Yabemiya looked at him uncertainly. “10 bowls of rice? That’s a lot.”
“Four, then. We can always order more later, right?” Lulu asked.
“Sure.” Yabemiya went back into the kitchen.
“This braised chicken is amazing, Amy,” said Xixi with a radiant smile. “I envy you for having such a talented father. This is the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten!” She decided this dish had blown away all the other foods she had ever had.
Amy was very proud and happy. “Father is the best cook in the world!”Suddenly, Xixi felt warm in her belly. She looked down, incredulous. She thought she had imagined it, but the warm feeling was becoming clearer by the minute as if her wound was healing.
Xixi made a heart shape with her hands over her belly, and whispered some spells. A green light appeared from her hands and circled her belly; then, a 10-centimeter-tall seedling slowly came out.
The tree had shriveled and looked dead, but on the top of it, a small leaf was turning green; it looked extra conspicuous.
Xixi was so happy that she cried. She looked at the little tree as if it were her own baby. “The World Tree has revived!”
Lulu stood up quickly. “Thank God!” He walked over to her, crouched down, and looked at the tree with a blissful look, his hands shaking with excitement.
Xixi’s tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Lulu held her in his arms; she buried her face in his chest, tears wetting his shirt. “You’ll soon be able to bear children again,” Lulu said. “We will revive the dryads.”Over 100 years ago, the dryads had got wiped out. Lulu and Xixi had escaped with a seed of the World Tree, but their enemies had never stopped hunting them. Many times, they had found themselves trapped in dangerous situations.
Xixi got pregnant 30 years ago. They found a secret place in a valley near a lake to wait for the baby to come, but clearly it was not secret enough. They were found.
With a baby in her belly, Xixi was not as agile as before. They barely made it out alive, but a poisoned arrow caught her in the belly and killed the baby.
The seedling gave its vitality to her and brought her back from the brink of death, but it shriveled.
They had tried countless ways to revive it—they had even bought some water from the Spring of Life—but to no avail.
Because of her wound, Xixi lost her ability to bear children. It was cruel, especially for a girl who liked kids.
It really broke Lulu’s heart every time he saw her play with children.
But now, everything might change. If the World Tree revived, it could provide her with energy and power. Her wound would heal, and she would be able to bear children again.
Hope had been ignited; they had found their purpose in life again.
Amy didn’t understand why they suddenly started crying, but she decided not to disturb them.
The customers nearby looked at them, confused.
“The food is so delicious that it made her cry?” a customer whispered.
“Probably. I’m halfway through my life, but it’s the first time I’ve eaten such delicious food. It’s so sad when I think about the fact that I don’t have many years to live to eat this,” a middle-aged man said, wiping the tears off the corners of his eyes.
“You’re so embarrassing, Father.” His young son picked up his bowl and turned away.
The middle-aged man slapped his chopsticks down on the table. “Oh, am I?”
“I’m sorry, Father. Please don’t do anything rash that might lead to us being banned.”
His father looked at Amy, picked up his chopsticks, and started eating again.
Xixi’s sobbing wasn’t loud, so she didn’t disturb other customers.
“I think the World Tree was revived because of this braised chicken, Lulu,” she said. She had stopped crying, but her eyes were still red. “So I decided to have one more bowl.”
