Chapter 62

Jiang Zhi didn't expect the other party to be so sensible.

She had already prepared her explanation, but the other party not only didn't ask, but also acted as if they hadn't seen it.

Jiang Zhi stopped paying attention to that side, and with a flick of her wrist, she plunged the iron shovel blade diagonally into the mud, and the black mud swirled up with water droplets.

She's strong; with one shovel, she can dig up half a meter of clay.

With four or five shovelfuls, a pit more than a meter deep and the size of a water tank was quickly dug.

The round water chestnut bulbs are visible inside.

Some were hidden deep, so you had to dig the shovel deeper and pry hard, and then a large chunk of water chestnut and mud would be ripped out with a "whoosh".

Using the fishing rod she had just made, Jiang Zhi pried the water chestnuts, which were covered in mud, out one by one.

Jiang Shu helped her scoop the water chestnuts onto the wooden raft.

Before long, his fingernails were filled with black mud, and his trouser legs were splattered with it, but Jiang Shu couldn't stop smiling—this black lump must weigh seventy or eighty pounds!

He couldn't even imagine how many horseshoes would be dug out from this swamp.

On the other side.

Zhang Ji and his wife were just ordinary people. It took them a long time to pry out a water chestnut, and they almost couldn't get it out because it was too heavy.

Fearing to put pressure on Zhang Ji and the other person, Jiang Zhi slowed down.

Having absorbed all the energy from the mutated ginkgo leaf, a special item, Jiang Zhi felt like the knife in her hand was no longer under her control. She decided to take this opportunity to practice her mental control in the swamp.

She now knows that the improvement of mental strength is closely related to the performance of the dashboard.

The higher your mental strength, the more functions you can access on the dashboard.

She even suspected that once her mental strength reached a certain level, all the mutated creatures in this world would be able to receive prompts from the dashboard.

Jiang Zhi slowly released her spiritual energy onto the water chestnuts in the swamp, separating the water chestnuts from the clay bit by bit.

This process was extremely strenuous, and even Jiangzhi was finding it difficult to keep up.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Shu was about to ask something, but after noticing the thin layer of sweat on his sister's forehead, he shut his mouth.

This looks similar to when the two of them used to compete in planking.

I reckon his sister's being stubborn again.

About an hour later, the Zhang couple next door had already picked up four or five water chestnuts.

That was the end of it.

Jiang Shu: "Why did you stop digging?"

Zhang Ji said with a smile, "Let's test these first to see if they're edible. If they're not, we'll keep digging. If they're all edible, these will be enough. With our capabilities, we can't take much with us."

Jiang Shu immediately looked at the two of them with new respect.

Surprisingly, the couple were both quite principled.

Jiang Shu said, "Let's test them together then."

Before Jiangzhi "entered a meditative state," they had already scooped up seven or eight water chestnuts.

Zhang Ji was a little nervous. He nudged his wife, "Aqing, you take the test."

Yin Qing shook her head vigorously: "You go first! My luck isn't good enough."

The two declined each other's offer for a moment, but Jiang Shu couldn't stand it anymore and said, "How about I do the testing for you?"

The couple immediately replied in unison, "Okay!"

Ginger Tree: ...

"Let me make this clear first, don't blame me if you're unlucky."

Zhang Ji said with a smile, "If it tests positive for a high level of toxins, we'll just keep digging up other ones."

Jiang Shu muttered, "Then what are you afraid of?"

Despite saying that, Jiang Shu still became a little nervous because of the two of them.

He took a deep breath, "God, please bless us with a bumper harvest later, please!!"

After the ceremony was in full swing, Jiang Shu brought the testing device in his hand closer—

"Drip, highly toxic, not for consumption."

Jiang Shu's expression froze.

Damn, that's incredibly disrespectful.

Zhang Ji quickly reassured him, "It's alright, it's normal, let's move on to the next one."

This time, Jiang Shu didn't dare to do anything shady. After praying in his heart that he wouldn't embarrass himself too much, he continued with the testing.

"Drip, highly toxic, not for consumption."

Ginger Tree: ...

Zhang Ji and his wife were disappointed, but they knew it had nothing to do with Jiang Shu and were afraid that the other party would feel guilty, so they said, "I guess we found highly toxic ones. We'll pry out a few more later."

Jiang Shu rolled up his sleeves, refusing to believe it. "Brother Ji, I'll help you pry them open later, but these few have to be tested! I refuse to believe we can't find a few edible ones today!"

Zhang Ji and his wife found it somewhat amusing; they were really going after these mutated water chestnuts.

Jiang Zhi stood aside without saying a word, silently continuing to lift the water chestnuts out of the clay, waiting to replenish the supplies for Zhang Ji and his wife.

"Drip, moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."

Hearing this, Jiang Shu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

I thought today was my unluckiest day.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhang were overjoyed. The water chestnut that Jiang Shu tested weighed at least seventy or eighty pounds, enough for their family to eat for several days.

"Come on, there are two more left. You guys can try your luck too."

Jiang Shu wiped the sweat from his forehead.

God knows how much pressure he was under when he went to do the testing, fearing that none of the water chestnuts Zhang Ji and the other man had picked up would be edible.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji and his wife's faces lit up with surprise, and they followed Jiang Shu's example, clasping their hands together and silently reciting the mantra.

Then--

"Drip, highly toxic, not for consumption."

Zhang Ji's face showed a look of annoyance, "It was actually highly poisonous. If you had told me earlier, I wouldn't have been greedy."

Yin Qing snorted, "You must have wished for a lower level of poison, right?"

Zhang Ji chuckled. "Ah Qing, it's your turn. You're luckier than me. Take the test quickly."

Yin Qing was a little nervous. "Let's make this clear first, if a high level of toxin is detected, you can't blame me."

Zhang Ji found it somewhat amusing. "When did I ever mention you?"

Yin Qing clutched her rapidly beating heart and reached out her hand.

"Drip, moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."

Upon hearing the word "moderate," Yin Qing breathed a huge sigh of relief.

This water chestnut weighs over 60 kilograms.

Zhang Ji smiled, his eyes crinkling, "Ah Qing, you're definitely luckier than me."

Yin Qing said with a smile, "Let's look again later and see if we can bring a couple more back."

Seeing how focused the two were on the food, Jiang Zhi couldn't help but ask, "Brother Ji, how's your food stockpiling going?"

Zhang Ji was taken aback, not expecting Jiang Zhi to ask so suddenly. He sighed and didn't hide it, "It's not much. Yesterday we used all our savings to buy food and clothes. If we're careful, we can eat for a few months without any problem."

Jiang Shu: "What should we do after that?"

Zhang Ji gave a wry smile. "We can only take it one step at a time. Actually, most people are in the same boat as us. We've already stockpiled quite a bit of food. I heard that most people in the low-rent housing area are lucky if they have any food at all. If the base hadn't been willing to let them exchange their labor for food, I guess there would have been a commotion there long ago."

At this point, Zhang Ji hesitated for a moment, but still reminded the brother and sister, "Your family brought back a lot of things recently, and you also had a falling out with the Ma family. You should be careful these days."

Knowing that Zhang Ji meant well, Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "Okay, we'll be careful. Thank you, Brother Ji."

Zhang Ji laughed and said, "I didn't do anything. If we hadn't been with you guys today, we wouldn't have dared to come to these places."

Jiang Shu said, "Let's hurry up and pry up a few more water chestnuts while we still have time."

Zhang hesitated for a moment, then said, "We'll just take two back with us."

Jiang Shu exclaimed in disbelief, "What's wrong, Brother Ji? There are still so many left to fish out!"

Zhang Ji smiled wryly, "We're not physically strong enough to carry too many back. I thought I could at least bring back four, but I overestimated myself. I can only carry two at most."

Upon hearing this, Yin Qing immediately became anxious, "I can also take one back with me."

Zhang Ji immediately rejected the idea: "No, these water chestnuts are too heavy. You might lose your balance while carrying them, and what if you fall?"

This place is far from land, so carrying heavy objects on these logs still carries some risk.

Jiang Shu knew this too, and he scratched his head, not knowing what to do for a moment.

I was so happy just now that I forgot to think about how to bring all these water chestnuts back with me.

He completely forgot that his younger sister possessed the magical spatial artifact.

Jiang Zhi didn't speak either; she wouldn't voluntarily mention something as precious as a spatial artifact.

As for the fact that Yin Qing had accidentally seen her earlier, she had no intention of explaining or offering to help.

After discussing it for a while, the two decided to take only two water chestnuts back with them.

Zhang Ji said, "Jiang Shu, you are strong, you can take more back."

Jiang Shu didn't know how to offer any advice, since they weren't that close yet, so he replied, "Okay, then wait a moment, we'll be done soon."

Zhang Ji laughed and said, "No rush, take your time, we can help too."

Just as Jiang Shu was about to refuse, Zhang Ji continued, "Anyway, we're just idling around anyway, so just don't think we're getting in the way."

Since the other party had said so, the brother and sister naturally couldn't refuse any longer.

Jiang Shu laughed and said, "More people means more things go smoothly, what are we complaining about?"

The four of them then put all their effort into digging the water chestnuts out of the mud.

Before long, their bodies and faces looked as if they had rolled around in a swamp.

Zhang Ji, in particular, had beads of sweat dripping from his forehead, leaving two white streaks on his cheeks. The cuffs of his blue cloth shirt were covered in mud, and his legs below the knees were completely covered in wet mud when he squatted down. With each step he took, chunks of mud would fall off, making him look like someone who had been pulled out of a mud pit.

The ginger tree wasn't much better off; it even had quite a few strands of hair stuck to it.

If they weren't worried that the logs beneath their feet wouldn't be able to support them, the four of them would have planned to catch all the water chestnuts in the swamp.

Jiang Shu counted the water chestnuts that filled the wooden raft; there were sixteen in total.

This is already the limit the raft can withstand; if another log is added, it will probably sink.

Jiangzhi: "Let's test it first, and throw away anything that can't be eaten."

Jiang Shu rubbed his hands together as usual, excitedly saying, "Let me see if I can detect low toxin levels."

"Drip, highly toxic, not for consumption."

"Drip, highly toxic, not for consumption."

"Drip, low level of toxin, edible."

"Drip, highly toxic, not for consumption."

Jiang Shu looked up: "Did I miss something just now?"

Yin Qing had never seen such a large, low-toxin food before. At this moment, she stared intently at the water chestnut that weighed seventy or eighty pounds, and her breathing became heavier.

"Ginger tree, this...this has a low level of toxin."

Jiang Shu's eyes lit up immediately, and he couldn't help but test it again. Sure enough, it was a low-level toxin.

Jiang Shu was overjoyed and couldn't stop smiling.

Although the Jiang family has a lot of grain now, they don't have much low-toxicity grain.

According to the patterns discovered at the base, people who regularly consume moderately radioactive food need to eat low-toxicity food periodically to detoxify themselves, otherwise they are prone to radiation sickness.

The timing of this medication is not fixed; it should be taken once every 3 to 6 months.

Having this water chestnut with low levels of toxins can alleviate the need for low-toxin foods.

"No wonder they were all highly toxic, turns out I got a big one!" Jiang Shu said excitedly. "Brother Ji, Sister-in-law Qing, you should also test them for me, maybe we'll have a good harvest today."

Zhang Ji and his wife also enjoy testing food; if they can get the goods shipped, they always feel a sense of surprise, like they've won a prize.

Jiang Zhi was intrigued by the low-toxin water chestnuts detected by the ginger tree and decided to get tested as well.

For a time, the raft was filled with the beeping sounds of the testing equipment.

"Drip, highly toxic, not for consumption."

"Drip, moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."

"Drip, moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."

After several shipments, suddenly—

"Drip, low level of toxin, edible."

Yin Qing jumped three feet high, "I won! I won a big one!!"

Jiang Shu's eyes widened. "Sister-in-law Qing, you're really lucky!"

Yin Qing felt a little embarrassed when she realized that these all belonged to Jiang Shu and his sister.

"I haven't detected any food with low levels of toxins for a long time, so..."

Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "Sister-in-law Qing, the one you detected is quite big too."

Two weeks ago, the base store stopped selling low-toxin food to the public, and ordinary people could not find it at all except by searching for it in the gathering areas.

Fearing that the siblings might misunderstand, Zhang quickly said, "I'm afraid we won't be able to find out which water chestnuts are edible, and we'll waste them."

Jiang Shu waved his hand dismissively, "It's okay if it doesn't work out, we can just look for another one."

In the end, the three individuals detected three water chestnuts with low levels of toxins and seven with moderate levels of toxins.

It weighs over a thousand kilograms, which is quite a bumper harvest.

Jiang Zhi glanced around and found that they had almost completely eaten all the water chestnuts in this swamp. She immediately said, "Let's pack up and leave!"

Although Zhang Ji and his wife envied the siblings' harvest, they knew they should only do what they were capable of. Even if they gave them all the water chestnuts, they wouldn't have the ability to take them back.

Jiang Zhi said, "Brother, you take Brother Ji and the others and go first. I'll handle the aftermath."

Jiang Shu had already remembered that his younger sister had a spatial device, and knew that she was intentionally avoiding outsiders, so he nodded and said, "Okay, then you should be careful."

Then he turned to Zhang Ji and his wife, who were preparing to pack up, and said, "Brother Ji, let's go back first."

Zhang Ji: "Those things..."

Jiang Shu: "It's alright, Azhi can handle it."

Zhang Ji and his wife weren't nosy people, so they didn't ask any questions. They simply untied the ropes of the raft and, just like when they came, slowly swapped the raft with two pieces of wood, leaving the rest of the raft and the dozen or so water chestnuts on it for Jiang Zhi.

Once the figures of the group had shrunk in size, Jiang Zhi took out her spatial device.

This was her first real experience using it, and her feelings were quite different.

After Jiang Zhi used her mental energy to envelop the water chestnuts on the wooden raft, she pressed the button on the space device.

With a faint "whoosh," the water chestnuts on the raft, along with Zhang Ji and his wife's share, were all stored in Jiang Zhi's spatial artifact.

At the same time, Jiang Zhi's mental strength also decreased by one-fifth.

After resolving the issue with the goods, Jiang Zhi then left the swamp.

When Zhang Ji and the others saw that Jiang Zhi had returned to the shore safely, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

It was already 6 p.m., and with the return journey, we wouldn't get back to the base until after 7 p.m.

Jiang Shu tossed aside all the logs that had rolled around in the swamp, saying, "Let's hurry back, or the old lady at home will worry."

Seeing that Jiang Zhi's hands were empty, Zhang Ji hesitated to speak.

Jiang Shu: "What's wrong, Brother Ji?"

Zhang Ji hesitated for a moment, then finally mustered up his courage and said, "I wonder if you could help us take these water chestnuts back with us..."

Fearing that Jiang Zhi and her brother might think they were being too greedy, they quickly added, "Don't worry, we'll give you points; consider it as if we're renting from you."

He didn't think about the spacecraft; he just assumed that the things disappearing out of thin air were Jiang Zhi's special ability.

Jiang Zhi didn't refuse and said with a smile, "Okay, then I'll bring the things over to you when we get back."

Zhang Ji and his wife wore happy smiles.

The base isn't safe lately, and if they take so much food back, they'll definitely attract unwanted attention. If Jiangzhi can take it back, it will save them a lot of trouble.

On their way back, they discovered that there were quite a few base residents who had fought to this point, all returning from the collection site in twos and threes.

To their astonishment, they discovered several small teams returning from the wilderness.

Although these squads looked disheveled, they were all strong and had made a considerable haul.

These people were very wary when they saw that Jiang Zhi and her companions had returned empty-handed, fearing that they would be robbed of their goods.

After avoiding those groups of people, Zhang Ji felt a bit scared.

"I didn't expect so many people to start heading into the wild."

Yin Qing gripped his hand nervously, "Brother Ji, is the food supply in the gathering area also running low?"

Zhang Ji patted her hand and comforted her, "Don't worry."

Jiang Zhi and her brother exchanged a glance, both seeing worry in each other's eyes.

One-third of the people in the base are public officials and family members of mutants. Before the temperature changes, these people can live on a stable income and may even be able to save some points.

These people can't buy much food or good winter supplies with their points now, so they naturally think about going out of the city to collect some food to stock up on.

However, the resources in the cleaned-up collection areas are relatively scarce, so it is not incomprehensible that these people would take such a risk.

When the group returned to their neighborhood, they saw Ye Qingyun and Grandma Jiang standing at their door, glancing out every now and then.

It's obvious they're waiting for them.

They breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that the brother and sister were safe and sound.

Jiang Zhi and the others told Zhang Ji and his wife to go home first, planning to unload the goods at home before taking them over.

After Zhang Ji and his wife left, Ye Qingyun couldn't help but scold them, "You two siblings are getting wilder and wilder, coming back so late."

Jiang Shu followed the two into the courtyard, grinning as he said, "Mom, Grandma, you'll never guess what we found today."

"What did you find?" Grandma Jiang asked with a smile, "You're all covered in mud. Did you go rolling around in the mud before coming back?"

Before Jiang Shu could say anything, Jiang Si chimed in, "I know, I know, it must be a snail!!"

Jiang Sui frowned and thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "No, no, I guess it's a mutated eel!"

Wu Xiu asked curiously, "Didn't you go looking for peanuts this time? You didn't find any?"

Jiang Shu shrugged. "There's nothing there. Forget about mutated peanuts, there aren't many sunflower seeds to harvest either."

Ye Qingyun glared at him. "Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me already."

Jiang Shu chuckled, "Azhi, hurry up and take it out."

Seeing that she had whetted everyone's appetite, Jiang Zhi chuckled and took out her spatial device, then pressed a switch.

A dozen or so water chestnuts, weighing over a thousand kilograms in total, and several baskets of mutated crayfish suddenly appeared in the open space of the yard.

The crowd fell silent for a moment, and even Jiang He, who had been working diligently, couldn't help but stop what he was doing and look over.

Jiang Si was the first to react, excitedly tugging at Jiang Zhi's clothes, "Auntie, do you have magic? How did you do that? Can you do it again for me?"

Ye Qingyun walked over to look at what Jiang Zhi was holding and asked, "Ah Zhi, is this the space device that the old man of the Lin family made for you?"

Upon hearing this, everyone realized what was happening and immediately crowded around to see what was going on.

"Is this the legendary spacecraft? How much can it hold?"

Can ordinary people use it?

What does it look like inside?

Everyone asked questions one after another, and Jiangzhi answered them all that she knew.

Then Jiang Jun said, "Azhi, can I take a look?"

It was rare to see their eldest brother interested in anything, so Jiang Zhi was naturally happy to hand it over.

"Brother, you had a connection to the space stones used to make space devices before. See if you can sense the structure of this space device. Maybe you can make one too."

Jiang Zhi wasn't joking when she said that.

Jiang Jun has always had a talent for making tools, and coupled with his keen sensitivity to space stones that ordinary people don't have, he might actually have some unique insights.

Jiang Jun smiled but didn't say anything.

He felt around with his hands and actually sensed something different.

Jiang Zhi noticed his subtle expression and quickly asked, "Brother, how do you feel?"

Jiang Jun was somewhat uncertain, "I can sense the entrance to this space vessel, and I can also sense... a very large space inside."

Jiang Zhi's eyes lit up—this was something only those with spiritual power could sense.

However, Jiang Jun's discovery was more profound than that of ordinary mutants. At least Jiang Shu could only sense that there was an entrance to the spaceship, but he couldn't feel anything else.

However, Jiang Zhi did not intend to reveal these findings now. She wanted to first sound out Grandpa Lin's opinion and find out the reason before telling her family.

Jiang Jun returned the spatial device to Jiang Zhi and said with a smile, "This spatial device should have a pretty good load-bearing capacity. Azhi, you've struck gold."

These words made Jiang Zhi even more certain that Jiang Jun possessed extraordinary spiritual power.

She laughed and said, "Big brother, you're amazing! You can even sense this."

Jiang Jun was a little embarrassed.

"I don't know what happened, I can only see a little bit vaguely."

Once the hype surrounding the spacecraft died down, everyone turned their attention to the water chestnuts standing to the side.

Yuan Ying: "This...this is a horse's hoof?"

Hearing the name "horse hoof" made Jiang Shu feel better. Heaven knows how uncomfortable he felt when Zhang Ji and his wife called this thing "water chestnut".

This thing should be called a horseshoe.

Jiang Shu stood with his hands on his hips, extremely proud, "That's right, it's a horseshoe. We spent an entire afternoon prying it open. Pretty impressive, huh?"

Wu Xiu laughed and said, "You guys are really capable. Food is so scarce in the gathering area right now, yet you still managed to find so much food."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shu's heart skipped a beat.

Seeing his mother looking over, he immediately looked away guiltily and shifted the blame to Jiang Zhi: "It was all found by A-Zhi, we were just following behind and doing the work."

Jiang Zhi:......

She quickly changed the subject, saying, "Let's deliver the things to the Zhang family first."

Jiang Zhi took the crayfish that the two of them had caught, along with the previously agreed-upon portion, and also packed one water chestnut with low toxin content and four with moderate toxin content into several snakeskin bags to take with them.

Before leaving, Jiang Shu reminded her, "Mom, remember to wash the water chestnuts clean. We'll peel one later!"

Ye Qingyun laughed and scolded, "That brat!"

When the brother and sister arrived at the Zhang family's house, Aunt Zhang was already waiting at the door.

Seeing the brother and sister approach, a smile appeared on his face. "Come in quickly."

The Zhang family's courtyard was much smaller than theirs, but it was kept very clean.

Ginger twigs and ginger trees knew the rules and didn't look around carelessly, only putting down water chestnuts and mutated crayfish.

"Auntie, this is what Brother Ji and Sister-in-law Qing have reaped today. We've brought it over."

Zhang Ji, who came out of the house, was surprised: "How come there are so many?"

Jiang Zhi laughed and said, "Not much. It was Ji Ge's idea to get into the swamp today. You guys also helped when we were digging for water chestnuts."

Actually, Jiang Zhi felt that the Zhang family had good character and were a family worth getting along with.

Extreme cold is coming soon, so it's always good to make more friends.

In addition, they are leaving for Hunan Province tomorrow, and we also need their help to look after our family.

Zhang Ji and his wife dared not accept the money, feeling that they hadn't contributed much that day.

Aunt Zhang, having heard about today's events from her son and daughter-in-law, said, "Take it back. I know their capabilities, so please don't pity us."

Jiang Shu said, "Hey, auntie, why are we pitying you? Just accept it. If you know of any good things next time, you can call us again."

Aunt Zhang saw the children huddled at the doorway, staring longingly at the water chestnuts, and her heart softened.

She replaced all the old things in the house with staple foods that could fill their stomachs; there were no snacks, not even decent dishes.

Water chestnuts and mutated crayfish are considered very luxurious foods for them.

She gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, then I'll take the liberty of accepting everything this time."

As Aunt Zhang spoke, she ran back into the house and took out a mantis pliers as long as her arm.

"This is what we brought back after fighting a mutated mantis. Please accept it."

Jiang Zhi's eyes lit up.

Although she currently has no shortage of weapons, she lacks a sharp weapon.

She used the longsword that the captain of Exploration Team 3 had given her, but her brother still lacked a decent weapon, and he was worried about it now.

As a result, someone handed me a pillow when I was sleepy.

The mantis pliers in Aunt Zhang's hand looked like a sharp scythe, with densely packed small teeth along the edges, giving it a chilling appearance.

Jiang Zhi was a little embarrassed. This thing was quite rare, and if it came into the hands of someone with the means, it could fetch a good price.

"Auntie, this is too valuable, we can't accept it."

Aunt Zhang said with a serious face, "I won't talk nonsense with you. I know what level Aji and the others are at. The fact that you are willing to take them on is already a great favor. Giving you this is only good if you can use it. If you leave it with someone else, they might not even care about it."

"Besides, we also have a weapon at home for self-defense, so exchanging it for food is a good deal."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhi stopped being coy and accepted the mantis pincers.

"Okay, thank you in advance, Auntie."

After the brother and sister left, Zhang Ji was a little uneasy. "Mother, they gave us so much."

These five water chestnuts weigh three or four hundred pounds each.

Zhang Ji and his wife were both happy and uneasy. Since arriving at the base, they had relied on themselves and had never sought outside help.

The brother and sister's overtures left them bewildered.

Aunt Zhang frowned: "What a disappointment."

She tested all the water chestnuts and crayfish present, and when she detected the water chestnut with a low level of toxin, she was completely stunned.

Zhang Ji exclaimed excitedly, "Mother! It's a low-level poison!!"

Suppressing her excitement, Yin Qing asked, "Aji, could it be that Jiang Zhi and the others took the wrong one?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji quickly said, "Then I'll send the things back right away."

Aunt Zhang said irritably, "Alright, stop bothering. They gave it to us especially."

Zhang Ji was stunned. "Mother, how did you know?"

Aunt Zhang sighed, "That girl deliberately kept them separate, she must have known."

I thought that giving them a pair of mantis pliers would end my debt to them, but I didn't expect that I still owed them a favor.

"If the Jiang family ever needs any help in the future, you'd better keep an eye out for them, understand?"

Zhang Ji and his wife nodded repeatedly.

Aunt Zhang looked at her cautious granddaughters and grandchildren and said with a smile, "Come on, little ones, let's have something delicious to eat today."

The children immediately cheered, "Yay! Long live Grandma!"

*

Instead of going home immediately, the brother and sister turned a corner and headed towards the Lin family's house.

As soon as the knock was made, someone opened the door.

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow when he saw the two of them. "You two... took a mud bath?"

Jiang Zhi then realized that the two of them hadn't had time to clean up yet, and she immediately felt embarrassed.

She tried to remain calm.

Is Grandpa Lin here?

Lin Yuan glanced at her and smiled, "Come in."

Jiang Shu didn't seem to mind at all. He called out casually into the house, "Grandpa Lin, we've brought you some food!"

Grandpa Lin only slowly came out after hearing that there was food.

"What are you eating?"

Jiang Zhi took a water chestnut out of the space container.

Jiang Shu said smugly, "How is it? Haven't had it in a long time, have you?"

Grandpa Lin became interested. "Oh, these are water chestnuts. Are they sweet?"

Upon hearing the way Old Master Lin addressed him, Jiang Shu immediately felt that the two were on the same side.

He chuckled and said, "We haven't tried it yet. Why don't we try some now?"

Grandpa Lin laughed and scolded, "You sly little brat, you want to freeload off what I gave you? Have you no shame?"

Jiang Shu chuckled: "It's more fun when everyone eats together."

Seeing that no one was looking at her anymore, Jiang Zhi felt relieved. Remembering the purpose of her visit tonight, she asked, "Grandpa Lin, are ordinary mutants unable to sense the specific situation inside the space device?"

Grandpa Lin took a sip of tea and snorted, "I knew you weren't up to any good. You didn't come here specifically to bring me something."

He glanced at his grandson, never expecting that the brat's charm would fail him. Look at that young girl, he didn't even look at her once.

Jiang Zhi was a little embarrassed when she heard Lin Yuan say, "Ordinary mutants don't have enough mental strength and affinity with the space device, so they can only sense objects and can't sense the situation of the space device."

Grandpa Lin couldn't help but glance at his grandson again.

—This brat, he just went and explained it to the girl like that.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhi understood the situation.

The eldest brother, Jiang Jun, does indeed have an affinity for space stones and even space devices.

She carefully chose her words before asking, "Then how can one develop an affinity for spacecraft?"

Grandpa Lin slowly took a sip of tea. "Those who have an affinity for space stones have all become space device makers. Ordinary mutants can forget about it."

Jiang Zhi was somewhat excited upon hearing this.

Does this mean that the eldest brother also has the opportunity to become a spacecraft maker?

Lin Yuan asked curiously, "You want to make your own spacecraft?"

Jiang Zhi was in a good mood and couldn't help but smile at him. "I was just asking."

Lin Yuan snapped out of his reverie at the girl's radiant smile, then met his grandfather's teasing gaze. He paused for a moment before subtly averting his eyes.

Seeing his grandson's unusual behavior, Grandpa Lin was in a good mood and said a few more words: "Making a space artifact requires not only an affinity for space stones, but also good hands."

Jiang Zhi asked curiously, "What are the requirements?"

"Keep your hand in one position and don't let it shake for half an hour."

Jiang Shu's eyes widened. "This is way too difficult!!"

Let alone ordinary people, even mutants might not be able to do it.

Grandpa Lin crossed his legs smugly, a hint of pride in his expression. "Otherwise, do you think just anyone can be a spacecraft maker?"

Jiang Zhi chuckled, "Grandpa Lin, we're making crayfish tonight. We'll bring some over for you to try later."

Old Master Lin, a shrewd old man, lifted his eyelids to glance at her, "You little rascal, what do you want to ask me for now?"

Jiang Zhi blinked her eyes. "Grandpa Lin, your craftsmanship in making spatial artifacts is so good, haven't you thought of taking on an apprentice to inherit your mantle?"

Upon hearing this, Old Master Lin raised his eyebrows and said, "So that's why you're suddenly being so attentive. I never expected you to be after my best skills!"

Jiang Zhi knew that the best way to deal with a stubborn old man like Grandpa Lin was to speak frankly, so she didn't hold back and said directly, "Grandpa Lin, you haven't seen the person I recommended to you yet, so don't rush to refuse. He can definitely meet your requirements!"

Old Master Lin's heart skipped a beat.

—This girl wouldn't be trying to recommend her sweetheart, would she?

He sat up straight and cleared his throat. "I can only pass on this skill to my own family."

Jiang Zhi was taken aback and couldn't help but look at Lin Yuan beside her.

Lin Yuan replied calmly to the old man, "I don't have that kind of talent."

Old Master Lin retorted, "You don't have any? My granddaughter-in-law doesn't have any? My great-grandson doesn't have any?!"

Lin Yuan opened his mouth.

Forget it, who knows if the old man will even live that long.

After all, it was someone else's specialty, so Jiang Zhi couldn't force him to do it. But she was really unwilling to give up just like that. "A teacher for a day is a father for life. Grandpa Lin, after becoming his disciple, you will only have one more son."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shu couldn't help but spit it out.

"Cough cough cough."

His face turned bright red from choking.

I knew what Jiang Zhi was thinking as soon as I heard her speak, but—

How could his sister be so shameless? Their grandson is right here, and she's letting her older brother become a father unjustly?

Old Man Lin glared at Jiang Shu—he has no manners.

Then he snorted, "Ask this brat if he's willing."

When Jiang Zhi saw Lin Yuan looking over, her face flushed slightly; she had forgotten about him.

From this perspective, it seems that taking on a master is indeed not a very appropriate thing to do.

Jiang Zhi was somewhat disappointed. "It was my fault for insisting."

Lin Yuan looked at his grandfather.

Old Man Lin pursed his lips, saying that he had no interest in her, but now that things have progressed so far, he's already feeling sorry for her.

What if he's the girl's sweetheart? Wouldn't that be like him eagerly becoming a simp?

Old Man Lin: "Who would you like to recommend?"

Seeing that Grandpa Lin was showing some signs of relenting, Jiang Zhi said happily, "He's my older brother. He used to be a mechanical engineer and has excellent practical skills."

Upon hearing that it was the girl's older brother, Old Master Lin's expression softened somewhat, but he still said, "Don't even think about becoming my apprentice. I've said I'll never take on any disciples in this lifetime."

"But I'm short an apprentice. If your older brother agrees, have him come over tomorrow to meet me."

This surprised not only Jiang Zhi and her siblings, but also Lin Yuan.

Old Master Lin's stubbornness is well-known far and wide, so it was unexpected that he would agree.

Both the ginger twig and the ginger tree were very excited.

"That's wonderful, Grandpa Lin! My older brother will be so happy!"

Grandpa Lin: "Don't be too happy yet. If your eldest brother doesn't meet my requirements, I will send him back."

Jiang Shu patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, although my older brother has difficulty walking, he's incredibly skilled with his hands!"

Grandpa Lin was already familiar with the Jiang family's situation, so he didn't resist much.

After receiving confirmation, the brother and sister thanked the old man and couldn't wait to go back and share the news with their family.

Grandpa Lin reminded him, "Don't forget my crayfish!"

After closing the door, Grandpa Lin looked at his grandson and said, "Well, do I still have to take action?"

Lin Yuan sighed, "Old man, there's nothing between Jiang Zhi and me, don't do anything rash."

No wonder Old Master Lin would believe that.

He looked over suspiciously—could this brat be clueless?

"Why did you wink at me and try to get me to say yes when I rejected that girl earlier?"

Lin Yuan, who appeared completely unfazed from the outside: ...

He rubbed his temples. "Old man, don't be unreasonable. I'm leaving for a mission tomorrow. It's good to have someone look after the family. The Jiang family are decent people. You don't need to turn them away."

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Lin saw that his grandson's expression remained normal and couldn't help but become suspicious—could it really be that he had misunderstood?

*

The brother and sister returned home excitedly. As soon as they entered, Jiang Shu couldn't help but shout, "Auntie! Where's my brother? Tell him to come out quickly, it's great news!"

Wu Xiuzheng and Yuan Ying were washing the clay off the water chestnuts when Jiang Shu shouted at them, almost startling them.

Wu Xiu said irritably, "Why are you making such a fuss, kid? What good news is it that you're in such a hurry?"

Jiang Jun also came out of the house.

"The big tree? What happened?"

Jiang Shu flashed eight big white teeth. "Big brother, you'd never guess what A-Zhi just did!"

Ye Qingyun was very annoyed. This brat kept him in suspense all day long. "Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and tell me. Can't you see there's still a ton of work to do?"

Jiang Shu chuckled: "Big brother, Azhi has found you a job."

Jiang Jun was taken aback, "Alive?"

It wasn't that Jiang Jun didn't want to take on jobs to ease the burden on his family, but rather that who would want to hire a useless person like him? He might even cause trouble for others.

Jiang Zhi smiled and nodded: "Grandpa Lin next door is short of an apprentice. I saw that you have a certain affinity for space stones, so I recommended you to him. Brother, you have a high aptitude for making and modifying things. If you learn from Grandpa Lin, you might be able to make space devices in the future."

Upon hearing this, Wu Xiu and the others were overjoyed.

Wu Xiu stood up excitedly: "A-Zhi, are you telling the truth!?"

"It's true, Grandpa Lin asked my older brother to go and meet him tomorrow."