Chapter 010: Space Three

When leaving the space, Jiang Zhi deliberately went to the field to take a look. The seeds were still buried as they were, not having sprouted. Feeling a bit disappointed, Jiang Zhi returned to her room, checked the time, and saw that it was already past ten o'clock. Grandma must be busy preparing meals. As Jiang Zhi went downstairs, she always felt as if she had forgotten something. After thinking carefully, she still couldn't figure it out and could only give up.

Jiang Zhi took it carefully, peeled off the remaining eggshell, took a gentle bite, and said, "Hmm, delicious, it's very tender inside. Grandma, you should have a bite too."

Locking the door, Jiang Zhi slipped into the space. The ground looked the same as before, with no sprouts visible. It seems this space is not particularly extraordinary. However, if it were too extraordinary, Jiang Zhi would also find it hard to accept, as she does not possess the ability to control it.

While washing her hands by the river, Jiang Zhi noticed that there were no fish or shrimp in the water, and not even any aquatic plants. She had always felt an uncomfortable presence in the space, and now she realized it was because the area lacked vitality, appearing lifeless and stagnant. She wondered if planting something would bring about a change.

Perhaps due to having consumed the spatial water, Jiang Zhi did not rest at noon, yet she still felt quite good, not at all sleepy. Feeling bored while idling, she decided to test the comparison between the time in the space and the outside world. She placed her phone in the room, and the time was exactly 14:00. Upon returning to the space, it was eerily quiet, which made Jiang Zhi somewhat uncomfortable. In the city, there is the sound of bustling traffic, and at home, there are the sounds of roosters crowing, birds chirping, and dogs barking. Sometimes, Jiang Zhi even found those noises annoying. Now, having suddenly arrived in a space where time seemed to stand still, it was so quiet that she could hear her own heartbeat, which made her feel a bit scared.

Around twelve o'clock, everyone hurried back, each person drenched in sweat, feeling as if they could wring water out of their clothes. However, Jiang Zhe was completely dry and fresh, which puzzled Chang Jiejun. Upon asking further, she learned that after helping out in the fields for a while, he was persuaded by his son and daughter-in-law to come ashore, and instead of going home, he went directly to play cards at Old Sun's house across the street. He returned with Jiang Xinhua and the others when they passed by.

This person truly cannot lie; telling one lie requires fabricating an even bigger lie to cover it up, making it nearly impossible to guard against. It is better to be honest. Jiang Zhi ended this topic with a silly smile, as without that smile, there would be no way to handle the conversation! Her grandmother is quite a shrewd person; if there is even the slightest inconsistency, she can catch it.

It may indeed be for this reason; next time I will also go to Xianren Lake to fetch water for cooking. Liu Xiulan drank one cup but found it insufficient, so she ran over to refill another cup

Come, Zhi girl, eat this egg." Chang Jiejun picked up the egg, brushed off the surface dust, shook it gently in both hands, and handed it to Jiang Zhi once it had cooled down a bit

After the mung bean soup was cooked, Jiang Zhi had just cooled the soup with cold water when Chang Jiejun got up

After finishing lunch, everyone took a short nap, waiting until the sun was less intense before continuing to harvest the late rice in the fields. In previous years, the double harvest of early and late rice was the most exhausting, but now, in this weather, even harvesting the late rice is more taxing than the double harvest. Even Jiang Laosan, who is known for his endurance, started to take a break at noon.

The wooden boxes are all dark brown, exuding a faint scent of sandalwood. Upon closer inspection, the wood grain is very delicate, and the insides of the boxes are smooth enough to reflect a person's silhouette. They have been around for thousands of years, yet the boxes still retain their fragrance and show no signs of insect damage, indicating they are made from high-quality timber. Jiang Xinguo's primary profession is carpentry, while his secondary occupations are running a grocery store and farming. In his youth, Jiang Xinguo learned woodworking from a master craftsman, but later abandoned the craft when he had the opportunity to open a store. However, the shelves in his previous shop were all made by him, undoubtedly from high-quality wood. Jiang Zhi and Jiang Che used to play with building blocks made from scrap wood, which means they have been in contact with timber since childhood, but Jiang Zhi had never seen such fine wood before.

Chang Jiejun has been busy in the kitchen. The main dishes for lunch today are steamed spare ribs with fermented black beans, fish cooked with chili, stir-fried meat with dried mushrooms, along with several stir-fried vegetables and soup. By the time Jiang Zhi went down, Chang Jiejun had almost finished preparing. The vegetables were already chopped, just waiting to be cooked, and the spare ribs were steaming. Jiang Zhi looked around but couldn't find anything to do. Chang Jiejun had nestled an egg in the firewood, and upon seeing Jiang Zhi, she used tongs to flip the egg out. The eggshell was cracked, and the exposed egg white was roasted to a golden brown, filling the air with a fragrant aroma that made Jiang Zhi feel a bit hungry.

While it was still early, Jiang Zhi took a hoe and a bucket from the storage room in the backyard, preparing to go into the space to till the soil and plant something to see if there was any truth to the legend of planting seeds today and harvesting cabbage tomorrow.

Making mung bean soup is more labor-intensive than making sour plum soup. When it is nearly done, it is necessary to use a slotted spoon to remove the skins of the mung beans, so that one does not have to spit out the skins while drinking.

I understand, you have been busy all afternoon. You should go take a nap; I will handle things here.

I won't eat, you eat it yourself... This child of mine, fine, don't crowd over, is it alright if I eat? Chang Jiejun could not refuse her granddaughter and could only take the egg, taking a small bite.

Well, Grandma, I will head up first. Remember to call me when there is work at m.hetushu.com. I will do it then, and you can just guide me from the side. Jiang Zhi, thinking about the things planted in the morning, finished her instructions and happily returned to her room

Having searched everywhere without finding a place to plant seeds, Jiang Zhi decided to go to the kitchen to get some fresh vegetables to try planting. She took a few peppers and tomatoes from the kitchen, and also grabbed some green onions from under the cabinet. Jiang Zhi sneaked back to her room with the items. It was too dangerous to enter the space upstairs; if a living being suddenly appeared, it would be a sin to frighten her grandmother. Jiang Zhi had not yet studied the complexities of entering the space, such as whether there were still people outside. Since she had already decided to tell her grandmother, she could wait until there were enough people to try these things, and there was no need to rush.

Jiang Zhixin said nervously, "Grandma, I just watered the vegetables in the backyard. Once it dries, I can rub a few handfuls and it will be clean. Oh, Grandma, I will go make some sour plum soup. After it's done, it can be cooled down for when they come back to relieve the heat." Jiang Zhixin successfully changed the subject, and Chang Jiejun did not continue to inquire further.

Jiang Zhi is feeling quite upset. Chang Jiejun inadvertently discovers that Jiang Zhi's pants and shoes are covered in mud and questions, "Did you go play in the ditch up ahead or fall down? You just fell into the river yesterday, and now you're out causing trouble again?"

"Xiao Zhi, are you going to make mung bean soup for them to drink in the afternoon?" asked Chang Jiejun

Jiang Zhi carefully arranged the boxes neatly against the wall; these boxes will be used to store cotton batting and winter clothing. Grandmother will surely be enamored with this box.

The black soil is very loose, and Jiang Zhi, a novice, finds it easy to dig. There are no living creatures in the water or on the land, including grass, which saves Jiang and Tu Shu Zhi the trouble of weeding. After turning the soil, Jiang Zhi mimics his father's farming methods, digging holes one by one. Later, he plans to steal some seeds, sprinkle a few into the holes, cover them with soil, and water them a bit, and that will be it. It seems that working with this kind of soil is not very tiring.

"Why does today's sour plum soup taste much better than last time? Did you make it, Xiaozhi?" Jiang Xinguo said curiously. Liu Xiulan also chimed in, "Zhi, did you add something else to it? That's why the flavor has changed a bit."

Jiang Zhi poured sour plum soup for everyone. Due to time constraints, the sour plum soup was still slightly warm. However, this was acceptable, as it prevented it from being too cold, which could easily lead to a cold when alternating between hot and cold.

After forcing her grandmother to eat half, Jiang Zhi continued to eat. The elderly are like this; they cannot bear to enjoy good things themselves, wanting to leave them for the younger ones. If you don't eat, they become unhappy. Seeing you eat heartily makes them happy. Jiang Zhi felt a pang in her heart, reminding herself to take good care of her grandparents and parents, for in this world, no one else will care for you so selflessly.

Jiang Zhi did not manage to take a nap at noon. The sour plum soup she made in the morning has been finished. She plans to boil some mung bean soup with space water, filling it in a kettle, so that they can take it to the field in the afternoon. This will help replenish some fluids after sweating a lot, making one feel more comfortable

Jiang Zhi concentrated her mind and entered the space. Planting scallions was the simplest; she just lifted the whole plant and put it in the ground. Peppers and tomatoes were a bit more troublesome, as they needed to be crushed, the seeds removed, and rinsed clean before being placed separately into the prepared holes. After planting, Jiang Zhi filled a bucket with water, only to realize she had forgotten to bring a watering can. She had no choice but to use her hands as a makeshift can. After watering, the ground was splattered with water, and her shoes and pants were covered in mud. She would have to change in her room before going out, or else it would raise suspicions with Chang Jiejun. After planting, Jiang Zhi filled a bucket with water, only to realize she had forgotten to bring a watering can. She had no choice but to use her hands as a makeshift can. After watering, the ground was splattered with water, and her shoes and pants were covered in mud. She would have to change in her room before going out, or else it would raise suspicions with Chang Jiejun.

Jiang Zhi nodded: "Yes, just brewed. Once it's not too hot, pour it into the pot and bring a few disposable cups for convenience in drinking"

Jiang Zhi smiled and explained: "It might be because I used the lake water from Fairy Lake to make the sour plum soup today. Last time, I used tap water; this time, it's lake water. The quality of the water is different, so the taste is also different"

While making sour plum soup, Jiang Zhi took the opportunity to add a cup of spring water when Chang Jie went out to answer a phone call. After it was cooked, she tasted a bit and found the flavor excellent, with a hint of sweetness compared to the last time. Jiang Zhi was very satisfied, realizing that this spring water could serve as a seasoning, enhancing aroma and flavor

"Xiaozhi, you went to Xianren Lake to fetch water and ended up covered in mud, yet you deceived me by saying you were watering the backyard properly." Upon hearing Jiang Zhi's words, Chang Jiejun found the flaw and began to pick at it.

In order to avoid overthinking, Jiang Zhi decided to take a walk around the space. She had eaten a bit too much at noon and still felt somewhat bloated, so it was just right to help with digestion. After circling around, Jiang Zhi discovered that there was actually a smaller wooden house behind the larger one. This house seemed to be a separate space. Upon entering, she found that it was nearly as large as a supermarket. The floor was scattered with wooden boxes, indicating that it was a storage room, a place for keeping things. With a treasure-hunting spirit, Jiang Zhi opened the wooden boxes one by one, only to find them all empty, not even a speck of dust.

Jiang Zhi stayed inside for about an hour, but upon exiting, she realized that only ten minutes had passed. Through repeated testing, Jiang Zhi found that the time ratio between the space and the outside world is approximately 1 to 5. In the future, when there is no time to sleep, she can come to the space to rest, thus saving time