As dusk settled, the Hongqi Production Brigade was bathed in a gentle, dark hue. The lights of the "Late Autumn Food Workshop," however, remained bright, like a warm star in the night, casting flickering light and shadows onto the dirt road outside the courtyard through the wooden windows pasted with old newspapers. The villagers had long since dispersed from the workshop, but the air still held the sweet aroma of osmanthus cake and the slightly earthy smell of flour, mingled with the warmth of the lingering pine firewood, a comforting scent in the quiet night.

Lin Wanqiu sat at the eight-immortal table in the main room, her fingertips gently tracing the edge of the account book. On the yellowed pages, the income and expenditure figures, recorded in blue-black ink, were neatly arranged; each stroke represented the workshop's growth and carried her and Shen Tingzhou's hopes for their little family. Shen Tingzhou sat opposite her, wiping the abacus with a fine cloth. His well-defined fingers glided lightly across the ebony beads, producing a crisp "tap-tap" sound, like accompaniment to this ordinary night. Nian'an lay on the corner of the table, his little head nodding, still clutching half a piece of unfinished sesame candy in his hand. His eyelids were so heavy they were about to droop—he had spent the whole day learning to knead dough with the villagers and was now incredibly sleepy.

"Nian'an, go back to your room and sleep." Lin Wanqiu put down her pen, reached out and stroked her son's soft hair, her palm touching his warm forehead, her heart filled with tenderness. The little guy tried to open his eyes, then shook his head: "Mom, I'll wait for you and Dad to sleep together." As soon as he finished speaking, his little head shook uncontrollably again, making Shen Tingzhou unable to help but laugh out loud, reaching out to pick him up: "Daddy will carry you back, be good."

Watching the father and son disappear through the doorway of the inner room, Lin Wanqiu let out a soft sigh of relief and got up to tidy up the account books on the table. Just as she bent down to pick up the ink bottle on the corner of the table, the jade pendant hanging around her neck suddenly felt slightly warm, as if a warm current was flowing through her chest. A thought struck her—since this jade pendant's space was activated, it only reacted when unlocking new functions or replenishing supplies. Could there be another change today?

Lin Wanqiu hurried into the inner room and saw Shen Tingzhou tucking Nian'an in, his movements as gentle as if he were cherishing a rare treasure. She didn't disturb them, but quietly went to the window and, by the moonlight, took the jade pendant out of her collar. The warm white jade shimmered faintly in the moonlight, more translucent than usual, and the patterns on its surface seemed clearer, as if water were flowing slowly within them.

She concentrated, and the moment her thoughts touched the jade pendant, a flash of white light appeared before her eyes, and she instantly entered the space. A familiar modern warehouse came into view, with shelves piled high with rice, flour, cooking oil, and the medicines and seeds she had previously stored away—everything was as usual. But when she reached the land in the center of the space, she discovered a new icon on the panel that had previously only offered "Agricultural Skills" and "Medical Skills"—a silver gear pattern with the words "Basic Mechanical Repair Skill" written below it. Next to the icon was a line of smaller text: "Space level upgraded, new skill unlocked. Learn now?"

Lin Wanqiu's heart raced instantly, and her breathing became rapid. She knew this skill had come at the perfect time! Since the workshop expanded, the old dough press they'd salvaged from the county's scrap yard had become their "mainstay," pressing dozens of kilograms of flour daily. But the machine was old, and it would occasionally break down. Last time, the gears jammed, and they had to call a mechanic from the county's machinery factory to repair it, costing them twenty yuan and delaying their work by a whole day, causing them to miss an order from the supply and marketing cooperative. If they learned machine repair, they could fix the machine themselves if problems arose, saving both money and time, and preventing production disruptions caused by machine malfunctions.

Without the slightest hesitation, she immediately clicked "Yes" with her mind. The next second, a warm current flowed from the panel into her mind, and countless pieces of knowledge about mechanical repair flashed before her eyes like scenes from a movie—the meshing principle of gears, the maintenance methods of bearings, the troubleshooting steps for motor malfunctions, the usage techniques of various tools, and even the differences between different types of screws were explained clearly. This knowledge seemed to be engraved in her bones. Originally, she knew nothing about machinery, but now she could clearly recall the internal structure of the dough press, knew which parts were prone to problems, and how to repair them.

Lin Wanqiu excitedly walked to the tool shelf in the space and found a brand-new set of repair tools on it—wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, a multimeter, and various sizes of screws and washers, everything was there. She picked up a wrench; it felt heavy in her hand, the metal surface gleaming with a cold luster, and it felt exceptionally comfortable to hold. She tried to recall the knowledge she had just learned, and the steps for repairing the dough press machine immediately appeared in her mind; she could even imagine herself disassembling the machine and replacing the parts.

"Wanqiu, why are you standing here in a daze?" Shen Tingzhou's voice suddenly came from behind her. Lin Wanqiu then came to her senses and realized that she had come out of the space and the temperature of the jade pendant had returned to normal. She turned to look at her husband, unable to suppress her smile: "Tingzhou, look!" She handed the jade pendant to Shen Tingzhou and told him in detail about how the space had unlocked the basic mechanical repair skill.

Upon hearing this, Shen Tingzhou's eyes filled with surprise. He reached out and grasped Lin Wanqiu's hand, the warmth of his palm making her feel even more at ease: "That's wonderful! With this skill, we won't have to trouble others with the workshop's machines anymore. Last time the noodle press broke down, you were so worried you couldn't sleep for several nights. Now you don't have to worry anymore." He knew how much Lin Wanqiu had sacrificed for the workshop, getting up before dawn every day to prepare ingredients and checking the accounts until late at night. When the machines broke down, she was more anxious than anyone else, but she never complained in front of him.

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!