Having just recovered from a serious illness, Shen Yihuan wandered around her space for a while before feeling a little weak. She went to the refrigerator, took out a bottle of fresh milk, and drank it in one go.
Then she silently thought, Leave.
In the blink of an eye, she was back inside the mud-brick house.
Looking at the empty milk carton in her hand, Shen Yihuan cautiously tried using her mind to store it inside the space.
It worked.
Next, she used her thoughts to retrieve it from the space.
Fortunately, that worked as well.
Shen Yihuan let out a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, she didn’t have to physically enter the space to store or retrieve things—mental control alone was enough.
The only question was whether the space could preserve food. She still had so much grain and snacks stored inside.
She would have to test that later.
Just then, the door creaked open.
Turning her head, Shen Yihuan met the eyes of a middle-aged woman who had just entered.
“My dear, you’re awake?”
Liu Guiying’s face lit up with delight as she hurried over.
“Thank goodness. Come, drink your medicine first.”
Shen Yihuan was about to refuse and say she was already fine.
Instead, Liu Guiying firmly helped her sit up and, without giving her a chance to protest, fed her a bowl of bitter traditional herbal medicine.
Watching Shen Yihuan gulp it down in several large swallows until not a drop remained, Liu Guiying smiled in satisfaction.
“You silly child. You had such a high fever and didn’t tell anyone. You scared us all half to death last night.”
After saying that, she called toward the doorway,
“Lanxin, bring the porridge in. Your sister-in-law is awake.”
“Coming.”
A young girl’s crisp voice answered from outside, though her tone was far from cheerful, sounding distinctly sulky.
Does this girl have something against me?
The bitter medicine left Shen Yihuan frowning deeply.
She had just been thinking about secretly popping a preserved fruit into her mouth when a pretty young girl walked in carrying a porcelain bowl, her expression dark.
She muttered under her breath,
“Making such a fuss over a little illness. Just what you’d expect from some pampered rich young lady.”
“Lanxin, what are you mumbling about? Are you asking for a scolding?”
Liu Guiying glared at her daughter with obvious displeasure, her eyes full of warning.
Seeing her own mother reprimand her because of an outsider, Jiang Lanxin’s eyes reddened. Growing even angrier, she slammed the bowl onto the table before turning and running out.
Looking embarrassed, Liu Guiying picked up the bowl of porridge and explained,
“I’ve spoiled that girl rotten. Please don’t take it to heart. Come, have some porridge first.
Changfeng saw how weak you were and went up the mountain to catch a wild chicken, so he’s not home right now.
If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, just tell Mother.
I’ll be right outside. Just call for me, and I’ll hear you.”
“Thank you. I understand.”
Shen Yihuan really was hungry. She didn’t stand on ceremony and quickly finished the entire bowl of porridge in small bites.
“Get some good rest. I’ll wake you when it’s time for dinner tonight.”
Seeing the empty bowl, Liu Guiying smiled with satisfaction, gently helped her lie back down, tucked the blanket around her, and finally left with the bowl.
As the door closed behind her, the room became dim once again.
Shen Yihuan closed her eyes to rest while thinking about what she should do next.
From the original owner’s memories, she only knew that this place was Songshan County, Nanyang City, in the Great Chu Kingdom.
The original owner’s family dealt in silk and tea, making them one of the wealthiest households in Songshan County.
However, she knew very little about the outside world.
Raised as a sheltered young lady, she spent her days embroidering at home. She rarely even left her own room, much less went into town for leisure.
As for the Jiang family she had married into, all she knew was that her husband was Jiang Changfeng, eighteen years old, and that he lived in Xinghua Village, Fengling Town, Songshan County. Beyond that, she knew absolutely nothing.
It was truly a blind marriage.
The original owner had only just reached marriageable age.
Her body hadn’t even fully matured yet.
And she was already married?
Then Shen Yihuan remembered something else—the original owner’s mother’s dowry.
The original owner had never been capable of reclaiming it, but now that Shen Yihuan possessed the mysterious space, she intended to recover everything that rightfully belonged to her.
Thinking of this, she got up and inspected the dowry she had brought with her.
Sure enough, just as she had expected, the six dowry chests were filled mostly with old cloth, worn quilts, and worthless junk.
Aside from one hundred taels of silver and a set of gold-plated copper jewelry meant only to make the wedding look respectable, there was nothing of value.
How shameless.
Her father was one of the prominent wealthy men in Songshan County, and her mother’s original dowry had been worth at least eight thousand taels of silver—if not ten thousand.
Yet her stepmother had married her off with nothing but this pile of trash.
If that was how they wanted to play it, then they couldn’t blame Shen Yihuan for showing them no mercy.
She stored the one hundred taels of silver inside her space before lying back down.
Now that she had the space, she finally felt she had something to rely on.
And there was Jiang Changfeng. Once he returned, she needed to have a proper talk with him.
She entered the space, boiled a kettle of water, poured it into several disposable cups, and placed one in each room, one in the courtyard, and another on the rooftop terrace, planning to check the results the next day.
After leaving the space, she lay back on the bed to rest with her eyes closed and gradually drifted off to sleep.
She had no idea how long she slept before she vaguely felt a broad, warm hand resting against her forehead.
“Who’s there?”
Startled, she jolted upright and instinctively hugged the blanket as she scooted toward the inner side of the bed.
Seeing her react like a frightened bird, Jiang Changfeng gently reassured her,
“It’s me.”
Only then did Shen Yihuan clearly see the man standing beside the bed.
He had deep-set eyes, a high, straight nose, and a serious expression on his bronze-colored face.
Combined with his tall, broad frame, he naturally gave off an imposing presence.
Shen Yihuan couldn’t help feeling nervous.
This handsome yet stern man was none other than Jiang Changfeng—her husband in name.
“Oh… it’s you.”
She forced an awkward smile.
“I came to call you for dinner. Do you need me to help you?”
His deep voice carried an unexpected hint of gentleness.
Still unable to relax, Shen Yihuan gave an embarrassed smile.
“I can manage on my own. There’s no need to trouble you.”
Jiang Changfeng gave her a meaningful look.
“All right. Come out and eat, then.”
With that, he turned and walked out.
Only after his tall figure disappeared from the room did Shen Yihuan finally let out a long breath.
He had to be at least one meter eighty-five tall.
A man that tall was exceptionally rare in ancient times.
With his powerful, well-defined muscles, he was undeniably intimidating.
When Shen Yihuan stepped outside for dinner, she discovered that there were three other men in the Jiang family who were just as tall.
As every member of the Jiang family looked at her with eager eyes, she suddenly felt the awkward nervousness of meeting her husband’s family for the first time.
Around the square dining table, Jiang Chunsheng sat in the seat of honor.
Jiang Changfeng sat to his left, while Jiang Yunfan and Jiang Canghai sat to his right. Across from them sat Liu Guiying and Jiang Lanxin.
“Come, my dear, sit down. We’ve all been waiting for you.”
Liu Guiying beckoned to her warmly.
Returning her smile, Shen Yihuan walked over and sat beside Jiang Changfeng.
Jiang Chunsheng cleared his throat.
“Since everyone’s here, let’s eat.”
With that, he picked up his chopsticks first.
Only then did everyone else begin eating.
Smiling, Liu Guiying placed a chicken drumstick into Shen Yihuan’s bowl.
“Here, eat more. You need to nourish yourself.”
“Thank you,” Shen Yihuan replied politely before beginning to eat at an unhurried pace.
Jiang Changfeng ladled her a bowl of chicken soup.