My game even includes ancient times

"what!"

"What happened!"

Zhang Yushi threw down the brush she was using to apply egg yolk and rushed to He Yu's side.

He Yu rinsed her hands under the tap with cold water, and upon hearing this, looked up and said, "I accidentally burned myself on the baking tray."

"Are you alright, Sister Xiaoyu? You were so careless... Let me see where you got burned?"

He Yu turned her wrist over to show her.

A small section of the back of her left hand and wrist were scalded. Clear, cool water flowed slowly over it, and her originally fair skin turned faintly red.

Zhang Yushi exclaimed anxiously, "How did such a big area get burned? Wait here, I'll go get you some burn ointment... Where is it?"

"It was an accident... There's a small white first-aid kit under the counter..."

Zhang Yushi found the ointment and brought it over to apply to her, muttering as she did so, "Thank goodness you had some medicine with you, otherwise such a big burn would have been excruciatingly painful. How could you be so careless..."

"Hmm, I probably went to bed a little late last night and was just a bit sleepy and spaced out."

He Yu quietly wiped away the tears that welled up in her eyes and looked down at Zhang Yushi as she applied the medicine.

"Your sleep schedule is usually quite regular, so did you miss your bedtime because you were so busy playing games?"

He Yu chuckled and said, "No, it's just simple insomnia."

Zhang Yushi twisted on the ointment and muttered, "Okay, don't get it wet, just let it air dry."

She carefully put the first-aid kit away and returned it to its original place: "Speaking of which, I also downloaded that game yesterday."

He Yu paused, then asked calmly, "How was it? Was it fun?"

"It's alright, the art style and storyline are okay." Zhang Yushi thought for a moment and said casually, "It's just that the faction battles are a bit boring. It's just the same few heroes and skills over and over again. I played for a while and then stopped."

"Oh, that's how it is."

He Yu understood; it seemed that Zhang Yushi had downloaded the "Jianghu Order," not his own.

She couldn't tell whether she was disappointed or relieved; her feelings were a bit complicated.

"Alright, you sit here and rest for a bit. Anyway, everything's almost done, I'll finish up!"

Zhang Yushi pushed her to sit on the recliner outside, then went back to the workroom to wash her hands, poked her head out and winked at her, before continuing to brush the egg yolk liquid.

He Yu snapped out of her daze and called out with a smile, "Received! Thank you, Yu Shi!"

------

He Shi bent down for the eighth time to wipe the stain that had accidentally gotten on the tip of his shoe.

He carefully wiped away the wet mud, looked around to admire the surroundings, and then slowly straightened up and continued walking towards North Commercial Street.

Perhaps because it had just snowed, the sky was exceptionally clear today, and the brand-new boots crunched on the snow.

I seem to recall having felt this soft and warm embrace before, probably when the old beggar was still around.

They had a lot of things back then: mats, cotton shoes, blankets, and a broken bowl.

Holding that bowl, the old beggar was always able to get food every day, teasing him, feeding him, and telling him all sorts of stories.

Later, the old beggar died, and the next day people came to steal his things. He was too thin and small, and he could only desperately hold onto that tattered mat.

He Shi wrapped the old beggar in the mat, but since he couldn't leave the city, he had no choice but to bury him in a mass grave.

In the blink of an eye, three winters have passed since then.

He Shi turned the corner and walked into North Commercial Street.

He walked close to the wall, intentionally or unintentionally, to avoid bumping into passersby, which inadvertently drew a barrage of insults.

As he walked, He Shi slowly stopped. He looked at the scene in front of him, and his previously cheerful expression disappeared.

The corner of the wall not far away was a mess.

The dilapidated low wall collapsed, the haystack behind it was destroyed, and straw mixed with snow was scattered everywhere. Two sheepskin coats had disappeared.

The once peaceful and sheltered little nest is now unrecognizable.

The surrounding vendors seemed oblivious to what was happening, but they all moved their stalls further away from the corner, clearly not wanting to get into trouble.

They're trying to steal things again.

He Shi thought expressionlessly, his heart pounding in his chest, making his hands numb and tremble slightly.

Finding thieves is easy; they go wherever people have money.

As dusk falls, the sun is about to disappear below the horizon.

He Shi stood in the shadows of the corner, silently watching the four beggars laughing loudly on the opposite street.

The two coats were draped over the shoulders of the two men, who seemed to be talking about something, their dirty faces beaming with exaggerated smiles.

One of the men, wearing a padded jacket, took out two golden-yellow cornbread buns from his pocket, broke them in half, and gave them to the other three men.

The group stuffed the cornbread into their mouths and chewed it heartily, talking and gesturing wildly as they chewed, completely carried away with their joy.

He Shi could almost see crumbs of steamed buns mixed with saliva spraying from between their lips; it was disgusting.

He frowned deeply, but did nothing; he simply left silently.

He tidied up the little nest in the corner, and the pile of straw mixed with snow made it hard for He Shi to tell the difference, so he just made do and leaned against it.

Those two windproof walls are very difficult to rebuild. Even if they manage to take shape, they will collapse immediately when the wind blows.

Perhaps only the magic of gods could build a sturdy wall from scraps...

He Shi piled those things up in the windy spot, which at least had some effect.

People always say that it's not cold when it snows, but it's cold when the snow melts. Today is much colder than the past few days. He Shi curled up and hugged himself tightly, feeling like he was hugging a block of ice.

A chilling, malevolent aura enveloped him from all sides, seeping into his body through every bone crevice.

He Shi sneezed and forced himself to close his eyes, but he dared not sleep, afraid that if he fell asleep, he would never wake up again.

For the next few days, He Shi spent his time secretly watching the beggars, except when he was looking for food.

They ate, begged, and slept together, never alone, leaving him with no way to target them.

------

As soon as He Yu logged into the game, he was hit hard by the quest notification sound.

Zhang Yushi, who was peeking out with a puzzled look, smiled awkwardly. She lowered her eyes and angrily tapped the task icon.

Unexpectedly, two tasks came at once this time.

Task 1: The Unlucky Patient

[Task Description: When bad luck strikes, it only gets worse. Your home is demolished, your property is stolen, and you catch a cold in the dead of winter. If you were in this situation, what would you do?]

[Task requirement: Please cure He Shi's cold.]

[Quest Completion Rewards: 10 Experience Points, 40 Copper Coins, 1 Warm Clothing Piece]

[Mission Two: The Pursuit of the Eldest Son of the Li Family]

[Mission Description: The eldest son of the Li family has caught the second-hand thief in the sheepskin coat. The second-hand thief claims He Shi is the first-hand thief, but he clearly isn't. As for who the real first-hand thief is, I think you already know the answer in your heart.]

[Mission Objective: Help He Shi clear Li Shao's suspicions]

[Quest Completion Rewards: 30 Experience Points, 200 Copper Coins, 1 Warm Clothing Piece, 1 Egg Drop Soup Recipe]

A cold? A sheepskin coat? The Li family's pursuit?

He Yu frowned as she looked at the two tasks. She exited the task interface and turned her attention to He Shi.