131: Chapter 131 Digging Across the Country

She knew her daughter was trying hard.

Trying to forget, trying to accept reality, trying to get back on track.

She didn't know if her daughter had truly come to terms with it or was just forcing a smile.

But she knew that, at least on the surface, everything was getting better.

This allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief.

It also made her behavior even more... unscrupulous.

Since her daughter already knew and chose not to expose it,

Then she no longer needed to be sneaky in the middle of the night.

Now, she went to Qin Lin's room openly.

After dinner, she would chat with everyone in the living room for a while, and then naturally stand up.

"I'm going to talk to Qin Lin about something."

And then she went.

The next morning, she would come out of Bedroom No. 000 and have breakfast with everyone, her expression calm as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

No one said anything.

Su Yuran would just smile and occasionally tease, "Aunt Qing, did you sleep well last night?"

Lin Wanwan would serve her an extra bowl of porridge and say, "Aunt Qing, you've worked hard."

Li Ying would give her a meaningful look and then continue chatting about clothing styles.

Xu Xue simply thought that Han Qing's complexion had been getting better and better lately.

Han Yurou...

Han Yurou would greet her with a smile.

"Mom, morning."

Then she would continue discussing today's strawberries with Yu Ling.

Looking at her daughter's smiling face, the weight on Han Qing's heart gradually lifted.

Maybe everything really was fine now.

But what she didn't know was that every time she left, Han Yurou's smile would fade, and her eyes would become a bit vacant.

It was only for a moment.

The next second, she was the lively and cheerful Han Yurou again.

However, there was one thing that always troubled Han Qing.

Pregnancy.

Still nothing.

Every time after being intimate with Qin Lin, she would look forward to the System providing a notification the next day.

But when she woke up the next morning and Qin Lin showed her the System interface, she always saw those few words:

[Passenger 004: Han Qing]

[Status: Not Pregnant]

The first time, she told herself not to worry.

The second time, she told herself the timing wasn't right.

The third time, the fourth time, the fifth time...

A week passed, two weeks passed, and still there was no news.

She began to feel anxious.

"Qin Lin."

That night, she lay in Qin Lin's arms and asked softly,

"Does the System... really have no notification?"

Qin Lin looked at her, knowing what she was asking.

"No, Aunt Qing, you don't need to worry..."

"How can I not worry?" Han Qing interrupted him.

"Xu Xue got pregnant on her second day here, and Yuran and Wanwan are both pregnant too. Only I... only I can't seem to get pregnant no matter what."

She buried her face in his chest, her voice muffled.

"Is there really something wrong with me?"

Qin Lin was silent for a few seconds, gently stroking her back.

"Aunt Qing, there's nothing wrong with you."

"It might be the timing, it might be fate, or it might be some hidden settings of the System. But no matter what it is, it's not your fault."

"But..."

"No buts."

Qin Lin lifted her face and looked into her eyes.

"I've said before, whether you can get pregnant or not, I will take care of you for the rest of your life. That promise will always hold true."

Han Qing looked at him, her eyes turning a bit red.

"You... you're just good at saying sweet things."

"Then, does Aunt Qing like hearing them?"

Han Qing didn't say anything, just buried her face back into his chest.

After a long time, she whispered, "I do."

Qin Lin smiled.

"Then I'll say them for a lifetime."

Han Qing didn't speak again.

But she held him even tighter.

That night, she was still exceptionally proactive.

Since she couldn't get pregnant, she would just try more.

Try until she succeeded.

With his improved Physique, Qin Lin was more than capable of handling such a situation.

The light in the bedroom stayed on for a long time.

A very long time.

The road south continued to stretch out.

The temperature had risen back to around -15°C.

The RV moved forward steadily, like a tireless steel beast.

That afternoon, the System suddenly let out a notification sound.

[Energy fluctuation detected]

[Coordinates: 2.3 kilometers ahead]

[Energy intensity: Medium]

[Suspected: crystal stone vein]

Qin Lin's eyes lit up.

"Yuran," he called over Su Yuran.

"There are crystal stones ahead. I'm going to take a look."

Su Yuran glanced at the coordinates. "Are you getting out?"

"Yeah, it's not far. It should be quick." Qin Lin checked his equipment.

"Stay in the vehicle and keep watch."

"Be careful."

Qin Lin nodded, put on his cold-weather suit, took his weapons and tools, and left the RV.

It was much warmer outside than before; with a perceived temperature of -15°C, wearing the cold-weather suit even felt a bit stuffy.

The ground was muddy and slippery from the melting snow, and he trudged forward, his steps uneven.

Twenty minutes later, he reached the target location.

It was a small electrical substation that should have been operational before the apocalypse broke out.

Of course, it had long since stopped running, but the building structure was still relatively intact.

Qin Lin entered the substation and, following the System's guidance, discovered a hidden storage room beneath the distribution room.

Opening the door, he found over a dozen metal boxes inside.

Opening a box, he gasped.

crystal stones.

Three whole, complete crystal stones.

Two glowed with a pale blue luster, likely Ice-Attributed.

One glowed with a faint red, appearing to be Fire-Attributed.

Next to them was a pile of metal, roughly estimated to be about one ton.

Qin Lin quickly took inventory, and after confirming everything was correct, he began to move them.

It took three trips back and forth to get everything onto the vehicle.

[Harvest: Intermediate Ice-Attributed crystal stone x2]

[Harvest: Elementary Fire-Attributed crystal stone x1]

[Harvest: Special Metal Materials x1 ton]

[Current crystal stone count: 4/20]

[Current metal Materials: 1/10 tons]

Su Yuran's eyes sparkled as she looked at the additional supplies in the storage area.

"So many?" she exclaimed in surprise. "This brings us one step closer to the upgrade!"

"Yeah." Qin Lin was also very happy. "Good luck."

"It's not luck."

Su Yuran linked her arm with his.

"It's because you're amazing."

Qin Lin laughed. "Of course. How could I be your man if I wasn't amazing?"

Su Yuran gave him a light punch, but the smile on her lips couldn't be hidden.

At dinner, Qin Lin announced the good news.

The atmosphere in the vehicle immediately became lively.

"crystal stones! Metal!"

Yu Ling jumped up in excitement.

"Brother Qin Lin is so amazing!"

"At this rate, we'll be able to upgrade soon, right?" Lin Wanwan asked expectantly.

"It's still early. We need 20 crystal stones and 10 tons of metal. Right now, we only have 4 stones and 1 ton. But the direction is right. If we keep heading south, we should be able to find more."

"Then we'll keep looking!" Han Yurou waved her small fist.

"Digging across the whole country!"

Everyone laughed.

Han Qing felt a warmth in her heart as she watched this scene.

Although she still hadn't gotten pregnant, seeing the team getting better and better, seeing her daughter become lively again, and seeing Qin Lin working hard for everyone...

She felt it was worth it.

After dinner, she went to Bedroom No. 000 as usual.

Tonight, she would continue to try hard.

In Bedroom No. 003, Han Yurou lay on the bed, feeling as if she could hear the movement next door.

This time, she didn't follow them out.

She knew where her mother was going and what she was going to do.

She just lay there, staring at the ceiling.

That thought in her heart was still there.

But she had learned not to think about it.

Mom was right. On this RV, everyone has their own place and their own way.

Her mother's place was as the woman by Qin Lin's side.

Then what about her place?

Han Yurou didn't know.