Ye Xu looked over in confusion.
Xiao Suguang hurriedly went back into the house and brought out several scrolls: "These are my younger brother's paintings, which he just asked me to pass on as gifts to you all."
Ye Xu was a little curious as it was the first time he had encountered an employee giving him a gift. He thanked them and accepted it. With permission, he unfolded it on the spot and found that it was a meticulous painting of lotus flowers in a winding courtyard, which was very beautiful.
The others received similar meticulous paintings, only the content differed. It was said that they were painted from memory after being summoned by the emperor to the royal gardens.
"At that time, His Majesty invited my younger brother to paint portraits of himself and the Empress, and granted him permission to make one request. He then asked to stroll through the gardens and paint the beautiful scenery to keep as a keepsake, and His Majesty agreed."
Without the emperor's permission, secretly painting the royal gardens would certainly have caused trouble. But the situation is no different now, since he gave the painting to an outsider without asking the emperor for permission.
"After you accept the paintings, do not reveal them to anyone or let others see them, lest you get into trouble."
Xiao Yige gave this as a gift because Xiao Suguang overheard Ye Xu and Mo Bei's conversation while cleaning earlier.
At the time, Mo Bei mentioned that he was curious about what the royal gardens, which the noble ladies had been boasting about, looked like. Xiao Suguang remembered this and told his younger brother, Xiao Yige. Xiao Yige thought that they would soon leave their current world, and since they were not from this realm, it should be fine to give them the painting.
Mo Bei was pleasantly surprised: "You remembered what I just said casually? Thank you, this painting is so beautiful, I will keep it as a treasure!"
The people didn't really care about accepting such a "troublesome" painting; they had no respect for imperial authority whatsoever. However, to avoid causing trouble for themselves, the painting definitely had to be put away, and only their own people could keep a look at it.
“We can’t bear to hang such a beautiful painting up,” Ye Xu said with a smile. “If it gets exposed to the wind and sun, it might fade and lose its beauty.”
Modern paintings are not immune to these kinds of problems, let alone ancient paintings which have no protective measures. Ye Xu planned to go back and ask the system if there were any ways to preserve them; if so, he could hang them in his bedroom every day.
The group finally said goodbye and left. Back in the shop, Ye Xu cornered Sister Xuan. He hadn't forgotten his earlier curiosity: what exactly had happened to Sister Xuan back then?
"It's nothing. In the parallel universe, you and I were both professional players in a holographic online game. We formed a small guild with about ten people. Because there weren't many people, I collected information on each of them, so I still remember them."
Jiang Yuexuan didn't hide anything and told him directly. She also told Ye Xu that, apart from Zhenzhen, all the contracted human AI employees in Ye Xu's shop were guild members. She suspected that something was working in the dark, and that Ye Xu would probably continue to meet the remaining members and gather everyone together.
"I'm not sure if there's a system involved. I'm starting to wonder if I'm just a tool in this game," Jiang Yuexuan joked.
Although she took the initiative to connect Ye Xu and the system, now she feels that she is just a medium for the contract between the system and Ye Xu.
Normally, the system wouldn't send someone to a dimension where they already exist, but it did send Jiang Yuexuan there. It's hard to say whether the system did it intentionally, to make Jiang Yuexuan remember those ten people.
Then the system will form a contract with Ye Xu, so that Jiang Yuexuan can act as a helper for Ye Xu. She can handle the trivial matters, and Ye Xu can just enjoy the happiness of being the shop manager.
Ye Xu: "..."
After hearing Sister Xuan's reasoning, Ye Xu also began to doubt whether he was the system's biological son.
The system snorted coldly. Now you know how much it spoils it, right? And it still criticizes it behind its back. That's really outrageous.
"So why is Father Tong so good to me?" Ye Xu asked, puzzled.
The system has fallen silent again.
Jiang Yuexuan said thoughtfully, "Perhaps the truth is hidden in your original plane. Once you are free, you can go and investigate it yourself."
Ye Xu nodded: "Alright then, it seems like we won't get an answer anyway."
Since his own contract was orchestrated by the system, Ye Xu suspected that his constant encounters with "guild members" might also be manipulated by the system. Sister Xuan said that Zhenzhen was an exception, but Ye Xu didn't think so.
Sister Xuan only investigated a portion of the people around "herself," and she left quickly. Perhaps Zhenzhen joined the guild later. Ye Xu plans to go back and pester the system to find out what's going on in the other dimension.
That evening, Ye Xu began his plan. He petted the little furball while slowly stalling the system, patiently pressing for answers, refusing to give up even when the system remained silent.
After being harassed for most of the night, the system finally couldn't take it anymore and said impatiently, "Yes, yes, your daughter is also from that plane, and you have a close relationship with her, okay? You already guessed it, so why are you asking?"
Ye Xu did have a guess in his mind. Zhenzhen was young, and probably not very old in that dimension either. Children's games were subject to restrictions, so she was most likely not a guild member. Sister Xuan had once told him that there were holographic online games in that dimension, so could he boldly speculate that Zhenzhen might be one of the intelligent NPCs?
Only in this way can "oneself" rightfully have another daughter, and be able to interact with her in the game for a long time. If there isn't enough interaction, it's highly unlikely that you'll be able to pull her from this gacha pool.
"Zhenzhen is actually an NPC, how amazing." Ye Xu exclaimed. The living people here are just strings of data in other dimensions. But then again, aren't systems also data beings? It doesn't seem so strange. According to the laws of the world, these beings with their own will are all equal.
After Ye Xu understood, he went to sleep peacefully, falling asleep almost instantly, leaving the system, which had been bothering him for half a day, fuming beside him.
A few nights later, Xiao Suguang came to the store, wanting the robot to help her move her luggage. Starting that night, she would officially join the store.
These past few days, Xiao Suguang has finished handling the affairs of the academy and stepped down from her position as headmaster. She had been planning this for more than half a year, starting preparations from the moment she reached an agreement with the system.
The Xiao family indeed lacked a suitable heir in this generation, but fortunately, a member of a collateral branch had a gifted and studious child. More than ten years have passed, and he has grown up, recently getting married, and it's time for him to take on his responsibilities.
Xiao Suguang had already arranged for him to be adopted into his branch of the family, and the handover was completed in the past few days. From now on, he was free to leave at any time. However, unlike Ji Ling and the others, she had a lot of luggage to take with her, such as gold and silver valuables, as well as her younger brother's old paintings.
“I’ve heard you need gold and silver,” Xiao Suguang said bluntly. “I have some money at home; if you need any, you can ask me.”
Ye Xu waved his hand: "No need, no need, the shop has earned enough gold."
They are always mindful of potential dangers even in times of peace, and they daydream about building a dragon army, which is why they worry about not having enough gold.
However, a daydream is just a daydream. They definitely can't afford to maintain a legion; it's just a fantasy, don't expect to actually support them with gold. Besides, raising so many dragons is useless; they're only good for showing off.
There was no need for the robot to carry the luggage; Ye Xu went along and brought it back using the system's backpack. There were only a few pre-packed boxes, which the backpack could easily hold.
"I'll put your things in your dorm room. This dorm room is linked to your personal dorm, so it will stay with you no matter what, whether you go solo or not. So don't worry about your things there, they definitely won't get lost. If they do, just ask the system for compensation, and it will restore them for you." Ye Xu whispered, teaching the system some tricks.
Xiao Suguang nodded as if he understood, "I'll remember."
The New Year holiday passed quickly, probably because of the large number of people and the lively atmosphere; time flew by. As soon as the first day of the Lunar New Year was over, Ye Xu called on everyone to set off for Jiangnan.
"Sister Xuan said there's a grand lantern festival in Jiangnan during the Lantern Festival, which we can't miss. If we take a boat now, we'll definitely arrive before the Lantern Festival. We can hurry while there aren't many ships on the waterway lately."
These days, there's no such thing as the Spring Festival travel rush. During the holidays, there are at most cargo ships traveling back and forth, but not in very large numbers. With fewer ships, the voyage is easier; otherwise, every time you go up on deck, you have to be careful not to do anything out of line that might alert the surrounding ships.
Riding on the last snowfall of winter in the land of Qi and Lu, the group embarked on their journey, boarding a large ship amidst the swirling snowflakes.
Looking at the beautiful scenery in the video call, Xiao Yige subconsciously picked up her paintbrush: "Let me record it for you. When we get to Jiangnan, we can all get together."
During this time, Xiao Yige happened to be traveling in the Jiangnan region. Hearing that they were going to meet at the No. 1 Restaurant in the world, she came to visit in advance and has now settled in the restaurant.
Mo Bei perked up upon hearing this: "That's great! Draw a few more, and we'll each have one."
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble?" Ye Xu asked worriedly.
Xiao Yige smiled and said, "It's okay. You'll definitely be able to finish drawing before you come. Anyway, I have nothing to do, so I can use this opportunity to practice my drawing skills."
Even if the artist himself wanted to perfectly replicate a painting, it would be very difficult.
Xiao Yige had wanted to practice this for a long time, so that he could draw more of the works he liked and give one to his relatives and friends. If only one copy could be owned by one person, it would not satisfy his original intention of sharing, and it would also be easy to lose or damage.
How many masterpieces have been lost in this way? Masterpieces are still relatively well-preserved, at least someone is willing to make high-quality reproductions to earn money, so a few can be saved. But the problem is with those whose fame is not well-known. In the first place, not many people are willing to carefully preserve their paintings, and if there is only one, it is definitely not going to survive.
Xiao Yige spread out the drawing paper, recalling the scene she had just seen through the screen, and resolutely made her first stroke.
A note from the author:
In the next interstellar dimension, in a food desert, I'll open a proper restaurant.
I won't go into the details of the trip, since it wasn't like opening a shop or drawing cards.
Chapter 46 Interstellar
With the addition of the Xiao siblings, the ancient tour group increased from six to eight people. A large and impressive group, they certainly made a strong impression when traveling.
As the system's most favored child, Ye Xu's leading role in neglecting his duties went unreprimanded by the system. However, after the trip, the system solemnly declared that this would not happen again.
The shop manager should have stayed in the shop and run it properly. Who would abandon the shop and go off to play, and for more than half a year at that? This group of people dragged it out until the day before the year was almost up before reluctantly leaving the current plane, because staying for two more days would mean paying another year's service fee.
The system was exasperated by them; they didn't do their jobs properly, but they were masters at finding loopholes.
Several branches were earning points together, and the one billion limit for this dimension had actually been reached during the New Year's holiday. But what did it matter? They just wanted to stay an extra year and have some fun.
Back in the waiting area, everyone met up and divided the money.
As previously agreed, half of the branch's net profit goes to the branch manager, and the service fee is split equally among all branches. In the end, besides Ye Xu, Mo Bei indeed had the most points, but Sister Xuan received more gold and silver than Mo Bei.
The beauty and medicinal cuisine restaurant and the First Restaurant each have their own strengths. Ye Xu was inspired. When she becomes a freelance store manager in the future, free from the constraints of the system, she can open any store without worrying about whether it is repetitive or not. She can try opening a medicinal cuisine restaurant as well.
"The spoils are divided. Where to next?" Jiang Yuexuan clapped her hands and asked.
Ye Xu said, "Didn't the system want to help me gather all my companions? Then I can just ask it which world to choose."
The system is silent.
After a long while, it slowly guided Ye Xu to select an interstellar plane where three URs were waiting to be encountered.
It was an interstellar world known as a culinary wasteland. Chinese recipes hadn't been passed down, and all races absurdly relied on nutrient supplements for survival. Culinary skills were still in their infancy, similar to the pre-Qin period; people only knew how to stew and didn't know how to add spices.
Actually, if you take a closer look at interstellar history, this situation is not surprising.
The Alliance had just ended a war that lasted for tens of thousands of years fifty years ago, completely wiping out the Zerg. In the preceding tens of thousands of years, many races that excelled in civilization and prosperity went extinct, while those that primarily focused on warfare survived.
In order to survive, many races have made a choice between civilian culture and military technology. They devote all their resources to developing military industry, and everything else is a burden to them.
Perhaps in the beginning, some people will try to perpetuate the arts and entertainment industry, but a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand years from now, these people will be long gone, and the number of those who will inherit their legacy will decrease generation by generation. Today's arts and entertainment industry still retains wartime traditions, focusing on combat-oriented culture, such as the gaming and literature industries, with mecha combat works being countless.
The food industry was the fastest to decline. Survival was difficult enough, so who had the time to cook delicious food? Everyone could only seize every opportunity to reduce the time spent eating. This started with soldiers, and later ordinary people also replaced food with nutritional supplements.
"Why?" Mo Bei didn't understand. "It only takes a few minutes to cook a quick dish. Can't you even spare that little bit of time?"
Jiang Yuexuan retorted, "Are you going to bring pots and pans when you're running for your life?"
At first, most civilians felt that the war had nothing to do with them, since the battlefield was so far away. But they soon realized they were terribly wrong. There was a type of insectoid that could open spacetime portals, so no matter how far away the battlefield was, they could suddenly appear in large numbers on the inner planets.
In other words, civilians, no matter where they live, must be prepared to flee at any time. If they eat ordinary food, not to mention how much time it takes to cook and eat, if the insectoids arrive halfway, all the food, whether cooked or not, will be forced to be abandoned, and the civilians will have to run away on empty stomachs.
“Then we can drink the nutritional supplements when we encounter danger, and eat normal meals normally otherwise,” Zhenzhen said innocently.
After reading the data, Ye Xu shook his head: "The Zerg attacks are too frequent. Large-scale invasions are rare, but small groups of Zerg are as numerous as hairs on a cow."
Often, a Zergling capable of creating portals would suddenly appear in a residential area with a small squad of Zerglings, indiscriminately slaughtering civilians. Upon receiving the news, the garrison troops would rush to provide support and quickly eliminate the Zergling squad.
These kinds of things happen dozens of times a day on almost every planet. Who can be sure it won't happen to someone they know? Anyway, the Zerg can reproduce, so they don't care about the cost of these suicide squads. They just want to annoy people.
The worst-case scenario is that the Zerg appear directly in your home and wreak havoc during their attack. Every time the Zerg come in, you lose a lot of furniture and decorations.
Later, everyone learned their lesson and exchanged all their extra items for Star Coins, storing them in their accounts. They kept nothing in their homes except for necessities. Even the necessities were kept in their spatial storage. Their homes were just empty houses; they would only take out their blankets at night to sleep, and there weren't even beds.
"Ingredients and cookware also cost money. When danger strikes, there's no time to store them in your spatial storage, so you can only watch them get destroyed. Every instance of destruction is an extra expense. In times of war, income is already low, and life is difficult. At times like these, when cheap nutritional supplements are available, ordinary people know how to choose them."
These habits haven't completely changed even now that the war is over. A stroll through any household reveals only a handful of pieces of furniture. Kitchens are no longer a necessity; who has one these days?
Although various ethnic groups have been working hard over the past fifty years to make up for the shortcomings in industries such as culture and entertainment, they have fallen too far behind and have not seen much effect in the short term.
"The most prosperous races today are all those who didn't value personal enjoyment much back then. Before the war, they had no culinary traditions, and after so many years of war, not a single thing has been left. Even if some has survived, there's nothing to look forward to."
How many technological iterations could there be in 10,000 years? Data preserved before the war either didn't survive to the present day due to material issues, or the preservation methods were too ancient for modern people to understand.
The experts are working diligently to decipher ancient records. Although only a small portion of the data has survived, it is still a treasure trove for the entire galaxy. However… how modern people see oracle bone script is how interstellar people see documents from ten thousand years ago…
Even if they deciphered it, the interstellar people wouldn't quite understand what "炒" (chǎo, stir-fry) or "炸" (zhà, fry) meant. Why did the ancients create so many verbs!