Chapter 208: A Surge of Respect

Chapter 208: Chapter 208: A Surge of Respect

Seeing her grandpa and uncle’s helpless expressions, Gu Nuan Nuan just smiled. Only she knew how serious she had been.

It was true that the Magic Treasures in the storage bag, even the low-level ones, could only be used by Cultivators; ordinary people couldn’t operate them at all. However, what her grandpa and uncle didn’t know was that Cao Cao had just told her many of the daily-use items inside had no such restrictions. For instance, there were bottles, jars, teapots, and teacups inscribed with Arrays. They might look small, but thanks to the power of the Arrays, their capacity was immense. And according to Cao Cao, besides holding liquids, these items should have no problem holding live fish either.

What was even more important was that these containers, even when filled with live fish, could still be placed inside the storage bag...

This news was incredibly exciting for Gu Nuan Nuan, but she wasn’t about to blurt it all out to her grandpa and uncle just yet. ’No need to rush,’ she thought. ’It’s better to take it slow.’

Gu Nuan Nuan shook her head and sighed inwardly. ’Sigh, my secrets are only going to pile up from now on.’ She said, "Grandpa, Uncle, I forgot to mention something. While this storage bag can’t hold live fish, it can keep things fresh. For several months, even up to half a year, whatever you put inside will come out looking exactly the same as when it went in."

"That powerful? Then what’s the difference between that and keeping live fish inside?" Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Wei Qiang were astounded, their gazes on the storage bag growing even more fervent. After repeatedly confirming with Gu Nuan Nuan and seeing that her mind was made up to only take the small bag, Zhang Dazhuang turned to Zhang Wei Qiang and said, "Since Nuannuan insists, you can have the biggest one. The way things are going, it’ll be hard for the Zhang family *not* to prosper in the future. And it’s all thanks to Nuannuan. I’m getting old. The future of the Zhang family will ultimately depend on you to carry it forward."

He glanced back at Gu Nuan Nuan thoughtfully, not trying to hide his words from her, and continued speaking to Zhang Wei Qiang in a grave tone, "Logically, the fewer people who know the secret of this bag, the better. But we’re just starting out, and this is when the bag will be most useful. Once we start using it, it’ll be easy to hide it from outsiders, but almost impossible to hide from family. We’ll have to tell them."

Zhang Dazhuang paused. "But thankfully, neither your mom, your wife, nor your sister are the type to gossip. Once we explain the stakes to them, they won’t dare spread this to anyone else, so it’s fine if they know. As for Zhang Su and Zhang Kai, they seem fine most of the time, but they’re still young. Even when they get a bit older, this secret isn’t something we can tell them yet. Fortunately, they’re both back in Zhang Family Village training in martial arts with your older uncle, so for now, we don’t have to worry about how to hide it from them."

"Exactly."

Zhang Wei Qiang strongly agreed with Zhang Dazhuang. He thought for a moment and said seriously, "Dad, I have an idea. If our branch of the family really thrives in the future, we should start our own separate family register and pass it down inside this bag."

"I was just thinking the same thing. You’re right. This family register can’t be made public; it can only be passed down to the descendants of our branch. And we’ll need to set a rule for the future: when this storage bag is passed down again, we can’t let the whole family know like this. From now on, this secret must be strictly limited to the head of the family and their chosen successor."

As he spoke, Zhang Dazhuang beckoned Gu Nuan Nuan over. With extreme seriousness, he said, "Nuannuan, Grandpa knows you’re not like other children. You need to remember my words carefully. In the future, even after you’ve grown up, gotten married, and had children, you must not reveal this secret to more people until you’ve had many years to be certain of their character. And even if you pass the item down, don’t mention a word about the Zhang family having one of these. Likewise, your uncle and I will never mention that this item has anything to do with you."

He patted Gu Nuan Nuan’s head, his eyes twinkling with love and wisdom. "Don’t overthink it. Grandpa isn’t doing this to erase your contribution to the Zhang family. This is for the benefit of both your future descendants and the Zhang family’s descendants. You have to understand, the most dependable thing in this world is the human heart, but it’s also the most fickle. Heh, who can ever truly figure out the human heart? Nuannuan, whether you understand now or not, you must remember my words firmly. Got it?"

"Okay, Grandpa. I’ll remember." Gu Nuan Nuan wasn’t a real child, so how could she not understand the deep meaning behind her grandpa’s words? It was the age-old saying: a man is not guilty, but his treasure is his crime. This plan was to minimize the future risks for both families and take precautions before disaster could strike.

"Qiangzi, when the time comes, I’ll be the one to start this family register. As long as they carry the blood of our branch, man or woman, filial or not, they will be recorded. As for Nuannuan... although her surname is Gu, it must be said that without her, there would be no future for the Zhang family. Therefore, everything she has done—except for how the storage bag was discovered, which shouldn’t mention her—must be recorded truthfully. Our descendants must know her importance to our branch. In the future, our branch and her descendants must be closer than anyone else. Future generations must never forget to watch over and help one another."

At this moment, Zhang Dazhuang was already convinced that his family was destined for greatness. He also made a firm decision regarding Gu Nuan Nuan’s future husband’s family and her future children. Even if they were just an ordinary family, as long as Nuannuan liked them and they weren’t people of poor character, once the Zhang family rose to power, they would do everything in their power to support and uplift them.

Zhang Wei Qiang had clearly understood the unspoken meaning behind Zhang Dazhuang’s words. He nodded gravely. "Don’t worry."

Gu Nuan Nuan was deeply moved but couldn’t show it. No matter how clever she acted, in the eyes of her grandpa and uncle, she was still just a child. She wasn’t supposed to have the life experience to "understand" the profound meaning in her grandpa’s words. So, she could only lower her head to hide how touched she was.

"One more thing. Both of you, remember this, what I’m about to say is very important. In the future, if you can’t find a single worthy descendant among your future generations, then it is better for this storage bag to be lost to time than to be passed down." As Zhang Dazhuang spoke, his expression, as he stared at Zhang Wei Qiang and Gu Nuan Nuan, was incredibly grave, but also exceptionally serious and firm. "You must make sure your descendants understand this point. Without this storage bag, the family might return to being ordinary, but the lives of your descendants will be safe. But if you insist on passing it down to the unworthy, it could well lead to the severing of our bloodline—a catastrophe that would destroy the entire family."

At Zhang Dazhuang’s words, Zhang Wei Qiang fell silent for a moment before nodding heavily.

Gu Nuan Nuan was suddenly filled with a deep respect for her grandpa. She immediately thought of the Gu Family in her past life. Her grandfather hadn’t passed down his storage bag, either. ’Perhaps his concerns were the same as Grandpa’s...’