Chapter 282
Early morning.
Mianmian wakes up.
She opens her eyes, doesn't see the sun, feels it's still early, and closes her eyes to continue sleeping.
After two rounds of snoozing,
Sunlight filters through the carved doors and windows, slowly creeping onto the bed, and she finally gets up.
She likes whoever invented the word "lazy."
Because then she can say she's not successful just because she's too lazy.
Otherwise, if she worked hard and still wasn't successful, she'd be exposed.
After eating brunch, she very seriously goes to water her little vegetable garden.
Her clothes get all wet, and her feet are muddy, so she changes into another outfit.
Today, her parents aren't home.
Her older brother and sister aren't home either.
Her great-aunt isn't home either.
Suddenly, she feels like she's in charge of the household.
Of course, this is just her imagination.
There's still Brother Bug at home.
Brother Bug keeps an eye on her.
Zi Congheng received an order early in the morning to take care of his little sister.
Aunt Qin instructed him once.
Uncle-in-law Jiang instructed him once.
Actually, he feels Mianmian is very well-behaved, and there's no need for repeated instructions.
But the elders all gave serious instructions.
And it's the first time he's been asked to take care of someone else.
Before, he always heard his father instructing others to take care of him.
He never imagined there would come a day when he would become the one taking care of others.
He finally feels like he's grown up a little bit.
Zi Congheng has no friends in the capital because he doesn't go out to socialize.
Firstly, because of his special status, and secondly, because of his special physical condition.
His uniqueness is like shackles, binding him.
But in the Jiang family, it seems no one cares about his status.
Aunt Qin cares about whether he eats well and dresses well.
Uncle-in-law Jiang cares about what books he reads and how his mood is.
Mianmian cares about whether his health is good and if he's happy.
Early in the morning, he watches Mianmian, who has already changed clothes three times - once because she was so happy eating that soup splashed on her clothes, and again because she insisted on watering the vegetables herself and got mud and water on her clothes.
She wanders over to Brother Bug.
Mianmian plans to take Brother Bug with her to deliver a letter to the Stargazing Tower in the capital.
They've been in the capital for a few days now.
It's time to finish what needs to be done.
When Zi Congheng hears Mianmian say she wants to go deliver a letter, he feels it's a proper task, and indeed, promises should be kept.
However, when he sees the entire box of letters, it's more like books than letters.
They ask for directions to the Stargazing Tower along the way, heading towards the east of the city.
They even pass by her brother-in-law's house.
Mianmian almost wants to sneak in to see her two older nephews.
But it seems this isn't allowed in the capital; you can't just run into someone's house.
It feels strange.
When they reach the Stargazing Tower, they discover it's very close to the imperial palace.
It's on the other side of the palace.
There's probably a door connecting it to the palace.
The Stargazing Tower in the capital is very imposing.
You can't just enter casually.
Even though they show their token and say they're here to deliver letters, they still have to wait for a while.
Later, someone comes to lead them in.
It's a young man who arrives.
He has ordinary features and is very serious.
But Pangya, Wei Biao, and Hei Ta are stopped outside.
They're not allowed to enter.
The people inside are dressed in white, looking like immortals.
They seem worried that people from outside might contaminate the interior.
If the stargazers in Jingzhou are like miserable programmers, then the stargazers in the capital are like high-level scientists in white coats.
Mysteriously, this place is full of a kind of high-tech feeling, with the decor looking very clean and efficient.
Because they're not allowed to bring attendants, Zi Congheng carries the box of letters, and Mianmian follows along.
The two of them follow the path, seeing all kinds of instruments that feel both ancient and advanced.
Mianmian is an outsider and doesn't understand.
Brother Bug, however, looks very carefully at each item.
They walk quite slowly.
The journey is quiet and mysterious.
It's like walking into another dimensional realm.
After walking for a long time, they finally hear voices.
People talking.
One wonders if they'll see a bunch of people with neck problems from looking up too much, dressed all in white, all tilting their heads back. It might feel like seeing a group of hanged ghosts floating in front of you.
It seems there's also a smell of smoke.
Hmm?
The smoke smells kind of fragrant?
Mianmian follows the young guide, whose pace quickens a bit as they reach this area.
When they finally arrive inside.
They discover that a solemn scientific activity is taking place.
Using mirrors to reflect light to obtain a fire source, using inorganic matter to cut organic matter, then arranging and combining in a specific order, using fire to change the nature of substances, and then using it to solve the problem of energy deficiency.
In simple terms, they are actually roasting meat.
They're roasting lamb.
It smells incredibly delicious.
There are even seasonings.
A group of ancient stargazers dressed in white robes are holding a large, ceremonial activity, roasting meat together.
No wonder they didn't let them bring their maids and bodyguards.
They were probably worried that if they brought too many people, there wouldn't be enough to eat...