Chapter 37: The Double Doors Return, Exploring Treasures in the Space

The commotion in the front courtyard did not affect the rear courtyard in the slightest.

As the dishes were set on the table, the obedient little one, Zhou Sinian, was already seated and waiting. His table manners were impeccable.

Mingdai carefully placed the clay pot on the chopping board and lifted the lid, releasing the unique sweet aroma of chestnuts and red dates. Instantly, Zhou Sinian raised his bowl high, as if afraid Mingdai wouldn’t notice.

Taking his bowl, she ladled it full of chestnut porridge. She fetched the sugar jar from the cupboard, scooped out two spoonfuls of brown sugar, and stirred them into his bowl. “Mix it well and wait until it cools a bit before eating. If it’s not sweet enough, add more sugar yourself.”

Obediently, Zhou Sinian mixed the porridge with a small spoon, the sweet-scented steam fogging up his face.

Mingdai served herself a bowl too, but without any sugar, and set it aside to cool.

She brought out the bread basket, taking out the freshly steamed buns—a full basket, enough to last several days. She placed six buns on a plate, wrapped the rest in a white cloth, and locked them away in the cupboard.

When she returned with the buns, Zhou Sinian had already started sipping the chestnut porridge in small mouthfuls. The rich, sweet flavor awakened his taste buds, and he finished the bowl in no time. Without needing to be told, he got himself a second helping, adding two more spoonfuls of brown sugar and stirring it in.

Mingdai picked up a bun, squeezed it gently—so springy and soft—and, satisfied, split it open. She scooped up some egg sauce, spread it onto the bun, and took a bite so delicious it made her tongue want to swallow itself.

Seeing this, Zhou Sinian imitated her, eating one bun after another.

The pickled cabbage with cured pork was another dish that delighted the palate without being greasy. The probiotics in the pickled cabbage were also highly beneficial to human health. Mingdai picked out the cabbage, while Zhou Sinian searched for the meat. Neither minded the other’s preferences, making for a harmonious meal.

Once again, the plates were cleared.

Zhou Sinian went to wash the pots and bowls and put everything away. Mingdai began to prepare for their trip up the mountain.

Luckily, the vehicle was still there. Mingdai planned to bring back all the pine nuts from the trees Zhou Sinian remembered on the mountain. She lacked nothing in terms of food or money, but she was thinking ahead. Her goal was to make life effortlessly comfortable—she used to plan on buying property to collect rent, but now she intended to collect some antiques.

First, they would appreciate in value; second, it was a way of safeguarding these treasures. There was also a wish left unfulfilled by her ancestors. She remembered her grandfather saying that in the era they lived through, many ancient recipes were lost or destroyed. She wanted to recover them.

This time, she brought a good number of burlap sacks, loading them all into the car. They shut the doors, got in, and Zhou Sinian took her hand as the two of them happily set off for the mountain.

This time, Zhou Sinian was more experienced. After parking, he ignored Mingdai’s protests, tucked her under his arm, and dashed up the mountain.

It took Mingdai only a second to go from resisting to surrendering. As the wind rushed past, she wanted to burst into a Tarzan song to express her feelings but held back, afraid she might startle Zhou Sinian into dropping her.

Soon, they reached the spot where they had gathered chestnuts the day before. Seeing the ground littered with empty chestnut shells, Mingdai felt a surge of accomplishment. This had been her conquest—and now she was off to claim a new territory.

They pressed on, Zhou Sinian carrying Mingdai under one arm, wielding a machete with the other to clear the way, and hauling the sacks on his back.

After another half hour, they finally reached the pine forest. The sight of pinecones blanketing the ground made Mingdai cry out in excitement.

“There’s no way forward! Absolutely no way!” Anyone who’s ever foraged in the wild knows that in such a situation, there’s only one solution:

Collect! Collect! Gather them all!

Zhou Sinian watched Mingdai’s wild enthusiasm with a hint of worry—was her madness catching?

Fortunately, Mingdai soon composed herself. After a quick survey, she found herself with a happy problem: the pine forest was three times the size of the chestnut grove below, with more than a hundred mature pine trees. With no one harvesting them, the pinecones lay thick on the ground, layered upon each other, and some still clung to the branches, dried by the wind.

Only the occasional squirrel came by to collect a few for winter. The rest were simply wasted.

As a citizen of China, Mingdai found any waste of food utterly shameful. She was determined to take them all.

She decided to use yesterday’s method: knock the pine nuts out, take them away, and leave the empty cones.

Under Zhou Sinian’s curious gaze, she pulled a folded plastic sheet from her crossbody bag. After spreading it out together, Zhou Sinian gathered pinecones while Mingdai cracked them open on the sheet. The forest rang with their rhythmic “bang bang bang” and “swish swish swish.”

Soon, Zhou Sinian had piled up a small mountain of pinecones. Mingdai, exhausted, let him take over cracking while she started packing. As she packed, she used the same method to collect all the fallen pine nuts into her space, sorting the good from the bad.

Zhou Sinian seemed to sense something, glancing back, but the ground was still covered with layers of pinecones—nothing out of the ordinary.

Mingdai smirked to herself. If you catch me, I’ll admit defeat!

“Actually, you could tell him.”

A strangely familiar voice echoed in Mingdai’s mind. She shot upright, her teeth clenched tight.

“Double Door?!”

The voice in her mind was silent for a long time before weakly replying, “My name is Liang Sheng. You may call me Master Liang Sheng, current director of the Black Wuchang.”

Mingdai sneered, “Ha! Two syllables? I have three! No matter what you call yourself, you can’t hide the fact that you’ve tricked me! Blah blah blah blah blah!”

Mingdai ranted furiously in her mind, her body gesturing wildly along with her words.

Watching Mingdai shadow-boxing the air, Zhou Sinian grew concerned. He knew about his own condition—even if he didn’t always understand it or couldn’t control himself—but seeing Mingdai like this worried him. He had just started to enjoy good meals; was it time for the rice bowl to break already?

In her mind, Mingdai unleashed a torrent of curses, one after another, leaving “Double Door” unable to get a word in. Finally, during a lull when she paused for breath, Liang Sheng timidly offered, “Mingdai, please don’t be angry anymore. As an apology, I’ll give you an additional treasure-hunting ability for your space.”

Mingdai took a deep breath and calmed down, remaining silent.

Liang Sheng’s voice, deep and persuasive, continued, “I’ve just learned you intend to collect antiques. It’s a wise choice, especially in this period. Many people are being persecuted, and countless treasures are buried or lost before they’re ever unearthed—a tragic waste, which is truly shameful.”

Mingdai’s interest was piqued.

“Our newly developed treasure-hunting feature can identify valuable items across all dimensions. As long as an item is ownerless, or involved in black market trade, you can take it and store it in your space.”

She was interested, but she saw through “Double Door’s” nature.

“So, what’s your price?” she asked.

Having been seen through, “Double Door” wasn’t embarrassed but cheerfully replied, “To be honest, this book-travel program does require our travelers to complete some small tasks. For example, you could use the treasure-hunting function to collect certain items. Once your space copies them, we’ll take the copies and leave the originals for you. That way, your world is unaffected, and we complete our resource collection. It’s a win-win!”

Mingdai narrowed her eyes. “So, the supplies you gave me from this era were acquired this way?”

“Heh, you really are clever.”

Mingdai rolled her eyes. He was probably taking not just copies, but templates for unlimited replication and trade.

She had hit upon the truth. However, this didn’t conflict with her own goals, so she could accept it.

“That’s fine. But what did you mean when you said I could tell Zhou Sinian?”

The official customer service voice returned, “Here’s the thing: every traveler who enters a book world is assigned a task. During this, you may choose a helper. Your helper can learn the secret of the space, and will be given a mental suggestion preventing them from revealing any of your secrets. In your current situation, Zhou Sinian is the best choice as a helper.”

Mingdai nodded, then thought of something else. “What if the helper dies, or I want to switch?”

“That’s easy. If the helper dies, their soul goes to the underworld, and the staff there will handle it. If you want to switch, simply send the intent, and I’ll receive a message. I’ll come to help you change your helper, and the previous one’s memory will be erased.”

A message? They’re pretty advanced!

With that assurance, Mingdai relaxed and asked, “There aren’t any other travelers in this world, right?”

“Rest assured, only one person can enter a book world at a time.”

Mingdai was finally at ease. “Alright, that’s enough for now. We’ll talk if anything else comes up.”

“Very well. Enjoy your journey!”

When she opened her eyes, she saw Zhou Sinian holding a stick, looking at her worriedly.

Before she could say anything, Zhou Sinian spoke. “You should take some medicine.”

He remembered that, at first, taking his medicine helped him keep things under control.