Cheng Ying was certain that saplings from her own spatial dimension would have a longer blooming period than the ones from the Agricultural Research Institute. They were surely superior to anything the Institute could produce. She was waiting for them to flower in February or March of the next year. While watering the nursery when her family wasn't around, Cheng Ying indulged in liberally swapping in water from her dimension.

This time, her main focus for planting was ginkgo trees, selecting only those with naturally beautiful shapes; each one, taken individually, was a sight to make one linger. They were like bonsai specimens, only significantly larger.

There was also an area of over an acre planted with peach trees, though these were primarily for flowering, as their fruit yield wasn't particularly impressive. Cheng Ying thought they looked more like mutated stone peaches, and their bloom time was unusually long.

However, their allure was undeniable. By now, Cheng Ying's nursery had gained renown, attracting numerous visitors to discuss purchasing saplings. These were people drawn in by the simple fact that her five-acre nursery existed—the so-called advertising effect, perhaps. Her mountain holdings contained all sorts of saplings. Cheng Ying made arrangements with clients, directing them straight to her uncle's place, where the exchange was strictly cash for saplings. After several large transactions, she was waiting for the spring bloom of these less fruit-bearing peach trees to potentially set new records.

And then there was the summer vacation period. Although not as bustling as the May Day holiday, there were still plenty of people getting married or moving house. Cheng Ying's furniture store was also doing well. Not to mention the lounge chairs she commissioned—her associate, Brother Li, had already hauled away two large carts full. That was some serious sales volume.

When things are going well, it seems inevitable that someone will come along to stir up trouble.

It was too hot that evening. When Cheng Ying emerged from her dimension, she couldn't sleep and didn't want to watch the falling blossoms inside the space either. So, she cooled off beneath her own grape trellis. The yard wasn't lit at all. Cheng Ying, feeling sorry for her two dogs being overheated, had placed them in the dimension to soak with the koi. The yard was thus eerily silent, broken only by the chirping of summer insects. Cheng Ying rested her elbows on the stone table, bored.

Then, she lifted her head sharply. Something was wrong. The sounds from outside the yard were faint, but they were there. She strained her ears. It seemed to be coming from the backyard. Relying on the security of her dimension, Cheng Ying knew she could hide herself if any real trouble arose. As for valuables, at this moment, they felt like secondary concerns. Though she valued wealth, she valued her life far more—she recognized that truth. She vaguely recalled someone saying something similar before.

Cheng Ying crept cautiously toward the back. She finally understood the feeling of a deep, secluded courtyard; a large house wasn't always a good thing. A place that never felt too large before now felt somewhat unsettling to navigate. As the sounds grew closer, Cheng Ying was certain her home was being burgled.

Having the dimension did reduce her fear. Though tense, she reasoned that the intruder should be the one feeling nervous, not her. She desperately wanted to shout, "Who goes there, rogue!" But she refrained. If she scared the thief off now, it would be harder to catch the next one. Cheng Ying mused that although her home was affluent, whether it attracted thieves depended on what they targeted. Petty thieves were manageable, but she worried about ill intentions. Her lumber stock was in the backyard, so caution was paramount.

Cheng Ying summoned Zhao Cai and Jin Bao, having them flank her. Those dogs truly possessed spiritual insight; the fur on their backs stood up the moment they left the dimension. If Cheng Ying hadn't calmed them, they would have already vaulted the courtyard wall. Cheng Ying and the dogs concealed themselves in the shadows. She drew the crossbow she had prepared for wolf encounters when she used to work in the mountains. She had kept it ready in her dimension, worried about running into wolf pups while carrying no weapon. She never expected to use it after moving to the city; it proved that humans could be more terrifying than wolves.

Fortunately, while Cheng Ying prioritized natural light in her home design, she hadn't neglected security; the courtyard walls had been raised long ago. It would be quite an effort for a thief to scale them. Cheng Ying sighed, wondering at the coincidence: why was the weather so hot today? Why couldn't she sleep today? Was she just lucky, or had the little thief neglected to burn incense before setting out?

Cheng Ying patted Jin Bao's head, muttering to herself. She hoped for an aesthetic thief—one who stole flowers, dogs, or even money, all of which she could forgive. As long as they harbored no malice. Cheng Ying worried that someone, envious of her success and thriving business, might have come to commit arson or murder. Running into such a maniac would simply be a stroke of terrible luck.

But the sound of something hitting the ground chilled her. The thief had used a rope to lower a twenty-liter plastic bucket. In the faint moonlight, she saw it clearly. Cheng Ying stared at the pile of lumber in the yard, grinding her teeth. Without a second thought, she assumed it contained gasoline. This wasn't just a desperate act; this was a full-blown violent criminal. She couldn't recall provoking anyone.

Zhao Cai and Jin Bao were half-crouched, emitting low growls, ready to spring the moment Cheng Ying gave the command. A chill settled in Cheng Ying’s heart. She gripped both dogs, preparing to capture a lone intruder. If it was a group, she wouldn't hesitate: she would pull the dogs into her dimension and flee. One must hide when facing insurmountable odds.

After a long wait, a stout figure finally scaled the wall. In the dim moonlight, she could only make out a silhouette. Seeing no backup arriving for a while, Cheng Ying relaxed. A single thief. Manageable. More importantly, she could handle it herself. Cheng Ying thought that thieves nowadays had no sense of decorum. The physique attempting to climb the wall seemed to present a significant challenge for him.

The fat man cautiously searched for stable footing, muttering complaints about how high her courtyard wall was. Cheng Ying had never seen someone so inept at their supposed profession. Didn't he realize he was supposed to be stealthy? He was treating her property as if it were his own. The man’s bulk made his landing awkward, and the sound it made was noticeable—hardly the professional silent landing of a seasoned burglar. Cheng Ying judged that this thief was amateurish.

Once the man landed and she confirmed he had no reinforcements, she signaled Zhao Cai and Jin Bao to attack. The two dogs understood Cheng Ying’s intent; they took the man down without a single bark, proving the saying that the biting dog doesn't bark. However, the sounds they made from their throats were terrifying, like wolves.

Cheng Ying stepped out of the shadows, holding the crossbow steady. "Stay down, or I'll put an arrow through your skull."

The fat man, having entered the yard, was instantly subdued by two large dogs without uttering a sound. Besides being terrified into near incontinence by the massive canines, the chilling glint of the object the young woman held facing him nearly made him weep. Being a thief was hard work; this was life-threatening. "Don't, don't! I'm a good person!"

Cheng Ying nearly laughed, but the hand holding the crossbow remained perfectly steady. "Climbing a wall in the middle of the night makes you a good person? Am I being too lenient? Are you serving the public?"

The fat man’s voice trembled. "Don't misunderstand; I'm just committing theft, I wouldn't go as far as death. Please put that thing down first."

Cheng Ying thought, It’s good I ran into a coward. "Hmph. I'd rather treat you as a thief. You brought a gasoline can to my lumber storage area. Whatever your intention, I'm taking you in." Cheng Ying had held back from shouting for help only because she wanted to neutralize the situation quietly. She had never killed anyone and was afraid of the act. Putting him in the dimension felt messy, and she didn't know how to keep a prisoner alive. Killing was completely out of the question. That's why she was hesitating, haggling with the man here.

The fat man was on the verge of tears. "It’s water I have in here, not oil! I’ve been wronged, truly wronged! I just came in to steal fish, I promise I’m not an arsonist. Please take me to the police station!"

Cheng Ying felt a wave of relief. An aesthetic thief was preferable. She thought, I haven't done anything truly wicked; I shouldn't attract someone intending to burn the house down. My moral character is certainly up to par. Nevertheless, she circled around, opened the bucket, and smelled it. It was indeed just water, which was frightening. If Zhao Cai and Jin Bao weren't pinning the stout man down, Cheng Ying would have sunk onto the ground to wipe away her cold sweat. That was terrifying.

She looked at the man. "Fine, I'll do as you say. I'll take you to the police station." She still spoke to him in a conversational tone. The fat man shivered, glancing at the two wolves beside him and then at the object in the young woman's hands. He nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, please take me to the police station quickly."

Cheng Ying felt the situation was proceeding slightly oddly, but she obliged the thief’s request, calling over the masters next door to help apprehend the culprit. She truly wanted to tell him that her fish were excellent, and the risk wasn't worth it. But there was no opportunity; in this era, seeing a thief was a rare event, and everyone was overly excited.

Cheng Ying didn't care how depressed the fish-stealing thief was. If you meddle where you shouldn't, you face legal punishment. Stealing a cat or a dog might not count as much, but breaking into a house at midnight was already against the law. Cheng Ying had little sympathy for him, especially since she had been frightened. She figured she wouldn't recover from the shock for a couple of days.

The fat man was certainly agitated. When the police officers arrived, he acted as if he had met long-lost relatives, tears streaming down his face. One never saw a thief so overjoyed to see the police. Cheng Ying’s neighbors and the older craftsmen had all moved from their fiercely independent hometowns—a place where the village chief had once organized a group hunt to drive wolves out of the mountains. What kind of people were they? To think someone dared to steal from their home! That fat man wasn't just kicked once. Besides being terrified almost to the point of losing control by the two dogs and the chilling crossbow, he had overheard someone say, "Throw him in the well first; if he doesn't drown, then take him to the station." Clearly, he was not a good person, and now he was paying the price for daring to steal.

The fat man regretted his impulse. Why had he listened to talk at the bird and flower market that this place was empty lately, and that the fish inside were top-tier specimens? He had acted on greed, which was tantamount to seeking death. His only thought was: Officers, please hurry and protect me!

The commotion finally settled late in the night while Cheng Ying was sleeping. As for giving her statement, the little girl who could barely speak from shock and exhaustion was granted a reprieve by the officers, who agreed to take her formal testimony the next morning.

When Cheng Ying woke up and went to eat next door, she asked the senior craftsmen for a small wooden bow and arrow set, saying it was a toy for Chi Ye to play with. After she ate, the master craftsmen fabricated the child's toy with astonishing speed and exquisite detail.

ps: There's a third update coming! Please vote! RP