Hug
While Weisheng picked the job of earning blessings on Ru's behalf, Xiaoling cooked a trigger-free meal for Ru and brought it to his room. He had woken up calmer than before. Although quiet, he had stopped sobbing and screaming.
After setting the meal on the table, Xiaoling called him to eat. Surprisingly, he was pretty calm and ate well. Xiaoling purposefully skipped the after-lunch tea. Instead, she asked him what he wanted to do. He expressed wanting to go out in the snow.
As the two went out to the courtyard, Ru simply sat on the cold snow, pushing Xiaoling's sleeve to make her sit beside him. The residence, including the courtyard, was protected by the Arbiter's talisman, so they could go wherever they wanted.
"Master," Ru uttered after hours of silence as they sat on the snowy ground, "Can I say something?"
Xiaoling smiled at him and nodded, "Go ahead. You don't have to ask me to speak your mind."