Chapter 6 Shitou Space

Zheng Xianghong said, carrying out a portion of dumplings toward Gao Jiaxing, "Take these to your grandparents."

Gao Jiaxing silently took the dumplings and walked out the door. Xia Xiao sat down, feeling somewhat embarrassed, uncertain if it was an appropriate time for her visit.

Xia Xiao understood that meat was a rarity at this time, and eggs were considered valuables. It was hard to even find chickens and ducks in the village because there was no grain to feed them.

Everyone was gaunt from hunger, living in an era where filling one's stomach was a challenge. Xia Xiao didn't know how many eggs Zheng Xianghong had used but sighed inwardly.

If it hadn't been for Gao Jiaxing drawing out the poison, her rebirth might still be in question. Now, her visit to express her thanks had caused the Gao family to incur expenses.

"Xia Xiao, please sit. Don't be formal here as you are at your aunt's home. Don't mind the captain; his expression hasn't changed in ages," Zheng Xianghong said, serving Xia Xiao a bowl of dumplings.

"Xia, you should try the dumplings my mom made. Don't be shy," Gao Jiazhi also spoke up.

Captain Gao nodded at Xia Xiao, grabbed some dumplings, and started eating.

Gao Jiaxing, who had returned from delivering dumplings, was quiet and ate silently, only pushing the dumplings toward Xia Xiao when Zheng Xianghong was serving her.

Feeling the warmth of the Gao family, Xia Xiao's eyes welled up a bit. Zheng Xianghong's culinary skills were indeed excellent; the dumplings were delicious, and the soup was tasty.

The Gao family's home felt warm and cozy, and Xia Xiao envied this simple and loving household. In her previous life, though her home seemed simple, she had too many troublesome relatives, and her parents favored boys over girls. Her brother enjoyed meat, eggs, and milk every day, while she was given only vegetables and bean sprouts. Merely craving a few more pieces of tofu or eggs would earn her a scolding, and, at times, even slaps.

Though these might seem trivial matters, the stark contrast in how the two children were treated left no warmth for Xia Xiao to feel.

Seeing Xia Xiao like this, Zheng Xianghong thought about how tough it must be for a young girl of her little son's age to leave home and become an educated youth. Seeing how petite Xia Xiao was compared to her own robust son, Zheng Xianghong couldn't help feeling pity, so she kept serving more food to Xia Xiao.

"Auntie, that's enough. I can't finish all this," Xia Xiao protested.

"Eat a bit more. Look at you; you are as old as Jiaxing but so tiny. Eating more will help you grow taller. Jiazhi, Jiaxing, and their three sisters can all eat well, and they've grown taller for it. I can barely afford to feed those two," Zheng Xianghong said.

What could Xia Xiao say to that? She just ate silently though she couldn't help worrying a bit about her height.

In her previous life, Xia Xiao was about 1.6 meters tall, which was passable.

But now, at this rate, she worried if she would even reach 1.5 meters. Xia Xiao thought about what might help her grow taller—milk, calcium, protein, and yes, sports like basketball and badminton could help.

Of course, genetics play a role too. Given that her biological parents in the S city were about 1.6 to 1.7 meters tall, she shouldn't be too short.

But height depended mostly on one's parents and a bit on one's own efforts.

Yet now, at thirteen, she had to endure hardships in the production team, doing physical labor, going up mountains to cultivate lands or dig ditches, and carrying burdens, among other tasks—how tall could she grow?

Then Xia Xiao realized a serious issue. She had not yet had her menstrual period—did women in this era have access to sanitary pads?

This stumped Xia Xiao for a moment, and she thought about checking with Li Xuehua and the others at the Youth Point to see what they used during their periods.

Xia Xiao snapped back to reality and discovered that her bowl was piled high again, making her cry and laugh at the same time.

That meal left Xia Xiao overstuffed and a bit embarrassed, her entire face flushed red.

"Yes, you need to eat well to grow tall and strong, so you have the energy to work," Zheng Xianghong's words won the agreement of Captain Gao and his two sons.

Xia Xiao, looking at her thin arms and legs, felt ashamed.

"Here, take this." As they left the Gao family's house, Gao Jiaxing handed Xia Xiao a stone while seeing her out.

Xia Xiao looked closely and saw it was a grass flower stone. Her eyes widened—this was exactly like the stone that had killed her in her previous life.

"How could...?" How could this be?

Before Xia Xiao could ask, Gao Jiaxing spoke, "It's the stone that hit you. Luckily, a venomous snake bit you just then, causing your head to tilt, so it didn't hit you directly. Otherwise, your head would have been shattered."

Speechless, Xia Xiao responded, "From what you're saying, I should be thanking that venomous snake."

Gao Jiaxing nodded seriously and said, "The stone blasted to your head would have been deadly, but since the stone grazed your head and you were bitten by a venomous snake and still survived, you really are blessed with a big fate."

Xia Xiao took the grass flower stone handed to her by Gao Jiaxing. Looking at this ordinary grass flower stone, which in her previous life had taken her life, she could not have mistaken the snowflake pattern on the stone before she was disembodied.

How could it be such a coincidence? Could it be the same stone, or just a coincidence? After all, there are so many stones in the world, and there must be plenty of grass flower stones with snowflake patterns.

Holding the stone in her hand, Xia Xiao weighed it—if it really hit her, it would indeed be fatal.

"Can I take this?" asked Xia Xiao.

"Take it, it's just a stone. What's the point in keeping it?" replied Gao Jiaxing indifferently, as he indeed had planned to throw it away.

After leaving the Gao family, Xia Xiao held the grass flower stone and walked back to the Youth Point, her belly sticking out slightly, thankfully concealed by her winter coat.

During the night, Xia Xiao held the stone, eager to know if it was the same stone that had killed her, but she could not find an answer.

Holding the stone, she fell asleep, and suddenly felt a cool sensation and heard the sound of water. It was strange for Xia Xiao, as she was covered with blankets—why would she feel cool and hear water?

In a daze, Xia Xiao squinted her eyes and then suddenly widened them.

Before her eyes were a spring and a field, situated in a space not more than a hundred square meters. She was clearly sleeping, yet now it was bright blue skies; Xia Xiao was completely astonished and bit herself hard.

It hurt—a real pain.

Could this be the mythical space, the very Spiritual Spring Jade Field before her eyes?

Looking at the stone still in her hand, Xia Xiao became excited—could this stone be a gift to her? Was this not an ordinary stone, but a gem?

In excitement, Xia Xiao spoke to the stone, "I want to go out."

Immediately, Xia Xiao was back on her bed, looking around to see everyone else sound asleep. She quietly breathed a sigh of relief, but her excitement was irrepressible.

Again, holding the stone, she said, "I want to go in."

Xia Xiao entered again, but thinking of going in and out just by holding the stone, Xia Xiao faced a dilemma.