Shu Bai glanced at the clock on the wall; the hour and minute hands were about to overlap.
"It's time. I should go and offer sacrifices to our 'all I want are potato chips' guardian deity."
Shu Huaijin's eyes widened: "You—"
Wen Rui quickly patted her husband's back, while giving her grandson a reproachful glare: "Xiao Bai! That's our guardian angel! Why does he want potato chips? That's because he has a unique way of doing things!"
"Okay, that's unique."
Shu Bai nodded, skillfully bypassed the two elderly people, and headed straight for the exquisite retro snack cabinet in the corner of the living room.
Under the complex gazes of Shu Huaijin and Wen Rui, a mixture of anticipation and nervousness, he calmly opened the cabinet door, ignoring the expensive teas and incense, and precisely pulled out a family-sized pack of original flavor potato chips from the bottom shelf.
The plastic packaging made a crisp sound in his hands, which seemed particularly out of place in the overly quiet and antique hall.
Holding the bag of potato chips that seemed out of place in the solemn and ancient atmosphere of the room, he turned around and walked calmly toward the quiet room deep inside the mansion, a room specifically used for worship.
The elderly couple followed closely to the veranda, watching their grandson's tall, slender figure, hesitant to speak.
Shu Bai walked to the solid wooden door of the quiet room, holding potato chips in one hand and easily pushing the door open with the other.
The interior was dimly lit, with only the outline of the altar and the faint glow of a lamp burning on it barely visible.
Before he stepped inside, he seemed to remember something, turned back and waved to his grandparents who were watching him expectantly, dismissing the two overly concerned old children:
"Alright, stop looking. Don't worry, we won't neglect your 'foundation'."
After saying that, he walked straight into the quiet room and closed the door behind him.
…
The room was dimly lit, filled with the faint scent of sandalwood from years of burning incense, creating a serene and solemn atmosphere.
The ebony altar in the center was spotless, with only a single ever-burning copper lamp on it.
The tiny flames leaped steadily, illuminating a mural on the wall behind them, its colors now somber from age.
The painting depicts what appears to be a blurry black shadow or an indescribable form, not a specific deity, yet it exudes a profound and ancient aura.
Everything here exudes an extraordinary sense of ritual.
Shu Bai was already used to all of this.
He had been performing the ancestral rites with his grandparents since he was a child, but this time was different.
This was the first time he had completed this ritual, known as the "Awakening Ceremony," on his own since officially taking over family affairs.
Grandpa and Grandma were extremely nervous, as if he hadn't come to offer sacrifices but to demolish the house.
Shu Bai walked to the offering table and casually placed the family-sized original flavor potato chips next to the ever-burning lamp.
He paused, then solemnly picked it up again, adjusted its position, and respectfully put it down once more.
The modern industrial products in plastic packaging stand in a ridiculously absurd contrast to this ancient and charming environment.
"Hello, Guardian. The latest flavor is sold out, this is the original flavor, and it's a large portion that will keep you full."
Shu Bai didn't really believe it deep down.
What sleeping guardian spirit, what awakened spirit.
It sounds like a bedtime story that grandparents made up to add to the family's mystique.
He had been worshipping the deity for so many years, but he had never seen any signs of miracles.
He even doubted whether this "guardian angel" really existed, or perhaps it was just some kind of symbolic spiritual support.
Moreover, what legitimate deity would forgo incense and sacrificial animals as offerings and specifically request potato chips?
This taste preference is so down-to-earth, it's even a little strange.
Despite my inner complaints, I still had to follow the proper procedures.
Following the rituals instilled in her since childhood, Shu Bai tucked in her sleeves and prepared to begin the final steps.
He gathered a tiny glimmer of light at his fingertips, preparing to light a stick of incense that had been prepared beside him.
Once the incense has burned out, it means the worship is complete and you can leave.
However, just as his fingertips were about to touch the incense stick...
"Click".
A sound that should never have been heard in this solemn and quiet room suddenly rang out.
Shu Bai paused, then suddenly looked up.
The sound came from the offering table.
The family-sized original flavor potato chip bag moved slightly on its own.
A neat tear had silently appeared at the seal of the packaging bag.
Then, in a deathly silence, in a hazy darkness, under the gradually hardening gaze of Shu Bai…
A hand with distinct knuckles calmly and slowly pulled a golden-yellow potato chip with curled edges from the crack.
Shu Bai: "???"
His mind seemed to be instantly cleansed, leaving a blank.
The hand holding the potato chip slowly retreated into the shadow of the painting behind the packaging.
There was another crisp "snap" sound.
The soft chewing sounds were so clear in the quiet room, where you could hear a pin drop, that they sent chills down your spine.
Shu Bai stood frozen in place, still in the posture of lighting incense, his pupils dilated in shock, his worldview undergoing a divine shock from the smell of potato chips.
He watched in disbelief, and a moment later, the hand reached out again.
The goal is clear, and the actions are skillful.
He took the second potato chip.
In the quiet room, only the sound of chewing that made one question the meaning of life remained.
When I was a child, the old couple would always take the ancestral tablets away after the worship ceremony, and we wouldn't go back in to clean them up until the next day.
By then, the bag of potato chips on the offering table was already empty.
He always thought that his grandparents had secretly eaten those potato chips in the middle of the night.
Until this moment, Su Bai petrified.
He seems to... probably... maybe... possibly...
Suddenly I understand where all those huge amounts of potato chips I consumed over the years ended up.
It turns out that it wasn't solved by the grandparents.
Instead, it was actually eaten by the guardian spirit.
I ate it secretly when no one was around.
Therefore, the Shu family has worshipped this solemn and mysterious guardian deity for generations, protecting the family's foundation...
Has he really woken up?
His first memorial service after he came of age...
Eating potato chips in front of you like this?
"Little System, tell me... who invented these potato chips? They're so... delicious! No wonder they're made by my wife... they taste even better!"
Li Yuheng chewed and chewed, a satisfied sigh escaping his lips.
0090: [Of course! Your Highness is absolutely right! The potato chips offered by Mr. Shu Bai couldn't be ordinary potato chips, could they? They must be imbued with Mr. Shu Bai's deep affection for you! That's why they taste so exceptionally delicious!]
"Love? Hmm, that makes sense. Although he just now... but considering how delicious these potato chips are, I, the Crown Prince, will be magnanimous and let it go!"
[Wow, Your Highness, you are so generous! Your heart is as vast as the starry sky!] 0090 immediately followed up with flattery.
Li Yuheng was in a great mood and took another piece and put it in his mouth.
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