Chapter 4

At night, when all was quiet, the insects and frogs chirped in the mountains outside the window, and occasionally, the roar of wild beasts could be heard. Beyond the town lay dense forests and mountains, so it was normal for a few wild animals to be nearby, and there were even incidents of foxes sneaking into the village to steal chickens.

Li Qingyun lay flat on the bed, breathing evenly, motionless, as if he were asleep, but in fact, he had entered the small space.

On his way back from taking a bath in the evening, he passed by the town's agricultural technology station and bought several packets of melon and vegetable seeds. It was already past the seedling period for watermelons, but to test the time difference between the space and reality, Li Qingyun decided to start the seedlings at night.

Inside the space, Li Qingyun floated in mid-air, observing this world without day or night. He wondered if plants could grow without the sun. However, the two ginseng plants by the pond were thriving, with lush green leaves, indicating that their vitality was not a problem.

The pond was crystal clear, with several small springs at the bottom, constantly gushing fresh spring water, but the water level never overflowed. Li Qingyun couldn't help but speculate: would this space continue to grow? Would the land and the pond expand?

Speculation was just speculation, and he couldn't jump to conclusions without verification. Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. So, he soaked the seeds in a small cloth bag and started timing with his watch.

On his wrist was an old mechanical watch made in Shanghai, the Diamond brand, which he had just found in his grandfather's drawer. When an hour had passed in the space, he flashed out and checked the time on his phone on the wooden table. Only six minutes had passed in reality...

This meant that one day in reality was equivalent to ten days in the space. Such a time difference made Li Qingyun think of many possibilities. Just by exploiting the time difference, he could explore the most profitable opportunities, such as studying, aging wine, and farming.

"Ha ha, the heavens are kind to me..." Li Qingyun grinned foolishly. If it weren't for the late hour, he would have run to the mountaintop to shout and express his excitement.

During his four years of university, he had saved and spent about 60,000 to 70,000 yuan. After graduating, he worked tirelessly for over a year, taking on private jobs without rest, and only earned about 40,000 to 50,000 yuan. He couldn't even afford a toilet in Yunhuang City, let alone a house.

Li Qingyun didn't blame Qin Yao for their breakup; she was under a lot of pressure too. The pressure from her family, the competition among friends, and the differences in their attitudes towards life and consumption led to their divergence, which was a reality.

Before their breakup, Qin Yao's mother had visited their small rented house and checked Li Qingyun's salary and bank records, turning pale. She left without having lunch, saying that a company CEO was inviting her to a lunch meeting to broaden Qin Yao's horizons.

A marriage without parental blessing is unfortunate, and the same goes for a relationship. After that, they saw each other less and less, gradually drifting apart until she left suddenly some time ago.

Li Qingyun wasn't immune to the pain of a breakup; he just hadn't had the chance to express it. The car accident interrupted his emotional outburst. After experiencing life and death, his pain receptors were more numb. Now, the sudden surge of suppressed excitement allowed his normal emotions to be released, and the pain of the breakup also flooded his heart.

Losing in one place but gaining in another, a misfortune might turn out to be a blessing... If he hadn't received Qin Yao's call to move out, if he hadn't walked in the rain that night, the car accident wouldn't have happened, and he wouldn't have obtained the strange small space in his left hand.

There are no "ifs" in this world, only results.

Li Qingyun couldn't shout in the real world, so he entered the small space and stood by the pond, shouting loudly, scaring two small goldfish into darting around and diving to the bottom.

These two goldfish had a strong fate, having been thrown into the space pond. Another one in a small tank had died overnight. The water in the pond was of excellent quality, capable of purifying the body, but it couldn't support too many fish, or it wouldn't be drinkable.

Li Qingyun stroked his chin and thought, "If I could dig a small pond, this pond could serve as a water source, and I could use it to water the pond. Where should I dig it... the closer, the better for water transfer."

Just as he thought this, a large pit suddenly appeared in the black soil... no, it was a small pond, a dry one.

Li Qingyun was shocked and exclaimed, "What's going on? Can I control things in the space at will?"

Thinking about it, he couldn't resist experimenting again. He thought, "Move the water from the pond to the small pond."

Splash! The black soil beneath his feet trembled slightly, and the small pond filled with half a pond of water. The spring water gushed out, stirring the black soil and making the water turbid. The two small goldfish, like out-of-control boats, panicked and spat bubbles in the waves.

The original small pond was now empty, with only a few small springs slowly gushing out clear water. The newly gushed spring water was accompanied by a faint mist, creating a mystical and ethereal atmosphere.

Controlling all the springs didn't tire his soul, only when his soul left the space to fetch things from the real world did he feel tired. However, not feeling tired, Li Qingyun had developed the habit of bathing with the spring water. It refreshed his soul, making him more energetic and allowing his soul to stay outside longer, while also enabling him to bring more and heavier things into the small space.

By the early morning, his excitement had gradually subsided. Although he wasn't sleepy, he soon fell asleep. When the rooster crowed, Li Qingyun woke up, feeling refreshed. He jumped out of bed, stretched his legs, and found that his body's coordination had improved dramatically after washing his soul with the spring water. His injured left hand felt itchy, a sign that the bones were healing.

"One night in the real world should be about five days in the space. Let's see how the seeds are doing." Thinking this, he lay back on the bed and instantly entered the space.

The soaked seeds were by the pond. When he opened the bag, they had all sprouted, bulging with strong vitality, almost bursting the cloth bag.

"This shouldn't happen so quickly. Could it be the effect of the spring water?" Li Qingyun muttered in confusion, but it didn't matter. Since they had sprouted, he needed to plant them quickly.

After multiple experiments, his soul in the space was like a god, easily manipulating the black soil and water. With a few finger taps, the black soil transformed into neatly arranged ridges, as if plowed by a machine, with consistent depth and width.

These seeds were common vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, eggplants... He planned to plant the largest area with watermelons. The watermelon seeds he bought were a bit mixed. With his limited knowledge of agriculture, he thought planting several large varieties and letting them crossbreed, nourished by the space's spring water and black soil, might produce an excellent new variety.

His wish was beautiful, but if an agricultural expert heard it, they would probably laugh. If it were that easy to breed new varieties, what would be the point of experts?

Shi Lei No. 5 and Qilin watermelons were Northern varieties, unsuitable for Yunhuang City. The agricultural station sold them cheaply to Li Qingyun because they knew someone had tried and failed, and they were not suitable for the local climate and soil. Li Qingyun's purchase was welcomed, and they gave him a super cheap price.

However, Li Qingyun had some self-awareness and didn't buy the yellow soil watermelon variety, fearing the crossbreeding would be too chaotic.

The planting was done instantly, and he turned the pond water into raindrops to irrigate the newly planted vegetables. The cloud-like irrigation technique left Li Qingyun deeply engrossed.

"If I had this ability in the real world, wouldn't I be like the Dragon King?" This thought startled him, and he quickly suppressed the disrespectful idea.

Knock, knock, knock! Someone was knocking on the door in the real world, interrupting Li Qingyun's daydream.

With his current familiarity with the space, he could sense the situation outside, otherwise, his soul in the space would leave his body vulnerable to danger.

Li Qingyun glanced at the almost fully planted black soil, nodded in satisfaction, and felt a sense of accomplishment. He left a small patch for the ginseng, as the seeds he ordered from Taobao would arrive in a couple of days. He planned to rely on the ginseng to get rich.

"Fuwa, are you awake? Come and eat!" Grandma knocked on the door and called out.

"Uh, I'm awake, I'll be right there..." As his soul returned to his body, Li Qingyun responded.

Looking out the window, the sky was just beginning to brighten, the sun still a hazy red. Breakfast was earlier than usual, possibly due to the threat from the store vandals. A full stomach would give them the strength to fight.

Breakfast consisted of four dishes and a soup: stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat, garlic sprouts with liver, Mapo tofu, cilantro with cucumber strips, and a clear stewed carp soup. The cucumbers were from a greenhouse, while the garden cucumbers were just blooming. The cilantro was home-grown, fragrant, and when drizzled with sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil, it was a feast for the senses, making one's mouth water.

Since Li Qingyun was a patient with an injured arm, the stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat didn't have chili, but a few Sichuan peppercorns were added out of habit. Before he could swallow the cucumber, he picked up a piece of bamboo shoot, using the cucumber's spiciness to help him chew and swallow the bamboo shoot.

Mother Chen Xiuzhi scolded him, "With an injury, don't eat chili. Why don't you learn? When your arm heals, I'll cook you delicious meals every day. The bamboo shoots, liver, and fish soup are yours, but don't touch the spicy dishes."

"Mom, oh my dear mom, if you don't let me eat, why did you make them? My arm is almost healed, let me indulge today. Without chili, my mouth is so bland. It was even worse last night, with no spicy dishes, making Grandpa suffer too." Li Qingyun dodged his mother's scolding and ate his favorite dishes.

It had to be said, the food at home was delicious. Especially the carp soup, which was fresh and smooth, far better than the farmed fish in the city. He couldn't help but think, if he caught a few small carps and raised them in the space pond, how much more delicious would they be?

"After breakfast, I'll go to the market. It's been a while since I last went, and I miss it." Li Qingyun said while eating. "But don't worry, Grandpa, I'll be back soon. If those people come again today, I'll take care of them with a brick!"

Mother Chen Xiuzhi scolded, "Don't show off! You're a patient, why are you showing off? You're a college graduate, how can you fight? I won't go back to Li Family Village today; I'll stay here. If they come in large numbers, I'll call for help from the village. Besides, with Grandpa here, it's not your turn to act."

"Grandpa is old, so as a grandson, I should protect him..." Li Qingyun said with a sense of righteousness.

"Haha, my old bones don't need protection from my grandson! Go and have fun, just bring me more water in the future." Clearly, Li Chunqiu was in a very good mood, his face glowing, and his wrinkles seemed to have diminished. A few gray hairs on his forehead had even turned gray.

Li Qingyun rubbed his eyes, thinking he might be seeing things. The space spring water couldn't have such a strong effect, as there were no similar changes in Grandma. It seemed his own efforts were making a difference.

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