Chapter 2: With a Supermarket Space in Hand, What’s There to Be Afraid Of?

Ye Muqi followed Xia Ying to a staff dormitory building. The building had five floors and four units, housing a total of just forty families. Judging by the lights, it didn’t seem fully occupied yet.

Compared to modern standards, the conditions weren’t great, but for this era, such a dormitory building was already considered quite good—something ordinary folks couldn’t even hope to live in.

Most importantly, the environment here was nice. Lush trees surrounded the building, and since there weren’t many residents, it was quiet and peaceful.

“You’re back?” At home, her father, Ye Zhengfeng, immediately came to greet her as soon as he heard the door open.

His eyes quickly scanned Ye Muqi from head to toe. Once he confirmed she was unharmed, he visibly let out a sigh of relief.

“Was there really no better way to handle things than trying to kill yourself?” Though relieved, his eyes still carried a stern look.

“……”

“Alright, stop scolding her. It’s good enough she’s okay now,” Xia Ying shot Ye Zhengfeng a look.

What if they pushed her too hard and she went off and jumped into the river again?

“How’s your body? Still feeling unwell?” Ye Zhengfeng’s expression remained serious, but his tone softened. He couldn’t hide the relief in his eyes.

“I’m fine now,” Ye Muqi looked at him, feeling a wave of emotion, and obediently shook her head.

“As long as you’re okay. Come in, I made a few of your favorite dishes.”

The house wasn’t very large, but it was cozy. On the wooden dining table were four or five dishes and a soup—way too much for just three people.

Clearly, Ye Zhengfeng had made them especially for her.

Ye Muqi was pulled to the table by Xia Ying. Ye Zhengfeng handed her a bowl of rice, and Xia Ying started placing food in her bowl. This feeling of home warmed Ye Muqi’s heart.

Even though she arrived here by accident… it didn’t seem so bad after all?

With parents like these, the original host was actually quite lucky.

She was just too spoiled!

With this kind of setup, she could’ve just coasted through life in peace!

…

Just barely recovered from her illness, Ye Muqi only ate a small bowl of rice before heading to take a shower. After spending three days in the clinic, she felt like she reeked.

“Phew…”

Lying on a soft bed, Ye Muqi let out a long breath.

There may not have been a Simmons mattress here, but Xia Ying had layered several quilts over the bed, making it soft and comfy to sleep on.

Speaking of which, in her past life, she had finally clawed her way up to become a seven-star executive chef. Her siblings were throwing a party to celebrate her promotion. She never even made it to the venue—got taken out by a drunk taxi driver on the way.

“What a shame…” Ye Muqi murmured with a sigh.

Seven-star chef! She hadn’t even had the chance to really shine! She was supposed to get a raise this month, and now all that work was for nothing!

Sure, she still had her culinary skills—but in this era, would there even be the resources for her to show them off?

Ye Muqi sighed again at the thought.

But right after that sigh, something strange happened—her vision blurred, and the ceiling above her twisted and vanished. In the blink of an eye, she was transported to a completely unfamiliar place.

“What the…” Ye Muqi was stunned.

Just now, in a single moment, she had teleported from her bed to somewhere completely new.

The space was huge—dozens of times bigger than her room. And right in front of her was… a massive supermarket!

“Pumpkins… baby pumpkins… Wow, even the sweet potatoes have so many varieties?” Ye Muqi stepped forward, amazed as she looked at the vast array of vegetables.

Every kind of produce you could think of was here, beautifully organized and overwhelming in number.

Shelves packed full of goods stretched out as far as the eye could see—it was like an enormous wet market.

Was this… the golden finger bestowed upon her by the Heavenly Dao or something?

“Vegetable section, poultry section, seafood section, condiment section…” Ye Muqi walked along the aisles, eyes lighting up as she passed by the dazzling displays. She couldn’t stop herself from smiling.

Even the biggest wet markets she’d seen before couldn’t compare in completeness. Here, if you could name it, you could find it.

Everything was clearly divided into sections, so it was easy to find what you needed. The layout was as efficient as a well-managed store.

There was a ton of stuff, but it didn’t feel overwhelming at all.

At the far end, she saw a faucet standing all alone in the empty space around it. It looked eerie just sitting there.

“That faucet must be special,” Ye Muqi hurried over.

There didn’t seem to be any water sources visible in the space, yet this lone faucet appeared right in the middle of the supermarket—clearly not ordinary.

“Could it be… a spiritual spring?”

She recalled from novels she’d read that these kinds of pocket dimensions usually came with a spiritual spring. So this was probably one too, right?

She turned the faucet on and tasted the water. It was sweet, but… she didn’t feel any special effects.

She smacked her lips. Had she guessed wrong?

Was it just regular tap water?

“Nice! Looks like this executive chef can shine again!” Ye Muqi bit into an apple, her pretty face glowing with excitement.

She lingered in the space for a while, even snacking on two cherries, before reluctantly leaving. Looking up at the moon hanging high in the sky, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

…

The next morning

Ye Muqi woke up feeling completely refreshed, as if all her fatigue had been washed away. She felt way better than the day before. Could that faucet really be a spiritual spring after all?

Her parents had left breakfast for her before heading to work. After eating a bit, Ye Muqi stayed home to watch TV.

They had a color television. The Ye family was one of the first in the town to own one.

“Muqi, are you up yet?”

Just as she was enjoying the show, Xia Ying came back unexpectedly, calling from the doorway while taking off her shoes.

“?” Ye Muqi glanced at the time—just past 3 PM. People got off work this early in the ’80s?

She walked toward the door, puzzled.

“Mom? Why are you home so early?”

“Jingchen’s back from the army. I came back early to buy some groceries,” Xia Ying replied.

Of course, another reason was that she was worried about Ye Muqi being alone at home. So after she and Ye Zhengfeng left earlier, they’d locked the door and even hidden all the knives in the house.

“……”

Jingchen?

Oh—her so-called trapped husband, right?

Wait a second. Why was he already back? Didn’t the hospital say yesterday that he’d arrive tomorrow?

Ye Muqi froze, her eyes drifting past her parents—only to see a tall man standing there. When he heard her voice, he looked over.

Their eyes met.

The man was tall. Even with her parents standing in front of him, he wasn’t obscured at all. He had to be at least 190 cm—like he was raised on electricity poles!

But his face—so handsome. Just one glance, and Ye Muqi immediately understood why the original host went to such lengths to trap him into becoming her husband.

Sharp jawline, sword-like eyebrows, starry eyes, thin lips, and a tall nose—every attractive feature gathered in one person. And he was a proper, upright soldier to boot. Who wouldn’t be tempted?

But… his gaze was a little cold, and his expression serious. Probably from years in the military—he gave off a powerful, intimidating presence at first glance.

Why so fierce though?