Chapter 116
At the beginning of the Lunar New Year, when everyone was busy paying New Year's greetings, Gu Ran was busy preparing the matters at hand.
The weather in Minzhou is warm, and even now, the sea and water routes are open. It’s just that because it is the New Year holiday, there are many holidays, so there are fewer ships and people sailing.
The official ship they were traveling back to Beijing with the prefect had to set off early and was scheduled to depart on the eighth day of the New Year.
The official ship traveled with the escort grain ship. It carried a lot of cargo and was slower than ordinary passenger ships or merchant ships, so it took longer.
If you keep sailing north like this, by February or March, the ice along the coast will be slowly melting, and you can go by water instead of land to reach the capital port.
So there was not much time left for Gu Ran to make arrangements.
Fortunately, she is now mainly in charge of the plantation on the other side of the orange grove. The months she was away happened to be spring and summer. By the time the orange grove was bearing fruit, she would probably have returned early, so there were not many things to be instructed.
Besides, there are five managers now. Are we still worried that they can't manage the orange grove during the slack season?
After Gu Ran called Lin Erlang, Uncle Lu and other managers and gave them instructions one by one, he took out a sum of money as a payment for her expenses for not being able to stay in the orange grove for the past few days.
As for the profits from the He family's herbal jelly shop, she asked them to save them first and then settle the accounts when she returned to Xiaxi Village.
After making the rough arrangements, Gu Ran was only worried about one thing: the storage of orange marmalade, canned oranges, and tangerine peel.
The orange transaction with Fusheng Trading Company is usually the last shipment before the New Year. The early oranges are bought and left as soon as they are on the market - in order to stop sailing on the water and to preserve the freshness of the orange flavor.
So at that time there was no time to ship the ordered products back to the north. We had to wait until Fusheng’s ship returned after the New Year before we could start shipping these products made by Gujia Xiaoju.
It was because of this gap that Gu Ran, Yang Jinling and others were able to fully and slowly prepare the goods that Fu Sheng wanted.
It was fine when she was in the orange grove, because her permission was needed to enter and exit the warehouse, so she would put all the orange products in space No. 7 when there were not many employees around.
Space grid No. 7 has the property of preserving objects to their original state!
But now she has to go away for a while and can no longer put all the goods into space grid No. 7... Wait, she should, it seems, be able to enter automatic coordinate codes into space grid No. 7?
Gu Ran summoned the Guru system and inquired about it. It turned out to be true, and he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
This is easy. Just input the coordinate code of space grid No. 7 into that of the warehouse, and then all the objects in the warehouse can be kept in their original best condition.
Moreover, space grid No. 7 means that not only can she take the goods stored there at any time, but also people coming in and out of the warehouse and the orange grove can enter this space to move goods.
In a word, the performance of space grid No. 7 is attached to the warehouse, but it has no effect on the people using the warehouse, and they can still come in and out.
So Gu Ran immediately asked the Guru system to give him the coordinate code of the warehouse and entered it in.
Soon, the coordinates of the warehouse appeared on space grid number seven, proving that space grid number seven had been set as the warehouse in the orange grove.
When Gu Ran looked at space grid number seven again, he indeed found the orange jam and canned oranges that had been prepared and stored there during the New Year holidays, and he couldn't help but feel happy.
It turns out that this is how space grid No. 7 is used. How convenient! It would be great if we could open a few more space grids like this with custom coordinate codes!
Then she calculated the points needed to open the next space grid. Tsk tsk, with her current points, it would take more than two years. She might as well make good use of this space grid No. 7 first!
After the storage of the goods was settled, other matters were also arranged. As for her house, it was handed over to Lin Ersao to take care of, and as for Daju's family, they were naturally also handed over to Lin Ersao.
But later on, didn’t Li Ji’s son, Song Ge’er, like cats?
He also asked his sister-in-law to take care of the cats, so Gu Ran no longer had to worry about no one looking after his furry little balls.
On the eighth day of the first lunar month, the prefect sent an official boat to the Xiaxi Village ferry to pick up General Qiao and others to go to the harbor to board the boat. Gu Ran and others packed their bags, said goodbye to the people of Xiaxi Village, and got on Mr. Shen's carriage to go to the ferry to board the boat.
Ever since they learned that one of the largest gangs of the number one thief had been wiped out, Mr. Shen and his family moved back to Xiaxi Village.
We happened to move just before the weather got colder, and just in time to go back to the village for the New Year.
They planned to wait until the weather got warmer before returning to Dunzi Island.
Just as Gu Ran said, the house they built became a villa.
There was no ice in the harbor in January, but the wind was strong and the blue sea looked cold, without any of the passion it had in spring and summer.
So after arriving at the harbor, everyone didn't stay for long before boarding the official ship where Lord Hang was.
The official ship they were on was leading the group, a small vessel, and behind it followed fifty large official cargo ships loaded with tax grain. It was said that these were all winter taxes paid as tribute to the capital.
In addition to the officers and soldiers guarding the grain on their official ship, there were also small boats on both sides of the fifty large cargo ships specially designed for officers and soldiers dispatched by the government to escort the tax grain.
The officers and soldiers escorted them all the way. Others only knew that the Jianzhou prefect and the officers and soldiers were returning to Beijing with tax grain. They did not know that there was a General Qiao on the ship. They were not afraid that General Qiao would get into trouble on the way to the capital.
Gu Ran and the others then felt relieved and settled down in the cabins arranged for them.
Because the ship was small, the cabins on the ship were also small, and each person had his own compartment. After Gu Ran moved in, he felt cramped and suffocated after a while.
But it is early spring now, and one can freeze to death at sea in January, so we can only stay at home and go out less.
But it doesn't matter, she still has space compartment number three. After locking the cabin, she immediately went into the workshop and moved some things from space compartment number eight over there.
After agreeing to accompany Grandpa Qiao to the capital, Gu Ran immediately thought that she might have to stay on the official ship for two or three months - the original owner was exiled from the capital to Jianzhou, but it took more than half a year. It would definitely not be convenient to eat on the ship at that time, so she had secretly stored a lot of food in her space grid No. 8 since then.
When buying New Year’s goods, don’t forget to buy an extra portion to keep in the box.
Space No. 8 cannot be lived in, so she planned to move some of the food in it to Space No. 3 - half of Space No. 3 was filled with furniture from the previous side room, including beds, tables and chairs, as well as cabinets she had purchased in the back. Now Space No. 3 was like her own private boudoir that she always carried with her.
Stock up some food inside, and after you get in, you can lie down however you want and spend the entire journey back to the capital comfortably.
While Gu Ran was busy moving things into space grid No. 3 in the workshop, there were also some people on the official ship who were not afraid of the cold and were watching the scenery from the side of the slowly setting sail.
I'm talking about Pei Liu, Li Ji and Chen Erlang.
It was my first time on an official ship, and I was escorted by so many officers and soldiers, and followed by so many large grain ships. It is a rare sight in life, so I went to see the sea after setting sail.
Although the sea water and the sea breeze were cold, the three were not afraid of the cold. Unlike Gu Ran, who had already gone into the cabin to keep warm, they had been standing on the deck and watching for a long time since the ship slowly left the port.
And Shen Erlang had been chattering in Pei Liu's ear for a long time.
"Sixth Lady, look, those small boats at the back are full of soldiers!"
Pei Liu didn’t even give Chen Er a glance: “Do you need to tell me? Anyone with a discerning eye can notice it.”
"Sixth Lady, look, there are seabirds! It's so cold out at sea, and yet there are birds out looking for food! Oh my, look, it's actually caught a fish and eaten it!"
Pei Liu took a quick glance and saw a seabird actually leap into the air with a small fish in its scoop.
"Sixth Lady, the wind is strong at the bow, do you want to…"
When Shen Er was about to continue chattering, Pei Liu frowned and finally glanced at him.
Meeting his gaze, Shen Er suddenly began to stutter and couldn't speak clearly.
"Six, Sixth Lady..."
"Quarrel!"
Shen Er was embarrassed for a moment.
At that time, his father was going to move the whole family out of Xiaxi Village. He had clearly asked his father and mother to propose marriage to Liu Niang, but he didn't leave and moved to Dunzi Island. He thought it was a good thing and never thought of asking his mother about it. Later, his mother told him that Liu Niang didn't have such intention, and he was immediately embarrassed.
He wanted to ask Liu Niang in person, but was afraid of hearing with his own ears that she disliked him. He hesitated and could not let it go. Every time he saw Liu Niang, he felt awkward and wanted to avoid her, but also subconsciously wanted to get close to her.
Alas, it is so difficult to be a human being, and it is even more difficult to be a husband who pleases his beloved.
It was a rare opportunity for him to ride on the same boat with Liu Niang, and they were both very interested in seeing the scenery, so he unconsciously came over.
Shen Er scratched his head, thinking it was wrong to leave and wrong not to leave.
Li Ji, who was standing by, saw this and couldn't bear to watch it, so he turned his head away.
Pei Liu glanced at Chen Er again, then left the deck and returned to the cabin.
Lord Hang on the other side twitched his lips and turned to look at General Qiao, who was also in high spirits and squinting his eyes to look at the sea.
He didn't want to come up to the bow deck, but this important man insisted on coming out to take a look, so he had no choice but to come out and accompany him. However, he has been watching for a while now, right?
"General Qiao, the wind is blowing on the bow of the ship. Do you want to go back to the cabin to take shelter?"
Qiao An hadn't seen the sea for a long time. After many years, he witnessed the sea scenery again with his own eyes and heard that the sea had been peaceful and the river had been clear for many years. He felt a mixture of joy and loss, and his mood was very complicated.
"Okay, let's go into the cabin and tell me in detail about the changes in Minzhou and Quangang over the years."
Unable to bear the sea breeze, Qiao An huddled in his cloak, not even exposing his hands. He seemed to be afraid of the cold, and his cloak was stuffed full.
Lord Hang and General Qiao entered the cabin, and Pei Liu sat on the couch in his cabin and stirred the charcoal fire that had just been lit in the charcoal basin.
This Erlang of the Shen family is actually interested in me!
When Pei Liu learned about this, he felt a chill.
But it is understandable, after all, the young man doesn't know his true identity.
Then he looked at his big body and couldn't help feeling proud: Humph, I can charm a serious man like this, proving that I am really as charming as Er Niang said.
Pei Liu remembered Gu Ran's compliments to him, smiled slightly, and then looked at the partition wall of the cabin.
His and her cabins were next to each other.
It would be even better if my charm could also charm Er Niang!
In the next cabin, Gu Ran, who was being missed by Pei Liu, had already hidden in space compartment No. 3. He was sitting on the couch, eating and drinking as he pleased, looking so happy!
Because it was cold and there were few merchant ships and passenger ships sailing on the sea at this time, their official fleet traveling to Beijing took four or five days to sail smoothly.
During this period, Gu Ran only went out once a day to get his ration of food. Occasionally, Pei Liu came over to talk for a while. The rest of the time, he chose to stay in space No. 3 - of course, he told others that he was staying in the cabin to keep warm by the fire.
Most others are the same.
On this day, Gu Ran brought the food distributed on the ship into the cabin, locked the door, and immediately slipped into space grid No. 3.
He stretched his limbs in the spacious space No. 3, rubbed his hands, and then sat down at the table. He first drank today's hot soup to warm his body, and then ate a bowl of rice, a side dish and a piece of bacon. Then he packed up the food box, took it to the cabin outside, and then went back. He smiled and opened the cupboard where he had stored a wide variety of pastries, dried fruits, biscuits, meat strips, etc.
Well, the food that was distributed per person on the official ship was just ordinary vegetables before the New Year because the weather was still cold. They were not very fresh, but not unfresh either. Moreover, because it was on the sea, fresh meat could not be stored for long, and most of it was smoked meat. In addition, the chef's cooking skills were just average. How could they be as delicious as the ones that you had carefully selected before or cooked and stored in the space grid?
Gu Ran chuckled and counted the food arranged in the cupboards. He wanted to pick a few and put them on the small table in front of the couch. That way he could lie down, eat, and read a storybook at the same time. How nice it would be.
It's still the Chinese New Year period, so we should just lie back, eat, drink and have a good time.
It’s a pity that there is no cat in my arms today!
In the past, when it was the coldest, I would warm myself by the charcoal fire and hug my cat. If I had known this earlier, I would have secretly brought one on board.
I picked some fried hibiscus branches, a few pieces of sesame jerky, and a handful of sweet and sour cakes. I felt that I was still missing some fruit, so I decided to eat some oranges, which are my favorite. So I went back to the cupboard and picked a pomelo and two oranges, and then went to buy some oranges from my own orange grove.
Although I am in the orange business, I like to eat oranges, so I always keep a few hundred kilograms for myself. I give some to my employees as New Year's benefits, and the rest is mine.
When Gu Ran opened the cabinet where the oranges were kept, he was startled and cried out, "Gugugugu!"
The Gulu system, which hadn't been online for a long time, finally responded with a slow grunt: [Host, I'm here. What's the problem? Please tell me.]
"Look, look, this is the space you opened for me, right? The cabinet I moved here has been dug into a hole. The oranges inside are almost gone!" Gu Ran was shocked. "Is this a quality issue?"
How could someone dig a hole in the cabinet where the space is stored?
He even stole oranges. Someone must have dug through the storage space of the space grid!
"How did you choose the location for space grid number three?"
What Gu Ran is sure of now is that the spaces in these space grids should all be the places corresponding to the coordinates given after the space card pattern is repaired. No matter where he uses the space card pattern as a jump medium to store his belongings, at least the safety of this place must be guaranteed, right?
Someone actually dug through my personal space and stole my belongings! Isn't that absurd?
Has anyone ever heard of someone digging through a space used by someone else?
Whose space is so unreliable?
The Gulu system remained silent for a long time before it said, "Wait a moment, let me check!"
Gu Ran waited.
Soon, the Gulu system began to grunt: [Hello, host. It's like this. Space grid number three is the location of the coordinate code you specified and is used as storage space!]
"Nonsense, Guru, don't put the blame on me when you see a problem with the space. I honestly repaired the space card before I successfully opened this space!"
【Host, this is truly your responsibility! 】
[You entered the coordinate code yourself, and it was because you gave the third grid this feature that triggered the mechanism for customizing the coordinate code in the seventh grid.]
Gu Ran was stunned: "But I clearly..."
Gu Ran tried hard to think about how he had opened space grid No. 3.
Then I remembered that when I repaired the space card pattern, it was the first time I met Pei Liu in Dayu Forest. Years ago, he was beaten by Lu, no, by Grandpa Qiao and fell into the trap.
At that time, she and Liu Niang were spending the night in the cave. After the space card pattern was completed, the coordinate code popped up. When she was entering it, she heard Liu Niang waking up, so...
Gu Ran recalled how he had hurriedly entered the coordinate code, "Did I rush into it and enter the wrong coordinate code?"
[The host has figured it out, so smart! ]
[It was precisely because the coordinate code entered by the host was not the one that appeared after the space card pattern was repaired, but the coordinate code entered was similar to the space corresponding to the original coordinate code, so the number three space grid was successfully opened even after entering the wrong coordinate code! ]
[That's why the system gives the host the option to customize the coordinate code space.]
It was just a wrong move!
It was all thanks to me that I entered the wrong coordinate code that time, otherwise how could I have the cheap space grid No. 7 now!
"So, even if I entered the wrong coordinate code to open the coordinates, does Space Grid No. 3 have the same properties as Space Grid No. 7? Can I use points to erase or replace the spatial coordinates?"
[Host, that's not possible, because space grid number three isn't a space where custom coordinate codes can be set!]
I was hoping to have another space as convenient as space grid number seven!
"But why would this space grid be dug through?"
[Because the coordinate code entered by the host shows the location in the Great Sheng Dynasty, Space No. 3 leads directly to a certain place in the Great Sheng Dynasty!]
[Also, because the third space grid has the properties of a half-customized coordinate code space, if anyone nearby discovers it, they can also cause damage to the space!]
It's just like she designated the custom coordinate code as half of the warehouse in the orange grove. In theory, anyone who entered the warehouse in the orange grove also entered space grid No. 7.
If the people in the orange grove do anything to damage the warehouse, space grid number seven will also be damaged.
The difference is that she can erase the coordinate code of space grid No. 7 and customize it again by spending points, but this is not possible for space grid No. 3.
But wait, the coordinate code of space grid number three was also chosen in the Great Sheng Dynasty?
"Gulu, are you sure it's the Great Sheng Dynasty?" So he chose the world where she lives?
【Sure! 】
"Then, can you tell me where the coordinate code I entered is?"
【No comment! 】
This grunt is useless!
"So, I can't move this space grid number three. I can only repair it. But if someone outside discovers the secret inside and destroys it, then my space grid number three will have to be abandoned."
[Host, you can choose to continue opening the next space! ]
Gu Ran was speechless.
Who is the person who is causing trouble in Space No. 3?
When did you find the space grid? How did you find it so quickly?
If he discovered this space, wouldn't he be able to dig open the door and break in at any time?
The private boudoir she had decorated with great difficulty was about to be lost.
No, such a wonderful space will definitely be ruined by someone like this.
"I have to wait and see who is trying to dig up my space grid!" Gu Ran said, and quickly went to the workshop, took out a knife and held it in his hand.
Otherwise, if the situation is allowed to deteriorate, this space will be dug out one day.
We have to catch whoever it is first, get rid of everyone who knows about it, and then repair this hole.
Gu Ran stopped eating and drinking, and even had no time to read the storybook.
She stood by the cupboard, intending to see who was the thief who discovered the space and stole her oranges!
It didn't take long. About a day later, she noticed some movement in the cupboard where the oranges were kept.
When he heard the rustling sound, Gu Ran looked towards the cupboard.
I saw a hand reaching out from the hole.
Slender, small, and covered with bruises and scars!
Just looking at this hand, it seems that the person who discovered this space is not very old?
Because that hand was clearly a child's hand.
By the way, the hole that was dug doesn’t seem to be very big, so is this the reason why the other party discovered the existence of this space but did not further destroy it?
Thinking of this, Gu Ran couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
But after the little hand reached in, it felt around but didn't touch the oranges - of course, Gu Ran deliberately moved the pile of oranges facing the hole away to prevent the enemy from easily touching them.
As if realizing that the place it had reached in was empty, the hand reached in further. This time, it finally reached in. After grabbing an orange, it quickly retracted its hand, then reached in again and took away two more oranges.
Gu Ran was sure that the other person was a child. He coughed deliberately and then tried to question: "Little thief..."
The hand suddenly retracted and never came in again.
"Can the child hear me?"
When Gu Ran discovered the hole, he leaned over to take a look. Looking out of the hole, he saw a white mist rising and could not see anything.
But you can hear the sound?
【Can. 】
"Can you hear me clearly?"
【……】
[You can hear it, but not necessarily clearly.]
"What's the meaning?"
The voice he heard was not yours.
Is it because of a space that was supposed to span multiple dimensions? Gu Ran said he could understand.
"Then do you know who that child is?"
No comment.
Gu Ran: Tsk!
After that, for many days, the child was not seen going to the space grid to touch anything again.
Gu Ran also breathed a sigh of relief.
She didn't know what her weird space would look like in the child's place. She was afraid that the child would touch things and go home to tell the adults that there was a monster, and then smash her space No. 3. Then she would lose this space completely.
Now it seems okay!
At least the kid didn't tell anyone about it.
However, three days later, the hand entered the space grid again.
This time, the hand had more scars than the last time I saw it, and was even bleeding.
What happened to this kid?
What is its origin?
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