At the mention of a gift, Xiao Wu perked up at once. She nodded and followed Huo Yuhao around as they went from shop to shop, buying quite a few things.
The sky gradually darkened. After dinner, the two of them returned to the academy carrying bags and bundles.
"Wang Sheng, what happened to you?"
As soon as they entered the dormitory, they saw Wang Sheng with a bruise on his face.
Several Work-Study Students stood around him, their faces filled with anger.
"Someone bullied us Work-Study Students in the cafeteria at dinner, so I fought their leader."
Wang Sheng lowered his head, looking somewhat ashamed. From the looks of it, he'd lost.
"Who dares bully my people? Who was it? Boss'll stand up for you!"
Hearing that one of her people had been beaten, Xiao Wu gritted her teeth and lifted a leg, ready to charge off and settle the score.
"Boss, don't go. That guy's called Xiao Chenyu. He's already obtained a Soul Ring, so he's an eleven-level Soul Master." Wang Sheng hurriedly stopped her. Going up against someone with one Soul Ring before she even had a Soul Ring herself would be like walking into a beating.
"Hmph, I'm not afraid of him! It's still anyone's guess who'd win!"
The fact that her opponent was a Soul Master didn't make Xiao Wu timid. Once her temper flared, no one could talk her out of it.
"Wang Sheng, challenge Xiao Chenyu to a fight tomorrow. Set it for after school two days from now. I'll deal with him."
Seeing Wang Sheng, a fellow Work-Study Student, get beaten had angered Huo Yuhao too. This had gone beyond the realm of kids squabbling.
He couldn't help recalling how he'd been treated in his previous life at the Duke Mansion. His mother, Huo Yun'er, had often come home covered in bruises, and she'd died when Huo Yuhao was still very young.
"Okay, Yuhao. Be careful."
Wang Sheng knew how strong Huo Yuhao was. Seeing his grim expression, he nodded and said nothing more.
Before going to bed, Huo Yuhao took out the materials he'd bought that day, along with the two blue stones.
He let out a breath, unable to hide his delight. These two stones were indeed Starlight Sapphires, essential for making Storage Soul Tools.
In this era, no one knew how to make Storage Soul Tools, so the stones were treated as ordinary ornaments. He'd practically stumbled upon a bargain.
"A little piece like this should provide about five cubic meters of space. That'll be enough for now."
Huo Yuhao immediately got to work. Xiao Wu watched him for a long time, but couldn't figure out what he was tinkering with.
She didn't understand it, but just thinking that Huo Yuhao was making her a gift made her so happy she couldn't sleep.
From Wang Sheng's point of view, Huo Yuhao was concentrating intently on making something.
As for Xiao Wu... she propped her chin in both hands, pouted, and watched Huo Yuhao work, her eyes sparkling. Every so often, she'd break into a silly grin.
"..."
Wang Sheng wanted to say something, but didn't know what. He shook his head, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.
"Phew... Ten levels of Soul Power really is a bit of a stretch. At least I finished it."
In Huo Yuhao's hands lay two white metal bracelets, each an inch wide.
Their patterns had a mechanical look to them. They seemed decorative, but were actually channels for Soul Power to flow through. A deep-blue gemstone was set in the center of each one, making them look exquisite and beautiful.
Huo Yuhao stretched and was about to head to bed when he noticed Xiao Wu asleep beside him. With a helpless shake of his head, he picked her up to carry her to her bed.
Because of the grilled fish at lunchtime, a faint smell still lingered on him. Xiao Wu's little nose twitched in his arms.
"Grilled fish... So delicious~~"
Then both her arms wound around Huo Yuhao's neck.
"!!!"
Huo Yuhao's mind went completely blank, as if he'd been hit with a paralysis spell. Xiao Wu had put her arms around his neck before, but never this close!
Feeling her breath brush against his neck, Huo Yuhao's little brain promptly shut down.
He held her for a long time, until his arms began to ache and he finally came back to his senses.
He slowly made his way to the bed and bent down to lay Xiao Wu on it, but her arms around his neck were like iron hoops. With no other choice, Huo Yuhao pushed her toward the middle and lay down on the outer side.
Fortunately, their beds had been pushed together, so there was plenty of room.
And so Xiao Wu slept in the middle of the two beds, while Huo Yuhao slept on her bed, facing her.
With Xiao Wu holding him, Huo Yuhao felt weariness wash over him. He gazed at her adorable sleeping face, so close to his own, and slowly closed his eyes.
The only witnesses were the pair of bracelets on the desk, their blue gemstones giving off a faint glow... and Electrolux, in little Yuhao's Sea of Spirit.
"Heh. It's good to be young."
A ray of sunlight fell across his face. His eyelids fluttered, and when Huo Yuhao opened his eyes, he saw a pair of bright, watery eyes. Their corners curved upward, reflecting his own sleepy face.
His body jolted. Huo Yuhao suppressed his trembling voice.
"Good morning."
"Hehe, was my bed comfortable?"
"Last night, you were holding on to me. I had no choice."
Huo Yuhao coughed twice, sat up, and turned his back to her to hide his flushed face.
Before Xiao Wu could keep asking questions, he went straight to the desk and handed her one of the bracelets.
"This is for you. Put it on your wrist and try channeling your Soul Power into it."
Looking at the exquisite item in her hand, Xiao Wu was taken aback. She looked up and met Huo Yuhao's eyes, then nodded and slipped it onto her wrist.
She poured in her Soul Power, and a blurry space appeared before her eyes, about five cubic meters in size.
"Wow, this is amazing! What does it do?"
Xiao Wu's curiosity was instantly piqued.
After Huo Yuhao taught her how to use it, Xiao Wu had a blast. One moment she was putting her pillow inside; the next, she was storing the desk.
Watching Xiao Wu play with it like a child with a new toy, Huo Yuhao smiled.
Xiao Wu turned around and, while Huo Yuhao was distracted, wrapped her arms around his neck again and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.
"Thank you for the gift. I love it."
The saliva left on his cheek made Huo Yuhao's face turn red, drawing a burst of laughter from Xiao Wu.
"Let's go sell grilled fish again tonight." Huo Yuhao changed the subject.
"We can make money again? Yay!"
Thinking of how well the grilled fish had sold the day before, Xiao Wu could hardly wait.
Class flew by in a flash. After listening to lessons all day, Huo Yuhao shook his head.
Compared with the mature education system ten thousand years in the future, the classes now were no help to him at all. He didn't plan to waste any more time on them.
With the Storage Bracelets, they no longer needed to carry a backpack. After dividing up their tasks with practiced ease, the two met at their usual spot.
As soon as they set up the grill, quite a few people recognized him, and a crowd had already gathered in front of the stall.
"Young man, you're finally here! I couldn't get your grilled fish out of my head after eating it yesterday. When you didn't show up at noon, I thought you weren't coming back."
Huo Yuhao smiled as he replied.
"I'm a student at a nearby academy, so I have classes during the day. Thanks for understanding. Just like yesterday, please line up first. To make sure the people at the back get a chance to buy some, each person can buy no more than two."
After speaking, he nodded to Xiao Wu.
"Everyone, line up properly. We've prepared fifty fish today. Keep an eye on your place in line. If you're too late, you can come back tomorrow."
The crowd readily agreed, lined up, and paid in order. Before a single fish had even been grilled, all fifty had been sold.