CH 64

Gu Langu couldn’t help but curl the corners of his mouth, his mood reaching the pinnacle of delight. However, he didn’t forget to continue guiding Shu Shuishui with care. “Actually, even if Shui Shui is only 1.78 meters tall, he can still protect me, who’s 1.87 meters tall. Because Shui Shui is the best mouse.”

Shu Shuishui sat on Gu Langu’s shoulder, his chubby body rising and falling along with Gu Langu’s movements. He lifted his little head with a hint of pride. “You can’t put it that way. I can only be the second-best mouse. The first one is definitely Shu Bao.”

“Being the second is enough to protect me,” Gu Langu said, noticing Shu Shuishui’s delighted expression. Clearly, being second didn’t make him the slightest bit unhappy.

Shu Shuishui scratched his little chin, pondering for a moment. “That’s true, but I still have to grow to 1.8 meters. I promised Mao Jin before that once I reach 1.8 meters, I’ll let him lean on my shoulder. Being a mouse means being honest.”

“Oh, then wait until you’re 1.8 meters tall before letting him lean on you,” Gu Langu felt that this information couldn’t be considered a threat, but he still inquired, “If Shui Shui becomes human, can he still grow taller?”

“It seems like that’s not possible. Shu Bao once said that the transformation of adult mice is fixed, just like how humans can’t keep growing taller. Mice can’t either,” Shu Shuishui vaguely recalled that Shu Bao had discussed this issue before.

Gu Langu was completely reassured. “Let’s go, we’re heading to Shui Shui’s feng shui treasure land.”

After saying that, he opened the car door and walked in with the small mouse on his shoulder. Since the little hill that Gu Langu had designated for Shu Shuishui was deep in the mountains, though the slope wasn’t steep, the heavy snow combined with the narrow mountain road led Gu Lan Gu to opt for an off-road vehicle instead of the RV.

Shu Shuishui didn’t bring his farm and pasture along, after all, today, he was just going to assess the situation.

Before driving, the little dormouse had already scurried down Gu Langu’s arm and used the steering wheel as a pivot point to skillfully hop onto the sunshade mat in front of the car.

Squatting down, he patted the soft sunshade mat and then sat down. “Gu Gu, let’s drive.”

“Sure.” Gu Langu responded and released the brake. The car headed towards the destination.

The bustling little town gradually grew quiet, with most of the residents leaving to find the best winter shelter, leaving only a few behind to guard their homes.

The car wasn’t speeding along the snowy mountain road. Shu Shuishui had already shifted his focus from gazing around to preparing to make a hat. Since the previous down feathers had been used for gloves and tents, he was now working with warm brown fabric. Interestingly, Gu Langu’s tent had been completed within the first two days of arriving at the destination, but he hadn’t had a chance to use it yet.

“Gu Gu, we’re out of feathers, so I’ll start with fabric for now. When we find feathers, I’ll stuff the hat for you,” Shu Shuishui fiddled with the warm brown fabric in his hands, his sharp little claws considering where to start.

“Alright.” Gu Langu naturally agreed without hesitation. A hat was good enough; there was no need to worry about feathers or not. After all, Gu Langu could regulate his own body temperature. But the colder it got, the more energy he would consume.

“Gu Gu, what style do you like? You can roughly describe it. Making a hat is quick. By the time we return to the little town tonight, it should be finished, and you can wear it.”

“Any style is fine, but of course, it would be best if it’s the same style as Shui Shui’s,” Gu Langu felt that the little mouse was truly considerate.

Shu Shuishui tilted his little head. The same style as his? That would be simple. (*＾-＾*) “Okay~”

The little dormouse opened his own toolbox, complete with scissors, needles, thread, and the dye he had used before. Holding the needle, Shu Shuishui effortlessly threaded it and began to work busily.

Gu Langu tried his best to drive steadily, occasionally glancing at the little mouse pulling and threading the thread while stepping on the fabric with his tiny feet.

This time, Shu Shuishui was using the same silkworm silk as before, and he had even sewn a simple constant-temperature array on it.

Of course, the constant-temperature array couldn’t maintain a constant temperature like a micro-farm. After all, it wasn’t practical to attach spirit stones to a hat. However, this array could offset some of the low temperatures and significantly enhance the insulation effect.

It was already three hours later when the car arrived at Shu Shuishui’s little hilltop. Shu Shuishui had completed about half of the hat, and most of the remaining work was stitching. He could continue during the afternoon return trip.

Gu Langu lifted Shu Shuishui out of the car, opened the door, and the warmth that had accumulated inside the car was instantly devoured by the frigid wind. The bone-chilling breeze howled in, filling the entire space. The moment Gu Langu let go of the car door, the wind closed it with a bang, even without applying force.

Shu Shuishui was startled and lightly bounced off Gu Langu’s palm, nearly blown away by the wind. Gu Langu quickly reached out and caught him.

Shu Shuishui patted his little chest with lingering fear. “Gu Gu, you see, it’s still better to be 1.8 meters tall. You won’t get blown away by the wind.”

Gu Langu: “…”

Determined to reach 1.8 meters, Shu Shuishui felt there were reasons everywhere in life to grow to that height.

However, Gu Langu didn’t insist on correcting anything. He quickly shifted his attention back to the destination. Likewise, Shu Shuishui emerged from between Gu Langu’s fingers, gazing around just like Gu Langu had done earlier, surveying his feng shui treasure land.

“Shui Shui, it seems this place isn’t suitable for living during winter,” Gu Langu reminded.

The so-called feng shui treasure land was actually a small depression in the mountains, a basin surrounded by mountains. While it could indeed shield from some wind and snow, the basin was already covered in pure white snow, without any other colors.

Shu Shuishui withdrew his little head and extended his small paw, starting to calculate with his paw tip.

Gu Langu watched the agile movement of the small paw poking and prodding between his partially closed fingers and felt a desire to pinch it. Acting on that thought, Gu Langu did exactly that.

So, as Shu Shuishui was engrossed in calculating the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, he suddenly felt his paw being pinched. The little dormouse leaned towards the edge of the fingers and struggled to pop his head out, helplessly speaking up, “Gu Gu, be good, don’t play around. I’ll play in the snow with you later, we can build a snowman.”

Gu Langu released his fingers from their mischievous grip. “Alright.”

Shu Shuishui felt like he had successfully placated his humanoid pet and continued to calculate earnestly. However, in no time, his paw was pinched again. Shu Shuishui poked his head out once more. “Gu Gu, be good, I’ll roast some grasshoppers for you when we get back.”

“Okay.” If Gu Langu had a tail at this moment, it would probably be wagging like crazy, capable of acting like a snow blower and clearing away all the snow beneath it.

Cunning Gu Langu had thus secured the rights to both building a snowman and having a snowball fight, and even gained one grasshopper.

Once Shu Shuishui had finished his calculations, he emerged again. “Gu Gu, it’s not this hilltop. Let’s walk a bit further inside.”

Gu Langu looked ahead. There was no path ahead, but he didn’t refuse. Instead, he walked along the ridge, stepping on the accumulated snow and heading further in.

Crossing over this small hill and going past another mountain, a larger, more open valley appeared before Gu Langu. Towards the east of the valley was a lake, already frozen over. The center of the lake displayed a vibrant green hue, gradually fading to lighter shades towards the edges, ranging from deep blue to light blue. The entire lake resembled a rare multi-colored crystal amidst the pure white valley, standing out distinctly.

Comparing this valley to the previous small depression, while the terrain was somewhat similar, the scenery was worlds apart.

Even without descending into the valley, Gu Langu could sense the tranquility within. Despite the snow cover, it wasn’t as thick. This could be seen from the occasional patches of yellowish-green grass poking through the snow and the forest on the west side of the valley.

Shu Shuishui had already crawled out of Gu Langu’s hand and climbed onto his shoulder.

The wind and snow on the mountain ridge were still quite strong. Shu Shuishui subconsciously snuggled up against Gu Langu’s head, curling into a ball and nestling in the crook of Gu Langu’s neck. With a serious expression, he even said, “I’ll be a scarf to keep Gu Gu warm.”

He wrapped his fluffy, puffed-up tail around Gu Langu’s neck and if his tail had been longer, he might have wound it around another loop.

Gu Langu chuckled, his eyes gleaming brightly, radiantly beautiful, not losing to the multicolored frozen lake in the valley.

Shu Shuishui was momentarily captivated, and after a moment, he earnestly spoke up, “Gu Gu, let me make you some glasses too. I should protect such beautiful eyes.”

The happiness in Gu Langu’s eyes was almost overflowing. Shu Shuishui’s praises were exceptionally sincere, making it hard to refuse. “Sure, Shui Shui, can you make glasses?”

Shu Shuishui nodded his little head. “Of course, I can make many things. After all, my age is there, and some skills are acquired unknowingly. I’ve made a pair for myself. I wear them when I read to protect my eyes.” Shu Shuishui reached into his spiritual storage and pulled out a mini pair of glasses, every detail from the lenses to the frame exquisitely crafted. “I can make a matching pair for Gu Gu.”

Gu Langu immediately agreed with a nod. “Okay.”

And so, after building a snowman, having a snowball fight, and roasting grasshoppers, Gu Langu gained a pair of glasses matching Shu Shuishui’s style.

Chatting while walking, the two – one human, one mouse – made their way down the mountain. As the terrain was blanketed in snow, the valley was surrounded on three sides by mountains, some of which were quite tall. The descent was quite long.

However, it was fortunate that the further they descended, the less accumulated snow there was, confirming that the valley did indeed resist heavy snowfall.

Finally setting foot in the valley, Shu Shuishui quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Gu Langu might slip and fall, and he wouldn’t be able to catch him. While Shu Shui had once managed to drag a wild boar, it was still a small wild boar, much lighter than Gu Langu.

With a light pat, Shu Shuishui hopped down from Gu Langu’s shoulder, creating a shower of fine white snow upon landing. The snow barely covered Shu Shuishui’s short legs, and he found this depth entirely acceptable.

Shaking his fur and brushing off the accumulated snow, Shu Shuishui ran towards the frozen lake on the eastern side of the valley. “Gu Gu, let’s go to the lakeside. Maybe there’s seafood! I can create a small fish pond, no, I’m claiming this lake!”

Stirred by the scenery, Shu Shuishui couldn’t help but think of his own little pond. Unfortunately, the plump seafood he was raising hadn’t had a chance to be eaten yet. Shu Shuishui remembered that even the crayfish in there had grown quite large.

Gu Langu followed closely, not for the seafood, but to keep an eye on Shu Shuishui. The vegetation in the valley was lush, and even when withered, it could occasionally obstruct Shu Shuishui’s figure.

Indeed, this place could be considered a feng shui treasure, but such places were also prone to attracting some mutated creatures. After all, it wasn’t only humans that needed to survive the winter, and in terms of adapting to the environment, humans were naturally a bit weaker.

Ahead, the joyful bounding of Shu Shuishui took him quite far, and he didn’t forget to turn around and wave his small paw at Gu Langu. “Gu Gu, hurry up! It’s already noon, time for lunch!”

Just as he finished speaking, Shu Shuishui suddenly felt the ground tremble, and the quivering earth shook loose a layer of shattered snow from the withered grass above, sending snowflakes fluttering down.

Instinctively turning his head, Shu Shuishui missed the shocked expression on Gu Langu’s face.

From behind a nearby piece of bluish-gray stone, several large fluffy creatures suddenly darted out.

Shu Shuishui rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t mistaken, and indeed, he wasn’t. It was rats! Enormous rats! Rats bigger than cats! “Hey! Brothers, are you afraid of cats?”

The imposing group of rats charging over: “…”