Liang Qiaoqiao stroked her smooth chin and couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.
Could it be that this broken Space had other functions not displayed by the question mark?
Hmm… that would have to be discovered slowly in the future.
Remembering the large pit in the yard outside the house, Liang Qiaoqiao sighed.
She resigned herself to getting up and went out to work.
There was no other way – the Space was hers.
Since her Space had dug the pit, she as its owner could only fill it back in.
The road conditions in the 1970s were beyond what ordinary words could adequately describe.
Especially the winding paths connecting villages – they were simply indescribable.
The military jeep carrying Mu Yang and his two companions rocked and jolted through the mountains and fields, its body already covered in a thick layer of dust.
If not for the efficient windshield wipers, the front window would have long been obscured, making it impossible to see anything.
Winter days were short, and the sun set quickly.
By the time Mu Yang and his companions returned to the county town, it was already quite late.
“Battalion Commander Mu, should we return the vehicle directly or go back to the guesthouse?” asked Zheng Cheng, who was driving.
Mu Yang, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the back seat throughout the journey, opened his sharp, piercing eyes and responded in a deep voice: “Let’s go to the Armed Forces Department first. I have matters to discuss with Minister Wang.”
Zheng Cheng nodded and drove straight toward the county Armed Forces Department.
At the Nanzian Government Compound.
Just as Armed Forces Minister Wang Jianguo was preparing to leave work, with one foot already on the pedal of his Er-ba Da Gang bicycle.
He faintly heard the familiar sound of a vehicle and immediately turned to look.
Sure enough, it was the county’s one and only public jeep.
Reportedly, the vehicle had been borrowed today by three PLA comrades sent down from the military.
So they were… just returning?
After the vehicle came to a stop, three tall figures in military green emerged.
Wang Jianguo’s gaze fell on the one who got out from the back seat.
The youngest officer, with the best looks and the most commanding presence.
Under his sharp eyebrows, those keen eyes swept toward him: “Minister Wang, are you off work?”
Wang Jianguo approached with a cheerful smile: “Just heading home. Battalion Commander Mu, Company Commander Zheng, and Platoon Leader Nong, have you three just returned from Honghua Brigade?”
He had heard that in Wutong Village of their county’s Honghua Brigade, a soldier had recently sacrificed his life.
Wang Jianguo was somewhat aware of this matter.
Moreover, following instructions from above a few days ago, he had specifically sent people down to distribute the survivor benefits.
However, he hadn’t expected that the Southern Military Region would send three officers down to offer condolences.
Could it be that the sacrificed soldier held a relatively high rank?
Otherwise, why would the military send a battalion commander, a company commander, and a platoon leader?
This was quite an unusual arrangement.
However, he had an important meeting to attend this morning. After hastily receiving these three officers, he hadn’t had time to follow up on subsequent matters.
The county magistrate and party secretary had both sent people to take over, so he wasn’t much involved.
But he hadn’t expected these three, after borrowing the county’s public vehicle, to be gone the entire day.
Wutong Village was the county’s most remote and impoverished village. What could possibly be worth these three spending an entire day in such a rural place?
Although Wang Jianguo had many random thoughts running through his mind, none of them showed on his face.
Mu Yang didn’t intend to say much more to him. After entrusting the matter and returning the vehicle, he turned and left with his two subordinates.
Wang Jianguo watched the three figures recede into the distance, his face full of puzzlement. “With such a solemn face-to-face delivery, I thought it was something major. Turns out it’s just about helping find some college entrance exam review materials?”
He shook his head, indicating he couldn’t understand what these military people were thinking.
But it didn’t matter – since he couldn’t understand, he couldn’t be bothered to think about it further.
Returning to his office, Wang Jianguo randomly grabbed a subordinate and delegated the task: “Find one or two sets of science subject college entrance exam review materials and deliver them to Wutong Village as soon as possible tomorrow…”
“Understood, Minister.”
Just one or two sets of review materials? What’s the big deal?
They could deliver them overnight without any difficulty, let alone by tomorrow.
Far away in Wutong Village, Liang Qiaoqiao had no idea that her request for review materials had attracted attention from certain important figures in the county.
She had just finished filling the holes in the yard when dusk began to settle.
The small courtyard without the old persimmon tree felt like it was missing something.
But her stomach was growling with hunger.
When hungry, her brain would simply stop functioning.
After putting away her tools, Liang Qiaoqiao headed straight to the kitchen.
Living in an era without food delivery certainly had its inconveniences.
She lit the stove fire and reheated the leftover tofu rice from daytime – there weren’t many other options to consider anyway.
After hastily filling her stomach, Liang Qiaoqiao began preparing to go out.
There was a local custom here: for the first three days after an elder’s burial, family members must continuously go up the mountain to deliver fire and food.
It was said this was to prevent the newly departed from going hungry in the underworld.
Liang Qiaoqiao thought: What a peculiar custom! The living could starve to death with no one caring, yet they had to ensure the dead wouldn’t go hungry in the afterlife.
Following local customs, she didn’t dare question the validity of this tradition.
During the funeral procession that morning, the village women had reminded her repeatedly to ensure she wouldn’t forget.
Even the torches had been prepared by villagers – three days’ worth neatly stacked under the eaves.
As for the food offerings, that was her own responsibility.
After all, these were lean times where every household was poor, and nobody could spare extra rations for her.
Liang Qiaoqiao naturally understood the villagers’ situation. She had already decided that for the first day, she would make do with the tofu rice the villagers had left for her.
The original host and Chen Pozi had been eating coarse grains for years – having to endure this for just two or three days after transmigrating here was nothing.
Since she had to serve vegetarian offerings for three consecutive days anyway, being perfunct about it shouldn’t matter. She believed Chen Pozi wouldn’t blame her for the simple meals.
Carrying a worn bamboo basket with a small pottery bowl of tofu rice, Liang Qiaoqiao lit her torch, pushed open the courtyard gate, and began climbing the mountain.
Chen Laoda’s house was built at the village edge, somewhat distant from the main settlement.
While this posed some security concerns, it provided convenient mountain access.
Especially at this time and location, the path was nearly deserted, allowing Liang Qiaoqiao to proceed smoothly.
Being countryside, the road was flanked by abundant weeds and miscellaneous trees.
Unlike northern winters where all vegetation withered, southern China’s winter still maintained considerable greenery along the paths.
Liang Qiaoqiao seized this rare opportunity and swiftly reconfirmed the appraisal function of the Treasure Appraisal Space.
She finally confirmed that her shabby Space was indeed very interested in plants. Any living plant—whether wildflowers, weeds, or miscellaneous trees—could earn her points.
However, the first time yielded the most points, the second time was halved, and by the third time, it was almost zero.
Seriously, even a shabby Space practices favoritism—smarter than machines in the future era.
(The Treasure Appraisal Space is designed as a growth-leveling system, so its functions are gradually added as it upgrades later on.)