Madam Fang, seeing that her daughter wanted her to make a decision, weighed the fat fish in her hand and stated her own plan.
"Ci'er, these fish are quite plump. Let's braise one and braise another in red sauce."
"Mother, everything you've said makes me crave it."
Seeing her daughter display a rare girlish demeanor, Madam Fang's heart felt sweet. However, she quietly cautioned her daughter that some things should not be spoken in front of outsiders.
"Yes, Mother, I understand." Fu Xinci agreed and then returned to her small building to wash up.
With the weather so hot, she really didn't want to go out.
Ning'er, who had been poking at ants under a large tree, heard that his sister had returned and threw down the twig he was holding, running back.
When he "pitter-pattered" his way to the bottom of the small building, he saw his sister, dressed in a plain, light green everyday outfit, leaning on the windowsill and staring out at the cherry tree not far in front of the building.
"Sister." Ning'er thought his sister must be craving the fruit on the tree just like him.
"Ning'er is back."
"Yes." The little one agreed, then pointed to the cherry tree behind him and said to his sister, "Sister, I see the fruit on the tree is already red. Can we eat it now?"
"Ning'er, just a moment. Sister will check if these cherries are ripe yet."
"Mm-hmm, Sister said that cherries are only delicious when they are ripe." The little one walked to the cherry tree, his clear black and white eyes fixed on the half-red fruits among the leaves, his mouth watering.
Fu Xinci sighed helplessly and gracefully walked down the stairs.
For convenience at home, she had only tied her hair into a bun, making her look refreshed and neat.
"Sister, hurry up."
Ning'er's voice was filled with impatience. The little one had been eyeing the fruit on the tree for several days. It had started as soon as he saw the fruit beginning to turn red.
"Mm." Fu Xinci agreed. She had already thought of a way to satisfy her little brother's cravings.
"Miss, would you like me to help you set up a stool?"
"Yes, please move the stool over." At home, she tried her best not to use her abilities; she didn't want her family to be startled.
After Han Xue brought the stool to the cherry tree, Fu Xinci stepped onto it. She carefully parted the branches of the cherry tree, looking at the semi-ripe cherries. Then, before the three pairs of eyes below could notice, she secretly brought out a few ripe red cherries from her space.
Ning'er watched as his sister squatted on the stool and carefully handed him a ripe red cherry. His mouth formed an 'o' shape.
"Sister, are these cherries very tasty?" Ning'er said, a suspicious trickle of clear liquid already seeping from the corner of his mouth.
"Sister finds them very tasty. Ning'er can wipe your mouth with a handkerchief, and then you can taste the cherry."
Before his sister could finish, Ning'er took a handkerchief from his sleeve pocket, wiped his mouth, and then bit into a cherry.
The sweet, fragrant juice flowed into his mouth, and the delicious taste made Ning'er squint with excitement.
"Mm, it's really delicious."
The little one said only this sentence, and then fell silent, happily munching away.
After finishing one cherry, the little one said sheepishly, "Sister, Ning'er was so busy eating the cherries just now that I forgot about Grandfather and Mother and Father."
"It's okay. Ning'er was just tasting to see if the cherries were delicious."
"Yes, Sister is right." With his sister providing such a good excuse, the little one grinned mischievously.
Then, he extended his chubby little hands and pointed to the other two cherry trees, saying to his sister, "Sister, let's pick the ripe fruit from those two trees too."
"Alright." Fu Xinci followed suit, and her handkerchief was filled with bright red cherries.
Ning'er looked at the large amount of red cherries his sister had collected. Although he really wanted to eat them, he held back.
"Sister, let's save them to eat together when Grandfather and Father return."
"Yes, Ning'er is so good."
Fu Xinci said this, but still grabbed a handful of cherries and put them in the little one's pockets.
The delighted little one covered his pockets and couldn't stop giggling secretly.
When Qi He returned, he saw his sister Fu and Ning'er sitting under the shade of a tree, talking.
Hearing footsteps, Ning'er turned his head. Seeing that it was Qi He, his little face instantly lit up with a smile, and he ran over, shouting, "Brother-in-law!"
Ning'er knew that as long as he called him "Brother-in-law," he would be picked up and held high, and then carried around the courtyard at full speed.
Heh heh, he hadn't told anyone at home, but he actually liked being carried around by his brother-in-law the most.
It was raining again in Dragon City, and the companions frowned.
Xu Jiacan leaned closer to the captain, gazing out at the misty rain, and voiced his concern.
"Captain, will this rain last for many days like last time?"
"I don't know. But I hope this rain will be less, at least so that most families don't run out of food."
Fatty Dun and Xiao Ai remained silent; they were conducting an experiment. When they pulled in the old clothes they had left outside, their faces turned grim.
"How is it?" Xu Ruyi asked, feigning ignorance.
"Look at how much the color has faded. It seems even worse than last time."
Yang Xinjie was a bit disbelieving and ran her comb through the garment.
"In this weather, everyone should try not to go out. If you absolutely must go out, make sure to take precautions, wear raincoats and rain boots, and absolutely do not let the rainwater fall on exposed skin."
"Understood."
The companions agreed verbally, but felt uneasy in their hearts.
At night, Fu Xinci was surprised not to see her companions.
She saw from the screen that there were only a few people in Dragon City's trading hall. She guessed that it might have started raining in Dragon City again.
Her suspicion was confirmed by the two young teenagers, and Fu Xinci fell silent.
No one knew that her heart was growing wild with impatience, almost drowning her.
What should she do? She was afraid that her companions would not be able to wait for her space to upgrade.
Seeing Fu Xinci's somber expression, the two teenagers also stopped talking and became a little scared. They worked together to pull over a slightly older little old man to talk to Fu Xinci.
Fu Xinci hadn't expected that her momentary loss of emotional control would frighten the people on the other side. Feeling a bit apologetic, she sent them some food.
Instant noodles, ready-to-eat hot pot, luncheon meat, and three rice balls.
This stunned the old man and two young ones on the other side. The youngest boy pointed at the items and asked Fu Xinci hesitantly, "Sister Fu, are these really for us?"
Fu Xinci nodded. Seeing that they still didn't believe her, she had to speak, "They are a gift for you."
The three of them looked at each other, and seeing each other nod, they finally believed it was true.
"Quick, take them."
"Alright, thank you, Little Miss Fu (Sister Fu)."