After Waking Up I Inherited the Earth [Interstellar] – CH107

Chapter 107

When Ye Zhongxi entered the venue, it was already 22:00. There were only 6 hours left until the Earth Commerce Lantern Festival event ended.

But unlike everyone else, he didn’t log in and immediately start grinding the event. He treated this as a special date—planning to spend quality time with his husband.

So the two of them didn’t stay long on Vermilion Bird Street.

After taking in the bustling “ancient” street scene for a while, they headed toward a quieter area.

Crossing a lively little bridge packed with people, they arrived by a serene riverside.

The river flowed slowly, carrying away one floating lantern after another into the night.

Under a banyan tree, many NPCs clasped their hands together, murmuring wishes at their lanterns. After finishing, they set the lanterns into the water with a gentle push, letting them drift away with the current.

From nobles and high officials to ordinary commoners, clusters of people scattered along the riverbank in small groups. Especially the young men and women—each of them carefully released a lantern that carried a particular wish.

“So that’s where the lotus lanterns in the moat outside the city come from,” Ye Zhongxi said in surprise.

Then he tugged on his tall, handsome husband’s hand and whispered, “Yan Yan… how about we win a lantern too, and release it?”

Ye Zhongxi looked up at his husband with hopeful eyes. His phoenix-shaped eyes were especially beautiful under the warm, dim lantern light.

Yan Yan couldn’t resist lowering his head and kissing his eyelids lightly.

Yan Yan had been in the military department for years. Today was a rare day off, but he only had this one day. It happened to coincide with Earth Commerce’s Lantern Festival event, so they agreed to meet here.

With an arm around Ye Zhongxi’s waist, Yan Yan said in a low voice, “Let’s just buy one. You know me—my literary skills are awful.”

Ye Zhongxi let out a snort of laughter.

Because he immediately remembered what the man was like back in school.

He was so severely lopsided in his subjects that parents and teachers alike got headaches.

Thinking of that, Ye Zhongxi only hoped their kid would never inherit that trait—otherwise, the person getting headaches in the future would be him.

Recalling their little one at home who ran around shouting “Dad! Dad!” all day, Ye Zhongxi sincerely hoped that releasing a lantern tonight could give the kid a “literary blessing buff.”

His casual thought made the man’s face turn serious.

Clearly, Yan Yan also remembered how exasperated the adults had been back then.

Letting yourself be a headache was one thing—but once you’re the one getting the headache, only then do you understand how painful it is.

Yan Yan decided instantly: “Come on. Let’s go buy a lantern and release it here.”

But while lanterns were easy to buy, the lantern stalls with “meaningful” lanterns wouldn’t sell them directly.

Things like the “Scholar Lantern,” “Third-Ranked Graduate Lantern,” and “Top Scholar Lantern” had to be won by playing riddle-guessing games.

And—

After learning there were also Qixi-themed lanterns symbolizing “sweet love,” they decided they wanted to win a Magpie Bridge lantern too.

One way or another, the two husbands ended up stuck in the bustling lantern market and couldn’t leave.

And they weren’t the only ones like that—countless couples were the same!

Some families who brought kids had it even worse.

They weren’t trapped at one game point—they were exhausted to death by energetic kids dragging them around.

These little gremlins didn’t care whether their parents could handle it. They absolutely insisted on rushing to game points.

Kids didn’t care what adults wanted. They wanted games. They wanted street performances.

No one could imagine how torturous a bunch of high-energy kids could be!

But kids who were allowed to stay in the holographic marketplace for hours were usually “capable kids.”

Growing up, whether parents, teachers, or other adults, most people tended to indulge what these kids wanted.

So the moment you didn’t indulge them, they’d start screaming and making a scene. In a public place, it was exhausting—so exhausting you’d almost want to toss them outside and go play by yourself.

Technically, that might even work. After all, it was the holographic marketplace—kids would auto-log-off when time was up, and you didn’t have to worry about kidnappers or physical danger.

But morally? That didn’t fly.

Kids were unpredictable. No one knew what they’d do.

Even just nonstop shrieking was enough to make adults’ heads explode, so parents could only accept their fate and chase after the little demons.

Of course, not all kids were that unruly. Some were very well-behaved.

Like the fair, soft-looking little dumpling under the big willow tree near Chang’an Street.

He looked a bit over two, not quite three—so pretty it was hard to tell boy or girl, with an obedient, delicate little face.

And compared to the noisy brats not far away, he was unbelievably well-behaved.

So well-behaved that people around him kept stepping forward to ask if he was lost, if he’d gotten separated, whether he remembered where his adults were, and so on.

Little Pei Yi shook his head and pointed toward a wonton stall nearby, where a pretty young man was eating like his life depended on it. In a babyish voice he said, “Brother.”

Everyone looked carefully. The boy and the young man really did resemble each other a bit.

So nobody said anything else. Instead, they teased the kid gently:

“Why aren’t you going over to eat wontons too?”

The child smiled. With bright eyes, he patted his belly and said, “Full.”

That gesture made everyone laugh.

The laughter drew the brother’s attention. Seeing him look over, people joked a couple more lines, then gradually dispersed.

After all, the kid was cute, but people still had to hurry up and grind the event.

Even if they couldn’t get the gorgeous clothes and jewelry, there were plenty of other rewards.

And if they could exchange for a full set of “Chang’an: Impressions” postcards, that would be great too—pretty and not expensive. A full set was only 60 stamps. If you tried hard, it was doable.

Most people came with the attitude of: “Since I’m already here, I should at least participate and exchange something to take back.”

The small minority who were here purely for sightseeing looked relaxed. But environments influence people—seeing everyone grinding so hard, they’d occasionally join games to win stamps too, just to experience a Lantern Festival atmosphere from ancient Huaxia.

As for the tiny number who didn’t play any games at all—those people wandered through streets and alleys hunting for hidden delicious food tucked into corners.

Pei Si was exactly that kind of foodie.

He didn’t care about usable stuff or fun stuff—nothing beat food!

So after getting assigned the “babysit the kid” task, he brought his little brother into the holographic marketplace with him.

Pei Si’s little mental math was flawless.

His brother had high mental-power potential and could stay online for over two hours. So he’d log in at 10 p.m. with the kid, then log him off at midnight. That would give Pei Si two extra hours to play the event too—just thinking about it made him happy.

He did exactly that. He coaxed little Pei Yi, saying he’d take him to Earth Commerce to play.

The kid instantly fell for it—after visiting the children’s corner twice before, he was already sold. He didn’t even cling to his brother for bedtime stories; he happily logged in.

Once they arrived in mini Chang’an City, little Pei Yi wasn’t unhappy at all. His eyes sparkled—he clearly loved this ancient, grand city.

So even when Pei Si led him all over the city streets and alleys, the child never got impatient.

Following his brother, he found so many stalls selling tasty food. They ordered one snack per stall. The child took two bites, gave the rest to his brother, then ran to a quiet spot to wait for cats to appear.

And somehow, there were a ton of cats in mini Chang’an City!

And they weren’t scared of people at all. They’d hop onto walls and stroll past, tails swaying lazily.

Some cats were especially affectionate. Unlike the aloof ones, these would meow in a clingy, drawn-out voice at the person they liked, and rub against them too.

How did Pei Si know all this?

Because he’d seen it a million times.

His little brother was like walking catnip—no matter where they went, cats came to play with him.

It was like he’d poked a cat nest. One cat came, one cat left, another cat came, another cat left… endlessly. The cats that came to him were basically infinite.

Pei Si went from shock at the start to total numbness now.

Even when a cat lifted its paw as if to pat his brother, Pei Si could watch calmly.

After finishing his food and wiping his mouth, Pei Si called out, “Pei Pei, come here—big brother’s done eating!”

Little Pei Yi was squatting under the willow tree. He tilted his head at his brother, hesitated, then actually shook his head.

“No. Big orange… bring little orange… come. Pei Pei… watch.”

His speech still wasn’t very fluent—only someone close could fully understand. He meant that the big orange cat was bringing a little kitten over, and he wanted to wait and see.

Pei Si just said “Oh,” sat back down, ordered another bowl of small wontons, and kept eating—leaving his brother squatting under the willow tree alone waiting for cats.

This suffocating parenting move made Jiao Yu and Ba Yuqing—who happened to pass by—feel their foreheads twitch.

So these days, “dad keeping the kid alive is good enough”… and apparently “big brother babysitting” could be even worse?!

They looked at the carefree brother only focused on eating wontons, then at the little kid squatting under the willow tree obediently waiting for cats, all alone. The two girls couldn’t bear it.

They exchanged a glance and walked over.

“Hi there, little one! Are you waiting for kitty cats?” Jiao Yu smiled brightly, cheerful and friendly as she talked to the child.

Little Pei Yi looked up. His delicate little face stunned both girls—it was genuinely dazzling.

He was a bit shy. Facing two unfamiliar big sisters, he nodded obediently and stayed silent, only playing with a ginkgo leaf he’d picked up from the ground.

Forget Jiao Yu—even Ba Yuqing felt her heart tremble from the cuteness.

The two tried to chat with him on and off, but the child wouldn’t speak.

Seeing that, Jiao Yu sighed, then pulled out a bag of dried fish and offered it.

“Little brother, here—this is dried fish. I won it from a game. You can give it to the kitty cats. Cats love dried fish the most!”

The moment he heard “cats love it,” little Pei Yi’s eyes lit up. He spoke in a soft baby voice:

“Thank you, big sister.”

After thanking her, he accepted the dried fish with both hands. He smiled so happily that his little white rice teeth showed—cute and pretty at the same time.

That smile made Jiao Yu, who originally planned to give only one bag, immediately pull out a second bag.

Little Pei Yi’s arms were full of dried fish now, and he said sweetly, “Thank you, big sister.”

With dried fish as the bridge, little Pei Yi quickly became familiar with Jiao Yu.

And while the child was babbling in a baby voice about his “friendship” with cats, that big orange cat finally appeared—carrying a tiny milk kitten in its mouth.

It didn’t even glance at Jiao Yu or Ba Yuqing. It walked straight up and set the kitten down in front of the child.

Little Pei Yi’s eyes widened in delight.

He carefully picked up the kitten, gave it one dried fish, then handed one dried fish to the big orange cat sitting beside him.

And just like that—one child, one big cat, one kitten—peacefully ate together.

Yes, ate together.

Apparently the child saw the kitten eating so happily that he couldn’t resist nibbling a dried fish too.

The crispy dried fish was a cat snack, but unexpectedly tasty, and that’s how this scene happened.

Pei Si saw his brother obediently hugging a cat under the willow tree. Sure, the kid was eating the same thing as the cats, but… it probably wasn’t a big deal, right?

After thinking, he ordered a bowl of tangyuan from the stall next door and ate with blissful abandon.

When the kid started eating the dried fish, Jiao Yu and Ba Yuqing felt their worldviews crack.

Just as they were about to try the dried fish themselves, the big orange cat—now full—lifted a paw and patted the child’s chubby left hand.

In that instant, the stamp mark seemed to flash with a green glow—the exact same kind of glow as the “bravery” sachet they’d received earlier.

A moment later, the little kitten also struggled to lift its tiny paw and pat the stamp mark on the child’s hand. The same green glow appeared again.

After that, the big cat and the kitten left contentedly.

Not long after, a black cat came over and started acting clingy with the child.

Cats came and went. The child’s “catnip physique” left the two girls speechless.

Of course, the child’s love for cats also amazed them.

According to the child, ever since they came to mini Chang’an City, he’d been following his brother around. His brother ate food, and he played with cats nearby.

Jiao Yu suddenly pointed at the central redemption tower and asked, “Pei Pei, do you see that tall tower over there?”

Little Pei Yi followed her finger and nodded. “See it.”

Jiao Yu, being helpful, said, “Then remember to go exchange things there before you log off, okay? There are lots of things you can exchange inside.”

The child nodded, then shook his head. “But… no… stamped flowers.”

Jiao Yu and Ba Yuqing understood: he meant they hadn’t played games, so nobody had stamped “flowers” (stamps) on their hands.

Jiao Yu explained, “You don’t have to get stamps only by stamping, you know. There are other ways. Even kitty cats might give you stamps. If you don’t believe me, poke the stamp mark on your hand and check, okay?”

They hadn’t personally encountered cats giving stamps before either, but after seeing those cat paw taps and that familiar green glow, it looked exactly like “stamp gifting.”

The child nodded happily and poked the stamp mark obediently. Then he said in surprise, “Big sister, lots… little fish… red stamp-stamp… and also big fish… stamp-stamp.”

Jiao Yu and Ba Yuqing instantly got it.

Those were probably the special stamps the cats had given him.

So they patted his head gently. “Yes, those are stamps you can use to exchange prizes. So before you log off, remember to have your brother take you into that tall tower to exchange things, okay?”

Then the two girls reluctantly said goodbye.

“Thanks, little friend. We learned another way to collect stamps from you. Bye-bye! We’re going to go grind stamps now!”

After saying goodbye to the two pretty big sisters, little Pei Yi hugged the black cat and trudged over toward his brother.

The black cat behaved nicely in the child’s arms as they moved through the streets and alleys. When they reached another stall, it patted the child’s little hand with its paw and left.

Not long after the black cat left, a calico cat came.

It ran over meowing, got scooped up instantly, and was fed a dried fish.

Pei Si wasn’t surprised at all anymore. He didn’t even spare a glance.

At 23:40, there were fewer and fewer kids on the streets.

It was almost time for little Pei Yi to log off.

Before logging off, he remembered what the two big sisters had told him under the willow tree. So he lifted his chin, tugged his brother’s hand, hugged a newly arrived fluffy “lion cat,” and trudged toward the tall tower.

After about ten minutes, the child arrived at the central redemption tower.

Because everyone was grinding hard for the best prizes, and it was still far from the event’s end time, there were very few people inside the tower at this hour.

Pei Si looked at the tower and asked, “Pei Pei, what are you doing here?”

Please don’t tell me you want to exchange prizes. I didn’t earn any stamps!

Unfortunately, the child’s clear voice landed like a hammer:

“Exchange… prizes.”

Pei Si: puts on a mask of pain.jpg

Pei Si: Wake up, little brother. We have no stamps. We can’t even get through the front door.

Pei Si tried to reason with his little milk-bun brother, but failed.

Then he sighed. “I’m not trying to crush your dreams, but we don’t have stamps. People without stamps can’t even enter the door. Look—I’ll prove it to you.”

He led the child forward to demonstrate.

And then—

Little Pei Yi walked in.

Pei Si got blocked outside.

Pei Si: “?”
Pei Si: “!”

When did his little brother collect 15 stamps?!

Wasn’t he just playing with cats the whole time?

Staring at his brother’s little back as he toddled inside, Pei Si’s soul practically left his body.

Before entering, little Pei Yi turned his head and looked at his brother outside the door, confused.

He patted the cat’s fur in his arms. Remembering his brother said “you can’t enter without stamps,” the child obediently went in by himself.

Pei Si: Erkang hand.jpg (reaching out helplessly)

Inside the redemption tower, under the cat’s guidance, little Pei Yi stood on a spot painted with a cat paw print.

Once he stood still, the cat lifted a paw and patted the stamp mark on the child’s left hand, then let out a “meow,” and a machine voice rang out:

[Earth Commerce: Detected that player [968796] possesses 18 special stamps, exchangeable for 1800 basic stamps. Proceed with exchange?] [Yes] [No]

The child froze for a moment, then replied in a baby voice, “Yes.”

[Earth Commerce: Detected that player [968796] possesses the unique special stamp “Whale,” exchangeable for 1000 basic stamps. Proceed with exchange?] [Yes] [No]

The child nodded slowly again. “Mm-hmm.”

[Earth Commerce: Congratulations to player [968796] for exchanging 18 special stamps and 1 unique special stamp for 2800 basic stamps. Congratulations—you may now proceed to the top-floor redemption area for grand prizes!]

As the machine voice ended, a robot took little Pei Yi up to the top-floor redemption area.

Up on the top floor, Xie Xingchen—who’d been bored out of his mind—finally saw someone.

But it wasn’t the kind of person he expected.

It was a pretty, sweet little kid being carried up while hugging a cat.

Xie Xingchen was stunned.

Xie Xingchen: This kid is impressive!

Curiosity overwhelmed him, and he couldn’t maintain the “cold tower master NPC” act anymore.

He walked over, squatted down, and warmly shook the child’s hand.

“Hi there, little one! I’m not a bad person—I’m the tower master here. You can call me Brother Xingchen.”

Xie Xingchen thought the child might be scared of strangers, but after hearing his introduction, the kid happily called out, “Brother Xingchen!”

After chatting a bit, Xie Xingchen discovered the little one was actually a loyal Earth Commerce user—and the kid’s weak older brother couldn’t even collect 15 stamps and was currently locked outside the door.

Xie Xingchen’s expression turned complicated.

Ah… this powerless older brother…

So Xie Xingchen temporarily took on the “big brother” role and decided to help the child pick rewards.

He asked, “Little one, do you like these clothes?”

The kid stared at the beautiful outfits with shining eyes and nodded happily. “Like… like… for Mom.”

Xie Xingchen covered his face.

So, so sweet!

Seeing pretty clothes and immediately thinking “for Mom,” not “I want it”?

Xie Xingchen: I want to steal this child, sob.jpg

Using his tower master permissions, Xie Xingchen checked the child’s stamp count and found—shockingly—that he had 2800 stamps.

That was insane.

But—

After thinking, Xie Xingchen took out a one-time tower master-only lucky bag and gave it to the child.

The child’s stamps instantly increased by 900, bringing the total to 3700.

If he was buying for his mom, then sure—let him buy. But a kid this sweet also needed an outfit for himself.

Xie Xingchen thought so.

Now the budget was plenty.

There weren’t many child-sized Hanfu options—only three sets available.

Seeing the kid’s pink-cheeked, doll-like face—like a little immortal child—Xie Xingchen decisively redeemed a wealthy noble-child outfit for him, plus a gorgeous jeweled “neck ring” collar, a pair of cute boots embroidered with auspicious clouds, and a pearl-and-gem inlaid gold bracelet made with exquisite craftsmanship.

Altogether, it cost 1800 stamps.

The child was clearly overjoyed.

When he realized he could still buy a set for his mom, he laughed happily—and then bounced up and gave Xie Xingchen a loud kiss on the cheek.

Xie Xingchen was so delighted that he picked out an ethereal “fairy” women’s outfit for the mom too.

Since only 1900 stamps remained, Xie Xingchen chose an outfit that didn’t require heavy jewelry. A white gauze dress like this only needed a white ribbon belt, plus pretty plain embroidered shoes, and maybe a sachet or a jade pendant—enough to look like a “fairy sister.”

And Xie Xingchen didn’t choose randomly. He picked it based on a photo of the child’s mother that little Pei Yi showed him.

The child was thrilled clutching the clothes. When midnight came and he had to log off, he gave Xie Xingchen another reluctant goodbye kiss.

After logging off, Pei Si grabbed his little brother and interrogated him nonstop.

When he learned his brother had basically “pet cats” his way into two top-tier prize sets, Pei Si’s tears actually came out.

Pei Si: Waaaah… weren’t we supposed to sacrifice prizes for food?!

And yet my brother got two of the highest-tier prizes!

Waaah, if I’d known, I would’ve worked hard to collect 15 stamps too, gone in with him, and stolen Mom’s outfit for myself!

Pei “Unfilial Son” Si stared at the handsome hero outfit he’d fallen in love with on StarNet and cried like a waterfall.

While crying, he also bragged everywhere that his little brother had successfully redeemed two high-end Hanfu sets with matching accessories.

After receiving a flood of jealous comments, he finally coaxed his brother to sleep.

Then he reignited his fighting spirit, dove back into mini Chang’an City, and started roaming the entire city like an idiot looking for cats.

He swore he would redeem that cool hero outfit.

Because he was so focused, he didn’t check StarNet—and completely missed the storm brewing on StarBlog because of him and his little brother.

[GreenGreenGreenGreen Sticker]: Bro, are you dreaming? Your not-even-three-year-old brother redeemed two Hanfu sets plus matching accessories in two hours? That’s at least 2500 stamps—how is that possible?
[The Forest Is Big, All Kinds of Birds Exist]: Forget two hours—even if I give you the full four-plus hours since the event started, there’s no way you can grind 2500 stamps that fast. Please—if you’re going to lie, at least write a draft first.

A ton of people thought the story was so absurd it was basically “brain-free behavior,” and they came specifically to mock him.

And then—

The situation flipped almost immediately.

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