The Lunar New Year lacked any festive atmosphere due to the ban on firecrackers and fireworks.
It wasn't like the childhood years, when every household would set off firecrackers during the New Year.
From New Year's Eve to the morning of the first day, there was almost no stopping.
The constant "ping pong pong" made it quite lively.
The four of them walked around the artificial lake once but saw very few people, so they simply went back.
Wu Youzhi and Wu Aili were already sitting in the living room.
"Mr. Wu, Sister-in-law, Happy New Year! So early."
"Brother Guo, ladies, Happy New Year! We just came a bit earlier to wish Uncle and Aunt a happy new year."
"Haven't you eaten? There are dumplings inside."
"We've eaten. We came after eating."
"There are so few people on the street. We just walked around the artificial lake earlier, and we didn't see many people.
And there are no firecracker sounds, this year feels really dull."
"The authorities are cracking down hard now, aren't they afraid of polluting the air?"
"Alas, it's really boring. Shall we play cards?"
"What are we playing? Mahjong, poker, or Pai Gow?" Wu Youzhi asked.
"Poker. I remember there are poker cards in the room. The groomsmen bought them last time when Brother Hui got married."
As they were talking, Guo Xuhui and Xiao Li also came to wish them a happy new year.
Now it was good, enough for two tables.
However, Guo Yiyang, Ye Zi, and Yu'er couldn't finish, so they had to pull Guo Yiyu over. The six of them played "Zheng Shang You".
This Spring Festival was spent playing poker and chatting.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Wu Youzhi called Jiang Qixin, Lü Liang, Cheng Xiuping, Pi Xiaoqian, Li Minxi, and others.
He told them that Yang Zi was preparing to hold a baby banquet on the fifth day.
Upon receiving the calls, they all rushed to the provincial capital on the fourth day and came to offer their congratulations.
Li Minxi and Su Ran also rushed over.
"Mr. Wu, thank goodness for your timely call. If you hadn't called, I would still be confined.
I haven't been allowed out since I got home. I'm so bored to death." Li Minxi complained to Wu Youzhi as soon as she saw him.
"Xiao Xi, what's going on? Didn't you go out to visit relatives?"
"No. My dad came back at noon on the first day and interrogated me thoroughly. He absolutely forbade me from going out.
Ranran came to call me, but it was no use. If Mr. Wu hadn't called and said that Elena's child was having a baby banquet, I wouldn't have been able to get out."
"How did saying there was a baby banquet allow you to come out?"
"I said my sister is a foreigner, and she has no relatives here, so it wouldn't be right if I didn't go. My mother softened her heart and let me out."
"So you have to go back after you're done?"
"I'm not going back anytime soon. I can't stand that torture. It's so boring to be at home every day."
"It will be lively tomorrow. We have nowhere to go these few days.
We either watch TV or play cards. There's nothing fun to do on the street either," said Guo Yiyang.
On the fifth day, a lively baby banquet was held.
This time, there were many guests, more than when Guo Xuhui got married.
Most of them were employees from hotels, guesthouses, jade stores, and 4S shops, as well as managers and assistant managers from real estate companies.
Xu Liping and others from Shanghai also rushed over to congratulate them.
Everyone who saw little Guo Yishun said she was beautiful and resembled Guo Xu Yang.
In reality, the baby combined the advantages of both parents, and being mixed-race, she was more pleasing to the eye than ordinary babies.
On the morning of the sixth day, Guo Xu Yang, along with Yu'er and Ye Zi, went to the capital with Jiang Qixin.
They were notified that they would depart on the eighth day to carry out a space scavenging mission.
They had to reach the capital to rendezvous with the team and then board a spaceship at the satellite launch base to enter outer space for the mission.
To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, Guo Xu Yang left a clone in the capital. He also disguised himself and arranged for himself to work as a clerk in a treasure pavilion.
He specifically made arrangements for Xiao Yun, including the use of funds, the operation of the store, and the cutting and selling of rough stones.
At the same time, he arranged for a clone to work in a real estate company's sales office.
This was because he would be exploring different fields with Xin Dali and others and facing unknown dangers.
On the eighth day, the spaceship successfully launched. Guo Xu Yang, along with Xin Dali, Zhang Li, and Xu Dahai, headed into outer space.
The outside was not as beautiful as it looked on Earth; it was full of meteorites and darkness.
Upon arriving in outer space, Guo Xu Yang felt as if he had leaped out of a cage. He felt incredibly familiar and close to everything outside.
"Captain, look quickly," Zhang Li shouted, pointing forward.
A golden spherical object was floating not far away.
"This should be the satellite we need to retrieve. Yang Zi, you're responsible for bringing this thing in. Dahai, you're in charge of vigilance.
After bringing the thing in, put it in the hazardous materials room first, and after confirming it's not dangerous, then store it," Xin Dali instructed.
Guo Xu Yang glanced at Xin Dali, knowing it was not the time to hide his abilities.
He directly released his senses, confirmed it was a harmless golden sphere, and then collected it into his mind. After transferring it, he placed it in the hazardous materials room.
Xu Dahai sent people in to conduct a comprehensive test of the golden sphere.
After confirming it was not dangerous, they arranged for people to cut it and then stored it in a specialized safe.
The first stop was a success, and everyone was very happy.
This golden sphere weighed three tons, which could be considered a highly profitable venture.
No wonder the higher-ups would restart this space scavenging project.
For three consecutive days, the spaceship flew automatically, and no valuable items were found.
Guo Xu Yang released all his senses and searched the surrounding area. He discovered a large abandoned spacecraft about 300,000 kilometers away from the spaceship, which contained some valuable items.
However, he couldn't expose his full strength and could only let the spaceship fly automatically and search for valuable items in the vicinity.
Seeing that the spaceship had been searching for valuable items for a long time without success, all the team members became listless.
Apart from a few members maintaining vigilance and taking shifts, the other members entered a state of despondency, with some sleeping and others playing cards.
Guo Xu Yang didn't dare to relax at all. He kept releasing his senses, fearing that unknown objects might suddenly attack them.
Three more days passed. As the spaceship got closer and closer to the abandoned spacecraft, he suddenly discovered that unknown objects were also approaching the abandoned spacecraft.
It was a type of aircraft, piloted by creatures that resembled ants.
He looked up and saw that there were many ant-like creatures inside the aircraft.
In the rearmost cabin, there was an existence that resembled an ant queen, constantly laying eggs.
"Captain, tell people to be on alert," Guo Xu Yang shouted to Xin Dali.
Xin Dali was looking ahead and didn't understand why Guo Xu Yang said that.
Of course, he knew Guo Xu Yang wouldn't say that for no reason, so he immediately ordered everyone to be on alert and enter combat readiness.
"What's going on?" Xin Dali leaned over to Guo Xu Yang and asked softly.
"There's an unidentified flying object ahead. It looks like an alien species' spaceship," Guo Xu Yang pointed in a certain direction.
The direction he pointed was in the blind spot of the spaceship, and the automatic scanning system had not detected it.
Xin Dali gave him a confused look, didn't ask any further questions, but turned around to instruct Xu Dahai and the others to take their positions and guard against enemy attacks.