Chapter 37: Space Upgrade

Lunch concluded.

Shen Shasha took the two children back to their room for an afternoon nap.

Only Shen Yi’an, Li Beichen, and Father and Mother Shen remained in the living room.

Worried that loud voices might disturb those napping, they kept their conversation as hushed as possible.

“You went to the Seed Market this morning. Where are you planning to go this afternoon?”

This was spoken by Shen Guozhong, mainly to inquire about their plans for the afternoon.

Additionally, with the afternoon heat intensifying, he was concerned about the risk of heatstroke if they went out.

Hearing this, Li Beichen glanced at Shen Yi’an sitting across from him. “That depends on what An An plans to do this afternoon.”

“If she stays home, I’ll stay home. If she goes out, I’ll accompany her.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Guozhong couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth. “I didn’t realize you were such a follower.”

Noticing Li Beichen’s slight embarrassment, he shifted the topic to Shen Yi’an.

“Sweetheart, what are your plans for the afternoon?”

“How about visiting your two older sisters’ homes?”

Deng Yaxin was the first to respond.

“It’s not the weekend. The eldest and second daughters are surely at work.”

“Even if you go, only the elderly will be home.”

“Besides, the eldest has a meddlesome mother-in-law and a troublemaking sister-in-law, and the second daughter’s sisters-in-law aren’t easy to get along with either.”

“With our youngest daughter’s temperament, wouldn’t she be walking right into trouble?”

Reminded by this, Shen Guozhong recalled that his two married daughters’ households were also unstable.

In the end, he could only reluctantly leave it to Shen Yi’an to decide.

“If your mother hadn’t mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten.”

“Alright, you decide where to go this afternoon.”

“If nothing else, I can take Xiao Li to the factory for a look around, and you can rest at home. How does that sound?”

Shen Yi’an had been pondering what to do in the afternoon, but her eyes lit up at her father’s suggestion. “Then let’s do as you say, Dad.”

“You take Li Beichen to work with you, and I’ll rest at home this afternoon.”

“After traveling nonstop on the train for over ten days, one night’s sleep doesn’t seem to have fully recovered me yet.”

Shen Guozhong and Deng Yaxin naturally had no objections.

Their daughter was their own flesh and blood, and she had been frail since childhood—she deserved more rest.

They both turned their gaze to Li Beichen, who instantly understood and reluctantly agreed.

What could he do?

The two before him were his fiancée’s parents.

Although they hadn’t officially acknowledged his status yet, he knew when to be perceptive.

He immediately nodded in agreement. “Alright, then I’ll go with Uncle to the factory this afternoon, and An An can stay home to rest.”

With the matter settled,

Shen Guozhong and Deng Yaxin returned to their room for an afternoon nap.

Work started at 2:30 p.m., so they could still rest at home for over an hour.

After Father and Mother Shen left, Shen Yi’an didn’t particularly want to stay in the living room either, her mind entirely preoccupied with the changes in her Space.

Noticing her distraction, Li Beichen played the nominal ‘bad guy.’ “I’m going back to my room to nap for a while. I have to go to the factory with Uncle this afternoon.”

“Would An An like to join me?”

Hearing this, Shen Yi’an shot him an annoyed glare. “In your dreams!”

“This is my own home. If I want to sleep, I can go to my own room.”

With that, she ran back to her room, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Watching her retreating figure, Li Beichen’s expression softened with affection.

At 2:10 p.m., Deng Yaxin and Shen Guozhong got up and began to get ready.

“Xiao Li, you didn’t go for a nap?”

Seeing him sitting in the living room, Deng Yaxin looked slightly surprised.

Despite the sweltering heat, the living room remained relatively cool, though sitting still for too long would still make one feel warm.

Hearing this, Li Beichen shook his head with a smile. “I went back to my room and slept for half an hour. I came out when I felt it was about time.”

Shen Guozhong, understanding the implication in his words, nodded with satisfaction.

“Good lad!”

“Keep this up, and it’ll be just fine.”

After chatting for a while, the three of them tidied up and headed out together.

The sound of the door locking was quite loud, but Shen Yi’an, already inside the house, didn’t hear it.

At that moment, she was anxiously waiting in her room with the curtains drawn.

As soon as she had entered earlier, she had focused on sensing the changes in the Space.

Compared to the barrier she had felt at the Seed Market, the resistance in the Space had significantly diminished.

Though she still couldn’t enter, she could at least see the hazy conditions inside.

Having sensed this earlier, she knew that all she could do before the Space’s transformation was complete was to wait patiently.

Another long half-hour passed, and as Shen Yi’an prepared to attempt entry again, she instantly slipped into the Space.

Her mouth fell open in an ‘O’ shape at the sight of the changes.

The Space had leveled up!

After absorbing the sandalwood root purchased at the antique street, the Space, which should have required accumulating much more energy to level up, had advanced directly.

The Space, now at Level 2, was nothing short of an exquisite private estate.

First, the small courtyard had been upgraded into a rest area.

Apart from the Spirit Spring, everything else had undergone a dramatic transformation.

The room where the Luopan (Compass) used to be placed was now fully furnished as a living room.

It was equipped with everything one could need: a sofa, coffee table, television, tea set, and more.

To the right of the living room was a kitchen.

Pots, pans, bowls, plates, rice, flour, oil, grains, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and all kinds of cooking utensils were fully stocked.

To the left of the living room was a bedroom.

It not only featured a walk-in closet, bathroom, and dressing room but was also furnished with a complete bedding set and a variety of outfits.

Adjacent to the rest area was a small library.

Aside from the tables and chairs for reading, every other space was occupied by books of all sizes and thicknesses.

Skimming through a few titles, she found they were all related to business knowledge.

For instance, how to identify and build a company’s competitive advantage, using diverse thinking models to analyze business problems from different angles, how to combine interests with career to create wealth, how to benefit from risks, and forecasting perspectives on the future, among others.

Absorbing this information made Shen Yi’an’s vision for the future increasingly clear.

Leaving the rest area, she faced a continuously flowing river.

However, it didn’t spread elsewhere but meandered along the channel, encircling the vast expanse of Black Soil Land.

The crops previously planted had been absorbed by the Space, and now the Black Soil Land lay quietly, waiting to be cultivated.

The most significant change by the Black Soil Land was the addition of a large Breeding Area, complete with lush Pasture Grass.

The only pity was that there were no animals inside—not even a single ant.

Beside the planting and breeding areas was a storage zone, easily identifiable by its appearance.

The neatly arranged shelves inside confirmed its purpose.

After inspecting the changes in the Space, Shen Yi’an returned to the rest area.

She hadn’t seen the Luopan (Compass) or the light screen earlier, so she came back to check if they had relocated.

After searching for a long time, she finally found residual information on the stone tablet next to the Spirit Spring.

Due to the fusion of the sandalwood roots, the Space officially reached Level 2.

Because of the Space’s upgrade, the Luopan and light screen disappeared and would never appear again.

From now on, the Space would only maintain its current appearance.

Furthermore, the Planting Area and Breeding Area retained the original tenfold time acceleration of the Space, while the Storage Area achieved complete time stasis.

As for the Rest Area, the time flow was only twice as slow as the real world.

Shen Yi’an speculated that the residual energy from the Space upgrade must have been allocated here.

But this was already excellent!

Even if she only returned to the Space to sleep, she would gain twice as much time compared to the real world, allowing her mental state to be fully restored.

After confirming the delightful changes in the Space, Shen Yi’an’s mental state visibly improved.

The previous anxiety and irritability vanished, replaced by unmistakable joy.

From now on, the Space would belong solely to her, to do with as she pleased.

Thinking of the miraculous effects of the Spirit Spring Water, Shen Yi’an flashed out of the Space, grabbed an enamel mug from the table, and returned.

After drinking several refreshing gulps, she emerged in the bedroom holding a full cup of Spirit Spring Water.

Since the Spirit Spring could regulate the human body, she naturally wanted her family to benefit from it.

Even if it couldn’t extend their lifespan, at the very least, a rejuvenated body would mean fewer illnesses.