Learning to play games, a 40-year-old woman achieves a remarkable turnaround.

Chapter 385 A Precious Vacation

The dreamlike journey through Crystal Forest was like the purest spring water, completely washing away the fatigue and tension that had accumulated deep within Yuan Bao's soul.

When Ariel reluctantly reopened the Spirit Spring Water Path and sent her back to her bedroom in the real world, Yuan Bao did not feel any spatial dislocation or discomfort. Instead, he felt a sense of groundedness, as if he had lightly descended from the clouds back to the earth.

She stood in the familiar room, the city lights already twinkling outside the window.

From the living room came the sounds of Yuan Ma preparing dinner, Lin Qing gently coaxing Xiao Zhi, and the soft rustling of the eldest brother turning the pages of a medical book.

The air was filled with the aroma of home-cooked meals—simple, warm, and with a down-to-earth feel.

Deep inside the drawer, the fragment of the crystal song that carried the small echo seemed to sense Yuan Bao's return, emitting an extremely soft and peaceful halo, like a silent greeting.

Yuan Bao gently stroked the potted green ivy on the windowsill—at this moment, it was not only the medium connecting reality and the Crystal Song Forest, but also carried the memories of a dreamlike journey.

She took a deep breath, imprinting the breathtaking beauty and vibrant life of Crystal Forest deep into her heart, transforming it into a warm source of strength.

Then, she made a decision.

“Little 9,” she whispered in her mind, her voice relaxed like never before, “In addition to basic protective warnings, suspend all active scanning and tracking simulation missions. Lower the alert level to ‘silent watch’.”

"Received, Master." Xiao 9's voice seemed much gentler. "Instructions updated. 'Breath of Purification - Guardian Domain' is running continuously, and the anchor point sniffing algorithm is in silent standby. We suggest you perform a deep mental recovery."

A genuinely relaxed smile appeared on Yuan Bao's face.

Yes, she needs to rest.

It's not a respite between battles, but a true vacation where all burdens are laid down.

For my own sake, and so that I can be in a better state to protect everything that has come so hard.

In the following days, the Yuan family courtyard was filled with a long-lost relaxed atmosphere.

Yuan Bao is no longer the daughter/sister who always locked herself in her room, with a solemn expression and a hurried demeanor.

early morning:

She stopped meditating and deducing the mysteries of space, changed into light clothes, and followed Aunt Yuan to the nearby morning market.

She watched with great interest as Yuan's mother bargained with the vendor, learned to identify fresh vegetables and fruits, and even clumsily tried to pick a lively fish at Yuan's mother's urging, only to get splashed with water, causing the mother and daughter to burst into laughter.

Sunlight streamed into the bustling market, filling it with vibrant life. Yuan Bao's keen spatial awareness remained intact, but what he received now was no longer the cold fluctuations of space, but rather the clamor of voices, the aroma of food, the colorful fruits and vegetables... a real and heartwarming atmosphere of everyday life.

Only when passing by a corner piled with scrap metal did her "Sensing Emptiness" realm detect a trace of extremely faint, inert, almost dissipated "Dark Erosion Spore" remnant (possibly a tiny fragment from a previous anchor point deployment). She simply slowed her pace imperceptibly, and a wisp of "Pure Breath," finer than a hair, quietly brushed past, silently annihilating it, as if dusting off a speck of dust.

This is simply the guardian's instinct to integrate into daily life.

morning:

Instead of studying dimensional traps, she moved a small stool to the yard and patiently repotted, loosened the soil, and pruned the leaves of the pothos plant that had done so much work.

The warm sunshine on my back, the scent of earth mixed with the freshness of plants, made me feel relaxed and happy.

Xiao Zhi wobbled over and squatted down curiously to watch, his chubby hands covered in mud.

Yuan Bao wasn't annoyed. He smiled and wiped Yuan Bao's hands with a wet towel, and even taught him how to spray water on the leaves with a small spray bottle.

The little guy giggled, and the water droplets refracted into tiny rainbows in the sunlight.

Lin Qing sat on the veranda not far away, knitting a sweater, watching this scene with a gentle smile on her face.

in the afternoon:

Instead of analyzing the bronze compass model, she pulled out a dusty drawing board.

Without using any mental power to simulate the wonders of Crystal Song Forest, I simply relied on memory and intuition, clumsily painting with the most ordinary pencils and watercolors.

The painting depicts his own courtyard: a lush grape trellis, roses blooming in the corner, and a potted green ivy basking in the sunlight on the windowsill.

The brushstrokes may be immature, and the colors may not be precise enough, but the tranquil and peaceful mood truly flows on the paper.

The eldest brother, Yuan Baoguo, happened to pass by, stopped to look for a while, and unusually refrained from commenting on the medical skills or herbs. He simply said gently, "The painting is quite lifelike, much better than reading those profound books."

evening:

She even allowed Ash to play with her childish track racing game.

The little guy excitedly gave instructions, and Yuan Bao cooperated by making the toy car flip over and crash into the wall, which made Xiao Zhi laugh out loud.

Looking at the child's pure smile and listening to his carefree shouts, the corner of her heart that had been occupied by battles and conspiracies was gradually soothed and filled by this ordinary joy.

night:

The family set up a small table in the yard and enjoyed Yuan Ma's specialty barbecue.

The charcoal crackled, the meat skewers sizzled and dripped with oil, and the aroma filled the air.

Yuan Bao relaxed in his recliner, holding a string of charred mushrooms in his hand, watching his family sit around chatting and laughing.

Aunt Yuan was still talking about which family's daughter was nice, telling Yuan Bao not to stay so quiet; the eldest brother and Lin Qing were discussing interesting things at the clinic; Xiao Zhi was eating a roasted corn, his face covered in corn jelly.

She occasionally chimed in with a few words, a genuine, relaxed smile on her face.

The night sky was dotted with stars, and the evening breeze carried the coolness of summer, dispelling the daytime heat and the last lingering gloom in Yuan Bao's heart.

The jade pendant around her neck, a gift from her elder brother, gleamed warmly under the starlight, faithfully fulfilling its protective duty.

She did not use any more mental energy to scan the urban space, nor did she try to predict the next possible move of "Shadow of Time Gap".

The small echo fragments in the drawer also fell into a deeper restorative slumber, with only an extremely faint and steady halo indicating their existence.

"Breath of Purification - Guardian Domain" is like the gentlest breath, silently enveloping the courtyard, filtering the space, and protecting this tranquility.

Little 9 faithfully carried out its task of silent vigilance, only activating the lowest-power mental nourishment program when Yuan Bao completely relaxed and drifted off to sleep.

True rest is not about escaping, but about recharging.

Yuan Bao completely immersed herself in this ordinary yet precious daily life, allowing her tense nerves to relax and her overdrawn mental energy to slowly recover and be replenished in the warmth of family affection and the trivialities of life.

She knew the storm might come again; the shadow of the "Shadow of the Time Gap" had not truly dissipated.

The fragments in the drawer are clues, but also a responsibility; the allies of Crystal Forest need to be watched over; the real homeland needs to be protected.

But at this moment, she allowed herself to temporarily set aside the burden of being a soldier and simply be the daughter of the Yuan family, Lin Qing's wife, Xiao Zhi's mother, and an ordinary person enjoying a simple life.

The pothos on the windowsill stretched its branches and leaves in the night, a tiny drop of night dew gathered at the tip of a leaf, sparkling under the starlight, like a drop of morning dew left in the Crystal Song Forest, and also like Yuan Bao's calm and content state of mind at this moment.

This short but precious vacation was a respite she earned for herself, and also a chance to build up stronger resilience in the face of potential future storms.

She fell asleep peacefully, a relaxed smile on her lips.

Tomorrow may be another ordinary yet heartwarming day.