Xu’s mother was a full-time housewife. With her helping to look after the child, Wen Li had a very easy time at her in-laws’ home.
After the meal and washing the dishes, Wen Li returned to her room to write a letter.
She was going to follow Xu Zhouye to the army and needed to let him know in advance.
If the timing worked out and he could go to the train station to pick up her and the child, that would be perfect.
This was the first time Wen Li had ever taken the initiative to write to Xu Zhouye. In the past, she only wrote back after his letters arrived at home.
She felt guilty.
If Xu Zhouye hadn’t worked so hard to protect their marriage, who knew what it might have become.
Perhaps they would have shared a bed but dreamed different dreams.
Or perhaps they would have treated each other with icy politeness.
Either way, the outlook wouldn’t have been good.
Xu Zhouye had already taken so many steps toward her—she would not retreat anymore!
After finishing the letter, Xu’s mother said she would take Qingqing out to play and mail the letter for Wen Li along the way.
“I’ll take Qingqing to the shops, buy him a new set of clothes and a new pair of shoes, and get him some snacks he likes. Once you get to the base, supplies won’t be as abundant as in the provincial capital. Qingqing will have to suffer a bit following you.”
She said this, but Xu’s mother had already decided that she would send Qingqing a package every month from then on.
He was the only child in the family. Any good things they had, Xu’s mother wanted to save them all for him.
Winter in the southwest was very cold. Even when the sun was high in the sky, the chill still seeped into one’s bones.
The little boy was bundled up in a thick cotton coat and wore a woolen hat. Round and chubby, he looked just like a little penguin.
Adorable beyond words!
Wen Li reminded him, “Listen to Grandma and don’t run around.”
Qingqing nodded hard. “Won’t run!”
Then he added, “Buy candy… for Mommy~”
Wen Li’s heart melted into a puddle.
She squeezed his little hand—it was warm—but still put gloves on him.
If he got frostbite, it would be very uncomfortable.
She had suffered from it herself before. When the weather warmed up, it would itch terribly.
She didn’t want her child to experience that kind of misery.
With the letter in hand and Qingqing on her back, Xu’s mother went out.
Xu’s father was busy with work and hadn’t come home for lunch. At the moment, Wen Li was the only one left in the house.
After closing the door, she hurriedly took out the jade pendant.
If she hadn’t died once already, she would never have known that something given by a stranger could hide such a huge secret.
She pricked her fingertip and let a drop of blood fall onto it.
Wen Li stared intently at the jade pendant, her heart pounding wildly, so nervous that her breathing became uneven.
A flash of white light appeared.
Wen Li let out a startled cry and was pulled into the space.
Overcome by the fear of the unknown, Wen Li had only one thought in her mind—she needed to get out!
She had a child, and she had Xu Zhouye.
She couldn’t let them be unable to find her!
The thought flashed through her mind, and she was instantly back in the room.
Seeing the familiar surroundings, the heart that had leapt to her throat slowly settled back down.
She tried silently thinking: Enter.
Her vision blurred, and she was back inside the space.
Wen Li went back and forth several times, confirming that she could choose to enter or leave the space using only her consciousness.
Joy surged through her.
This thing was incredible!
She couldn’t wait to see what was inside.
In front of her were several warehouses. Around them were open plots of land planted with all kinds of vegetables and fruits.
Tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage…
Strawberries, apples, citrus fruits…
There were so many varieties that Wen Li’s eyes spun.
Many of them she didn’t even recognize!
The temperature inside the space was perfect, and everything planted there was thriving.
A few chickens were free-ranging on the open ground, and beside them was a pond—there were probably fish in it.
Just these things alone felt like a gift fallen straight from the heavens.
But when she went into the warehouses, she found even more!
Inside were rows and rows of shelves, all filled to the brim.
Wen Li looked carefully—everything was daily necessities.
There were ready-made clothes and shoes, as well as uncut bolts of cotton fabric.
The clothes and shoes were all in Wen Li’s size, with beautiful styles and rich colors. She tried on several sets and liked every one of them.
Besides clothing, there were also several quilts.
Thin ones and thick ones—everything!
She touched them with her hand. She didn’t know what material they were made from, but they were soft and fluffy.
It was obvious they would be extremely comfortable to sleep under.
Wen Li felt like a country bumpkin, amazed by everything she saw.
On the other side, she found tissues, sanitary pads, skincare products, soap, laundry detergent, shampoo, body wash…
Many of these things she had never used before, so she carefully read the instructions on the packaging.
Without exception, they were all high-quality items.
And the quantities were enormous—enough to last for decades.
Besides that, Wen Li also found a first-aid kit.
Inside were medicines and bandages for treating wounds.
Another treasure!
After finishing one warehouse, she moved on to the second.
It stored grain, oil, salt, and various seasonings.
There were many kinds of grain, with rice and white flour making up the majority.
The rest were coarse grains and all kinds of beans, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, potatoes…
The last warehouse contained meat, eggs, milk, brown sugar, white sugar, and all kinds of ready-to-eat foods.
Bread, cakes, chocolate, sausages, instant noodles, spicy strips…
There wasn’t a single thing Wen Li had ever eaten before.
The cakes were beautifully shaped and decorated with fresh fruit, making them look incredibly appetizing.
Unable to resist, Wen Li took a palm-sized cake and took a bite. Her mouth filled with a sweet, fragrant taste.
Soft and fluffy—each bite made her want another.
It was only then that Wen Li realized that none of the items stored in the warehouses had spoiled.
The meat and everything else were all incredibly fresh!
After thoroughly exploring the space, Wen Li finally understood just how enormous this treasure truly was.
No wonder Wen Tiantian in her previous life had become a completely different person after activating the space.
She didn’t even bother pretending anymore, directly revealing her true nature.
With the space, even if the Wen family abandoned her, she could still live very well.
That was indeed a huge source of confidence.
It was just a pity that Wen Tiantian had monopolized the space and used it to do evil.
Fortunately, she was eventually brought to justice. Otherwise, Wen Li would have felt unbearably wronged.
The space was huge. By the time Wen Li finished exploring and returned to the room, two hours had already passed.
She was still holding a few fresh strawberries. After washing them, she ate them—sweet and sour, with a distinctive fragrance.
They were delicious!
Eating alone made Wen Li feel a bit embarrassed.
But the space was a secret that only she could know about. She definitely couldn’t just take things out openly.
At most, she could quietly add a little here and there.
Wen Li went to the kitchen.
She took some white flour from the space—not much, about four or five jin—and mixed it with the flour at home.
The rice in the space looked different from the one at home—whiter and more translucent—so she didn’t take any.
Otherwise, it would be too easy to raise suspicion.
She also took a bit of sugar, oil, soy sauce, and vinegar.
Finally, she took out some potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Wen Li didn’t have a job. In the first year, she had been pregnant; in the second year, she had been raising the child. Qingqing had only recently been weaned.
Ever since she married Xu Zhouye, everything she ate, wore, and used had been provided by the Xu family.
Now that she could contribute a little to the household, Wen Li felt a real sense of accomplishment.
Estimating that the time was about right, she started cooking.
Qingqing took after Xu Zhouye and loved wheat-based foods—steamed buns, mantou, flower rolls—those were his favorites.
But there wasn’t enough time to let dough rise, so Wen Li decided to pan-fry some coarse-grain flatbreads.
There were three adults and one child at home.
A plate of shredded potatoes, braised tofu with cabbage, and a bowl of steamed egg custard for Qingqing would be enough.
The next day, she could steam scallion flower rolls and vegetarian buns to satisfy their cravings.
In those days, everyone lived frugally.
The Xu family had good conditions, but when it came to food and clothing, they still kept things simple.
Wen Li had suffered greatly in the past and endured many grievances. Compared to that, she felt life at her in-laws’ home was already very good.
She and Qingqing never went hungry. They had eggs from time to time and could eat meat every few days.
Their clothes were also warm.
Unlike in the countryside, where her clothes had been ragged and thin, leaving her shivering all winter.
And unlike at the Wen family home, where she could only wear Wen Tiantian’s old clothes.
She was taller than Wen Tiantian—either the sleeves were too short or her ankles were exposed.
At first, she could still fit into Wen Tiantian’s old clothes. But later, as she began to develop, the fabric across her chest grew tighter and tighter.
Her figure became more and more obvious.
Back then, Wen Li had been terrified of other people’s gazes. Whenever she saw someone, she would instinctively hunch her shoulders and curl inward.
Because her chest was large and she had no suitable clothes, she had felt inferior for a long time.
She wanted to buy new clothes, but was scolded for being extravagant and wasteful.
It wasn’t until Wen’s mother was mocked by outsiders—accused of not knowing how to raise a daughter or teach her modesty—that she begrudgingly took Wen Li to buy properly fitting clothes.
Of course, Wen’s mother didn’t forget Wen Tiantian and bought her a set as well.
She said she was treating both daughters equally.
With her past experiences as a contrast, Wen Li was very satisfied with her current life.
Marrying Xu Zhouye—she was truly happy.