Chapter 214: Booming

Chapter 214: Chapter 214: Booming

During the meal, Gu Nuan Nuan looked at all the food. There was enough to last for at least two or three days. She felt a little helpless. "Don’t wear yourselves out. You have to rest when you need to."

"These tools are just too good. I figured since we’re already digging, we might as well make this pond deeper. That’ll probably take two or three days, so I made extra food. We have a place to store it, so there’s no fear of it going bad." Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Wei Qiang both nodded with a smile. "Don’t worry. We know whether we’re tired or not."

"Grandpa, Uncle, I’ve found a Cultivation Technique. I’m going to try practicing it in a bit, but these sessions can be quite long. So if I don’t come out on my own, don’t call for me." After she finished eating, Gu Nuan Nuan packed up her share of the food, enough for two or three days, and then spoke to the two of them.

"You really found one? That’s fantastic! Alright, you go ahead and cultivate. We’ll be too busy to bother you for the next couple of days anyway. Just don’t forget to eat on time." Zhang Dazhuang, having also finished his meal, nodded repeatedly along with Zhang Wei Qiang in agreement.

「Seven days later.」

Wen Xiu was the first one to see them. Zhang Dazhuang, Zhang Wei Qiang, and Gu Nuan Nuan were arriving home, each with a basket on their back. They looked a little tired but were beaming with joy. Wen Xiu broke into a smile. "You’re finally back! You scared us to death, and we couldn’t even say anything! Why were you gone so long...? Huh? What’s with Nuannuan? It’s like she’s a different person after being away." As she spoke, she couldn’t help but walk over and swat Zhang Dazhuang before taking a closer look at Zhang Wei Qiang and Gu Nuan Nuan. The sight gave her a start. "How did Nuannuan get even prettier after being away for just a few days?"

"Getting prettier is nothing! You can’t even begin to imagine what we gained on this trip," Zhang Dazhuang said with a mysterious smile.

"What did you gain? Hey, you old coot, are you trying to fool me, too? Look for yourself—what’s in these baskets?" Wen Xiu asked curiously as she went to inspect their three baskets. She opened the lids only to find they were empty, and she couldn’t help but grow suspicious. "It’s fine if you didn’t bring anything back, but what about all the stuff you took with you? How is that gone too? Did you leave it all at the Fish Spring?"

"Let’s all go inside. We can talk about it slowly in the house." Seeing his daughter-in-law and daughter, who had also run out at the sound of their voices and were now staring in overjoyed surprise, Zhang Dazhuang couldn’t help but break into a wide grin.

"Nuannuan, first, set up that... what-do-you-call-it... Isolation Array," Zhang Dazhuang cheerfully instructed Gu Nuan Nuan as soon as they entered the main hall. "Okay." Gu Nuan Nuan replied with a smile. She took out an Array Plate and quickly set up the simplest form of the Isolation Array. "It’s done, Grandpa."

Wen Xiu, Lin Qin, and Zhang Minzhen looked back and forth between them in confusion, then glanced at Zhang Wei Qiang, who was just standing to the side, smiling without a word. Their confusion lasted until a huge pile of things suddenly materialized out of thin air on the table and the floor. They all jumped up in shock. "...What’s going on?"

"Hehe, it’s a good thing, of course." Zhang Dazhuang was finally able to explain and happily recounted their incredible adventure over the past few days. Listening to the tale, Wen Xiu, Lin Qin, and Zhang Minzhen felt like they were dreaming. Their first reaction was disbelief, but then they all looked again at the items on the table and the floor and were left speechless. "..."

After a long moment, it was Wen Xiu who swallowed hard and spoke up. "So, you’re saying that Nuannuan discovered some kind of... Cultivator’s Heritage Mansion, and she received the person’s inheritance. And on top of that, not only did each of you get a storage bag that can hold lots of things, but also those... what were they, gourds and things... And finally, because Nuannuan could find the way, you hollowed out the inside of a mountain just to take the shortest path...?"

"That’s right. Well, we didn’t completely hollow out the mountain, we just bored a tunnel through a small section. From now on, traveling to and from the Fish Spring will be so much easier; a round trip will only take about three hours. And since most of the journey is inside the cave, we won’t have to worry about running into wild boars or anything like that. Tomorrow, we’ll take you to show you the way and teach you how to get through the Mist Array at the cave entrance. It’ll be much more convenient for you to go to the Fish Spring to help out, or to come and get us if there’s an emergency at home."

Zhang Dazhuang nodded, his heart filled with an undisguisable joy.

They had finished digging the fish pond on the second day. Nuannuan had given them a huge shock when she emerged covered from head to toe in a grimy black sludge, as if she’d been rolling in mud. After she washed herself clean, her skin became as fair and tender as a peeled egg. She then demonstrated her abilities by digging another entire fish pond in just a quarter of an hour. Only then did she explain that she had successfully cultivated. The grimy black sludge was the impurities from her body, from the process commonly known as Purification.

Later, on the way back, Nuannuan had proposed tunneling through the interior of a mountain blocking their path. This was an idea they would never have dared to imagine before, but it was realized very quickly. Although the price was that their return was delayed a little longer than expected, it was all worth it. They found that the journey to the Fish Spring was indeed much shorter now; making a round trip in a single day was no longer an issue. Moreover, because most of the travel was inside the cave, everyone could go to and from the Fish Spring safely just by carrying a Moonlight Stone. The new path was both hidden and secure.

"Honey, pinch me. Am I dreaming?" Wen Xiu urged. "How could our family be so lucky?" After Zhang Dazhuang actually pinched her, her face bloomed into an even wider smile.

Wen Xiu reacted this way, and Lin Qin and Zhang Minzhen were no different. All of them were in a state of disbelief, which quickly turned to elation. So when Zhang Dazhuang instructed them to keep it a secret, they naturally agreed to everything without hesitation. In truth, even if he hadn’t spelled out the consequences, they all knew what it would mean for the Zhang Family if even the slightest whisper of this got out.

...

"Nuannuan, the weather is getting cold. I bought a few warm clothes for your grandpa last time I was in the city. Don’t forget to take them to him when you go stay at his house tomorrow."

After dinner, Zhang Minzhen brought a large bag of clothes to Gu Nuan Nuan’s room to give her a specific instruction. "Yesterday, Gu Jinhua came over again," she said. "He brought a large basin and claimed he wanted to eat some meat buns from our shop, hoping to get them for free. I didn’t give him any. Before you go over there tomorrow night, don’t forget to stop by the shop first and bring a few meat buns for your grandpa. And tell your grandpa that from now on, whenever he wants meat buns, he should just come to the shop himself. They taste better fresh from the oven."

"I know." Gu Nuan Nuan had to smile, thinking about how when she showed up tomorrow with things just for her grandfather, the others—especially Chen Suxiang—would likely throw a fit, slamming things around. "You did the right thing, Mom. That’s exactly how you should handle it. Hmm, since Grandpa likes the meat buns, I’ll just arrange a time with him. I can tell him not to cook, and I’ll deliver them on a set day each week. Problem solved. Besides, I know how to ride a bike now, so it’s a quick trip."

"That’s true. He’d probably be too embarrassed to come get them himself," Zhang Minzhen said with a laugh. "But really, what’s there to be embarrassed about? That’s your grandpa. Even if I don’t give any to others, would I really be stingy with his portion?"

Their family’s meat bun shop had opened in town. Thanks to its great location and even better-tasting buns, it became a massive hit in less than half a month. Its popularity exceeded all their expectations. Now, several months after opening, people were even making special trips from the city just to come and eat their meat buns.