Su Miaomiao opened the wooden box, almost blinded by their radiance. One by one, pearls the size of eggs, polished to a high sheen, lay within.
She reached out and picked one up, weighing it in her hand. "My heavens, are these real or fake? They look a bit fake."
Cheng Hao glanced up at her, then continued busying himself with tending to the charcoal fire. "They're real. Your father-in-law never deals in fakes. After doing business for so long, he has his skills. They just look strange to us because we haven't seen much."
Neither of them particularly liked relying on their parents. Although their family conditions were good, they hadn't developed the bad habits of rich second-generation heirs, nor did they care for luxuries like gold and jewels. They lived quite simply.
In common parlance, they were down-to-earth.
They were much like ordinary families' children.
Su Miaomiao played with the round pearls, a smile spreading across her face. "If we could go back, and could take these things with us, we'd truly be rich overnight. We could buy a house, a bunch of things we like, and just lie back and live."
They had started a few side hustles themselves. Besides their studies, they already had an income, achieving financial independence. However, they were still a long way from financial freedom, and buying a house on their own would take several more years. The dream of striking it rich was something no contemporary young person could escape.
Cheng Hao chuckled at her words, then covered the small stove with its bronze lid and placed the copper kettle on top. Soon, they would have hot water to drink.
He watched Su Miaomiao admiring the pearls one by one. "What are these for? Decorations? Or accessories? They're too heavy to be worn just like that. Are they just for playing with? How strange."
But she found playing with them quite enjoyable. The round, smooth feel of each pearl was pleasant.
They were just a little cold.
"They don't have a specific purpose. They're easy to store like this, look good as gifts, and are nice to keep. When needed, they can be sent for shaping and polishing. Since they're yours now, you can do whatever you like with them."
Su Miaomiao lost interest after playing for a while. The main thing was that with the current chaos, these treasures couldn't be spent. They weren't as practical as a pound of rice. But she could keep them for now, in case she could take them back if they returned to their own time.
She still held onto a sliver of hope, and quickly urged Cheng Hao to put them away.
Seeing she was done playing, Cheng Hao put them back and brought her a warm towel, meticulously wiping her hands clean. Then he handed her a bottle of hot milk.
Su Miaomiao drank it down, content to enjoy his care.
She didn't have to do anything.
And she'd be praised for being good.
She said gleefully, "When I have time, while we can still go out, I'll set more traps. See if I can catch anything else."
Cheng Hao agreed, no problem. The fact that their space could expand relieved him considerably, and he was no longer as anxious, becoming more at peace.
Su Miaomiao drank a can of hot milk to line her stomach and then wanted to head out.
Cheng Hao raised an eyebrow and glanced at her, asking where she was going.
"I'm going to see what everyone else is up to! Just to wander around!"
"Aren't you tired?"
"I'm not tired! I'm full of energy! I'm just going to take a look!"
Cheng Hao sighed, telling her to put on her thick clothes. He also grabbed his own thick coat and put it on.
"Alright, let's go. Where to? I need to talk to Uncle Ji about something."
He planned to scout around outside, to see where suitable places were for setting up traps.
Su Miaomiao heard this and agreed!
She hadn't intended to go anywhere specific.
She just wanted to wander and see if there was anything else that needed improving.
Now, hearing Cheng Hao was going to scout, she naturally wanted to join the fun. Setting traps was fun, and it concerned everyone's safety!
Cheng Hao nodded, took out a few pieces of charcoal, lowered the intensity, and let them continue to heat the stove. He planned to bring her back later for some hot water.
Before leaving, he closed the car door, leaving only a half-open window.
The small stove inside the car had been designed to be safe even when moving. Now that they were leaving, there was no fear of it going out of control.
At most, the charcoal would burn out.
It wouldn't ignite the car.
Cheng Hao made sure there were no flammable materials above the small stove before taking Su Miaomiao out of the car.
They walked through the convoy against the cold wind.
Everyone else was also busy.
People came and went,
all carrying some work in their hands.
Seeing them, they respectfully called them Young Master and Young Mistress.
They were well-behaved.
Cheng Hao would maintain a dignified demeanor and nod. Although he was usually easygoing, he still needed to establish his authority. While everyone was close to him, they also feared him, and didn't act too casually.
He could be both approachable and imposing, balancing the two very well.
Su Miaomiao, on the other hand, smiled at everyone, appearing very amiable, and indeed she was very likable. Everyone liked her too.
But after the journey so far, everyone had also come to understand her capabilities.
Of course, they didn't dare to underestimate her.
The couple currently held considerable prestige, so they lived quite comfortably.
The Cheng family head was not angry either; instead, he became even more solicitous towards Cheng Hao, clearly wanting to rely on him. After all, he was his legitimate son, his position was prominent, unlike those from concubines or other branches.
Cheng Hao, relying on his status as the legitimate son, could truly take over smoothly.
And during these days,
his displayed abilities had naturally caught the Cheng family head's eye.
Otherwise,
the Cheng family head might not have dared to delegate power to him, and might have even feared he would usurp his position.
But with the supply depot constantly sending goods to him, he felt very reassured, believing his son had no intention of replacing him as family head. He was still the head of the Cheng family, which was why he could be so lenient.
Cheng Hao naturally understood his "cheap dad's" mindset. It was simply that he was sure Cheng Hao had no ambition to seize power, but was only focused on his work for the benefit of the convoy. This made him increasingly satisfied with his son, leading him to hand over power.
He was already the second-in-command of the Cheng family convoy, as acknowledged by everyone. Now, in the minds of some, he was the undisputed leader, though this was an unspoken consensus, and no one dared to voice it openly.
But it could be said that
the couple's recent performance had indeed won over many hearts. Therefore, being family head was just a title, and possessing the supply depot records was not of much use. The real issue was, who would control the distribution of supplies?
Everyone clearly listened to Cheng Hao more, and their respect for him grew.
The young couple got out of the car and immediately got busy, working alongside everyone else.
The others were all performing their respective duties.
Soon, the preparatory work was almost complete. In two or three days, the dilapidated temple was repaired well enough to withstand the winter. The remaining task was to create security measures, building traps according to their young master's wishes!
During this time, the weather grew colder, and everyone's activities began to be restricted.