Chapter 4: You'll Have to Pay for the Button

The moment she focused her mind, a slight dizziness washed over her. Then the scene before her eyes changed completely.

There was no sky here, no ground either. All around was a vast expanse of white.

Directly in front of her lay a clearing about an acre in size.

And in the very center of that clearing sat a small pool. It was no bigger than a washbasin, the water so clear you could see straight to the bottom, tiny bubbles gurgling up from within.

Zhou Xing'er's heart leaped with joy. Her space had traveled with her!

In her previous life, she had discovered that her soul was bound to a space. It wasn't some overpowered cheat like in novels—just a large empty plot where she could store things, plus a tiny spring of spiritual water.

Don't let its size fool you. The water in that little spring was inexhaustible.

She hurried to the pool, crouched down, and cupped a handful of water in her palms.

It was cool and refreshing, wonderful against her skin. She brought it to her lips and took a gentle sip.

The water tasted sweet. It slid down her throat and settled in her stomach, and immediately a warm current spread outward from her belly, flowing through every limb and bone.

The soreness in Zhou Xing'er's body vanished in an instant. Her waist no longer ached, her legs didn't hurt, and even those red marks Fu Yusheng had left on her last night seemed less uncomfortable.

She felt invigorated, as if she'd just had a deep, full night's sleep, her whole body brimming with energy.

With a thought, Zhou Xing'er returned to her small room.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she began to plan.

It was the early nineties now. Every household in the village had land. But farming techniques were poor and fertilizer scarce, so crops and vegetables yielded little. A whole year's work barely brought in any money.

If she could irrigate their family's land with this spiritual spring water, the vegetables would surely grow fast and strong. Then she could sell these high-quality vegetables in town and earn her family their first pot of gold. With money, she could take them to the city to start a business and escape poverty for good.

The thought made Zhou Xing'er restless. She stood up, straightened her clothes, pushed open the door, and walked out.

First she fetched some water and washed her face and hands clean. Then she went into the kitchen.

Inside, her eldest sister-in-law, Li Xiulan, was busy at the stove. Steam rose from the pot, carrying a faint scent of rice. On the wooden table beside the stove sat a large aluminum kettle, the one the Zhou family usually used for boiled drinking water.

Zhou Xing'er walked over.

Hearing her footsteps, Li Xiulan turned and smiled. "Xing'er, washed your face? The porridge will be ready soon. Sit down and rest a bit."

Zhou Xing'er smiled back. "Big Sister-in-Law, I'm not tired. Just a little thirsty. I want some water."

"There's freshly boiled water in the kettle, already cooled. Help yourself." Li Xiulan pointed at the aluminum kettle.

Zhou Xing'er stepped up and opened the lid. Using her body to block the view, she reached out with her mind to the spiritual spring in her space.

She silently commanded: *Replace the water in the kettle with spiritual spring water.*

The ordinary cooled boiled water was instantly replaced with clear spiritual spring water.

Pretending nothing had happened, Zhou Xing'er poured herself a bowl and gulped it down.

The fresh sweetness burst across her tongue the moment it hit her mouth. She'd already drunk some in the space, but it still felt incredibly soothing. After finishing the bowl, her mind felt much clearer.

She set the bowl down and said to Li Xiulan, "Big Sister-in-Law, I'm going to check the vegetable garden behind the house in a bit, see how our crops are doing."

Li Xiulan looked at her in surprise. "The garden? Xing'er, you usually hate getting dirty. What made you think of going to the garden today?"

The original host had been a delicate thing, squeamish about bugs and mud, never willing to set foot in the fields.

Zhou Xing'er smiled sheepishly and took Li Xiulan's hand, acting spoiled. "Big Sister-in-Law, I was immature before, always letting you do all the work. I've come to my senses now. I'm not a child anymore—I should help out around the house. I'm just going to look, it won't hurt."

Hearing this, Li Xiulan held her hand and said, "Our Xing'er really has grown up, become sensible. All right, go take a look if you want. But don't tire yourself out. If the sun gets too harsh, hurry back."

"I know, Big Sister-in-Law."

Zhou Xing'er left the kitchen, crossed the courtyard, and arrived at the vegetable patch behind the Zhou family's house.

The garden wasn't large. It held some cabbage, radishes, and a few tomato plants.

The weather had been hot lately and it hadn't rained for days. The soil had cracked open, and the vegetable leaves looked wilted and listless.

Zhou Xing'er walked to the middle of the garden and crouched down. She glanced around, making sure no villagers were passing by, then gently placed both hands on the soil.

She thought silently: *Sprinkle the spiritual spring water onto these vegetables. Not too much—just a little.*

At her intent, the spiritual spring water turned into an invisible fine rain and fell soundlessly over the garden.

Zhou Xing'er could feel it the moment the water touched the soil and leaves—it seeped in instantly. The wilted cabbage leaves seemed to stir slightly, their color turning a shade greener than before.

She didn't dare sprinkle too much at once, afraid the vegetables would grow too dramatically and raise suspicion. Just a little each day, enough to make them grow better and faster than anyone else's—that would do.

That done, Zhou Xing'er brushed the dirt off her hands, stood up, and happily headed back inside.

The moment she entered the courtyard, she saw her eldest and second brothers coming in from outside. Both men were drenched in sweat, their tank tops soaked through and clinging to their backs.

"Goodness, it's hot today. I'm dying of thirst." Zhou Erzhu wiped his face with the dirty towel around his neck and strode toward the kitchen.

Zhou Dazhu followed behind, panting heavily.

Zhou Xing'er hurried over, smiling. "Eldest Brother, Second Brother, you're back. Tired? Go have some water and rest."

Zhou Erzhu grinned at the sight of her. "Little Sister, what's with the sudden concern today? We're not tired. As long as you're all right, your brothers have plenty of strength for work."

He walked into the kitchen, grabbed the aluminum kettle from the table, and tipped it to his mouth, gulping down a big mouthful.

The instant the water hit his tongue, Zhou Erzhu froze.

He blinked, pulled the kettle away, stared at it, then looked over at his eldest brother, Zhou Dazhu.

Seeing his foolish expression, Zhou Dazhu frowned. "Erzhu, what are you doing? Drinking water and losing your mind?"

Zhou Erzhu smacked his lips, his face full of disbelief. "Eldest Brother, quick, taste this water! Something's off with this water!"