Chapter 8: Bringing Two Babies into the Space

Li Hua had just begun to speak when Old Man Lu interrupted, “No.”

“Zhengan hasn’t been home for years. His duties are demanding, but it’s because we always wrote that his wife was doing well, reassuring him, that he could focus on his work. If you say his wife is unwell, what will he do if he comes back?”

Old Man Lu glared at Li Hua. She was capable but lacked common sense.

To keep Zhengan focused on his work, they had to constantly tell him his wife was doing well.

If they said she was sick, even if busy, Zhengan would return home.  He hadn’t been home in three years; he would take a few days of leave if he could.

Li Hua realized this, clapping her hands. “Oh, I’m so foolish! I didn’t think of that. What should we do?”

“Say his wife has been with us for years, and he’s been away, so we want to buy her some tonics to take care of her, not to neglect our daughter-in-law. If he has money, he’ll send more.”

Old Man Lu knew Lu Zhengan’s temperament. He would think twice about other things, but anything related to his wife, he would be generous.

When he married Su Yuanyuan, Lu Zhengan felt guilty that he couldn’t have children with her.

Before Lu Zhengan joined the army, he never let Su Yuanyuan do any work.

They just needed to mention in their letters that they needed money to buy tonics for Su Yuanyuan, and Lu Zhengan would send money.

“Right! Let’s do that! Before, Zhengan kept twenty yuan and sent eighty back.  If we say this, he’ll send all the money back! Then we won’t have to worry about money for a while!”

Li Hua and Old Man Lu decided to write a letter to be sent to Beijing in a couple of days.

Overhearing their conversation in the kitchen, Su Yuanyuan sneered.

The Lu family was heartless, she had thought while reading novels late into the night.

Experiencing it firsthand was even more sickening.

The novel mentioned Lu Zhengan’s mysterious background; he wasn’t the Lu family’s biological son but an adopted child, a fact he didn’t know. The Lu’s claimed he was their biological son.

Su Yuanyuan didn’t know Lu Zhengan’s true identity yet, as she hadn’t finished the book.  Seeing the original owner share her name and die such a tragic death was too much, so she abandoned the book.

She only remembered that the book described Lu Zhengan’s constant mistreatment at home.

How dare they? They leached off Lu Zhengan, mistreating him and his wife and children.

Even if Lu Zhengan wasn’t their biological son, a person with a conscience wouldn’t act this way.

They took his money and felt no guilt.

A bunch of heartless leeches.

The children helped clear the dishes, not paying attention to the conversation next door.

Su Yuanyuan looked at them with affection.

The children were well-behaved.  They would be going to school soon.  If they stayed with the Lus, Li Hua and the others wouldn’t pay for their education.  Lu Zhengan’s salary would be arriving soon; she had to make a plan.

After cleaning the kitchen, Su Yuanyuan was pulled back to her room by her children.

Su Yuanyuan opened the wardrobe; it contained only a few worn-out clothes.

She sighed; thankfully, she had her space and over a thousand yuan she’d recovered, enough for a while.

Her children had already made the bed. Lu Mingzhu took out a small cloth bag from the pillow, anxiously checking its contents.  Seeing the money untouched, she happily presented it to Su Yuanyuan.

“My savings weren’t stolen! It’s ninety-three cents! Mom, you take it.”

Lu Mingzhu had been worried about her savings.  With the door open and her aunt and others outside, she hadn’t dared to check. If they knew she and her brother were saving money, they would take it!

Many times, their mother lacked money for medicine; she and her brother pooled their savings to buy her medicine.

Seeing the crumpled coins, Su Yuanyuan’s eyes welled up.  The children had been saving for a long time.

“Mom, you’ve lost weight. Use this to buy food. We can save more later, and use it for your medicine.”

Lu Mingzhu looked at Su Yuanyuan’s thin face, her lips pursing.

Lu Siyuan peeked through the door, confirming no one was around before returning and sitting beside Su Yuanyuan.

“Sister’s right, Mom, don’t worry about money.  Sister and I can earn money. It’s not much, but we’ll work hard to support you!”

The little boy spoke confidently, his bright eyes shining with determination.

Lu Siyuan lowered his voice. “But we’ll have to eat the food secretly, later!”

Su Yuanyuan’s heart warmed at her children’s actions.  She wiped her eyes and put away their money.

The children’s hiding place was too obvious; if Wang Chunhua found it, there would be trouble.  It was safer with her.

Putting the money into her space, Su Yuanyuan magically produced two fluffy white steamed buns, breaking them in half and giving each child a piece.

Seeing the buns, the children’s eyes widened in disbelief.

White flour was expensive; they rarely ate it, only on holidays.

Outside, a white flour bun cost five cents!

Lu Siyuan licked his lips and whispered, “Mom, where did you get these buns?”

They hadn’t made buns today, and the kitchen’s supplies were stolen.

The neighbors wouldn’t lend them white flour.

The children remembered yesterday’s mugwort cakes.  Had their mother bought them somewhere?

Su Yuanyuan smiled mysteriously, holding their hands. “Mom will take you somewhere!”

Before they could ask, the scene changed, revealing a bright hall.

“Wow! Is this magic?” Lu Mingzhu held her half-bun, gazing in amazement.

“Such a beautiful house! What is it made of? It’s like a mirror!” Lu Siyuan knelt, wiping the marble floor. He’d never seen such a floor before; it was beautiful.

Their home had a packed-earth floor and earthen brick walls.

He’d never seen such beautiful tiles or such large, transparent glass.

“Is this real?” Lu Siyuan ran to the large glass, touching it. It was real!

He’d never seen such large glass before, as tall as a persimmon tree!  Amazing!

“This is called a floor-to-ceiling window.  Beautiful, right? Do you like it here?”

Su Yuanyuan got them each a cup of warm water from the water dispenser.  They looked at the dispenser with wonder, nodding. “Beautiful! We like it!”

The cups were also beautiful.  After drinking the water, they felt refreshed.

Even the soreness from yesterday’s work was gone.

Everything in the big house was amazing a large, beetle-like thing that cleaned the floor (a robot vacuum cleaner, as Su Yuanyuan explained).  There was also a metal box that made ice and water (a water dispenser).

The children explored the large villa like curious explorers, listening to their mother explain the amazing objects.

Su Yuanyuan wasn’t worried about them revealing the space’s existence.

It was inexpressible.

She had tested it before; once they left the space, no one could recall space-related keywords.

Even if the children were young and might slip up, she wasn’t worried; they couldn’t describe it.

After a while, Su Yuanyuan noticed they hadn’t eaten their buns.  She smiled, ruffling their hair. “Look around, but eat your buns first. Weren’t you hungry?  After that, Mom will show you… some things.”

“Okay!”

The children obediently ate their buns. Su Yuanyuan then took them outside, pointing to the herb garden. “Look, these are the herbs Mom painstakingly grew. Some are poisonous; don’t touch them, understand?”

The herb garden contained many herbs, some poisonous.  Touching them could cause serious problems.

The children nodded seriously, looking at Su Yuanyuan with admiration. “Mom is amazing!”

Such a big house, and so much land!

Su Yuanyuan blushed under their admiring gazes, pulling them back inside.  “Come, let’s see something good.”

A room near the kitchen on the first floor was a storage room filled with various items.

Su Yuanyuan opened the door, and the sensor lights automatically turned on.

Lu Siyuan and Lu Mingzhu’s eyes widened, but their surprise quickly turned to shock.

They saw familiar items rice bags, salt jars, and other things from the kitchen.  They also saw their gold necklaces in a beautiful box and the cured meat in a basket!

“Mom! You! You!”

They hesitated, unable to say, “You’re the thief.”

“Hmm,” Su Yuanyuan raised an eyebrow. “But I didn’t steal anything. I just took back what was ours! The meat, money, and necklaces were all bought with your father’s salary. We have every right to take them.”