Inside the space.
Yu Huan examined the barrier and discovered that there had been no change. She tried cultivating again, but she still couldn’t break through to the middle stage of the second level.
It seemed that brief physical contact hadn’t made much of a difference.
But she couldn’t exactly hug him on purpose and refuse to let go, could she? Wouldn’t that make her a shameless woman?
It would be much better if she could become his girlfriend. That way, he would be hers, and she could do whatever she wanted with him.
Thinking about this, Yu Huan couldn’t help laughing out loud.
When she heard herself laughing, she quickly stopped her wild thoughts.
She went into the talisman room to practice drawing talismans for a while before falling asleep directly inside her space.
Time inside the space wasn’t much different from the outside world.
By the time Yu Huan woke up, it was already morning outside.
When she sat down at the dining table, she noticed that her father looked full of energy, while her mother seemed exhausted despite having a rosy complexion. She couldn’t understand what was going on.
“Mom, what’s wrong? Didn’t you sleep well?” Yu Huan asked with concern.
Her mother’s expression turned awkward for a moment. She secretly glared at Yu Huan’s father.
Her father, being a little thicker-skinned, quickly answered, “Your mother didn’t sleep well last night, so she won’t be going to work today. I’ll let her rest at home.”
Her mother’s face grew even redder, but she didn’t argue. At their age, being kept busy for half the night was indeed exhausting.
“Alright, hurry up and finish eating. You still have to go to work,” her mother said, pretending to sound displeased.
Watching her parents exchange flirtatious remarks, Yu Huan suddenly felt that perhaps she shouldn’t be sitting there.
At the Educated Youth Compound
Ever since Ling Yuan got up that morning, his expression had been dark and gloomy. A cold aura seemed to radiate from his entire body. Everyone was afraid to approach him, much less ask what was wrong.
Song Yujie, however, mustered the courage to ask, “Brother, what’s wrong with you? Did you not sleep well?”
The look Ling Yuan gave Song Yujie was even more complicated.
At noon, when Yu Huan came to collect the lunchbox, she saw Ling Yuan looking particularly unapproachable.
“Educated Youth Ling, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Looking at Yu Huan’s cautious expression, Ling Yuan suddenly asked, “What kind of meat did you give us yesterday?”
“Venison! I heard the villagers say it’s really good stuff, so I specially went deep into the mountains to hunt some for you to nourish your body.”
Halfway through her explanation, Yu Huan suddenly realized something.
“Was there something wrong with the meat? Did you feel unwell after eating it?”
“That can’t be! I killed it and started stewing it immediately after catching it. It was very fresh and hadn’t been stored for long. Besides, everyone in my family ate some too.”
Afraid that something might really be wrong with Ling Yuan, Yu Huan hurriedly explained.
Most importantly, she had deliberately used spiritual spring water. Spiritual spring water was supposed to nourish and regulate the body, so using it to stew meat should have made it even more beneficial. How could there be a problem?
Seeing how anxiously she was explaining herself, Ling Yuan wasn’t sure whether she knew that venison wasn’t something that should be casually given to men, especially young men.
His health had already been excellent. Even after spending some time doing farm labor, he hadn’t suffered any adverse effects. If anything, his muscles had become even firmer.
Judging from her innocent expression, she probably didn’t understand the specific effects of the meat.
Then he remembered that she had said she hunted it deep in the mountains. Thinking about the sensations he had experienced during their two encounters, he recalled how surprisingly strong she was. He didn’t doubt her explanation.
He could only say that she had meant well. Song Yujie had eaten the meat without experiencing much of a reaction, while he himself…
He could only blame his own exceptionally good constitution.
“It’s nothing. Here’s your lunchbox.”
Ling Yuan’s expression softened slightly as he handed her the lunchbox.
Yu Huan took it. Seeing that he had apparently only been asking out of curiosity, she immediately relaxed and smiled.
“My family still has some of that meat. I’ll stew another batch and bring it over before dinner.”
Ling Yuan’s expression stiffened slightly.
“There’s no need. We’re even now. I can’t keep accepting things from you.”
Before Yu Huan could respond, Song Yujie suddenly rushed out.
“Comrade Yu, do you still have some of that meat from yesterday?”
He leaned forward, moving a little closer to Yu Huan, and lowered his voice.
“I’ll pay you for it. I’ll give you money, and you can choose whatever ration coupons I have.”
Yu Huan looked at Song Yujie in surprise.
This fellow had been glaring at her before, but now a single bowl of meat had won him over. Who would have thought he was such a foodie?
“Why are you looking at me like that? This is a mutually beneficial deal. If you don’t agree, then forget it.”
Song Yujie felt a little embarrassed under her gaze.
Previously, he had thought she was just like those girls who deliberately used tricks to get close to his brother. But judging from his brother’s behavior, perhaps her status would be changing in the future.
Song Yujie had practically grown up following his brother around. He couldn’t claim to understand Ling Yuan completely, but in all these years, not a single girl had ever managed to get close to him.
Forget hugging him—those girls couldn’t even touch the sleeve of his clothes!
“If you want some, I’ll bring it over before dinner. You don’t need to give me money or ration coupons,” Yu Huan replied.
She was already planning to bring some for Ling Yuan, so preparing an extra portion for Song Yujie wasn’t a big deal.
“How can that be? Your meat is so precious. I’m not going to take advantage of you.”
Song Yujie had always been somewhat physically weak. It wasn’t that he suffered from any serious illness; he simply had a weak constitution.
After eating the venison yesterday, however, he had noticed a clear difference when he woke up that morning. He felt more energetic than ever.
The only thing he had done differently the previous day was eat that meat.
Yu Huan thought that at least someone knew how to appreciate good things, but she still refused his offer.
“Take the money and coupons. If you don’t accept them, there’s no need to bring the meat.”
Ling Yuan spoke firmly, leaving no room for argument.
Seeing his attitude, Yu Huan realized that if she didn’t accept the payment, he might really refuse to take any more meat from her. So she stopped insisting.
After returning home, Yu Huan immediately put the meat on to stew.
When her mother saw this, her heart skipped a beat.
“Huanhuan, are you planning to eat this again tonight?”
“Mom, I’m making it for the educated youths. They’ll give me money and ration coupons.”
Yu Huan had used the same excuse yesterday.
“Then make sure you deliver it when no one is around.”
Her mother breathed a sigh of relief, though she was still a little worried. It wouldn’t be good if other people saw her doing this.
She was about to give her daughter a few more warnings when she heard movement at the courtyard gate.
“Dad, Mom, Little Sister, I’m back!”
Yu Jian’an walked into the courtyard carrying his bedding.
“Why are you back at this hour? Have you eaten yet?”
Her mother hurried forward, taking the bedding from her youngest son’s hands and firing off questions one after another.
“Not yet. I got a ride on a classmate’s bicycle to the neighboring village, then walked the rest of the way home.”
As he spoke, Yu Jian’an began unloading the various things he had been carrying.
Besides his spare clothes and bedding, he also had a lunchbox, a thermos, and a washbasin. The rest of his belongings consisted of his high school textbooks.
“Then I’ll make you some noodles. It’ll be quick.”
Her mother hurried into the kitchen.
Yu Huan’s father also came out of the room.
“You must be tired from walking all the way back. Sit down and rest. I’ll put your things in your room.”
Seeing his father carrying the bedding into his bedroom, Yu Jian’an quickly followed.
“Dad, I’ll do it myself.”
Yu Huan carried the stack of high school textbooks into Yu Jian’an’s room as well.
This room had previously been shared with his second older brother. Later, when the eldest brother joined the army, the second brother moved into the eldest brother’s room, while the third brother continued staying here.
Their mother cleaned the room regularly, so it wasn’t dirty. Once they put everything away, there wasn’t much else to do.
When their mother finished cooking the noodles, Yu Jian’an ate while telling his parents about the recent happenings at school. Yu Huan sat nearby, listening.
When it was almost time to head out for work, their father left for the fields. Their mother, meanwhile, removed the bedding covers and took them outside to wash.
She then told her son to go to his room and get some proper rest.
Yu Huan stayed behind to help her mother with the chores.
The entire afternoon passed amid one household task after another.