"What about the main dishes?" Gu Qingcheng asked.
"Steamed white rice, braised beef, and stir-fried lettuce," Mi Guo counted on her fingers.
When the food was served, Gu Qingxu saw the腌笃鲜 soup was milky and rich. She couldn't help but scoop a bowl and eat it first, finding the pork belly soft and tender, and the bamboo shoots sweet and crisp. She said,
"No wonder everyone says: a bowl of腌笃鲜, so delicious it makes your eyebrows fall off. Dad, Mom, Mi Guo, you should try it too."
At this moment, in Jinsha City, Aunt Qian felt a little unaccustomed staying in her own house.
Because it was cold!
In the Gu family's house, the underfloor heating was always kept warm, so they didn't feel cold at all.
However, in the Huang family's house, there was no underfloor heating, not even charcoal to start a fire.
Aunt Qian wasn't afraid of the cold herself; she had endured it for decades. But Xue Sheng was a small child and might not be used to it.
Huang Changsheng quickly said, "Why don't I go to the street and see if anyone's door panels are broken? I can take one to burn for a fire. We can't let the child freeze."
"No, buy some charcoal. Otherwise, if the neighbors see, and we're unprepared, they'll gossip. Even though we're leaving, we shouldn't leave behind any reason for people to talk," Aunt Qian said, concerned about appearances.
Huang Changsheng sighed helplessly and said, "Alright, I'll go buy some now. Charcoal is so expensive. I was used to being cold by myself before, so I didn't think about stocking up on charcoal. Now that there's such a small child, no matter how cold it gets, the child can't be cold."
As he spoke, he was about to go out.
Fortunately, Xue Sheng had not cried or made a fuss.
Aunt Qian touched his small hand with some concern. To her surprise, although Xue Sheng had been pampered on the mountain, he seemed not to mind the cold since arriving here. His little hands were still warm.
It seemed this child's constitution was exceptionally good.
Aunt Qian was secretly delighted. If this was the case, he would be easy to take care of, and she wouldn't have to worry about enduring wind and rain on their journey.
Aunt Qian thought it was the milk powder that was working. In reality, it was the effect of the Great Strength Pill that Gu Qingcheng had given Xue Sheng.
With such a small child taking the Great Strength Pill, he was practically immune to all poisons. As long as he was well-fed, he would grow up healthy. Aunt Qian would gradually discover this during the feeding process.
Just as Huang Changsheng opened the door to go buy charcoal, he saw two porters outside, carrying two baskets of excellent smokeless charcoal. They asked,
"Is this Huang Changsheng's house? Master Gu asked us to deliver charcoal."
It turned out that halfway along, Gu Qingcheng suddenly remembered that the Huang family might not have charcoal for heating. So, she had instructed people to carry four baskets of charcoal, about 100 catties, to the Huang family. Besides using it at home, they could also use it on their journey.
Aunt Qian was surprised by the Gu family's thoughtfulness and was overjoyed, feeling grateful.
Huang Changsheng quickly brought out an old charcoal basin from the house and lit the charcoal, instantly warming the room.
"The Gu family are truly good people. They must be very wealthy and live very comfortably, right?" Huang Changsheng asked, warming himself by the fire.
Aunt Qian wanted to say something, but she merely replied, "We're doing quite well. They've been very good to us."
She didn't say anything else.
Actually, Aunt Qian wanted to describe the Gu family's many kindnesses to her husband, but for some reason, the words wouldn't come out. In the end, it became that short sentence.
Huang Changsheng didn't find it odd. They weren't people of many words to begin with, and his wife's description was enough for him.
The effect of the Mute Water was indeed powerful.
On Cliff Mountain, Gu Qingcheng was drinking the腌笃鲜 stewed by Mi Guo. Seeing her praise it, everyone in the family scooped large bowls and ate them clean.
After eating their fill, Kele and Wangcai jumped onto the bed where Xue Sheng slept. They seemed to know Xue Sheng had left. They lay on his usual sleeping spot, quiet and not making a fuss, behaving very well.
Gu Qingcheng felt a warmth in her heart. Who said animals were heartless?
She stroked Kele's fluffy head and said,
"Don't be sad. We'll meet again. By then, he'll have grown up and can play with you."
"Sister, do you think Aunt Qian will always be so good to Xue Sheng?" Mi Guo asked with a sigh.
"Yes, of course, she will. Don't worry!" Gu Qingcheng had already removed all of Aunt Qian's worries by giving her enough money and information for survival. She believed Aunt Qian would not fail her expectations.
Furthermore, she had also mentioned going to the South. As long as Aunt Qian was a sensible person, she would know not to treat Xue Sheng poorly. Because when they reached the South, they would definitely visit Xue Sheng.
Gu Qingcheng tallied up her recent "satisfaction points."
Because she had been staying at home lately, the system judged her state of satisfaction mainly from the pleasure of cooking, watching dramas, and training. Thus, she hadn't gained many satisfaction points; only 220 in 10 days.
However, there was a significant influx of satisfaction points, 1000 points, originating from the unexpected reunion of Aunt Qian and her husband.
There was also a substantial gain of 10,000 satisfaction points, the source being: the joy of saving lives. This was because she had used the Great Strength Pill to help treat patients.
This batch of satisfaction points from the system made Gu Qingcheng feel exceptionally favored.
In total, Gu Qingcheng now had 12,280 satisfaction points.
Last time, she had almost used up all her satisfaction points buying a speedboat. Now, with a baseline of satisfaction points, Gu Qingcheng felt a little more at ease.
Besides satisfaction points, the task of collecting iron blocks to achieve the yacht's automatic repair also kept her intrigued.
But that required 100,000 tons of iron. In this metal-scarce era, it was an extremely difficult, almost impossible, task.
Before, completing the task of upgrading the yacht by collecting iron had required her to expend immense effort.
Fortunately, with the country suffering from the cold disaster and the enemy nation losing its combat power, there was no need for weapons or national defense. Otherwise, her collecting weapons to complete the yacht upgrade task would have severely damaged the military strength of the Great Zhou Kingdom.
It was like the little red dots that popped up in chat boxes on mobile apps; even if they didn't affect usability, it was uncomfortable to leave them unclicked. Now, with a task hanging there, she couldn't feel at ease without completing it.
A few days later, Gu Qingcheng told her parents about her idea to visit Jinsha City.
Mi Guo, Wangcai, and Kele also clamored to go along.
Seeing Wangcai anxiously circling her and looking at her pleadingly, Gu Qingcheng had no choice but to agree.
Kele, on the other hand, jumped directly onto her shoulder and refused to come down, making everyone laugh. Gu Qingcheng had no choice but to bring the dog and cat down the mountain with Mi Guo.
Gu Chaobei and his wife did not insist that Gu Qingcheng remain confined to Cliff Mountain.
Humans are social creatures. Some people choose to live in seclusion after careful consideration, enduring the loneliness of solitude, or perhaps due to a subdued demeanor and a rich inner life, finding self-amusement and spiritual fulfillment without boredom. Gu Qingcheng was still in her formative years, actively exploring society. It was impossible to confine her to Cliff Mountain like this. She still needed to experience the warmth of human life, hone her social skills, and become a functional member of society.