After Su Jin and Lu Hao reached home, they took a shower and jumped into the Wood Spirit Dimension together.
They looked at the large empty fields in the dimension and decided that the first course of action tomorrow was to go to the farmers' market to buy some seeds. They should sow the fields first and see how the crops grew. If they could cultivate their own lands, they would never have to worry about a food shortage again.
"Lu Hao, do you want to tell your father about the apocalypse too?"
Su Jin had thought of Lu Hao's father a long time ago, but she never mentioned him because Lu Hao did not.
"He's with my stepmother and stepsister now, so it'd be hard to tell him these things. I'll find some time to call him out separately and warn him."
Lu Hao frowned. His feelings for his father Lu Guanhai were complicated. Although he had grown up with his father, the two of them rarely spoke to each other and were not close. Later, when Lu Guanhai remarried, Lu Hao was already an adult so he did not protest. However, since he did not get along with his stepmother, he found an excuse to move out of their house.
Before Lu Hao married Su Jin, Lu Guanhai gave him half of his life savings. Lu Hao wanted to turn the money down, but then his stepmother and stepsister barged onto his doorstep and demanded that Lu Hao return the money to them.
Return the money to them? That was his father's money, so how could they claim it for themselves?
That ticked Lu Hao off, and he did not give them a single cent. Lu Guanhai stared at his wife and stepdaughter, shaking in anger. How had he not known that this was their true nature? Lu Hao was his flesh and blood. Was it wrong for him to give his daughter-in-law a little monetary gift?
Either way, the two sides had declared war with each other. There was no chance of them reconciling now.
Thankfully, Lu Guanhai and the women stayed in the next city over. Since that incident, Lu Guanhai never visited Lu Hao with them in tow again.
He was probably worried he would disturb his son's peace.
"Alright, stop frowning. You won't look as handsome if you frown."
Su Jin rubbed Lu Hao's brow.
"Will you leave me if I look less handsome?"
Lu Hao gripped Su Jin's fair hand. It was soft as silk.
"No, of course not! You're so strong, and handsome, and cool. I'm more worried about you leaving me," Su Jin said jokingly.
"Don't say that. I'll never lose you again."
That was right. In the past life, she managed to lose Lu Hao, but in this life, they were never going to lose sight of each other again.
At the same time, they had not forgotten why they came into this dimension. They were here to train.
Time moved differently inside and outside the dimension. The two of them worked out for a long time inside, but only half an hour had passed outside.
Su Jin and Lu Hao then ran around the stream in the dimension for as far as they could go, but they still could not find its source. It seemed like they would not be able to finish exploring this dimension for some time yet.
The couple re-emerged, covered in sweat. They had no choice but to go for another bath, and this time Su Jin splurged a little by adding half a carton of milk to the tub. She lowered herself into the bathwater and sighed in satisfaction.
Just then, Lu Hao opened the bathroom door and saw his fair Su Jin soaking in the milk. A milk bath should be enjoyed to the fullest, so he squeezed himself in as well, ignoring Su Jin's protests.
"We're just bathing, okay?" Su Jin huffed.
"Yes, just bathing."
A few minutes later, Su Jin found herself sprawled against the edge of the bathtub, her fingers gripping the handrail tightly. What happened to "just bathing"?
And so the curtains came down~~~
The next day, Su Jin and Lu Hao arrived at her grandparents' place early in the morning. Everyone had agreed to gather here in the morning last night.
When they arrived, Su Jin's parents and Lin Tianzhen's family were already there. When she saw that they were all wearing workout clothes and panting as they jogged diligently, Su Jin felt reassured. It seemed like everyone was starting to train themselves.
Even Lin Xiuyuan, who often slept in, had woken up early. Lin Cheng was taking him to school to ask for a long leave of absence in a bit, using an excuse that Lin Xiuyuan had come up with himself. As for what the excuse was, Su Jin had no idea.
"Su Jin, is that plant special ability of yours strong?" Lin Xiuyuan approached her and asked.
"What, do you want one too?" Su Jin laughed.
"Tch, as if I'd want an ability like that! I gotta get something like a fire-type! My idol is Firefirst Ace, hoho!"
Lin Xiuyuan had spent all night too excited to sleep too. He kept fantasizing about his special ability, and after much consideration, he decided that the fire was still the coolest one. If he got that ability, he was going to use fists of fire just like Ace did.
He only drifted off to sleep later when the possibility that he might not gain a special ability at all.
"Lin Xiuyuan, every special ability has the potential to be really strong or really weak. It all depends on how the wielder uses it," Su Jin said solemnly.
For instance, she thought that her wood-type ability was pretty strong. It came down to how she made use of it.
"Sis Su Jin, will I get a special ability too?"
Mao Qiqi had been listening quietly nearby, but now she tilted her head and asked Su Jin. It would be great if she could someday become as strong as Sis Su Jin.
"Of course, Qiqi. That's why you have to train yourself as much as possible now, and make sure to eat until you're full every day," Su Jin said with a smile.
"Okay! I ran a lot with my mom today." Her childish words made everyone laugh.
Now that Su Jin and Lu Hao were here, everyone began discussing the division of labor.
Uncle Cheng and Lin Xiuyuan had to go to school to apply for Lin Xiuyuan's leave first. Meanwhile, Aunt Yunxiang would check out the warehouses and wait for Uncle Cheng to return before making a decision.
Aunt Tianzhen and Uncle Zhihang went to the farmers' market to buy rice, flour, oil, and other food items in bulk. Su Jin's parents went to a local wholesaler to buy daily necessities like thick clothing, blankets, and toilet paper.
Su Jin and Lu Hao intended to go to a seed seller to buy seeds in bulk. The others did not understand why they wanted to get seeds, but they did not enquire further because they were all busy with their own inventory lists. They had to clarify what to buy from now on, because if they missed something now, they would never get the chance to purchase these things again.
Even the grandparents wanted to go to the market to buy some vegetables. When Su Jin winked at her grandmother, the latter simply said that she was staying back to watch the house. Her old husband Lin Yunguo could take his three-wheeled bicycle to the market by himself.
Lin Yunguo had no objections. He preferred to shop on his own anyway, because he could never buy to his heart's content when he went out with Li Xiuying. Li Xiuying always complained that he bought too much and the food would go bad if they could not finish it in time.
Su Jin purposely stayed behind, and Lu Hao even helped Grandpa push his bicycle out of the gate. Grandpa Lin Yunguo got onto his bike and rode away happily.
"Alright, girl. Tell me what you wanna say." Li Xiuying broke the silence after Su Jin and Lu Hao locked the door, closed the windows, and drew the curtains.
Just then, Su Jin suddenly made a piece of jade the size of her palm appear in her hand. Li Xiuying rubbed her eyes and looked at Su Jin again. Had her granddaughter just pulled out a piece of jade from thin air?
"Listen, Grandma. When Lu Hao and I got engaged back then, he gave me a pendant that his mother left for him. During my trip to G Province, I was accidentally sucked into the pendant. This jade tablet here is something I took out from inside the dimension."
Su Jin then summoned her vines and plucked off a leaf, pricking Li Xiuying's finger with it.
Li Xiuying was oblivious as she felt a hint of pain from her fingertip. The next second, she found herself somewhere completely unfamiliar to her, with Su Jin and Lu Hao by her side.
In the name of the goddess Guanyin, what on earth was she seeing here? To think that such a heavenly place existed. The dimension was filled with green grass and clean air. The moment she came in, she felt as though she had stepped into a hidden paradise like the ones she saw on TV.
"So this place was passed down the generations in Lu Hao's family?"
Li Xiuying was stunned, but she did not lose her wits. She had not forgotten what Su Jin told her earlier.
"That's right, Grandma. But my parents and even my grandparents had no idea this place existed, and I never heard anything about a magical dimension passed down by my family either. Even so, Lil Jin was the one who activated it, so I think she's fated to have it. Its current owner is Lil Jin, after all." Lu Hao did not want Grandma to overthink things, so he explained it to her dutifully.
Su Jin and Lu Hao then took Grandma around Lu Mansion, the fields, and the stream. They told her that the time flowed differently here, that they could store things, and that the place even kept their food fresh.
Li Xiuying was impressed. This was practically a divine treasure!
They sat down around a stone table in Lu Mansion, and Su Jin rested her face in her hands as she asked Li Xiuying, "Grandma, do you think I should tell our family about this dimension now?"
Li Xiuying had guessed that Su Jin had these thoughts in mind, so she replied, "Lil Jin, at the end of the day, this place belongs to Lu Hao's family. Is it alright for you to bring me in here like this?"
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Lu Hao was exasperated to hear that. No matter how valuable the dimension was, what use would it be if he monopolized it himself? Was he supposed to live the rest of his life in there, utterly alone?
He and Su Jin were family now, and Su Jin's family was his family. Even if they needed to start their own team of trustworthy subordinates after the apocalypse, who could be more trustworthy than their own family members? Besides, Su Jin was the one who activated the dimension. Lu Hao knew that he would never have been able to open it by himself. After all, the Lu family had gradually forgotten how to use it, right?
Li Xiuying knew what Lu Hao was thinking, so she let the matter rest. True, they were all family now. As his elder, however, it was only right for her to ask him about his thoughts first. Otherwise, she would not be able to bear all the responsibility for it should things go south after this.
"But Lil Jin, Lil Jao, let's not mention the dimension for now. It's enough that the three of us know."
"When do you think we should tell the others, Grandma?"
"When the apocalypse really hits. When that happens, the world will be in chaos, and this dimension will be all we have to rely on. At that time, everyone will naturally guard the secret with their lives."
It was not that she did not trust the rest of the family, but she was worried they would end up letting it slip in their glee. The higher they go, the harder they fall, after all. It would be better for them to experience the terrors of the apocalypse before telling them about this safe harbor!
Su Jin and Lu Hao looked at their wise grandmother. They were absolutely correct to discuss this with her first.
It was not that they could not come up with anything themselves. They just lacked someone who could support them, and it would be best if that someone was a respected elder. When the others found out in time, they would naturally think that the elder's decision was made with their best interests in mind.
"You're so smart, Grandma! Thanks to you, we know exactly what to do now," Su Jin said, trying her best to flatter her grandmother.
"Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You two already planned to do just that, didn't you?" Li Xiuying knew what they were planning, but she was not angry. The two young ones loved and trusted her, which was why they wanted her to help them make the decision. That was not a bad thing. It meant she had yet to lose her edge despite her age. Besides, Su Jin and Lu Hao did not hide this treasure they discovered, instead risking everything to make it into a shelter for the whole family. The others might not have been able to do something so generous with such ease.
"Hehe, I couldn't tell what was the best course of action. Your advice was like a wake-up call to me." Su Jin continued her previously interrupted flattery mission.
"I think what you said makes sense, Grandma. If we tell them about the dimension too soon, they might not work so hard to train and gather resources. After all, they don't know what the world will look like a month from now." Lu Hao was in full agreement with Grandma's suggestion too.
It was like a test at school. No one knew how hard the exam would be, so they would work their hardest to study. Right now, he wanted everyone around him to know that there was a terrifying 'test' up ahead, so they would desperately try to prepare for it. That way, they might be able to take their destiny into their own hands.
However, this was only limited to the people who were willing to trust him. He did not want to waste time and energy advising people who would not even believe him. If he tried, he might end up putting Lil Jin and himself in danger instead.
Su Jin and Lu Hao showed Grandma around the dimension for a while longer. Li Xiuying told them that staying in the dimension made her feel like she had eaten some miraculous medicine. Her entire body was filled with energy.
Su Jin and Lu Hao had experienced that for themselves, of course. The dimension was full of spiritual energy, and the two of them liked staying in here while they could too. Su Jin remembered what the jade tablet said about needing to replenish the space with spiritual energy, which she had not figured out how to do yet.
She mentioned that to Lu Hao and Grandma.
"I see, that makes sense." Lu Hao told them his hypothesis. To him, the spiritual energy was the medium the dimension operated with, and Su Jin just happened to have a special ability. Perhaps the blood of special ability users contained the spiritual energy the dimension needed. That was why Su Jin activated the dimension the first time she accidentally stained it with her blood. As for the stream in the distance and the grey areas, they were not unlocked yet because they did not have enough spiritual energy.
Su Jin and Li Xiuying both thought Lu Hao's hypothesis sounded likely. As the adage went, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. It made sense that a priceless artifact like this would appear on the eve of a disaster, and it may not be the only one to show up either. Still, that was for them to worry about later. Right now, their first priority was to strengthen themselves and gather resources.
After the three of them left the dimension, they glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that only slightly over twenty minutes had passed.
Lu Hao planned to go buy seeds with Su Jin. The two of them did not understand much about seeds and agriculture, so Su Jin asked her grandmother to tag along again. After all, the latter had spent half of her life in the fields.
Li Xiuying was more than happy to oblige. Seeds, huh? She did know a thing or two about those, and she did not want the young ones to come home with a ton of useless seeds either.
The three of them drove to the largest seed wholesaler in town.
Li Xiuying looked around and led the other two to a shop with a wider range of choices. The shop owner was surprised to see Li Xiuying, with Su Jin and Lu Hao tagging behind her. All of his customers tended to be farmers, their complexion dark after all that time baking in the sun. These three did not look like the farm type at all. Nevertheless, he did not treat them lightly. What if they were big business bosses looking into a new venture?
"Hello, how may I help you? What seeds are you looking for?"
Li Xiuying listed the seeds she needed, including wheat, paddy, corn, and all sorts of vegetables.
So many types, huh? The owner was starting to get an idea of what they wanted, so he brought out samples of everything he had.
"We want to buy in bulk, mister, so show us the actual goods." Li Xiuying did not want to look at the samples, since the owner must have prepared them in advance. She could only judge when she saw the real thing.
"The goods are in the cooler. As you know, ma'am, seeds aren't easy to store. We don't usually take them out. These samples are exactly the same as the real thing." He was telling the truth here. The seeds had to be kept at a constant temperature and moisture, so they could not be carried around that easily.
"Mister, if your seeds are decent, we'll buy everything you have," Lu Hao said, stepping forward.
Gasp! Everything he had? The boy talked a big game.
The owner did not seem to believe them, so Li Xiuying continued to persuade him. Eventually, he agreed because he could see that the three customers were about to try somewhere else if he still refused to relent. There was no way he could let such a big business opportunity slip by. Even if they did not buy from him in the end, all he would have to lose was a little time and effort.
The owner had an employee watch the store for him while he led the three of them into the warehouse behind the store.
"This is where we keep most of our goods. What do you think of the corn seeds here?"
Li Xiuying nodded and opened one of the bags. When Su Jin saw her grandmother frown, she knew that Li Xiuying was not too happy with the seeds.
"Mister, these seeds could be better, don't you think? If they're this damp, won't that affect their germination rate?"
The owner wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had been in a rush to sell these seeds because they were too damp and on the verge of growing mold. It seemed like these people knew their stuff, after all. He finally became serious, showing them his real goods.
Indeed, Li Xiuying was not as clueless as he had thought. Su Jin listened to her conversation with the owner and silently gave her a thumbs-up. If she and Lu Hao had come here to buy seeds by themselves, the owner would have tricked them into buying a bunch of subpar seeds.
Finally, the three of them bought corn, wheat, paddy, and a variety of vegetable seeds. Since they were buying in bulk, the owner happily called over his employee from the front of the store to help carry the seeds.
The young employee's mouth fell open when he saw Lu Hao picking up several large bags of seeds with ease. What was he, a weightlifter? The employee could not even carry a bag on his own, having to rely on a trolley to move them anywhere.
Once they were done purchasing seeds, the three of them bought a few tree saplings from the market too, loading them into the car as well.
Lastly, Su Jin stopped outside a shop that sold flower seeds.
"Lil Jin, don't tell me you're thinking about planting flowers too?" Li Xiuying said rather disapprovingly.
Su Jin just smiled and went in, Lu Hao following closely behind her.
Li Xiuying saw them go in and could only sigh helplessly. Forget it, forget it. Both of them were opinionated young people, so they could surely make their own decisions.