Ye Qianning wrapped two or three red fruits in a piece of cloth, so it could carry them away after eating its fill.

Little Ximi ate two or three in a row before it was satisfied. It looked at the tiny bundle. ’This is too little! Can’t you be a bit more generous?’

"Think you can carry it?"

’I could carry a few more.’

Ye Qianning opened the bundle and added a few more.

Still thinking it wasn’t enough, Little Ximi picked up another one with its beak and stuffed it inside before finally stopping.

Ye Qianning chuckled softly. ’It doesn’t matter if you’re a person or a bird, you can’t be insatiably greedy. See? It could have easily carried two away, but its greed led it to take five or six.’ The bird grabbed the bundle with its claws, but no matter how hard it flapped its wings, it couldn’t move an inch.

Little Ximi tried several more times before collapsing onto the bundle, exhausted and panting.

Ye Qianning ignored it, simply lying down and entering her pocket dimension. She selectively tuned out Little Ximi’s cries.

After struggling for over an hour, Little Ximi finally gave up, grabbed a single fruit, and flew out the door.

Morning came, and the sun slowly rose.

Ye Qianning slept straight through until noon. She finally dragged herself out of bed and ambled over to the schoolhouse, arriving just as the midday lessons were about to end.

"Tutor," Ye Qianning called out, her chubby figure standing in the doorway.

The tutor’s blood pressure shot up the moment he saw her. "You’re late. As punishment, you will copy the Disciple’s Rules ten times." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Yes, Tutor," Ye Qianning replied, waddling inside on her short little legs.

"Did you finish your copying from yesterday?" Qian Zhuye whispered as she passed his desk.

"I finished."

Qian Zhuye was astonished. That was over thirty times.

Ye Qianning sat down in her seat and looked at Sang Zhi with a wide grin.

Sang Zhi scowled at her.

"What’s wrong?" Ye Qianning asked.

Sang Zhi didn’t answer.

Not one to press her luck, Ye Qianning decided to drop it. She hadn’t eaten breakfast, so she slumped over her desk, pulled a pastry from her bag, and began to eat it sneakily.

"Stop eating," Sang Zhi couldn’t help but whisper.

"But I’m hungry." Ye Qianning polished off the piece in a few bites, then pulled two more pastries from her bag. While munching on one, she didn’t forget to offer the other to him. "Try some. Luo Wen went down the mountain specifically to buy them this morning. They were fresh out of the oven, and since his Qinggong is so fast, they’re still warm."

Sang Zhi ignored her, sitting perfectly straight and focusing intently on the tutor’s lesson.

"C-Could... could I have one?" Qian Zhuye stammered quietly, glancing up at the tutor. Only when he was sure the man wasn’t looking did he dare to lean over and hold out his little hand.

Ye Qianning turned her head. She wasn’t stingy, so she quietly passed one over with her chubby little hand.

"Why are you sitting back here?"

Qian Zhuye was also in the back row today.

"Anyone who messes up and has to copy the Disciple’s Rules has to sit back here... Hey, this is pretty good." Qian Zhuye took a bite as he spoke. He loved the white-cut rice cakes from the city.

"Right? I have more."

"Does your Hidden Guard go into the city to buy you snacks every day?"

"Yep. And for lunch, there’s roasted chicken and soy-braised pork knuckle from Immortal’s Tavern."

Qian Zhuye had only been to Immortal’s Tavern a few times, but he knew the food was delicious. "Could you get some for me?"

"Sure."

"Man, having Hidden Guards must be nice," Qian Zhuye said, holding out his hand again.

Ye Qianning stuffed the rest of the pastry into her mouth, then her chubby little hand dove into her bag, pulled out another piece, and passed it to him. Her voice was muffled as she said, "This is the last one, so don’t ask for more after you finish."

"Don’t worry, I won’t take it for free. I’ll pay you..."

Listening to the two of them whispering right next to him was giving Sang Zhi a headache. "Will you two just shut up?"

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."

Ye Qianning had been about to say something, but a mouthful of pastry crumbs went down the wrong pipe. Her face instantly turned bright red as she began to cough violently.

Sang Zhi jumped in alarm. He quickly stood up and started patting her on the back to help her clear her airway.