Chapter 69: There May Be a Snow Disaster

"Ahem!"

Cheng Chengxuan gave a light cough, then set Yu'an down.

"Sorry, what I meant was, um, I'll take it."

Yu'an tilted his little head, looking at him in confusion.

Why is Little Uncle acting so strange today?

It was just that An Luo was washing her hands in the washroom at the moment and hadn't noticed any of this.

Otherwise she could have been certain—Cheng Chengxuan really was talking to her.

Cheng Chengxuan picked up the black stone and examined it carefully.

"What is this thing, and what is it used for?"

He had only touched it once, and his palm was already smeared black; with some distaste he set it back on the ground.

Yu'an tugged at his hair, his delicate little brows knit together as he carefully recalled Fairy Sister's words.

"It's coal. You can burn it like firewood to keep warm."

Hearing this, Cheng Chengxuan's hand, which had been reaching into his robe for a handkerchief, paused. He looked down in disbelief at the little fellow who was 'talking nonsense.'

"Burn a stone?!"

"How could this stone possibly be used as firewood?!"

"Wouldn't your Fairy Sister just be playing a joke on you?"

The little fellow pressed his small mouth tightly, his two little brows standing straight up, and his milky voice carried a hint of solemnity.

"If Fairy Sister says it can burn, then it definitely can burn."

Fairy Sister has never lied to Yu'an!

Cheng Chengxuan asked another question.

"Why don't you ask her again?"

Seeing that Little Uncle still didn't believe him, Yu'an was so anxious he stamped his little feet.

"Fairy Sister went off to be busy."

"This stone really can burn—Yu'an heard it very clearly!"

"Alright, alright, alright, don't be angry now."

Cheng Chengxuan used his clean hand to rub the little fellow's cheeks.

"It can burn, right? Then let's give it a try."

So she wasn't here after all.

That explains it. It must be that the girl was busy with something and spoke a little too quickly, and Yu'an misheard.

Even though that was what he was thinking, Cheng Chengxuan picked out a black stone the size of a fingernail, pulled out a fire folder from his robe, and grabbed a handful of dry grass to light it.

Once the fire was going, he tossed the small black stone in.

Watching the little fellow who was utterly focused, not taking his eyes off the fire for a second, Cheng Chengxuan shook his head helplessly.

This stubborn temper—he really is cut from the same mold as Big Brother.

"Mm!"

Hearing this sound, Cheng Chengxuan came back to his senses.

"See, it must be that you…"

Misheard.

Seeing the small stone in the fire burning a glowing red, the second half of his sentence instantly stuck in his throat.

Cheng Chengxuan's eyes widened in disbelief.

"It really can burn!"

He used his dagger to fish the small stone out, gave it a pat—the burned stone wasn't as hard as before; after two pats it cracked slightly, and a few bits of ember-bearing debris fell to the side. A little of it happened to land on some dry leaves, and the leaves quickly caught fire.

"Black stones are amazing!"

Yu'an proudly lifted his little chin, looking utterly smug.

"I told you so—Yu'an wouldn't mishear!"

Cheng Chengxuan raised a hand and ruffled his little head a few times.

"Yes, yes, yes! Our Yu'an is the most amazing."

Then he looked excitedly at the black stones exposed on the surface.

There must be more beneath this little mountain!

"Yu'an, did your Fairy Sister say how much black stone was sent?"

Just then, An Luo also returned to the table.

Hearing his words, she instinctively calculated in her mind.

"Yu'an, tell your Little Uncle—it's about ten thousand shi."

The moment he heard her voice, Yu'an immediately broke into a sweet smile.

"Fairy Sister says, ten thousand shi."

Ten thousand shi!

At this moment, Cheng Chengxuan looked at the small mountain range before him as though he were looking at a mountain of treasure.

"Might the lady be willing to tell me in detail about this… coal?"

This time An Luo was in a fix.

She wanted to, but she couldn't.

After waiting a long time with no response, Cheng Chengxuan nervously clenched his fists.

His words just now were indeed a bit presumptuous — that young lady won't be angry, will she?

He hurriedly added another sentence.

"If it's inconvenient, then…"

Forget it.

"Alright, but let's go home first."

A gentle, soft voice rang out around them.

That voice was light and ethereal with a touch of softness, like a trickling spring flowing through a mountain stream, like a clear breeze brushing past one's ear, and like the ripples slowly spreading when dewdrops gathered on leaves at dawn fall into water — ring after ring, swaying the heartstrings.

Cheng Chengxuan was dazed for a moment; at that instant, it was as if every sound around him had vanished, and he could only hear her voice, and… his own heartbeat.

An Luo released the little megaphone icon on the screen.

This one costs twenty points, and the key thing is it can only be used for one hour — must use it sparingly.

"Little Uncle, that was Fairy Sister's voice just now!"

Yu'an tugged at his own little uncle's hem and swayed it.

Then he opened his big eyes wide and looked around.

"Fairy Sister, did you come out from inside Yu'an's head?"

"Will you come back again in the future?"

Hearing these words, Cheng Chengxuan also subconsciously straightened his lapels, squared his back, and looked straight ahead.

But his peripheral vision kept watching the surroundings the whole time; he too felt that the voice from earlier was as if that young lady were right beside them.

Watching Zaituan running around pattering here and there looking for her, An Luo hurried to speak.

"Yu'an, don't worry. Elder Sister is still at her own home — I just used a little gadget earlier that lets other people hear Elder Sister's voice."

Hearing this, Yu'an stopped his searching, raised his hand, and patted his own little head.

"So Fairy Sister is still here!"

Hearing this, Cheng Chengxuan felt an inexplicable twinge of disappointment in his heart.

"Alright, Yu'an, let's hurry home."

He first had Yu'an put away all the black stones that were exposed, then carried the little fellow and rushed home as fast as he could.

"Where have you two been? Look at you, covered in sweat."

Seeing them, Wang Shi came forward to meet them, took Yu'an, and then handed Cheng Chengxuan a handkerchief.

"Wipe yourself off quickly."

Cheng Chengxuan fetched a basin of water, quickly splashed his face, then took Yu'an back from his mother.

"Mother, Yu'an and I have some matters to attend to."

Watching their hurried backs, Wang Shi shook her head.

"What on earth is so urgent?"

Once in the room, Yu'an knew Fairy Sister and Little Uncle were going to discuss important matters, so he obediently sat in a chair by himself.

Following Fairy Sister's instructions, he took out a small bag of nuts and a small plate of big cherries from the Treasure Chest.

One bite of a badam at a time — he loved butter-flavored almonds the most.

Fragrant and crispy, delicious!

Yu'an squinted his big eyes in enjoyment; every single brow seemed to be dancing with happiness, like a little squirrel hugging a pine nut with a satisfied face.

When his little mouth felt dry, he'd pop two big cherries; his two short legs dangled in mid-air, and even though he tried hard to keep them still, they couldn't reach the ground and still swung back and forth — looking utterly adorable.

"Miss?"

After arranging the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, Cheng Chengxuan called out softly.

An Luo came back to herself, and while searching her tablet for information on coal, she picked out the key points to tell him, especially stressing that ventilation was needed during the coal-burning process.

Half an hour later, Cheng Chengxuan set down his writing brush and gathered up the several sheets of xuan paper filled with characters.

"Thank you, Miss."

An Luo waved it off without a care.

"Everything I've done is all for Yu'an."

Hearing Fairy Sister's words, Yu'an immediately puffed out his chest and lifted his head, his heart brimming with sweetness.

Cheng Chengxuan suddenly knit his brows tightly.

"Miss first produced the method for knitting sweaters, then gave the blueprints for a heated kang, and now has sent a large quantity of coal — could it be that something untoward will happen this winter?"

This question caught An Luo off guard.

The sweater was to let Zaituan earn money; the heated kang was to let Zaituan sleep warm in winter.

These were all her personal actions.

As for this coal…

The system's rewards are never random — they all have their own logic.

Could it be…?

An Luo slowly voiced the guess in her heart.

"I think there might be a snow disaster!"