By the time Qiao Xin and Lin Qing returned to the village, dusk was already setting in. As the weather was still sweltering, many villagers were lingering at the entrance of the village to catch the evening breeze. Neither of them wanted to invite unnecessary attention, so they took the small path Lin Qing usually traveled, skirting around the village to head straight home.
This was Qiao Xin’s first time truly seeing their home. The small courtyard was kept impeccably clean by Lin Qing. In the center sat the stone table and stools she had seen in her dreams; near the foot of the hill stood a well with a wooden bucket resting beside it. To the right was a simple thatched shed where firewood was stacked neatly. The main house consisted of two adobe rooms, with a long strip of air-dried meat hanging under the eaves. The entire courtyard was enclosed by a brushwood fence, with a few logs lashed together serving as the gate.
As Qiao Xin surveyed the yard, Lin Qing unhitched the mule to let it rest. Seeing the fading light and ensuring they were alone, Qiao Xin waved her hand, spirit-shifting the mule into her spatial dimension so it could feast on the lush grass inside.
The mule looked stunned by its sudden change of scenery, but the sweet, crisp aroma of the air compelled it to immediately bow its head and start grazing.
The items from the cart had already been tucked away into the dimension. Lin Qing took her hand and led her inside, explaining as they went, “That room used to be my godfather’s; it’s mostly used for storage now. This one is where I sleep.”
The room was furnished sparsely: a bed, a low end-table at the head, a long bench against the wall, and a large wooden chest for clothes. Lin Qing walked to the bed and began rolling up the bedding to set it on the bench. Curious about his intentions, Qiao Xin followed him. “Ah Qing, are you changing the bedding?”
Without pausing, Lin Qing pried up the wooden bed boards and replied, “Before you arrived, I had hoarded over two thousand catties of grain. I had nowhere to put it, so I dug a cellar right here under the house. Now that you have your space, it’ll be much safer and fresher stored inside there.”
Once the boards were lifted, Qiao Xin saw a wooden hatch in the floor, its edges looking quite new. Lin Qing lifted it to reveal a passageway. Qiao Xin followed him down; the space wasn’t large, but the floor was lined with a tarp, and lime powder was scattered about to keep the dampness at bay. Sacks of grain were stacked neatly, flanked by two rows of earthen jars, and on the other side sat piles of various dried and cured meats reaching half a meter high.
Seeing Qiao Xin eyeing the jars, Lin Qing chuckled softly. “We’ve had a drought here for two years. Vegetables are hard to come by, and even when you find them, they don’t keep well. As for fruits, ordinary folks never even see them. Two of these jars are filled with refined salt, and the others contain various pickles and fermented vegetables. I prepared these ahead of time, secretly hoping you might come here.”
Qiao Xin felt a pang of heartache for this boy, only fourteen years old. He had only heard a faint voice—unable to be certain if she would ever truly manifest—yet he had spared no effort in his preparations. In times of famine, gathering so much food was no small feat.
She waved her hand, moving the entire stockpile into her dimension. Turning back, she embraced Lin Qing, her voice thick with emotion. “Ah Qing, thank you. From now on, we will never be apart again.”
Lin Qing hugged her back tightly, letting out a soft, low “Mn.” In his heart, he vowed to grow strong so that he would never again allow the tragedies of the past to repeat themselves.
They climbed out of the cellar and replaced the bed boards. Qiao Xin took Lin Qing’s hand, and in a blink, they were both inside the spatial dimension.
Perhaps it wasn’t just their imagination, but after only a few breaths, both felt an immense sense of relief and comfort. The exhaustion from their day out vanished. Looking toward the fields, they were stunned to see that all the crops had grown to half a person’s height.
“This… how have these crops grown so fast?”
“I haven’t even finished the transplanting yet. Is it too late now?”
They stood there, staring dumbfoundedly at the fields, speaking in hushed tones.
Qiao Xin knew the dimension made things grow faster, but this was only a day and a night—the growth rate was staggering. She shook her head; worrying wouldn’t change the facts. First things first: there is nothing more important than a good meal.
She led Lin Qing to the table. While they had eaten plain rice at the restaurant for lunch, for dinner, she prepared two bowls of Youpo (hot oil splashed) noodles, a side of cold-dressed vegetables, and a dish of cold-dressed meat. Lin Qing had always been fond of wheat foods, but since arriving here, he had rarely had a proper meal. Seeing the steaming noodles, he forgot everything else, his eyes lighting up as he stared at the bowl.
The noodles were perfectly fresh. Lin Qing stirred them a few times with his chopsticks and eagerly shoveled a mouthful into his mouth. After a few ravenous bites, he mumbled, “This is so delicious. Xinxin, you truly understand me.”
Qiao Xin ate her own bowl of noodles, grinning. “Well, of course!” After more than thirty years together, they knew each other so well that even during their old parlor games, they could never guess wrong.
After the meal, they felt physically and mentally refreshed. They lounged on the stools for a while, sipping on cold sodas. Feeling energized, Lin Qing stood up to inspect the crops, and Qiao Xin followed close behind.
The wheat and corn were thriving, looking as though they were nearing the heading stage. The rice, which Qiao Xin had scattered haphazardly across the field, was growing surprisingly well despite the fact that it had long missed the traditional transplanting season. Oh well, she thought, let’s just treat this as an experiment and see if this method affects the final yield.
The sweet potato and potato vines were already lush and sprawling. It seemed the tubers had begun to form beneath the soil, so there was no point in moving them now; she would just let them be. Climbing plants like cucumbers and string beans were carpeting the ground, already heavy with fruit that would be ready to harvest any day.
The various chili pepper bushes were now as tall as Lin Qing’s knees. The lower layer of peppers was already a finger’s length long, and the plants were blanketed in small, competing white blossoms. The eggplants were as large as fists, while winter melons, pumpkins, and zucchinis had engaged in a chaotic, tangled battle for territory.
The cauliflower and broccoli leaves stood tall and proud, with the heads in the center already the size of a human palm.
In the patch dedicated to watermelons, muskmelons, and cantaloupes, the vines were so tightly braided together that Lin Qing could no longer tell which leaves belonged to which plant. The foliage was incredibly thick and lush. He carefully parted the leaves in several spots to find melons already the size of fists—the watermelons slightly larger. Concerned that the dense leaves would stifle their growth, Lin Qing began slowly uncovering each melon to give them a bit of sunlight. Qiao Xin joined in, and the two spent nearly an hour working their way through the melon patch.
Looking off into the distance, they saw the orchard, where the fruit appeared to be ripe. But first, they checked the strawberry patch. Have you ever seen a strawberry the size of a child’s palm? There they were, several already flushed a deep, vibrant red. Qiao Xin plucked one and took a bite; her eyes instantly lit up. It was simply divine—the best strawberry she had ever tasted, a perfect balance of sweetness with a delicate hint of tartness.
“Ah Qing, you have to try one. They are truly delicious.”
Lin Qing took a bite. Even as someone who rarely cared for fruit, he was instantly won over by the flavor.
Finally, they reached the fruit trees. To their delight, many of the fruits were fully ripe. The dimension seemed to exist outside of seasons and geography; cherries, peaches, plums, mangoes, oranges, lychees, longans, durians, and more were all ready for picking. They had quite a job ahead of them.
There were also various greens planted in the gaps—water spinach, lettuce, spinach, and the like—all ready to be harvested.
With a flick of her hand, Qiao Xin conjured dozens of baskets of various sizes. Each grabbed one and began picking. They started with the cherries, finally achieving “cherry freedom.” They were like mice in a grain silo—picking with one hand and stuffing their mouths with the other, occasionally pausing to share the largest ones they found.
The fruit in the dimension was far superior to anything from the outside world. They both suspected that after this, they would lose their taste for the fruit they had hoarded earlier.
Fortunately, they had only planted two or three trees of each variety; otherwise, they would have exhausted themselves trying to finish. They worked for over four hours, yet they had only managed to clear half the orchard. Every tree was laden with heavy branches, and though they were tired, they were profoundly happy.
“Ah Qing, let’s stop here for today and finish the rest tomorrow,” Qiao Xin said. “Do you want to rest here in the dimension, or head back out?”
Lin Qing thought for a moment. “Let’s go back out. The dimension has no cycle of day and night, and it might mess with our internal clocks. Besides, we can’t stay here forever. What do you think, Xinxin?”
“Alright, I’ll listen to you.”