The morning sunlight peeked through the tiny gap in the curtains, shining on Feng Qingyi's bed.
A series of loud knocks resounded on the door once again. Feng Qingyi crawled out of bed impatiently. She had already said she would take care of her own breakfast, so why was someone knocking so early in the morning?
When she opened the door, Feng Qingci stood there with a grave expression.
Feng Qingyi felt a twinge of nervousness for a moment. Had something major happened?
After all, Feng Qingci was usually smiling and carefree, so it was rare to see him this solemn.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Feng Qingci said, "I suspect our house has been robbed!"
"Robbed? What's missing?" Feng Qingyi asked.
Feng Qingci led Feng Qingyi into the kitchen. "I remember we had ten bowls, but now there are only two left. We're also down to just two pairs of chopsticks, and several plates are missing too."
"Who would steal bowls and chopsticks? We bought these on sale at the supermarket. The whole set probably cost only around a hundred yuan. They're worthless. If someone wanted to steal, any item in the living room would be more valuable than these bowls and chopsticks."
Feng Qingyi feigned composure. "Steal bowls and chopsticks? No outsider could enter our community, and the door has a fingerprint lock. It's impossible for someone to break in, let alone climb up to the twenty-first floor!"
"Then where did our bowls go? Did you eat them?" Feng Qingci asked.
Feng Qingyi rolled her eyes. "I don't know. If I'm not mistaken, you've been the one washing the dishes these past few days while I've been cooking."
"There's no security camera in our kitchen either, so who knows where they went. But now we're down to just two bowls, so we'd better keep a close eye on them." Feng Qingci said solemnly.
Feng Qingyi sighed and held her forehead. "If the bowls are gone, we can just buy new ones. Is this really necessary?"
"This bowl and these chopsticks are yours, and this set is mine. Starting today, we'll each take care of our own bowls and chopsticks. If they go missing, it's our own responsibility. It's a delightful decision." Feng Qingci separated the bowls and chopsticks, then headed to his room with his set.
Feng Qingyi stood dazed in place. Was this really necessary?
She had considered getting disposable bowls and chopsticks for Qin Yuchuan before, but then she thought it might pollute the environment, so she abandoned the idea.
At the Tianaqi Military Camp.
The victorious soldiers' faces were filled with smiles. After three years, they could finally return home.
The battle with Northern Qi had only lasted half a year, but before that, they had been stationed at the border for many years. They had long been hoping to go home.
At this moment, Qin Yuchuan was sitting in his tent, looking at the military strategy book Feng Qingyi had sent him.
"General, please have your meal." As always, Yan Chi brought a meal for Qin Yuchuan.
Qin Yuchuan waved his hand, indicating for him to set it down.
After respectfully placing the meal, Yan Chi withdrew.
Outside the tent, Na Muqi, Yan Yang hid behind it, trying to figure out where the mysterious bowls and chopsticks in the mess hall had come from.
After exiting the tent and observing that no one was around, Yan Chi hurried to meet up with Na Muqi and Yan Yang.
Na Muqi made a shushing gesture, and Yan Chi and Yan Yang understood, holding their breath.
After all, they were eavesdropping on the general, so they had to be cautious to avoid being discovered.
Through a small hole in the tent, the three of them saw Qin Yuchuan leisurely eating his meal. Everything seemed normal.
The three remained still, determined to continue observing.
Then, something beyond their expectations happened. Qin Yuchuan casually took out a small box and tapped it twice. Suddenly, an exquisite plate appeared on the table.
Half of the plate was filled with rice, and the other half held dishes that were still steaming, looking delicious.
The three of them watched as Qin Yuchuan finished the food on the plate, making themselves hungry in the process.
Na Muqi gave the other two a meaningful look, and Yan Chi and Yan Yang immediately understood, quietly withdrawing.
After returning to their tent, Na Muqi pondered thoughtfully, "Did you see how the food appeared?"
Yan Chi thought for a moment. "It seemed to appear out of thin air."
"I think I saw the general tap that small black box twice before the food came out," Yan Yang added.
Na Muqi nodded. "I saw that too. The food most likely came from that small black box."
"Could that small black box really be that miraculous?" Yan Yang asked.
Yan Chi suddenly remembered something. "Na Mu, do you still remember when the general asked us to look at the words on the small black box?"
Na Muqi suddenly slapped his forehead.
"I recall now. When we said there were no words on it, the general seemed puzzled."
"Looking at it now, perhaps there really were words on it, but we just couldn't see them."
Yan Yang was perplexed. "What words? I don't know about this."
Neither Na Muqi nor Yan Chi showed any intention of answering Yan Yang's question.
"Na Mu, is there really such a thing that only designated people can see?" Yan Chi felt his worldview had been shaken.
Na Muqi spoke slowly, "There is, but I haven't witnessed it myself. I've only heard rumors."
"Legend has it that Loulan had a mystical book. To ordinary people, it appeared to be a book without words. But to the destined Holy Maiden, it was a sacred scripture."
"In short, only the Holy Maiden could see the words within, and by following the book's guidance, she could help the nation predict the future and avoid harm."
"Loulan was indeed an ancient country, and the Loulan Holy Maidens did exist. But whether that book was real, I'm not sure."
After hearing Na Muqi's words, Yan Chi became somewhat concerned.
"So what's the situation with the general? Could this be detrimental to him? That small box is clearly far more powerful than the book you mentioned."
"At least I've never heard of a book that can produce food. The general seems so happy using this mysterious food from the small box, but we don't know if it's poisonous."
Yan Yang interjected, "I think it's probably not poisonous. Otherwise, we might have had to collect the general's corpse by now."
As soon as Yan Yang spoke, Na Muqi and Yan Chi looked at him. This kid really didn't know how to speak properly!
Seeing their terrifying gazes, Yan Yang immediately lowered his head. He was just making an offhand remark. Was this really necessary?
Moreover, he spoke as if there was nothing wrong with it. If it were truly poisonous, they should have met the King of Hell long ago, instead of having piles of bowls in the kitchen yet still being alive and well.
As he saw it, these two were simply making a fuss over nothing. The general merely wanted to eat alone, yet they made such a big deal out of it, as if they had an ulterior motive regarding that food.
Na Muqi withdrew his gaze, "The words on the small box can only be seen by the general. This might be an opportunity; for now, it doesn't seem to pose any harm to him."
"Since the general doesn't want us to know, we'll pretend we don't."
