Tang Xin thought it made sense. In an era of severe material shortages, waste was impossible and utterly shameful.
She smiled and replied, "Alright, we'll listen to my Ningning and make less. Tonight we'll have a big meat dish, and save some to make you meat pancakes tomorrow morning to take on your journey."
Guo Youning set down the newly purchased books, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and nodded obediently, "Whatever you arrange. Let me help you chop the meat."
Noticing her clothes were soaked with sweat and she looked somewhat fatigued, Tang Xin worried about her health deteriorating and waved her hands repeatedly. "You haven't fully recovered yet. Go change your clothes and rest. How about I make you Noodle Soup with Meat and Egg for lunch?"
Guo Youning flattered with a smile, "Mom's Noodle Soup with Meat and Egg is the most delicious! I can eat a big bowl. Thank you for your hard work! I'll go pack my luggage first."
Tang Xin continued working swiftly, chopping meat without pause. "Rest a while before packing. There's still time."
Guo Youning nodded and returned to her room. After closing the door, she seriously organized her luggage—packing what needed to be packed, boxing what needed to be boxed, including high school textbooks to prepare for the resumption of college entrance exams.
During the process, she secretly stored heavy items like books, brown sugar, and canned goods into her space.
After finishing packing, she bolted the door and entered the space. First, she tended to the chicken coop and pigpen, feeding them and collecting eggs.
After completing the chores, she sighed while looking at the ten pigs.
The train tomorrow departs at 6:30 AM. Given the current speed of green-skinned trains, the journey from the capital to Heilongjiang Province would take at least thirty hours.
The chickens had automatic feeding facilities, but what about these ten pigs?
While cleaning the pigpen, Guo Youning really felt like slaughtering them to end the hassle! Then she remembered she's wealthy now and shouldn't have to endure this hardship.
She only dared to complain inwardly, still counting on these "pork masters" to carve a path for her and help the villagers prosper.
Having read novels where protagonists could control their spaces with mental power, she wondered why hers was so unreliable? Everything had to be done manually!
Was this a test for her? "When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a great man, it always first frustrates his spirit and will, exhausts his muscles and bones…" Should she apply to the Lord of the Tenth Hall for an upgrade?
Those two acres of land also needed proper planning. Growing only vegetables meant they couldn't possibly consume them all, and she didn't know how to grow grains yet.
Never having farmed in this life or the previous one—sigh! When would the planting talent ingrained in the Chinese nation automatically activate?
Forget it, no use overthinking. "The cart will find its way round the hill when it gets there."
She took out baskets and harvested the ripe vegetables and fruits, filling over ten baskets which she stored in the warehouse of the reverse-facing room.
She wanted to preserve them in the refrigerator, but there were too many to fit.
How troublesome! If only this were a static space… Wait, how would she know if the space didn't preserve freshness without testing it?
Action followed thought. She placed hot water everywhere—east and west wing rooms, reverse-facing room, main hall, vegetable garden…
Results wouldn't appear immediately, so she organized the space's supplies while waiting.
She categorized food, daily necessities, money, antiques, etc.
The goods from Old Wang were truly good quality: snow-white cotton, thick quilts, sturdy iron stoves and pots, high-quality White Rabbit Milk Candy, fruit candies, twisted crullers, and decent tobacco and alcohol…
All for only 190 yuan—she genuinely worried he might be losing money. Wang Li was really a decent person worth befriending.
When the time was right, she could sell the "San Zhuan Yi Xiang" items and television sets from her space to him in batches. Wouldn't money, ration coupons, and valuable things then flow into her pockets like a rushing tide?
Just thinking about it made her bubble with joy!
Unable to resist, Guo Youning counted the money and coupons again, grinning from ear to ear. The cash alone already exceeded thirteen thousand.
Then there were the gold bars and antiques. A sense of superiority welled up in her heart. With such financial conditions, she could easily lie low until the college entrance exams and return to the city—she might even afford a courtyard house in Beijing.
Unfortunately, this was an era where labor was glorious and patched clothes were a mark of pride. She had to maintain an enthusiastic and upward-striving attitude.
After counting the money and coupons, she played with the handgun she had long coveted. Unable to resist the temptation, she went to the backyard and test-fired two rounds. Her aim was as sharp as ever, giving her another life-saving card up her sleeve.
Bullets were limited—each shot used one up—so she’d have to switch to other weapons for practice.
When the opportunity arose, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to collect slingshots and bows for fun. She carefully wrapped the handgun in cloth and stored it in a cabinet.
Remembering that she would go to the countryside tomorrow and start doing farm work, she took another look at her frail body. Physical training was urgently needed.
She changed into workout clothes and practiced boxing in the yard.
She hadn’t realized how bad it was until she tried. Her punches were weak, and she had no stamina. In less than ten minutes, she was drenched in sweat and completely exhausted, forcing her to return to her room for a shower.
It seemed she needed to start with basic fitness training, taking it step by step. There was still a long way to go before she could achieve good physical prowess.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through her mind: If the Immortal Dew could save lives, could it also strengthen the body? Should she try a drop?
Better wait. She couldn’t casually waste something that could save a life. Unless absolutely necessary, she should hold off for now.
After her shower, feeling refreshed, she took a stroll through her space and collected the water cups. She noticed that only the water in the side rooms was still warm; everywhere else had turned cold.
Guo Youning was content. One shouldn’t be too greedy—the side rooms covered five spaces, about seventy or eighty square meters. Having such a large preservation area was more than enough for her.
Just then, Tang Xin’s voice called from outside the door, inviting her to lunch.
Guo Youning quickly emerged from her space, opened the door, and sat at the square table. A bowl of Noodle Soup with Meat and Egg, accompanied by fresh greens, looked, smelled, and tasted delicious.
She gave a thumbs-up and praised, "Mom, your cooking is amazing!"
No other family members came home for lunch—those at work ate in the canteen, and those at school brought their own meals. Tang Xin had been coming back at noon these past few days to take care of her while she was sick.
Tang Xin’s lips curved into a smile. "If it’s good, eat more. You’re too thin."
Perhaps because she had been working and exercising in her space, her energy expenditure was high. She finished the entire large bowl of noodles, soup and all, without leaving a drop.
Tang Xin had only eaten a small bowl herself. Seeing her daughter enjoy the meal so much made her happier than if she had eaten it herself—it was proof that her daughter’s health was improving.
After the meal, Tang Xin took the family’s last three pounds of white flour and set aside two-thirds of it, planning to let it rise and steam into buns for Guo Youning to take on the train. The remaining pound would be made into meat pancakes for her breakfast the next morning. She muttered about boiling some eggs for her to take along as well…
She seemed determined to give her daughter every good thing she had. "A mother’s worry travels a thousand miles with her child" was no longer just a saying—it unfolded vividly before Guo Youning’s eyes.
Her heart warmed, but she didn’t want her family to survive on coarse porridge alone for the next few days.
"Hurry and stop her, saying, 'Mom, look at the sun outside. If you pack too much, it'll spoil. Just make a couple of buns tomorrow morning—that'll be enough for lunch. By evening, they might even go bad. There are boxed meals on the train, so I won't go hungry. You don't need to go to all this trouble. Besides, there are snacks like sponge cakes and walnut cookies to tide me over.'"