Chapter 5

Xiaofeng didn't know how long he had slept before waking up. The space always looked the same, without the rising and setting of the sun, and the slightly bright sky was not dazzling. Standing by the spring, he stretched a big yawn, washed his face with the spring water, and the cool and refreshing feeling made him drink a large mouthful of the spring water.

Xiaofeng found that the spring water in the space tasted very good, sweet and clear, leaving a lingering aftertaste. If it could be bottled and sold, it would definitely outshine the so-called Evian mineral water!

"Perhaps in the future, when the weather outside is hot, sleeping in the space would be a good choice!" At the moment of leaving the space, such a thought flashed through Xiaofeng's mind.

If others knew that after obtaining the Purple Bamboo Space, Xiaofeng would have such an 'unambitious' thought, they could only be speechless!

Last night, he tossed and turned, thinking for half the night, and this morning, he was lost in thought for a long time. Xiaofeng still didn't know what he wanted to do with the space in the future.

Now, Xiaofeng simply stopped thinking about those headache-inducing questions, taking one step at a time. He decided to first return to his hometown in western Yunnan to celebrate the old man's birthday and take a break for a while.

After all, with that pile of gold bricks as a backup, the survival issue was no longer so urgent for Xiaofeng. Now, he finally had the right to stop and seriously think about his future!

...

Xiaofeng's figure suddenly appeared in the rental apartment. The two puppies, who were playing tug-of-war with slippers, were startled and scrambled to hide under the bed.

A moment later, the two puppies ran to Xiaofeng's side, biting his trouser legs and barking from time to time.

Although Xiaofeng had never raised dogs, he could tell from their behavior that they were probably hungry.

"Xiaofeng, open the door!" At this moment, the voice of the landlord, Aunt Zhang, came from outside the door.

Xiaofeng's reaction was quick. He swiftly moved the two puppies and the pile of things he had bought into the space, then went to open the door.

"Aunt Zhang, is there something wrong?" Xiaofeng opened the door with a bright smile, but those familiar with him would definitely notice the unnaturalness.

"Someone said they heard dog barking from your room. You're not keeping dogs, are you?" Aunt Zhang said, her eagle eyes scanning Xiaofeng's room.

As the landlord, Aunt Zhang was strongly against tenants keeping small pets like cats and dogs, not only because they were unhygienic but also because they could affect other tenants. Of course, if you kept a turtle, she wouldn't mind.

"Aunt Zhang, I can't even take care of myself, let alone have the time to keep dogs!" Xiaofeng stepped aside and said with a smile, "I was just taking a nap!"

Although Aunt Zhang was quite sharp-tongued, she was quite considerate of young people like Xiaofeng who had just graduated. It didn't matter if the rent was delayed for three to five days, so Xiaofeng didn't want to have a conflict with her over the puppies. To prove his innocence, Xiaofeng stepped aside, indicating that Aunt Zhang could come in to check.

"No need to look, I believe you, Xiaofeng!" Aunt Zhang didn't enter the room, but her suspicious gaze revealed her uncertainty.

She had clearly heard dog barking when she knocked on the door, but when Xiaofeng opened the door, there was no more barking. In such a short time, Xiaofeng couldn't have hidden the dogs.

Could she have been hearing things?

Aunt Zhang left with a heavy heart, and Xiaofeng couldn't help but wipe a sweat after closing the door. It was a good thing he reacted quickly, or things would have been difficult to handle! He had been living comfortably with Aunt Zhang for over a year and didn't want to cause any unpleasantness.

It seemed he would have to get more used to the existence of the Purple Bamboo Space and move things that shouldn't be seen into the space as soon as possible.

Looking at the phone on the table, it was already three in the afternoon, no wonder the two puppies were barking from hunger.

Xiaofeng took out the dog food given by the breeder, softened it with hot water, and quickly entered the space. However, he was met with a scene that made him both laugh and cry.

He had thought the two puppies, suddenly thrown into the space, would be panicked and huddled together, trembling. Instead, they were playing in the spring, enjoying themselves.

Seeing Xiaofeng, the two puppies seemed to realize it was feeding time. They barked and ran toward him, but due to their poor balance at just over a month old, they often fell after a few steps, which made Xiaofeng chuckle.

The white puppy was a female, and Xiaofeng named her 'Baiyun' (White Cloud). The black one was a male, and he named him 'Hetu' (Black Earth). In no time, the famous screen couple names were bestowed upon the two puppies.

Xiaofeng placed the softened dog food on the ground for the puppies to eat. He then soaked the grass seeds he had bought in the spring water to start the germination process.

Although Xiaofeng had never done much farming, he had picked up some basic knowledge from his hometown and felt he could handle planting some grass.

Even if you haven't eaten pork, haven't you seen pigs walk?

Xiaofeng wasn't quite sure about the functions of the Purple Bamboo Space and hadn't decided how to develop it. He could only try planting something and see how it went.

After all, the descriptions in the *Purple Bamboo Chronicles* were all about planting spiritual grass and herbs with abundant spirit stones. There was no mention of what would happen without spirit stones. Now that Xiaofeng had no spirit stones, all the descriptions in the *Purple Bamboo Chronicles* were insufficient as references, and he could only start from scratch.

Xiaofeng had read some online farming novels where the main characters used the space to grow vegetables for profit, but he found it too troublesome. Real-life farming was not as simple as online farming, with the complicated management, harvesting, and selling processes requiring a lot of manpower.

Besides, Xiaofeng wasn't short of money, so there was no need to increase the risk of exposing the Purple Bamboo Space by growing vegetables. He might as well start with planting grass and see what happens.

Although the Purple Bamboo Space had magical effects, Xiaofeng wasn't sure if it could still maintain its original properties after so many years. These grass seeds were just a test. If it succeeded, there would be a next step; if not, it would be all over!

After soaking the seeds, Xiaofeng lay on the bamboo chair, looking at the spirit spring, the stone tablet, and the purple bamboo, while watching Baiyun and Hetu play. He felt quite relaxed and content.

After graduating, he had been busy working for a year, like a tightly wound machine, almost never stopping. There were few times he could sit down and enjoy some leisure time.

At this moment, Xiaofeng was thinking, what was the purpose of his busy work?

He no longer believed in those grand and righteous answers he had in high school, especially after graduating. He realized that work was more about survival and had little to do with ideals. Even his own childhood ideals had become blurry under the pressure of reality, and living well was the top priority.

But, after obtaining the Purple Bamboo Space and a vast fortune, what should he do?

Various thoughts kept rolling through Xiaofeng's mind!