287: Chapter 287—

A "slap" echoed through the Plantation.

Han Qing's body jerked violently as she let out a sharp cry: "Ah—!"

It wasn't loud, but as it was squeezed from her throat, it carried a sense of caught-off-guard grievance.

Her hand trembled, and the watering can nearly fell to the ground.

She clutched her bottom and turned around, eyes wide, her face flushed red from her neck all the way to the tips of her ears.

That slap hadn't been light; she could feel a burning pain, as if she had been struck with a board.

"You... what are you doing!" Her voice was laced with pain, annoyance, and something else indescribable.

Qin Lin looked at her, his expression calm: "Walking around with a long face early in the morning, are you asking for a spanking?"

Han Qing glared at him, her eyes reddening further, and her voice rose slightly: "I'm walking around with a long face? Are you blind? Can't you see!"

She paused, her voice dropping again, carrying a sense of grievance.

"You didn't come back to sleep and didn't even say a word. You made me wait for you all night, and now you're acting like you're in the right?"

"Why didn't you send me a message?"

Han Qing bit her lip and turned her head away, her voice muffled: "I wouldn't send one. If I sent a message calling for you, it would be like I was begging you to come. Whether you come or not is your business; waiting for you is something I choose to do."

After listening, Qin Lin was silent for a few seconds, then smiled. He reached out, took the watering can from her hand, and placed it on the shelf nearby.

Han Qing didn't struggle but kept her face turned away, refusing to look at him.

Qin Lin hugged her from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"It was my fault last night; I should have told you in advance."

Han Qing's body stiffened slightly in his arms before slowly softening.

She didn't speak, but a soft "Hmph" came from above her head. This "Hmph" was different from the previous one; the last one had been angry, while this one was coquettish, more like saying, "That's better."

The two hugged in front of the tomato trellis for a while, sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting mottled light and shadows upon them.

Han Qing suddenly asked: "Qin Lin, what are your plans for the future?"

Qin Lin knew what she was asking.

She wasn't asking about the route or the crystal stones, but about them after they gave birth to their children.

"Take turns."

Han Qing was silent for a moment: "How do we take turns?"

Qin Lin thought about it: "One day each. If the schedule doesn't fit, we'll just squeeze together."

Han Qing rolled her eyes in his arms. Although Qin Lin couldn't see it, he could feel her body move.

"Squeeze together? Do you think this is a crowded bus?"

Qin Lin laughed and leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

Han Qing broke free from his embrace and turned to face him.

Her eyes were still red, but the corners of her mouth were already curling up unconsciously.

She reached out and punched his chest: "Next time you go to someone else's place, tell me in advance. It's not that I won't let you go; it's just... I just don't want to wait. Waiting for someone, from evening until midnight—that feeling is not pleasant, do you know?"

Qin Lin nodded: "I know."

Han Qing punched him again: "Good, as long as you know."

She turned around, picked up the watering can, and continued watering, but this time, the corners of her mouth were turned up.

Qin Lin stood beside her, helping her steady the tilted tomato trellis.

"Aunt Qing."

"Hmm?"

"You look really sexy today."

Han Qing's hand paused as she watered the flowers. She didn't turn back, but her earlobes turned red.

After a few seconds, she whispered: "Obviously."

After finishing the watering, Qin Lin pulled Han Qing into his arms and began to nuzzle her.

"Alright, it's not good if someone sees us."

She straightened her disheveled clothes. The blush on her face hadn't completely faded, but the grievance in her eyes had dissipated.

Qin Lin looked at her and suddenly asked: "When did you buy this outfit?"

Han Qing looked down at her black bodysuit, the corners of her mouth curling slightly: "From the System Store; it arrived yesterday."

"It looks good."

Han Qing looked up at him with a haughty expression that said, "As if you even need to say it."

Qin Lin reached out and pinched her waist.

Han Qing's body flinched, and she glared at him, but she didn't pull away.

"I'm coming to the Third Floor tonight."

Han Qing glanced at him, the corners of her mouth lifting, but she quickly suppressed it.

"Suit yourself," she said, then turned and walked away.

This time, her steps were much lighter.

Qin Lin stood in the ecological box, watching her retreating figure, and smiled.

Outside, Han Yurou's voice could be heard: "Mom, why is your face so red?"

Han Qing's voice: "It's hot."

"But the The Ark is kept at a constant twenty-three degrees."

"...Shut up and eat your food."

"Mom, what's wrong with your bottom? Why do you keep your hand on it?"

"You brat, just shut up."

...The The Ark continued flying north.

After leaving the magma sea area, the System had not detected any new high-grade crystals reactions for three consecutive days.

Qin Lin wasn't in a rush; he set the speed to cruise mode and let the The Ark drift slowly.

Flying eight hours a day, and spending the rest of the time either hovering to rest or returning to the Peach Blossom Spring for a while, life passed peacefully and regularly.

The pregnant women's bellies were growing larger and larger.

Every time he went to the living room, Qin Lin could see several big-bellied women sitting on the sofa chatting.

Su Yuran sat in the center, holding that parenting book, occasionally chiming in.

Lin Wanwan sat next to her; she had stopped knitting the sweater because she said, "My hands are swollen, I can't hold the needles."

Wang Xiulan had brewed goji berry water for her, saying it would help reduce the swelling.

Li Ying lay on the massage chair, hands resting on her belly, her attitude the most casual of them all.

She said she was carrying an impatient one, tossing and turning in her belly every day.

Xu Xue and Xia Qiuyan also often sat together.

Xu Xue rarely complained, painting as usual every day, though she had gone from painting standing up to painting sitting down, and from sitting to painting while leaning against the back of the chair.

Xia Qiuyan still accompanied her, helping her with the drawing board, mixing colors, and moving the chair.

Everyone could see that the way she looked at Xu Xue was even gentler than how she looked at Qin Lin.

That evening, the The Ark hovered over a stretch of frozen earth.

Qin Lin sat in the Bridge, the holographic screen displaying the scan results for the surrounding three hundred kilometers.

Suddenly, a light point popped up:

[Sub-probe: high-grade crystals reaction detected]

[Direction: Due north, distance approximately 220 kilometers]

[Reaction intensity: Medium-high]

[Estimated reserves: 50-80 pieces]

Qin Lin's eyebrows lifted slightly.

Fifty to eighty pieces—this was the largest reserve found so far.

The The Ark turned due north, the thruster exhaust changing from dark blue to bright blue, as the speed was increased to the maximum.

The distance numbers on the holographic screen jumped rapidly.

Forty minutes later, the target area appeared in view.

It wasn't a mountain range or a magma valley, but a glacier.

An endless glacier stretched from beneath their feet to the edge of the horizon; its surface was not flat but covered with cracks, ice caves, and ridges.

Some cracks were over a dozen meters wide and bottomless; some ice caves looked like giant blue eyes, and looking down from above, one could see the intricate ice structures inside.

The System immediately popped up detailed data:

[Target area: Moving glacier group]

[Ground temperature: Minus 72 degrees]

[Ice thickness: 200-500 meters]

[high-grade crystals reaction: Located approximately 80 meters below the ice]