Embers Ad Infinitum

On the 417th floor, Long Yuehong led Shang Jianyao and met her grandma Zhong Zining in the activity center.

At this time, Zhong Zining was dancing and exercising with a group of neighbors, both old and young.

Shang Jianyao's eyes were so bright that he took off his coat and joined in.

To his dismay, the music stopped at this point.

Zhong Zining wiped the sweat from his forehead with the towel on his shoulders and heard the voice of his eldest grandson calling him.

In the process of welcoming the old lady, Shang Jianyao sighed to Long Yuehong with regret and envy:

“The activities on your grandma’s floor are well organized.

“The director of the activity center here is too serious and responsible!”

I don’t like this kind of singing and dancing... While Long Yuehong muttered in her heart, she casually replied to Shang Jianyao:

"If you feel good about it and get married in the future, you can apply for a room on this floor. Given your rank, the higher-ups will definitely take your personal wishes into consideration."

What he didn't say was that Shang Jianyao was valued more for his level in the awakened realm than his rank.

As soon as she finished speaking, Long Yuehong softly said "uh".

He thought that with the seriousness of Shang Jianyao's mental illness, it would not be a happy thing for any girl to be assigned to him. Only if both parties have feelings for each other, are compassionate and help those in need, can they tolerate and accept her.

"Is this the colleague you were talking about?" Zhong Zining saw the two coming, glanced at Shang Jianyao, and said to Long Yuehong.

Before Long Yuehong could respond, Shang Jianyao nodded obediently:

"Hello grandma!"

"Yes." Long Yuehong quickly added.

"Yeah." Zhong Zining nodded lightly, looked at Shang Jianyao for a while, and asked Long Yuehong while recalling, "Is he your classmate? I remember seeing him at your house, and he came to play with you many times."

"Yes, yes, we are assigned to a place." Long Yuehong explained simply.

Zhong Zining smiled and asked Shang Jianyao enthusiastically:

"When did you get married?"

"I don't have a partner yet." Shang Jianyao answered truthfully, but it was too late for Long Yuehong to stop him.

This doesn't go as planned!

Zhong Zining was stunned:

"You have no one to ask for the talisman of many children and grandchildren?"

Shang Jianyao explained seriously:

"Normally, you should ask for a marriage charm."

Seeing Zhong Zining nodding in agreement, he continued:

"But after asking for the marriage talisman, finding a partner, and getting married, don't you still have to ask for the talisman of many children and grandchildren?

"And if I directly ask for the talisman of many children and grandchildren, I cannot be able to give birth to the child by myself. I must be given a partner.

"So, praying for many children and grandchildren will kill two birds with one stone!"

Zhong Zining was dizzy after hearing this, and felt that what the other party said made sense.

"That's right." She pointed to the activity center, "I'll go back and change my clothes first, and then I'll take you to Mu's house to ask for amulets."

Shang Jianyao asked sincerely:

"Grandma, can I wait for you here?"

Long Yuehong's grandparents live in Area C. To go to Mu's house in Area B, you still have to pass through the activity center.

"You kid, are you embarrassed? Let me tell you, this kind of personality is not easy to get along with." Zhong Zining said with a smile, "It's okay, it's okay, just wait here."

She immediately said to Long Yuehong:

"Greeting to your friends."

After watching her grandma leave the activity center, Long Yuehong frowned, lowered her voice, and said to Shang Jianyao:

"Did you use your power on my grandma?"

Otherwise, why would it be so easy to accept a single young man's request to have many children and grandchildren?

"No." Shang Jianyao looked innocent, "Your grandma is very talkative."

Just as Long Yuehong was about to reply, "Yes," Shang Jianyao added:

"Just like you."

"..." Long Yuehong was suddenly speechless.

After dozens of seconds, the music started playing again. Shang Jianyao took off his coat, held it in his hand, and walked into the dancing crowd.

For a moment, he felt like a fish in water, as if he were home.

"It turns out that you didn't go to my grandma's house because you wanted to take the opportunity to dance..." Long Yuehong suddenly realized.

When Zhong Zining came back after changing his clothes, Shang Jianyao walked out of the "dance floor" and put on his coat.

"It's very rhythmic." Zhong Zining praised, "Usually there are very few young people dancing with us."

"That's because they have no vision and don't know how to appreciate." Shang Jianyao spoke sternly.

This made Zhong Zining so happy that Long Yuehong felt that his eldest grandson's status was in danger.

So, he tried his best to change the subject.

While talking and laughing, the group of three entered Area B and arrived at room No. 49.

Not only was the door closed, but even the windows were covered with curtains.

At this point, the doors of most of the surrounding rooms were open, and people gathered on the street to talk and kill time.

Bang bang bang, Zhong Zining slapped the door of No. 49.

"Xiao Mu! Are you at home?" she shouted while filming.

After about ten seconds, the door creaked open.

The light inside was dim, with only one desk lamp turned on, and the space was not spacious. It was only slightly larger than Shang Jianyao's cabin, and could barely accommodate a family of three.

At this time, there was only one person in the room, a thirty-year-old woman wearing old black clothes.

Her hair is messy and her skin is slightly pale, but the rest is fine. She is a person who has received genetic modification and the effect is above the standard.

"You waste so much energy! Why don't you use the street lights on the street?" Before Zhong Zining explained his intention, Shang Jianyao persuaded him with a sad face.

The woman was stunned:

"The talisman must be painted in such an environment."

"Oh oh oh." Shang Jianyao showed respect for professionals.

Zhong Zining glanced at this guy, smiled and said:

"Xiao Mu, this is my eldest grandson's colleague. He wants to come and ask for the talisman of many children and grandchildren.

"Ah... where are your husband and children?"

"I went to the child's grandfather's house. I had a few talismans to get, but I was in a hurry, so I didn't go." The woman surnamed Mu explained casually.

She turned to ask Shang Jianyao:

"Are you in a hurry?

"If it's urgent, I can't arrange it on time."

I have to add some contribution points... Long Yuehong, who had read a lot of old world entertainment information, added in his mind almost as a reflex.

"No rush, no hurry." Shang Jianyao responded with a smile, "Aunt Mu, you can paint whenever you have free time."

"Auntie..." The woman surnamed Mu repeated the title with a bad expression.

Hey, come out with someone with high emotional intelligence at this time! Long Yuehong resisted the urge to scratch her head.

He always felt that Shang Jianyao's emotional intelligence was Schrödinger's.

Zhong Zining laughed and introduced helpfully:

"This is Xiao Mu, Mu Qingqing, she is just a few years older than you."

Shang Jianyao said "oh" twice and smiled at Mu Qingqing:

"look:

“We are all people born after the company’s genetic improvement technology matured;

“You’re just a few years older than me;

"so……"

Mu Qingqing laughed and said:

"Just call me Sister Mu. I have always regretted not having a younger brother or younger sister."

"..." Long Yuehong was stunned.

Only then did he discover that Shang Jianyao's previous behavior without emotional intelligence was to lead out the "reasoning clown" or "thinking guidance" later without leaving a trace.

So insidious! So insidious! Long Yuehong could only express her feelings through slander.

After becoming siblings with Shang Jianyao, Mu Qingqing became much more enthusiastic:

"Then just wait, I'll draw it for you now."

Zhong Zining, who was watching, comforted:

"Let me tell you, little Mu is very good."

Long Yuehong took the opportunity to say to Zhong Zining:

"Grandma, the matter is settled, I won't bother you here anymore, we will wait, you can go back to the activity center to dance."

He was afraid that the subsequent "conversation" would be too shocking, frightening his grandma, or causing her to be passively involved in danger.

Zhong Zining was really thinking about her friends in the activity center. Without any politeness, she gave Long Yuehong a few words and turned around and walked out of the room.

Shang Jianyao then smiled at Mu Qingqing and said:

"Sister Mu, is your ability to draw talismans inherited from your ancestors?"

"Yes, my great-grandfather was a Taoist priest, and he was passed down through the same lineage." Mu Qingqing smoothed her messy hair.

Shang Jianyao turned around and asked with bright eyes:

"Are these charms really useful?"

Mu Qingqing hesitated and hesitated:

“Belief leads to spiritual success.”

"Really?" Shang Jianyao asked.

Mu Qingqing felt that she should not deceive this younger brother, so she hesitated for a while and said:

"It might have worked before, but it's hard to say now."

"Why?" Long Yuehong interrupted in shock.

Mu Qingqing scratched her hair and said sheepishly:

"When my dad taught me how to draw talisman, I wasn't very interested and didn't take it seriously. After I discovered that I could earn a lot of extra contribution points, I couldn't remember what the real pattern looked like. I could only draw it based on my impressions. , redesign, and then make the process as mysterious as possible..."

Long Yuehong's expression was dull upon hearing this, and the corner of her mouth moved slightly.

Doodles are okay...

Shang Jianyao rubbed his chin:

"Sister Mu, why don't you learn from your uncle again and design it yourself?"

Yes...Long Yuehong came to his senses.

Mu Qingqing let out a long sigh:

"Your uncle passed away five years ago."

"Hey... my condolences." Shang Jianyao was very sincere.

He asked casually:

"Five years ago, my uncle must have been young. Why did he die?"

Judging from Mu Qingqing's age, five years ago, her father would have been in his fifties at most, and with the current conditions of "Pangu Biology", it is not a small probability for old employees to live to be sixty or seventy, just like Long Yue His grandfather and grandma are both red.

Mu Qingqing looked sad:

“This may be life.

"I suddenly suffered a myocardial infarction and could not be rescued."

Myocardial infarction... Long Yuehong's pupils suddenly dilated.