Chapter 646 - 661: The Banquet

Early the next morning, after his workout, Jiang Xia brought An Ning some mulberries he had picked on the mountain.

Ever since returning to the village, An Ning had been living a life of utter indolence.

She wouldn’t get up in the morning, wouldn’t go to sleep at night, and wouldn’t move during the day.

Her days consisted of nothing but eating and lying down—a complete, one-hundred-percent state of rest.

If she hadn’t occasionally gone out to the fields to work and train her spiritual power, rumors would have surely spread around the village that she was pregnant.

After all, a pregnant woman really couldn’t hoist a hundred-jin bag onto her shoulder and walk with such a brisk, powerful stride.

At the entrance to the An family’s house, Jiang Xia handed An Ning the fresh, dark purple mulberries, which he had wrapped in mulberry leaves.

"Want to try one?"

An Ning popped one into her mouth, her eyes brightening a little. "Delicious."

"Right? I tasted them myself before picking them for you."

The two of them sat on a smooth, rounded stone by the door, under a hibiscus tree that An Guoming had bought some time ago.

The pink blossoms, with petals as fine as strands of hair that had been playfully dyed pink, swayed in the breeze.

They ate the mulberries one by one until An Ning’s hands and mouth were stained a dark purplish-black.

"Is there anything you want me to bring back? Anything you’re craving?"

An Ning thought about the question very seriously before replying, "I don’t think there’s anything I’m craving."

"Alright, then I’ll just pick something out for you. It can be a little surprise."

"That makes sense."

Jiang Xia left, expecting to be back in about five days.

An Ning stood up, a little tired, and turned to go back into the courtyard to wash her hands.

She scrubbed for a long time but couldn’t get them clean, so she just gave up.

Lin Cuihua was serving breakfast: steamed buns, millet porridge, and old cucumber soup.

An Ning ate a lot, and once she was finished, she groggily went back to sleep.

Seeing the listless An Ning, Lin Cuihua came over and felt her forehead, then her own.

"You’re not running a fever. Did you stay up late again last night?"

"Mmm... I’m sleepy. I’m going to sleep a bit longer."

"Go on then."

Lin Cuihua didn’t press the issue. An Ning’s sleep schedule had certainly been turned upside down lately.

But it seemed like a lot of kids were like that when they came back home.

Back in her room, An Ning hit the pillow and was out like a light.

It wasn’t that she wanted to mix up her days and nights; she simply had things to do at night and had no choice but to stay up.

There was trouble in the interstellar world.

"Trouble" wasn’t exactly the right word. It was more that the recurring war, which happened every few years, had begun.

The food from An Ning’s side could help soldiers on the battlefield restore their spiritual power, so every night, she worked hard to teleport food to the interstellar world.

The immense consumption of her spiritual power left her exhausted every day.

Moreover, seeing that the grain reserves in her spiritual space were about to run out, An Ning prepared to go out and purchase a new batch.

An Ning didn’t sleep for long, as she still needed to go out to the fields to do farm work and recover her spiritual power.

’I wonder how long this war will last.’

According to An Ning’s memories, every interstellar war lasted for several years. Hopefully, with the help of the food supplies, this one could be shorter.

The future world was indeed highly advanced, but the dangers had also multiplied.

Outer space was never easy to explore, nor should it be explored excessively.

The existence of Ancient Earth was a protection for humanity; it didn’t mean humanity was invincible.

In other words, in the infinite cosmos, humans were truly fragile.

Many races existed in the interstellar world, and humans were one of the most unremarkable among them. If not for technological advancements that allowed humanity to arm itself, humans might have long since vanished from the vastness of the universe.

After Jiang Xia left, An Ning started her own routine.

She would sleep in until she woke up naturally, eat, go to the fields to work, take a nap, work some more, have dinner, and then work again.

Every day, An Ning worked until around eight at night. After it got dark, she would come back from the fields, go to her room, and teleport food or plants to the interstellar world.

Around midnight, An Ning would sneak out of the An family’s house and head up the mountain to continue working, or go into the mountains to gather some medicinal herbs. She had discovered that herbs had a similar, or even better, effect for the interstellar world.

This was why she woke up so late in the day.

Five days later, Jiang Xia, who was supposed to have returned, did not.

Not only did he not return, but he also called and summoned An Ning away.

An Ning got into the car driven by Yu Zheng, who had come to pick her up, and headed to Beijing.

There was a very important banquet that Jiang Xia had to attend, and An Ning was required to attend as one of the invited guests.

An Ning, who had been planning to leave to find grain anyway, simply took the opportunity to leave the mountains.

In the car, An Ning slept the entire way.

When Yu Zheng dropped An Ning off at her destination, Jiang Xia was already waiting for her at the entrance.

Seeing An Ning sleeping so soundly yet so exhaustedly in the passenger seat, Jiang Xia felt a pang of confusion.

’What on earth happened?’

’An Ning hasn’t been... normal lately.’

But An Ning didn’t say anything, and Jiang Xia didn’t ask.

She would tell him when she was ready.

Jiang Xia gently lifted the sleeping An Ning out of the car, nodded to Yu Zheng, and went inside.

An Ning sensed Jiang Xia holding her, but his presence was so reassuring that she didn’t open her eyes. She just found a comfortable position and continued to sleep.

When she woke up, An Ning’s exhaustion still lingered.

Teleporting massive amounts of food every day made it difficult for her to return to her original state, even with all the farm work.

The mental fatigue had slowed down her entire thought process; it felt like her IQ had dropped along with it.

The banquet was that evening. An Ning changed into the evening gown Jiang Xia had prepared for her and got into the car, yawning.

Jiang Xia and An Ning sat in the back of the car. He let her lean completely against his shoulder, one hand stroking her hair.

"If you’re tired, sleep for a while."

"Mm."

An Ning knew Jiang Xia had many questions, but she didn’t know how to begin explaining.

About her origins, about who she really was—An Ning wasn’t quite ready to tell him any of it.

Perhaps she would on the day her life came to an end, but she knew that day was definitely not today.

They arrived at the banquet hall. Jiang Xia attended with An Ning on his arm, and their arrival truly marked the start of the event.

This banquet was a convergence of technology and corporations.

Many companies that relied on An Ning’s technology were in attendance. As a major investment mogul, Jiang Xia naturally drew a lot of attention.

Although An Ning held many patents, she was practically invisible and rarely appeared in the public eye.

An Ning didn’t want to socialize—or rather, all the socializing here was useless to her. Jiang Xia didn’t force her, instead seating her on a comfortable sofa and bringing her a lot of food.

"I’ll be fine on my own. You go handle your business."

Jiang Xia leaned down and placed a kiss on An Ning’s forehead.

"I’ll be back soon."

An Ning nodded and hummed softly in agreement.

After Jiang Xia left, An Ning ate by herself in a corner.

Fortunately, the people attending the banquet all had some tact. No one came to bother An Ning, not even those who admired Jiang Xia.

An Ning’s mind was wandering, until she heard someone mention Li Chengze’s name.