Ye Tiancheng explained to Hou Mingzhu, "The array transfers are without any pattern. If you insist on finding a connection between these locations, the only commonality is that each place holds a fragment of the Fuxi Qin. Other than that, there is no correlation."
He spoke to Hou Mingzhu with some helplessness, "Furthermore, we don't even know how many fragments there are, and each fragment is collected in a different way. From the previous two experiences, we know that the duration cannot be determined either. The second fragment was a bit harder to find, but once found, it could be taken directly."
"It wasn't like the first Fuxi Qin fragment, where after finding it, one had to spend some time refining it before the fragment could be taken."
"I find it very difficult to estimate how much time I will spend on this matter."
Ye Tiancheng sighed as he spoke, gazing into the distance with a hint of melancholy, yet without any excessive frustration or sense of hopelessness.
"However, when I think that as long as I don't go looking for trouble, this should be the only thing I absolutely must do, I feel much more at ease. Once this matter is over, if I don't wish to, I won't get entangled with these messy affairs anymore."
"My mindset is truly different from before. After experiencing so many things, I just wish for a day when I can finally rest properly."
Hou Mingzhu didn't quite understand these matters, but she could empathize with Ye Tiancheng and was willing to support him in doing what he wanted. There wasn't much more she could do now that Ye Tiancheng was going through this; the only thing she could offer was companionship and support.
Ye Tiancheng understood Hou Mingzhu's feelings. The current state between them was such that only the two of them were the most suitable companions, destined to be together forever.
Ye Tiancheng temporarily put an end to this topic. After all, it wasn't a lighthearted matter and wasn't suitable for discussion in their current state. It was time to enjoy life, and those troublesome affairs should be put aside for now.
Staying in the old house all the time was also rather pointless. After all, there wasn't much one could do in a dreamscape, and being confined to the house would lead to boredom.
Ye Tiancheng decided to take a stroll. He extended a hand to Hou Mingzhu and suggested, "I plan to walk around and stretch our legs. Shall we go together?"
Hou Mingzhu happily accepted the invitation, taking Ye Tiancheng's hand. "Of course, together. Where shall we walk?"
"There's no particular destination; we'll just go wherever the path takes us. The scenery here is quite nice. Xiao Shi Tou has made the dreamscape very beautiful."
As he spoke, Ye Tiancheng chuckled again and said, "However, now that Qingcheng has also moved in here, I didn't expect her to have so many whimsical ideas. If she keeps giving suggestions and requests to Xiao Shi Tou, I'm afraid the entire dreamscape will soon turn into an amusement park."
"I'm afraid that's true. Yesterday, you told Qingcheng that you could build a dedicated amusement park for her, and she immediately had Xiao Shi Tou construct it. She runs off to play in it from time to time. Wasn't she just asking Xiao Hu Li to accompany her inside to play?"
Hearing Ye Tiancheng mention this, Hou Mingzhu also burst into laughter. She was clearly aware of the situation.
The day they moved in, they arrived in the morning. After lunch, in the afternoon, Ye Tiancheng asked Ye Qingcheng what she wanted to play, and Ye Qingcheng immediately wanted the Nuwa Stone to materialize the amusement facilities she desired.
After Ye Qingcheng described all the amusement activities she wanted to experience, the Nuwa Stone immediately drew a large area not far away and built an amusement city for Ye Qingcheng. It wasn't too far from the old house, but it wasn't too close either.
The reason it wasn't too close was partly for aesthetics, to keep the dreamscape's environment looking good. Another reason was to avoid the noise from the amusement city disturbing the old house, as it wasn't always the case that Ye Tiancheng and everyone else would go to the amusement city every time its facilities were activated.
The reason it wasn't too far was that if Ye Qingcheng got tired from walking, although this wasn't a major issue, the Nuwa Stone, being able to control everything in the dreamscape, could directly teleport people to the amusement city.
However, there was also the aspect that parents always want to keep an eye on their children's whereabouts. If it were too far, it wouldn't be as convenient, and they would need to inquire about each other's locations, simply because the dreamscape was too vast.
Otherwise, Ye Tiancheng wouldn't have been able to see Ye Qingcheng going off to play with Xiao Hu Li from his doorstep just now.
Ye Tiancheng didn't intend to walk to the amusement city. Although Ye Qingcheng was still young, she was, after all, within the dreamscape, and the Nuwa Stone, which could control everything within it, could monitor Ye Qingcheng twenty-four hours a day. Ye Qingcheng no longer required constant parental supervision.
Although most children were very dependent on their parents, it wasn't good for them to be constantly attached to their parents. Both Ye Tiancheng and Hou Mingzhu didn't mind letting Ye Qingcheng have some independent playtime occasionally.
Moreover, sometimes, like in the current situation, both Ye Tiancheng and Hou Mingzhu, as the primary caregivers, were craving some couple's time and didn't want to be disturbed. Therefore, they would naturally avoid the children.
In any case, the dreamscape was vast enough, and they could go anywhere they pleased. Ye Tiancheng primarily took Hou Mingzhu for a walk in the forest, where the air was fresh and the scenery was beautiful.
Furthermore, the forests in the dreamscape were safe as long as Ye Tiancheng didn't introduce any dangerous animals himself or have the Nuwa Stone create them. They were very suitable for sightseeing and strolling, making them an excellent choice for a relaxing walk.
With Ye Tiancheng accompanying her, Hou Mingzhu rarely had such leisurely outings like ordinary couples, and she was quite happy to look around everywhere.
In the forest, they passed a cluster of small mushrooms. Hou Mingzhu stopped, her gaze falling on the cluster. "There are mushrooms growing here too? I thought all the food in here was grown by Xiao Shi Tou. These mushrooms are growing in the forest and they look quite pretty. Are they poisonous?"
Ye Tiancheng glanced at the cluster of mushrooms and replied, "Ah, you mean these? They're edible. Everything of this kind in the dreamscape is edible. Xiao Shi Tou deliberately scattered some seeds without much care, letting them grow wild and freely."
"They're much like the wild vegetables and mushrooms found on mountains and in forests outside, but they're more nutritious and tastier, after all, this is within the Nuwa Stone's dreamscape."
"Even if Xiao Shi Tou doesn't deliberately tend to them, they'll still be much better than those found in the wild outside."
Ye Tiancheng mused, stroking his chin, "Xiao Shi Tou does these things mainly so that when we have nothing to do, we can experience the joy of picking wild vegetables, finding our own ingredients, and preparing delicacies. It also enriches our daily lives."
"It prevents us from getting too bored and stifled by being confined to the dreamscape all day."
He paused again, noticing a change in Hou Mingzhu's expression. Seeing her eyes light up, he asked, "What? You want to try it too? Then shall we pick mushrooms and gather wild vegetables today?"
Ye Tiancheng considered Hou Mingzhu's thoughts and tentatively made the suggestion. He could tell that Hou Mingzhu was genuinely interested.
Indeed, Hou Mingzhu immediately nodded and said to Ye Tiancheng, "That sounds great! I've never had this experience before. Doing it once in a while feels quite novel. Shall we go back and get baskets or something to carry them in?"
Seeing that Hou Mingzhu genuinely agreed with the suggestion, Ye Tiancheng released her hand. "There's no need for such trouble, running back and forth would be a waste of time. We're a family, and we won't need that much, so wait a moment, I'll find something to hold them."
"Since Xiao Shi Tou scattered seeds for wild mushrooms and the like here, there should be some plants nearby suitable for making containers."
Ye Tiancheng looked around the area and soon returned with a large leaf. Hou Mingzhu couldn't tell what kind of plant's leaf Ye Tiancheng had picked, but the leaf itself was as large as a washbasin and could hold quite a lot.
"So there's this too? Xiao Shi Tou has really thought of everything. I can see that your life in here isn't as bad as I imagined; in fact, it's quite a bit more comfortable."
With a container to hold their findings, Hou Mingzhu enthusiastically began picking all the mushrooms.
The heavy lifting was naturally left to Ye Tiancheng, and after picking the mushrooms, Ye Tiancheng carried them. Hou Mingzhu looked at the mushrooms; there weren't too many, and they wouldn't be eating only mushrooms. So, she asked Ye Tiancheng, "Where should we go next? Are there other places with these things?"
Ye Tiancheng told Hou Mingzhu, "Just wander around. Since there are mushrooms growing here, there should be mushrooms and wild vegetables nearby. On some trees or in bushes, there should also be fruits. As long as they're ripe, they can be picked and eaten."
So, Hou Mingzhu and Ye Tiancheng searched the vicinity together, eventually collecting a large bunch of wild vegetables, two or three types of mushrooms, and some fruits.
Ye Tiancheng discovered those fruits in a bush. They were a type of red berry, sour and sweet, very juicy, and quite delicious. Hou Mingzhu tasted one. Since everything here was relatively clean, she didn't fuss much and simply wiped the berry before tasting it.
Hou Mingzhu quite liked these berries and picked more, intending to take them back for Ye Qingcheng and Xiao Hu Li to eat.
Unfortunately, it wasn't convenient for them to carry too much at the moment, so they didn't pick too many. Hou Mingzhu asked the Nuwa Stone to remind her of the location, planning to come back to pick berries another day if she had the chance.
After all, they would be staying here for a long time. Starting tomorrow, Ye Tiancheng would have his own matters to attend to. If Hou Mingzhu felt bored, taking their daughter here to pick berries, have a picnic, and play would be a very enjoyable experience.
Ye Tiancheng had no objections, as long as Hou Mingzhu didn't insist on taking too many things back. He didn't mind helping to carry things, but if the quantity was too large, it would be troublesome because their tools for carrying things were too rudimentary and not suitable for large-scale transportation.
Finally, after they had explored enough, Ye Tiancheng held a full armful of items, all the harvest from his and Hou Mingzhu's outing. Ye Tiancheng then led Hou Mingzhu back.
It was getting late, and they had collected enough ingredients. It was time for them to return to the old house to cook.