Chapter 2

After returning from the strange space to reality, Li Qingyun noticed a problem. He had been busy in the space for a while, but his mother was still tidying up in the living room. Given her usual speed, it felt like only a few minutes had passed.

What was going on?

Was the time in the space out of sync with reality, creating a time difference? But there was no time to think about it now.

"Mom, take a break. I can tidy up myself," Li Qingyun suppressed his doubts and went over to help.

"Why take a break? You're the sick one now, go back to your room and lie down. After I finish, I'll go to the market to buy some good things to nourish your body. Look how thin you've become!" Chen Xiuzhi complained, but her words were full of concern and love.

Li Qingyun wasn't actually weak. At nearly 180 centimeters tall, he usually exercised and had a good amount of muscle. Perhaps because of his muscles, he looked even thinner. His appearance also fit the current aesthetic standards, giving him a bit of a celebrity aura, which was why he managed to date the top student in the foreign language department.

"Mom, I'm already in my mid-twenties, can't I take care of myself? This isn't being thin, it's a healthy body type. That's what people in the city like," Li Qingyun argued.

"You're just a bag of bones, how is that healthy? Go sit over there, I don't need your help..."

"No wonder when I got home, my sister said I was lazy. It turns out it's all because of you. You won't even let me tidy up the house."

"Who made you the only college student in our village? I'm happy to do all the work for you."

Actually, in the past two years, some people had also been admitted to junior colleges, but Mother always proudly believed that only a bachelor's degree counted as a real college education, and this was her rare point of pride. Li Qingyun knew this about her and never argued with her over it.

At this moment, Chen Xiuzhi's phone rang. She had only reluctantly gotten a mobile phone to make it easier to call Li Qingyun. The phone bill for a mobile phone was cheaper, and there were more discounts, so there were only a few mobile phones in the village, all of which were from the same provider.

Chen Xiuzhi answered the phone, responded a few times, and then handed the phone to Li Qingyun, reminding him, "It's Da Hai. He's been very supportive of you, visiting you a couple of times while you were unconscious."

Li Qingyun nodded and, upon receiving the call, heard Hu Da Hai's loud voice: "You're not being a good friend, you didn't even tell me you were discharged from the hospital, making me run to the hospital again. What are you going to do about this, Xiao Li?"

"Brother Hai, you have a heart as vast as the ocean, forgive me this time. My SIM card wasn't even installed, and I had no phone number, so all communication was cut off. Fine, fine, I'll treat you, not just once, but ten or eight times, and it won't make me poor. I just received a compensation of 20,000 yuan from the company!"

"Ha ha ha, I don't have many great qualities, but I do have a broad heart..."

The two chatted on the phone, and Chen Xiuzhi called out to Li Qingyun, then went downstairs to buy groceries. The market was nearby, so she wasn't worried about getting lost.

On the phone, Li Qingyun mentioned his intention to return to his hometown in the mountains to recuperate. Hu Da Hai, knowing his situation, didn't say much more, just agreed to meet up before he left, and then hung up.

Hu Da Hai was Li Qingyun's college classmate and a close friend from the same dormitory. He had originally majored in computer science but, in the second half of his first year, he transferred to the civil engineering department. This wasn't because he was capable, but because his father was capable, having transformed from a small contractor to a developer, and thus had higher expectations for his son.

After chatting on the phone, Li Qingyun found a clean cup and tried to pour some water from the space. After several attempts, he finally found the right method.

Splash! Water overflowed from the cup, and he quickly stopped.

His hands were still too clumsy to control the amount of water.

The water in the cup was clear and bright, emitting an alluring luster.

"It's an illusion, definitely an illusion. Water is just water, how can it have an alluring luster!" Li Qingyun muttered to himself, trying a small sip.

The goldfish in the space's pond hadn't died, so this water was definitely not toxic, but he wasn't sure about the effects of drinking it, so he had to be cautious, taking one sip at a time to test the appropriate amount.

One sip was cool and sweet, and besides the good taste, there were no other reactions in his body. By the time he finished the cup, his stomach started to rumble, and a layer of oily sweat appeared on his skin.

"Is that it? No instant transformation into a god? No instant healing of the wound on my arm? This is disappointing!" Blinking, Li Qingyun felt a bit greedy but also relieved.

If drinking the water could bring the dead back to life, turn bones into flesh, or make one a god, he might have suspected he had a mental illness.

However, there was a bit of a magical effect. After wiping away the oily sweat, his body felt lighter, and his muscles were more coordinated and smooth. He felt full of energy, and the pale, weak look on his face from the recent injury was gone.

Li Qingyun didn't care if it was a placebo effect; he felt good and decided to have another cup, but this time the effect was weaker.

"Maybe I'll have one cup a day. A little bit at a time, as long as it benefits my body, it's like a functional drink."

Thinking this, he prepared a cup for his mother. It's better to share the joy, and he definitely couldn't forget his parents and friends when he had something good.

Chen Xiuzhi returned quickly and, upon entering, complained to her son, "The things in the city are so expensive and not good. Look at this chicken, all raised on feed, the meat is soft and not firm. These carp are also not good, they look dull and lack the agility of wild fish. We'll go home tomorrow, and your father will set a net to catch wild fish to nourish your body."

"Mom, that's how things are in the city. There are so many people, and there's not enough pure wild food. But the taste is indeed bad compared to the wild game from our town. Come, take a break, and have some water." Li Qingyun took the things from his mother and handed her the prepared space water.

Chen Xiuzhi drank the water, and her eyes lit up immediately. "This water is so good, even better than the mountain spring water from our hometown. I remember when I was young and went deep into the mountains with your grandfather to hunt, the spring water we drank at Lotus Peak wasn't as good as this!"

Li Qingyun was delighted to hear his mother's praise. "If you like it, I'll prepare more for you."

"Where did you get this water? The bottled water sold in the city doesn't taste like this?" After drinking, Chen Xiuzhi was suspicious and couldn't help but ask.

"Uh... This... It's a bottle Hu Da Hai gave me, saying it's imported water. His family is rich, you know. If I had known it was so good, I would have asked for more bottles."

"Imported water, no wonder it's so good. We'll just try it, no need to trouble Da Hai anymore."

"No problem, he's a big tycoon, and developers are rich. Asking for a few bottles of water is no big deal. At worst, I'll go into the mountains and hunt some wild game to compensate him."

"That... is fine." Chen Xiuzhi, being the type to avoid troubling others and owing favors, was hesitant. But the water was so refreshing, and after drinking it, her pores opened up, and she felt a slight sweat, making her feel comfortable from the inside out.

Finally, he managed to explain it away. The space was too mysterious, and even if he explained it, others might not believe him and might even think he was crazy. Before figuring out the origin of the space, Li Qingyun didn't plan to tell anyone.

Back in his bedroom, Li Qingyun tidied up a bit, then turned on his computer and went directly to Taobao to buy plant seeds. Some special seeds couldn't be found in Yunhuang City, so ordering them on Taobao was the most cost-effective. A hundred and more germinated ginseng seeds cost only 30 yuan, plus EMS shipping, totaling 50 yuan.

He would be returning to his hometown in a couple of days and would be giving up the rented apartment, so he wrote the address as Li Family Village, Qinglong Town, Yunhuang City. Besides ginseng seeds, he also ordered other seeds like fruit trees and flowers.

After buying the seeds, Li Qingyun remembered his phone. He found an old Nokia phone among the clutter and inserted the SIM card. After turning it on and checking, everything was normal. Ding ding ding... He received a bunch of messages, some work-related and some from friends offering condolences.

Some needed a reply, some could be ignored, and a few close friends needed a call back and an invitation to dinner. One was to thank them, and the other was a farewell party. This time, he might not return to work for a while. If the characteristics of the mysterious space were good, he might focus on being a small farmer, growing fruits and vegetables, raising fish, and never return to the city to work again.

The next day's gathering had only six or seven people. Given Li Qingyun's introverted nature and the typical programmer's lack of social skills, having a few close friends was already a rare achievement. As for female friends, forget it. Dating Qin Yao, the top student in the foreign language department, was purely a matter of luck. According to informed friends, it was actually Qin Yao who pursued him.

But Qin Yao was now an ex-girlfriend, and the topic was avoided at the dinner. After a big drink, they all said their goodbyes.

There was no direct bus from Yunhuang City to Qinglong Town, so he had to transfer in the county. Starting in the morning, it took until night to see the outline of Qinglong Town.

Li Qingyun looked at the familiar mountains, breathed in the familiar scent of grass and trees, and a smile of joy appeared on his tired face. For a child who grew up in the mountains, returning to the mountains might be the best choice.

The mountain road was very bumpy and dangerous, and traveling at night was taboo. Fortunately, the driver on the county-to-town route was familiar with the road and had experience driving in the mountains, so he dared to take this night trip.

"Fuwawa, it's dark. It's about seven or eight miles from the town to our home, and it's not easy to walk. Stay at your grandmother's house tonight?" Chen Xiuzhi called out to Li Qingyun, who was staring at the scenery.

Fuwawa was Li Qingyun's nickname. At home, Chen Xiuzhi only called him "Yao'er," but outside, she called him by his nickname. His real name was for others to call.

"I haven't seen my grandparents in months, it's a good time to visit them. I'll buy some gifts at the supermarket in town later," Li Qingyun replied. The bus had already stopped, and a dozen passengers were chatting and slowly getting off. Some were shouting at the driver to quickly unload the luggage from the roof.

Li Qingyun's grandfather was an old Chinese medicine doctor who ran a small herbal shop in town, making a living and even having some surplus. He had paid half of Li Qingyun's college tuition, a typical mountain person who had never traveled far from home.