Ruan Sui'an didn't have to wait too long. Three days later, on a certain night, she had another dream.
In the dream, the Old Taoist Priest who had sold her the jade pendant looked at her with a smile and said, "Little girl, the time has come. Tomorrow night at 12 o'clock is when you'll leave. Make sure you're prepared."
The old priest's voice carried a hint of playfulness, making him seem somewhat mischievous.
Ruan Sui'an looked at the Old Taoist Priest and asked the question she most wanted to ask.
"Old man, my Space will come with me when I cross over, right? If it doesn't, wouldn't all my preparations be in vain?"
What use would collecting so many supplies be otherwise? Although she already felt certain about this idea in her heart, she still needed to ask to feel at ease.
The old priest said with a smile, "Haven't you already guessed? If you want to feel reassured, then I'll tell you: the Space is bound to your soul. Wherever your soul goes, the Space will follow. Little girl, don't worry! Your money definitely won't be wasted."
This little girl is quite cautious, but on second thought, that's good—it'll prevent her from being deceived in an unfamiliar era and environment.
With the affirmative answer, Ruan Sui'an's slightly uneasy heart finally calmed down.
"Then I'm relieved. But I don't understand why I was chosen?" Ruan Sui'an couldn't help but ask.
She was too curious. Out of so many people, why was she chosen? There must be some reason, right?
The old man shook his head with a smile, looking utterly mysterious, then spoke a very clichéd line.
"Heaven's Secrets Must Not Be Revealed."
After saying this, he immediately vanished from Ruan Sui'an's dream.
When she woke up the next morning, Ruan Sui'an remembered the old man's words from the previous night and couldn't help but glance at the red spider lily on her wrist.
Its color was now much redder than when it first appeared—so red it seemed to drip blood.
She noticed that the larger the Space became, the deeper the color on her wrist grew.
Ruan Sui'an really wanted to know the limits of the Space.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, three days went by. During these three days, to avoid leaving even a single dollar in her bank account, she spent all her remaining money on supplies and stored them in the Space.
The time arrived at midnight on the third day.
Everything around was pitch black. There were no stars or moon in the sky—just an inky darkness where you couldn't see your own hand in front of your face.
Raising her wrist to check her watch, the time showed there were only ten minutes left until Ruan Sui'an's departure. Looking at the small western-style building where her Grandfather and Grandmother lived, she felt a pang of reluctance. This place held too many beautiful memories, and it seemed a shame to leave the small western-style building behind.
As she thought about it, Ruan Sui'an suddenly had a bold idea: Could she possibly store the small western-style building in her Space?
Although the small western-style building was large, her Space was also vast—certainly big enough to accommodate it.
Never mind—she might as well give it a try. Since the idea had occurred to her, attempting it wouldn't hurt.
Time was running out; she couldn't afford to waste any more. Ruan Sui'an placed her hand on the wall of the small western-style building and silently recited in her heart.
An entire western-style building actually vanished before her eyes—even the foundation was taken, leaving only a large pit in the ground.
Excellent! It actually worked!
Now there really was nothing left in this world to feel attached to.
Hehehe…
1970s, here I come.
Ruan Sui'an was overjoyed and was just about to sing a song to express her happiness.
But before she could even utter the first word, her vision suddenly went dark, and she lost consciousness.
When she regained awareness, the first thing she felt was a splitting headache.
Her entire head throbbed as if countless needles were piercing it, the pain so intense that her whole body twisted in agony.
She raised her hands to clutch her head, feeling utterly dazed and disoriented.
From beside her came several urgent calls.
"An'an… Grandma's An'an, what's wrong? Don't scare Grandma." The aged, anxious voice was filled with care and kindness.
Hearing this voice, Ruan Sui'an felt a warmth in her heart, and miraculously, her headache seemed to ease a little.
Ruan Sui'an slowly opened her eyes and with great effort turned her head toward the source of the voice.
What came into view was a kind-faced elderly woman with white hair and a face full of wrinkles, her eyes brimming with concern and worry.
Looking at the old woman, Ruan Sui'an was reminded of her own grandmother, who had also called her so affectionately.
It was as if the two elderly figures overlapped in her mind.
Thinking of her late grandmother, she couldn't help but feel her eyes grow sore, tears streaming down the corners of her eyes.
Through blurred vision, she looked at the old woman—her original self's maternal grandmother.
In the original host's memories, her grandmother had been exceptionally good to her. Although they had met only a few times, whenever she had something good, she would always save it for the original host.
Beside her grandmother stood a spirited old man.
This was the original host's maternal grandfather, a rather stern old man who nevertheless doted on the original host immensely.
After all, his only daughter had given birth to this precious child—how could he not cherish her?
Ruan Sui'an scanned the people in the room one by one. The entire bed was surrounded, and familiar faces overlapped in her memory.
She knew that the family before her consisted of her maternal grandparents, her eldest uncle, second uncle, eldest aunt, and second aunt.
At this moment, only the elders were in the room. Her elder male cousin was serving in the Northern Military Region and hadn't returned.
Her elder female cousin stood at the outermost edge, waving to her.
"Grandfather, Grandmother, uncles, aunts, I'm fine." Ruan Sui'an wanted to reassure them, but her voice came out hoarse and unrecognizable.
Her throat hurt as if it had been scraped by a knife, and her voice sounded terrible.
Her grandmother, heartbroken, took Ruan Sui'an's hand and patted it gently to comfort her: "An'an, if your throat is uncomfortable, don't speak. Have some Malt Milk Powder first to replenish your strength. You've been asleep for a long time."
What a poor girl.
Her grandfather, though his voice remained stern, carried a hint of concern: "Your grandmother is right. If your throat is uncomfortable, speak less."
Li Xiaolian glared at her old man: "What's with the stern face, you old fool? If you don't know how to speak properly, keep your mouth shut."
Chen Defu immediately fell silent, no longer speaking. He felt a little aggrieved—he was only concerned about his granddaughter.
Why was his wife scolding him?
Seeing her grandparents bicker, Ruan Sui'an couldn't help but chuckle softly: "Grandmother, don't scold Grandfather. He just doesn't know how to express himself, but he still cares about me."
Li Defu nodded. His granddaughter understood him, unlike his wife, who only knew how to be harsh with him.
In front of so many younger family members, she didn't give him any face at all.
Li Xiaolian couldn't be bothered with her old man. When she looked at Ruan Sui'an, her eyes were filled with tenderness.
Ruan Sui'an slowly leaned against the headboard, took the Malt Milk Powder handed by Eldest Aunt, and gave her a sweet smile.
"Thank you, Eldest Aunt."
Eldest Aunt looked at Ruan Sui'an's pale face with heartache and lovingly patted her head.
"No need to be so polite with me. Drink it quickly to replenish your nutrition."
Seeing her niece, she thought of her deceased sister-in-law and brother-in-law.
When she married into the family, her sister-in-law had been very kind to her and always treated her, the eldest sister-in-law, with respect.
Unlike other families where sisters-in-law often bossed the eldest sister-in-law around.
Losing both parents at once, her niece was truly a pitiful child.
Ruan Sui'an scooped up a spoonful of Malt Milk Powder and took a sip. Her tongue was immediately enveloped in a gentle sweetness—not an overpowering sugary sweetness, but a mellow, grain-infused sweetness.
The aroma of wheat mixed with milk slowly rose from her throat, like a mouthful of warm wheat porridge, yet smoother than porridge.
As she swallowed, a faint roasted fragrance lingered in her throat, like the crust of freshly baked whole wheat bread, with a slightly bitter aftertaste.
Indeed, the ingredients used in this era were pure, unlike the 21st century with all its artificial additives and shortcuts.
Soon, Ruan Sui'an finished the entire bowl of Malt Milk Powder, feeling much more comfortable in her throat and stomach.
Her throat no longer felt as if it were being cut by a knife.
After finishing the Malt Milk Powder, Eldest Aunt took the empty bowl and placed it on the bedside table, then handed two steamed buns to Ruan Sui'an.
"An'an, have some steamed buns. You haven't eaten for a long time. Just a bowl of Malt Milk Powder won't do," Eldest Aunt said gently.
Just like a mother.
Ruan Sui'an didn't put on airs either—she was genuinely hungry. After finishing the bowl of Malt Milk Powder, her stomach felt even emptier.
She reached out, grabbed a meat bun, and took a bite, her eyes immediately lighting up.
The bun was delicious, generously filled. Though the seasoning wasn't excessive, it tasted refreshing and satisfying.
She finished one bun in one go and felt full.
The bun was truly large, and the original host's appetite wasn't particularly big to begin with.
Grandmother frowned when she saw Ruan Sui'an stop eating.
"An'an, why aren't you eating? There's still one more."
Ruan Sui'an smiled and shook her head. "Grandmother, I'm already full. I can't eat anymore."
The bun was large and generously filled. Her eyes wanted another one, but her stomach couldn't handle it.
Grandmother frowned, somewhat displeased. "Why are you still eating so little, just like before? No wonder you're so thin. Girls are better off with a little more meat on them. Have a little more, okay?"
Grandmother coaxed Ruan Sui'an gently, as if she were a three-year-old child.
"Grandmother, I eat plenty of good food, but I just don't gain weight. What can I do?" Ruan Sui'an said playfully.
If those who struggled with weight heard this, they would surely want to give her a good scolding.
This was the epitome of taking advantage and still acting innocent.
After saying this, Ruan Sui'an suddenly realized—this was their first meeting, so why did her playful tone come so naturally?
It felt as if it were already a habit. Could it be because of the original host?
"Then eat more, and you'll definitely gain weight. Look at how little you eat every time—how could you possibly gain weight? You should learn from your elder female cousin. She can eat four or five of these meat buns in one meal, and look how healthy she is."
Li Xiaolian gave an example.
Chen Yunyun immediately agreed with her grandmother's words: "Grandma An is right, you're too thin, you should eat more."
The little cousin really was too thin and should eat more; it felt like my own arm was thicker than her thigh.
Li Xiaolian looked at her granddaughter's frail body, her brow tightly furrowed.
Since childhood, this granddaughter had never gained weight; no matter how many nutritional supplements she ate, she still looked thin and small.
She appeared malnourished.
She and her daughter were always worried about the granddaughter's health, but they had taken her to the hospital for checkups several times.
The doctor always said there was nothing wrong, and all her indicators were perfectly normal.
Since the doctor said so, even if they were still worried, there was nothing they could do. However, they never gave up on the idea of supplementing her nutrition.
Whenever she had something delicious, she would send it to her granddaughter, hoping she would gain a little more weight.
But in the end, they were disappointed—she remained just as thin. Fortunately, her health was not seriously affected.