When Lin Wanqiu finally lulled Shen Nian'an to sleep, the window paper had already turned a light gray. The night wind swirled snowflakes against the window frame, making a soft "rustling" sound. She got up quietly, and as soon as her fingertips touched the jade pendant beside her pillow, she felt a warmth seep through her fingers and into her entire body—a sign that something was amiss in the space.

She closed her eyes, her consciousness instantly sinking into the familiar white mist. Usually, upon entering, she would see vast stretches of black earth and warehouses piled high with supplies, but today there was something different: a faint light was emanating from the base of the east wall of the warehouse, as if an invisible door was slowly opening.

Lin Wanqiu's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly walked over. The closer she got, the more she could hear the faint sound of gears turning. When she reached the wall, the faint light suddenly burst open, and after the dust settled, a wooden door with a copper ring appeared. Above the door hung a gilded wooden plaque with the words "Small Processing Factory" written on it. The characters still showed the fresh wood grain, as if they had just been carved.

"This is..." She reached out and pushed open the wooden door, a faint smell of machine oil mixed with the aroma of wheat wafting out. The room wasn't large, but it was crammed full: on the left was a flour mill, its metal body gleaming, with several unopened bags of grains piled next to it; in the middle was an oil press, its oil pipe thin, with an enamel oil drum underneath; and on the far right was even a noodle machine, with different sized molds on the shelf next to it, capable of pressing out thin noodles, wide noodles, and even the butterfly noodles she loved most in her previous life.

Next to the machine stood an electronic screen with a scrolling message: "A small processing plant requires 100 energy points to start. Current energy points: 68. Energy points can be obtained by planting crops, completing skill tasks, and selling space outputs."

Lin Wanqiu's eyes lit up. She had made money selling vegetables before and planted two more crops of spinach, which increased her energy points considerably. At this rate, she could accumulate 100 points in just a few days. Then she could not only grind flour and press soybean oil herself, but also make noodles to sell—in these times, resources were scarce, and fine grains were even rarer. If she could make chewy noodles, she would definitely make a lot of money.

She reached out and touched the feed inlet of the grinder; the cool metallic touch sent a surge of heat through her. In her past life, she was a food blogger, skilled at transforming ordinary ingredients into elaborate dishes. Now, with these machines, it was like having wings. She could even imagine herself making steamed buns and dumplings with the space flour, stir-frying vegetables with freshly pressed soybean oil, and Nian'an enjoying the delicious food with her mouth full of oil.

Just as I was pondering this, the electronic screen suddenly flashed and a new task popped up: "Newbie Task: Make a qualified batch of mixed grain flour, reward 12 energy points, unlock the 'Beginner Pastry Making' skill."

Lin Wanqiu smiled. This task came at just the right time! She turned and walked to the warehouse, took out a bag of corn, a bag of millet, and a handful of red beans, and poured them into the feed inlet of the mill according to the ratio. The moment she pressed the start button, the machine hummed and started turning, and golden powder fell down from the discharge port, landing on the coarse cloth that had been laid out, and the air was immediately filled with the unique aroma of mixed grains.

Before long, a small bag of mixed grain flour was ground. She pinched a little and tasted it; it was smooth yet had a grainy texture, much better than the coarse flour sold at the supply and marketing cooperative. Just as she put the mixed grain flour into a bag, the electronic screen lit up with a green light: "Mission complete! Reward issued, current energy value: 80 points. 'Basic Pastry Making' skill unlocked, you can learn to make basic pastries such as steamed buns, dumplings, and dumpling wrappers."

Lin Wanqiu was overjoyed and was about to examine the noodle machine further when she suddenly heard Nian'an crying from outside the space. She quickly exited the space and saw Nian'an sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), rubbing her eyes with her little hands, her face flushed: "Mommy... I'm hungry..."

"Mom's here, I'll make you something to eat right away." Lin Wanqiu quickly picked up her son, touched his forehead, and saw that he didn't have a fever; he must have woken up from hunger. She remembered the mixed grain flour she had just ground and had an idea. "An'an, be good, Mom will make you mixed grain steamed buns, they're even more delicious than white flour steamed buns."

She added firewood to the stove and, while boiling water, took out grain flour and yeast from her spatial storage, along with some white sugar—white sugar was precious in those days, and ordinary people couldn't afford to eat it, but Nian'an was at the age where she was growing and needed to be nourished. When kneading the dough, she followed the instructions in "Elementary Pastry Making Techniques," kneading the dough clockwise with even pressure, and soon she had kneaded a smooth dough.

As the dough was being covered to rise, Aunt Wang's voice came from outside the courtyard gate: "Late Autumn, are you home? I'll bring you some sweet potatoes."

Lin Wanqiu quickly opened the door and saw Aunt Wang carrying a cloth bag containing several round sweet potatoes: "My old man dug these up from the back mountain yesterday. They're very sweet. I'll cook them for you and An'an."

"Aunt Wang, you're too kind. I still haven't finished the cornmeal you gave me last time." Lin Wanqiu quickly took the bag, feeling a warmth in her heart. In this village where people are not very friendly, Aunt Wang is a rare kind person.

Aunt Wang peeked into the house and lowered her voice, saying, "Don't take what Old Lady Shen did yesterday to heart. She just can't stand to see you doing well. If you really have a problem, go to the commune and talk to Secretary Li. He's a reasonable person."

"Thank you, Aunt Wang, I understand." Lin Wanqiu nodded and handed Aunt Wang a handful of freshly ground mixed grain powder. "This is mixed grain powder that I ground myself. You can take it home and use it to make steamed buns for your child. It's more nutritious than refined grains."

After declining for a while, Aunt Wang finally accepted when she saw Lin Wanqiu's firm attitude: "Then I won't stand on ceremony. If you need any help in the future, just let me know."

After seeing Aunt Wang off, the dough had risen. Lin Wanqiu divided the dough into small pieces, shaped them into buns, and placed them in the steamer. The flames crackled in the stove, steam slowly rose, and the aroma of mixed grains wafted out through the steamer's seams. Nian'an, leaning against the stove, stared intently at the steamer, her mouth practically watering: "Mom, it smells so good..."

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