The captain’s smile was infuriating, and just as his companions were about to gang up on him, he spoke, "The base commander gave it to us. He said we should at least keep some things for emergencies."
When the companions heard that the spatial ring was a gift from the base commander, meant to store their most crucial items, their earlier complaints from dawn finally ceased.
Sun Shu and Xu Shu, being the most reliable, immediately asked about the capacity of the spatial ring.
"It's about ten square meters. It's not large, but it's enough to store essential items for our missions."
"Does that mean when Sister Xin Ci makes us delicious food next time, Captain can just put it in the spatial ring instead of us having to run back with basins?"
The realm of foodies was such that they could think of food in any situation, leaving everyone speechless.
Fu Xin Ci, who was being thought of by her companions, was still pretending to be a child. Today, she finally managed to pile all the straw from her space outside the west wall of her yard, by the drying grounds, while her family was not paying attention.
At this time of year, hardly anyone went there, so she had to temporarily store all the straw there.
She had no other choice. The straw in her space was accumulating, taking up a large portion of the planting area, which was a real waste. She felt heartbroken looking at it.
This way, although she felt a bit apprehensive, at least it wasn't taking up space.
After piling up all the straw, Fu Xin Ci secretly returned to the yard to find her grandfather. She had just come up with a not-so-perfect excuse.
She wanted to talk to her grandfather and hoped not to frighten the old man.
At that moment, Grandpa Meng was sitting by the window, basking in the sun. The bright sunlight streamed down, making it hard to open his eyes, so he simply closed them.
Yet, Grandpa Meng loved this kind of sunshine. He said, "The weather is getting colder. Having this kind of sunshine is already very good. We must cherish our blessings."
After Grandpa Meng finished speaking and was about to close his eyes to continue basking in the sun, he saw his granddaughter approaching cautiously.
"Ci'er?"
"Grandfather." Fu Xin Ci looked around. She saw Qi He and Meng Yu Luo playing shuttlecock with Yu Er, and Xiao Bai also joining in the fun.
Her father and Meng Qi Cheng were out with the donkey cart fetching pine branches. Her mother and Tian Shi or Zhong Shi were cooking lunch in the kitchen. Nuan Xin sisters, along with Ke Er, were all helping to stoke the fire.
No one nearby was paying attention to the grandfather and granddaughter. Fu Xin Ci carefully considered her words before stammering, "Grandfather, I dreamed of that old woman again."
"Ci'er, you dreamed of that immortal elder again? What did the immortal elder tell you?"
"The immortal elder said she would give me a good place."
When Grandpa Meng heard his granddaughter say that the immortal elder was going to give her a good place, he immediately became flustered. Forgetting about basking in the sun, he stood up from his chair and asked, "Ci'er, what good place?"
Fu Xin Ci hadn't expected that her single sentence would frighten her grandfather. Feeling guilty, she supported his arm and walked towards the west corner gate.
"Ci'er?"
"Grandfather, don't be afraid. Let me tell you slowly."
Although Grandpa Meng was anxious, he trusted his granddaughter very much, so he patiently listened.
Fu Xin Ci spoke slowly. In truth, she was unsure and didn't know if her grandfather would believe her after she told him.
The grandfather and granddaughter finally reached the west corner gate, with Grandpa Meng waiting patiently.
"Ci'er, are we going out?"
"Mm." Fu Xin Ci knew that her grandfather had the key to the west corner gate.
Grandpa Meng didn't disappoint his granddaughter. He took out the key, and together they pushed open the west corner gate.
However, when Grandpa Meng saw the large pile of straw stacked outside the corner gate, his expression was one of astonishment.
After a moment, Grandpa Meng recovered from his surprise. "Ci'er, are you showing grandfather this?" Grandpa Meng, still in disbelief at what he was seeing, broke free from his granddaughter's hand and walked unsteadily to the large pile of straw. He reached out his slender fingers and touched several stalks of straw.
After comparing them, Grandpa Meng mumbled, "Immortals are truly different from us mortals. Not a single grain of rice is left on these rice stalks."
Fu Xin Ci: There might be. This harvest and threshing were done by herself using her dad's small combine harvester and thresher. Even though she was careful, she believed there must have been some loss.
After carefully examining some of the surrounding straw, Grandpa Meng continued to press, "Ci'er, what exactly did the immortal elder say about the place?"
Fu Xin Ci could see her grandfather's worry. Fearing that he would get agitated and trigger a major illness, she made up her mind to tell him about the space.
After all, the companions in Longcheng also needed supplies, and the long winter in Liaodong was approaching.
The cold winter lasted for four to five months. Setting aside other issues, food and vegetables alone would be a significant problem.
To avoid constantly lying, or at least not lying to her grandfather anymore, Fu Xin Ci began to lay the groundwork for what she was about to tell him.
Lies also required a certain level of skill, especially with someone like her grandfather who was knowledgeable and worldly. He might just see through it. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Oh my, this was really difficult for her.
For the first time, Fu Xin Ci realized this was a problem of the century.
Seeing his granddaughter's troubled expression, Grandpa Meng didn't rush her. Instead, he crouched down and pointed at the straw, saying, "This is good stuff. If your Thirteenth Uncle saw this, he'd take it all for himself."
"Grandfather, let's not let Thirteenth Uncle see it. Otherwise, we won't be able to explain it."
"That's true. The origin is a big problem." Grandpa Meng wouldn't really tell Thirteenth Uncle; even for their own family, they had to think carefully before speaking.
Seeing that her grandfather's attention had shifted from her previous words, Fu Xin Ci continued to weave her tale.
"Grandfather, the immortal elder said she might not be able to appear before us anymore."
"Ci'er, that's understandable. After all, she is a deity who is destined to officially take her post a thousand years from now. Appearing too early would disrupt the order of things, which would be bad for everyone involved."
"Mm, that's what she said."
"What else did she say?" The rest of the words were what Grandpa Meng cared about the most. He feared something might happen to his granddaughter, and he wouldn't be able to bear it.
"She said she's giving me a small world. This small world can be separated from the mortal world, yet coexist with it. It belongs to me alone, and in times of danger, it can protect my entire family."
Fu Xin Ci recited the above passage as if she were reciting a memorized text.
Grandpa Meng listened, dumbfounded. After a long while, he asked in a trembling voice, "Ci'er, what did you say, a small world?"