"Renting the house for a year will cost around fifty to sixty thousand dollars. That'll leave me with just a hundred thousand dollars. Buying a car might not be enough with that. Hehe, Mr. Eric, I'll be counting on you for the rest," James chuckled to himself, plotting how to deal with his second uncle. His parents were discussing the same person in the living room.
"Noah, how did it go with Eric's family about the money?" Ms. Carol asked as she tidied up the living room.
Noah smiled and replied, "It went well. Eric was quite agreeable. He said he'll find a way to send the money over tomorrow."
"Oh, that's good. If they return the hundred thousand dollars they owe us, we can borrow another hundred thousand from other relatives and give it to James. That way, the monthly mortgage payments will be much easier for him," Ms. Carol said.
"Mm," Noah nodded. As a father, he was naturally happy to support his son's house purchase and was determined to help.
"When Eric's family comes over to return the money tomorrow, make sure not to charge them interest. They're family, and it wouldn't be right to charge interest," Ms. Carol instructed.
Noah nodded vigorously. "Of course."
In the bedroom, James overheard his parents' conversation and couldn't help but laugh. Having experienced his previous life, James knew full well that even though Mr. Eric would show up, he wouldn't actually pay back any money, let alone pay interest.
Moreover, after Mr. Eric received a call from Noah earlier in the day, he promised to cooperate, but in reality, he went out and bought a BMW for his son, flaunting it the next day as if he had money for a car but none for repayment. It was infuriating.
After his parents retired for the night, James lay down in his bedroom, exhausted from the day, and fell asleep before he knew it.
The next morning, James's first task was to check the mysterious space. He immediately noticed the apple tree and was astonished to see it had grown to about half his height. At this rate, he estimated it would be ready to bear fruit in three to five days.
"Let's check the well water," James thought, dropping the bucket and starting to draw water. Just like before, the well leaked, and he only managed to pull up half a bucket.
"Just as I suspected, this well has its own principles, only letting me draw half a bucket each time," James mused. "I shouldn't waste any more today. Let's see if the well water has any other effects. I'll give it a taste."
Returning to the real world, James went to the kitchen and filled a bowl with water. With a thought, a stream of water appeared out of nowhere and poured into the bowl.
James dipped his finger into the well water and carefully tasted it.
The water was sweet and cool, surprisingly pleasant. At the same time, James felt a warm current rise from his abdomen, quickly spreading throughout his body.
"This…" James's eyes widened in astonishment.
The warm energy coursing through his body was just like when he first practiced harnessing primal energy.
Did just tasting a bit of the spring water cultivate this energy within him?
"This well water is truly miraculous. Not only does it promote the growth of the apple tree, but it also aids in cultivation!" James was overjoyed.
However, after the warm energy spread throughout James's body, it dissipated and didn't store itself within him.
"Maybe I didn't drink enough. I'll drink half of it and save the rest to experiment with farming." James divided the water in the bowl, drinking half and saving the other half to irrigate his crops.
As soon as he drank the water, it felt like a spark igniting an oil reservoir. A surge of warm energy rose from his abdomen, spreading throughout his body. His skin turned red, resembling a cooked shrimp, and then he felt a slight stomachache.
"Bathroom!" James put down the bowl and rushed to the bathroom. A series of sounds followed by a long, satisfied sigh echoed through the house.
Water splashing sounds ensued as James stood under the shower, letting the water wash away the black and yellow oily substances from his body.
"Is this cleansing of the meridians?" Afterward, James felt refreshed and invigorated, his body lighter and more agile, though the warm energy had dissipated again without forming stored primal energy.
"If I drink this for ten to fifteen days straight, I refuse to believe I can't cultivate primal energy." James was brimming with confidence. This well was like a money tree, providing half a bucket of water every day.
"Let's try farming with the remaining half bowl of water." James began filling the bathtub with water. Since he had only half a bowl of well water left, he needed to dilute it to ensure he could water all his crops.
"What's with you lately, kid? Getting up early to shower and taking over half an hour. Do you think water is free?" Ms. Carol, the epitome of a thrifty housewife, started nagging James about wasting water, a stark contrast to her generous gesture of giving twenty thousand dollars for his house purchase.
James listened to his mother's nagging with a smile, feeling a deep sense of contentment. As the bathtub filled, he focused his thoughts and transferred the water into the prepared bucket in his mysterious space.
"Breakfast first, then farming in the mysterious space!" James saw that his mother had already set breakfast on the table and sat down to enjoy the meal. The breakfast was sumptuous, with eggs, rice porridge, buns, and a small plate of pickles.
James carefully peeled an egg and took a small bite, savoring the flavor that burst in his mouth. His face was filled with satisfaction, having not eaten an egg in nine years.
"If only I could raise animals in the mysterious space. Then I could have fresh eggs daily," James thought as he ate, also hoping that the mysterious space might evolve one day to allow for raising animals.
After breakfast, James returned to his bedroom and entered the mysterious space, ready to experiment with farming.
"Rice, wheat, greens, and chili peppers. Let's start with these four," James decided, eyeing the seeds he had bought. With a thought, the seeds levitated and fell into the soil. James then used his mind to control the soil, covering the seeds.
After some exploration yesterday, James discovered that within the mysterious space, he was like a god. Apart from fetching well water, everything else could be accomplished with just a thought.
"Time to water the crops." James poured the remaining half bowl of well water into a bucket filled with clear water and then poured this mixture into the irrigation channels. Soon, all the fields were watered.
As soon as the water touched the soil, James sensed a special energy rising. Immediately, tender green sprouts broke through the earth, growing rapidly.
"Just as I thought!" James's eyes gleamed. The mysterious space was truly capable of farming. The growth speed was astonishing, and it even ignored the basic needs of crops. For instance, rice usually requires a lot of water, but here, it grew with hardly any.
James observed the growth of the four types of crops in the field and became increasingly pleased. He thought to himself, "The diluted well water is less effective, not like the apple tree's rapid growth. The rice and wheat will take about five days to mature, but the greens and chili peppers should be ready by tomorrow."
Even after leaving the mysterious space, James was brimming with excitement.
"The food problem is solved. This afternoon, I'll check out the warehouse, and tonight there's something important to do." James reminded himself. The important thing tonight was that all the relatives would be coming over.
James searched on a local website and quickly found an available warehouse on the west side of the city. After lunch, he hopped on his little van and headed straight there.
Having lived through the apocalypse, James knew that the western area of Linhu City had large warehouse complexes, some privately owned and others by large storage companies. These warehouses held vast amounts of supplies. In his previous life, he often scavenged for supplies there and had quite a few run-ins with dangerous mutated animals.
After scouting around the west side, James easily found a privately-owned warehouse. He thoroughly inspected it and became more satisfied with each look.
The warehouse had three floors. The first floor was for rental storage, and the second and third floors were fully furnished residential spaces, which greatly appealed to James. Most importantly, the property had surrounding walls, offering privacy and security.
James decided to rent both the warehouse and the residential building, signing a one-year lease for a total of ten thousand dollars.
With the housing issue resolved, James moved the refrigerators, freezers, and generators he had bought into the warehouse and stocked the third floor with various supplies, almost filling it up.
Then he locked the gate and drove back to the city. He didn't want to reveal this base just yet; he would find a reason to move his family there once the apocalypse hit. At that point, he would also fortify the place and enhance its security.
After paying the rent, James was left with only four thousand dollars. Money had once again become a pressing issue.
"Uncle Eric, don't let me down. I'm counting on you for the rest of the money." As James returned home in the evening, he saw Eric's newly purchased BMW from afar and smirked before heading upstairs.
Upon opening the door, James found the house indeed full of people.
After opening the door, James found the house indeed full of people.
Uncle John and his family, Uncle Eric and his family, Aunt Emma and her family, Uncle Charles and his family, and Uncle David and his family, all gathered around a large round table.