13. The Space

Arriving in this strange world was hardly a scientific occurrence, so it seemed no stranger that she appeared a few years younger; she decisively convinced herself of this.

In the mirror, her skin was fair and rosy, her eyes large and bright. A tiny red mole rested at the slightly upturned corner of one eye, and beneath a straight, elegant nose, her lips held a faint, natural flush. Framed by an oval face, it was undeniably a beautiful visage. Her skin, which was so fair it seemed to glow, was the kind of feature that would make girls in any world envious. In her own time, heavy pollution and intensified ultraviolet radiation meant that people’s complexions were generally a shade or two darker than they had been a century ago, making her natural fairness a rare gift.

The original owner of this body had also been very fair. Their resemblance was nearly one hundred percent; she even wondered if two people so similar might share the exact same genetic sequence. Touching that small red mole at the corner of her eye, Jiang Ruo felt once more that she was "her." "Jiang Ruo" was simply herself in a parallel world, and the accident that befell the original Jiang Ruo had paved the way for her arrival. It was as if fate had linked them in the darkness.

Still... what a tragedy for the original Jiang Ruo! She hoped that, at this very moment, she had been reborn into a happy, loving family in another world, surrounded by the unique affection of parents and kin, living a joyful life. A sudden sense of well-being washed over her, prompting a deep, heartfelt sigh.

Wait! She bolted upright from her chair. How could she have forgotten something so vital? It seemed her brain really had been scrambled by that lightning strike. If the trajectory of this parallel world remained unchanged, it was currently 1956. That meant there were less than three years left until the "Three Years of Difficulty"—a tragic era woven from both natural disasters and human-made factors. It began in the early months of 1959, but no matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn't pinpoint the exact month. She blamed her lack of interest in history; had she known she would one day end up in a parallel world a century in the past, she would have memorized every historical trend.

Right, the Star Watch! She still had the Star Watch! Before seeking her revenge, she had prepared for the possibility of flight. The Star Space had indeed been stocked with plenty of supplies—not to mention her desire to verify the storage function she had developed. Having survived the baptism of lightning, the watch remained intact; it was, after all, a masterpiece born of her blood, sweat, and tears.

The space was a bit small, only a little over one hundred square meters, which was her only minor regret. Forty square meters were dedicated to grain, various foodstuffs, water, and beverages. The rest, aside from space for clothing and daily necessities, was packed to the brim with mechanical parts, several maglev vehicles, various robots, common tools, and firearms with ammunition. Looking at the sea of machinery and vehicles, Jiang Ruo regretted her choices for the first time. Had she known such a bizarre adventure awaited her, she would have filled every inch of that space with grain and other essentials.

She couldn't help but sigh, rubbing her forehead, before beginning to organize the supplies. There were fifty bags of flour and rice at fifty pounds each, and over a hundred smaller twenty-pound bags of each. The rest consisted of miscellaneous grains—millet, corn, and soy—though those were limited to about a hundred pounds each. There were ten crates of various eggs; five crates each of salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and spices; ten crates each of brown and white sugar; some medicinal herbs used in her research; and the remainder was filled with ready-to-eat and instant meals. It filled four shelves—enough to keep her going for a short while.

Yet, this was far from enough to survive three years of famine. Especially since she was no longer alone; she had grandparents, relatives, siblings, and family far away—her older brother, her maternal grandmother, her eldest uncle, her aunt, and her cousins... When she tallied it up, the supplies in the Star Watch, while seemingly plentiful, were nowhere near sufficient. Furthermore, most of what she had stored were refined grains, which would be difficult to explain away. In the 1950s and 60s, grain yields were nowhere near those of the future, and diets consisted primarily of coarse grains like corn, millet, sorghum, and sweet potatoes. These were exactly the items she had the least of.

Staring at the data recorded in her notebook, Jiang Ruo collapsed onto the table, drained of all strength. How could she secure more grain? The thought consumed her mind, leaving her unable to find a moment’s peace.

In the next instant, she vanished from the room and appeared within the ancestral white jade space. The space existed within her consciousness, fully integrated with her being; entering it required only a single thought. Once inside, her attention was fixed on the patches of black soil. With so much land, could she cultivate it? If she could, perhaps this would be the turning point that would keep her from going hungry. But then came the problem: while her stored supplies were diverse, she hadn't included any seeds—especially not coarse grains, sweet potatoes, or potatoes. Cooking had always been a waste of time to her, so of course, she hadn't bothered.

Standing in the black soil, she felt a mix of amusement and frustration. Thinking of the high-yield seeds from the future, she felt another wave of regret. There was no helping it; without high-yield seeds, she would have to settle for the next best thing. Following the mist around the thatched hut, she made a rough estimate: there were about a dozen mu of land. If she could plant grain across all of it, she could store quite a bit over the next few years. That was, of course, assuming the land was fertile. Jiang Ruo hoped so, but she dared not be too optimistic.

She walked a full circle around the space, eventually arriving before the thatched hut at the center. Unlike the modest hut, the courtyard was enclosed by a fence of luxurious purple bamboo, which, from a distance, seemed to emit faint pulses of purple light. Purple bamboo was incredibly rare; in the heavily polluted environment of the future, its growing conditions were harsh, and every stalk could fetch an astronomical price, rivaling precious woods like yellow rosewood. Aside from this extravagant fence, the courtyard was bare. "Minimalist" was a polite way to put it, though it fit the current era quite well.

Jiang Ruo blinked and scrutinized the area once more, circling the hut again and again. Uh... she hadn't found any "spirit springs" or anything of the sort. Very well... perhaps she had been wishing for too much.

Convinced she had been chasing a fantasy, she stopped obsessing and pushed the door open. There was no danger; the space was one with her. It felt comfortable and intimate, like family. Anything she wished to see within the space appeared clearly before her eyes—a testament to her absolute control over it.

However, when her hand touched the purple bamboo door, the unexpected happened. A faint sensation, like a brush of electric current, surged through her. She recoiled sharply, staring in astonishment at the glowing purple gate.