Thieves at Home?

Real World.

Two days later, in the morning.

The sun had just risen above the horizon, its brilliant rays shining across the land.

Xian He appeared in the bedroom carrying a sack of wood powder.

He set the wood powder on the kang, returned to the Inner World, and brought out nine more sacks before stopping.

Ever since he had grown a Muyang Tree in the Inner World, he had taken all the empty sacks at home there, so he had no shortage of bags.

After pushing open the front door, Xian He went to his next-door neighbor's house, planning to borrow his one-wheeled handcart.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Xian He rapped on the courtyard gate and called out, "Is Old Brother Ji home?"

His neighbor's surname was Ji, and his name was Ji Bochang. He also had a younger brother named Ji Shuhao.

Who knew what their parents had been thinking when they gave them such ridiculous names? "Dabao" and "Erbabao" would've sounded better.

"Who is it?" a hearty voice called from behind the gate.

Xian He peered through the crack and saw Ji Bochang walking toward the gate while pulling up his pants.

"It's me, your good neighbor, Xian He!"

"Xian He?"

The gate opened, revealing a burly, middle-aged man.

"Come on in. I've got something to tell you!" Ji Bochang pulled Xian He into the courtyard, stuck his head out to look around, then shut the gate.

"I wanted to borrow your handcart," Xian He said from behind Ji Bochang, explaining why he'd come.

Ji Bochang waved a hand and said solemnly, "We'll talk about that later. Tell me, what have you been doing these past two days?"

"Nothing much. I've been at home, busy producing the next generation." Xian He said it without batting an eye. He'd even produced two!

Ji Bochang paused, then said, "The morning before last, I caught sight of two vicious-looking strangers sneaking out of your house. They didn't cause trouble for you and your wife, did they?"

"Strangers? And vicious-looking?" Xian He's heart tightened. No wonder he'd noticed signs that things at home had been moved around when he got back.

Ji Bochang guessed, "Maybe they were thieves. Your house is in a remote spot, with few passersby, so it's easy for thieves to target it. You two had better be careful and hide your valuables. Those thieves might come back!"

"The cart's over there. Take it yourself, and remember to bring it back when you're done." Ji Bochang pointed toward the wall.

"Thanks, Old Brother Ji!" Xian He smiled and cupped his hands, then wheeled the cart away.

All the valuables in his house had been moved to the Inner World. He figured those two thieves had left in tears.

Then again, they might not have been thieves. They could've been Xiao Yang's lackeys, there to cause him trouble.

Once he got his hands on rice seeds, he'd head straight back to the Inner World. If they wanted to cause him trouble, they could forget about it!

Xian He loaded ten sacks of wood powder onto the handcart, tied them down with hemp rope, and pushed it toward his father-in-law's house.

"I haven't helped Dad sell Wood Powder Porridge for two days. He's probably going to complain about me," Xian He muttered as he pushed the cart. He wondered if one Crystal Pomegranate would be enough to win him over.

He wanted to sell the high-quality wood powder to Old Man Yun and get some Copper Coins to buy rice seeds. After all, you shouldn't let good things go to outsiders.

The wood powder grown in the Inner World tasted excellent, almost like flour. It didn't scratch your throat at all. Selling it to Old Man Yun would surely help his business thrive.

Once the children were a little older, and he was strong enough to deal with Xiao Yang and his lackeys, he'd bring the children and Yun Ling to visit Old Man Yun. Going out now would still be too dangerous.

Xian He parked the handcart outside the Congee Shop and called out, "Dad! Your son-in-law's brought you some top-quality wood powder! Come take a look!"

Business at the shop was slow, with only a few scattered customers.

Ever since Yun Ling left, the shop's business had plummeted.

If he were around, he could at least use his master-level cooking skills to help make up for some of Old Man Yun's losses.

But he had to take care of Yun Ling and the children.

"Look, it's Xian He, Old Man Yun's son-in-law."

"He hasn't shown his face for two days. What's he been up to? I've been waiting to drink the porridge he makes!"

"What else? Obviously, he's been doing Yun Ling. Heh heh heh..."

The customers whispered among themselves, leering now and then.

"You little brat, you finally decided to show up? I thought you'd forgotten about me, you old man!" Old Man Yun complained as he came out of the kitchen, ladle in hand.

Looking at the wood powder on the handcart, Old Man Yun asked curiously, "Where'd you get so much wood powder? Hmm... it smells pretty good."

"I went through a lot of trouble to get this top-quality wood powder. It tastes a hundred times better than ordinary wood powder," Xian He said, exaggerating. "I'll give it to you cheap: one hundred Copper Coins a sack."

Old Man Yun froze at that. "What, you're charging me?"

"Even brothers keep their accounts straight. This wood powder didn't fall from the sky," Xian He said, making his case. "So, do you want it? If not, I'll take it to the grain shop."

Old Man Yun snorted. "If your wood powder's as good as you say, I'll definitely take it. Scoop me out a few ladlefuls first so I can cook some porridge and see how it tastes."

"Sure!" Xian He pushed the handcart to the kitchen entrance, untied the rope, took down a sack of wood powder, and carried it inside.