The Amusing Adventures of a Directionally Challenged Dad and Daughter-Chapter 99

With Old Gu Six's help, the land was quickly prepared.

Chang'an wasn't sure if corn needed to be grown from seedlings, so she simply dug holes, dropped a corn kernel into each, and buried them—leaving their growth up to luck.

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There were plenty of seeds, and less than a third had been planted. She also sowed some in her spatial storage.

The only question was—would they pop into popcorn?

Worried the corn might not grow and leave them without seeds next year, Chang'an set aside a portion and began experimenting with popcorn.

Seeing his daughter tinkering with food again, Old Gu Six dutifully took his place by the stove to tend the fire.

She poured a bit of oil into the pan, added corn kernels and a sprinkle of sugar, then covered it with a lid.

Father and daughter waited... and waited. But nothing happened in the pan.

Well, not entirely nothing—a wisp of black smoke seeped out from under the lid. The popcorn hadn’t popped; it had burned.

The first attempt failed. So did the second.

The third time, at least it didn’t burn, but the kernels still refused to pop.

Chang'an couldn’t figure out why. Maybe the corn was bad?

She decided to wait until the corn she’d planted herself was harvested before trying again.

Seeing the disappointment in Old Gu Six’s eyes, Chang'an felt inexplicably guilty. She pulled out a bucket of pickled cabbage instant noodles—the kind with a "foot-flavored" reputation—from her spatial storage and handed it to him.

She didn’t like the stuff herself, so it was perfect for Old Gu Six to snack on.

After teaching him how to prepare the instant noodles, she gave him two more cups and even thoughtfully added two sausages.

"Dad, make sure to clean up the trash after eating."

"Don’t worry, I’ve got it."

Chang'an: Yeah, sure. About as reliable as the mule at home.

Remembering the compass the old man had given her, Chang'an retrieved it from her spatial storage and handed it to Old Gu Six.

"Dad, this is a tool for finding directions. Keep it safe."

Old Gu Six’s face lit up like an overexcited husky given permission to wreck the house. He jumped three feet in the air, eyes sparkling with joy as he took the compass.

"Sweetheart, does this mean we won’t get lost anymore?"

"Uh... probably, maybe, possibly, I guess?"

Chang'an hesitated. Directionally challenged people couldn’t be judged by normal logic.

This was a compass, not GPS. Some people could still get lost even with navigation. She had a strong suspicion her dad fell into that category.

Lost in his excitement, Old Gu Six took her words as confirmation and cheerfully skipped off to continue repairing his boat—even leaving his instant noodles uneaten for the moment. Chang'an and the three wolves were left staring at each other in the kitchen.

"Little Silver, don’t you think something’s missing?"

The silver wolf glanced around. Nothing seemed out of place.

Chang'an nudged its rear with her foot. "Haven’t you noticed your wife and pups are gone?"

With an "Awoo!" the wolf finally realized and bolted outside. Its mate had mentioned taking the pups out for training that morning.

Training? They’re so small! More like delivering themselves as tiger snacks.

Chang'an ignored it and took Big White and Big Gray to play on the beach.

When they arrived, someone had already beaten them there. A woman stood gazing at the horizon while a man lingered behind her, staring intently at her back.

One looked like a "gazing-at-husband" rock, the other a "gazing-at-wife" rock.

Chang'an nearly rolled her eyes. What’s there to stare at? Just walk along the coast for four or five days and you’ll be out of the mountains. Stop being so dramatic.

Leave the mountains and find whoever you’re looking for.

Big White let out a low "Awoo," snapping the pair out of their trance. The woman startled at the sight of the two wolves.

"Ah—!" She shrieked and scrambled behind the man, who quickly soothed her.

"Don’t be afraid. Those wolves belong to the little girl. They won’t hurt anyone."

It took a lot of coaxing before the woman finally calmed down.

Big White and Big Gray exchanged a disdainful glance at the two humans before draping their paws over each other’s shoulders to watch Chang'an play in the sand.

The man sighed. I’ve been outclassed by wolves. Thanks for the humiliation.

Since the woman still seemed uneasy, he led her further away toward the rocky outcrops.

"Elder Brother Zhang, do you think my family will really find me?" the woman asked pitifully.

Elder Brother Zhang scratched his head. Truthfully, he didn’t want her family to find her.

But he couldn’t say that, so he reassured her instead. "They will. It might just take some time."

Chang'an, back turned, rolled her eyes. Oh, they’ll find you alright—if Old Gu Six and I hadn’t already dealt with them.

She had no idea where Luocheng County was, but it definitely wasn’t on an island. The woman’s accent was standard inland dialect.

So why hasn’t it occurred to you to just walk out of the mountains?

Chang'an found it baffling.

Your brain and mine must be wired differently.

She sculpted a sand figure of Old Gu Six—bald head and all—when a sudden scream startled her.

"Ah!!"

Her sand-dad’s head had toppled off.

Glancing toward the rocks, she saw the woman holding the jade pendant Chang'an had once picked up and discarded.

Oh-ho!

If that pendant didn’t belong to her, then congratulations—she was about to be dragged into some forced plotline.

Chang'an looked up at the clear blue sky, wondering if this world’s heavenly laws had a twisted sense of humor. Does it enjoy this kind of drama?

A breeze ruffled her hair, turning her little topknot into a spiky mess.

Then, to her surprise, the woman—who had been wallowing in melancholy moments ago—cheerfully pocketed the pendant and walked back up the mountain with Elder Brother Zhang.

Chang'an: ??? So it is hers? Guess so. They’ve lived here long enough, and she’s the only one who drifted here from the sea.

Maybe I’ve read too many novels and overthought this.

She rebuilt the sand sculpture’s head—this time modeling it after Big White. A wolf’s head on a human body looked oddly stylish.

Tossing a stray crab back into the water, Chang'an smacked her lips. If only I could find a big lobster...

"Awoo!" Big White nudged her with its paw.

She followed its gesture and blinked. Closed her eyes. Opened them again. It was still there.

What do you call this?

Wish ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‍fulfillment, ha!

Two giant rock lobsters—each weighing over a pound—lay before her.

Wait, where did these come from?

After countless beachcombing trips where she only found tiny crabs and shrimp, why was she suddenly so lucky today?

Well, when free food drops into your lap, you take a bite—as long as it doesn’t break your teeth.

Grabbing a lobster in each hand, Chang'an bolted home like a certain monkey freed from a five-fingered mountain.

Instead of shouting, "I'm free! I'm free!" she yelled, "Dad! Daaad!"

Big White and Big Gray covered their faces in secondhand embarrassment, refusing to follow her.

Old Gu Six heard his daughter’s excited calls from afar and dropped his work to rush out.

Then he saw her—a gleeful, sprinting mess. I thought my kid was born in the Year of the Tiger, not the Monkey.

"Dad, hurry home! I’m making something delicious!"

A gust of wind later, she was already several meters ahead.