The village had been lively for a while following the arrival of the new batch of educated youths, but before long, everything returned to its usual peaceful state.
That afternoon, Yu Huan’s paternal aunt came to visit. Her mother had finished work early to return home and entertain her.
“Sister-in-law, this is a good opportunity! The deputy factory director is a fine-looking man with an excellent reputation. He’s a little older, but older men know how to cherish their wives. As for his two children from his previous marriage, there’s no need to worry about them. Their maternal grandparents are helping to raise them.”
Yu Huan’s aunt spoke enthusiastically, practically spraying saliva as she tried to convince her sister-in-law.
Yu Huan’s mother remained expressionless.
“My Huahuan is still young. There’s no rush for her to get married. You don’t need to go to all this trouble. This match isn’t happening.”
“Sister-in-law, I’m only thinking about what’s best for Huahuan. What kind of good husband can she find in this village? Her only advantage is her pretty face. Otherwise, a man like him might not even consider her.”
Yu Huan’s aunt was getting a little angry.
If she hadn’t wanted to establish a connection with the deputy factory director, would she have taken time off work to make this trip? Yet her sister-in-law was completely unwilling to listen.
“That’s enough. If I say it’s not happening, then it’s not happening. It’s getting late, so you’d better head home.”
Yu Huan’s mother was angry, too. If it weren’t for her brother-in-law’s sake, she would have slapped this woman across the face.
How could an aunt arrange such a marriage for her own niece without feeling the slightest bit ashamed?
“Sister-in-law, don’t be so quick to reject it. Talk it over properly with my brother first. I’ll come back in a couple of days.”
Realizing that she couldn’t persuade her sister-in-law, Yu Huan’s aunt decided to return in a few days and bring the man directly to speak with her older brother.
As she stepped out of the courtyard, she ran into Yu Huan, who had just returned from the back mountain.
“Huahuan, you’ve really blossomed! You’re getting prettier and prettier.”
Although Yu Huan’s aunt spoke warmly, her eyes kept roaming up and down Yu Huan’s body as though she were inspecting an object for sale.
The look made Yu Huan extremely uncomfortable.
“Auntie, are you leaving?”
Yu Huan gave her a perfunctory reply.
“Yes, I still have things to take care of at home. I’ll come visit you again in a couple of days!”
After saying that, her aunt climbed onto her bicycle and rode toward the village entrance.
“Mom, what did Auntie come here for?”
Yu Huan put down the basket on her back and took out two fish.
“Nothing much. She just mentioned something.”
Yu Huan’s mother had no intention of telling her daughter what her aunt had proposed. It was simply too upsetting.
“Where did you catch those fish? They’re quite big!”
“Near the back mountain. If you like them, I’ll catch more next time.”
Seeing that her mother didn’t want to elaborate, Yu Huan didn’t press her for details.
With her aunt’s character, whatever she had come to discuss was certainly nothing good. Eventually, the fox would show its tail.
That evening, when Yu Huan’s father returned home, her mother told him what had happened.
He was furious.
His beautiful, precious daughter was someone he would never allow to become a stepmother to another man’s children, especially not for some old man!
His younger sister was becoming more and more unreasonable.
Yu Huan’s father was the second child in his family. Their parents had passed away many years ago.
During the war, his eldest sister had left with a soldier and hadn’t returned for many years. There had been no letters from her in the past two years, either.
His younger sister was the youngest and also the prettiest. While their parents were still alive, they had spoiled her terribly, allowing her to grow into a selfish, unreasonable woman who only cared about her own interests.
After marrying into a family in the city, she had become even more contemptuous of her older brother. She never visited unless she wanted something.
“From now on, don’t entertain her whenever she comes here!”
Yu Huan’s father was so angry that he was practically panting.
“Don’t get yourself worked up. As long as we don’t agree, there’s nothing she can do about it.”
Yu Huan’s mother spent quite some time comforting him.
Meanwhile, Yu Huan had once again entered her dream.
“You’re here!”
Yu Huan stared at the person standing before her, who looked exactly like herself. Her face was filled with surprise.
“You can see me?”
“I could sense your presence beside me before, but now I can actually see you.”
“Why is that?”
“Surely you’ve already sensed it. I am you, and you are me. We exist in two different parallel spaces. You can come to my side through your dreams, and you’ve also absorbed the spiritual energy of this world. This is your opportunity, your destined fortune.”
Yu Huan was completely bewildered.
Remembering the strange sensations in her body, she couldn’t help asking, “Then what about the strange changes in my body? What’s happening to me?”
“There’s no need to worry about that. When you meet the person destined for you, you’ll naturally understand.”
Her dream-self smiled meaningfully.
Yu Huan was speechless.
That explanation was practically the same as saying nothing at all!
“Unless something unexpected happens, this should be the last time you’ll come here. I’m afraid we won’t have another chance to meet after this. I hope you’ll take good care of yourself.”
Before Yu Huan could respond, her dream-self raised a hand and waved it.
Something entered the space between Yu Huan’s eyebrows.
Yu Huan opened her eyes.
The surroundings were still completely dark. Her feelings were somewhat complicated, but she also felt a sense of relief.
After all, constantly entering those dreams had been mentally exhausting.
Once she had composed herself, Yu Huan silently thought:
Enter.
In an instant, she appeared inside a mysterious space.
This was the farewell gift her other self had given her—a personal space!
It contained an old-fashioned farmhouse courtyard. There was a spiritual spring well in the middle of the yard, while outside the courtyard stood several fruit trees, fertile fields, and endless stretches of mountains.
However, her current range of movement was limited to the courtyard.
An invisible barrier stood at the entrance. She could see everything outside, but she couldn’t step beyond it.
Yu Huan entered the main house.
A copy of the dual cultivation technique lay on the table.
The space itself contained spiritual energy, presumably to help her cultivate more effectively.
She was definitely going to practice this technique.
Not only could it improve her appearance and help her maintain her youth and longevity, but the tremendous increase in physical strength was also an irresistible temptation.
Beauty without strength was a potential disaster. Being powerful enough to protect herself was what truly mattered.
She turned around and began inspecting the other rooms.
The first room on the left was an alchemy room filled with all kinds of finished medicinal pills.
The second room contained various talismans.
The first room on the right held more than a dozen boxes filled with gold, silver, and precious jewelry.
The final room was packed with bags of grain.
She had suddenly become incredibly wealthy!
Yu Huan felt as though an enormous fortune had fallen straight from the sky. She was so excited that she nearly went crazy with happiness.
She had seen countless rare treasures and precious objects in her dreams before, but she could only look at them. She had never been able to take anything.
Now, however, this space belonged entirely to her.
How could she not be thrilled?
An hour later, Yu Huan finally left the space, feeling completely satisfied.
The sky was only beginning to brighten. Her mother probably hadn’t gotten up yet.
Yu Huan went straight to the kitchen and used the spiritual spring water to fill the family’s water vat.
As for the grain stored in the space, she planned to find an opportunity to visit the county town and take some out.
After all, it was all high-quality polished rice. Without a good explanation, she couldn’t simply produce it out of nowhere.
As for the secret of her space, she had no intention of telling anyone, including her parents.
After all, she had three older brothers. In the future, they would have three sisters-in-law, as well as nieces and nephews.
People’s hearts could change. It was best not to put human nature to the test unnecessarily.
When she heard movement coming from her parents’ bedroom, Yu Huan quickly finished preparing breakfast and brought everything to the table.
“Huahuan, this sweet potato porridge tastes quite good today.”
Yu Huan’s father happily ate his porridge with pickled vegetables.
“That’s right. It tastes noticeably sweeter than usual.”
Her mother also thought the porridge tasted especially delicious that morning.
“I noticed there was still some rock sugar left in the kitchen, so I added it to the porridge.”
Yu Huan knew the sweetness was actually due to the spiritual spring water, so she casually came up with an excuse.
“If Huahuan likes sweet porridge, then we’ll make it this way from now on. If we run out of sugar, we’ll simply buy more.”
Her mother smiled.
“Mom will give you some money and sugar coupons. Go to the supply and marketing cooperative later and find your second brother. Don’t come home for lunch, either. Have him take you to the state-run restaurant for a good meal. While you’re there, stop by your third brother’s school and see how he’s doing.”
She suddenly remembered something.
“The high school examinations have already finished, haven’t they? Why hasn’t he come home yet?”
“That’s right. You should go and check on him. He’s on vacation, yet he still hasn’t come home. He might be hanging around with some troublemakers somewhere. Tell him to come back and work!”
Yu Huan’s father had originally intended to check on his son himself, but he was too busy to leave.
Sending his daughter to have a look would work just as well.
Their third son had a carefree personality and was always eager to help others. Yu Huan’s father was simply worried that someone might take advantage of him.
“All right, Dad.”
Yu Huan immediately agreed.
This was perfect timing. She could also look for the black market and sell some of the polished rice from her space.
After her parents left for work, Yu Huan got on her bicycle and headed toward the county town.