Chapter 22: The King of Shifting Blame, Gu Yan’an
Early the next morning, Lan Mo tried to enter the space, but there was still no reaction at all. Unable to enter the space, she naturally couldn’t harvest the crops, so Lan Mo had to go to the kitchen to help Su Mei prepare breakfast.
During breakfast, Lan Jingtian asked Lan Mo, “Momo, what are you going to do with the furniture in your house? I’ve already spoken to my supervisor about renting it out to single male colleagues from our unit.”
“Dad, if you plan to take a nap there at noon, remember to keep one room for yourself. I’ll sell the furniture and buy a set of old Chinese-style furniture to put in later.”
These were heirlooms left by her biological father’s ancestors, so they definitely had to be kept secretly. In a few days, she would find some time to go to the Western-style house and store those pieces in the Space Warehouse.
Su Mei said, “Momo, are you really going to rent out that house? Why not keep it for when you get married? The furniture inside is so nice—won’t it be a pity to sell it?”
“Mom, why would a woman need to prepare a house for marriage? Are you planning to find a live-in son-in-law?”
“Su Mei, listen to what our Momo is saying. Recently, there have been rumors that things are getting chaotic up top, and the situation is starting to become tense.
If Momo doesn’t rent out that house now, it might attract unwanted attention if someone with ill intentions takes notice. After all, that house was left by Changqing, and anyone who investigates will find out. Such a large and luxurious house—how could Momo possibly protect it all by herself?
If we rent it out as a dormitory for our unit, no one would dare to make trouble. Since we’ve decided to rent it out, the furniture inside doesn’t need to be too fancy to avoid criticism.”
“Dad, you might have to wait another month.”
Lan Mo estimated that within a month, her farm would reach level ten. By then, she could bring things out from the space and use the cellar in that house to leave several thousand coal briquettes and some medicinal herbs for her parents.
Lan Jingtian picked up a piece of fried dough stick and placed it in Lan Mo’s bowl, saying, “It’s fine. Take your time with the furniture. See if any of your colleagues are getting married and need to buy furniture.”
“Alright, I understand.”
After breakfast, Lan Mo went to work. Today, Gu Yan’an had placed a yellow rose made from ginkgo leaves and two small dogs made from foxtail flowers on Lan Mo’s desk.
Doctor Deng pointed at the items on the desk and said with a smile, “Doctor Lan, the patient from Ward One brought these over today, hobbling on crutches.
Yesterday, I mistakenly thought it was his family member trying to pursue you. So it turns out the patient himself is interested in you! That young man looks really spirited and handsome—you should consider it.”
That young man indeed seemed much more outstanding than her nephew, and he was so good at charming people—he could even turn a few leaves into a flower.
A man like that clearly knew how to cherish his wife, and being his wife would surely be very happy.
Lan Mo smiled, realizing that Gu Yan’an truly had such intentions. His hands looked so large, yet he was so clever and skilled at crafting.
One small dog could mean he was a single dog looking for a partner, but two dogs—one big and one small—a male and a female?
Bah, bah, bah!
What a fool. Couldn’t he have made some cute little rabbits instead?
After finishing her rounds and examining Gu Yan’an, Lan Mo was about to return to the ward when Yang Wei suddenly asked, “Doctor Lan, did you like the two small dogs made from foxtail flowers on your desk? One big and one small, a male and a female, just like…”
Yang Wei added in his heart, just like you and my cousin. Lan Mo smiled and retorted, “Just like what? A male and a female—aren’t they just a pair of dogs?”
Only then did Gu Yan’an realize he had messed up. If he had known she would interpret it that way, he shouldn’t have woven those two little dogs.
But the foxtail flowers were pulled by his little cousin, so he had to shift the blame onto him.
Pointing at Yang Wei with an awkward smile, he said, “Doctor Lan, my cousin is born in the Year of the Dog, and his blind date is also born in the Year of the Dog. Since he doesn’t know how to weave foxtail flowers, I tried making two little dogs for him…”
Yang Wei felt utterly wronged. Since when was he born in the Year of the Dog? He was clearly born in the Year of the Monkey! And where did this blind date come from? The one he finally took a liking to ended up being snatched away by his cousin.
It was true that he had pulled the foxtail flowers, but who had he done it for?
Yang Wei opened his mouth to protest, but Gu Yan’an glared at him, and he immediately fell silent.
“Doctor Lan, my cousin is right. I asked him to weave those two little dogs. He said Doctor Lan might like them too, so he gave them to you along with the flowers.”
Keep weaving, both of you!
Lan Mo smiled and said, “Since you’re so good at ‘weaving’ foxtail flowers, why don’t you two keep weaving tomorrow and make a set of the twelve zodiac animals?”
Lan Mo turned and walked out of the ward with a smile. This Gu Yan’an was truly cunning, and his poor little cousin Yang Wei was clearly no match for him.
“Cousin, what does Doctor Lan mean? I don’t know how to weave the twelve zodiac animals!”
“You don’t have to weave them. I’ll do it. Go pull more foxtail flowers now, and make sure to clean them properly so you don’t dirty the ward.”
“Cousin, are you really planning to weave a set of the twelve zodiac animals?”
Since Doctor Lan had made a request of him, no matter how difficult it was, he had to find a way to fulfill it. Now that he had decided on her, he had to take every task she entrusted to him seriously.
“Stop talking nonsense. I’m not asking you to weave them. Just go pull more foxtail flowers for me. Once I’m discharged, I’ll treat you to a meal at the State-run Restaurant.”
“Cousin, are you going to treat me to braised pork? Sweet and sour pork tenderloin is good too, and sweet and sour ribs are delicious…”
“Got it. Do as I say, and I’ll treat you to three dishes and a soup. Now hurry up!”
The sooner he finished weaving the twelve zodiac animals, the sooner he could win Doctor Lan over.
If you want to pursue a wife, you have to put in some effort. As a soldier who had returned from the battlefield, he believed in keeping his word and following through on his actions. He had no intention of being all talk and no action.
Lan Mo tried all day but couldn’t enter the space. She thought upgrading the Small Wooden House would take several days.
But at 8:30 in the evening, suddenly, a ding sounded in her head.
Lan Mo knew the upgrade had succeeded. What should she do now? She hadn’t finished making the clothes in her hands.
Lan Mo deliberately yawned and said, “Sister-in-law, look, the seams I’ve sewn are a bit crooked. Could you help me finish sewing the two sleeves?”
“Momo, are you tired? Go back to your room and rest first. You can continue sewing tomorrow.
I think for your first time making clothes, you’ve done really well. The seams aren’t crooked at all. You must have been tired just now and saw it wrong.”
“Oh, okay, sister-in-law, I understand. I’ll come to your room again tomorrow night to practice using the sewing machine!”
“Alright, hurry back to your room and rest!”
Lan Mo returned to her room, immediately locked the door, and quickly entered the space.
The small wooden house was now gone. In its place stood a blue brick and red tile bungalow, with three bedrooms, two living rooms, one kitchen, and one bathroom, complete with running water and electricity.
On her twentieth birthday, the various exquisite home appliances, furniture, pots, pans, and utensils gifted by friends from myriad realms had all been placed in their appropriate spots.
Even the peonies and orchids sent by Flower Grandpa were arranged on both sides of the main door, creating an incredibly cozy atmosphere.
Lan Mo now had another home. She could finally cook meals in the space.
There were still sixty catties of Spirit Rice left from what she had taken last night. Should she use the electric clay pot to make some Spirit Rice porridge tonight?
No sooner said than done. Lan Mo first took three taels of Spirit Rice from the Warehouse, washed the electric clay pot clean, and began cooking the Spirit Rice porridge.
After finishing the porridge, she hurriedly harvested the chili peppers she had planted yesterday. As expected, forty percent of the four chili plots had been stolen.
The farm now had only a little over five hundred thousand Gold Coins. To upgrade the blue brick and tile house into a luxury villa would require at least twenty million Gold Coins.
Although the blue brick and tile house was quite comfortable to live in, who wouldn’t prefer a luxury villa?
Just thinking about the smart kitchen equipped in the villa made Lan Mo’s heart flutter—the three-meter-tall oven, the large steamer, the fully automatic dishwasher, the sweeping robot…
Most importantly, the system also provided the villa with two constant temperature cellars and one large ice cellar.
With no idea when she would earn twenty million Gold Coins, Lan Mo decided to sell all the potatoes and chili peppers stored in the Warehouse. A week’s worth of stock only fetched a little over twenty thousand Gold Coins.
Even a mosquito’s leg is still meat, right? After all, she couldn’t take these things out for the time being anyway.