Mi Zhiguo had worked in Lieshan for over two decades, and Wu Fenglan had grown up there; naturally, they had many relatives and friends.

In the eyes of these kin, the Mi family was quite prominent. After all, Mi Zhiguo was the Deputy County Head, a position of considerable local authority for most common folk in those days. Thus, as soon as the news of Mi Xue’s engagement spread, many relatives began offering congratulations, inviting Mi Xue and Zhang Yang over for visits, with some even coming directly to the house to celebrate.

“Zhang Yang, I’m exhausted!”

Sometime after four in the afternoon, Mi Xue burst into Zhang Yang’s room and collapsed into his arms, refusing to move.

A good number of relatives had visited throughout the day. Mi Xue hadn’t met many of them, but they were all there to congratulate her, so it would have been inappropriate for her to hide. She had spent the better part of the day greeting them. Zhang Yang, being the clever one, had pleaded an early excuse and retreated to the room, saying it was fine as long as he didn't show up.

“Rest if you’re tired, or just hide out here if you prefer!”

Zhang Yang chuckled. These relatives were mostly distant connections. Mi Zhiguo’s position as Deputy County Head made this a rare opportunity for many to try and get closer. Most came under the guise of offering congratulations, but their real goal was to ingratiate themselves with Mi Zhiguo.

Some relatives hadn't seen Mi Zhiguo in years and immediately began petitioning him to help arrange jobs or find some sort of work for their children. This put Mi Zhiguo in such a bind that he eventually retreated to his office at the county compound, leaving Wu Fenglan to handle the persistent visitors.

“I can’t, Mom won’t allow it. You don’t know, Mom cares deeply about appearances!”

Mi Xue shook her head with a distressed look.

Zhang Yang smiled faintly, stroking her cheek as he gently shook his own head. No one was perfect. Wu Fenglan was a good woman, an intellectual who never judged people by superficialities, but she did have her flaws.

Having grown up poor in the village, Wu Fenglan was constantly afraid of being looked down upon, making her overly concerned with saving face.

Most of the visitors today were her distant relatives, and she felt it was a matter of great prestige that they had come to honor her. While Zhang Yang could avoid them, Mi Xue could not. Every time someone praised Mi Xue, her mother’s heart felt as sweet as if it had been smeared with honey.

In such matters, Zhang Yang found it difficult to interfere.

“Xiao Xue!”

Just as they were speaking, Wu Fenglan called for Mi Xue from outside again. Mi Xue shook her head, quickly rose, and hurried out.

Zhang Yang remained in the room, settling into his meditation practice.

After reaching the fourth layer of Internal Strength, its growth had become exceedingly slow. Ordinary spiritual herbs now had no effect on him; even the vital blood pills provided only a negligible boost to his Internal Strength.

After all, that was the essence blood of a third-tier spirit beast, offering little help to a fourth-layer expert. Consuming more would simply be a waste. However, during combat, they remained useful for replenishing depleted Internal Strength. For a fourth-layer master, the greatest value of spiritual medicine was the rapid recovery of their internal reserves.

After two grueling days of socializing, Mi Xue finally found a reprieve.

Over the next few days, she needed to take Zhang Yang to visit a few key relatives—the most direct family members—effectively introducing him as her boyfriend.

Zhang Yang had accompanied Mi Xue to some of these relatives before, but the previous visits lacked proper standing. This time, however, Zhang Yang could present himself openly as Mi Xue’s partner.

Early the next morning, Mi Xue pulled Zhang Yang into the car and they drove off.

Long Feng and Zhui Feng were still deep in seclusion. Zhang Yang’s recent demonstration had greatly stimulated them, and all three youngsters, along with Long Feng, were practicing with far more diligence than before.

Their commitment pleased Zhang Yang. After leaving them sufficient spiritual medicine, he permitted them to continue their undisturbed retreat. Mi Xue was driving as they entered the main streets of the county seat, finally pulling over in front of a computer store. “My cousin, Jingru, has wanted a computer for so long, but her parents won’t buy her one. She even mentioned it in her last letter. It’s a perfect opportunity to buy her one as a gift this time!”

After parking, Mi Xue offered Zhang Yang an explanation.

Jingru was Liu Jingru, the daughter of Mi Xue’s maternal aunt. She was in her final year of high school and absolutely loved computers. She and Mi Xue were very close, and with only a small age gap, Jingru confided everything in Mi Xue, including her passion for computing and her desire to study science.

Unfortunately, her family continuously refused to buy her a machine, so she could only voice her complaints in letters. Mi Xue had intended to buy her one when she visited home, but since they were already making the rounds, she decided to purchase it now.

A decent computer back then cost over ten thousand yuan, a substantial sum for ordinary people, but Mi Xue could afford it.

Their restaurant business was booming, generating hundreds of thousands in net profit monthly. As her share was the largest, her dividends were the highest. Gifting something valuable to her closest cousin was well within her means.

The Gregorian calendar had flipped to 1999, but dedicated computer shops in the county were rare, and they mostly sold branded machines. Mi Xue specifically wanted a branded model for easier after-sales service.

Inside the store, Mi Xue finally settled on a Lenovo brand-name machine priced at thirteen thousand yuan, paying immediately and having the shop owner load it into the car.

Watching their Mercedes Benz pull away, the shop owner exhibited a distinct look of envy, staring after the car long after it had rounded the corner.

“Old Zhang, who were those people who just left?”

As the shop owner was gazing into the distance, someone clapped him on the shoulder and asked the question.

“Customers buying a computer, a man and a woman, both very young. They bought the most expensive machine here and drove off in a Mercedes 600—paid cash!” the shop owner replied with a hint of sourness. The owner was an automobile enthusiast himself, but he only owned a beat-up van for deliveries, and he deeply envied Zhang Yang’s Benz 600.

“What was the man’s name?” the other man inquired.

“How would I know? The woman bought the computer. The receipt only listed one surname, I think it was Mi!”

The shop owner shook his head immediately. Zhang Yang hadn't spoken much; this was a gift from Mi Xue to her cousin, and her approval was what mattered.

“Mi…”

The man frowned slightly, then shook his head and walked away, heading toward a small roadside inn.

Seeing him leave, the shop owner quickly called out loudly, “Shi Fang! If you really have nothing to do, why don’t you come help me? Your technical skills are excellent; I won't treat you unfairly. It’s much better than sitting around wasting away in that inn!”

“No need. I might be leaving in a few days,” Shi Fang’s voice echoed back without him turning around. The shop owner watched him disappear into the adjacent inn, then shook his head to himself.

This Shi Fang had been staying at the small inn for a year now.

In that year, many neighbors had come to know him. The computer shop owner had met him by chance when a customer brought in a machine needing repair. The owner’s own skills were mediocre, so he couldn't fix it and had sent it to a service center.

Unfortunately, the customer had tampered with the machine privately, voiding the warranty, and the customer was being difficult, demanding a repair. It was at this moment that Shi Fang appeared, fixed the computer, and diffused the situation.

After that incident, Shi Fang helped him a few more times, demonstrating his superior computer repair abilities. Seeing Shi Fang living alone in the inn with nothing to do, the owner tried to recruit him, but the man consistently refused, confining himself to his small room, only emerging briefly for meals before retreating back into isolation.

“Leaving? That’s probably for the best. A pity, though,” the shop owner muttered, returning to his store. He was in a good mood after the large sale and couldn't help humming a cheerful tune.

Meanwhile, in the adjacent inn, Shi Fang sat in his room, his eyes wide open.

Shi Fang looked to be only twenty-five or twenty-six, not particularly tall, about 1.7 meters—the sort of utterly unremarkable person you might forget immediately upon looking away.

In the sparse room furnished only with a bed and a television, a sharp glint suddenly erupted in Shi Fang’s eyes, a look completely incongruous with his previous demeanor.

“Fourth layer Internal Strength. I couldn't have been mistaken. He can’t be much older than twenty. When did such a young fourth-layer master appear? Could the fifth layer be on the verge of reappearing?”

Shi Fang murmured softly to himself. After speaking the sentence, he closed his eyes, and the piercing light vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Mi Xue’s aunt’s house wasn’t far; Zhang Yang had visited once before.

Their arrival brought great joy to Mi Xue’s relatives, especially her cousin Jingru, who nearly shrieked with excitement upon learning her cousin had bought her a computer.

She threw herself onto Mi Xue, kissing her several times on the cheek, declaring Mi Xue the person she loved most in the world.

Mi Xue’s aunt, however, looked slightly embarrassed, insisting that it was too extravagant a gift and repeatedly asking how much the computer cost, offering to pay Mi Xue back.

Mi Xue politely refused all attempts to return the money, and the computer was firmly left behind.

Zhang Yang took charge of installing the computer. While he wasn't an expert in modern computing, he possessed over a decade of future knowledge, making the setup trivially easy.

“Brother-in-law, you really studied medicine, not computers?”

Watching Zhang Yang expertly connect the cables, Mi Xue’s cousin stared with wide, perplexed eyes and couldn't help but ask.

She loved computers but lacked technical knowledge. However, she had frequented the school's computer labs. Even the so-called ‘experts’ there weren't as proficient at assembling a machine as Zhang Yang was now. She remembered Mi Xue mentioning in her letters that her future brother-in-law was a medical student, even a master of the medical arts.

“Of course. But if I had chosen to study computer science, I would absolutely be a top-tier talent in that industry!”

Zhang Yang quipped, speaking with a touch of conceit while hitting the power button. The computer was already assembled.

“Bluffing!” Liu Jingru pouted but quickly lost the will to debate with Zhang Yang. She saw the familiar WIN98 startup screen.

Regarding this operating system, Zhang Yang felt a strange sense of nostalgia; accustomed to the highly advanced systems of the future, this primitive artifact felt distinctly uncomfortable.

Conversely, Liu Jingru was excitedly tapping away, immediately testing out the programs she recognized. After locating the Solitaire and Minesweeper games, she let out a cheerful cry and dove into playing with unrestrained joy.

Seeing her cousin completely engrossed, Mi Xue quietly took Zhang Yang’s hand and slipped out of the room. Mi Xue’s aunt was preparing a meal in the kitchen, and her uncle was reportedly rushing home upon hearing of their arrival.

My state of mind isn’t great today; I labored over the plot for this chapter, so it’s running late. There’s more coming. (To be continued)