Completely drained from the relentless diarrhea, Li Xiyue lay sprawled weakly across the bed like a wilted vegetable. After a long moment, she suddenly slapped her forehead.
“Has my brain short-circuited or something? My space literally contains every medicine imaginable!”
After firmly shutting the bedroom door, she flashed into her pocket dimension—and instantly froze in utter shock at the sight before her.
The space had expanded by more than tenfold.
Not far away stood an enormous, unknown tree towering proudly toward the heavens. Beneath it lay a lake spanning roughly one to two acres, its surface shimmering with rippling waves beneath a gentle breeze.
Wait.
There’s a wind?
She hurried to the lakeside, allowing the cool breeze to brush across her face.
This space truly was miraculous. Whoever had created such a place… what kind of immortal deity must they have been?
While lost in thought, she suddenly noticed movement beneath the water’s surface.
Did I imagine that?
With a shift of her consciousness, several dark shapes suddenly leapt out of the lake.
Walking closer, she stared in astonishment.
Fish?!
There were actually living creatures inside the space now?
Then again, considering how drastically the environment had transformed, perhaps living animals were not all that surprising anymore.
At the beginning, the entire dimension had only been the size of a soccer field. Now it stretched endlessly beyond sight, and for the first time, living beings other than herself had appeared within it.
But what exactly had triggered these changes?
No matter how much she pondered it, she could not figure it out.
The only unusual thing that had happened recently…
Wait.
Saving someone?
The last time the space expanded was after she rescued that little boy in the shopping mall during her previous life.
Could it be…
Did the space evolve whenever she performed good deeds?
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
What an unexpected blessing.
Suddenly remembering she had entered the space to look for anti-diarrheal medicine, she nearly laughed at herself. In her excitement, she had completely forgotten the original purpose.
She swallowed two pills herself, then crushed another two into powder and mixed them into water for Zhu Qinghe.
Zhu Qinghe was practically dying from the diarrhea, yet when Li Xiyue asked whether she would still eat hotpot in the future, the girl nodded without hesitation.
Truly the embodiment of sacrificing the intestines for the appetite.
…
Several days later, all the flowers, plants, and fruit trees they had planted successfully took root and survived.
Just as the two women sat in the courtyard happily imagining the future abundance of blossoms and fruit, Shen Zhengming arrived at the gate.
“Sister-in-law,” he announced, “according to Deng Li’s confession, over the past decade or so, he embezzled a total of 1,823 taels of silver from Li Family Fragrance Shop. Most of it has already been spent. After selling his house and possessions, the yamen only managed to recover eight hundred taels. I’ve converted everything into silver notes for you.”
He pulled out a thick stack of banknotes from his robes and handed them over.
After glancing through them, Li Xiyue immediately pulled out a fifty-tael note and stuffed it back into Shen Zhengming’s hands.
“Sister-in-law, what are you doing?”
“That day, you and your brothers helped us tremendously. Take this and treat everyone to food and wine. Consider it my thanks.”
Shen Zhengming scratched his head awkwardly.
“Then… I’ll thank Sister-in-law on behalf of my brothers.”
“Why be so polite? Stay for dinner while you’re here.”
“That sounds wonderful! Thank you, Sister-in-law!”
Clearly, he had been waiting specifically for those words.
…
The fish from yesterday had already been eaten, but there was still a large slab of pork ribs and a set of pig intestines remaining.
At this time period, pig intestines were not especially popular. Cleaning them was troublesome, and the smell was unpleasant.
Li Xiyue repeatedly scrubbed the intestines with flour and salt before rinsing them thoroughly with strong liquor.
While blanching the ribs and intestines, she prepared the side ingredients.
Scallions, ginger, garlic, dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and hotpot base were all arranged neatly. Potatoes and cucumbers were sliced into strips, green and red peppers cut into sections, while mushrooms and wood ear fungus soaked until fully expanded.
Unfortunately, she could not secretly take onions from the space.
Shen Zhengming was nowhere near as easy to fool as Qinghe.
Looks like I’ll need to find an excuse to plant some onions soon…
The blanched intestines were chopped into pieces, while the ribs, potatoes, and cucumbers were fried until golden brown.
Oil sizzled in the wok as she added doubanjiang, scallions, ginger, and garlic. After stir-frying the cooked intestines over high heat for a minute, she added the ribs, followed by mushrooms, wood ear fungus, potatoes, cucumbers, and peppers.
Once everything absorbed the rich flavors, she sprinkled sesame seeds and cilantro over the dish before transferring it into a pot to simmer slowly atop a small charcoal stove.
Shen Zhengming gave the meal extraordinary respect.
He even mixed the leftover oil at the bottom of the pot into his rice and cleaned the dish spotless.
Zhu Qinghe watched the scene with utter disbelief.
Completely impossible to look at directly…
…
After the meal, Zhu Qinghe thoughtfully left the courtyard to give the clingy young couple some privacy, carrying Doudou along with her to weed the vegetable garden.
Time drifted leisurely onward.
In the blink of an eye, nearly two months had passed.
By their calculations, Zhu Qingshan should be returning soon.
The tomato vines now sagged heavily beneath clusters of large and small fruits. In another ten days or so, they would finally be ripe enough to harvest.
The water spinach and chives had already been cut multiple times. There was more than enough to eat, and they had even sent several batches to Aunt Chen’s household.
The various chrysanthemums bloomed in dazzling splendor, while the climbing roses completely covered the courtyard fence in vibrant color.
The mountains experienced all four seasons distinctly, unlike the province Li Xiyue had once lived in, where spring and autumn practically did not exist.
There, before autumn clothes could even be worn, winter jackets were already necessary.
She liked this weather very much.
One day, she brought Zhu Qinghe up the mountain and returned with an entire basket of chestnuts, along with large quantities of wild grapes and kiwis.
Next time, she planned to drag Zhu Qingshan along and gather even more grapes to brew wine.
A small cup every night would supposedly improve one’s complexion and beauty.
…
When they returned home, Zhu Qingmu was squatting outside the gate playing with Doudou.
The moment he saw them, he grinned broadly.
“Sister-in-law, Qinghe, come eat at my house later tonight! Hua’er’s family is visiting today.”
“Oh? Wonderful! Qinghe and I will help inspect your future bride for you.”
Zhu Qingmu immediately blushed bright red.
Tian Hua’er had been personally selected by Aunt Chen after extensive searching as the ideal candidate for her eldest son’s wife.
She was originally from the county town, and her family operated a small general goods shop. She also had a younger brother.
At first, Tian Hua’er was entirely unwilling.
No matter what, she considered herself a city girl. How could some mountain villager possibly deserve her?
However, her mother persuaded her otherwise.
“Qingmu’s cousin is an escort agency head, and his younger female cousin is about to marry a county constable. Once you become family, won’t you naturally benefit from those connections? Besides, Qingmu apprenticed under a master chef at a restaurant. He’ll certainly settle down in the county eventually.”
Only after hearing that did Tian Hua’er reluctantly agree.
Still, despite mentally preparing herself, after walking two exhausting hours through mountain roads to reach the Zhu household, her resentment exploded the instant she saw Li Xiyue and Zhu Qinghe.
Why could they marry an escort leader and a constable…
while she had to marry a poor kitchen apprentice with nothing?
As a result, the entire meal passed tastelessly.
Anyone with eyes could tell Tian Hua’er was in a terrible mood.
The enthusiasm burning within Zhu Qingmu instantly felt like it had been doused with cold water.
…
After the guests departed, Aunt Chen regretted things so deeply that she slapped herself hard across the face.
“Wooden boy, it’s all Mother’s fault for misjudging her character.”
Before this, Tian Hua’er had appeared graceful and generous. Who could have expected such petty jealousy beneath the surface?
Unfortunately, the engagement documents had already been exchanged.
Unless something major happened, the marriage could not be canceled.
Zhu Qingmu remained silent for a long time.
If Tian Hua’er truly disliked him…
he would never force her.
…
Meanwhile, back at Tian Hua’er’s home, she was also being scolded fiercely by her mother.
“How many times have I told you? Never let your emotions show directly on your face! If you behave like this after marriage, how will your husband ever cherish you?”
“He can dislike me all he wants! It’s not like I’m begging him to love me!”
Furious, Tian Hua’er stormed out.
Her mother nearly died of anger.
“If you keep running around like this, forget about getting that new dress I promised you!”
Unfortunately, Tian Hua’er had already disappeared.
…
Inside a ruined temple, two figures clung tightly together like intertwined vines.
“Brother Changsheng, what am I supposed to do?” Tian Hua’er sobbed. “That Zhu Qingmu is poor and ugly, yet my mother insists I marry him. If things truly become unbearable… then I’ll shave my head and become a nun instead…”
“My dear Hua’er, just wait a little longer,” the man whispered urgently. “I’ll definitely convince my mother to let us marry. I won’t allow you to wed another man.”
“Brother Changsheng… you must keep your promise.”
“I will… I swear it…”
Gradually, neither spoke again.
A lonely man and woman, burning with desire, hidden within an abandoned temple…
Before long, unmistakable sounds began echoing softly from within the ruined halls…