Even this much was enough to surprise everyone.
The three dragons each held a potted plant, and Long Chen couldn’t help but feel sentimental.
“In the past, we could eat as much fruit as we wanted without any issues. It’s not like now.”
Karl looked at the small tomatoes with fascination. “Yeah, I used to eat one fruit and toss two aside. Now, it’s not even about getting fruit with zero pollution levels. Even slightly less polluted ones are sold at a high price.”
Ah, those were the days before the damn X contaminants ruined everything!
In the end, Ruan Shu gave them two pots of mutated pothos, the same type as the one in Director Hao’s hands. These had just sprouted and were already displaying signs of mutation and a bit of awareness. If taken care of properly, they would grow larger, increasing the range of air purification.
However, among her potted plants, only a few had mutated so far. The trees, especially those in the arborescent family, were still tiny seedlings, with pothos growing the fastest.
This was her way of thanking the elder dragons for telling her about Blue Star.
The three dragons grew even fonder of Shushu.
After all, who wouldn’t like a sweet child who gives them gifts?
When they left, Karl left behind the mutated fruit he had planned to give Ruan Shu. Additionally, he gifted her some beautiful gemstones.
Dragons love gemstones, after all. They typically only gift them when they’re fond of someone; otherwise, no one would ever get a gemstone from their claws.
Karl also gifted Ruan Shu a red gemstone, about the size of a fist.
“This is my favorite color, so I’ll give it to you.”
Ruan Shu thought to herself: She was starting to become a little gem collector now.
Ruan Xiao frowned slightly. “Is this… an energy stone?”
Karl laughed heartily. “Yes, indeed! It’s an energy stone, a gift for Shushu.”
In today’s world, it’s only the dragons who still appreciate gemstones that are merely pretty but lack practical value.
However, in the interstellar age, there exists something that resembles gemstones but isn’t just decorative: energy stones.
Now, most mechanical and technological devices rely on these energy stones, which function like batteries, but they’re much more environmentally friendly and efficient.
A high-quality energy stone can power a large starship for about a year. The one Karl gave Ruan Shu was of this very high quality.
Ruan Shu looked at her father. She wasn’t sure what an energy stone was, but from the way her father looked at it, it seemed to be extremely valuable. Should she accept it?
Seeing her father nod, Ruan Shu softly expressed her thanks and handed Karl a packet of dried kumquat slices.
“These can be brewed in water.”
She handed one packet to each of them.
And then…
Mishou also gifted her an energy stone of about the same size, but it was green.
Long Chen pulled out a golden one, smiling as he offered it to her.
“These energy stones are like gemstones to us. We have as many as we want, so don’t think they’re rare. We’ve got our own mines,” Karl said casually.
Ruan Shu: “…”
Ruan Xiao: “…”
Currently, high-quality energy stones are strictly controlled by the military and the royal family. Any that appear on the market are immediately priced sky-high. A stone this size could easily be worth billions.
The dragons truly are wealthy.
After the three dragons left, Ruan Xiao breathed a slight sigh of relief.
“Put everything away.”
Ruan Shu, hugging the three energy stones, waddled over to her father.
Ruan Xiao patted her head. “Keep them for yourself. The military has its own energy stone supply.”
Ruan Shu obediently nodded but couldn’t resist taking another look at the three beautiful stones.
It was clear the dragons were quite fond of their respective colors in dragon form.
Ruan Shu thought of Almer, who seemed to love any color… as long as it was bright and sparkly.
At this moment, Ruan Shu was still unaware of the true value of high-quality energy stones. She placed them among the various pearls and gemstones that Almer had previously given her, then went off to tend to the plants in her room, watering them, removing weeds, and loosening the soil.
Although she hadn’t farmed in her past life, as a descendant of China, farming seemed like something ingrained in her DNA. She also had a natural advantage: the longer she spent with these plants, the more she could sense what they needed.
Of course, Ruan Shu took her plant care seriously and studied various planting methods online.
Once she finished tending to her plants, she went to check on the Edelweiss.
The Edelweiss habitat was now ready—a large artificial snowfield separated by a protective shield. Robots delivered their food daily, and the Edelweiss plants had started making nests there.
By the time she stepped out of the snowy area, it was already evening.
Ruan Shu, holding a small mushroom, walked around, with a clear tinkling sound accompanying her steps.
She had attached the intricate dragon bead given by the elder dragons to her clothes. It was beautiful and made a lovely sound.
“Grandpa, Dad, Brother, time to soak your feet.”
This was the family’s new activity—foot soaking.
With the weather getting colder, a warm foot soak before bed made for a comfortable night’s sleep.
At first, it was only Ruan Shu soaking her feet, but somehow, her dad, grandpa, and big brother had all joined her.
Ruan Shu’s foot tub was small, with a cute paw print on the bottom—perfectly fitting her little feet.
She carried over her small stool, sat down, and placed her white, soft little feet into the warm water.
Next to her were Grandpa, Dad, and Big Brother. Third Brother wasn’t home, but they each had their own designated foot tubs as well.
“When the mugwort grows, we can make herbal pouches to add to the foot soak. It’s good for the body.”
Ruan Xinglan, who wasn’t soaking his feet, sat on the sofa, casting a sideways glance at his grandpa, dad, and elder brother.
“Looks kind of silly.”
Ruan Shu smiled. “Second Brother, you should try it too! It’s very relaxing, and soaking your feet more often prevents foot odor.”
Ruan Xinglan: “…”
“I don’t need to soak my feet! I don’t have foot odor!”
Ruan Fengsi laughed. “Nonsense! When you were little, your feet used to sweat so much they stank, and your socks would get all stiff.”
Ruan Xinglan’s expression slowly turned stiff. “That was when I was a kid.”
Ruan Fengsi gave him a sidelong glance. “Yeah, right. I dare you to take your shoes off now!”
Every guy deals with a little foot odor now and then, but soaking your feet is pretty nice.
In the end, Ruan Xinglan still didn’t join them in the foot soak. With a huff, he went upstairs.
Ruan Shu thought to herself that once she figured out how to make those herbal foot soak pouches, she’d convince Second Brother to try them.
But she wasn’t sure how to make them; she only knew they should include mugwort because, in her past life, her mother was prone to cold feet and would soak them regularly. She had secretly memorized the writing on those herbal pouches.
Oh, maybe she could ask Elder Long Chen about it!
Since Elder Long Chen and the others had lived on Blue Star, they might…know how it’s done?
They’d exchanged contact details with Shushu before leaving, but she wasn’t sure if they’d gone to sleep yet. She decided to ask them tomorrow to avoid disturbing them tonight.