Arriving at the Base (10,000-word chapter) (continued)

"No wonder the commander wanted us to secretly transport this food back to base. If people from other bases saw this, who knows what bad ideas they might have."

The people in the grain delivery team were all Lou Quan's most trusted confidants. They not only had a long-standing relationship, but their interests were also intertwined. That's why Lou Quan sent them to deliver information and told them some of the secrets of the Snow Bird.

As Zhao Tao heard their words, he also smelled the sweet fragrance of wheat.

He excitedly ran over, took a deep breath near the wheat, and exclaimed with a look of pure bliss, "My God, this wheat! How can it smell so good? I can't even imagine how delicious it would be to make steamed buns!"

Someone broke off an ear of wheat, rubbed it in their hand to remove the husk, then picked up a few grains and put them in their mouth.

Three seconds later, he exclaimed, his eyes wide, "Delicious! Such a rich wheat flavor!"

Seeing that his expression didn't seem to be lying, Zhao Tao and the others also took a grain of wheat from his hand and tasted it. Soon, they also showed the same surprised expression.

"Delicious, I'll have another one."

"Won't eating too much give me diarrhea?"

"Go ahead and poop, I won't let my mouth go hungry."

Seeing their childlike behavior, John and the others smiled without saying a word, but they could understand. When they ate fruit yesterday, they didn't seem much smarter than them.

Seeing that the wheat had been mostly moved, Lou Yu went back to find Tao Qiu and the children, wanting to see if they needed any help.

As soon as Lou Yu reached the bottom of the valley, he saw Tao Qiu carrying a basket of radishes and flying down. Many crops were already laid out on the ground.

He went over to lend a hand, and Tao Qiu said, "Please ask them to help carry these; they're all going to be transported to the base."

Lou Yu somewhat surprised. "So many?"

Tao Qiu and her child are going to play for a while; they can't possibly eat all that every day, can they?

"Yes, there are more in the cave. You want to go up?"

Lou Yu nodded.

Fine, let Tao Qiu bring it if he wants. The car can fit it all. We can just bring the leftovers back to them later.

Actually, you could climb the slope to get into the cave, but it would be quite troublesome. Luckily, Tao Qiu was there, Lou Yu simply asked him to take him.

Tao Qiu carried Lou Yu back to the cave, put him down, and then walked towards the corner where the crops were piled up.

"Lou Yu's father, you're here." Seeing Lou Yu, Erzai, who was putting Second Cub his stones into a box, greeted him.

The Eldest Cub Third Cub, who were also packing their things, called out "Dad Lou Yu!"

Lou Yu agreed. He walked over to Second Cub and said to her, "Daddy knows Xuexue, you like your pretty stones, but you don't need to bring them all every time you go out. It's a bit of a hassle. I think just taking a few of your favorites will be enough."

Second Cub looked puzzled. "We're going to live at the base, so of course we have to take all our things. Otherwise, what if we suddenly want to see something or play something someday? We'll have to fly back to the cave, which is too much trouble."

Lou Yu it was the kids' first time going out and they didn't understand these things, analyzed, "Bringing everything would be tiring, wouldn't it? You'll be back in a few days, and you might not even finish playing with everything in the base, so you probably won't need any of this."

The Second Cub looked even more confused. "Why... why... are we coming back in a few days?"

Lou Yu was a little confused. "You? Didn't you go to the base for a few days and then come back?"

Second Cub stopped what he was doing and looked at Lou Yu in surprise. "Dad, we're not going to play, we're going to move to the base to live, to live there for a very long time, didn't you know?"

"Huh?" Now it was Lou Yu's turn to be shocked.

Hearing their conversation, the two children, Eldest Cub Third Cub, also came over.

Eldest Cub: "Before Lou Yu's Lou Yu came last week, he told us that after he stayed with us for a few days, we would move in with Lou Yu."

Third Cub: "We thought Daddy had already told you, Lou Yu's dad, but it turns out he hasn't?"

Lou Yu and his three children all looked at Tao Qiu in the corner at the same time.

Tao Qiu picked up a basket of pears, walked over, and said to Lou Yu, "Let's talk outside."

Lou Yu followed him outside, while the kids continued packing their luggage.

Setting down the wicker basket, Tao Qiu stood up, looked at Lou Yu, and said with a smile, "Guess what was in the letter I asked you to give Lou Quan?"

The answer was obvious, but Lou Yu still obediently answered, "You and Lou Quan made another deal. He guaranteed that you and your child could live safely at the base permanently. You must have agreed to his conditions, which should be related to planting, right?"

Tao Qiu nodded. "I'll have him get me and the kids legal human status. As long as he can do that, the Yong'an Base won't have to worry about food anymore."

Lou Yu's heart pounded wildly. He suddenly remembered what Zhao Tao had said earlier: besides returning the grain, they had also exchanged two secret documents with the Yongkang Base. Could those documents contain Tao Qiu and the children's identification documents?

If that's the case, then Lou Quan's approach is undoubtedly the most correct one.

Lou Quan and his accomplice share the same surname, Lou, and are not yet able to completely break free from the Central Base. However, the Yongkang Base is different; it is highly independent, making it difficult for the Central Base to verify the authenticity of their identity documents.

"This is a bit sudden. May I ask Qiuqiu why? Did she change her mind?"

I initially only planned to visit for a few days, but now it seems like I'm planning to stay permanently?

Lou Yu didn't blame Tao Qiu for keeping it from him; he was simply curious.

Tao Qiu pouted and said angrily, "It's all your fault! That fake ex-boyfriend! I'm going to tell everyone that you're not single anymore, you even have a husband and kids, so stop letting just any Tom, Dick, or Harry cling to you."

Lou Yu reached out to smooth Tao Qiu's furrowed brows, his eyes already filled with a smile.

"Is Qiuqiu jealous?" Lou Yu asked with a smile.

"Yes, I'm jealous, incredibly jealous." Tao Qiu looked at Lou Yu and said seriously, "Little Fishy, I want to appear openly and honestly by your side, I want everyone to know that we're a couple."

Lou Yu's smile froze, and a hint of seriousness appeared in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Qiuqiu, did I make you feel insecure because I let you?"

Tao Qiu shook her head. "It's not your fault, you don't need to apologize. I just hate those guys who have ulterior motives towards you, and I don't want them to bother you with this excuse anymore. Of course, my possessiveness is also an important reason."

Tao Qiu spoke frankly, his expression devoid of any falsehood.

Lou Yu reached out and pulled Tao Qiu into his arms, his tone both joyful and solemn. "Actually, I've wanted to announce our relationship to the public for a very long time, but I just hadn't found the right opportunity. Now, it can finally happen."

So Tao Qiu wasn't the only one with possessiveness; both of them shared the same thoughts and feelings.

Tao Qiu understood Lou Yu's meaning and asked him with a smile, "So, do you like this surprise?"

"I love it, I love it so much!" Lou Yu hugged Tao Qiu tightly, his attitude very sincere.

Lou Yu, who was already happy today, felt like he was floating on air after hearing this good news.

The kids said they didn't need his help to pack up, so he went to move the baskets of crops that Tao Qiu had brought down.

The delivery truck was for transporting wheat, but he and John each drove their own trucks, the backs of which were quite spacious, enough to hold crops and luggage.

After the team finished loading the wheat, they came to help Lou Yu move more crops.

Liu Qi'an exclaimed in the same as Lou Yu had earlier, "So much? We're only going for a few days, can we possibly eat it all?"

Lou Yu couldn't suppress the smile on his lips, but he had no intention of suppressing it. "It's not just a few days of fun; we're going to live at the base from now on."

"What?!" The group of people who heard him stared wide-eyed.

Lou Yu walked into the valley, and they quickly followed.

Huo Lan: "Captain, what? What does this mean? Hurry up and explain!"

Lou Yu said, "It means that Lou Quan has already obtained identity documents for Lou Yu and the child. From now on, they can live in the base as humans, and we won't have to worry about food anymore."

Several people stopped at the same time.

Chen Lin: "Am I hallucinating?"

John: "No."

Huo Lan: "We'll be able to see the babies every day from now on."

"We can eat Qiu-ge's delicious crops every meal?!" Liu Qi'an stared blankly, as if he was about to faint from this incredible good news.

Seeing their expressions, Lou Yu no longer felt ashamed of his earlier panic.

Liu Qi'an's lips twitched. "I kind of want to cheer."

Huo Lan: "Me too."

Lou Yu chuckled, "Do whatever you want, there's no one else around, why hold back?"

"Yo-ho!" Almost as soon as Lou Yu finished speaking, Liu Qi'an shouted loudly.

The four men clapped, laughed, and screamed, attracting the attention of the grain delivery team outside the valley.

Zhao Tao asked curiously, "What happened now? Is something good?"

The others shook their heads. "I don't know."

After Lou Yu and his team brought out all the crops, Zhao Tao brushed the wheat husks off his hands and ran over excitedly to ask what had happened.

Then one more person joined in the screaming celebration.

Crops? There were indeed a lot; the back of both vehicles were completely full.

Fortunately, Tao Qiu and the children had very little luggage, just a few clothes and some personal trinkets, which fit in a few bags.

As for the other items in the cave, Tao Qiu didn't plan to touch them.

He'll be coming over often after spring; all those things will come in handy. This is still his home; he can't just move everything out.

He told Lou Yu, and Lou Yu replied, "We can buy more supplies at the base; there's no need to use the ones in the cave."

Because he might not be coming back this winter, Tao Qiu blocked the entrance to the cave with bamboo doors and stones, then shrunk in size and flew out through other ventilation openings.