As soon as Lin Wanqiu carried Shen Nian'an into the inner room, she couldn't wait to touch the jade pendant on her chest. When she was observing Shen Tingzhou at the west end of the village, she vaguely felt that the jade pendant was getting hot. Now that she was back on her own territory, she could finally properly explore the new changes in the space.

"Mom, why are you touching your neck?" Chen Nian sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), swinging her short legs, clutching half a sweet potato given to her by Aunt Wang. Her little face was full of curiosity. "Is the jade pendant uncomfortable? Let me take it off for you."

"Don't touch it, you can't take this jade pendant off." Lin Wanqiu quickly pressed down on her son's hand, her fingertips already touching the warm surface of the jade pendant, silently chanting "Enter the space." The next second, a familiar white light flashed, and the mother and son were instantly placed in a warehouse full of supplies.

Shen Nian'an's eyes lit up immediately. He broke free from Lin Wanqiu's hand and ran towards the shelf: "Mom! It's the cookies from last time! And White Rabbit milk candy!" He stood on tiptoe to reach the candy jar on the shelf, his little arms stretched straight out, but he couldn't even touch the edge of the candy jar. He was so anxious that his little face turned red.

Lin Wanqiu smiled and walked over to help her son take down the candy jar. She then took a piece of chocolate from the shelf and put it in his hand: "Eat slowly, don't choke. Mom will go check on the new supplies first." She remembered that the skill panel had added cured meat and rice. These two things were hard currency these days, especially the cured meat. Not only could it provide Nian'an with nutrition, but it would also give her more leverage when trading with the neighbors.

The shelves at the back of the warehouse had indeed changed—the once empty shelves were now neatly stacked with over a dozen bags of rice, each weighing fifty pounds. The bags were open, and the snow-white grains of rice gleamed like pearls, emitting a faint aroma when smelled closely. Next to them hung six strips of cured meat, each weighing over two pounds, with a dark brown, glossy exterior—clearly high-quality meat cured using traditional methods. The fat was translucent, and the lean meat had clear marbling; just looking at it made one's mouth water.

Lin Wanqiu picked up a piece of cured meat. It felt firm to the touch and had a faint smoky aroma. She was overjoyed. If this were made into cured meat rice, Nian'an would definitely be able to eat two big bowls! She then opened a bag of rice, grabbed a handful of rice grains and rubbed them in her hands. The grains were plump and without any impurities, even better than the first-grade rice sold at the commune's grain station.

"Mom, this meat smells so good!" Shen Nian'an munched on chocolate, then moved closer to the cured meat, sniffing it incessantly. "Can I have a piece? Just a small piece!" He held up his little finger, making a "one" gesture, his eyes full of longing.

Lin Wanqiu was amused by her son's appearance and gently pinched his little nose: "You can't eat it now, you have to take it out and cook it first. Later, Mom will make you cured meat rice with the new rice, so you can eat your fill!"

"That's great!" Shen Nian'an cheered, jumping up and down while hugging Lin Wanqiu's leg. "Mom, you're so good! A hundred times better than Grandma! Grandma never gives me meat and always steals my cornbread!" The smile on the child's face faded a little when Grandma Shen was mentioned, and her little brows furrowed.

Lin Wanqiu felt a pang of sadness and patted her son's head: "With your mother here, no one will dare to take your things anymore. We'll not only have meat to eat, but also rice and steamed buns, so you can grow tall and strong, stronger than all the other kids in the village!"

She took out a piece of cured meat, a bag of rice, and some red dates and longans from her spatial storage—these things could replenish Nian'an's blood and energy, helping him grow faster. After tidying up, she took Nian'an's hand, silently said "Exit spatial storage," and in the blink of an eye, they were back in the inner room.

Just as she hid the cured meat and rice in the cellar of the woodshed, Aunt Wang's voice came from outside the courtyard gate: "Wanqiu, is Nian'an at your house? Yadan said he came back with you, so I came to see him."

Lin Wanqiu quickly covered the cellar and piled firewood on top before opening the door: "Aunt Wang is here. Nian'an is inside, eating chocolate."

Aunt Wang walked in and saw the chocolate in Shen Nian'an's hand. Her eyes lit up: "Oh my, isn't this the kind of chocolate that only city people can afford? Wanqiu, how come you have such a good thing?" She knew that Lin Wanqiu lived frugally and usually couldn't even afford to eat white flour steamed buns. How did she suddenly have chocolate?

Lin Wanqiu's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly explained, "These were sent from the city by a distant relative. There are only a few pieces, just for Nian'an to try." Afraid that Aunt Wang would ask more questions, she quickly changed the subject, "Aunt Wang, I just found some rice and cured meat from my space... I just found some rice and cured meat at home. I'll make cured meat rice later. Would you like to come and try some?"

"No need, no need," Aunt Wang quickly waved her hand. "I just came to see Nian'an. You should hurry up and cook for the child, don't delay her meal." But she was secretly wondering—when did Lin Wanqiu have a distant relative? She hadn't heard her mention it before. However, she didn't ask any further questions. After all, every family has its own affairs, and it's best not to pry into things that aren't your business.

After seeing Aunt Wang off, Lin Wanqiu hurried to the kitchen to cook. She first soaked the cured pork in warm water for half an hour to remove the surface salt, then sliced ​​it thinly, put it in a pot and fried it to render the fat, then poured in the rinsed rice, stir-fried it evenly so that each grain of rice was coated with oil, and finally added an appropriate amount of water, covered the pot and simmered it slowly over low heat.

Soon, the aroma of cured pork wafted from the kitchen, mingling with the fragrance of rice, making one's mouth water. Chen Nian'an leaned over the stove door, her eyes fixed on the pot lid, her little mouth moving incessantly, as if she could already taste the cured pork rice.

"Mom, is dinner ready? I can smell how delicious it is!" Shen Nian'an couldn't help but ask, touching her belly with her little hand. "My tummy is growling!"

"Almost done, just a little longer." Lin Wanqiu lifted the pot lid and stirred the rice with chopsticks. The rice grains had become translucent, and the aroma of the cured meat had completely permeated the rice, making it look delicious. She sprinkled some chopped green onions into the pot, covered it, and simmered it for two minutes. Then she scooped the rice into two rough porcelain bowls, one for Nian'an and the other for herself.

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