The room fell silent instantly. Jian Dan didn't waste any time and recounted his encounter with Sheng Zhiyuan and his daughter without embellishment. Except for the part about storing the items in his spatial storage, the rest was basically true.

Even their substantial family wealth was not hidden.

Simple is that she likes money and collecting nice things.

However, if these things can be used for good, not to mention contributing to national development or other grandiose projects, even something as small as helping to improve the living conditions of stationed troops and border soldiers would be worthwhile for her, and she would probably be very happy to see Sheng Zhiyuan doing the same.

Moreover, she has plenty of good stuff of her own; that base alone is enough for her to live on for several lifetimes.

Jian Wenxiu seemed a little incredulous, his voice trembling.

"You mean he went back to the fire scene?"

To put it simply and frankly,

I'm not sure.

Given the circumstances at the time, his willingness to entrust his child and family fortune to a stranger like me made me think he was taking a desperate gamble.

However, it cannot be ruled out that he wisely left himself other options.

Jian Wenxiu gripped his pants tightly, and after a long while, he asked with difficulty,

Was that fire very big?

Unfortunately, looking back, he happened to be away on the day the accident occurred; he had gone back to hand in his mission.

He pounded his head, thinking that if he were in the local area or the county town, he would have gone to check on the fire and maybe, just maybe, he could have rescued the people.

"Yes, it's very big, with two courtyards on either side of the street, both in the center."

According to onlookers, gasoline was poured on the courtyard and the outer wall, and once the fire started, there was almost no chance of saving it.

One place was where those people usually gathered, and across the street, it was rumored that they hid all the stolen goods there.

It was started around lunchtime and stayed burning until the afternoon, when we headed back.

However, the plan was well-executed; they kept saying that only those two yards were burned down, and the neighbors were hardly affected.

Jian Wenxiu lowered his head, suppressing his emotions.

What's his name?

This was a question he had never dared to ask.

Then came the girl's cruel reply.

He said his name was Sheng Zhiyuan and the child's name was Shengshi.

Cheng Chao knew something was up, so he dawdled as much as he could. Half a day later, when the little girl, who had been having a blast, came in sitting on Cheng Chao's shoulders, Jian Wenxiu had already returned to his expressionless state, except for some redness around his eyes.

Although Cheng Chao is lively and playful, he is quite thoughtful. When he came in, he even bent his knees to make sure the child wouldn't bump into the doorframe.

"Hold on tight to my head, or you'll fall."

The little girl giggled and gave a brief report.

"Sister, the big watermelon is here!"

Let Jian Wenxiu process this himself. Jian Dan got up, took the child from the cellar, patted off the dust, and pinched the little nose.

"You little crazy girl, you're still so happy to be down in the cellar?"

"Sister, there's something delicious!"

Aside from things that shouldn't be exposed to light, there's a good amount of other everyday food stored in the cellar. Before, the little girl would eat whatever she was given, but this is the first time she's personally inspecting the family's food supplies.

"Now you know?"

"Uh-huh!"

Are you relieved now?

"Don't worry, don't worry, I'm not poor!"

Cheng Chao was also shocked. Every time he came to deliver things, Jian Dan would say that she had enough and didn't need anything. They always thought that this was a rejection or an apology.

He was quite startled when he went downstairs.

Not to mention the winter vegetables, dried vegetables, coarse grains, potatoes, sweet potatoes, mountain products, and wild fruits that are normally stored in rural households.

On the opposite shelf, there were bags of fine grains: rice, millet, wheat flour, noodles, and some kind of dried noodle cake that I didn't know the name of. There were also strips of meat, eggs, soybean oil, lard, and even more than twenty watermelons that I had just picked up. There was also a small basket of apples, about twenty in total.

To be blunt, even their own cafeteria doesn't have that much, especially the refined grains and meat. They haven't had any meat in ages, yet this guy has such a huge jar of lard and soybean oil. It's hard not to be jealous.

Seeing Cheng Chao's expression, Jian Dan casually withdrew her gaze. If she dared to let him go, then she was naturally not afraid of him looking at her.

Ruffle the buzz cut,

"It's good that you know. Now that your sister has brought you back, she will definitely be prepared."

Cheng Chao, ah, so all those good things were prepared for this little kid...

Help her roll up her sleeves.

"Come on, try the watermelon that your sister grew herself, isn't it sweet?"

The little girl stared wide-eyed in surprise.

"Planted by you? Planted by your sister?"

This admiring gaze made Jian Dan feel very comfortable.

"Of course, you should try some too. It's the same batch we planted this year. I kept it in the cellar, and it's still in pretty good condition."

Cheng Chao had eaten those melons before, but eating them in season and eating them out of season are two completely different experiences.

In particular, the contrast between the northwest wind blowing outside and the cozy warmth inside is quite stimulating.

Cheng Chao felt a strong sense of belonging here, so he naturally didn't stand on ceremony.

Jian Wenxiu could no longer see anything unusual, and he ate in silence. However, he would occasionally look up at the little girl whose face was covered in red juice, his eyes dim, as if he was thinking about something.

Cheng Chao glanced at Jian Wenxiu out of the corner of his eye, his curiosity and doubts reaching their peak.

"Holy crap! What time is it?"

Jian Wenxiu was taken aback for a moment, clearly also overlooking the time. However, he only hesitated for a few seconds, without even moving, and then gave instructions to Cheng Chao.

"You go up first, I'll go first..."

Cheng Chao was quick-witted and outspoken.

"Do you want to go back first? That's fine too. I'll go back to find you after I finish patrolling the mountain."

Jian Wenxiu frowned, meeting Cheng Chao's disapproving gaze directly. Suddenly realizing the situation, he thought, "Yes, what's the point of him not leaving? If the villagers see a man like me here, they'll probably start making wild guesses."

Thinking this, he also got up.

"I'll go with you. Before it snows, let's see if we can hunt some game to treat everyone."

Cheng Chao glanced around and roughly figured out that there was something going on with this young girl.

It was getting late, and they both knew they had to come back, so they didn't delay and went out through the main gate, heading straight for the foot of the mountain.

Watching her figure grow smaller and smaller, she sighed gently, "Ah, life just never seems to stop!"

Cheng Chao was curious and eager to try it out the whole way, but seeing Jian Wenxiu's changing expressions and feeling the increasingly oppressive atmosphere, he didn't dare to ask. His animalistic instincts told him that to save his life, he had to keep quiet.

Although it was called a hunting trip, they certainly didn't go empty-handed.

Cheng Chao didn't even have a chance to make a move. Before he had even reached the halfway point, his clothes were already covered with Jian Wenxiu's spoils of war. He was only freed when he caught up with the main group.