As walking as collecting, Grinding stones, wooden barrels, bamboo screens, pots, charcoal—anything abundant in the estate, Xiaobei happily collected a few of each as she walked, making it much more convenient for any future projects. Her good mood persisted until she arrived at the temporary storage room near the main kitchen.
It was filled with luggage unloaded from the horses earlier that morning, not yet organized. There was a large pile of baskets and packages labeled with the character "Mo," a simple character that unexpectedly struck Xiaobei's heart with a slight, unexplained pain.
Opening a few baskets, it was evident that these were tools crafted by Cheng Dian according to blueprints—hand-cranked centrifuges, mixers, and even something resembling a modern meat grinder.
Xiaobei never mentioned this to him, so how did he manage to create so many things in just a few days? He even added his own inventions—genius is a world no one understands.
Some baskets contained salt, sugar, and food items. There were also several baskets filled with luxurious bedding and clothing. One of the backpacks was Xiaobei's own, but it now had two names on it—one side said "Bei," and the other said "Mo." Inside, there were a few large packages. When Xiaobei opened them, her nose immediately tingled with a hint of sadness.
A whole bag of oyster shells, crystals, and pearls were collected by them at the seaside camp or gifted by the guards of Cheng.
The large golden ocean pearl, simple yet elegant with a gold chain, had an exquisitely crafted small horse pendant hanging at the junction of the chain. The pendant was engraved with the words "Tong Cheng."
Xiaobei tossed the entire package, along with the basket containing the bedding, onto the bed in the Fuhai Building through the spatial realm. She then ran all the way out of the western gate of the estate.
Before reaching the location where they had harvested wild honey, Xiaobei suddenly stopped upon seeing a tall figure nestled under a tree. Weren't the people from the mountain all gathered in the hall at this moment? "Who? Who is here?"
The crouching figure raised his head, revealing a captivating face—slightly curled bangs draped over the forehead, deep and somewhat perplexed eyes hidden beneath arched eyebrows, a straight and noble nose, and lips described in just two words: sexy! When he saw Xiangbei, he abruptly stood up.
His fair and slender index finger swiftly scooped up a dollop of honey from the hive dripping down the tree, and he forcefully stuffed it into Xiaobei's mouth. Staring at her with a grin, he revealed two rows of neatly aligned white teeth. Was she being flirted with by a handsome guy?
"Sister—, eat sweets, eat sweets, there are many sweets here, sister, have some, come on, you eat, you eat."
Xiangbei stared in disbelief as he withdrew his finger and licked it with relish. When he attempted to pick up more honey and bring it towards her mouth, she had to awkwardly tilt her head to avoid his continuously dripping fingers.
Oh heavens, please send down a thunderbolt and strike me, is this guy a complete fool, wasting such precious things?
"Don't move, right, let sister see what's tied to these little hands that are so white and soft?" Xiangbei grabbed the fool's hands, holding them in front of her eyes. "Oh my, raise them high, the thing tied to them is so shiny—, is it sparkling in the sunlight?"
"Sparkle, sparkle, shiny, sister, shiny."
"Yes, very shiny," Xiangbei diverted his attention and led him away from the honey, sitting on a nearby large rock. She then took out a piece of cloth from her space, dampened it, and gently wiped his fingers clean. "See, aren't the white fingers also beautiful?"
"Wu, wu, my sweetness, no more sweetness, wu wu wu, sister is a bad person, a bad person." This stunningly foolish and clueless handsome guy discovered there was no sweetness on his fingers and cried like a child, pulling and shaking Xiangbei.
"Alright, alright, see sister turning it into a chicken leg for you," Xiangbei conjured a mud-baked chicken leg and stuffed it into his mouth. "Is it tastier than sweetness?"
"Tasty, sister tasty."
"Sister can't eat, it's the chicken leg that's tasty. Come on, tell sister, what's your name, where are you from, where do you live?"
"I have no name, I come from inside there, and live inside there." The fool pointed to the west gate of the estate. Xiangbei hadn't seen him before leaving, and with a slight search of her memory, she didn't recall him. She guessed he might be one of the patients Old Doctor Tong had taken in these days.
"Then I'll call you Big Fool, okay? Sister will take you back inside and make many delicious things for you." Xiangbei pulled the fool, who was happily devouring the chicken leg, back to the courtyard of Old Tong in the west.