This meal is inedible.
"I'm so sorry, Yan Yan, I didn't expect to cause you so much trouble." Xiao Ling lowered her voice, her hand on Xiao Dong's arm tightening unconsciously.
It was rare to see her so uncomfortable, so Yue Lang comforted her, "It's okay, Xiao Ling. This is the result that Yan Yan wanted, isn't it?"
Meng Yan glanced at him standing behind her with her head tilted back, then nodded in agreement, "It's great now, saving me the trouble of promoting it. Thanks to you and Brother Xiao Dong for your help."
After spending so many days by the sea, she finally returned to her original vision when she left the valley. Although it was far from what she had imagined, the destination was still the same.
God knows she only wanted to sell a stove when she went out!
Seeing Xiaoling and Xiaodong's blank stares, Yue Lang cleared his throat. He wouldn't allow anyone to be unaware of Meng Yan's exceptional abilities.
"Actually, our Yan Yan is not only a master of mechanical devices, she's also very good at math!"
A flowery introduction floated from his mouth, sounding grandiose and empty at first, but upon closer inspection, it was indeed true. In just a few words, Meng Yan's ears turned red.
However, when she looked up slightly, she noticed that the person above her, who was talking incessantly, also had a burning red mark on their neck.
That evens things out.
.
For the rest of the days, Meng Yan and Yue Lang went out early and returned late every day, repairing the villagers' doors, windows and fishing nets. When the weather was nice, they would sit on the ground with their mechanical sparrows, enjoying the breeze and watching the sea.
The clouds drifted lazily by, and time flowed by. Before they knew it, they had finished their work all over the village, and the number of order forms they had received was far more than they had imagined. The day to return home was fast approaching.
Many people came to say goodbye, and among the familiar and unfamiliar faces, they noticed that patch of white hair.
"Mr. Weng!"
Yue Lang waved to the old man in the distance, and the old man returned his gesture.
"Is that Grandpa Weng?" a child asked, sitting on his father's shoulders.
"Yes, it was he who wove the fishing nets and carved the doors and windows for us."
"Then why is he standing so far away all by himself?"
Yue Lang heard the child's voice, found the child in the crowd, and gently replied, "Because he is old and has difficulty moving around, but you can go and find him."
After packing the tools into large and small bags, Meng Yanzhen, just as Yue Lang had said, took all the old man's tools with her. However, she was only doing it as a pretense; when she came to deliver the fishing nets next time, she would return all the tools that had accompanied the old man for so long.
The mechanical sparrow, carrying all of Meng Yan's belongings, took off first. At this moment, she was carefree and radiant, while Yue Lang beside her carried his own bundle, looking lonely and sorrowful.
"Don't take it to heart, it's just a short distance." Meng Yan patted his shoulder.
Hearing the call from behind, the two were caught off guard and their hands and arms were stuffed with live or pickled fish, shrimp and crabs. The crowd came quickly and left even faster. In the blink of an eye, only the two of them and a trail of footprints remained on the beach.
Meng Yan, who suddenly found himself carrying extra luggage before his departure, was forced into silence.
Yue Lang laughed unrestrainedly. The waves crashed against the rocks, drowning out many sounds. He was worried that Meng Yan couldn't hear him, so he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "It's just a short walk, don't take it to heart."
A huge bird suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the open beach. Previously, everyone thought that the mechanical bird was the greatest creation, but when they saw the enormous creature in front of them, they couldn't help but marvel at it even from several meters away.
Without a moment's hesitation, Meng Yan placed the seafood in the hold with a thud. His freed hands regained their voice, and he loosened his knuckles to look at Yue Lang kindly.
The man's mouth was pursed into a thin line, and his large, bright eyes, seemingly unsure whether he was telling the truth or not, looked back at her helplessly, his back full of heavy loads.
After staring at him for a while, Meng Yan gave up, flipped onto the bird, and tilted his head toward the empty seat to the side.
"I knew Yan Yan wouldn't abandon me."
Yue Lang jumped into the mechanical kite with a silly grin. For a moment, Meng Yan even had a strange feeling that she wasn't taking someone home, but rather abducting a child. And this child was silly too; he followed her wherever she went.
.
Having not flown the mechanical kite for several days, Meng Yan felt somewhat rusty. Fortunately, since he had designed it himself, it wouldn't be difficult for him to regain his former feeling.
The scenery below swirled rapidly, and the wind brushed against her face, reminding her that she was indeed flying. A long-lost sense of familiarity washed over her.
The sea gradually faded from view, the dock turned into a pale gray, green took over from blue, and soon turned reddish-yellow. They were on their way home.
"The leaves have all changed color." Yue Lang sighed, looking down. He vaguely remembered that when he came here, this forest was still green in the height of summer.
A feeling of sadness began to grow in Meng Yan's heart, but before it could fully develop, he said again, "Then all the trees in our area will be bare?"
Meng Yan: "..."
The long flight should have been boring and tedious, but with Yue Lang by her side, everything seemed different. He talked, she listened, and they laughed together.
Flying over the bare forest, with imposing gateposts supporting the ground, Meng Yan didn't hesitate this time, accelerating as he rushed into the gate.
"Wow, Yan Yan, practice makes perfect! By the third or fourth time, you've practically made my sect your home!"
How could he describe the act of trespassing into someone else's sect as something so righteous?
Not understanding where Yue Lang's self-righteousness came from, Meng Yan didn't bother to think about it. He found the right spot and pressed down, stirring up a gust of wind on the ground.
“Yan Yan knows my house better than I do. I was still looking for it at my senior brother’s place when you stopped on the ground.”
That's right. Although the area inside the gate is large, there aren't many places to dock the mechanical kite. It's hard to find a good place for it, so we have to remember the location.
"Yan Yan." Yue Lang dragged the luggage to the ground, casually picked up a piece of dry grass and threw them down, then walked around to Meng Yan's side and knocked on the railing. "Aren't you going to rest for a while before you go? Concentrating for several hours in a row, even a person made of bronze and iron can't take it."
Looking back at the horizon, the setting sun burned like a raging fire, igniting the surrounding clouds, which showed no sign of falling.
Meng Yan let the seafood roam freely in the bird hold, and jumped down under Yu Yuelang's burning gaze, "Then I'll ask for a drink of water."
"please."
The wooden door creaked as it made way for its owner. Having been without light for so long and with no visitors, even the dazzling red of the setting sun revealed a hint of loneliness.
The two figures who stepped in with the light seemed to have brought color to the still life. Everything that was sleeping and decaying was given a touch of life. Dust scattered in the rosy light and was swept away by a white sleeve. The person covered his mouth and nose and coughed a few times. After catching his breath, he invited the person behind him to come in.
"It seems that being too dry isn't a good thing either!" Yue Lang swept the dust off the tables and chairs, pulled out a chair, and spread his hands to Meng Yan. "You sit down first, I'll go next door to ask for tea."
The conditions were extremely difficult, and Meng Yan felt some regret for the decision he had made without thinking.
"The water's here!"
There wasn't much regret.
She held her teacup, occasionally taking a sip. Yue Lang had his arms folded on the table, his head piled on top of his. Perhaps exhaustion had seeped into his limbs and bones. The two rested, neither of them speaking.
"Yan Yan," Yue Lang said, his head resting on the table.
Meng Yan put down the porcelain cup and focused all her attention on him.
"Do you still have enough talismans for the mechanical kite?"
If it were for his own use, it would last for a year or two without running out. But Meng Yan remembered the blueprints he left behind when he left the valley. By calculation, they were almost complete, which meant that the number of mechanical kites would increase, not just the one he had.
"I'm afraid I'll be nervous in the future."
She couldn't decide when or how much was needed; she hadn't even gone back to check on the progress yet.
"How about... I teach you how to draw talismans? That way we won't be in a rush when we need them." Yue Lang propped his head up from the table, his expression unreadable, whether it was the result of careful consideration or just rambling.
Seeing her hesitate, Yue Lang shook his arm, moving his head left and right along with it, "What if you need it urgently later and can't find me? That would cause a lot of trouble."
Even so, Meng Yan remained silent. If asked to draw a blueprint stroke by stroke, she could complete it neatly and beautifully. But if asked to draw a talisman with just one stroke, it was hard to say whether to make things difficult for her or for the pen in her hand.
"Don't want to learn? Then I'll draw one for you right now. Do you want to see it?" Yue Lang changed his mind and coaxed her gently.
If there's nothing urgent and it's a freebie, why not take it?
The desk was crowded, so Yue Lang carried the items to the tea table, moved the original teapot and other items to another place, spread out the yellow paper, took out the cinnabar, held the wolf-hair brush in one hand, and smoothed the corner of the paper with the other.
When Li Li arrived, he saw the two of them with their heads touching. Why did they have to squeeze into that one spot at such a large table?
He moved slowly and quietly, approaching the center of the table from one side, just in time to meet the two people who were completely absorbed in their work.
Meng Yan stepped back without making a sound and sat back in his chair. Yue Lang paused in his writing, then raised his hand to touch Meng Yan's forehead with the Heavenly Eye, before withdrawing it to the side.
Li Li, who got isolated after stirring things up: "..."
He rubbed the sand off his face, calmly pulled up a chair, but Yue Lang reached out and pulled him back, making him sit down where he was, saying, "If you want to sit, wipe it off yourself."
"Hey you brat!" Li Li, seething with anger, wiped a gleaming chair clean.
"This is how the talisman paper you used for that big bird was drawn." Yue Lang pushed the yellow talisman in front of him to Meng Yan, who was sitting opposite him. When he handed it over, he even made a dot on the paper as if he hadn't meant it.
"Thank you." Meng Yan picked it up from the table, blew on it a few times, and waited for the vermilion ink to seep into the paper before folding it up and carefully putting it into the pouch at her waist.
Li Li, who watched the whole thing but no one paid any attention: "..."
"Cough!" Just as Li Li was about to lash out, his throat was itchy, and an arm wrapped around his shoulder, turning him around so that he was facing a wall.
"Don't cough, I'll put the talisman on you. If it breaks, the effect is yours to blame." The kind junior brother patted his back for him.
As he gently patted her, Yue Lang suddenly asked in surprise, "Why are you here today? I didn't tell anyone I was coming back."
Li Li was nearly knocked unconscious by his punches and had to shove his hand aside. He took a few deep breaths of spiritual energy from the mortal realm before he had the strength to turn around and lean against the table, saying, "Do you think no one could see it? When the mechanical kite flew by, we thought it was going to rain, so we quickly packed up the pots and pans. When we looked up, oh, the sky was clear again!"
"Eating so early?" Yue Lang replied with the most useless remark.
"Thanks to you, I didn't get to eat. That's why I called you two to eat," Li Li said, waving his hand across the table.
“Yan Yan…”
"Senior Brother Li, I have an urgent matter in the valley. The fish I keep on the mechanical kite are dying of thirst. I'll go ahead for now." Meng Yan nodded solemnly to him and Yue Lang, and swiftly disappeared out of the house. The large shadow of the mechanical kite quickly passed through the open space in front of the house.
Li Li stroked his chin and thought for a while before turning to Yue Lang: "Where is it kept?"
Yue Lang stretched out his index finger and shook it as if he had just realized something, then ran out the door and exclaimed happily, "We're going to have something good to eat tonight!"
A man carrying a basket of fish walked along the road, his shadow stretched far behind him by the setting sun.
Li Li uttered a meaningful "Oh~"
Yue Lang: "?"
Li Li: "Would you willingly tell someone what your livelihood is? What's the difference between that and directly taking someone else's job?"
Yue Lang: "...Never mind that, I'm just worried that no one will draw it anymore, and it will be lost!"
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