Chapter 151 Treasure the Present

Having said that, the Giant Tortoise Rock Terrace departed from New Erim and shot towards the southwest in a blaze of fire—of course, in space, southwest didn't really mean anything, but saying it that way sounded more imposing. Hao Ren and Lily listlessly sprawled on the bridge console, studying the constantly flashing data and ship structure diagrams. The former was studying it because he had been self-studying the textbooks to the point where he was almost ready to actually operate the ship, and the latter was studying it because she felt it made her look impressive.

After flying for more than half the journey, and with only a dozen minutes left before reaching Kuiper Station, someone finally remembered something. Izhaks stroked his chin and muttered, "I keep feeling like we've forgotten something?"

Hao Ren looked around, "Everyone's on board, even Lily hasn't been lost, what else could we lose?"

Even this scatterbrained husky was sitting obediently beside him, and Hao Ren felt that he should have brought back everything that needed to be brought back on this trip home.

Izhaks thought for a long time before slapping his forehead, "Oh, doesn't our medical bay still have a... whatchamacallit, corpse lying there?"

Hao Ren and Vivian looked at each other in dismay, both exclaiming "Crap!" at the same time.

"This, this, this..." Cold sweat poured out of Hao Ren's forehead at a visible rate. "Why didn't Hilda say anything about wanting it... Should we send it back now?"

Vivian decisively said, "Call back and tell them first!"

Hao Ren remembered that he had left an autonomous machine by Hilda's side as an assistant, communicator, bodyguard, and construction worker, so he immediately connected to that device and asked it to find Hilda. After a moment, Hilda and Wim's figures appeared on the bridge's communicator projection. They seemed to be inspecting some facility, with half-built support structures and complex arrays of equipment behind them, as well as a group of elven artisans busy around them. They seemed a little surprised by Hao Ren's hasty contact, but the latter didn't waste any words: "Hilda, your body is with me!"

The surprised look on Hilda's face immediately faded, and she smiled knowingly, "Oh, I know, I was just thinking about sending you a message..."

Hao Ren didn't expect the person concerned to be so calm, "Um... I thought that thing was pretty important, don't you want it?"

Hilda tilted her head slightly, "Just leave it with you for now, it's too much trouble to run back just to transport such a thing. Oh, right, if you think it's taking up too much space in the hibernation pod, you can find a place to dig a hole and bury it. I don't think I'll be needing her in the future."

Hao Ren: "... I always feel like it's not serious at all that we're discussing this issue so seriously."

Hilda also felt very subtle about this. She and Wim exchanged strange glances. Vivian then gave a suggestion from the side: "Then you should bring her back next time you have the opportunity to go to Earth... At least it's an object, and after a little cleaning and dressing up, maybe you can put it at home to ward off evil spirits."

This amazing vampire really never forgets the words "ward off evil" no matter what she does—but how did she think a half-dead corpse could ward off evil spirits?

Hilda nodded and decided to follow this suggestion, and then the two sides hung up the communication. Hao Ren pinched his chin and pondered, "I always feel that the things I've experienced since I took on this unlucky job have become more and more bizarre. Now I've even started collecting corpses—and it's still a dead person entrusting me to keep it for them and promising to come and get it someday."

Lily tilted her head and thought about this question in the manner befitting a husky. No one knew what she was thinking, but her face suddenly turned rosy, and then she pinched Hao Ren's arm hard, "Landlord, you must hold on! Although that body is still warm, you absolutely can't really do anything..."

As a healthy man, Hao Ren naturally understood in a flash, so he immediately jumped up and vigorously poked Lily's temples, "How can your mouth be even more wicked than mine! How can your mouth be even more wicked than mine! Can't you watch more mentally healthy and positive things in the future!?"

Amid Hao Ren's furious reprimands and Lily's giggling pretense of screaming, the Giant Tortoise Rock Terrace returned to the solar system after being away for more than half a month. The group completed the ship custody procedures at Kuiper Station and teleported back to Earth. Seeing the familiar old streets of the southern suburbs and the relatively clear sky due to its suburban location, Hao Ren felt a sense of homecoming and inexplicable emotion. He thought of the gray and white land in the domed city and the old and cramped floating island shields, as well as the Erim civilization that had struggled to survive under the encirclement of all that, and the elves who fell into sky phobia after seeing the sky for the first time. He couldn't help but whisper to himself, "It's only now that I realize how precious these ordinary things are. People should really cherish everything in front of them—even the things you're tired of looking at, because you never know when they'll be gone."

Vivian also sighed, "Yeah, I really understand that feeling, and the money in my hands is gone before I even get tired of looking at it."

Hao Ren's brow twitched, "I'm lamenting life here, can't you be more serious?"

Vivian smiled and poked Hao Ren's arm, "You're back home, can't you be happier?"

After dropping these words, the vampire girl walked quickly towards the nearby door with a happy smile after returning home, leaving Hao Ren stunned in place: To be able to talk about the experience of being a pauper to find happiness, that's got to be thorough poor happiness, right?

After opening the door, Lily was still the first to run back into the house. She ran into the living room in a few steps and then quickly ran around the living room, sniffing everywhere to confirm that no other dogs had invaded her territory during her absence, and then stood in the center of the living room with satisfaction, "I'm back!"

As a result, after waiting for a long time, no one in the house answered. Only "Gun" heard the movement and ran over from the direction of the kitchen. After seeing its owner, whom it hadn't seen for many days, it circled around Hao Ren like a madman, and then leisurely nodded slightly to Lily to express its welcome, scaring the latter and then wandering away.

This cat is definitely the most arrogant creature in the house, without a doubt.

"May and Becky aren't home?" Hao Ren ran upstairs to take a look, came down and said strangely, "Didn't we send them a message before saying we'd be there around noon?"

Vivian walked into the kitchen as soon as she got home, like a skilled housewife, even if she had just returned from a long trip, the first thing she had to do was prepare lunch for her family. While walking, she muttered, "Maybe they had something to do and went out temporarily. Hey, Landlord, what's for lunch?"

"Don't bother, just make some noodles to make do." Hao Ren said, sitting down on the sofa in the center of the living room, and then suddenly found a note pressed on the coffee table. He picked it up and saw that it was Nangong May's message, written in delicate handwriting: "Landlord, Becky and I went to participate in an activity and will be back around one o'clock. We made food for you, just heat it up in the kitchen. The food is in the big steamer on the left, and Doudou is in the rice cooker on the right, don't burn it."

Hao Ren raised the note and called out, "They really did go out, they'll be back later... I'll go, Vivian, watch out for Doudou in the pot!"

He ran to the kitchen in a hurry, but halfway there he suddenly remembered that Doudou didn't seem to be afraid of being cooked, so he breathed a sigh of relief in the second half. When he arrived in the kitchen, he saw Vivian holding the rice cooker and looking at it up and down. The vampire girl was very strange, "Why is Doudou in here? Where's her usual pot?"

"Who knows, ask Nangong May when she gets back, she's more professional at taking care of this child than I am." Hao Ren didn't know what new phenomenon Nangong May had discovered in the past half month, but it could be confirmed that the siren girl usually cherished the little mermaid, so there must be a reason for putting her in the rice cooker. He stepped forward and took the rice cooker from Vivian's hand, and saw the little mermaid curled up inside, sleeping soundly. She was so well-behaved and cute that he couldn't help but want to scoop her out, sprinkle some cumin on her, and kiss her. Seeing his long-lost "daughter," Hao Ren immediately felt healed, but because he was afraid of waking the little guy, he didn't take Doudou out of the water, but carefully held the rice cooker, ready to go to the living room and give the little guy a surprise when she woke up. But just as he was about to turn around and leave, he noticed a strange piece of paper stuck on the cupboard. He went closer to take a look and the content on it was inexplicable:

"Heat on low heat for ten minutes in the morning, sprinkle with sesame oil.

"Heat on medium heat for five minutes at noon, sprinkle with a small amount of Banlangen granules.

"Heat on low heat for seven minutes in the evening, no seasoning. After heating, wait for it to cool naturally. Doudou may jump out, pay attention to putting her back in time to prevent her from catching a cold.

"Pay attention to preventing her from bullying the cat.

"Playing cards are not easy to digest, although she likes them very much, it's best not to let her eat too much. If she insists on eating them, you can dip them in vinegar.

"Don't let her play in the snow."

Hao Ren: "..."

He felt that his daughter must have shown some amazing talent again... What exactly did Nangong May summarize?