Chapter 51 Space

The rabbit appeared out of thin air in Lin Yue’s arms. No matter how many times he saw it, Zhang Yuandong was still amazed.

Seeing the rabbit run, he forgot about his shock and quickly caught it.

He held the rabbit by its ears with one hand and asked soulfully, “You can conjure up rabbits, but why did you tell me you and the kids were short on meat last time?”

Lin Yue laughed awkwardly. Since he already knew her secret, she wasn’t afraid of revealing more. Besides, this might even turn into a good thing. She decided to take him into the space.

This was the first time Zhang Yuandong truly saw this magical place.

They abruptly appeared next to a jade-crafted pool, with a spring bubbling slowly from it.

Lin Yue reminded him, “Be careful not to fall in. It’s over a meter deep.” She didn’t want to wash him again, especially since this spring water was for drinking.

Zhang Yuandong nodded and looked around.

Next to the pool was the tent he had lived in before.

Standing outside, he realized that the tent was very rough and simple. It didn’t look like a tent. If it were made of gauze, it would be almost identical to the mosquito nets they were issued in the army.

Lin Yue had initially made it based on modern camping tents, but who would have known that such a simple-looking tent would be so difficult to make? Later, she thought that making it this shape would make the space look bigger and easier to put furniture in. So, she made it square, using long bamboo poles to secure the sides and then surrounding the sides and top with cloth. That was it.

It just took a lot of cloth. She had woven for a long time to accumulate enough to make this tent.

Zhang Yuandong looked past the tent and saw piles of low earthen walls.

Well, judging by the number, she must have tried building houses during this time, and not just once.

He was initially nervous about suddenly coming to this place, but seeing these failures, he suddenly felt like laughing and instantly relaxed.

The small patch of land in front of the tent must have been compacted, as there was almost no grass.

An open-air stove was built there, with a long table in front of it, probably for washing and chopping vegetables.

This place was like a normal farmhouse, filled with the breath of life. This touch of everyday life diluted the mysteriousness of the place, making him feel a little more at ease.

To the left of the stove were three kilns side by side. Zhang Yuandong couldn’t tell what they were used for, but the one in the middle must be a pottery kiln, because there were many oddly shaped pottery pieces next to it.

He thought about the pottery pieces in the tent that were used as vases. They were even more strange than these.

He suspected that Lin Yue’s tribe had a unique sense of aesthetics, quite different from theirs.

Lin Yue followed his gaze, coughed awkwardly, and said that the three kilns were a bread oven, a pottery kiln, and a brick kiln she had tried to use to fire bricks.

In her previous life, she was just an ordinary worker. Thanks to the internet’s development, she had a general idea about firing bricks, knowing that the temperature needed to reach 1,000 degrees Celsius and be maintained for a day before the bricks could be taken out of the kiln.

But knowing it was one thing. She had tried many times, but never succeeded.

As for those pottery pieces… artistic creation wasn’t something that happened overnight. There was always a period of awkwardness.

But as long as she made something that didn’t break, it was her child. She didn’t find any of them ugly. She just thought they were unique.

She felt a little embarrassed and was afraid that Zhang Yuandong would ask her to introduce them. She urged, “Come with me.”

They followed the path behind the tent. Not far away, there was a large hill with many trees growing on it, most of which were fruit trees.

The same type of fruit tree had some that were just blooming and some that were already laden with ripe fruit, which was very magical.

They could vaguely see various animals on the hill. He guessed that Lin Yue was taking him to this place.

Because apart from this hill and the place they lived in, the rest was all planted with grains and vegetables.

Lin Yue stopped and pointed forward. “It’s all here. Look, what do you think?”

Zhang Yuandong stood on the hill and looked into the distance. “This place is amazing.”

Lin Yue paused. “I’m talking about this hill! I raise chickens, sheep, rabbits, and ducks here. Look over there!”

Zhang Yuandong looked in the direction she pointed. He thought the small animals on the hill were her pets. It turned out they weren’t pets, but food?

Seeing someone coming, the rabbits and chickens had already run away, not even leaving a shadow. The ducks and sheep, on the other hand, were not afraid of people and were still walking slowly in place.

Zhang Yuandong looked at their size. Well, they were all fat.

“So, you raise so many chickens, ducks, and sheep, why did you say you didn’t have any meat to eat?”

Lin Yue: …

She laughed awkwardly. “Because I’m afraid to kill them.”

Zhang Yuandong: …

This answer was unexpected. Looking at her usual tiger-like spirit, he really couldn’t imagine that she wouldn’t even kill a chicken.

Lin Yue also felt a little embarrassed and quickly changed the subject. “I don’t lack meat or vegetables in my space. We can take them directly from here to cook tomorrow. We just need to find a reliable source for them.”

Zhang Yuandong nodded. “That’s easy. I’ll take you to the county tomorrow morning. We’ll pretend to buy vegetables. You can take out some things to put on display. That way, you don’t have to go to the county every day.”

Lin Yue thought this arrangement was good and said, “Then let’s kill the chickens and rabbits tomorrow. The time flow in the space is too fast. If we process them now, they might spoil by tomorrow.”

The word “space” made it sound like there were many other mystical aspects to this “space.”  While he was curious, he didn’t dare ask.

Humans have a reverence for things that are too mystical. Zhang Yuandong was the same. He was afraid that if he asked, something would suddenly disappear.

When they finished talking about the important things, Lin Yue took him out of the space.

They had been in there for a long time, but not much time had passed outside. The two little ones were still playing in the yard, oblivious to their parents’ brief disappearance.

Lin Yue ran to the children and joined in their play.

She shone the flashlight on their backs, teaching them to observe the shadow on the ground, which grew larger and smaller.

The two little ones watched the shadow on the ground change, sometimes with a big head and small body, sometimes stretched out long. They were amazed and ran around the yard laughing like little crazy people.

Zhang Yuandong also joined in. He would occasionally play around with his comrades in the army, but his personality was generally more stable. This was the first time he had played so crazily like a child.

The four of them chased the light of the flashlight in the pitch-black yard for half the night. They really looked like a warm family of four.

The laughter and joy in the yard attracted a watcher in the darkness. In the small woods, a pair of large eyes peered through the collapsed wall of Lin Yue’s house, looking resentfully at the family playing in the yard. Tears slowly filled those eyes.

The person bit their finger tightly, their eyes filled with both resentment and longing. Their feet were like nails hammered into the ground, refusing to move even an inch.

On the other side of the small woods, Zhang Xiaohui watched with interest. The humiliation Zhang Yuandong had inflicted on her a few days ago was still fresh in her mind. Today, she had come to give him a message, but Zhang Yuandong avoided her like the plague, making her feel suffocated.

She thought that Lin Yue must have been hiding at home and crying secretly after being scolded like that during the day. She came out for a walk at night, partly out of curiosity to eavesdrop and watch the drama unfold.

Unexpectedly, that woman was so thick-skinned. Not only did she not cry, but the whole family was having a lot of fun.

She was unwilling to accept this, but then she saw the figure peeking from the small woods. A bold idea suddenly popped into her head.

Zhang Xiaohui pretended to be talking to someone and said in a low voice, “Zhang Yuandong’s two children are so lucky. They have so much good food and fun. Their father loves them so much. But I remember they almost didn’t survive. If those two children weren’t here, wouldn’t all these things belong to Zhang Yuandong’s brothers and sisters? Zhang Yuandong used to love his brothers and sisters the most.”

Although her voice was not loud, it reached the ears of the person in the small woods.

The person froze for a moment, not knowing what they were thinking, and ran away crying.

Lin Yue heard the sound and said curiously, “Whose child is that? It’s late at night, and they’re not going home. They’re crying outside.”

Zhang Yuandong also heard the crying. It was common for children to be beaten in the village, especially girls, who were not valued and could be beaten at any time.

Zhang Yuandong thought it was just some child who had been wronged and was running out to vent their frustration. He didn’t take it too seriously.

The stars in the sky twinkled. At this time, the countryside was pitch black at night, and the full sky of stars was clearly visible, a beautiful sight that was rare to see in the future.

The two little ones were tired from running and both snuggled into Lin Yue’s arms, giggling and rubbing against her.

Little Wanli, imitating the characters in the stories Lin Yue told them, kissed her on the cheek and said sweetly, “Mama, I love you the most!”

Little Lingling also climbed onto Lin Yue’s lap, imitating her brother and giving her a big kiss on the other cheek. She shouted, “Lingling loves Mama too!” Then, she quickly climbed down and ran to her father, reaching out for a hug.

Zhang Yuandong had been standing on the side watching their mother-child interaction. The emotions of this era were subtle and restrained. If he saw others acting like this, he would definitely find it cloying and unbearable.

But these were his own children. Hearing such affectionate words from their tiny, soft mouths, he felt a pang in his heart, even a hint of jealousy.

Now, seeing his little daughter stand in front of him, reaching out with her little hands for a hug, his heart melted. He quickly picked her up.

Lingling hugged her father’s face and gave it a big kiss. “Lingling loves Daddy too!” She said, giggling and waiting for her father to praise her.

This was the first time Zhang Yuandong had heard someone say such direct words to him. He was instantly flustered.

His eyes were red, and he rubbed his face against his daughter’s face, unable to utter a decent word.

Lin Yue gently patted Wanli’s little bottom. Wanli, not sure if he understood his mother’s meaning, shouted, “Daddy, Wanli loves you too!”

Zhang Yuandong buried his head even deeper, holding his little daughter tightly. He couldn’t speak, but in his heart, he swore that he would love these two children for the rest of his life.

The stubble on his face had grown for a whole day and was a bit prickly. Lingling was a child, so she didn’t understand all these emotions. She only knew that she had said nice things, but not only did she not get praised, but she was also pricked by her father’s stubble. She was instantly unhappy and pushed her father away, looking disgusted.

Lin Yue found it amusing and snickered secretly.

Before going to bed, Lin Yue leaned close to Zhang Yuandong and whispered, “When the children are asleep, let’s sneak into the space. You can help me slaughter the sheep. How about I treat you to barbecue and roast whole lamb?”

Zhang Yuandong swallowed, readily agreeing.

See, that’s the advantage of having an ally. As long as he was around, she wouldn’t have to worry about running out of meat.