Chapter 13 Flashlight...

Ren Qingsong immediately noticed the pain on Miya's face and realized that spending money on food was a painful thing for her.

At home, my mother always tried to stretch every penny in half.

But now he has money, a high salary, and good benefits, so his family no longer has to live a hard life like before.

"It won't cost much, especially considering your small frame, how much can you eat?"

As soon as he said it, Ren Qingsong, worried that Miya would misunderstand, quickly added:

"Besides, I used to eat in the cafeteria when I was alone, and the portions were only a little smaller than what you've seen."

“No, from now on, our family will eat at home, just like Sister Liu’s family.”

After thinking it over, Miya still felt that this was the best way, as she wanted to avoid spending money if possible.

Their family needs to save money for their children's education and marriage, which will require money everywhere, so food and drink are not that necessary.

Miya's resolute little face made it impossible for anyone to refuse, so Ren Qingsong nodded, "Alright, let's see if you've learned your mother's cooking skills."

Upon hearing this, Miya's heart skipped a beat, and she lowered her head and continued walking forward.

Ren Qingsong looked confused and quickly followed Miya with all his belongings.

Liu Limei, who was walking ahead, noticed the change in the siblings' emotions and breathed a sigh of relief. Miya had finally calmed down her feelings of self-blame.

It turns out she was the one who caused this whole thing, and seeing Miya suffering made her feel terrible too.

Zhou Qiang noticed his wife frequently glancing behind him. He turned around and was immediately struck by the sight of Ren Qingsong covered in belongings, especially the large iron pot on his back, which looked quite appealing.

He couldn't help but lift the iron pot in his hand and start boasting, his tone full of praise for his own good judgment.

"What do you think? Isn't Xiao Ren quite good? He's really a handsome young man!"

"I heard he was going to the city with his girlfriend today, so I made a point of not going myself. And look what happened! He even got us a big iron pot!"

Liu Limei had no idea what her husband was so smug about. He couldn't help with anything at home, yet he still thought she had good taste.

"When will you be able to help out at home like Qingsong?"

After saying that, Liu Limei walked away aggressively, leaving Zhou Qiang looking shocked.

He stood there for a while, until Miya and the other woman were almost beside him, before he asked the motionless Da Ni:

"Da Ni, what did your mother mean by what she just said?"

Da Ni shook her head awkwardly, wishing her ears were just decorations, and hoping that Miya and the other person would come to save her.

"Commander."

Ren Qingsong's voice pulled Zhou Qiang out of the shock brought on by his wife and quickly put the incident behind him.

"Qingsong, it's late. Why don't you come over for dinner? It'll save you the trouble of cooking in the dark."

"No need, Commander. I bought some food in the city. We still need to tidy up our sleeping area, so we'll just have to make do for dinner tonight."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qiang stopped trying to persuade her, also somewhat afraid of causing trouble for his wife.

The four continued walking until they reached the fork in the road at the foot of the mountain, where they parted ways with the first row of houses.

Miya and Ren Qingsong continued walking forward. When they reached the top of the mountain, they both breathed heavily as they looked at the houses with their unique regional style under the hazy moonlight.

Before, all I'd seen were dilapidated styles, so I thought it was a two-story house.

Looking at it now, the lower layer is hollowed out, allowing air to pass through from all sides.

The house above was similar to the one she remembered. She climbed the stairs and went inside. Sure enough, it had the same layout as Sister Liu's house, with a main room, kitchen, storeroom, and sleeping room.

Ren Qingsong stood aside quietly watching Miya's excited appearance, as if she were inspecting her territory, and felt a little proud.

He began to think about letting his parents come and enjoy a better life. In the past few years, he had followed the army in battles across the country, and now that things had finally settled down, it was time for him to show his filial piety.

As her thoughts returned to their own, Miya was still observing the various rooms.

It's getting late, I should make my bed and rest as soon as possible.

Ren Qingsong didn't have any particular preferences for the room; as long as he could sleep normally, it was fine. So he let Miya choose first.

"Miya, which room do you like?"

Upon hearing this, Miya suddenly looked up at Ren Qingsong, wanting to ask him about his true intentions with her eyes.

Tempted by the prospect of having her own room, she clearly stated her needs for the first time.

"Third Brother, is this room alright?"

His index finger, pointing towards the door, trembled slightly as he waited for Ren Qingsong's answer with a mixture of anticipation and fear.

"Alright, you can stay in this room. Here are some mattresses and blankets that I asked someone to find for you. Take them and make your bed."

Ren Qingsong squatted down and took out various cotton products from the large bags of fertilizer, among which were some things that young girls would like.

"This is face cream; you can apply it to your face. This soap can be used to wash your face and body. This bar soap is for washing clothes..."

At this moment, Ren Qingsong was like a treasure chest; you could find anything from the bag he brought.

Miya was overwhelmed with surprise and joy, but Ren Qingsong's forceful actions silenced her any words of refusal.

Even if she didn't know much about these products, she would still know how precious they were.

After taking everything out, Ren Qingsong helped Miya carry it into the room, then quickly turned and left to tidy up his own room.

Miya's room was located to the left and slightly behind the main entrance, while he chose the front room on the right, so the two rooms were diagonally opposite each other.

Inside the room, Miya couldn't take her eyes off the dazzling array of novel items.

Then Ren Qingsong's footsteps came from the main room. "Miya, I'll heat up the steamed buns I bought. We'll eat dinner right away."

In Miya's mind, no man should go into the kitchen. She didn't care about dealing with the things in the room and rushed out of the room, "Third Brother, I'll do it!"

"Is your room all tidied up?"

"No rush, I'll do it while I'm sleeping."

Miya snatched the bag from Ren Qingsong's hand and placed it on the table. "I'll go downstairs and get the ceramic jar."

As he spoke, he strode downstairs, completely disregarding how dark it was outside.

Miya's hurried actions nearly scared Ren Qingsong to death. He quickly followed, turning on his flashlight at the same time, "I'll move the firewood."

Suddenly, a bright light burst forth in front of her. Startled, Miya shrank back, gripping the railing tightly with both hands, her body limp as she tried to sit down on the stairs.

Before Ren Qingsong could finish speaking, he saw this scene, his eyes widened in fury, and he rushed forward, grabbing Miya's arm.

"Where did you hit?"

Miya's fleeting gaze noticed the bright light swaying from side to side as Ren Qingsong spoke, and her heart, which had almost jumped out of her throat in fright, suddenly had a chance to catch its breath.

"Third...Third Brother, where did this light come from? What kind of divine power is this?"

“You mean this?” Ren Qingsong raised the flashlight in his hand and shoved it in front of Miya, scaring Miya so much that she kept pulling her neck and head back.

"This isn't some kind of divine ability; it's called science. Flashlights use electricity to emit light, and they can't be blown out, making them much better than the old candles."

Who is science?

"Hahaha!"

Miya's innocent and ignorant words made Ren Qingsong laugh out loud. He then turned the flashlight on and off to demonstrate its functions and how to use it.

In a daze, Miya remembered the candle Ren Qingsong had mentioned and immediately realized that she had misunderstood.

In that instant, his cheeks burned, and heat surged across his face. He mustered his strength and immediately stood up straight, leaving the help beside him behind.

Ren Qingsong knew that the girl was shy, so he didn't mind Miya's actions and handed her the flashlight.

"Give it a try."

Mia had to admit that she was quite interested in the "candle," but also a little scared.

Ultimately, curiosity overcame fear, and she took the flashlight and, imitating Ren Qingsong's technique, turned on the switch.

"Snap!" The flashlight went out instantly.

"Snap!" The flashlight turned on.

The area illuminated by the strong beam of the flashlight is as clear as daytime, so there's no need to fear the darkness at all. This thing is much more powerful than a candle!

Miya stared in shock, her mouth agape, at her hands and the bright light in front of her.

Ren Qingsong couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle, thinking to himself: He really is still just a child.

"We can play inside later. Let's go get the pottery jar and firewood first."

"Oh oh oh!"

Miya gripped the flashlight tightly, nodded quickly, and followed Ren Qingsong's steps, carrying the water-filled earthenware pot and the necessary firewood back to the main room.

Light the fire, burn firewood, and place the earthenware pot, wooden sticks, and steamed buns on it.

The familiar orange-yellow light from the fire inside the room danced on their faces, but it was nothing compared to the beam of a flashlight.

Mia's exploration of flashlights has come to an end, but she is still not satisfied and can't believe that there really is an "inextinguishable candle".

If Ren Qingsong hadn't reminded her about the battery drain, she probably would have played for a while longer.

Overwhelmed by the technology, Miya quickly finished two steamed buns, washed up, and went back to her room to borrow a flashlight to tidy up the house.

Things I used to think I didn't deserve to use are nothing compared to a flashlight.

She quickly made her bed and lay down on it, feeling both comfortable and reluctant to leave.

This is the first time she's ever slept in such a warm blanket. I guess this is what life is like for a fairy.

Late at night, Miya lay in her fluffy, warm blanket, which radiated the scent of sunshine, clutching her precious flashlight tightly in her hands, and fell asleep peacefully for the first time.

The next day, Miya opened her eyes and caught a glimpse of the mountains outside the window, where the sky was just beginning to lighten. Her eyes widened in surprise.

She suddenly realized she was overslept and immediately got out of bed.

Miya habitually wanted to wash up, feed the chickens and pigs, tend to the yard, and make breakfast, but found that she didn't seem to have much to do.

The items piled up in the main room last night have all been cleaned up, and the floor is spotless.

There was even a bowl of warm corn porridge on the table, and the stove with its flickering flames indicated that the person who tended the fire had just left.

Realizing this fact was like a bolt from the blue for Mia.

She's a lazy wife! She actually makes her husband get up early to cook and clean. A wife like that would be despised by everyone in their village.