My Apocalypse System Arrives 10 Years Early

Chapter 426: Chapter 280: Star Fire Reflecting Reunion

After New Year’s Eve dinner, Li Xiang rolled up his sleeves and started to clean up the pots and bowls. Uncle Jiang, Aunt Jiang, and Grandma had all told him and Cai’Er to go play, saying the three of them could handle the cleanup.

’But how could I possibly do that?’

”You all should go rest and have fun. It’s my turn to do the work!”

But there were too many dishes and utensils, so the three elders didn’t let Li Xiang do it all by himself. In the end, everyone pitched in to clean up, and the atmosphere was warm and cheerful.

The leftovers were put in the fridge to be eaten the next day.

As an orange twilight settled and the last rays of the sun sank behind the mountain ridge, Li Xiang and Jiang Cai’Er went outside. The village children were already out playing. When they saw Li Xiang and Jiang Cai’Er, they all gathered around excitedly, their faces full of anticipation.

Li Xiang laughed heartily, then turned and went back home to grab several boxes of fireworks, which he passed out to everyone.

”Don’t push, don’t push! There’s enough for everyone!”

Jiang Cai’Er pulled out a Fairy Rod and traced a golden arc in the air, the silver bracelet on her wrist chiming melodiously. ”Wait for my signal, and we’ll all light them at the same time!”

”Okay, okay!” the children cheered, jumping with excitement. Jiang Cai’Er had always been the leader of the village kids; in their eyes, she held even more authority than Li Xiang.

Or rather, the children simply felt closer to her.

As the moment for ”Ten Thousand Arrows Fired Simultaneously” arrived, the Purple Mirage Armor inside Jiang Cai’Er pulsed with a faint spiritual light, adding an effect of ”falling flowers in profusion” to the children’s Gatling-style fireworks.

The children were utterly delighted, feeling that today’s fireworks really packed a punch. Later in life, when they set off fireworks without Jiang Cai’Er around, they could never quite recapture that magical, childhood feeling.

Li Xiang didn’t watch the CCTV Spring Festival Gala this year. Jiang Cai’Er wouldn’t let him, because Luo Feifei was on.

So, around nine o’clock that night, Li Xiang took Jiang Cai’Er to visit the little White Elephant and its mother.

The cute little pets at home all got a special New Year’s Eve feast, so naturally, the little White Elephant had to get one too.

It was just that the little White Elephant, its mother, and the rest of the herd had enormous appetites. It was impossible for Li Xiang to cook for them, so he brought everything raw. Wild elephants don’t eat cooked food anyway, so it made no difference.

In the future, once the little White Elephant moved to live near his home and he had more help, he could consider letting the herd enjoy some of a human’s cooked delicacies.

The wild elephant sanctuary on the China-Laos Border wasn’t far from Li Xiang’s home. At his current speed, he could reach it effortlessly in a single sprint. The herd was ecstatic to see Li Xiang and Jiang Cai’Er arrive. They flapped their ears, wagged their little tails, and raised their trunks high, trumpeting a welcome like a saxophone chorus.

Li Xiang played with the herd for a bit. Then, with a wave of his hand, a small mountain of food appeared on the ground: the Spirit Grain Pagoda of Renewal.

It was a colorful, five-hued creation made of purple corn, golden millet, jadeite pearl barley, red adzuki beans, and snow-white glutinous rice. It was also served with segments of sugarcane, tender bamboo hearts, carrots, bananas, and other fruits and vegetables.

The five types of grain were stacked in the shape of a pagoda, symbolizing ”a world renewed.” The sugarcane, carrots, and other produce were arranged to look like a peony, representing the blessing ”may your fortune bloom like a flower.”

Of course, the little White Elephant and its mother also received an extra helping of Spirit Fruits.

His other cute pets, living at his house and on the mountain behind it, had more opportunities to enjoy Spirit Fruits. Since Li Xiang visited the little White Elephant less frequently, he always made sure to give it some special attention whenever he came.

The herd trumpeted with joy and immediately began to chow down. Even with their massive appetites, Li Xiang had prepared more than enough. The elephants ate until their bellies were perfectly round and they could barely walk, grunting contentedly.

They usually spent most of their day walking and foraging. Never before had they experienced eating until they were stuffed without having to roam for miles. Besides, the food Li Xiang had prepared was exceptionally delicious.

Li Xiang rode on the mother elephant while Jiang Cai’Er rode the little White Elephant. After playing together for a while, Li Xiang and Jiang Cai’Er said their goodbyes. They still had to go to Siberia to visit the Little Golden Tiger and its family.

The Little Golden Tiger, the Little Fire Tiger, and the Tiger Mother, plus two other cubs, made a family of five. Three of them were Extraordinary. Under Li Xiang’s guidance, the Little Golden Tiger, the Little Fire Tiger, and the Tiger Mother had all long since formed a Spiritual Power Vortex, becoming formidable Exotic Beasts.

Jiang Cai’Er had never seen these tigers before and was instantly smitten. Unfortunately, the cubs had already grown quite large. She could only pet them; there was no way she could pick them up for a cuddle.

’Besides, hugging a tiger this big wouldn’t feel as nice as holding a small cub. And their fur is already getting a little coarse.’

The special New Year’s Eve dinner Li Xiang prepared for the tigers was also raw. Once again, their appetites were simply too large to cook for. Besides, tigers were probably more interested in raw meat anyway.

He called it the ”Feast of a Hundred Beasts for the Roaring Tiger of the Forest.” From his system’s warehouse, he had selected meat from over ten different animals: antelope, Wagyu beef, sika deer, whale, crocodile, salmon belly... All of it was pre-skinned, as the hides were high-quality leather material and it would be a waste to let the tigers ruin them. Besides, tigers don’t like eating the skin.

’Holy cow, there’s even seafood!’ The tigers grew excited, eating with deep, guttural rumbles—the kind of sound they couldn’t help but make when they tasted something truly delicious, almost as if they were moved to tears.

The portion was large enough to stuff all five tigers, with enough left over for another three to five meals. In the freezing Siberian weather, the food wouldn’t spoil, so the tigers wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of hunting for the next few days of the New Year.

Of course, Li Xiang only let them enjoy such a lavish feast for special occasions like the New Year. Ordinarily, he still made them hunt for themselves so their skills wouldn’t get rusty.

After feeding both sets of pets, it was almost midnight. Li Xiang and Jiang Cai’Er hurried home to welcome the new year.

They started a charcoal fire and gathered around the stove to brew tea, chatting and snacking. At two minutes to midnight, Li Xiang and Jiang Cai’Er went outside and got their fireworks ready. The moment the clock struck twelve, they lit the fuses and set off a volley of ”Opening the Door to Good Fortune” firecrackers.

The moment they lit theirs, the sound of firecrackers from countless homes in the surrounding countryside washed over them like a tidal wave, one volley after another.

Things were getting more and more competitive these days. When Li Xiang was a child, his parents would wait until the sun was up and they’d had a good sleep before getting up to set off their firecrackers.

The sky filled with fireworks like a meteor shower. Jiang Cai’Er seized the moment to make a wish. ’As fireworks fly toward the stars, may every wish I have come true.’

Since they weren’t yet married or even officially engaged, they certainly couldn’t spend the night together. After the fireworks, Li Xiang walked Jiang Cai’Er home. They happened to run into Jiang Jianguo, who was also getting ready to set off firecrackers. Li Xiang went over to help while Jiang Cai’Er took photos.

Jiang Cai’Er actually took many pictures that night, including some of her riding the Elephant and petting the tigers, but she didn’t post any of them on social media. At her current Realm of Cultivation, she was past the stage of seeking validation. She took photos purely for the memories.

Afterward, Li Xiang returned home and did an hour of Cultivation before going to bed.

In the huge house, there were only him and his grandmother—one living upstairs, the other downstairs. It felt a little empty. He looked forward to the day Jiang Cai’Er officially became part of the family, and to having several children with her.

When he checked his phone, he saw he had already received many well-wishing messages for the new year.