"Mother! I'm going to bring some friends home to play in a couple of days. Could you help me prepare some snacks to entertain the guests?"
"Sure! What kind of food do your friends like?"
"All kinds of chicken products, like roasted chicken and fried chicken."
"Okay, I got it. I'll be waiting for you to bring your friends back."
"Great!"
---
Rong Lan leaned on Chu Hengyuan's arm with her eyes closed, feeling dizzy. Every time she traveled to another world through the time - space rift, she would get dizzy. What bothered her most was that Chu Hengyuan, a human, didn't feel dizzy at all. Only she, weak as she was, suffered from dizziness. It made her five - hundred - year cultivation seem like a joke.
"We're here."
Si Mo's voice came into her ears. Rong Lan immediately opened her eyes. But since the dizziness in her forehead hadn't subsided yet, she almost lost her balance. Fortunately, Chu Hengyuan knew that his little girl would get dizzy and promptly supported her shoulders. He couldn't help but laugh helplessly. "Lanlan, maybe you should try taking motion - sickness pills next time."
"No, no, no. I will definitely overcome it next time!" Rong Lan refused to do something that would damage her prestige.
Well, to be honest, she didn't have much prestige in the first place.
Si Mo looked back at the couple, trying hard not to make any sarcastic remarks about their public display of affection. "Welcome to my hometown."
It was really annoying. He had to endure their sweet talk in the world where Chu Hengyuan lived. When he was invited to visit the world where the little fox lived, he also had to witness their lovey - dovey moments. And now, even when he was back in his own world, he still couldn't escape this fate. When they got home, he was sure to be bombarded with even more of their affection. His life was just so...
Rong Lan took a deep breath. After the dizziness subsided, she responded to Si Mo. "How about we take a stroll around before going to your home?"
"That's exactly what I was planning. Let's go."
Si Mo walked in the front to lead the way. Rong Lan and Chu Hengyuan held hands and followed behind him.
They landed in a deserted alley. When they walked out of the alley, Rong Lan saw a miraculous scene that she had only seen on TV.
"Wow!" The little fox's eyes sparkled with surprise.
It was also Chu Hengyuan's first time seeing such a sight, but he was much calmer than the little fox. There was just a hint of wonder in his eyes.
As the host, Si Mo dutifully introduced his world to the human and the fox. "The thing floating in the sky is a maglev train. It's fully automated. You just need to input your destination, and you can take a nap on the train."
"Wow! I like it!" Rong Lan wanted to buy one, but then she thought that such a thing would be regarded as an alien spaceship in her world, so she gave up the idea.
After walking for a while, Si Mo pointed to a virtual screen between two buildings. "There's a mecha competition being broadcast on it. If you want to try driving a mecha, I can teach you."
"Great! Great!" The little fox responded excitedly. "Is it the kind of mecha where I can sit inside and control it with a control panel?"
"Yes. In the early days, humans couldn't control the mecha from the cockpit inside. But now they can, and the mecha's protection mechanism is very good. Even if the mecha explodes, it won't hurt the people in the cockpit." Of course, no one would casually blow up a mecha. Mechas were very expensive. "Now we still need to use a control panel to operate the mecha, but in a hundred years or so, we probably won't need it anymore. Scientists are already researching how to connect brainwaves with mechas."
"Look over there." Si Mo pointed in another direction. "That's a chain store selling robots. There are all kinds of robots in it, but the main ones are housekeeping robots and companion robots. With today's technology, we can make robots look exactly like humans. But for various reasons, the government has issued a law strictly prohibiting robots from being made in the shape of humans."
Rong Lan dragged Chu Hengyuan into the store to take a look around.
Seeing that they were interested in such things, Si Mo also took them to a store selling mechas.
Seeing that the little fox was about to lose control of her shopping desire, Si Mo quickly found a roadside parking lot and used his optical computer to control his own maglev train to come and pick them up. After all, the little fox couldn't buy things here. If she bought something and took it back to her world, it would surely cause chaos.
"There might be a lot of people at home today. They're all easy to get along with. Don't be nervous."
Those idle guys would surely come to join in the fun when they heard that he had brought friends.
He wasn't worried about someone as shrewd as Chu Hengyuan getting nervous, but the little fox clearly looked like someone who would get nervous.
And as it turned out, the little fox really did get nervous, but not for long.
As soon as she entered the door, she was hugged. Yes, someone hugged her around the neck.
Rong Lan was shocked and froze on the spot, not daring to move. She didn't even see the face of the person who hugged her clearly, only a head of flowing golden hair.
Chu Hengyuan's vision blurred for a moment, and his little wife was in someone else's arms. He almost lost his temper, but when he took a closer look, he saw that the person hugging her was a girl, so he didn't forcefully pull them apart. He just silently sighed in his heart that Si Mo's family was really enthusiastic.
"Mother?" Si Mo, who was standing on one side, patted the person on the shoulder. "Did you hug the wrong person?"
He thought that since he hadn't been home for a long time, his mother would miss him and give him a long - awaited hug. But why was she hugging the little fox?
Yue Bai just glanced at Si Mo sideways and had no intention of letting go and hugging him. There was a happy smile in her golden pupils. "My baby is finally back. But I didn't hug the wrong person."
Si Mo: "???"
Rong Lan: "???" Baby? With Si Mo's always - serious face, this address made her want to laugh.
After hurting her precious son's feelings, Yue Bai looked at the human who was shining with the golden light of merit. "Hello, Mr. Chu. Welcome to our home."
"......Hello." Chu Hengyuan couldn't find an appropriate way to address Yue Bai for a moment. She looked about the same age as his little fox. He thought he could follow Lanlan and call her Auntie, but judging from the current situation, Lanlan probably couldn't find an appropriate address either.
"Lanlan, come on. I heard from Si Mo that you're interested in mechas. I'll take you to the mecha room to play!"
Yue Bai pulled away the still - confused little fox.
Rong Lan was originally worried that her brother wouldn't know what to do when she was pulled away, but when she saw someone walking up to her brother and starting a conversation with him, she felt relieved and let herself be pulled away.
Si Mo, who was completely ignored: "......" He finally understood why his mother liked the little fox so much. One reason was the shining merit on the little fox, and the other reason was that the little fox was a fluffy fox. His mother, besides liking shiny things, liked fluffy things the most. It was said that after his mother became an adult, she hadn't touched Jiu Gu's fox fur again. Now that she finally got a chance to meet a same - sex little fox, she might even coax the little fox to transform back into her original form later.
It was really annoying. The little fox was his friend, but his mother was almost stealing his friend away.
As for Chu Hengyuan...
Si Mo turned his head and saw that Uncle Ji Hengyi had taken the initiative to talk to Chu Hengyuan, and they seemed to be chatting happily. Well, this was the first time Uncle Ji Hengyi had met another human who could live longer than the average human lifespan. He must have been eager to talk. Since they were both human, they should have a lot to talk about.
He took two more steps towards the living room. When his three sisters, who were playing flying chess around the coffee table, saw him, they all waved at him with smiles.
"Finally made some friends. Are you happy?" Ze Qing put her hand on Si Mo's shoulder and asked with a gentle smile.
Since human lifespan was so short, Ze Qing and Yue Bai had told Si Mo several times after their youngest child started to remember things that he'd better not make friends with humans. They were afraid that Si Mo would be sad when the humans passed away. But they didn't know how this little guy understood it. Instead of making friends with humans, he didn't even like to talk to them.
Moreover, except for his sisters, there was no one else of his age around. He couldn't even make a single friend. Now, he finally had his own friends.
Si Mo nodded without hesitation. "Happy."
He was really happy, so happy that he was even willing to be a third wheel and endure their public display of affection.
"By the way, why haven't I seen Uncle Jiu Gu?"
"He lost a bet with your mother and is cooking in the kitchen."
"Pfft—"
His Uncle Jiu Gu, as expected, was still at the bottom of the food chain.