"Okay, you go ahead then. If the prefect keeps you, have the lad following you come back and let us know; we won't wait for you to eat." Jinghan cradled a child in each arm as she spoke to Zixuan.
"Yes, I know that. You don't need to worry about anything, just eat something good and then coax these two little ones to sleep. It's freezing outside, and there's nowhere to go," Zixuan reminded before leaving the house.
When Zixuan went to the government office, the prefect indeed kept him there for dinner, so Jinghan and the others did not wait for him and ate first. Qingyao could now eat with the adults, and this clever boy did not need anyone to feed him; he was able to eat with a spoon on his own. Although more food ended up on the floor than in his mouth, no one said anything. They simply spread a large piece of soft cotton cloth in front of him and let him eat.
