Completely unaware of his parents’ sidelong glances, Fa Mulin continued smiling as he pulled items from his Sumeru Space—

“These are two pairs of shoes. Their soles are engraved with Divine Speed Talismans, allowing you two elders to flee more swiftly. This way, your next return home will be safer.”

“Father, Mother, please try them on to see if they fit?”

With that, Fa Mulin handed over the two pairs of shoes.

What met him were his father’s and mother’s numb expressions.

They took the shoes with blank faces, then put them on with equally blank faces.

The shoes fit perfectly, of course. The second son was undeniably thoughtful. But if you already know we need to escape faster, why not just give us a diamond shield or iron-clad armor?

Watching her oblivious second son, Mother Fa sighed and began rummaging through the large basket she’d brought back.

“Half this basket of eggs is for you. At the bottom are two sets of clothes I made for your brothers in my spare time. I used the fabric your sister brought back last time—some new material, she said. Soft to the touch, warm in winter and cool in summer. It can withstand extreme heat and cold, and resist attacks from laser weapons, hyper-firearms, and sonic weapons below 100 units.”

“I don’t quite grasp what ‘100 units’ means, and I doubt you’ll ever encounter those weapons she mentioned. But when we wore these during our recent trip, that little fire dragon’s flames didn’t even touch the covered areas below. So it must be something special. Wear them daily—it’ll put me and your father’s minds at ease.”

As she spoke, she handed a white robe and a suit to Fa Muzhi and Fa Mulin, respectively.

While handing them over, she thought to herself: Who says daughters aren’t the most thoughtful little cotton jackets? Just look at her—last time she came back, she dragged a huge piece of fabric home, saying she wanted to make clothes for them.

“Little sister came back? When was that?” Fa Mulin accepted the hand-sewn garments with a smile, curiously touching the fabric with its unique texture.

“Three months ago.” Fa Muzhi answered. In truth, neither Father Fa nor Mother Fa had seen their little sister during that visit; he had delivered the items afterward.

“I wonder what your little sister’s up to now…” Father Fa’s voice carried a hint of melancholy as he thought of his youngest daughter.

“Probably playing soccer in Mufaze?” Fa Muzhi recalled the newspaper Little Sister had left behind at home.

Father & Mother & Mulin: …

At a loss for words, Father finally managed, “Soccer’s good. Soccer keeps you healthy.”

Mother Fa  & Mulin & Fa Muzhi: …

Though one was missing, gathering this many was no small feat. That night, the Fa family chatted long into the evening, finally rising to sleep only when the clock struck eleven.

Of course! They must sleep early! Big Brother has work tomorrow! 

Mother Fa and Father Fa placed immense importance on their eldest son, the only one who properly attended a good school through the district housing system, got into a top university, and landed a solid job. Even with family visiting, nothing could disrupt his punctual morning commute!

Besides, they had important matters to attend to the next day…

The Next Day—

Watching Fa Muzhi stride out in his new suit, looking sharp and upright, Mother Fa pressed down the hem of his jacket with a satisfied smile before turning her attention to her second son.

Younger Brother Mulin hadn’t donned yesterday’s white shirt this morning, nor the new outfit Mother Fa had sewn. Instead, he wore the uniform of the Affiliated High School of Zhongdu University. That’s right, the same style Fa Muzhi wore yesterday, though not the identical set. He’d outgrown several uniforms back then, and since the quality was excellent and he wasn’t one to discard clothes, they were all kept. Every member of the Mu family now had a set.

That’s right! Mother Fa and Father Fa had them too! In fact, they were wearing them right now!

Following behind Fa Muzhi, Father Fa, Mother Fa, and Fa Mulin each wore one of Fa Muzhi’s old school uniforms. Beyond that, Father Fa and Mother Fa each carried a broom, looking rather bold and spirited. Upon closer inspection, their faces bore an even stronger air of death-defying resolve than Fa Mulin’s…

Uh, what exactly are they up to?

They stood on the tree trunk, right before the branch leading to their school district home. Mother Fa gripped her eldest son’s arm tightly with one hand, while the other, holding the broom, pulled her husband close… Hmm, holding the broom while pulling someone was awkward, so she simply shoved the broom into her eldest son’s hands.

Behind her, Father Fa likewise held her tightly with one arm while gripping their second son’s hand with the other.

Only after confirming everyone was securely held did Mother Fa nod toward Fa Muzhi. “Let’s go, eldest.”

Glancing at everyone, Fa Muzhi stepped forward. As his foot passed through the “passage” and landed on the branch belonging to another world, Fa Muzhi and Fa Muzhi noticed that the passage ahead of them remained unchanged. Following their eldest son, they too stepped onto the branch belonging to Zhongdu City.

“Phew…” The moment Fa Muzhi’s hand touched down on the three-square-meter hut, the weight Fa Muzhi had been carrying in her heart finally lifted.

Close behind, Father Fa and FaMulin quickly stepped inside as well.

This was a pattern they’d discovered during one of their attempts: if they tried to cross alone, only one in ten attempts would successfully reach Central City. However, as long as they held onto Fa Muzhi’s hand tightly while stepping through, they could almost always make it to Central City.

With four adults stepping inside simultaneously, the cabin instantly felt cramped. Yet they lingered no longer. Gently nudging her eldest son standing foremost, Mother Fa motioned for Fa Muzhi to open the door.

As the crisp early spring air, carrying the sweet scent of blossoms, swept in from outside, Mother Fa felt her spirits soar instantly.

And so, that morning, the door to Room 213, Building 63, on Chunhua South Branch Road, swung open. Fa Muzhi stepped out as usual, but this time, he wasn’t the only one leaving. Behind him, the entire Fa family filed out in single file.

“Fa Muzhi, off to work! Mom’s going to sweep the streets!” Mother Fa called out to him, deliberately raising her voice.

“Ah~ I’m off to the park to watch people play chess…”  Father Fa’s words were cut short mid-sentence. Under his wife’s glare, “play chess” became “sweep the ground.”

Fa Mulin, dressed in an old school uniform and carrying a worn backpack, followed behind his brother, smiling and waving at his parents.

“Dad, Mom, I’m off to school too,” Fa Mulin said with a beaming smile.

Watching the two children walk away hand in hand, Father and Mother stood there for a moment, lost in thought.

“Ah… if only it were true,” Mother murmured softly.

But she didn’t dwell on her melancholy for long. As time passed, more and more households opened their doors, and more and more old neighbors stepped out. Their time to battle had arrived.

“Hey! Xiao Ming, good morning! Did you eat breakfast? You must eat breakfast before going to school!”

“Hello Chunhong! Out sweeping petals again? Ah! This place is great everywhere, except that there are too many petals in spring and too many leaves in autumn. Sweeping them up is never-ending…”

“Uh… you say you haven’t seen me these past few days? I haven’t been out! I’ve been sweeping the ground every day. Oh, maybe it’s because I’ve been wearing a mask? My hay fever’s been acting up lately. I went to the hospital yesterday and got some medicine, and now I’m better…”

…

…

…

Along the way, Mother Fa greeted people here and there.

She didn’t greet everyone, though. In fact, she rarely initiated greetings. Half the time, others noticed her first, and only then would she turn with a smile. Mornings were busy; no need for long chats, yet she encountered many people.

As long as these people had some impression of her being here, her task for the day was accomplished.

Father and Fa Mulin were carrying out the same mission today: to make the people around them aware of their presence. It didn’t need to be deep—just enough to be “seen.”

Consider it their family’s disguise for “living here.”

And so it went: Father Fa and Mother Fa swept up petals, mingled with neighbors watching chess games, shopped at the market, sipped tea at the teahouse… They employed every method to leave a “mark” on their neighbors. After a full day of this, they returned to their three-square-meter room that evening, utterly exhausted.

Fortunately, they soon welcomed their two sons home from work and “school” on time. Smiling, they opened the door for their boys and exchanged greetings with neighbors returning at the same time… Later, after the neighbors had all closed their windows and sat down to eat, the family used the tree branch to return to their small courtyard nestled deep in the mountains. Only then did they begin preparing their own meal.