Exiled!? Ha! I have An Infinite Space-Chapter 58 -

"Ding! Ding!"

A faint blue light flashed in front of me.

[ New mission activated ]

[ New task: Help her ]

I raised my brows slightly. "Help who?"

The screen flickered.

[ That information has been hidden from the host. You are to identify who you must help and assist her accordingly. ]

I stared at it.

"This is absurd. How am I supposed to help someone when I do not even know who the person is? System, you have to be joking."

The screen blinked calmly.

[ Dear host, after you complete the mission, rewards will follow. ]

[ Good luck. ]

And just like that, it disappeared.

I remained sitting there for a moment, staring at the empty air before sighing deeply.

How exactly am I supposed to help someone when all I know is that the person is female?

"Stepmother, Grandma is calling. She said it is time for dinner."

Fu Jin suddenly appeared beside me. I turned and smiled at him.

"Hmm, I am coming."

He nodded happily and ran back outside.

Tomorrow we would leave this cabin and continue our journey to the barren lands. With travel ahead of us, how was I even going to complete this mission?

I sighed again and slowly followed the small path outside, walking behind little Fu Jin until we reached the open space.

Everyone had formed small circles around warm fires. The sight was peaceful and lively. The guards were distributing food for the night, their usual dry buns, but our family would definitely eat better than that.

I walked toward our circle.

Fu Fei and Madame Fu were busy roasting the meat that Fu Sheng and I had gathered the day before. Fu Tong and Fu Teng were helping Master Fu adjust the bandage on his leg. Earlier that day, they had asked me to teach them how to wrap it properly so they would not trouble me repeatedly.

"Sister-in-law is here," Fu Tong announced with a wide smile.

Everyone turned toward me, and smiles immediately appeared on their faces.

Fu Sheng was bringing more firewood. He placed it down and dusted his hands. His eyes briefly flashed in my direction before he turned and went inside without saying a word.

I pouted slightly.

What is wrong with my husband? Did I upset him or something?

That was what I thought.

A few seconds later, he came back out, holding a small blanket in his hands.

Before I could even turn fully to look at him, I felt something warm wrap gently around my shoulders.

He had draped the blanket over me.

I blinked in surprise as the blanket settled around my shoulders.

It was still warm.

I slowly turned to look at him.

Fu Sheng avoided my eyes at first. He adjusted the edge of the blanket carefully, making sure it covered me properly before stepping back as though nothing special had just happened.

"It gets cold at night," he said calmly. "Your body is still weak."

Oh.

So that was why he ignored me earlier.

I stared at him for a second, then smiled.

"Thank you, husband."

He cleared his throat lightly and looked away, pretending to focus on the firewood instead.

Fu Tong suddenly grinned. "Brother, when did you become so attentive?"

Fu Teng laughed. "He probably has been like this for a while. We just never noticed."

Fu Sheng shot them both a warning look.

They immediately shut up.

I could not help but laugh softly.

Madame Fu smiled warmly at the sight while turning the roasting meat carefully over the fire.

"Come, sit," she said. "Do not stand too long."

Fu Sheng quietly guided me to sit down near the fire. The warmth spread gently across my skin, easing some of the lingering chill inside me.

The guards were still handing out dry buns in the distance, but the smell of roasted meat around our circle was much better.

Fu Fei handed me a small piece first.

"You should eat more," she said gently.

I nodded and took a small bite.

The food was simple, but at that moment, it tasted comforting.

While we were eating, Master Fu slowly began to speak.

His voice was calm, but firm enough that everyone gradually became quiet. Even the crackling of the fire seemed softer as we listened.

"We are no longer who we used to be," he said steadily. "We are now in exile. Life will not be as it was before."

No one interrupted him.

"All the luxury is gone. The comfort, the servants, the status... those things no longer belong to us."

The words were simple, but they carried weight.

"What we have now," he continued, looking at each of us in turn, "is each other. That is the most important thing."

At those words, I saw Fu Li lower her head again.

The guilt from earlier returned to her face.

She bit her lip slightly, her fingers tightening around the piece of bread in her hand.

Fu Tong noticed first. Without saying anything, he gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

Fu Teng did the same on her other side.

Fu Fei leaned closer and softly squeezed her arm.

It was silent comfort.

The two little boys, however, were not so quiet. Fu Jun and Fu Jin clung to Fu Sheng’s arms, tugging at his sleeves and whispering small things to him, disturbing him like tiny mosquitoes.

Fu Sheng frowned slightly but did not push them away.

Master Fu continued speaking.

"I know little about the barren lands," he admitted honestly. "It is filled with people who have been pushed out by the Emperor. Food will not be easy to grow. Shelter will not come easily. Even protection will be difficult."

The firelight flickered across his face.

"But if we work hard," he said, his voice steady, "we will survive. We will build a home for ourselves there."

Silence followed his words.

Then Fu Sheng nodded firmly.

"Father is right," he said calmly. "We may have lost our past life, but we are not helpless. I will work. We will all work. As long as we stay together, we will manage."

His voice was not loud, but it carried confidence.

"I will not let this family fall," he added.

The boys immediately stopped tugging at him and looked up at their father with bright eyes.

Fu Tong grinned faintly. "Then we will follow Brother."

Fu Teng nodded. "We are not afraid of hard work."

Fu Fei smiled gently. "We will make it work."

Even Fu Li slowly lifted her head, her eyes still red but filled with determination.

"I will not cause trouble again," she said quietly. "I will help."

As I listened to them, something warm settled in my chest.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the camp, the atmosphere was completely different.

Uncle Fu and Aunt Fu were seated in the dark, far away from the warm fires. There was no flame near them, no roasted meat, nothing. Only cold air and long faces.

Grandmother Fu sat beside them, her expression gloomy. The faint light from distant fires barely reached their corner.

Fu Fong lay on a dry mat, still weak from earlier. His face was pale, and he shifted uncomfortably from time to time, clearly still in pain. The younger children had gone to sit closer to Grandfather Fu’s side, where it was warmer.

Fu Jia suddenly spoke, her stomach growling loudly.

"Mother, Father... I am so hungry," she complained, rubbing her belly. "We used to buy whatever we wanted from the market. Why can we not eat already?"

Her voice grew sharper.

"Where is that woman? She should have started cooking by now."

Aunt Fu frowned deeply.

"She caught a terrible cold last night," she said with irritation. "Now she is inside covering herself like she is the first person in the world to fall sick."

Her tone was full of dissatisfaction.

Then she turned to her son.

"Son, I am tired of that wife of yours," she continued coldly. "She is good for nothing."

Fu Fong’s brows tightened slightly. Even in his weak state, he did not look pleased.

"She cannot even prepare a simple meal on time," Aunt Fu went on. "Ever since she entered this family, has she brought us any benefit?"

Grandmother Fu sighed heavily beside them but did not stop her.

Fu Fong slowly pushed himself up a little, wincing from the pain in his body.

"She said she feels dizzy," he muttered. "She has been coughing since morning."

"And?" Aunt Fu snapped. "So what? We are all uncomfortable. Does that mean we stop fulfilling our duties?"

Fu Jia crossed her arms angrily. "I am starving."

The cold wind passed through their corner, making the darkness feel even heavier.

Just then, footsteps approached and all of them turned their heads at the same time.

A young woman walked toward them, wearing a simple brown hanfu. Her hair was neatly tied back, and a bright smile stretched across her face.

"If Young Miss Bai Ming is too sick to cook for her own family," she said sweetly, her voice smooth and pleasant, "then I would not mind lending a hand."

They all froze.

Fu Jia’s eyes widened first.

"Li Manman?"

Aunt Fu blinked in surprise.

It was indeed Li Manman.

She stood there with an almost perfect expression of concern, her hands folded neatly in front of her.

"I happened to pass by," she continued gently, glancing toward the shelter where Bai Ming was resting. "I heard Young Miss Bai Ming caught a cold last night. That must be difficult."

Her tone was soft, but something about her smile did not reach her eyes.

If I cannot rule over Fu sheng’s household then I’ll rule over Fu Fong’s household instead.