Chapter 4

Xia Wanying’s smile didn’t fade. She picked up a piece of egg with her chopsticks and placed it in her father’s bowl, “Dad, I want to go to the countryside to toughen myself up. I can’t stay under your and Mom’s and my brothers’ wings forever!”

Xia Wanying’s mother, Gu Ning, stroked her hair, “My beautiful little darling, you must take good care of yourself in the countryside. Don’t get sick. Your dad and I will try our best to pave the way for you, and hopefully get you transferred back to the city soon!”

“Mom, I forgot where I’m going to the countryside?” Xia Wanying asked casually.

Her second sister-in-law let out a loud yell that startled everyone, “央央, you didn’t really get a concussion, did you? I went with you to register a few days ago! It’s the Dongfang Hong Brigade in Shen City, Liaoning Province!”

Xia Wanying’s eyes widened. She was dazed for a while, then started to giggle, “Hee hee hee, Dongfang Hong Brigade is good, haha…”

Everyone exchanged glances. Her eldest brother cautiously said, “Maybe tomorrow, your sister-in-law can take a day off and accompany you to take a look?”

Xia Wanying retracted her smile and waved her hand, “I’m fine. I just like the name, Dongfang Hong, the sun rises in the east, right? By the way, Mom, can you bring me some extra money and tickets?”

Xia Wanying’s mother nodded, “Of course. Your brothers and your two sisters-in-law have been saving their tickets for you these past few days. Mom will bring you plenty of money. Put the money in different places. You’re so careless, you have to be prepared!”

The meal was lively and enjoyable. Back in her room, Xia Wanying jumped onto the bed and rolled around, her slender white legs kicking the covers, “Great, hee hee hee…”

At that moment, her mother walked in. Seeing Xia Wanying’s silly smile, she frowned slightly, “央央, you…”

“Oh my god, Mom, how did you get in?” Xia Wanying was startled and immediately stood up.

Xia Wanying’s mother walked over and pulled her to sit on the bed, “央央, why are you acting so strange today? Okay, this is the money and tickets from your dad, me, and your two brothers. Take it first. When I pack your things before you leave, I’ll sew it into your quilt and underwear.”

She handed her an iron box. Xia Wanying opened it and stared at her mother in disbelief, her eyes wide. “Mom, did you give me all the family’s savings?”

The iron box was filled with neatly arranged bundles of large denominations, one hundred yuan per bundle, a total of dozens of bundles! There were also various tickets at the bottom of the box.

“Take it. This is five thousand yuan and some tickets you can use. If you have the chance to buy a bicycle later, it will be convenient for you to buy things. You don’t know how to sew, but I’ve prepared some cloth tickets for you. You can buy cloth and have someone make clothes for you. You have the most sugar tickets. Make sure you have plenty of sugar, share it with everyone, and they will take better care of you. Oh, right, there are also cigarette tickets. Tomorrow, go buy some good cigarettes and put them in your bag. When you get there, give some to the village head and the village secretary. Mom hopes they will be kind to you and give you some easier work in exchange for these things!”

Seeing her whole family thinking so much for her, Xia Wanying’s happy mood suddenly disappeared. She threw her arms around her mother and said coquettishly, “Thank you, Mom, and my brothers. I will definitely work hard!”

Xia Wanying’s mother patted her thin back, “Silly child, who told you to work hard? You’ve never done any work since you were little. Mom prepared all this for you so you could be lazy. If you don’t have enough food, buy some with money. Don’t risk your life for a bite to eat. Our family doesn’t lack money. Your two brothers, their wives, and your dad earn hundreds of yuan every month. Can’t we afford to support a little one like you?”

In her previous life, she didn’t want to go to the countryside. She left with resentment, and she didn’t even take the things her family had prepared for her. She only took three hundred yuan from her own little treasury, and she didn’t even open the box.

This time, she was going willingly, for Zhang Shiye and for her father.

“Okay, Mom, I understand. I’ll write to you. You have to write to me too!”

The mother and daughter chatted for a while. When Xia Wanying’s mother was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open, she reluctantly went back to her room.

Xia Wanying placed the box on her bedside table and took out the jade pendant, examining it carefully. This was the jade pendant that the man she had secretly loved for twenty years had given her!

Suddenly, a white light flashed. Xia Wanying closed her eyes tightly, and when she forced them open, she found herself in a strange place.

Xia Wanying stood up, her eyes red with fear, tears welling up. Her face was pale with fright.

“Where is this? Is anyone here? Mom, are you there?”

At that moment, a mechanical voice sounded, “I’m not your mom. I’m the space system steward, 007. This is the jade pendant space. You can bind yourself to the jade pendant now, and it will be yours forever!”

“Ah? This whole place is mine? Bind? How do I bind?”

“Merge your blood with the jade pendant, and this space will belong to you alone!”

“Blood?” Xia Wanying looked at her finger, her brow furrowed. “Will it hurt?”

After thinking for about five minutes, she finally bit her finger. Ignoring the pain, she quickly dripped her blood onto the jade pendant.

“Okay, the space has recognized you as its master. You can control the entire space with your mind, such as planting, harvesting, or taking things. This is yours alone. No one can enter without your permission. The time flow here is the same as the outside world. You can enter using your mind whenever you want, and the same goes for leaving. But I remind you, it’s best to find a secluded place. This is a place that defies the laws of nature. It’s best not to tell anyone you don’t trust!”

“Oh, right, whatever you put in, you’ll take out the same way. There won’t be any changes. Okay, if you need anything, you can call for 007, and I’ll come out!”

Xia Wanying walked through the space. The first thing that caught her eye was a villa. It looked familiar. Suddenly, she widened her eyes in astonishment. This villa… wasn’t this the villa where Zhang Shiye had taken her?

A Volga car was parked in front of the villa. Xia Wanying recognized it immediately. This was the car Zhang Shiye had used to pick her up and take her back to the villa.

Walking into the villa, the shoe rack by the door held a dozen pairs of women’s leather shoes and high heels. The men’s leather shoes were also polished to a shine. The first floor was a spacious living room. A large sofa that could seat ten people was placed in the middle, with a marble coffee table in front of it. The coffee table was adorned with a fruit bowl and a snack bowl. A color TV was placed on the TV cabinet, next to a pedestal fan.

To the left was a kitchen. A Hangtian brand refrigerator stood by the kitchen door. Inside the refrigerator were various vegetables, fruits, and meats. The freezer was filled with seafood. The kitchen was fully equipped with cooking utensils: an Aidi rice cooker, and an imported dishwasher. Xia Wanying tried to turn on the rice cooker. Unexpectedly, the villa in the space had electricity!

Going up to the second floor, there was a large bedroom on the right. Seeing the large bed inside, Xia Wanying couldn’t hold back her tears. She recalled the look on that foolish man’s face as he sat by her body for a whole day and night. Her heart ached.

After crying, Xia Wanying opened the four large wardrobes next to the bed. Inside, hundreds of dresses and coats were neatly arranged. The last one was Zhang Shiye’s wardrobe. Inside, there were several black suits, a few black down jackets, and a few black woolen coats. The shirts were white and black, but almost everything else was black.

Xia Wanying realized then that Zhang Shiye had prepared this place as their reunion home. The clothes and shoes inside were all her size, and the colors were the ones she often wore in her previous life. Some of the clothes were from the 1990s, looking more fashionable, while others were from the late 1980s. He must have been preparing for her all this time!

Xia Wanying felt increasingly uncomfortable. She walked out of the villa and looked into the distance. There were dozens of acres of fertile land, towering mountains behind them, covered with trees. The sun shone brightly here, and wildflowers bloomed all over the hillsides. There was even a small waterfall halfway up the mountain.

On the other side of the farmland was a meadow. In the middle of the meadow was a small stream. The water in the stream was crystal clear and flowed gurglingly.

Looking to the left of the villa, there were two large warehouses, similar in shape to Mongolian yurts in Inner Mongolia. Xia Wanying curiously walked over. The warehouses were so large that she couldn’t see the end. Rows of neatly arranged shelves stood inside, filled with various goods. It was like a department store, with food, drinks, household items, and imported food. Except for the lack of salespeople, it had everything!

Xia Wanying had been wandering around for a while and felt tired. The grief of Zhang Shiye’s death and the joy of reuniting with her family seemed to have happened all in one day. She walked to the edge of the stream, looked around, and impulsively took off her clothes and stepped in.

The water in the stream wasn’t as cold as she had imagined. Instead, it was warm. Xia Wanying’s tired body instantly felt relaxed. She completely let loose and splashed around, having a great time.

After a while, black oil appeared on Xia Wanying’s skin. She was so scared that her heart pounded and her hands trembled as she scrubbed. Fortunately, it washed off, but her whole body was covered in red marks, like a cooked shrimp.

Xia Wanying pouted and walked out. She quickly put on her clothes and mumbled, “Go out.” In an instant, she fell onto the bed!