There was no warmth of spring, no flowers in bloom, and no swarms of wild bees. Shen Yanming's honey-gathering plan was thus shelved.
Li Zongmeng, the chief official of the Imperial Capital, was also very worried.
They initially thought Li Sikai's condition wasn't serious and that they could wait. However, as spring was slow to arrive in Qinghua Kingdom, everyone became anxious and pinned their hopes on Li Sikai.
His faith points surged. Li Sikai hadn't fainted, but he was close. He lay in bed all day, barely clinging to life, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. But he didn't want to rush Shen Yanming, because he knew the other man well; if there were any gains in Haishi, Shen Yanming probably wouldn't delay.
Li Zongmengguan had no choice but to suppress his anxiety and wait.
Here, Shen Yanming finally came up with a solution. He went to the Space Mountain and found a bunch of magical little fruits that looked a lot like blueberries, but with completely different effects. He picked them, dried them, and planned to send them to the capital.
When General Li received Shen Yanming's call, he almost cried tears of joy. He immediately sent someone to pick it up, but to his surprise, it was just a small packet of dried fruit. It weighed about two or three pounds, which looked good, but he wasn't sure how effective it would be.
"Xiao Kai, do you think this blueberry is useful?" General Li looked at it for a long time but couldn't figure it out.
"Why don't you try it and you'll see?" Li Sikai said with a smile.
"How can I eat this!" said General Li, picking up a small blue fruit and stuffing it into Li Sikai's mouth.
Li Sikai chewed and swallowed, and soon felt his mind clear and his limbs strong. This feeling was even better than drinking the energy rainwater.
Li Sikai was terrified, but his face remained calm.
"How is it? Is it working?" General Li asked anxiously.
Li Sikai nodded weakly: "Yes, the fruit tastes very good." He subconsciously concealed the fruit's miraculous effects.
"Okay, you can keep it and eat it slowly."
After Li Zongmengguan finished speaking, Li Sikai put the fruit into his spatial storage, placing it in a corner that only he could reach.
He had no idea how Shen Yanming had obtained such a heaven-defying artifact. Since his brother treated him with such sincerity, he would protect his secret for him.
"You look much better. Would you like to go out for a walk?"
Li Sikai felt his limbs gradually regaining strength and nodded: "Let's go then. It's been a long time since I've had any fresh air; it's been quite stuffy at home."
"You're overthinking things. You're worried they'll find out you're unwell. What kind of world are we in now? Even if you're not feeling well, all they can do is pray for your safety and well-being."
"I know." I just don't want to face those gazes that are either sympathetic, worried, or gloating.
"Take the opportunity to travel more, don't stay cooped up at home all day. By the way, when will the space be upgraded? I'm afraid we won't be able to farm in Qinghua Kingdom this year." He didn't want to ask, but it seemed that Xiao Kai was the only one in the entire alliance that had any produce.
"Probably, at least a year," Li Sikai estimated.
"Oh, that's alright. We still have grain stored up from the last two years; we can use it to help various regions in times of emergency. I wonder if Chairman Mao's guess was right; when will this Little Ice Age finally end?"
"It will pass when it's time, we just need to wait patiently."
"I'm just afraid that before it's over, everyone will starve to death."
"Don't worry, I'm here, it won't happen."
"Alas, I'm still sorry. I've said so many times that I regret you recognizing the space as your master, but in the end, I still have to rely on it. I'm ashamed!"
"Everything is predestined, I don't blame you."
The uncle and nephew spoke in hushed tones as they strolled slowly along the desolate streets of the capital.
Residents in the buildings on both sides saw them and came down to greet them. General Li and Li Sikai smiled kindly, showing their approachable nature.
It's already June, but it feels like the dead of winter. Everyone is wearing heavy cotton-padded coats and is hesitant to take them off.
----------
In Shanghai, An'an and Nuannuan took the promotion exam again, becoming the youngest third-grade students. They could actually have gone up to fourth grade, but at just six years old, it would be too stressful for them to be too old.
After talking with Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan, Qi Xili and the three of them unanimously decided to hold off for a while. They would let the little one stay in the lower grades for a bit longer, and then move up to the fourth grade with the next batch in September.
Zhu Ranran was sweating bullets with anxiety because of his younger siblings' rapid progress in their school admissions. But there was nothing he could do; the two little ones were incredibly quick-witted, and he simply couldn't keep up. It was only after Zhu Shiliang and Fu Shuling comforted him that the young man was able to adjust his mindset.
Upon learning this, Bi Qiaoan exclaimed, "Those wisdom fruits weren't eaten for nothing!"
Shen Yanming chuckled to himself, thinking to himself that the magical plants on the mountain were no joke.
Qi Xili, on the other hand, was extremely fond of it and insisted on pestering Shen Yanming to let An'an and Nuannuan recognize him as their godfather. This worried Shen Yanming so much that he didn't even dare to pick up the children from school.
Until one day, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Are you so desperate for a child that you've gone crazy?"
“That’s right, my little Linzi has been in the capital for a whole year. I haven’t been able to eat or sleep since I haven’t seen him, and I’ve become completely listless.” Qi Xili clutched his chest, feigning sorrow.
Shen Yanming took two steps back, thinking to himself, "He really knows how to put on an act!"
Look at that upright posture and deep eyes, is it a sign of excessive worry? Of course not!
But Qi Xili had finally managed to get Shen Yanming to soften his attitude, so how could he just let go like that?
He grabbed Old Shen's arm, fully embracing his shamelessness: "No way, I, Old Qi, have never had a daughter in my life, I have to adopt one today. Tell me, how can I have half of Nuannuan? If you don't agree, you can just make Nuannuan my daughter-in-law. Anyway, my Qi Lin is good enough for your Nuannuan."
Shen Yanming: "...Pah! What are you dreaming about? How old is your Qi Lin? My Nuan Nuan is only a little bit old. This is not how you force a marriage!"
"Hey you, Old Li's daughter is quite nice, about the same age as your Qi Lin. If you'd like to adopt her as a daughter or daughter-in-law, feel free!"
"No, no, I just love Nuannuan! If you don't mind, I'll even adopt Nuannuan as my granddaughter!"
Shen Yanming was in a fit of rage, pointing his finger at Qi Xili and asking, "Aren't you going to take advantage of me in some way?"
Qi Xili chuckled and said, "Think it over. Really, it's not a bad deal to become relatives with me."
Shen Yanming certainly knew, but was it necessary to impose such constraints on his own family?
After discussing it with Bi Qiaoan for a long time at home, and also consulting with An'an and Nuannuan, they finally agreed to Qi Xili's idea of becoming godparents.
The couple thought that the world was becoming increasingly strange, and it would be a good thing to have more people protecting them. Besides, they didn't lack even a tiny bit of food.
An'an and Nuannuan didn't care. They were already quite familiar with Qi Xili, and now it was just a matter of him going from being an uncle to a godfather, so there was no difference.
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