Chapter 20 Spatial Changes

In her previous life, although the house she shared with Lu Jian’an was a two-story building, it was an old house in a military compound, so the space inside wasn’t very large. Outside, however, there was a fairly big courtyard. Before she moved in, the courtyard had been neglected and overgrown. But after she arrived, during her free time, she started planting some vegetables. After Lu Jian’an left, she became even more devoted to gardening. When the harvest was more than she could eat herself, she would give the extra to the neighbors. Right before she was reborn, the courtyard was still full of vegetables.

But a few days ago, when she confirmed that the house had been reborn along with her, it was like a sealed space—no doors or windows. Now, however, the windows appeared, and so did the door. Outside the window was a thick mist, making it impossible to see clearly.

Song Nanting tried pulling the door handle, but it wouldn’t budge; the window was the same. She didn’t quite understand what this meant, but deep down she vaguely felt that the world beyond that door would open to her one day. At the very least, shouldn’t that courtyard belong to her?

Of course, people shouldn’t be too greedy. The changes she had already seen were enough to make Song Nanting happy.

After filling the bathtub with water and enjoying a comfortable soak, Song Nanting noticed she was a bit hungry, so she went to the kitchen and made herself a bowl of noodles. After eating her fill, she felt sleepy and lay down for a nap.

On this soft, comfortable bed, Song Nanting slept especially well. When she woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. Remembering the promise with Auntie Song and Comrade Han, she hurriedly left the space and went out.

The rooms next door and across the hall were quiet. She wasn’t sure if they were still there.

Stepping out of the guesthouse, she wandered around the city. This was the capital city of Yu Province, and since it was New Year’s Eve, the streets were bustling. Many people who worked mornings were just now finishing work and starting their holiday.

Song Nanting carried a mesh bag holding four lunch boxes and inquired around before heading straight to a state-run restaurant, where she saw a long line had already formed. When the restaurant doors opened, a rush of people surged forward, ignoring the line.

Sensing trouble, Song Nanting hurried forward, weaving through the crowd from the sides and corners. This tactic worked — when she entered, there were only a few people ahead of her.

The waiter shouted at the crowd, “It’s New Year’s! Don’t make me angry! Everyone line up properly. Those who don’t line up get kicked out. No service for you!”

The people in line grumbled reluctantly but complied out of respect for the holiday.

While the people in front were served, Song Nanting sized up the day’s menu. Once she saw what was offered, she understood why everyone was so excited. Because it was the New Year, and the last supply before the holiday, the state-run restaurant had increased their portions, with chicken, duck, fish, and meat all served in full.

Song Nanting regretted only bringing four lunch boxes — she planned to fill all of them. Two boxes would be for the New Year’s Eve dinner, and the other two would go into her space for preservation, to be taken out and eaten whenever she wanted.

When it was her turn, she decisively ordered two servings of braised pork and two servings of spicy chicken. One serving almost filled a lunch box. She eyed the spicy pepper soup nearby with some temptation, but her limited lunch box space meant the soup couldn’t compete with the meat.

Satisfied with the lunch boxes in hand, she went to a quiet spot and quickly stored one box in her space. She carried the other two as she continued wandering.

Ahead, the department store was having final sales, but there weren’t many people. Looking at the clothes she was wearing, Song Nanting thought they were a mess — she’d freeze to an ice block if she went to the Northeast dressed like this.

Though she had many clothes in her space, she couldn’t wear them. The fabric she brought from home didn’t include cotton, so making winter clothes wasn’t possible.

Song Nanting took out her nationwide fabric and cotton coupons and promptly went shopping. But when she asked, she learned that during the New Year, buying ready-made clothes didn’t require fabric coupons, though prices were higher.

Not wanting to miss out on a good deal, and with plenty of money but few coupons on hand, she decided to buy.

She didn’t just buy for herself but also for Lu Jian’an, whose size she knew well. She bought him a full set of clothes. After buying her own set, she felt that wasn’t enough, so she bought another full set, going all out.

When she tried to buy a coat, the sales clerk became unhappy. “You’ve bought so much, what will others buy? No more sales for you.”

Song Nanting was speechless — she hadn’t expected that. But it didn’t matter; she could buy better clothes later in the capital or the Northeast cities.

She stored the new clothes in her space and continued shopping in the department store. She bought anything that didn’t require coupons: paper, pens, ink, and importantly, twenty rolls of toilet paper.

Song Nanting looked like someone who only realized it was time to prepare New Year’s goods at the last minute. She went back and forth several times, buying lots of items.

Once finished, she didn’t linger and quickly left, afraid of being followed.

But even so, she was being watched. Because of her big spending, it was obvious she had money. And although her padded jacket and pants were patched, rich people liked to pretend to be poor.

Two street toughs had been wandering the streets all morning without finding a target to rob, when Song Nanting appeared in their sights.

As she took the goods she had openly bought earlier and packed them into a suitcase in a secluded spot, then started walking back to the guesthouse, she suddenly realized something was wrong — someone was following her.

After her rebirth, her nerves were always on edge. Being out in the world and guarding the great secret of her space, she dared not let her guard down. So she noticed the two people tailing her within less than a minute of their following her. People in this world—though they might eat the same food—turn out very differently. Song Nanting didn’t want to think ill of others, but she also wouldn’t relax her suspicion.

Pretending not to notice, she turned into a nearby alley, moving her hand in front of her body to shield herself as she took out the stick she always kept visible inside her space, ready for when the two behind her made their move.

Once inside the alley, it was already empty. Around the houses nearby, people were talking and laughing—sounds of merriment and chatter, likely preparing for the New Year’s Eve dinner. Song Nanting couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. New Year’s was the happiest day for children—new clothes to wear, delicious food and drink. But Song Nanting was an exception. Even on this day, she had none of that.

Her New Year’s clothes were the ones Zhao Xiue no longer wore. If they got damaged or patched, she had to sew them herself. As for the good food and drink, according to that couple’s words, why should a girl eat so well? It was wasteful. So the tasty food was always eaten by them first, only then could it be her turn. In those years of scarcity, the New Year’s stir-fried dishes were almost the best meals of the year—but even then, there was never enough for her. What could be left for her?

Countless times, she hated not being a boy. But after rebirth, she was immensely grateful to be a woman—otherwise, how would she have met Lu Jian’an? There were no expectations for past New Years, but in the years to come, she would spend them with Lu Jian’an.

The two behind her suddenly ran forward to attack. Song Nanting first swung the handbag in her hand sharply at one of them, then raised the stick and struck one of their legs with it.

“Ah!” A scream tore through the air.