Interstellar Greening Master

TL: Moonlit

“I don’t know if my hands are good-looking or not. They must be good-looking because they have you, Gu Gu. Right?” Suddenly, Shu Shuishui became unsure.

The little dormouse turned to Gu Langu. “What did you eat to grow up?”

Gu Langu blinked. “The main diet consists of wheat, along with other meats, vegetables, fruits, and recently, energy stones.”

Shu Shuishui scratched his chin and looked at his own paws. If he starts eating the same diet as Gu Langu, would his hands become as good-looking as his? Comparing the food they eat, Shu Shuishui realized there were significant differences.

Before meeting Shu Bao, Shu Shuishui’s diet mainly consisted of hazelnuts. It was only after meeting Shu Bao that he discovered there were many other delicious foods in the world, such as sour cabbage stew with pork and vermicelli, which he had to eat with his paws and often struggled to get the vermicelli.

There were also dishes like sweet and sour pork, braised pork belly, stir-fried pork with green beans, braised pig intestines, and fried pork kidneys. Of course, there were also simple but delicious roasted sweet potatoes, which were some of the dishes that Shu Shuishui could easily handle among the many.

However, during leisure time, Shu Shuishui would hide in Shu Bao’s pocket and go to the supermarket together, then use the purchased pork to cook meals.

Shu Bao had some specially-made small pots, such as a flat-bottomed pan made from a canned lid or a ceramic stewing pot made from a shallow coffee cup. Using these, Shu Shuishui would also attempt to make some delicacies, such as a piece of braised pork, five pieces of fried pig kidneys, or stewed vermicelli.

Every time the dishes were ready, Shu Bao had to transform into mouse form to eat them, or else Shu Shuishui would work hard all morning, and they would be devoured by the human form Shu Bao in one bite.

After Shu Bao left, Shu Shuishui hadn’t been to the supermarket again because he had no money and couldn’t push a shopping cart. Naturally, he couldn’t eat meat anymore.

But that’s okay, Shu Shuishui had hazelnuts, and with that, everything was fine. Even if he couldn’t eat meat, Shu Shuishui could still take care of the grasshoppers, do some farming, pick and store hazelnuts, and continue living a carefree life.

Talking about pork, Shu Shuishui was quite excited the first time he had it. As a dormouse that was always eaten by wild boars, he was probably the first dormouse to eat pork. Although pigs and wild boars were not the same, they were still pigs. As the saying goes, humans might not have eaten wild boar meat, but they have eaten pork!

“Gu Gu, in the future, I will make even more delicious dishes for you.” The little dormouse swallowed his saliva, as if he had already fantasized about hunting a wild boar and then cooking a meal for Gu Langu in a small pot. “But it might be a bit slow, maybe it will take a whole day.”

Or maybe he could find more pots and cook a piece of braised pork in each one. That should be faster.

Gu Langu, who was driving, was quite content. The little mouse was always thinking about him, and he also wanted to find something the mouse would like to eat. “What about Shuishui? What do you like to eat?”

Shu Shuishui raised his paw obediently. “Hazelnuts! Hazelnuts! Hazelnuts!”

Those couldn’t be found on Cang Zhan Star. Gu Langu fell silent for a moment. “Besides hazelnuts?”

Shu Shuishui tilted his little head. “Roasted sweet potatoes.”

“Anything else?”

“Yes, sour cabbage stew with pork and vermicelli, sweet and sour pork, pancakes, spicy skewers, hot pot, stir-fried green beans with pork ribs…” Shu Shuishui listed the foods he had always longed for, and his little paws were almost overwhelmed.

Gu Langu: “…” None of those can be found. What should be done?

For a while, Gu Langu’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Does Shuishui like seaweed?”

Shu Shuishui’s chattering voice paused, and he decisively answered, “Don’t like it.”

Gu Langu: ???

The conversation seemed to have gone nowhere. Gu Langu felt a bit wronged. Shu Shuishui had sung about seaweed all day long, and he unexpectedly didn’t like it!

“Weeds on land taste better than weeds from the sea. It’s a bit bitter and fishy. Land plants taste better, with a hint of sunshine,” Shu Shuishui seriously compared the difference between land and sea plants.

Gu Langu nodded. “Oh.”

Shu Shuishui seemed to notice the subtle change in Gu Langu’s mood and suddenly realized, “Does Gu Gu like seaweed? I’ll pay attention to it in the future. No wonder you like green so much.”

Gu Langu was puzzled. When did he like green? He was about to explain, but when he thought about the green down feather gloves, he swallowed his words again. If he said he didn’t like green, Shu Shuishui might feel sad. “Actually, besides green, I prefer warm brown.”

The little dormouse’s eyes lit up. “Gu Gu likes warm brown? Really? That’s great, what a coincidence! I am warm brown too! Look at me! Look at me! It’s all warm brown. It seems like we are really destined!”

Gu Langu curled his lips. “Yes, I really like it. We are truly destined.”

Shu Shuishui smoothed his fur. “Then in the future, I can collect my fur and maybe make a hat for Gu Gu, a warm brown one!”

Gu Langu replied, “Great idea.”

Shu Shuishui turned his little body and looked at his reflection on the windshield. He agreed that warm brown indeed looked best. “I’ll find a small cloth bag later. Will you help me comb my fur, Gu Gu? That way, we can make the hat faster. By the way, I thought about making a green hat for you before, but warm brown is definitely the best!”

Gu Langu was relieved; he didn’t want to wear a green hat. But if it was made by the little mouse, he was curious about how it would turn out. “Is there anything you want, Shuishui?”

Shu Shuishui was momentarily stumped. With good food, a loving pet, and a fulfilling life, what else could he possibly want? He gazed at Gu Langu’s hand and said, “Can I sleep in the palm of your hand, Gu Gu? Does that count as something I want?”

After saying that, Shu Shuishui felt that the request might be a bit excessive. “I can pay rent! How about three hazelnuts?” Shu Shuishui confidently extended four sharp claws, glancing over to find that Gu Langu was still focused on driving. He immediately sneakily extended another claw and pressed down the one that was raised.

Gu Langu felt that his luck was really good recently. He could even get such a benefit while driving. “No need for rent. How about I hold you while sleeping at night?”

Shu Shuishui also felt that his luck was getting better. His humanoid pet was so generous. “Sure, I can be your hand warmer.”

And so, one human and one dormouse both felt that today was such a lucky day. One received a hand warmer, and the other got a perfect little nest in the palm. With this sense of anticipation, the long journey became more enjoyable.

Inside the car of Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu, warmth lingered. The little dormouse would occasionally tend to his small plot of land or chat with Gu Langu while making the tent.

In the car behind them, the bored Yu Jin had already started fiddling with his computer. However, due to external interference from the Galactic Alliance, the communication devices on Cang Zhan Star were strictly controlled and unable to access the internet. The only way to communicate online was through the simulator, but Yu Jin had already put it away due to limited space, making it unusable.

Don’t expect the Galactic Alliance to make communication on Cang Zhan Star smooth. Global communication would greatly increase the risk of mass escape or rebellion. The people sent to Cang Zhan Star only have basic survival rights, and much more than that is unavailable.

Before the sky completely darkened, the migration team was already preparing to camp. Winter dusk was brief, but the night was long. They needed to set up tents, light campfires, and take basic measures to keep warm before the sun set.

Within the migration team, there were people who had been surviving on Cang Zhan Star for many years, so setting up tents and making fires were simple tasks. Before long, warm yellow flames lit up in clusters, resembling stars scattered in the darkness, very conspicuous.

Compared to the daytime when only two people were together, the night was more lively. Even the gradually strengthening cold wind couldn’t prevent people from gathering together.

Groups of people gathered around each campfire, whether they knew each other or not. After all, they were all traveling together, and they would be together for a long time in the future, so they would get to know each other eventually.

Gradually, the scent of food began to spread, accompanied by hearty laughter, loud toasts, and even some people singing. The people on Cang Zhan Star seemed to have become accustomed to this nomadic life of migration, always finding ways to enjoy themselves amidst the hardships of life.

Shu Shuishui squeezed into the crowd near one of the campfires. Occasionally, the lively flames would send sparks floating upwards, quickly extinguishing in the air. The little dormouse came to listen to the music, as someone was playing and singing with a guitar, making this campfire the most crowded. Despite being small, Shu Shuishui managed to squeeze in.

With a cheerful rhythm and a pure voice, the song came to an end, and the applause from the surrounding people was warm and enthusiastic. As the applause subsided, a faint clapping sound persisted, attracting everyone’s attention. When they looked, they were astonished.

Amidst the crowd of sitting and standing people, there was a warm brown little mouse raising its paw to applaud. As it noticed the gathering gazes, the little mouse’s ears flicked, and it stopped clapping, swiftly turning around and disappearing into the flickering firelight.

This moment caused a brief stir in the surroundings. People instinctively lifted their feet, afraid of stepping on the little mouse. The commotion subsided after a while, followed by hushed discussions and then boisterous chatter again.

“Did you hear that Gu Langu raised a pet mouse? Was it the one just now?”

“Could it be here to listen to the music?”

“Quite possible. I heard that the mouse is a mascot. Because of it, the Gu Langu Base got two simulators for free.”

“Is that true? What does a mouse have to do with simulators?”

“I heard that the mouse can even talk. Did you hear it talking just now?”

“What an intelligent mouse! It clapped its paws, so it must be here for the music?”

“…”

In the lively base, amidst the lively crowd, Shu Shuishui moved around alone. Though the towering humans and the dim lighting made it challenging to see the ground clearly, Shu Shuishui was confident in his speed and never worried about being stepped on. He moved around freely, running to one campfire to listen to colorful jokes for a while, then getting intrigued by the discussion from another campfire.

Fortunately, due to the incident earlier, where Shu Shuishui was like a mascot getting a simulator smashed in his face, the little dormouse had become quite well-known within the migration team. The simulator incident alone was already a hot topic, and coupled with Gu Langu raising a pet mouse, Shu Shuishui became widely recognized in no time.

Of course, many of them had only seen Shu Shuishui’s appearance tonight for the first time. Since Cang Zhan Star was filled with tough guys, there were hardly any who were afraid of mice. So, even if they spotted Shu Shuishui, their reactions weren’t aggressive.

At least Shu Shuishui wandered happily. If the sweet potatoes hadn’t been roasted by the campfire, Shu Shuishui would have continued to approach the fire. Dashing all the way back to the campfire where Gu Langu was, it was less crowded there. Gu Langu, Yu Jin, Nan Ge, Nan Fang, and one dormouse were gathered around the fire.

Yu Jin and Nan Ge had roasted the sweet potatoes, and the biggest one was left for Shu Shuishui.

Apart from the sweet potatoes, others were also eating some other food, most likely including the purple tree cakes. Although Shu Shuishui wanted to improve everyone’s diet, his own supplies were limited, so he had to give up on the idea.

While Shu Shuishui was peeling the roasted sweet potato, a stranger approached. The person had a refined appearance, delicate hands, a tall and elegant figure, and was neatly dressed, seemingly living a comfortable life. The person walked up to the campfire and initiated a conversation in a very courteous manner. “General Gu, I have admired your name for a long time. I have been an admirer of yours since before coming to Cang Zhan Star.”

Gu Langu took the roasted sweet potato from Shu Shuishui and continued to help peel the skin. Upon hearing this, he gave a faint “hmm.”

“I am from the Fei Luo Base, my name is Xie Feng. Is Gu Langu Base still in need of people?” Xie Feng was straightforward in his inquiry.

By the campfire, Gu Langu remained relatively unresponsive, while Yu Jin looked slightly surprised. Even though the situation at the base had improved recently due to the simulator incident, expressing such intentions now, wouldn’t it offend the Fei Luo Base?

“From the looks of it, you seem to be doing well at the Fei Luo Base. Why go the extra mile?” Nan Ge wanted to probe a bit more, so he asked cautiously.

Xie Feng pointed at Shu Shuishui, who was tilting his head to look at the roasted sweet potato Gu Langu was about to peel. “Your base must have good food if even mice are eating sweet potatoes.”

The little dormouse’s ears twitched. He turned his head to glance at Xie Feng and then shuffled a few steps, positioning himself with his back to Xie Feng, before finally raising his tiny paw towards the roasted sweet potato.