Li Xiangli stiffly propped herself up, finding her palms resting on soft, green grass. Looking around in disbelief, she realized this was no ordinary place—it was a beautiful little estate. She had just been asleep in her shabby hut moments ago, so how did she suddenly end up here?
Not far off, she noticed a small plot of farmland, about an acre in size. Although it was small, the soil looked incredibly fertile—something even her limited farming knowledge could recognize.
"With soil this rich, how could it be left uncultivated? Such a waste," Li Xiangli murmured to herself. Then a sudden thought struck her, this was no ordinary place. She had somehow transported here in an instant. Could this be the legendary bonus perk of being a time-traveling heroine?
Her eyes lit up. This place was magical, and it seemed to belong to her alone. The air smelled fresher here, and while it was the dead of night outside, this space was perpetually springlike. Surely, the crops grown here would be extraordinary.
Excited to test it out, Li Xiangli spotted a small wooden cabin nearby. Cautiously entering, she found it uninhabited. Inside, the decor was simple yet elegant, and she noticed a small cabinet. Upon opening its drawers, she discovered various seeds. Determined, she decided to give them a try.
Without hesitation, she grabbed a handful of seeds and began planting them. To her astonishment, the moment the seeds touched the soil, they sprouted—even before she could water or cover them. Staring in disbelief, she felt a surge of excitement—this was pure magic!
Overjoyed, she grabbed more seeds—corn, chili peppers, cabbage—and scattered them across the plot. Within moments, the once-barren field was a lush carpet of green sprouts.
With such a powerful secret at her disposal, how could she not become rich? Li Xiangli grinned, her mind already racing with plans on how to maximize the use of this plot.
Suddenly, she heard Le'er's voice calling out, "Mother!"
Startled, she realized she'd been so engrossed in the magical field that she'd forgotten about the children waiting outside. Panicking, she tried to figure out how to leave but couldn't recall how she got in.
"How did I get here?" she muttered, remembering that she had said something about Chen Xi just before arriving.
To test her theory, she balled her fist and said, "Chen Xi!"
Nothing happened.
"Enter?" she tried again.
No response.
Frowning, she hesitated before saying, "Exit."
In an instant, the scene changed. Darkness surrounded her again as she found herself back in her tiny, worn-out hut. Letting out a breath of relief, she touched the wooden bed beneath her to confirm she was back. Le'er was just talking in her sleep, so everything seemed fine.
Opening her palm, Li Xiangli found a few seeds left. It hadn't been a dream—it was real! Excitement bubbled in her chest, and she smiled to herself, barely able to sleep from the sheer joy of her discovery.
The next morning, the first thing she did after waking up was to check her magical space again. The sprouts had grown noticeably overnight, reassuring her. Feeling satisfied, she left the space and got to work.
Le'er and Xiaozhu woke up groggily as Li Xiangli boiled water for their morning wash. She hummed a cheerful tune, her light-hearted mood infectious.
"Mother, what's gotten into you?" Xiaozhu asked, surprised.
"Nothing much," she replied with a grin. "But today, I'm making you both a delicious breakfast. What do you want? We've got plenty of ingredients now!"
"Corn pancakes!" Le'er exclaimed. "The ones you made last time were so good!"
"Alright, corn pancakes it is," Li Xiangli agreed. This time, she added more oil and minced meat for extra flavor.
She also made a pot of thick porridge with minced meat, filling the room with a mouthwatering aroma. The children ate until they were stuffed, Le'er declaring, "If we could eat like this every day, that'd be amazing. I love your cooking, Mother!"
"From now on, we'll eat like this every day—until you're sick of it!" Li Xiangli promised with a laugh.
The leftover pork and bones from the night before still needed to be dealt with, so Li Xiangli began rendering lard from the nine pounds of pork fat she'd bought. In these times, pork fat was a precious commodity. The rendered lard could be used for cooking, and the crispy bits left behind were delicious treats.
As the fat sizzled and released its aroma, Le'er and Xiaozhu, who had been full of breakfast, couldn't resist sniffing the air.
"It smells amazing! I used to love watching others render lard—just smelling it felt like a treat," Le'er said happily.
Once the lard was ready, Xiaozhu brought over a clean jar to store it in. Li Xiangli carefully ladled the hot lard into the jar, while Le'er and Xiaozhu hovered nearby, taking deep breaths of the rich aroma.
Finally, she scooped out the crispy lard bits and placed them into small bowls for the children. "Here you go—try these! Even better than the smell, right?"
The children's eyes sparkled with delight as they took the bowls. "It's so good!" they exclaimed, smiling ear to ear.
Li Xiangli patted their heads lovingly. "Be good and take them outside as snacks."
Xiaozhu hesitated. "I'll eat later—I want to help you, Mother."
"There's nothing left for you to do. Go on, take care of your sister—don't forget your duty as the big brother."
At her gentle insistence, Xiaozhu took Le'er's hand and led her outside. Le'er skipped happily, munching on her treat. It was the first time she'd ever had such a delicious snack.
Watching them go, Li Xiangli felt her heart soften. These children were so well-behaved it made her want to cry. Now that she had taken on their mother's role, she vowed to give them the carefree, joyful life every child deserved.
Disclaimer:
I am not the original author of this work. This is a translated version of the original text, shared for reading and reference purposes only. All rights to the original content belong to the original author. I do not claim ownership of the original work or its characters. This translation is intended solely for informational and entertainment purposes.