My game even includes ancient times

He Yu opened the door to the [Homestead] and led He Shi inside.

He Shi looked at her, puzzled. Did she want to play in the cave where she was temporarily staying?

Before he could even ask, He Yu raised his hand again and pushed open the door.

This time, after passing through that door again, the scene before me was not my own house, but a vast expanse of fiery red maple forest.

A cool autumn breeze blew by, carrying a maple leaf from the treetop. It twirled and fell, landing right on the top of Heshi Stone.

He Shi reached out and plucked the leaf, holding it in front of his eyes.

The veins on the unfolded leaves are clearly visible, and they feel cool to the touch with slight undulations.

"This is Red Maple Town."

He Yu led him forward, saying, "This maple forest is the largest outside the town, and the scenery is beautiful."

Red Maple Town?

He Shi looked up and admired this beautiful, fiery world.

Having witnessed countless magical techniques, he felt no surprise at this moment, but rather accepted the fact quite naturally.

The two walked deep into the maple forest.

On a slightly open area of ​​ground, a thick waterproof tarpaulin was laid out, and on top of the tarpaulin was a layer of plain-colored fine cotton cloth.

A red-eyed crow was perched on a low branch nearby, preening its feathers.

Seeing them approach, the crow opened its beak, cawed twice, flapped its wings, and flew away.

He Yu pulled He Shi to the edge of the cotton cloth: "Take off your shoes and sit down."

As she spoke, she took off her brocade boots and sat cross-legged on the picnic blanket.

He Shi scratched his head, took off his shoes, and went up to sit down opposite He Yu.

Seeing that he was seated, He Yu flipped her hands and magically produced a plate of cake.

She didn't have a birthday cake recipe, and she couldn't buy it at the flea market. Without a recipe, she couldn't just make it in the kitchen.

So a few days in advance, He Yu found a pastry shop in Hongfeng Town, spent some money, borrowed their tools and materials, and after two experiments, managed to make a simple fruit cake.

He Shi looked at the unfamiliar, pastry-like object in front of him and asked, "What is this?"

What a huge dessert!

He Yu carefully placed the cake on the ground and said with a smile, "This is called a cake. In our area, we eat a cake on our birthday. If you make a wish before eating it, your wish for the new year will come true."

Because of the ancient custom, He Yu did not put candles on the cake for He Shi to blow out, as this action was considered unlucky at the time.

"You can make a wish now, but don't say it out loud, or it won't come true."

He Shi nodded solemnly and asked He Yu, "Can I have any wish?"

He Yu nodded: "Of course."

He Shi looked at the round, beautiful dessert called a cake, slowly closed his eyes, and made a wish in his heart.

When he opened his eyes, He Yu handed him a small knife and two plates: "Cut it into small pieces."

He Shi understood immediately and cut a piece of cake for himself and He Yu.

He Yu picked up a small piece with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth.

Since there was no cream, He Yu used yam and milk to make a puree, mixed it with fruit, and used it as a substitute for cream. The taste was surprisingly good, but unfortunately, because there was no low-gluten flour, the cake base was not fluffy enough.

He Shi, who had never tasted this kind of pastry before, ate it with great relish. After finishing one piece, he looked at the cake and asked He Yu, "Can I have another piece?"

"Of course, eat up."

He Shi nodded obediently and cut another piece.

Amidst the rustling autumn wind and the fiery red maple forest, two figures sat facing each other, dividing a simple cake into pieces.

He Yu put away the tableware, and then, for the first time in a long time, she fell asleep after eating.

She casually leaned to the side and lay on her back on the cotton cloth. Feeling that the cone-shaped hat was pressing against her neck, she found a piece of clothing in the storeroom, folded it, and placed it behind her head.

It feels much more comfortable now.

Looking at He Shi, who was sitting blankly to the side, He Yu asked him, "Are you full?"

He Shi looked down at her and said, "I'm full."

He Yu drawled, "And a bowl of longevity noodles..."

He Shi blinked: "I'm not full."

He Yu was amused by him and took out a bowl of longevity noodles: "Here you go."

This noodle dish was made in advance and stored in the warehouse. It's still steaming hot when it's served. The soup is clear, the noodles are chewy, and a beautiful poached egg sits on top, just like it was made fresh.

He Shi took the large bowl, slurped up the noodles in no time, wiped his mouth casually, and handed the bowl back to He Yu, letting out a loud burp as he did so.

He Yu stretched out her arm and patted his head with a smile.

He Shi's ears turned slightly red. He adjusted his position and sat down next to He Yu, hugging his knees.

Perhaps it was that warm hug that completely closed the distance between the two of them. Sitting next to her like this, He Shi felt very calm and was no longer as apprehensive as before.

He took the statue out of his pocket and gently pressed the switch.

The light music flowed between the two, and the cool autumn breeze made them feel so comfortable that they almost fell asleep.

He Yu closed her eyes, feeling her thoughts gradually empty, as if her soul was being detached, and she was about to fall into a deep sleep.

He Shi tilted his head to look at her.

The veil that Fang never removed was now gently covering her face, revealing a hint of the tip of her nose.

Just then, a maple leaf was blown to the top of the black outline, slowly slid to the side, and came to rest on the cheek.

He Shi's fingers twitched, and he felt an inexplicable itch on his fingertips, along with an urgent urge to lift her veil.

But after staring at it for a long time, he silently gave up the idea.

I can't peek secretly, that's not right. I have to ask my sister if she's willing to let me see.

Thinking this, He Shi moved slightly closer to He Yu: "Sister, may I see what you look like under your veil?"

He Yu heard his voice, and her blurred consciousness cleared slightly: "Huh? What did you just say?"

He Shi clenched his fingers, lowered his eyes, and repeated his question softly again: "May I see what you look like under your veil?"

His voice trembled slightly, without him even realizing it.

He Yu blinked, fully waking up.

Thinking about what she looked like under her veil, she suddenly felt like teasing him: "Of course, you can lift it up and see."

He Shi was taken aback when she agreed so readily, and then he realized what was happening.

He then became happy again, and the thought of finally finding the answer to something he had been curious about for so long made him a little nervous.

Wiping his hands on his clothes, He Shi turned around, knelt on He Yu's shoulders, and slowly lifted the bottom edge of her veil with both hands.

What expression is my sister making now? Perhaps she's smiling; her face—

It's a mask?!

He Shi's arm froze in mid-air, his expectant gaze falling on the black, intricately carved mask, and he was completely dumbfounded.

"Pfft hahahaha..."

He Yu couldn't help but burst into laughter. She no longer cared about maintaining her public image, and while laughing, she tapped He Shi's nose with her fingertip: "Hahaha, how about that? Didn't expect that, did you? Hahaha..."

He Shi met her gaze, but where her eyes should have been were covered by a dark mask, and even her mouth and nose were completely covered.

"Sister..." He Shi asked blankly, "Can you see?"