Copper Pot Hot Pot Snow Mountain Base.
Lin Changli was preparing for his return journey. In the lounge sat lush "Money Trees", which Sang Ye had requested he bring. He only brought thirty pots; if they could survive the harsh Snow Mountain climate, he would arrange for a large-scale transport later.
He had come to assist with a delicate mining operation near a dormant volcano. If handled poorly, it could have triggered an eruption, burying the Snow Mountain tribe. With the mission successfully completed, he changed into civilian clothes.
Rong Cheng walked toward him as he approached his warship. "Sangsang’s birthday is coming up, you know?" she reminded him.
Lin Changli recalled Sang Ye's file; her birthday was over a month away. "We follow our own calendar based on the twenty-four solar terms to guide farming," Rong Cheng explained. "According to that, her birthday is in just two weeks."
"Have you thought about a gift?" she asked with a mischievous "ask me" expression.
…
Back at the Loda Plains, Sang Ye was showing Jiang Siwei around. The transformation was breathtaking: greenery surrounded the old mining craters, and organized farmlands now dotted the foothills. The dramatic temperature difference between day and night was perfect for growing high-sugar fruits like Hami melons and grapes.
The native Seabuckthorn Sheep were thriving, but they still carried a gamey, pungent smell that made them less than ideal for the dinner table. Sang Ye wasn't worried; she planned to introduce natural predators from her pocket dimension—wolves and foxes—to control the population and naturally "select" the herd, while the spiritual energy in the grass slowly refined the meat quality.
As they sat on a massive rock overlooking the fjords, Jiang Siwei was busy calculating costs. To her, this terraforming was a "losing business" because she didn't realize Sang Ye had zero resource costs.
"You were so shrewd when we negotiated our deal," Jiang Siwei poked her. "Why are you doing such a 'stupid' thing now?"
Sang Ye laughed. She wasn't just terraforming; she was building her new home.
"Since you're planting so much, why not turn this into a tourist destination?" Jiang Siwei suggested. "Look at Planet Mingyang—it's a massive botanical garden and its tourism revenue tops the Empire. If you buy the planet and gain private sovereignty, I’ll bring my malls here and give you a cut."
The idea sparked a fire in Sang Ye. She could offer not just forests, but animal interactions—horseback riding with the wild horses from her dimension, perhaps? But first, she needed a price from Lin Changli. Whenever she brought it up, he dodged the question. She decided to demand an answer tonight.
…
By the time they returned to the West Building, Lin Changli hadn't arrived yet. Asu Ment and Jiang Sili were feeding the twins, while Du Yuan and Wu Jianing were busy with the four kittens and puppies.
The "sisters" were growing fast. Sang Wuyun, Sang Taxue, Sang Yaohuang, and the calico kitten Sang Sejin were now addicted to goat milk, whining until they got their evening bottles.
"What's for dinner? How about Copper Pot Hot Pot?" Sang Ye suggested.
Copper Pot Hot Pot used a ring-shaped pot with a central chimney for charcoal. It was a classic "clear soup" style. Sang Ye prepared three bases: clear, tomato, and spicy tallow.
The highlight was the "28 Sauce"—a specific blend of 20% sesame paste and 80% peanut butter. She roasted the peanuts and sesame until fragrant, ground them into a fine powder, and mixed them with sesame oil, sugar, and salt to create a rich, nutty dip.
As the moon rose, Lin Changli finally returned, smelling of fresh rain. The puppies swarmed him, wagging their tails. He scooped them up into his arms, their round little bellies bouncing against his chest.
…
The dinner was a grand affair. The table was laden with beef and lamb rolls sliced thin as paper, fresh-cut mutton with fat like frost, various meat-balls, tripe on ice, and a forest of mushrooms and greens.
Sang Ye added refined silver charcoal to the pots. The spicy tallow pot boiled first, releasing a numbing peppercorn aroma, followed by the sweet and sour tomato and the savory clear soup.
They dipped the meat into the boiling broth and then into the thick "28 Sauce." The richness of the sauce mixed with the juicy meat was a revelation to everyone. Asu Ment, still craving intensity, added extra chili oil to hers.
Little Sang Sejin the cat tried to sneak a beef roll off the table with a tiny paw. Clack! Sang Ye’s chopstick pinned the meat down. The cat managed to snag a tiny scrap and scurried away, tail between its legs.
…
After dinner, as the others left to walk off the heavy meal, Sang Ye cornered Lin Changli at the hot spring entrance.
"You know what I want. The price. For the planet," she demanded, blocking his path.
Lin Changli looked innocent. "It's complicated. Unmined veins, unprocessed crystals, base finances... the Royal Treasury is still calculating. It would be much simpler if you let me just give it to you."
"I have a better idea," Sang Ye countered. "Give the paperwork to Melusine. She'd love to help me with this."
Lin Changli choked. Suddenly, he reached out, grabbed Sang Ye’s ankle, and pulled her into the water with him. He silenced her complaints with a deep kiss.
…
Late that night, in the quiet of the bedroom, Lin Changli whispered, "The goat milk is almost out. Do you have more?"
Sang Ye handed him her storage ring. "There should be plenty."
The next morning, Lin Changli was already dressed while Sang Ye was still half-asleep. "The research institute has new weapons for me to test in the wilderness," he told her, stroking her red hair. "Don't wait up for dinner these next few days."
Inside Lin Changli's mental landscape, the Little Parasol Tree swayed. "You're being naughty," she whispered to his mind. "You're lying to her."
"Are you going to tell her?" Lin Changli asked.
The Little Parasol Tree hesitated. She was Sang Ye’s spirit, but Lin Changli was planning a surprise—something Sang Ye truly wanted.
"I’m not doing anything bad," Lin Changli coaxed. "It's a surprise. You won't tell, right?"
The innocent Little Parasol Tree eventually relented. "Fine... but only this once! Don't involve me in your lies again!"
Lin Changli smiled. He wasn't testing weapons. He was going to finish the "complex paperwork" for the planet himself.
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