“Don’t worry,” her mother said soothingly. “I’ll take my time finding someone for you—definitely not worse than Gu Linchuan. My precious girl is meant to live a life of comfort!”
“Auntie, can’t you just not get married?” the little boy piped up. “I’d miss you.”
“What nonsense is that?” an elder scolded lightly. “How could your aunt possibly not get married?”
Shen Qinghe stood there quietly, eyes reddening as she listened to her mother and nephew. For the first time in what felt like forever, her heart felt steady and warm.
Sitting at the Eight Immortals table in the main hall, she ate a bowl of brown sugar eggs. The moment the scalding, sweet taste slid down her throat, her eyes grew wet. How many years had it been since she’d eaten brown sugar eggs made by her mother?
During those seven years in the psychiatric hospital, Gu Linchuan never cut back on her food—he needed to keep up appearances, after all. But her heart had long been dead; no matter how good the food was, it tasted like wax.
Now that she had been reborn, a simple bowl of brown sugar eggs instantly conquered her taste buds.
“Delicious!”
Zhou Chunfeng beamed. “If it’s good, I’ll cook some more for you tomorrow!”
Shen Qinghe smiled—bitterness laced with sweetness. Even though her father was the brigade leader of Shenjiawan, her eldest brother a team leader, her second brother a carpenter, and her third brother and sister-in-law teachers at the commune primary school, brown sugar eggs were still a rare treat at home. Her family truly doted on her.
“Drink the brown sugar water too.”
“Sweetheart,” her parents said, “we’re heading back to the fields. After you finish, just leave the bowl on the stove—no need to wash it. Go lie down and rest. When we’re back tonight, Mom will cook noodles for you.”
People who worked the fields were always thinking about their work. Seeing that Shen Qinghe was fine, everyone returned to the fields.
After she finished eating and washed the bowl anyway, Shen Qinghe went back to her room. She found a jade thumb ring in the drawer. It had been given to her by her mother, who said it was her grandmother’s old dowry. In her previous life, after she married Gu Linchuan, the ring went missing. She thought she’d lost it—until later, when Lin Yingxue visited her in the psychiatric hospital and she learned the truth: Gu Linchuan had taken the ring and given it to Lin Yingxue.
Lin Yingxue had also revealed that the ring contained a spirit spring space. Both she and Gu Linchuan had stayed so youthful because they drank the spirit spring water.
Back then, Shen Qinghe had hated those two to the bone. Thankfully, the ring was still in her hands now.
According to what Lin Yingxue had said, one had to drip blood to bind it. Shen Qinghe bit her finger and rubbed the ring with her blood.
Nothing happened?
But the very next moment, her vision spun—and she found herself in a completely unfamiliar place.
It was a vast space. There stood a two-story villa, a large warehouse, and beside the villa a spring bubbling merrily, chiming as it flowed. Everything else was pitch-black fertile soil!
A spirit spring space! This was exactly what Lin Yingxue had mentioned in her past life. Shen Qinghe was certain at once.
She examined the space carefully. The black soil didn’t require manual planting—she could control it with her mind alone, which delighted her. As for the spirit spring water, not only could it slowly strengthen the body and improve complexion, it could also shorten plant growth cycles. Plants watered with it would taste better, too.
No wonder Lin Yingxue and Gu Linchuan had looked so young even in their forties—it was because they drank this spirit spring water!
She also discovered that time stood still inside the warehouse. That meant anything stored there would never spoil.
The first floor of the villa held a living room and kitchen—sofas, a coffee table, a dining table; pots, cookware, even a full set of seasonings. Upstairs was a spacious master bedroom with its own bathroom, complete with a water heater and a toilet!
Shen Qinghe could hardly believe such a magical place existed. But then again—if she could be reborn, what was impossible?
She took a bowl from the kitchen, filled it with spirit spring water, and drank some. Surprisingly, it tasted just like ordinary water, with no special flavor, and the effects weren’t immediately obvious. It probably required long-term use to show results.
She was already very satisfied. If the effects had been too dramatic, she wouldn’t have dared give it to her family anyway—it would arouse suspicion.
She had no intention of telling her family about her rebirth or the space. Even among loved ones, privacy mattered. She knew her parents loved her, but they had more than one child. She knew her brothers loved her, but they had families of their own, and her sisters-in-law had their natal families too…
She couldn’t place her life in an uncertain environment.
She had bathed earlier that day, but before bed, Wubao came to pester her for a while, leaving her feeling sticky. Since the villa bathroom had a water heater, she decided to try it—and it worked perfectly!
She had never used anything so convenient.
She knew what a water heater was only because of Lin Yingxue. Every time Lin Yingxue visited her in the psychiatric hospital, she would boast about her happy life, mentioning things like water heaters and toilets.
After leaving the space, Shen Qinghe found that the jade thumb ring itself was no longer usable. Even if the ring disappeared, the space remained. With a single thought, she could enter it.
Clutching the ring tightly, Shen Qinghe felt her heart pounding. With the spirit spring space, she would surely be able to lead her family to a good life!
After drinking the spirit spring water, she slept deeply. When she woke, it was nearly four o’clock. To her surprise, her parents were already back—normally they wouldn’t return until dark. Today was a bit unusual.
When she went out, she saw her mother and her two sisters-in-law picking vegetables. Seeing her awake, Zhou Chunfeng smiled at once. “Sweetheart, you’re up. Sleep well?”
“Very well! Mom, what are you doing? Are we having guests tonight?”
Zhou Chunfeng waved it off. “Oh, you silly girl. The soldier who pulled you out of the water is staying at Hongwei’s place. He saved your life—of course we have to invite him for a meal. Hurry up and come with us. We’ve got everything ready.”