She had observed that the two guards from the Huo family were merely following at a distance. If she were to shield her actions, they wouldn't be able to see what she was doing, which was why she dared to make her purchases so boldly.
To ensure everything went smoothly, Gu Qingcheng had even specifically asked the two guards to keep a distance from her, so as not to disturb her shopping enjoyment.
Gu Qingcheng's request was straightforward, and the two guards didn't think much of it, as obedience was ingrained in their very being.
After all, Young Master Huo had only instructed them to protect Gu Qingcheng and ensure her safety, not to follow her every step.
Finally, Gu Qingcheng arrived at a blacksmith's shop in the city. Half a month had passed in the blink of an eye, and the agreed-upon time for picking up their order had long since passed. She suddenly remembered that they had commissioned three swords from the blacksmith and hadn't collected them yet!
She retrieved the deposit receipt she had written earlier from her storage cabinet. Upon entering the blacksmith's shop, she presented the receipt to the smith.
The blacksmith chuckled, admitting he had thought they weren't coming to pick up the swords.
When the blacksmith brought out three gleaming silver swords, Gu Qingcheng's eyes lit up. The blacksmith's swordsmithing skills were truly excellent. She plucked a strand of her hair and swept it across the sword's edge. The hair was cleanly severed into two pieces, drifting to the ground. The feat of cutting hair with a blade was indeed achieved.
Gu Qingcheng then weighed the swords. For their current strength, the swords' weight was just right.
Satisfied, Gu Qingcheng paid the remaining balance and took the swords. On her way out, she casually bought two more kitchen knives, one for chopping bones and one for slicing vegetables. She carried these in her hands, while the swords had been stealthily placed into her storage cabinet as she left.
Holding the kitchen knives, she walked out. The guards hadn't followed her into the blacksmith's shop and therefore only assumed she had bought kitchen knives.
At this moment, Gu Qingcheng noticed that her medical supplies in the storage cabinet were running low – scalpels, disinfectant, and so on. She knew her father had begun his surgery, and it seemed to be going smoothly. Reassured, she continued her shopping.
Besides food, she also purchased some health-preserving tonic ingredients like red mushrooms, reishi mushrooms, and century-old ginseng. These were not available in the "Mountain Cat" supermarket.
With the guards following her, Gu Qingcheng couldn't buy large items. Small items could be discreetly stored, but large items were impossible to conceal. Having bought what she needed, Gu Qingcheng told the guards she needed to head home.
The guards then escorted Gu Qingcheng back up the mountain.
Upon returning home, Hu Lanfang opened the door and was immediately hit by a pungent, slightly unsanitary odor emanating from her daughter. Though not obvious, it was detectable to someone with a sensitive nose like hers, so she asked suspiciously:
"Qingcheng, is the Huo mansion so unbearable? Why do you smell like you've just emerged from a pigsty?"
Gu Qingcheng couldn't stand it either. She waved her hand, saying she would explain later, and hurried off to wash her hair and bathe.
After drying her hair, Gu Qingcheng recounted her visit to the prison to her mother.
Hu Lanfang's back went cold, and goosebumps erupted on her skin. She said:
"The conditions in that prison are truly atrocious. There was no need for you to go today; why expose yourself to such a foul stench?"
Gu Qingcheng smiled and replied, "I was there to rub salt in their wounds, and at the same time, I earned a hefty sum of satisfaction points. Seeing them suffer brought me joy, and I unintentionally earned over a thousand points."
Hearing Gu Qingcheng say this, Hu Lanfang didn't press the matter further.
Upon returning home, Gu Qingcheng began renovating the backyard.
She got the inspiration while taking a bath.
The extreme cold weather was fast approaching, and they had made thorough preparations. However, the great flood that would follow the extreme cold was still in its observation phase.
This wouldn't do; they had to make full use of this brief, precious time to implement various countermeasures.
She had discovered a fantastic item in the "Mountain Cat" supermarket's sporting goods section: an inflatable swimming pool, two meters deep, three meters wide, and fifty meters long.
The swimming pool was quite expensive, costing 200 satisfaction points to exchange.
Although Gu Qingcheng felt a pang of regret, she exchanged for it.
There was no other way; she couldn't possibly build a swimming pool now and had to rely on a readily available solution.
Furthermore, due to the cold weather, she had to modify the water inlet and outlet pipes to make it a circulating hot water system. Otherwise, jumping into the pool would instantly freeze them.
Gu Qingcheng transferred the swimming pool from the system and placed it in the backyard. Once inflated, it finally solved the problem of a swimming training area.
She then purchased enough metal pipes from the supermarket's building materials store and wound them around the underground heating furnace, allowing the furnace's heat to transfer to the pipes.
Next, she filled the pool with clean water, connecting the outlet and inlet to the metal pipes with rubber hoses to form a closed loop for water circulation. Using a water pump, she ensured continuous water flow in and out.
As cold water flowed into the metal pipes, it was heated. The hot water then entered the swimming pool, reaching a suitable temperature for their swimming.
It took nearly a full day to set up this heated swimming pool. Hu Lanfang and Mi Guo were of great help; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to DIY it alone.
Gu Qingcheng saw steam rising from the pool, indicating a suitable temperature, achieving the desired effect. She then changed into her swimsuit and began to swim.
Mi Guo, wearing a swimsuit for the first time, only had a pair of shorts, leaving his upper body exposed. He felt a bit uncomfortable, but seeing his sister so at ease, he quickly immersed himself wholeheartedly.
What child doesn't love playing in the water?
Learning to swim was especially novel and exciting for him.
Gu Qingcheng was surprised to discover that Mi Guo could swim. He had learned a doggy paddle style from informal swimming in the countryside. He splashed around in the pool, creating a flurry of water.
Furthermore, Mi Guo's lung capacity was quite impressive; he could hold his breath underwater for a full minute, at least better than her, who could only manage 40 seconds and needed further practice.
Hu Lanfang's swimming skills were also average. She had learned them incidentally when accompanying her daughter to swimming lessons at the children's palace and could only do the breaststroke.
However, she knew this was a crucial survival skill for the future and was determined to practice diligently.
Gu Qingcheng, like all youths growing up in their great and prosperous motherland, considered swimming lessons a compulsory course, so her swimming strokes were the most standard.
She instructed Mi Guo to correct his improper swimming techniques so that he could swim faster and more efficiently. In a critical moment, if they ran out of stamina, the consequences would be unthinkable, so conserving energy was paramount.
Mi Guo quickly learned the breaststroke and was thoroughly enjoying himself.
Hu Lanfang, on the other hand, was more difficult to teach because she was a half-baked learner and was older. Correcting her posture wasn't as quick as Mi Guo's.
Later, during one instance, she almost drowned while diving.
Gu Qingcheng noticed immediately and quickly pulled her out.
Despite being shaken, Hu Lanfang, upon remembering that the future world would become a waterlogged realm, could only pat her chest, encourage herself, and bravely continue her practice.
Swimming, like cycling, was a process of overcoming challenges. Once that hurdle was cleared, it became a lifelong skill.
After overcoming her psychological barriers, Hu Lanfang finally managed to correct her swimming posture.
Once the three of them discovered the joy of swimming, they spent hours in the pool, only coming ashore when they were completely exhausted.