Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?-Chapter 993 - 989: Seed

Dou Dou’s laughter drifted far into the night of the grassland, but his steps intentionally slowed down. He could have transformed into a Yin Wind and evaded instantly, but he left a bit of room for Tang Tang to happily chase after him.

Finally, Tang Tang caught up with her little legs fluttering, but instead of the expected tumble and play, she opened her small arms and gave Dou Dou a solid hug, squeezing him so tightly he almost couldn’t breathe.

"Han~"

Tang Tang grinned foolishly, her eyes curving into crescents, and swiftly reached into her pocket to rummage around, pulling out half a wrinkled tangerine.

But the moment she took it out, she froze.

The tangerine had already rotted, with only the very middle segment barely staying intact, and the sticky juice dripped through her fingers, making her hands smell sweet and tangy.

"Oh~"

Tang Tang stared blankly at the tangerine in her hand, dazed for two seconds, then without hesitation, she held up her juice-covered hand to Dou Dou, her eyes sparkling with pure anticipation.

"For me?"

Dou Dou raised an eyebrow, looking at the only intact tangerine segment, his tone somewhat surprised.

Tang Tang nodded vigorously, her head bobbing like a rattle drum.

Dou Dou picked up the tangerine segment and without hesitation popped it into his mouth. The sweet juice burst on his tongue with a hint of mild citrus sourness, unexpectedly delicious.

Amidst chewing, she suddenly stopped, her eyes brightening as she stared at Tang Tang and asked, "Wait a minute! Can you hear me talking?"

"Oh?"

Tang Tang blinked, looking at her with a puzzled expression, as if she didn’t understand the implication of the words.

She stuck out her pink little tongue, cautiously licking the tangerine juice in her palm. The saliva mixed with the sweet syrup dripped down the corner of her mouth, making Dou Dou frown and draw back with a face full of disdain.

"Are you pretending to be clueless on purpose?"

Dou Dou reached out and poked Tang Tang’s cheek.

"Sometimes you can hear, sometimes you can’t. Are you teasing me? I’m called Dou Dou, not Dou Dou... huh..."

Dou Dou confused herself with her own words.

"Han~"

Tang Tang just grinned foolishly, showing two small sharp teeth, letting Dou Dou poke her cheek, remaining in that same innocent and ignorant manner.

Usually mischievous and articulate Dou Dou, facing such an oblivious Tang Tang, could do nothing but roll her eyes in resignation, completely helpless.

She tugged Tang Tang’s little hand and started walking back.

The two of them, with their chasing game, had unknowingly run far from the camp. The grassland’s night wind carried a chill, blowing their little cheeks into a rosy hue.

Just then, with a "swish" sound, a furry little animal suddenly darted from underground. Its round body skimmed the ground swiftly, brushing right past their feet.

Dou Dou and Tang Tang were both startled by the unexpected commotion. Dou Dou instinctively let out a "ya" while Tang Tang, scared, hid behind Dou Dou, clutching Dou Dou’s clothing tightly, her body slightly trembling.

"Wow, it’s a Big Rat!" Dou Dou, seeing what the animal was, breathed a sigh of relief.

The rats on the grassland were indeed quite a few, and larger than those in the city, round and fearless. She had already seen several today.

She wasn’t scared at all, instead found it rather novel, turning to look at Tang Tang who was hiding behind her, asking in surprise, "Are you actually afraid of mice?"

Tang Tang timidly nodded, her eyes still fixed on the spot where the rat had scurried across, her little body remaining tense.

"Huh? Something seems off..." Dou Dou scratched her head, feeling that Tang Tang’s reaction was different than usual, but couldn’t quite put her finger on what was odd.

Quickly shaking her head, she patted her own little chest proudly and said, "Whatever! Don’t be scared, I’ll protect you!"

"Dou Dou~ Tang Tang~ Come back quickly!"

Just then, Taozi’s voice drifted over with the night wind, carrying a hint of urgency.

They looked up to see Taozi holding a small lantern, following their footprints towards them, the light swaying in the night like a warm little star.

"It’s Aunt Taozi!"

Dou Dou’s eyes lit up, swiftly pulling Tang Tang towards Taozi’s direction, "Hurry up, Auntie’s calling us!"

Tang Tang still walked cautiously, occasionally glancing down at the grass beneath her feet, afraid another Big Rat might spring up from the ground, keeping her small hand tightly gripping Dou Dou, not daring to loosen her hold for a moment.

Fortunately, they didn’t have to walk much further before Taozi met them, and Tang Tang immediately let go of Dou Dou’s hand, rushing into Taozi’s arms seeking comfort.

By the time they returned to camp, they were greeted by the enticing aroma of meat.

Shen Siyuan had already set up a barbecue grill, the coals roaring, orange flames dancing, casting a warm glow over his side profile. Neatly skewered meat was arranged beside him, and Shen Siyuan was busy flipping the meat on skewers, the oil dripping onto the charcoal with a "sizzle" sound, releasing thick smoke and delicious aromas.

The two little ones immediately got starry-eyed, jostling to get closer, especially Tang Tang, who was drooling over the sizzling, juicy grilled meat, soaking the small bib around her neck.

"Shoo, shoo, go play over there."

Shen Siyuan waved with a smile, worried the smoke from the coals might irritate them, "I’ll call you when it’s ready."

"So stingy, can’t even smell it properly."

Dou Dou pouted, grumbling discontentedly, though her eyes couldn’t tear away from those skewered meats.

"It’s not that you can’t smell them, it’s that the smoke stings."

Shen Siyuan chuckled helplessly, pointing to a spot nearby, "If you’re bored, go help Aunt Hongzhuang skewer the meat. Once they’re done, you can have them first."

Following his direction, Dou Dou and Tang Tang saw that Xiao Yue, Duoduo, and Xiao Ya were all gathered around Ruan Hongzhuang, helping out.

Ruan Hongzhuang was carefully marinating a huge bowl of meat, with chopped meat pieces, skewers, and various seasonings arranged on the cutting board. The little ones were tiptoeing, earnestly holding skewers to string the meat. Their actions might’ve seemed clumsy but were remarkably focused.

The grassland night sky was as clear as freshly washed, millions of stars overhead. The campfire and lantern light interlaced with the scent of barbecue mingling with the grassy night breeze, creating an exceptionally cozy atmosphere.

This idea for a grassland barbecue came from Taozi, and Ruan Hongzhuang also thought a little gathering in such a beautiful setting was quite special. Shen Siyuan then volunteered to take on the barbecue task.

Dou Dou dragged Tang Tang over and joined in the skewer assembly line.

The little ones chirped and chatted, while Ruan Hongzhuang gently guided them, Shen Siyuan concentrated on grilling, and Taozi tidied up the utensils beside.

Laughter and cheerful chatter filled the camp, the warm essence of smoke and fire permeating the vast grassland, becoming the most heartwarming scene in the night.

Shen Siyuan glanced back, at that moment, it felt as if something within his heart was breaking through the surface...