After Wang and the daughter-in-law left, Li Wanting finally beamed at her two children and said, “Alright, from now on we’re free. The sky is high and the mountains are vast—we can fly wherever we want.”
“Mm, fly,” Zhou Zimeng echoed.
“Mm,” Zhou Zimo nodded with a smile.
“Even though we didn’t get the silver back, it’s okay. Severing ties was the most important thing. There’s plenty of time ahead—Mother’s silver isn’t so easy to get, we’ll deal with them later. Come on, tonight we celebrate! Life starts now. How about hot pot tonight?” Li Wanting asked excitedly.
“Mom, what’s hot pot?” Zhou Zimeng tilted her head, curious.
Zhou Zimo also looked at his mother, puzzled, waiting for an explanation.
“You’ll see soon. Zimo, you light the oil lamp first,” Li Wanting said, noticing it was getting dark.
“Okay, Mom.” Zhou Zimo immediately picked up the flint and skillfully struck it to light the lamp.
The oil lamp wasn’t very bright, so Li Wanting thought for a moment and brought out a desk lamp from her space. The small thatched hut instantly became as bright as daytime.
“Wow, so bright! It’s like daytime! Mom, what’s this?” Zhou Zimeng asked, amazed.
“This is a desk lamp,” Li Wanting patiently explained.
“A desk lamp? Wow! Mom has so many new things now,” Zhou Zimo stared at it in envy.
“Oh wow, we have a desk lamp now!” Zhou Zimeng clapped her little hands in delight.
Li Wanting smiled and shook her head, a mixture of amusement and indulgence, feeling how wonderful modern life was.
She then took out a battery and an electric hot pot from the space, along with vegetables, hot pot base, lamb slices, fatty beef, tripe, and assorted meatballs.
“Zimo, Zimeng, wash these vegetables,” Li Wanting instructed, connecting the battery to the hot pot, filling it with water, and starting it heating. She also prepared the dipping sauces with sesame paste, fermented tofu, and chive flowers.
Zhou Zimo washed the vegetables while watching his mother work. He was used to her unusual ways—he just followed her instructions.
The pot was a divided “Yin-Yang” hot pot: one side spicy, one side clear soup, so the kids wouldn’t get too spicy.
Everything ready, the three of them sat down together to eat.
“Mom, is this food for immortals? So delicious!” Zhou Zimeng copied her mother, dipped a slice of lamb in the sauce, and eagerly ate it.
“Yes,” Li Wanting smiled, picking meat for the children.
Zhou Zimo tried a slice of tripe—crisp and tender—and dipped it in sauce. It was so delicious he almost bit his tongue.
She made sure the kids only ate non-spicy food, while she happily ate the spicy side.
“Mom, can I try that red stuff?” Zhou Zimeng asked tentatively, watching her mother enjoy the spicy food.
Zhou Zimo also looked up eagerly.
Li Wanting, covered in red chili oil, noticed the children’s curiosity and put a few pieces from the spicy pot on their plates.
“Phew! So spicy!” Zhou Zimeng exclaimed, covering her mouth.
“Ahh! Hot!” Zhou Zimo winced, too.
Li Wanting quickly got two bottles of cola from the space, opened them, and gave each child one.
“Drink some cola—it’ll cool the spice down.”
The kids sipped, their eyes lighting up.
“Delicious! Mom, it’s not spicy anymore,” Zhou Zimeng exclaimed happily.
“Of course it’s delicious! It even has a fun nickname—‘Happy Fatty Soda.’ Perfect with hot pot,” Li Wanting said proudly.
“Happy Fatty Soda… so tasty!” Zhou Zimo silently noted. Indeed, drinking cola with spicy food really cut the heat—what a thrill.
“Mom, I want more spicy food!” Zhou Zimo said.
“You want spicy too?” Li Wanting asked Zimeng.
“Yes,” she replied, sipping her cola.
Alright, both kids loved spicy food. Li Wanting served them from the spicy side, poured herself a bottle of cola, and raised her cup. “To freedom!”
“To freedom!” the children echoed, mimicking her gesture.
They clinked glasses and drank. Life felt so wonderful.
After finishing hot pot and tidying up, they weren’t sure what time it was. Li Wanting checked her phone—just eight o’clock. Stepping outside, the bright moon shone over the land, stars twinkled, and the early summer evening was cool and refreshing.
Their thatched hut was a short distance from the village. From afar, the village was quiet except for a few dogs barking.
In ancient times, nights had little entertainment. People slept early and rose early. Having just eaten, they couldn’t sleep immediately.
“Mom, what are you doing?” Zhou Zimeng pulled her brother along.
“Nothing, just walking off the full stomach,” Li Wanting said, waving to her children.
“I’m so full! Being full feels so good!” Zhou Zimeng patted her round little belly.
“Yes, you need to digest before bed. How about a walk in Mom’s space?” Li Wanting suggested.
“Mom, can we go in too?” Zhou Zimeng asked excitedly.
Zhou Zimo also looked at her expectantly.
“Of course,” Li Wanting assured them. She took the children inside, put away the desk lamp, blew out the oil lamp, and led them into the space.
The scene changed. They saw mountains, streams, fields, and houses. The siblings were astonished, staring in awe for a long moment.
“Mom, this is the space you were talking about!” Zhou Zimo exclaimed.
“Mom, is this where immortals live?” Zhou Zimeng asked, thrilled.
“Yes, this is the space, the place where immortals reside,” Li Wanting replied, giving each child a basket, taking two herself, and leading them up the mountain.
The siblings followed eagerly, eyes darting everywhere, amazed, like they had just entered a wonderland.
“Wow, there are fish in the stream! So big!” Zhou Zimeng shouted.
“Yes, so big!” Zhou Zimo echoed.
That’s how children should be, Li Wanting thought, pleased to see her son finally letting go of his serious demeanor. He was only eight—he shouldn’t bear so much responsibility.
“Mom, can we eat the fish?” Zhou Zimeng asked.
“Of course. Everything here we can eat and use,” Li Wanting smiled.
“Great! We have fish to eat! Brother, look—there are shrimp too!” Excited by her mother’s approval, she tugged her brother to look.