It wasn't until dusk that You Mengchu hurriedly rushed over from Tianshui Academy.
The moment she saw Shen Hanyu, You Mengchu spoke with full anticipation:
"That… how is Grandpa doing right now?"
Shen Hanyu gave You Mengchu a somewhat puzzled look, then said:
"Relax, Old You is in great shape. He may not look like a guy in his twenties, but he definitely doesn't look like a little old man nearing a hundred either…"
You Mengchu let out a sigh of relief, then plopped down onto the chair behind her and said:
"That's good… Actually, I've been feeling quite uneasy after running out for so long. Being so far from the island domain, basically cut off from contact over there, but… after spending so much time on the continent, I can't bear to leave the career and friendships I have here. Lately, I've been discussing with Sister Shui whether I can get more vacation time to go back and properly visit Grandpa…"
Shen Hanyu poured You Mengchu a cup of tea and comforted her:
"I understand how you feel. Xue'er and I went to the island domain once, so we have a rough idea of the situation there. But you don't need to worry so much. Xue'er and I talked a bit with Old You about this issue you mentioned; he actually has the idea of moving the entire family to the continent; he's just still hesitating."
"Really?"
You Mengchu's eyes lit up, and she said in pleasant surprise.
Shen Hanyu nodded, then continued:
"But you know how far the island domain is from here. The influencing factors along the way are too numerous to imagine. Even if Old You really makes the decision, it will still take at least several years…"
You Mengchu slapped the small table hard and said:
"You should have some sense of Grandpa's personality by now. Don't worry, if he even mentioned this to you, then he will definitely do it. I've been his granddaughter for nearly thirty years; how could I not understand him…"
At that very moment, far away in the island domain, You Yanshan, who was supervising the clansmen chopping trees and building ships, suddenly sneezed without warning. He then grumbled and cursed as he walked toward the village entrance, leaving the surrounding villagers utterly bewildered…
…
Shen Hanyu was stunned for a moment, then chuckled lightly and said:
"If Old You is really willing to lead the family to move to the continent, then whether it's Aunt Shui or me, we would both welcome them very warmly…"
You Mengchu nodded vigorously. Then her gaze shifted, carrying a faint trace of anticipation as she looked at Shen Hanyu and asked:
"Did Grandpa ask you to bring me anything? Like some precious herbs or pills or something…"
Shen Hanyu glanced at You Mengchu, whose anticipation meter was maxed out, then slowly tossed her a box containing dozens of salted fish.
You Mengchu caught it in delighted surprise, but the next second, a familiar fishy smell rushed into her nostrils. Her expression froze. She mechanically turned her head to look at Shen Hanyu and asked:
"What's inside here?"
Shen Hanyu raised an eyebrow and said:
"The gift your grandpa gave you…"
You Mengchu refused to believe it. She glanced at the box in front of her, then slowly opened it…
…
A moment later, You Mengchu stiffly closed the box again. She looked at Shen Hanyu, but before she could speak, Shen Hanyu spoke first:
"I swear on my character, I absolutely did not embezzle or swap out a single item!"
In the end…
You Mengchu left the small courtyard, hugging a huge box of salted fish, looking utterly dejected and on the verge of tears, her expression carrying more than a little resentment…
…
The next morning, Shui Ningbing also came to the small courtyard. After discussions among the deans of the four element academies in Element City, they had finally decided to expand Element City.
Because of Tianshui Academy's rise to fame, Element City had absorbed a large number of migrants, including some small families and small sects.
They each needed a piece of land in the city for their own use. Over time, conflicts were bound to erupt because of this…
Although Element City itself could already be considered a large city, it ultimately did not have the massive scale of Heaven Dou City or Spirit Hall City, which could accommodate millions of people. With so many people pouring in, Element City's capacity had quickly reached its limit, forcing the decision to expand.
The other three element academies stated that they would follow Big Boss Shui's lead in everything. As fellow element academies, they had also benefited greatly from the constantly growing population; after all, Tianshui Academy's school rules would not change just because it had become famous…
As for the opinions of the Spirit Hall branch, the Elephant Armor Sect, and the Elephant Armor Academy, they were uniformly ignored.
After all, expanding the city wouldn't interfere with them. If they dared to cause trouble, the resulting conflict wouldn't be something that could be settled with a simple fight…
Shui Ningbing had come this time mainly to ask for Shen Hanyu's thoughts and opinions on the matter.
From their conversation, Shen Hanyu also learned one piece of news: Shui Ningbing planned to completely renovate the entire Tianshui Academy campus, and the latest design drawings had already been rushed out. After Shen Hanyu looked at them, he felt a bit puzzled, then quietly asked:
"Aunt Shui, renovating the academy is naturally a good thing, but I'm a little curious… such a massive project—where are the gold soul coins coming from…"
Shui Ningbing laughed a couple of times lightly, then said:
"Sister Qin lent me one million gold soul coins, and the rest basically came from friendly donations by other wealthy merchants and forces…"
Shen Hanyu's mouth twitched, but he still nodded and said:
"If there are any problems, feel free to come find me anytime. Xue'er and I probably won't be leaving Element City for the time being…"
Shui Ningbing smiled brilliantly, then immediately said:
"Of course…"
"Auntie actually has something right now that I need your help with…"
Shen Hanyu: "......"
…
A moment later, Shen Hanyu looked helplessly at Shui Ningbing, who was happily holding three pieces of thousand-year-old soul bones as she left. He then collapsed onto the recliner in defeat.
The Snow Empress slowly walked out from inside the house and asked curiously:
"What's wrong?"
Shen Hanyu slowly opened his eyes, then said with a light smile:
"There's still a bit of a funding shortfall. Aunt Shui took three of the thousand-year soul bones I got from Shuang Ying to package up and auction off at a high price…"
The Snow Empress gave an "oh" and then lost interest.
Shen Hanyu glanced at the sky, then asked somewhat puzzled:
"Did those girls not come back last night?"
The Snow Empress's face flushed slightly. Her body inexplicably swayed, and she said softly:
"You barely slept at all last night, did you really not notice whether they came back or not…?"
Shen Hanyu: "......"
"Ahem!"
Shen Hanyu gave a light cough, his expression a little unnatural.
The Snow Empress let out a soft humph and then ignored Shen Hanyu.
…
At lunchtime, the girls finally returned to Element City, bringing along Bai Nian, who had changed into a new set of clothes.
Because of Bai Nian's small and fragile body, Shui Bing'er and Shen Liuyu simply took turns carrying her. It only took Bai Nian one afternoon to go from initial resistance to numbness in the middle, and finally to complete acceptance. She then let the girls do whatever they wanted with her…
Although Bai Nian was already close to nine years old, her mental development lagged. Although her experiences from childhood made her seem very mature at many times, in reality, her true nature was still that of a slightly shy little girl…
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