"Finally...!" Gongsun Ce burst into tears, "I'm so happy to congratulate you all! From today on, I, the head of the family, Gongsun Ce, finally have a house of his own, and our Gongsun family finally has our own house. ! Cheers to a day worth celebrating!”
"Cheers~"
Many wine glasses collided on the square table, and the relatives and friends who came to congratulate drank the low-alcohol fruit wine in one gulp. The spacious and bright new house echoed with the blessings of young people. Gongsun Ce put down his glass and raised his head and laughed. He felt happy from the bottom of his heart today.
A month has passed since the end of the Hezhong Decisive Battle, and everyone's lives have returned to normal. After returning to Cangdu, Gongsun Ce took time to visit places from time to time. He hurriedly and slowly finally selected a new home before Alandia's vacation ended, and packed and moved all the large and small items from the single dormitory here.
Although they said they were moving, they actually didn't go far because the Gongsun family's new house was still in the Thorny District. The students prefer this old, populated area, and hunters and detectives also express their desire to live closer to the park. Logically speaking, this requirement is a bit harsh, but fortunately, the Sky City is most in need of land and buildings. Gongsun Ce found a piece of land in the west of Thorny District without much effort. It comes with a garage space and green space and is only a few minutes away from the city park. The only flaw is that the land has just been circled and the house has not been built yet...
So Gongsun's family decided to be self-sufficient. With the support of two world-creating envoys, the new house was completed in less than half a day. The new residence of the Gongsun family is a two-story Western-style building in the style of a kingdom. It faces south and has a wide view. The first floor is the living room, dining room and the bar that Miss Ling strongly requested. The second floor is the study room, game room, recording studio and family. The members' respective bedrooms. The open space in the backyard was converted into a martial arts arena for the eldest daughter, and the remaining area was converted into a family swimming pool (and a wah-woo activity area) by Gongsun Ce, who was eager to get ready for swimming. It was convenient for his girls to go swimming at any time.
There is no shortage of furnishings in the newly built house. Shigurei moved in all kinds of weird souvenirs she bought when traveling, and developed the landscape photos she took. Alandia brought her collection of books in the royal capital Part of it was moved here to ensure that there were books to read wherever and whenever it was needed. Together with the old furniture of the other three people and the small celebration items sent by friends, the whole house was filled to the brim even before it was occupied.
The four-meter-high Mecha model (covering all versions of Unit 1 to Unit 4) made by the eldest brother himself was placed in the courtyard as a statue. Shiyu-kun and Caldesia gave a new set of bowls, chopsticks and kitchen utensils to solve the problem of eating. , Chi Zijing gave a set of imperial ancient scrolls, John gave car maintenance tools on behalf of Deathwing, and Orus's gift was a precious gold and silverware. Foreign friends also sent all kinds of rare things: Shatter represented the martial arts association and Junfeng sent a set of ninja costumes and various hidden weapons, the senior sister represented Nanyao Shinto sent a Hime doll to protect peace, and the Knights and the Mage Academy sent A commemorative shield was given to him, and Servais gave a set of church-standard weapons and a holy scripture signed by the saint himself... and various food and toys were given by the students who had been helped...
Among those gifts was an unsigned calligraphy and painting. An old-school figure came from nowhere and wrote the four characters "safety in and out" in a sloppy pen. It was sent over without even being framed. When Gongsun Ce shook it off, he frowned at the smell of ink and smiled dumbly when he saw the familiar handwriting.
"It's rare that he still thinks about us." He said to Qin Qianbai.
"Yan Qi is a very awkward person. He still acts like a child even at his age."
"Oh, no, isn't he carrying a heavy responsibility and not even replying to a letter? How can he still know that we are moving?" Gongsun Ce scratched his head.
"He must have his own way. After all, he is Yan Qi." Qin Qianbai didn't take it seriously. He took the calligraphy and painting and posted it on the door of his house with his own hands.
It took Gongsun Ce all morning just to sort out the pile of gifts. He had to ask the guests who came to celebrate to help, otherwise he would have to spend the whole day counting the gifts.
"Ace, your new home is quite packed." The eldest brother looked around and marveled, "I used to live in a small apartment and it felt too big. Why does it feel crowded now when I move into a big house?"
"When there are more people, the house will naturally fill up. This is the happiness that can only come from living together." Maho said. Her gift was a home medical kit, but she also carried an extra handbag in her hand. Qin Qianbai poked her head over curiously: "What did Sister Maho bring?"
The doctor smiled like a cat that caught a mouse. Caldesia smiled and walked behind her best friend. Gongsun Ce was all excited: "Hey, Sister Maho, don't tell me that you are really——"
Maho opened the bag and took out a thick photo album. She knocked on the cover and said to everyone: "An extra gift for everyone. In order to celebrate the stupid brother's starting a family, Kardesia, Mo Yuankai, and I exchanged the photos we have. , made a photo album of someone’s growth.”
"Did you really do this!?" Gongsun Ce held his head and screamed. At this time, no one cared what the real owner thought. The excited girls cheered and gathered around the photo album. Qiluo expressed her feelings for everyone: "Quick, quick, quick! I want to see Gongsun Ce when he was a child!"
Maho calmly opened the photo album, and the first picture showed a thin black-haired boy sitting alone in a corner of the metal room, looking up at the camera with gloomy and indifferent eyes.
"Wow, that look! Such a temperament!" Qiluo exclaimed, "I never imagined that Gongsun Ce was still a boy with a lion in his eyes back then!"
"Damn it, isn't this from the time we were on the ship? Why are there records from that period?!" Gongsun Ce glared.
Mo Yuankai looked at the photo and laughed: "Isn't it a surprise? This is a screenshot that your eldest brother and I saved when we were under surveillance."
"How much gossip do you have to be able to do such a thing..."
Zhenfan continued to turn over the pages. There were not many photos left of Gongsun Ce when he was a child. The few that remained were blurry moments against the background of war. In each photo, a boy flashes through the dilapidated streets. His face gradually grows longer and his temperament becomes more indifferent, like an illustration of a young man with supernatural powers dominating the city.
Starting from the third page, the style of the photo suddenly changes. The background is changed to a clear sky, and the protagonist also changes his appearance. At this time, Gongsun Ce had a reluctant and awkward expression. He was wearing the dark blue tacky uniform of Cangdu No. 1 Middle School and carrying a black schoolbag. He was taking pictures at the school gate with Caldesia, who was silly and had two ponytails. .
"You even had twin tails back then..." Shigurei was surprised.
"What's wrong with the twin tails! I can't be brave enough to try things when I'm young and energetic!" Caldesia gritted her teeth. "I remember this photo was taken by my mother. At that time, the security situation in Cangdu had improved a bit. It was their first time to visit relatives in the city. We The two happened to be entering junior high school and were forced to take commemorative photos.”
Shigure Rei looked at the photos for a while and said firmly: "You both have the temperament of a close friend when taking photos when friction is most likely to cause sparks. You two have such a perfect compatibility."
Gongsun Ce and Caldesia nodded in agreement, their faces full of pride. Maho reluctantly added: "Since I can remember, I have never heard anyone spread gossip about the two of them... Maybe the paparazzi of the mutual aid association also feel that the credibility is too low and there is no need."
The next photo was taken at a food stall late at night. Gongsun Ce and Mo Yuankai were sitting in front of a wooden table, grilling a table. The handsome long-haired Sky Hero was beaming as he spoke, and he was still holding the remaining half of a ham sausage in his hand. The black-haired young man across the table was eating wontons in a dignified manner, looking cautious and timid, talking to him. The partners are in sharp contrast.
"Wow, wow, wow, is this little star-chasing Gongsun Ce! Gongsun Ce, you can still be so introverted and cute at times!" Qiluo said with starry eyes.
Gongsun Ce gave his girl a shudder with a dark face, and Maho explained: "This was the day when Gongsun Ce and Mo Yuankai did their first hero activity. They fought and killed five superpower organizations in one day. These two people A person who was seriously injured came to me for treatment and then ran off to have a midnight snack, making him look like an idiot."
"Thanks for the addition, but can I ask where this photo came from..." Gongsun Ce said weakly.
"I was worried that something might happen, so I secretly followed you for a while and took the photo after confirming that everything was fine." Maho said, "You were inexperienced at that time, so you didn't notice my plant camouflage."
Gongsun Ce imagined that when he was eating late-night snacks, there was a grass with a camera hidden dozens of meters away to take pictures, and he suddenly felt chills. Others didn't care much about the privacy of the family leader now. They turned to the next page with great interest: Gongsun Ce holding a flying knife and falling from the sky together with Mo Yuankai, wearing a red cape with black face behind him.
"At this time, Ce has begun to build an image for himself. He is getting out of the psychological shadow of living alone for a long time, and his condition is gradually improving..." Alandia said.
"You don't have to reason when looking at the photos." Rei Shigure squinted.
Most of the photos taken during junior high school are of Gongsun Ce's heroic activities, with occasionally a few pictures of him looking listless in school. It can be seen from the past profiles that this guy didn't put much time into studying in junior high school. His successful graduation was thanks to his extremely smart brain. As the pages turned, the introverted boy gradually grew into a sly one, and then another close-up with a sudden change of style jumped out: It was late at night when the heavy rain had just stopped, and the expressionless girl and the boy with a broken arm were helping each other forward in the ruins. . The photographer captured a wonderful moment. The two were seriously injured but full of momentum. They looked at each other and smiled with the arrogance of the winner.
"I had no arms at that time. Who is this heartless person who still wants to take pictures of me?!" Gongsun Ce was shocked.
"It's none of my business. This was taken by the president. He said it was intended to be used as a 'promotional commemoration of the Demon's summit', but his subordinates remonstrated and took it back." Caldesia said.
From then on, the style of the photos completely deviated into daily life. School uniforms and casual clothes appeared more clearly, and the scenes were mostly out and about. It can be seen that the addition of a certain eldest lady has had a subversive impact on the life of a certain superpower. The photos of the previous six years combined are not as many as these few months. Then suddenly a tense close-up appeared in the daily scene of people eating, drinking and having fun. In the dim abandoned factory, Gongsun Ce and the young man with a cold temperament stood opposite each other. Gongsun Ce's white poker was pressed against the young man's throat. The young man The gun pointed at Gongsun Ce's forehead. The eyes of the two men were full of murderous intent, leaving no doubt that they would tear out each other's throat or explode the enemy's head in the next second.
"Oh, isn't this the time when I first met Shigure-kun? I really miss it~"
"It was the first time we met..." Shigurei smiled bitterly.
He explained to the curious people: "I had just arrived in the Capital of the Sky not long ago and didn't understand the local situation. Several psychic superpowers joined forces to set a trap for Caldesia. I found out that something was wrong and immediately went out. Save her..."
"About the same time, I got a letter to see what was going on, but I was beaten on the spot by someone who thought I was a bodyguard hired by gangsters." Gongsun Ce whistled.
"I must correct that it was you, Gongsun, who made the first move."
"I didn't take action. What I call it is precaution. Anyone who sees a gloomy man standing with blood on his hands and standing on the ground should be on guard, okay?"
The two started a rigorous argument about who should strike first. Qin Qianbai completed the last details: "I went to rescue Caldesia when the two idiots were fighting. The three of us had an emergency fight while she was breathing fire everywhere. After giving a confession, they unanimously claimed that Ate was leading Shi Yujun to familiarize himself with the new environment of the campus."
"Then where did this photo come from?" Qiluo asked.
"I thought he looked very handsome when I passed by and took a photo." Qin Qianbai replied.
"I've fallen into the enemy's trap and you still want to take pictures! The Plastic Sisters have nothing to do!" Caldesia was heartbroken and had a fight with the Wanhua Warrior on the sofa.
After Mr. Shigure's appearance, the photo album completely entered the joyful and daily stage. The most explosive photo was of Gongsun Ce fighting a giant biochemical kangaroo transformed from a semi-mechanical system on the street during the New Year. Then there was a dinner after the Glazed Dragon was annihilated, a dinner after Qin Ming, and a dinner in wheelchairs after the Dragon of Void Light...
Gongsun Ce raised his head and said, "Damn it, why do we have dinner together after every war?"
"Because the war consumes a lot of energy, everyone will be very hungry." Qin Qianbai looked at the grandfather clock (a gift from Luo Ningles, a ghost owl will fly out when telling the time), and said seriously, "And it is 12:47 now. , it’s time to eat!”
After finishing the photo album, everyone who had only had a few drinks looked at the empty plates and quickly ordered a few takeaways for lunch. The girls who were good at cooking all came to help in the kitchen. Maho put the photo album on the bookshelf and walked to the courtyard to play with the Wowoo floating in the pool.
Gongsun Ce quietly followed her out and squatted beside the swimming pool with her. The water surface was as blue as the clear sky, reflecting the faint smiles of the two people. Wawu poked his head over curiously, and Maho touched the giant salamander's elastic skin with his fingertips, making a silly cry.
"To be honest, I'm a little touched. You took so many photos for me when I didn't know it... My parents don't have so many photos of me..." Gongsun Ce touched his nose.
"It's a personal hobby. Leave more images for the people around you so that you won't be lonely when you live your life."
If you think about it carefully, Maho has known him for ten years. Over the years, they have maintained a subtle distance, acting like they don't care about each other because of the agreed upon rules. But if you really didn’t care, you wouldn’t keep these photos, right? For ten years, she has been silently taking pictures of the people around her from a distance, like a child with no money secretly taking pictures of the toys in the window.
Thinking of this, Gongsun Ce quietly fumbled and took out his cell phone. He suddenly hooked Zhenfan's shoulders and brought their heads together. Maho opened his mouth slightly in surprise, and pressed the shutter before he could make a sound. The camera flashed and captured the woman's surprised expression and the wilted smile of the young man beside her.
"Sister Maho, you have been secretly taking photos of me for ten years. There is not a single photo of you in the album. It's so unfair!" Gongsun Ce shook his phone confidently, "I will keep this photo, brother, and just put it at the end of the album. One page to go!”
Maho looked at him helplessly, stretched out his hand and scratched his nose.
"childish."
"You have to be childish when dealing with someone like you." Gongsun Ce rubbed her head, "If you are so beautiful, take more photos, so you don't regret it every day and reminisce about your youth like those people in the Wooden Weapon State. I will be the one to take care of you in the future. You take pictures, no objections are allowed."
"good."
"I've reserved a room for you on the second floor. Just let me know if you want to live here anytime." Gongsun Ce pushed up his glasses. "You won't go back on your promise. This is your home too."
"You obviously haven't grown up long enough to start pretending to be a man..." Maho stood up and hugged him gently, "Thank you, Gongsun Ce."
She walked back to the mansion and joined the busy queue in the kitchen. Gongsun Ce put his hands behind his head and lay on the fresh lawn in the courtyard.
The novelty of moving had not faded yet, and the familiar noises had returned. He looked at the sky, which was clearer than anywhere in the world, and felt the warmth of happiness rising from the bottom of his heart, flowing along his blood to his limbs.
Wawu slowly lay down next to him: "Wawu?"
"Having a home, family, and free time, this is a beautiful life, wow!"
Gongsun Ce stood up with a smile and ran towards the new life he started with his old people.
