After telling Yan Zihao her secret, Lu Qingran felt a wave of relief in her heart.
From now on, she wouldn’t have to sneak around for anything.
Suddenly remembering something, Lu Qingran said, “Wait a moment, I’ll get you a fruit from my place to try.”
After saying this, she silently thought the word “enter” in her mind, and then disappeared, leaving Yan Zihao instantly flustered.
Hot weather is perfect for eating watermelon. Once inside her space, Lu Qingran headed straight to the supermarket on the basement level. She quickly picked out a medium-sized kirin melon, carried it up seven floors, and sliced it into pieces, arranging them neatly on a plate before exiting the space with the full plate of fruit.
“Qingran, where did you go? I thought you left!” Yan Zihao asked anxiously as soon as she came out.
Lu Qingran replied, “This is the space I told you about. I can go in. Don’t worry, I said I wouldn’t leave, so I won’t. This is a fruit from my place called watermelon. It’s refreshing and thirst-quenching—perfect for summer. Try it!”
Yan Zihao took the unfamiliar watermelon from her hands, bit into a piece, and the sweet juice and flesh burst in his mouth. His eyes lit up instantly.
“Is it good?” Lu Qingran asked.
“Delicious, very delicious,” Yan Zihao replied.
There were six pieces on the plate in total. After eating two, Yan Zihao stopped and said, “Qingran, I’ll leave the rest for you.”
Lu Qingran smiled—this really was a good man who doted on his wife!
“Don’t worry, eat as much as you want. There’s plenty in the space. If you can think of a good reason, you can even take some to share with your parents and siblings,” she said.
“Got it. Tomorrow when we return from town, I’ll just say we ran into a traveling merchant there and let them try some,” Yan Zihao replied.
With everything clarified, Lu Qingran naturally wanted to return to a proper life. After finishing the plate of watermelon, she said to Yan Zihao, “I’m going back to the space to take a shower.”
Curious about Lu Qingran’s space, Yan Zihao asked, “Qingran, if your space can store things, can you take me in too?”
“I don’t know. Let’s try,” she said. Holding his hand, she thought “enter,” but only she entered—Yan Zihao remained outside.
She placed the plate on the ground and then exited the space; Yan Zihao was still standing there.
“It seems no one else can enter that space besides me,” Lu Qingran said.
“Alright, then go take your shower! It’s getting late, and we have to get up early tomorrow,” Yan Zihao said.
“Okay! I’ll be quick,” she replied, returning to the space.
Now free from the fear of being exposed, she used shampoo, body wash, and skincare products to pamper herself.
When Lu Qingran finished and returned to the room, a fresh fragrance immediately reached Yan Zihao.
Lying in bed, smelling the scent so close, a surge of desire rose in Yan Zihao. Fearing he might scare his young wife, he gently kissed her forehead and said in a low voice, “Sleep now.”
Lu Qingran, being 28 years old, would already be a mother if she had married early in modern times. So she naturally sensed Yan Zihao’s restraint, smiled silently, replied “Good night,” and closed her eyes to sleep.
The next morning, Yan Zihao informed his parents and younger brother Yan Ziyi of his plans. Although Yan Ziyi was curious, he didn’t ask much, assuming it was just Lu Qingran buying something.
“Alright, I’ll stay home to help water the fields,” Yan Ziyi said.
After breakfast, Yan Zihao and Lu Qingran set off. For convenience, they had bought two large barrels for pig offal. Besides riding the ox cart, the two brothers took turns carrying the barrels on other parts of the route.
At the entrance of Lu family village, Grandpa Wang, the cart driver, was already waiting. Four villagers were on the cart, two of whom Lu Qingran recognized as her stepmother Yao and stepsister Lu Qingqing. Seeing Yan Zihao and Lu Qingran, they rolled their eyes and turned away.
“Eldest son, did someone switch? The second son isn’t coming today?” Grandpa Wang asked.
“Yes, he’s staying behind to water the fields,” Yan Zihao replied.
Hearing this, Grandpa Wang frowned and sighed, “I don’t know when God will bring rain. If it keeps going like this, this year’s harvest will be bad.”
“Exactly,” a woman said. She was also from the village, though Lu Qingran didn’t know her.
Grandpa Wang said, “Alright, load the stuff, we’re ready to go.”
Yan Zihao immediately helped place the barrels of pig offal on the ox cart.
“Ew! Mom, what’s that smell?” Lu Qingqing exclaimed.
Yao also complained, “Yes! It’s so disgusting. We paid for the ride—can’t we go without smelling this the whole way?”
“If you don’t like it, you can walk,” Lu Qingran said coolly.
“Why should we walk? We paid! If anyone has to get off, it’s you, the lowly girl!” Yao snapped.
Before she finished, Lu Qingran suddenly slapped Yao across the face.
“Mom!” Lu Qingqing shouted.
“You dare hit my mother, Lu Qingran? I’ll beat you to death!” Yao shouted, raising her hand to strike, but Yan Zihao stopped her.
“If you dare curse Qingran again, don’t blame me for being ruthless,” Yan Zihao said.
Lu Qingqing’s hand hit the cart and she screamed.
“Yan Zihao, you…” she started.
“Lu family, if you’re taking the cart, sit properly. If not, get off,” Grandpa Wang said.
Yao, furious and seeing no one helping her, suddenly changed tone and pretended to cry, “They say being a stepmother is hard, all these years I—”
Before she could finish, Lu Qingran interrupted, “We’re severing ties.”
The cart swayed and began moving, with Yao and Lu Qingqing both looking sour.
After getting off, Yao spat on the ground and grumbled, dragging Lu Qingqing along—they were heading to see Lu Qingqing’s suitor.
Yan Zihao and Lu Qingran ignored them, greeted Grandpa Wang, and carried the pig offal into Zhushan Town together.
The innkeeper at Futian Restaurant saw Lu Qingran and praised her generously, even giving her a package of the restaurant’s snacks to take home with Yan Zihao, which had been part of their plan.
“Thank you very much,” Lu Qingran said.
“You’re welcome. Thanks to you, our business has improved,” the innkeeper said with a smile.
After leaving Futian Restaurant, they went to the southern market. People were already waiting at their stall, greeting them happily.
“Little brother, you finally came! I thought you weren’t coming today!” a man in blue said.
“Got held up a bit,” Yan Zihao replied.
After just over an hour, all the barrels of pig offal were sold. They packed up, quietly stored the money in the space, and left the market.