Tomb raiding: A mere 20 is nothing!

The noise outside eventually reached the room, and Wu Xie, who was looking at documents, sighed.

When did the once peaceful Yucun become so noisy?

Even the usually quiet and reserved Zhang Qiling was forced to run to the back mountain; who knows what he'll be able to bring back this time.

Sometimes it's a snake, sometimes it's bamboo shoots, sometimes it's a fish, and sometimes you come home empty-handed.

Wu Xie remembered Shen Mingchao's suggestion that they could hang a small camera around Zhang Qiling's neck and make him a wildlife adventure blogger. He thought about it and realized it was actually quite feasible.

Just as he was thinking this, the fat man came out of the kitchen, sweating profusely, and shouted, "Naive! Get them out of here! I'm about to puff away with my spatula!"

"Fatty, just let them do it. I think they're just bored."

Wu Xie turned to look at the things piled in the corner, and said worriedly, "Fatty, do you think all this equipment we prepared for Li Chu and the others is useless now?"

The purpose of Aluminum Triangle's visit to Rain Village was to ask them for equipment to explore the Dead Water Dragon King Temple. Who would have thought these unexpected events would occur?

The fat man couldn't help but grumble, "What's the use of this? I don't think their minds are on it at all. They're so distracted, no wonder they're not as famous as us. Giving it to them is a waste. Let's put it away, otherwise what will the Ming Dynasty say when they see it? Will they say we're planning to cosplay as mermaids and explore the underwater world?"

Wu Xie sighed, "Ugh... this is a bit cringe-worthy. It's more like cosplaying a water monkey."

The fat man chuckled, "Hey! You know what, it really does look quite like it!"

"Like what?"

Shen Mingchao carried the last of the tangerines into the house and happened to overhear half of what the fat man said.

"Like..." The fat man was taken aback by the question. Who would have thought that Shen Mingchao would suddenly come in?

"It smells...good!" Finally, he came up with a way to fool people. The fat man turned and walked towards the kitchen, muttering, "This dish smells so good!"

Shen Mingchao took a sniff, and indeed there was a fresh and delicious aroma in the air, making her mouth water.

Fatty truly lives up to his reputation as the head chef of the Daomu Biji series; his cooking skills are simply superb. It's true what they say, to win someone over, you must first win their stomach. The fundamental reason Shen Mingchao has been able to stay in Yucun for so long is precisely because of the free meals.

As is customary, everyone had a farewell dinner before leaving.

Several young people at the dinner table kept chattering away.

Shen Mingchao discovered that ever since she acknowledged herself as Li Han, Li Cu had very quickly taken on the role of her older brother, becoming wary of any man who appeared around his sister, believing that they all had ill intentions, and thus engaging in a series of protective behaviors.

For example, at the dinner table, Wu Xie served her a bowl of soup, and Li Cu's invisible alarm went off. He reached out and took the soup from Wu Xie, then pushed the soup he had just served to her.

He leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear, "Xiaohan, let me tell you, don't be fooled by his seemingly normal appearance. He has a serious illness, likes to lure minors to restricted areas, and is prone to going back on his word. Don't let him bewitch you."

Shen Mingchao glanced at the serious-looking Li Cu, then out of the corner of her eye at the displeased Wu Xie, wanting to warn Li Cu to be careful. She felt that if there weren't so many people around, Wu Xie would probably have swung the soup ladle at Li Cu's head.

Shen Mingchao had seen the Sand Sea and knew that Wu Xie at this time should feel indebted to Li Chu, but due to his personality, he could not say it outright. He could only suppress his temper and let the child talk to him from time to time.

Noticing her gaze, Wu Xie's eyes softened instantly, and upon closer inspection, a hint of grievance could be seen in them.

At that moment, Shen Mingchao felt like he was hallucinating.

Damn, why does this feel like my own little dog is being bullied and asking its owner for comfort?

Is it a little dog in his late 30s or early 40s?

Shen Mingchao shuddered, quickly averted his gaze, and buried his head in his rice.

But the situation on the field was still far from calm.

The reason was that Su Wan was discussing which day they should leave so that they could buy plane tickets in advance.

Just as the date was set for the day after tomorrow, Li Chu stopped him with a shout.

"No! We can't go back together. Xiaohan and I will go back first, and you two can come back later."

Before Su Wan and Yang Hao could speak, Shen Mingchao, confused, abruptly looked up from his rice bowl: "Huh? Why? Aren't we all going back to Beijing together?"

"Uh..." Li Chu choked, glancing at his two brothers out of the corner of his eye, and blurted out, "They've got something on their minds!"

"Huh? Something's up?" Shen Mingchao was even more puzzled: "You guys have been going up and down mountains and rivers these past few days, catching dogs and playing cats, and even teaming up to play games. You seem pretty free."

"Uh..." Li Chu was in a real bind. How was he supposed to explain this?

Seeing Li Cu's troubled expression, Shen Mingchao suddenly realized something: the only thing that could make these people speechless was that matter related to the tomb.

It's working now, everything is working.

It seems that the aluminum triangle came here not just to reminisce, but mainly to rob tombs. However, due to this unexpected event, they had to interrupt their journey.

She guessed that Li Chu meant he didn't want the trip to be in vain. After the two of them, or rather, after she, an outsider, left, Su Wan and Yang Hao could go into the tomb with peace of mind.

So their free time lately was actually to keep her in the dark?

Shen Mingchao thought to himself that he couldn't let the aluminum triangle lose its central position.

She spoke up first: "It's okay, brother. If you have something to do, go ahead and do it. I can go ahead. I don't necessarily need someone to accompany me."

"Heh—" someone scoffed.

Everyone looked and saw it was Wu Xie. He waved his hand and said, "Sorry, I just couldn't resist."

Hahaha, you little brat, I told you to guard against this and that, and now you've managed to get yourself out of the way, hahaha.

Li Cu's face grew darker and darker amid Wu Xie's unrestrained laughter.

Su Wan tugged at Li Cu's sleeve and whispered, "Li Cu, why don't we go together? It's the dead of winter, and we're both wearing padded coats, so it should be fine."

They had asked before, and the reaction wouldn't be that strong unless there was excessively close contact.

Yang Hao, a woman of action, quietly said, "I've already placed my order."

Li Chu's eyes widened: "Do you even know which train to take? You've already booked it?"

"I know." Yang Hao gestured with her eyes: "I asked about the Ming Dynasty, and she sent me a screenshot."

Li Chu turned around in disbelief, "Xiao Han, you just... just told him?!"

Shen Mingchao was taken aback by the question, and scratched his head innocently: "Why do you ask? Is this some kind of secret that can't be told?"

Li Cu almost choked on his breath, with only one thought in his mind: beware of fire, theft, and even your own brothers.

Aside from this farce, Wu Xie was also chatting privately with Shen Mingchao.

Wu Xie: Will you be going back to Yucun for Lunar New Year's Eve this year?

Shen Mingchao: Of course.

A sly glint flashed in her eyes as she countered, "Then, as an elder, shouldn't you prepare a red envelope for the younger generation, Mr. Wu?"

elder.....

Those two words are so glaring.

Wu Xie typed and then deleted several times.

Just then, a shadow darted in from outside the door. Upon closer inspection, it was Zhang Qiling, who had returned from his patrol of the mountain, followed by a round, calico cat.

Shen Mingchao picked up San San and, looking at Zhang Qilin's adorable, cold face, couldn't help but tease him:

"Yo! Our beloved Mountain King is back! What did you get from this Wildlife Encyclopedia blind box series?"

Zhang Qilan didn't say anything, but silently took out a transparent glass bottle from his pocket.

Shen Mingchao looked over.

Inside the small, transparent jar, a butterfly is fluttering about, its wings a bluish-purple hue that shimmers with iridescent light as it flutters.

This is a rare butterfly that emerges from its cocoon in winter.

She smiled gently, looked at Zhang Qilan, and said, "Idol, see you again in a while! I'll miss you~~"