"Really!" Sun Mei's eyes lit up instantly, and she couldn't contain her excitement.
The origin of the space could be traced back to before their transmigration. Their four-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Zhao Zhitong, had suddenly awakened a space one noon!
As a fan of web novels, Sun Mei immediately associated it with various plots in those stories. She concluded that once the space appeared, it most likely signaled the end of the world.
So, she persuaded Zhao Dong to spend over half of their savings stocking up on supplies at the supermarket.
"See? What did I tell you? You were so heartbroken back then, but fortunately, you listened to me. I now regret not spending all the money!" Sun Mei said proudly. "Let's see if you still dare say reading novels is useless, hmph."
"Hahaha, Honey, you're awesome." Zhao Dong placed the rice and eggs on the stove, then held his wife's face and gave her a kiss. Now that they had food from the space, they wouldn't have to worry about it for a long time.
Following Zhao Dong, Zhao Zhitong poked her little head out, pouting as she watched her parents. "Tongtong wants a kiss too."
Seeing his daughter, Zhao Dong's smile stretched practically to his ears. He bent down, scooped up Zhao Zhitong, and kissed her on the cheek. "Of course, my Tongtong is the best!"
Zhao Dong's stubble tickled Zhao Zhitong, making her giggle and try to dodge him. Laughter filled the room.
The appearance of the space had made the family of three much more relaxed and happy.
Sun Mei had already found a clean ceramic jar and poured an entire bag of rice into it. She then found a basket and placed the eggs inside.
They had ordered the eggs on their way back from shopping, passing by the poultry farm at the village entrance. They had ordered a full eighty boxes, each containing ninety eggs, which would be enough to last them for a very long time.
"Tongtong, bring the salt to Mom. Tomorrow, Mom will make you some salted eggs."
Salt was a necessity, and as an experienced novel reader, Sun Mei wouldn't overlook it. For this reason, she had stocked up on a full two hundred boxes of salt.
No wonder Zhao Dong had been so distressed at the time. One box of salt contained forty bags, and with two hundred boxes, their family of three wouldn't be able to finish it all in two lifetimes.
Then, Sun Mei was about to fill the flour container when Zhao Dong stopped her. "Honey, don't pour it in yet."
"What's wrong?" Sun Mei asked, puzzled.
"Honey, think about it. The conditions in ancient mills were terrible. Their flour wouldn't be this white. We should be careful."
With Zhao Dong's reminder, Sun Mei realized her mistake and nodded repeatedly. "Right, right, I forgot about that. I'll take out less and mix it with the local flour."
Zhao Zhitong put the remaining flour, the empty rice bags, and the egg boxes back into the space.
The kitchen had originally contained nothing but a handful of salt. Luckily, fearing she'd want to eat well during the apocalypse, Sun Mei had bought tens of thousands of yuan's worth of seasonings and stored them in the space.
Sun Mei filled various containers with soybean oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and other seasonings.
Once everything was settled, Zhao Dong started a fire. Sun Mei used scallions borrowed from a neighbor to make scallion pancakes, cooked a small pot of porridge, and fried some eggs. With that, their dinner was ready.
Having been busy all day, the family of three prepared for bed as soon as night fell.
Zhao Dong hung up the mosquito net. It was summer, so they didn't need thick covers. However, they were used to sleeping on beds with mattresses, so they worried about adjusting to such a hard plank bed.
So, Sun Mei took the quilts and bedrolls from the cabinet and spread them on the bed, then placed a straw mat on top, making it much softer.
Anyway, I've stored dozens of sets of bedding in the space, Sun Mei thought. When winter comes, I'll take them out and sew the original duvet covers from this house onto the outside. No one will notice.
Exhausted from a busy day, they drifted off to sleep, accompanied by the scent of a certain brand of floral water Sun Mei had sprayed.
「In the following days」
Sun Mei took out all the mosquito nets, bed linens, and clothes from the house to wash and then dry thoroughly under the strong sun.
The empty plot of land at their home had been tilled by Zhao Dong and planted with vegetables, which, by then, had already sprouted tender green shoots.
Gazing at their newly cleaned and refreshed home while sitting under a tree in the courtyard, Sun Mei felt the air itself was much fresher.
However, the only drawback was the outhouse. Having grown accustomed to flush toilets, the family found it made them question their very existence.
These days of simple, hard living had also completely extinguished the last vestiges of joy Sun Mei felt from her transmigration experience.
There were no computers, mobile phones, or iPads, and no entertainment shows. Their daily diet consisted of plain vegetables and rice porridge, without a trace of meat. Yet, for a farming household, such meals were considered quite good.
Both Zhao Dong and Sun Mei had come from peasant families in their previous lives and had endured hardship before, so they could still bear such a frugal existence.
But what about little Zhao Zhitong? She was still so young. Although she was currently nourished by milk and eggs from the space, preventing the anemia her body's previous occupant had suffered from, the supplies in the space were finite and would eventually run out.
Besides, what would happen when she grew up? Were they to let her casually marry a farmer in the village and spend her entire life toiling in the fields?
For this reason, Zhao Dong and Sun Mei lay awake night after night, trying to devise a plan for the whole family to prosper, or at least ensure their daughter could marry into the city.
In contrast to her parents' worries, young Zhao Zhitong, too innocent to know sorrow, was having the time of her life running wild in the countryside these past few days.
Many children her age in the village had become her close companions.
Sun Mei had bought her piles of candy, which were stored in the space. Since Zhao Zhitong herself wasn't fond of sweets, she was very generous in sharing them. Consequently, many village children who had received these treats loved to play with her.
With so many playmates and the freedom to roam everywhere, Zhao Zhitong was overjoyed.
"Dear, the water jar is empty!"
Sun Mei, wearing an apron and holding a basin, called out to Zhao Dong, who was weaving baskets on the other side of the courtyard. She was looking at the nearly empty water jar.
The original owner of Zhao Dong's body knew how to weave baskets and conical hats. Last night, Zhao Dong had suddenly remembered that the marketplace would be held the day after tomorrow. He planned to weave some baskets to exchange for money and then buy some meat.
Hearing Sun Mei's words, he looked up and said with a smile, "Alright, just leave it. I'll go once I finish this one."
Zhao Zhitong, who was sitting in the courtyard doodling on the ground with a wooden stick, overheard their conversation. She immediately dropped the stick and trotted over to Zhao Dong, her eyes sparkling. "Wow, Daddy, the basket you're weaving is so pretty!"
Zhao Dong chuckled, his hands never ceasing their work. "Such sweet words. Alright, out with it. What mischievous idea are you brewing this time?"
Zhao Zhitong squatted in front of Zhao Dong, a tiny figure with her chin cupped in her hands, blinking innocently as she gazed up at him. "Daddy, I want to go with you to fetch water."
"Absolutely not," Zhao Dong refused outright. "Daddy will be carrying two buckets of water on a pole. If you get tired from running around, I won't be able to carry you."
"I don't need Daddy to carry me! I can walk by myself!" Zhao Zhitong trotted over, hugged Zhao Dong's arm, and began to wheedle, "Daddy, please let me go, please?"
Worn down by his daughter's relentless coaxing, Zhao Dong's heart softened, but he maintained a stern expression. "You said it yourself, alright? If your little feet get sore later, Daddy isn't carrying you."
Seeing that Zhao Dong had agreed, Zhao Zhitong couldn't care less about being carried or not; she immediately trotted off to help him get the carrying pole.
The farming households in the village all shared a common well; only a few wealthy families could afford to dig their own well in their courtyard.