Wei Lihua thought she could take advantage of this time to buy some seeds that weren’t commonly found at home. If possible later, she could even sell some unusual items.
By then, even if she wanted to contract a hillside or something at home, she would have the capital.
Wei Lihua actually knew very well the conditions of her family. When she was in school, her older brother had just gotten married.
At that time, the family had no money, and on top of that, her tuition and living expenses during her studies were a huge financial burden.
Their family’s situation in the village wasn’t particularly poor, but back then there were many expenses.
They ended up owing some money to others. Although she later earned her own tuition, those debts still needed to be repaid.
If she really wanted to contract a hillside, her family wouldn’t be able to come up with much money.
If she could provide the money herself, she believed that no matter what she did later, it wouldn’t put her parents in a difficult position.
Before, Wei Lihua truly didn’t understand the importance of money. Now she knew—money isn’t everything, but without money, you can’t do anything!
“Alright, Mom will wait for you at home!”
The gentle, soothing voice instantly comforted Wei Lihua’s wounded heart.
Zhang Xiuli felt that her daughter coming home was also a way to relax. After a while, she’d probably go out and find a job.
At most, her daughter would look for work near home. She never imagined that her daughter’s plan was to directly contract a hillside at home.
“Yeah, I love the dumplings Mom makes the most. When I get back, Mom, make me some dumplings to eat!”
It had been a year since she last went home. The last time was during the Spring Festival last year.
“Alright, nowhere outside is as good as home. If you were closer to home, you could come back often, not like now!”
When she said this, Zhang Xiuli’s resentment toward Zhao Yi grew even stronger.
Back when their daughter was taking the college entrance exam, she had wanted her daughter to attend university in a nearby city.
But because of that boy Zhao Yi, her daughter followed him to the university he preferred.
And now, Zhao Yi had actually dumped her daughter.
Thinking of this, Zhang Xiuli really wanted to rush to Zhao Yi’s house and give them a piece of her mind.
But remembering that Zhao Yi wasn’t home, she let go of that idea.
Still, sooner or later, they would have to settle this matter clearly. They couldn’t let the Zhao family ruin their daughter’s reputation.
In the countryside, reputation was always important, no matter the time. Zhang Xiuli didn’t dare take any risks.
“Mom is the best.”
No matter when, home was always a place that felt comforting.
“Alright, stop acting spoiled. You should hurry back. Your dad and your brother are worried about you!”
Zhang Xiuli was actually quite happy that her daughter was acting spoiled with her.
But since her daughter would be home soon, it was better not to waste phone credit.
“Okay.”
Wei Lihua also knew her mom was worried about the phone bill. The two of them had already talked for almost half an hour.
She didn’t have much credit left on her phone either, and she planned to change her number once she got home.
So it was better to save some now.
“Then, Mom, I’ll hang up. I’ll call you in a couple of days when I’m heading home.”
“Mm, let us know when you’re coming home. I’ll have your brother pick you up then!”
“Okay.”
After saying this, Wei Lihua hung up the phone. There really were quite a few things to take care of in the next couple of days.
She had acquired the Space the afternoon before yesterday, and this morning she had broken up with her boyfriend.
After such dramatic ups and downs, she felt exhausted.
Wei Lihua simply lay down on the bed, closed her eyes, and prepared to calculate how much money she had on hand.
She didn’t have much money—scattered amounts adding up to only a few thousand yuan.
This sum was nothing if left here, but if taken back to her hometown, it would be more than enough to cover three months of expenses.
However, if she wanted to develop the Space, she couldn’t do without seeds and the like.
Moreover, since she planned to settle down at home, if she ended up leasing a mountain for farming,
the few thousand yuan she had wouldn’t even make a ripple—she could only rely on the Space.
With this thought, Wei Lihua willed herself into the Space.
The medicinal herbs inside the Space remained lush and green, while the open ground was bare.
Looking at the desolate Space, Wei Lihua decided to tidy it up properly.
After all, she was from the countryside—she could handle farming and such tasks herself.
When she had first obtained the Space, she hadn’t carefully examined its contents.
Her understanding of the Space was limited to knowing the effects of the Spring Water; as for the rest, she was completely in the dark.
But the air inside the Space was truly refreshing. Breathing in the fresh air,
Wei Lihua felt much of her gloom dissipate. No matter what, she had no intention of returning here in the future.
When she first arrived in this city, she had been filled with curiosity.
But after witnessing too much darkness, she gradually grew tired of staying here.
The people here were truly cold—you could live across the hall from someone and still not know who they were.
In the countryside, if you didn’t know someone in the village, the elders would talk about it.
Even after staying here for so long, she still wasn’t entirely accustomed to the atmosphere.
Thinking of this, Wei Lihua smiled self-deprecatingly.
It seemed even heaven didn’t support her staying here—otherwise, why would her boyfriend break up with her on the third day after she obtained the Space?
Never mind, she should focus on exploring what exactly was inside the Space!
Apart from the open ground, there was also a small stream inside the Space.
The stream’s flow wasn’t very strong, but the water was crystal clear.
However, she didn’t know where the stream came from, as she couldn’t see its source.
Oh well, there was no point dwelling on things she couldn’t figure out.
Regardless of where the stream originated, as long as it was usable, that was enough.
Besides, everything inside the Space was likely to be exceptional.
For instance, the Spring Water’s function was remarkable—she believed the stream must have its own purpose too.
Even if it couldn’t compare to the Spring Water, it was surely better than ordinary water outside.
Although she couldn’t find the stream’s source, she noticed that it eventually flowed into a pond.
The pond was densely covered with lotus flowers, but she didn’t see any fish or the like inside.
The pond wasn’t very large, but there were plenty of lotus flowers.
Seeing the lotus flowers, Wei Lihua suddenly felt a strong craving.
She wanted to taste the lotus seeds inside the lotus pods. She had bought some lotus seeds before,
but they always seemed to taste a bit off.
She believed that anything from the Space would be delicious, so she reached out and plucked a lotus pod from the edge of the pond.
She broke open the lotus pod and began popping lotus seeds into her mouth. Although the seeds had a slight bitter taste, once the bitterness faded, it was followed by a refreshing fragrance that filled her mouth. It seemed the Space was indeed as she had imagined—everything inside it tasted wonderful. Eating these things long-term might even help nourish her body.
But she shouldn’t dwell on that now. Her mind was completely occupied by the flavor of the lotus seeds. Only after she had eaten enough to leave a pile of lotus pods on the ground did she realize she might have overdone it. Rubbing her swollen belly, Wei Lihua felt she had eaten too much. Still, the taste of the lotus seeds was truly exceptional—she had never eaten such delicious lotus seeds before.
It seemed her chances of returning home to develop her own path were even greater now. If she lacked capital at the start, perhaps she could consider selling vegetables. Since the lotus seeds were so tasty, surely the vegetables grown in the Space wouldn’t be bad either. But if she were to sell vegetables, maybe she could give it a try here during this period? The spending power here was better than back home. She just didn’t know how time worked inside the Space.
However, she must have been inside for quite a while. She remembered entering right after hanging up her mother’s call. So she should go out and check the time. If the time ratio between the Space and the outside world was large, she could make more money before returning home. No matter what, she couldn’t keep asking her family for money after going back. After all, her family had already spent a lot on her education, and her older brother was married now. If she kept asking her parents for money, she wouldn’t feel right about it.
Besides, even if her older brother didn’t say anything, she wasn’t sure if he’d be unhappy about it. And if her sister-in-law found out, it wouldn’t look good. In rural areas, parents’ assets usually went to the sons, while daughters got nothing. Even if her brother didn’t mind, her sister-in-law surely wouldn’t be pleased if she kept asking for money. She didn’t want to face her sister-in-law’s disapproval. Moreover, she wanted to earn money through her own efforts. After all, money she earned herself was truly hers. If she kept relying on her parents, she’d feel too guilty.
With these thoughts swirling in her mind, Wei Lihua exited the Space. Once outside, she found herself still lying in bed. Picking up her phone from the bedside, she saw that only about ten minutes had passed. Yet she had spent at least four hours inside the Space. So the time ratio between the Space and the outside world was 24:1. That meant if she planted some vegetables that matured in about ten days, over twenty days would pass inside the Space in just one day outside.
It seemed she shouldn’t stay idle at home. She should go out and buy some vegetable seeds. The sooner she planted them, the sooner she could start earning money. With that in mind, Wei Lihua didn’t bother with anything else. She grabbed her phone, keys, and wallet and headed out.
Leaving her rented room, she walked to the bus stop. Not far from her place was a flower and bird market, where she figured there would be plenty of flower seeds and vegetable seeds. She decided to go there and take a look. If she had enough money, she planned to buy a few packets of flower seeds.
When the flowers bloom well, she would simply sell them, since she knew nothing about flowers anyway.
In her hands, flowers were merely decorative—better to sell them for money!
But with only a few thousand yuan on hand, she estimated she could only afford some vegetable seeds for now.
As for expensive flower seeds, she wasn’t even sure if she had enough money to buy them.
After getting off the bus and seeing the bustling flower and bird market,
she immediately felt a surge of excitement. If she could find something valuable here,
she could easily sell it in this city—after all, there were plenty of wealthy people around.
Wei Lihua patted her head. Now wasn’t the time to daydream; she should go buy vegetable seeds first.
Vegetables with shorter growing periods, like bok choy and lettuce, were an option, but if she only planted those,
they wouldn’t sell for much. Still, she needed to buy seeds for tomatoes, radishes, and the like.