**Midsummer Heat**

The scorching summer heat was unbearable.

Though nights weren’t as blistering as the days, they were even more stifling. The men of Xiaowa Village had a habit of taking a few dips in the clear river at the village entrance before bed to cool off.

The women, however, waited until the men had left before washing up.

Of course, there were also the shy ones who had to make do with a basin of water in their own courtyards.

As the village bachelor, Shane Blackwood never missed this golden opportunity. He would hide in the reeds across the river, quietly waiting for the women to arrive.

But tonight, the heavens weren’t on his side. Dark clouds blotted out the moonlight, leaving the land pitch-black.

"Damn it all! Wasted a whole hour soaking for nothing!" Shane cursed under his breath before swimming to the opposite bank and trudging home.

As he passed by a small courtyard, the sound of splashing water suddenly reached his ears from behind the wall.

"This is Sister Apricot Fletcher’s place… Could she be bathing?" A flicker of temptation stirred in Shane.

Sister Apricot was the most famous beauty in the surrounding villages—fair-skinned, stunningly beautiful, with a tall, graceful figure. Her eyes, deep and alluring, could melt a man’s bones with just one glance.

Since marrying into Xiaowa Village, she had become the fantasy of every man in the area.

Though motherhood had softened her curves over the past couple of years, it only made her more irresistible.

That mature, womanly charm was downright lethal to a man like Shane, who had never known the touch of a woman.

The mere thought of Sister Apricot’s beauty made his pulse quicken. Unable to resist, he crept toward the wall, muttering to himself, "Just one look… Just one peek…"

At that very moment, Shane Blackwood suddenly recalled his grandfather's dying words: "Never neglect any act of kindness, no matter how small, nor commit any wrongdoing, no matter how trivial. I don’t expect you to achieve greatness, my boy—just be a good man."

Shane froze mid-climb, his hands gripping the wall. The fiery adrenaline that had fueled his reckless impulse cooled instantly.

**CRACK!** Without warning, a thunderous boom split the sky.

A sinister blue bolt of lightning struck Shane square in the back, sending him tumbling off the wall with a pained yelp.

"Who—who's out there?!" came a sharp, indignant shout from inside the courtyard. It was Sister Apricot Fletcher, mid-bath, her voice laced with fury and embarrassment.

Shane didn’t dare hesitate. Scrambling to his feet, he limped away as fast as his battered body could carry him, not stopping until he’d bolted through his own front door and slammed it shut behind him. Only then did he exhale, his heart still hammering.

"Damn it! Was a little mischief really worth getting struck by lightning?!" He grabbed a bottle of liquor, poured himself a full glass, and downed it in one go.

*Ahhh…* The burn in his throat steadied him, though his body still tingled with residual numbness. Warily, he peeked outside. The air was thick and humid, but there wasn’t a single storm cloud in sight.

That lightning had been downright unnatural.

Then it hit him. "Oh no—my phone!" Frantically, he dug into his pocket.

This phone had cost him a month’s worth of backbreaking herb-gathering in the mountains, plus every saved penny from his frugal lifestyle. Today was its first outing. If that freak lightning strike had fried it, he’d be heartbroken.

Shane Blackwood carefully inspected the item several times before finally breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness it's not broken... Huh? Why has the WeChat icon changed?"

He noticed something odd—a small lightning bolt symbol had mysteriously appeared in the upper-right corner of the WeChat icon.

Curious, he tapped to open the app and immediately spotted a red envelope sent by a stranger.

Even more intriguing was the accompanying message:

*"Great-Grandfather, this is your great-grandson Byron Blackwood, reaching out from the post-apocalyptic world two hundred years in the future. If you receive this, please send some food back via red envelope immediately! It’s urgent—I’m starving to death!"*

"Someone actually calling themselves my descendant!" Shane chuckled, assuming it was just a prank.

But driven by curiosity, he still tapped to open the red envelope.

The next moment, a gleaming diamond—no larger than a soybean—materialized in his palm.

"What the—?! How is this possible?!" Shane gaped at the diamond in his hand, unable to suppress his shock.

It took him a long while to regain his composure. Quickly reopening WeChat, he noticed the lightning bolt symbol had vanished. Instead, a notification read: *"You have claimed Byron Blackwood’s red envelope."*

"Wait… so this diamond was actually sent through a red envelope?" Still stunned, Shane reread the message.

After a brief pause, he attempted to reply, only for the message to fail repeatedly.

After several unsuccessful tries, Shane decided to follow the stranger’s request—he’d send some food first and see what happened.

He headed to the kitchen, grabbed a few plain steamed buns, and tapped the red envelope option. The screen displayed an unusual prompt:

*"Please insert low-value items. Maximum quantity: 10."*

"Interesting!" Shane grabbed a bun—and in the next instant, it appeared inside the digital red envelope, the counter now reading *"1."*

After stuffing all five steamed buns into the red envelope one by one, Shane Blackwood wrote in the message field: "What the hell is going on here?"

He clicked send—the red envelope went through successfully!

However, the recipient didn’t claim it immediately. After waiting for over an hour with no response, Shane Blackwood was so exhausted that he collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep.

He had no idea how long he’d been out, but just as he was deep in slumber, the loud banging of his courtyard gate jolted him awake.

"Who is it?" Shane yelled irritably, eyes still shut.

"It's me! Open up!" came a familiar woman’s voice from outside.

"Sister Apricot?!" Shane jolted upright, rubbed his face roughly, and scrambled out in his slippers.

As he swung the gate open, the pleasant scent of Apricot’s shower gel wafted over him. He grinned and asked, "Oh, Sister Apricot! What brings you here so early in the morning?"

Apricot shot him a fierce glare and marched straight past him into the courtyard, heading for the house without a word.

Shane hurried after her, hastily tidying up the mess as he offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry about the mess—must be embarrassing for you to see. Please, have a seat!"

Ignoring his attempt at hospitality, Apricot turned on him with a cold, furious stare. "Cut the act! Tell me—did you peek at me while I was showering last night?"

"No way!" Shane shook his head so hard it looked like a rattle drum.

Apricot flung a tank top at his face, her cheeks flushed with anger. "This is yours, isn’t it? I found it under my wall. Still denying it?"

Shane grabbed the shirt and his heart sank. *Oh no, this is bad. Like mud stuck in my pants—even if it’s not shit, it sure looks like it.*

Despite his internal panic, he forced a casual grin. "Sister, just because it’s my shirt doesn’t prove anything, right? I was home all night, didn’t step out once. Maybe my damn dog dragged it out—you know how mischievous Buddy is, always running off with stuff..."

"You’re really gonna blame the dog? Fine. Let’s go see the village chief and let him decide who’s telling the truth!" Apricot turned to leave.

"Wait, wait, Sister, don’t be hasty! Let’s talk this through!" Shane panicked, grabbing her arm with an ingratiating smile.

His reputation in the village was already shaky. If this got out, he’d be even more of a pariah.

Especially with the old village chief—that man was strict with him. If he found out about this, he’d probably beat Shane senseless with a stick.