He blinked, his eyes widening like copper bells as he took in his surroundings.
His mind raced with a single thought: *Where am I? How did I get here? Did I stumble into the Immortal Realm? Where’s my wife?*
The thought of his wife spurred him to look around frantically. She was standing a few steps away, smiling at him.
*It’s good she’s here.*
Once he confirmed his wife was by his side, he dared to examine his surroundings more closely.
As his gaze swept over vast, neat fields of rice, wheat, and, in the distance, corn and sorghum.
A thought flashed through Qi He’s mind: if they had this much grain, the entire thousand-household garrison wouldn't go hungry.
But was it real? He considered the possibility that his eyes were playing tricks on him, or that he was daydreaming.
To test if it was real, Qi He strode forward a few steps. When he bent down and his hand touched the knee-high wheat seedlings, he even plucked a leaf, brought it to his nose, and inhaled.
It was the familiar scent of green wheat sprouts.
*Yes, this is all real.*
*This is wonderful.*
Lost in pleasant thoughts, his eyes fell further into the distance. On the hillside, there were many fruit trees laden with ripe fruit, making his mouth water with sweetness.
“Mmm…”
He felt the warm touch of his wife’s small hand on his waist and turned back.
The young man’s gaze was tender and affectionate, as fervent as ever. The lady found herself a little overwhelmed in broad daylight.
She decided on a tactical retreat. “You look around here as much as you like. Eat and drink whatever you want. I’m going out on my way.”
After Fu Xinci finished speaking, she shimmered and exited the space, leaving Qi He standing by the wheat field with a dejected expression.
He disliked it when his wife fled from him. But she was out, and he couldn't follow.
For now, all he could do was eat and drink here.
Sighing, Qi He ambled from the wheat field to the foot of the mountain, then up the slope. As he approached the apple trees, laden with tempting apples, each one bigger than his fist and a deep red, he casually picked one.
There was no need to wash it. The philosophy of "eating whatever is dirty without getting sick" had been ingrained in him since childhood.
With a crisp "crack," the sweet fragrance filled his mouth. It was a familiar taste, and Qi He began to eat heartily.
As he ate, his eyes darted about, overwhelmed by the sight.
When he spotted cherry trees ahead, he let out a whoop and lunged towards them, then proceeded to have a cherry feast under a cherry tree.
When Fu Xinci reached the hills outside Dragon City, she invited Qi He out of the space. The man declared, "Wife, I ate all the cherries from one tree."
"That's good. That tree will blossom and bear fruit again soon."
Fu Xinci finished speaking, took Qi He's hand, and asked him, tilting her head back, "Brother Qi, don't you have anything you want to ask me?"
"No," Qi He replied. Then, he leaned in and whispered conspiratorially in his wife's ear, "I know this is all yours, wife. We can eat whatever we want under the covers from now on."
"Shameless."
"Hehe, as long as you don't mind, wife."
Qi He finished speaking and led his wife into the valley, holding her hand.
Along the way, they met familiar faces who greeted them warmly.
Among them was Xiang Tong, who almost seemed to outrun the wind with his long strides.
"Little Girl Fu, Qi He, you're here."
Qi He had gotten quite familiar with him and spoke to him with affection.
"Town Head Xiang, what's this...?"
"Little Girl Fu, well, after we came back from your wedding that day, I was snatched away by that fellow Lan Tianyao."
Xiang Tong sounded quite aggrieved. If he were a bit shorter and wearing women's clothes, everyone might have mistaken him for a wronged little wife.
"What did he snatch from you?"
Although Qi He asked the question, Xiang Tong looked at Little Girl Fu as he answered.
"He snatched half of me away."
"Did Lan Tianyao snatch Captain and the others?"
"No, he only snatched me."
Xiang Tong drooped his eyelids, as if lamenting: *I bore it all.*
"That's... acceptable then."
"What do you mean 'acceptable'? Little Girl Fu, your words truly wound me. The kind that Yunnan Baiyao couldn't even heal."
"Don't worry, even if we had Yunnan Baiyao, we couldn't use it on you carelessly right now. It's precious."
"Little Girl Fu, the truth hurts."
The Captain, who had heard the commotion and rushed over, answered for Xin Ci from a distance.
"Tsk, you've long been tempered like steel. What are you afraid of a little truth for? Just pretend."
"You guys..." Xiang Tong hadn't expected the Captain and the others to arrive so quickly. He had hoped to garner some sympathy from Little Girl Fu.
But upon seeing the Captain, he knew his beautiful wish had been thoroughly dashed.
The Captain paid no mind to Xiang Tong's inner turmoil. He merely gave him a look that invited deep reflection, then led the young couple home.
Xu Jiacan had already run back to deliver the news, and Xiao Ai was immediately delighted.
"Xin Ci knows me so well! I've been craving boiled corn these past few days, and Xin Ci has arrived."
"I want some too, and I want it roasted," Xu Ruyi's spirits also soared.
Hearing his wife's words, Xu Jiacan asked, puzzled, "Ruyi, why didn't you say anything earlier if you wanted corn?"
"At this time of year, the seedlings have only just started to grow. Where would we get corn if Xin Ci didn't come?"
"Yes, I've been craving it for days, just waiting for Xin Ci to come."
Xu Jiacan hadn't expected that the pregnant women in the family would all want the same thing. It was both amusing and exasperating.
"If you had said so earlier, we could have sent someone to Eagle Beak Cliff to bring you back a basket!"
"Why go through all that trouble? We figured Xin Ci would be here in a day or two."
"And here she is."
Looking at the three big-bellied women beaming, Xu Jiacan was at a loss.
He had to endure it and couldn't casually tell the other two brothers, or he would face an even fiercer barrage.
"Alas..." Before he could even finish sighing, Pang Dun'er's booming voice could be heard from outside.
"After returning from your wedding banquet, the three of us brothers were all cheerful. That Lan boss was so happy he was practically floating as he walked, wishing he had two wings to fly, the kind that fly in circles."
"Yes, he walked and sang the whole way. His voice was unmistakably the unique Lan family melody."
"...?" Fu Xin Ci looked over curiously.
"If you closed your eyes, you could absolutely imagine the sound of wailing ghosts. And in the mountains, with an echo, doesn't that sound creepy?"
"Pfft." Fu Xin Ci couldn't help but chuckle.
Qi He didn't laugh; he held it in.
"You all know it was in the mountains. We were truly afraid he'd attract wolves."
"And then what?" Fu Xin Ci was eager to know the outcome.
"As he howled and flew higher, I carried him away," Pang Dun'er said, proudly patting his chest.
"Finally, our ears were blessed with silence."