Qin Jianguo straightened his collar and picked up the kettle. “You came to bring me tea, and I thought it was really good, so I came to ask you about it. I couldn’t find you just now—were you out checking the fields?”
Lin Fengxia: “Me? I was just napping and didn’t hear the knock.”
She couldn’t exactly say she had been messing with seeds in the space all this time.
“If you like this tea, I can brew some for you next time.”
Qin Jianguo’s eyes lit up, a fleeting look of delight flashing in them.
Suppressing his excitement, he asked, “Was this tea brewed just for me?”
Lin Fengxia was about to answer when Wang Cuiping’s voice rang out: “Girl, how did you brew this tea?”
“Teach me!”
“Oh wow, in all my life I’ve never had tea this good!”
“Girl, come on, show me! No matter how I brew it, it doesn’t taste as good as yours!”
Wang Cuiping’s voice was loud, and with one shout, it completely drowned out Qin Jianguo’s voice.
Qin Jianguo and Lin Fengxia turned around and saw Wang Cuiping running over, full of excitement.
Her face was flushed, thumbs up, praising Lin Fengxia’s tea without end.
“Girl, you’re amazing! You actually know how to brew tea this well!”
“How do you do it? Teach me, I can’t make it taste this good no matter what!”
Lin Fengxia smiled. “Tea is brewed just like this.”
Wang Cuiping didn’t believe her. “Come on, no matter how I brew it, I can’t get your taste.”
“You must have a secret trick.”
Seeing Wang Cuiping’s convinced look, Lin Fengxia played it mysterious. “Well… this is my signature skill. I can’t just tell anyone.”
Wang Cuiping then looked at Qin Jianguo.
“Commander Qin, could you step aside for a moment? I need to talk to Fengxia.”
Qin Jianguo furrowed his brows slightly.
“Cuiping, I also need to talk to Fengxia.”
Wang Cuiping put her hands on her hips. “Commander Qin, aren’t you usually all about respecting your elders and caring for the juniors?”
“Why the sudden change in attitude toward me?”
Qin Jianguo was speechless.
He relented. “Alright, fine.”
He stepped back two paces. Lin Fengxia called after him, “Commander Qin.”
Then she explained to Wang Cuiping, “Sister Wang, it’s nothing special. I just used water I filtered myself to brew the tea.”
“If you want to brew tea like this, I can give you some of my water.”
Wang Cuiping immediately nodded, grinning from ear to ear. “Perfect!”
“Thank you, Sister Lin.”
“I’ll also bring you some homemade cured meat next time, really authentic. I guarantee once you taste it, you’ll want more!”
After exchanging pleasantries, Lin Fengxia poured a bottle of water for Wang Cuiping.
Satisfied, Wang Cuiping left.
Now it was just Lin Fengxia and Qin Jianguo.
Lin Fengxia asked, “Commander Qin, did you have something else to say?”
Qin Jianguo met her sparkling eyes and suddenly got flustered.
He turned his head, cleared his throat, and said, “N-no, it’s nothing. I was just curious about how you brew tea.”
“You even prepared the water yourself—it wasn’t easy. I don’t need it explained.”
“Thank you for the tea.”
Lin Fengxia teased, “Why are you being so polite with me, Commander Qin?”
“After all you’ve done for me, I haven’t even thanked you properly yet. A little tea is nothing.”
Qin Jianguo stammered, “T-That’s good then.”
“I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”
Qin Jianguo dashed off in a flash.
Lin Fengxia looked around to make sure no one was watching, then locked the door and went back into her room.
She carried the bucket full of water into the space.
The moment she entered, the water in the bucket disappeared.
She walked over to the pool and saw that it had grown slightly larger than before.
Lin Fengxia was overjoyed.
So all the water had accumulated in the pool!
With long-term accumulation, she wouldn’t have to worry during the famine!
Satisfied with her discovery, Lin Fengxia stepped into the small wooden cabin.
The cabin wasn’t large, but everything was neatly organized on the shelves, easy to locate at a glance.
Lin Fengxia silently marveled at the system’s power.
What kind of technology could create such a powerful space?
After inspecting the cabin, Lin Fengxia left, feeling fully satisfied.
No sooner had she settled when there was a knock at the door again.
It was a soldier—someone was waiting outside the base for her.
Curious, Lin Fengxia went to the door and saw Lin Lanzhi standing there, carrying a basket and dressed neatly.
A trace of mockery flashed in Lin Fengxia’s eyes.
This girl’s persistence was really shameless.
Perhaps she had set her sights on Qin Jianguo.
Lin Fengxia composed herself and walked forward with a bright smile.
Feigning excitement, she grasped Lin Lanzhi’s hand.
“What brings you here?”
Lin Lanzhi, unsuspecting, said, “Just came to see how you’re doing here. Your family has been worried about you. Do you want to go back to check on them?”
Lin Fengxia seemed to hear a joke.
“Worried about me?”
She pulled her hand away, casually wiping it.
Lin Lanzhi didn’t notice and continued, “After all, they’re your relatives. Could you really be so cold and heartless?”
Lin Fengxia’s mind darkened with silent laughter, and her gaze toward Lin Lanzhi grew colder.
“Lin Lanzhi, are you really my good sister or not?”
“Why have you been pushing me all this time?”
Lin Lanzhi was startled by Lin Fengxia’s sudden fury.
“I… I didn’t mean that,” she stammered.
“I… I was worried about you too.”
Lin Fengxia: “I don’t need your worry!”
She stepped back several paces, putting distance between herself and Lin Lanzhi.
“Now I see you clearly. You don’t truly care for me, and you never really treated me as a friend.”
“From now on, bridges and roads are separate—let’s not see each other again.”
With that, Lin Fengxia left without looking back.
Lin Lanzhi was completely stunned.
In all the years they had known each other, this was the first time she had seen Lin Fengxia so angry.
Even when she made mistakes before, she had never reacted like this.
Lin Lanzhi stood there, dumbfounded, and only after a long while did she realize that Lin Fengxia was cutting ties.
Her expression changed slightly. “Lin Fengxia!”
She called Lin Fengxia’s name, but Lin Fengxia’s steps never slowed—in fact, she quickened her pace.
Lin Lanzhi tried to follow but was blocked by the guards, left fuming at the doorway.
She stomped her foot in frustration.
How could she allow Lin Fengxia to sever ties now?
How could she…
Reluctantly, Lin Lanzhi glanced back, twisted her face in displeasure, and left.
Lin Fengxia smiled.
Lin Lanzhi, you’ll never bully me again in this lifetime!
For now, she wasn’t strong enough; rash revenge would only bring trouble.
So Lin Fengxia decided to take it one step at a time.
One day, when she was strong enough, strong enough to crush them…
“Fengxia?”
Qin Jianguo’s voice reached her.
Lin Fengxia turned and met his gaze.
His eyes were fixed intently on her face.
Her heart skipped a beat—a bad feeling rising.
Had Qin Jianguo seen her fierce expression just now?
She instinctively wanted to hide.
Qin Jianguo walked over, “Why do you look so happy?”
Lin Fengxia immediately restrained her smile and touched her cheek. “Do I?”