The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

The midday sun shone warmly on the courtyard.

With a creak, the door to the main room opened, and a kind old lady peeked out.

Following the sound, she saw Li Kaixin carrying a bulging flour sack at the courtyard gate. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately turned around and called out to the house, "Old man! Come out and see, our eldest grandson is back!"

Before he could finish speaking, Grandma Zhang Xiaohua quickly stepped forward and reached out to take the bag from her grandson's shoulder: "Oh dear, you child! It's so heavy! Give it to Grandma!"

She patted Li Kaixin's arm tenderly.

"I've told your father so many times, don't send them off! Don't send them off! You just finished paying off the famine, you're short on money, but we old folks have enough to eat!"

"Grandma, we have enough food at home, so you and Grandpa can rest assured!"

Li Kaixin smiled and stepped aside to avoid her grandmother's hand, the bag weighing heavily on her shoulder.

"These two bags are a bit heavy, I'll just put them in the kitchen." Li walked briskly towards the kitchen.

Just then.

From inside the house came Grandpa Li Hongtao's slightly puzzled voice: "Old woman, who's back? You were shouting so loudly!"

Li Kaixin happened to come out of the kitchen and called out loudly, "Grandpa, it's me! Kaixin has come back to see you two!"

Grandpa appeared at the doorway, and upon recognizing his grandson, his face instantly lit up with a smile, his eyes and brows beaming: "Oh! You're happy! Good, good! It's good to be back!"

He rubbed his hands together, his voice filled with joy.

"Haven't you had lunch yet? Old woman! Hurry! Go! Steam some big buns made from two kinds of dough, and boil an egg for our grandson! Quickly!"

Grandma strode into the kitchen with the speed of a whirlwind.

Seeing this, Li Kaixin quickly followed, saying, "Grandma, let me help you start the fire!"

The firewood crackled in the stove, and before long, lunch was served.

In the grandparents' bowls was a thin, runny cornmeal and wild vegetable porridge.

In front of Li Kaixin, however, were two steamed buns made with a mixture of wheat flour and regular flour, and a perfectly round boiled egg.

Li Kaixin quickly tried to give the steamed buns made from the two kinds of dough to her grandparents.

But the old man stopped him immediately.

Seeing the earnest gazes of her grandparents, Li Kaixin felt a sudden surge of heat in her eyes and stopped refusing.

He secretly vowed in his heart, "I will definitely make sure my grandparents eat well in the future!"

After finishing her meal, Li Kaixin was about to clear the dishes when her grandmother snatched them away, saying, "Go, go, go outside and cool off with your grandfather. We don't need you here."

The grandfather and grandson then moved into the yard and leaned against an old recliner.

"Sir," Li Kaixin turned his head, "do we... still have any grain seeds?"

Grandpa squinted and sighed, "These past few years, with the communal eating system, all the seeds from each household have been pooled together. Why are you asking about this?"

Li Kaixin lowered his voice, "I was thinking of enclosing a small area with bricks in my little courtyard in the city to grow some things. Grandpa, do you know where I can get some seeds?"

Grandpa thought for a moment, then pointed to the east end of the village: "Your third grandfather (the village chief and head of the Li family) keeps the key to his storeroom."

Upon hearing this, Li Kaixin sprang up from the recliner like a spring: "Grandpa, I'm going to play for a while, I'll be back for dinner!"

"Slow down! Watch your step!" Grandpa's voice chased Li Kaixin out of the courtyard gate.

.....

Without stopping, Li Kaixin dashed to the village chief's courtyard gate and called out in a clear voice, "Third Grandpa! Are you home?"

The curtain was lifted, and a tanned, lean old man peeked out, his face crinkling with a smile: "Oh, Kaixin's back! What can I do for you, Third Grandpa?"

Li Kaixin, panting, said, "Third Grandfather, I'd like to buy some grain seeds from you, any kind will do."

Grandpa San's smile froze for a moment, and his brows furrowed slightly: "Seeds? I'm happy! It's not that Grandpa San is stingy, but the village only has so much wealth, and we're counting on the fields to get by in the spring..."

Li Kaixin understood immediately and quickly waved his hand to explain, "Third Grandpa, you misunderstood! I don't need much, really! Just a few ears of corn, beans, wheat... that's enough for me to grow in my little courtyard in the city."

Grandpa San's brow immediately relaxed, and he laughed heartily: "Hey! Is that all? Forget about buying or not, come on, let's go to the warehouse and grab some!"

Upon arriving at the storeroom, Third Grandfather carefully opened the bags and gave Li Kaixin a few plump seeds of each kind.

Li Kaixin carefully put the money away, then quickly pulled out five cents and shoved it into his third grandfather's rough hand: "Third grandfather, this belongs to the government, you can't just take it for free!"

Before Third Grandfather could refuse, Li Kaixin, like a nimble rabbit, turned and darted out of the courtyard gate before she could finish speaking. The crisp sound of "Thank you, Third Grandfather!" drifted away in the wind.

Clutching the newly acquired seeds, Li Kaixin, seeing that no one was around, entered the secret realm.

......

Having just finished planting the seeds and leaving the space, Li Kaixin thought that there seemed to be a small stream near Li Family Village.

Without further ado, they walked to the stream.

Based on past memories, this stream stretches for dozens of kilometers, originating deep in the mountains behind Lijia Village.

Li Kaixin looked at the stream, which was half the size of what he remembered. He also looked at the water plants by the stream and realized that the secret realm was still empty. So Li Kaixin rolled up his pants and went into the water.

He bent down and grabbed a clump of water plants, his mind flashing—"Gather!" The emerald green instantly disappeared, having already taken root on the bank of the secret stream.

Become!

Li Kaixin bent over, searching in the stream. Everything his fingertips touched was collected: algae, stones, small fish, shrimp, and even the mud were quietly embraced by the stream in this secret realm.

About half an hour later, a wave of mental exhaustion washed over me, my vision blurred, and I knew that my spirit had reached its limit.

Li Kaixin decisively went ashore, shook off his wet trousers, and entered the secret realm.

Looking at the fish fry and shrimp swimming in the stream of the secret realm, and thinking that there would be fish to eat in about ten days, I was overjoyed. I didn't even have the heart to go fishing after entering the city.

After resting and rejuvenating, I emerged from the secret realm and gazed down the stream toward the misty mountains. I was immediately drawn to them, and the thought of being protected by the secret realm made me eager to explore the mountain.

After thinking for a while, they followed the stream up the mountain.