keep a bunch of rabbits around her when she never liked trouble?

  Was she aware that she would leave at that time?

  It shouldn't be, she wouldn't have foreseen it either.

  The house was left with only Qiuqiu, and the Lu sisters didn't live in this courtyard. Qiuqiu thought that her master and sister should have returned today, but she waited until nightfall without seeing anyone. Outside, the rain started pouring down, bringing a chill to the air. Qiuqiu was used to sleeping with Shi'er by her side, but now she was alone on the bed, feeling uneasy all over, unable to find a comfortable position for her hands and feet. The sound of the rain outside came in waves, making it hard for her to fall asleep that night.

  As soon as she woke up in the morning, Qiuqiu habitually turned her head to look beside her.

  But there was no one else around.

  Her hand stroked the empty half of the bed and slowly clenched into a fist.

  It's still raining outside, Qiuqiu can't go out to practice sword, sitting in the house, this time entering concentration is half a day. Lu Gugu wandered around outside for half a day, hearing that there was movement inside the house, and hurried over to knock on the door.

  "Aunt Lu? When did you arrive?"

  "Your aunt has brought in lunch: 'I've come a few times, saw you working hard and didn't dare to come in. The meal has been hot for two rounds now, hurry up and eat.'"

  Qiu Qiu sat down: "Sorry, I'm not hungry at all."

  "Autumn girl, it's been two days since the real person left and there's no news back. I'm really worried. I want to tell you that I'll go down the mountain to the town to ask around."

  "Ah... it's been two days already, and neither Master nor Senior Sister have returned."

  I thought it was a fish demon that could be caught easily, but why has it been so many days and even Master and Master's sister have gone to deal with it? Is this fish demon really that troublesome?

  Master, they won't be in danger, will they?

  "I'll go with you and your aunt."

  "No need. I'll go and come back quickly, just to gather some information. I'll definitely be back before dark. Our courtyard can't be left with no one in it, so Autumn girl should stay behind."

  Aunt Lu is also right. Someone has to stay at home, and Aunt Yu has a chronic illness, she was seriously injured in the early years, although Master helped her recover,

  "Then hurry up and come back quickly, Aunt Lu, don't be late."

  After seeing off Lu Nianci, Qiuqiu felt even more uneasy. She was worried about her master and senior sister, and also missed Ling'er, wondering where she had gone to by now. With the speed of the Spirit Crane, she should have arrived by now.

  I don't know what difficulties Fang Zhenren encountered, and she had to be summoned back immediately. Fortunately, there were several bottles of Qingxin pills in her Qiankun bag, and the weather has been getting cooler day by day, so it's unlikely that she will have another relapse.

  External factors are one aspect, she herself must also keep her emotions stable and not be anxious or agitated.

  The rain outside hadn't stopped, and by mid-afternoon the room was so dark that nothing could be seen. Qiuqiu went to visit Yu Auntie. Although Yu Auntie and Lu Auntie were only a few years apart in age, her hair had already turned completely white, and her face was full of wrinkles. After leaving Yu Auntie's place, Qiuqiu waited with all her heart for Lu Auntie to return.

  The rain stopped for a while and started again. Qiuqiu held the lantern and umbrella, standing at the door, and saw someone coming up the mountain from afar, who was exactly Lu Gugu.

  Qiu Qiu hastily went up to welcome him.

  The old lady didn't carry an umbrella and her body was all wet, with several stains on it, probably from falling down on the mountain path.

  Before autumn could ask any questions, Mrs. Lu had already grabbed her hand: "Autumn girl, something's happened!"

  Qiu Qiu had been anxious all along, but now that something bad has really happened, he is calmer than he thought he would be.

  "Auntie, don't be in a hurry, go inside first and talk slowly."

  Lu's aunt was pale, Qiuqiu handed her a cup of hot tea, Lu's aunt held the cup tightly, her voice trembling: "I originally wanted to ask around in town, but in town... there wasn't a single living person left."

  Qiu Qiu was also shocked: "How is this possible? Everyone, everyone..."

  "Lu's aunt took a big sip of tea: 'I've seen many homes, and many families are empty, some homes... on the walls and floors there were still many bloodstains, but neither corpses nor living people...' "

  "A few days ago, Auntie went down the mountain to buy things for Mid-Autumn Festival, wasn't everything fine?"

  "Yes, it was fine just a few days ago. I even went to the government office, but it's the same there too."

  "Didn't you find Master and Sister?"

  Lu's aunt shook her head somewhat dazedly.

  It seems like something has really gone wrong!

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  I must adjust my schedule, strive to finish writing during the day... I have a clear outline and ideas, but why can't I write anything during the day?