Just as Sallyman was looking around absentmindedly, she noticed that Xi Xi had taken out a bouillon cube and started simmering soup in the remaining oil in the iron pot.

Before long, a rich aroma wafted from the pot, and a steaming pot of delicious pork bone soup was ready!

With practiced ease, Xi Xi used a spoon to ladle a bowl of hot soup for everyone.

The three sat around the warm fire, casually cross-legged on the ground, their hands tightly gripping the rim of the bowl, feeling the warmth emanating from their fingertips.

I didn't eat much yesterday, but I finally had a full meal today.

After gently blowing on it a few times, Sallyman took a small sip of the pork bone soup.

Although the broth was still a little hot, the delicious aroma instantly filled my mouth, and the rich taste and strong meat flavor intertwined, making it irresistible.

In an instant, a warm feeling welled up in her heart, and Shaliman's eyes couldn't help but moisten slightly. It was so wonderful to be on the same team as Xi Xi...

Deep gratitude welled up inside her. For someone like her who wasn't good at cooking and usually had to rely on a haphazard stew to barely cook food and fill her stomach, this delicious meal was a rare feast for her taste buds.

Sallyman couldn't remember the last time she had tasted such delicious food and soup.

At this moment, her gratitude grew even stronger, surging and lingering in her heart like a tide, and lingering for a long time.

Taking advantage of the free time after everyone had enjoyed the food, Chu Zhiqin got up and began to clean up the mess.

She walked over to Sallyman and started chatting with her, seemingly casually.

After some conversation, Chu Zhiqin learned that Sallyman was of mixed Chinese and European descent. Due to her parents' early divorce, she chose to stay in China with her mother.

"And your hair..." Xi Xi looked at her gorgeous blonde hair with some doubt. Blonde hair is a recessive gene, while dark hair is a dominant gene, so the probability of inheriting it should not be high.

“It’s dyed!” Sallyman, who was feeling sentimental, suddenly burst into laughter through her tears. She ran her fingers through her hair roots. “I guess some black hair has grown in now.”

Chu Zhiqin then asked about Shaliman's mother. Shaliman's expression immediately darkened. After a moment of silence, she finally said softly that her relationship with her mother was not very good.

A tense atmosphere instantly filled the air. Xi Xi understood the atmosphere and stopped talking.

Chu Zhiqin had originally intended to take this opportunity to find out more about the girl, but now she regretted asking the wrong question and quickly changed the subject, talking about the techniques for deboning chickens that day.

Sallyman's eyes lit up and she began to talk about cooking with Xi's mother with great interest, while Xi Xi took the opportunity to sneak back to the car.

With a soft flash of light, the light screen was awakened and displayed before her eyes.

It was indeed past noon. Xi Xi took a deep breath and, as usual, opened the sign-in interface and began shaking the fortune stick to draw her fortune for the day.

The fortune slip reads "Good Fortune," which is not bad.

Immediately afterwards, in a cheerful mood, Xi Xi gently covered the faint blue smoke tattoo on her left wrist. In an instant, a mysterious power surged from the tattoo, and she skillfully picked up a quill pen.

Perhaps because she had mentioned plant grow lights before going to bed, Xi Xi had a dream all night about her past life in the orchard.

In her dream, those once familiar yet hazy memories gradually became clear, and she finally remembered what the fill light looked like.

Xi Xi held her breath and focused intently on the void before her, the shape and details of the fill light constantly appearing in her mind.

Then, she carefully wielded the magic brush in her hand and began to draw.

[System message: Identifying, please do not modify]

[...]

[System Notification: Congratulations, host, you have obtained the Magic Retractable Ladder *1]

Ah, this...

Xi Xi sighed and rubbed her forehead, somewhat speechless. She had drawn string lights, not a ladder...

Although they are all parallel lines, those are lights! They are fill light tubes! Not ladder steps!

Xi Xi scratched her hair, glanced at the tightly closed curtains around her, and inwardly groaned in frustration.

[Item Description: A ladder that can be adjusted to accommodate different heights after placement.]

Well, since she already had it, Xi Xi decided not to dwell on it too much.

She examined the Magic Retractable Ladder in front of her closely. The frame of the folding ladder was only about the size of a textbook, and the wood was lightweight but very tough.

Upon closer inspection, the surface of the ladder appears to have numerous slightly raised joints, arranged in a staggered and orderly manner, which, to put it another way, does indeed possess a certain geometric beauty.

Xi Xi nodded. It wasn't entirely the fault of the artist's skill, as it did indeed resemble the string lights she had drawn…

She fiddled with the telescopic ladder in her hands and found that it was finely crafted, with a series of incomprehensible runes engraved on each joint, and a black gemstone inlaid at each end of the frame.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Xi Xi decided to use her upper bunk as an example to test the actual effectiveness of the ladder.

So she grasped the ladder leg and walked to the bedside. The two gems seemed to instantly sense her will, miraculously connecting and beginning to sparkle and release a soft light.

At the same time, the runes seemed to be activated and began to flow along the texture of the ladder.

As the runes danced, the ladder in Xi Xi's hand began to slowly expand and gradually lengthen.

She could clearly feel the wooden block in her hand growing continuously. The originally smooth surface gradually developed uneven lines, and its weight gradually increased without her realizing it.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!