Chapter 17

Although she said she was going to sleep, Song Tian’er actually entered her space. She had possessed the space for a while now and had gotten used to using it—it was time to tidy it up a bit.

The big rooster was quite relaxed. It was just waiting for Song Tian’er to grow up a bit so it could accompany her outside the space. If it went out now, someone might still try to stew it.

“There’s so much empty land in the space. I should hurry up and plant some crops.”

The space had everything and all items were for unlimited use, except for food grains, which needed to be planted manually. Once planted, the harvest would be automatically stored and available for use when needed.

There was one harvest per month, and each yield would be 10,000 jin (around 5,000 kg). Song Tian’er chose to plant, in rotation: corn, wheat, rice, millet, soybeans, and sorghum.

Each crop would be planted for two months, so over a year, all of them would be grown. With food stored up like this, she’d feel much more secure.

Next came vegetables: napa cabbage, string beans, eggplants, tomatoes, chili peppers, king oyster mushrooms, potatoes, peas, cucumbers, chives, pistachios, and chocolate beans.

Vegetables, mushrooms, and nuts could all be planted monthly, regardless of soil or climate. Song Tian’er started by planting what she liked to eat and began storing them.

The high-end agricultural research lab within the space was still developing new crops. The sweet potato seedlings were one such example—they had been soaked in spiritual spring water, and even Song Tian’er couldn’t imagine how high the yield would be.

She planted one acre of land in front of the house with ginseng, snow lotus, cordyceps, fleeceflower root, saffron, lingzhi, dendrobium, golden-thread lotus, fritillaria, Paris polyphylla, notoginseng, and gastrodia.

Similarly, these herbs were harvested monthly—each type reaching 10,000 jin after a year.

Song Tian’er decided to plant each type of grain, vegetable, nut, and medicinal herb once to store up all the food. Since it wouldn’t spoil, it would be available for unlimited use.

Once everything was fully stocked, she could plant decorative plants to beautify the space and turn it into a scenic area.

The Song family had been busy for several days planting all the sweet potatoes. Old Master Song would check on the fields every day, worried something might go wrong.

As spring ended and the weather grew warmer, their days improved. They no longer had to mix wild vegetables into meals to stave off hunger. Still, many rural families loved eating wild greens.

Madam Liu had long finished her postpartum confinement. Occasionally, she would leave Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao with Granny Zhou and go dig wild vegetables with her sisters-in-law.

Granny Zhou never used to look after grandchildren—she believed her duty ended after raising her own children. But with her precious little granddaughter Song Tian’er, things were different. She couldn’t get enough of hugging and doting on her.

Granny Zhou sewed beautiful clothes for Little Sweet Treasure XiaoTianbao by hand. They were clean and well-fitting, making the baby look even more adorable and envy-inducing.

“Mom, Fifth Brother is back.”

Third brother Song Fugui had gone to the town to deliver the fish caught the previous day. This time, Fifth Brother Song Fuyou had returned with him.

Fifth Brother was a student preparing for the imperial scholar exam (xiucai). He knew people at the town’s academy, and they appreciated his talent and character, so he stayed to work as a teacher.

Since he hadn’t passed the xiucai exam yet, they only provided room and board along with a monthly stipend of three silver coins—still a great help.

Old Master Song strongly supported his son’s scholarly ambitions, hoping for an official in the family someday, which would bring honor to them all.

Because of this, Fifth Brother didn’t have to contribute his earnings to the household. The money was his to spend on books, writing supplies, and decent clothing.

“Mom,” Fifth Brother greeted.

He hadn’t been home in a while, completely immersed in his studies. When he saw the adorable baby girl in Granny Zhou’s arms, he was taken aback.

“Whose little girl is this?” he asked.

Granny Zhou looked him up and down—he’d gotten thinner, clearly from studying hard.

“She’s your Fourth Brother’s new baby girl—her name is Song Tian’er. She’s also the only granddaughter in our Song family.”

Fifth Brother was amazed. “Father and Mother waited for years, and we finally have a little girl in the family. She’s just too cute.”

Granny Zhou couldn’t help but want to show off her precious granddaughter to everyone. “Fifth Brother, put your things down quickly—I’ve got to tell you all about Little Sweetie.”

Fifth Brother had brought back some food and supplies, but as he looked around, it felt like the family lacked nothing anymore.

There were even boxes of pastries sitting out in his parents’ room—normally they wouldn’t have splurged, let alone left them out like that.

Third Brother tied up the ox, washed his hands, and came over to play with Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao. These days, everyone in the Song family made time to fuss over her whenever they could.

Fifth Brother looked at the sweet baby and genuinely liked her. He even thought that when he got married someday, he’d want a daughter just like her.

Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao’s inner thoughts:
“Third Uncle went to deliver fish again. He’s quite the businessman—he knows the shopkeepers well and makes a lot of money every day. One day, he’ll be able to run his own business.”

Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao’s thoughts continued:
“So this is Fifth Uncle—my first time seeing him. He really does look like a refined scholar. He’s bound to have great achievements and become a government official.”

The Song family was used to hearing Little Tianbao’s inner voice, so they just smiled and listened. But for Fifth Brother, it was like a bolt from the blue.

This baby was only a few months old—how could she talk? Her mouth hadn’t even moved!

But there were only a few people around, and that soft, childish voice clearly came from a baby. Could it really be her?

Seeing her son’s stunned expression, Granny Zhou laughed heartily. She and Third Brother explained everything to him about how Little Tianbao was their lucky star.

It was like a tale from a storyteller—too unbelievable to be true. But having just heard her voice in his mind, he couldn’t help but believe it.

“Heavens, this is too incredible—too strange! Who would’ve thought such things could happen? But our family’s life really has improved so much,” he marveled.

Third Brother wasn’t even listening—he was still savoring the compliment from Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao. She said he had business talent. To her, he was clearly quite impressive.

Granny Zhou added, “This is a blessing earned over generations. Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao is definitely your lucky star too. You’re sure to pass the scholar exam and become an official one day.”

Fifth Brother was delighted. His little niece believed he had the fate of a future official—maybe he really did have that luck. Her presence only strengthened his confidence.

He had always been the smartest of the siblings and never lacked praise from the family.

But this time, Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao’s words truly struck a chord deep in his heart, filling him with joy. The more he looked at her, the more he adored her.

While Granny Zhou and her sons chatted, the daughters-in-law who had gone into the mountains to gather wild greens returned.

They were surprised to see Fifth Brother home.

Fourth Brother’s wife Liu said, “Oh wow, Fifth Brother is back. You’ve lost weight! Teaching and studying really isn’t easy.”

The eldest sister-in-law Zhu said, “Why didn’t you send word ahead so we could prepare something nice for you? Luckily I’ve been cooking these past few days—tell me what you want, and I’ll make it.”

Zhang and Zou also asked about his situation. Although the Song family had many members, they were harmonious. The sisters-in-law were very kind to their unmarried brother-in-law.