RYEY -Chapter 263 It’s Time to Start Preparing

She had used all that water to make medicine, and the water she had stored was almost completely used up. Cheng Qiao immediately sprang into action, drawing bucket after bucket of water. When she was utterly exhausted, she drank a few mouthfuls of well water and quickly recovered her strength.

Mother Li glanced at the position of the sun—something was wrong. It was almost lunchtime, yet Cheng Qiao still hadn’t woken up. Worry crept in. Just as she was about to go to Cheng Qiao’s room, Li Huan walked in with a group of people behind him.

“Mom, where’s my wife?”

Mother Li froze for a moment. She couldn’t possibly say that his wife was still sleeping—that would hurt Cheng Qiao’s reputation. Her mind worked quickly. She deliberately wiped her eyes and said anxiously,

“Huan’er, your wife seems to be sick. I called her several times and she hasn’t woken up at all. But I can’t leave—I still have two children at home.”

Li Huan’s face instantly turned pale. He didn’t even spare a glance for the commune secretary and the county leaders behind him. He dashed straight into his room.

“Qiao, my wife, wake up…”

But Cheng Qiao’s eyes remained tightly shut. In fact, she had already heard Li Huan’s urgent calls, yet no matter what she did, she couldn’t leave the space. Anxiety filled her heart.

Everyone grew anxious. Ye Jun arrived and used silver needles to prick several major acupoints on Cheng Qiao’s body, but she still showed no response. Ye Jun frowned, then took her pulse again and fell into deep thought.

Whether it was her pulse or her bodily functions, everything about Cheng Qiao was abundantly strong—yet she simply wouldn’t wake up. Could it be that Cheng Qiao was cultivating immortality as described in legends, perhaps at a critical juncture where she couldn’t control herself?

Ye Jun suddenly realized the truth. Though it wasn’t cultivation, a space upgrade was something exceedingly rare. This time, Cheng Qiao had used the space’s medicine to save lives, which was why she had gained this precious opportunity to upgrade.

Unfortunately, none of this could be said aloud. Otherwise, she would surely be accused of bewitching the masses and promoting feudal superstition. Being dragged out for criticism would be the mild outcome—worse still, she might be sent for a psychiatric evaluation.

“These past days, Cheng Qiao has been far too tired, so she’s fallen into a deep sleep,” Ye Jun said. “Let’s not disturb her for now. Once she’s rested enough, she’ll wake up naturally.”

Hearing that Cheng Qiao’s life wasn’t in danger, Li Huan finally let out a long breath. He then recounted in detail how Cheng Qiao had saved the village’s old ox and how he himself had been injured.

Everyone felt that for a delicate educated youth to marry a village man and even manage to save an ox was already a tremendous leap. Naturally, they all credited this to Li Huan.

If not for his daily guidance, how could an educated youth from a big city become so selfless—ignoring her own safety to save collective property?

And so, Cheng Qiao’s name was added once more to the list of meritorious deeds. This educated youth could be held up as a model for praise, encouraging other educated youths in the villages to follow her example.

Since Cheng Qiao remained unconscious, Mother Li had no heart to prepare any meals. The commune secretary and his group merely took a brief look around Li Huan’s home before leaving.

“When your wife has fully recovered, come to me to receive your award,” the commune secretary said, patting Li Huan on the shoulder.

Li Huan nodded repeatedly, escorted them to the village entrance, then returned home. He sat on the kang, staring at the sleeping Cheng Qiao, unwilling to leave her side even for a moment.

Little Cheng Li and Xu Hui stood nervously nearby, hardly daring to breathe. Li Ming climbed onto the big kang and kept shaking Cheng Qiao with his small hands, calling out, “Mama…”

After filling every usable container with golden well water, Cheng Qiao suddenly felt a flash of clarity. Her soul returned to her body, and she slowly opened her eyes.

She glanced at her youngest son, who had already fallen asleep again, still occasionally murmuring “Mama” in his sleep. Smiling, tears slipped down her cheeks.

“Qiao, you’re awake! How do you feel? Do you want to go to the hospital? Are you hungry? Thirsty…?”

The moment Li Huan saw her open her eyes, he lunged forward and pulled her into a tight embrace. The feeling of having something lost and regained surged powerfully through him.

“Li Huan, let go of me—I can’t breathe.”

She was held too tightly and could only lightly tap his back. At that moment, little Li Ming was startled awake by their voices. Seeing Li Huan hugging Cheng Qiao, he immediately stood up and swung his tiny fists at Li Huan.

One punch landed squarely on Li Huan’s face. Luckily, Li Ming was still just a child and didn’t have much strength, but it was enough to snap Li Huan back to his senses. He quickly released Cheng Qiao.

“Wife, I’m sorry—I was too excited. I waited for you half the day and you wouldn’t wake up. Do you know how scared I was? I kept imagining all sorts of things and nearly scared myself to death.”

Cheng Qiao nodded in understanding. If it were her, she’d be the same. This was love, family affection. Having lived a second life, she treasured these bonds deeply—they were priceless.

“I’m hungry. Make me some porridge.”

“There is, there is. Mom already cooked it and kept it warm on the stove.”

There was a coal stove in the room. It had been put away for summer, but Mother Li had taken it out again just for the pot of vegetable-and-meat porridge simmering on top.

“Mmm, it’s delicious. Mom, your cooking just keeps getting better.”

Cheng Qiao took the bowl and ate spoonful by spoonful. Whether she was truly hungry or not, she just felt that this porridge tasted exceptionally good. She finished two full bowls in a row.

Seeing Li Ming beside her constantly licking his lips—clearly dying of craving yet not saying a word—Cheng Qiao smiled. She turned the spoon around and fed him a bite.

“Mama, you eat. I’m not hungry.”

“Not hungry—just greedy, right?”

Having his thoughts exposed, Li Ming’s face reddened. In the end, he couldn’t resist the spoon already at his lips and opened his little mouth.

“Is it good?”

“It’s good! Can I have another bite? Just one.”

“Alright. Since little Li Ming is so well-behaved, Mama will reward you with three bites.”

Since it was already evening and children shouldn’t eat too much before bed, Cheng Qiao fed him three bites, then handed the bowl to Li Huan. He devoured it eagerly—he was starving too.

“You didn’t eat?”

“When you hadn’t woken up, I didn’t feel hungry at all, so I didn’t eat. I don’t know why, but now that you’re awake, I’m starving.”

Cheng Qiao smiled again. This man truly loved her deeply—otherwise, how could he even forget his hunger? Marrying a man who cared for her so much—how wonderful, how blissful.

“Things are more or less settled. You should start preparing.”

“Preparing for what?”

“Studying and doing exercises. I’ve already bought the books, and I’ve prepared the questions. You have to study hard and take the college entrance exam with me.”

Li Huan felt depressed. Just looking at those questions made him dizzy—his head spun, his mind refused to cooperate, and he simply couldn’t focus. His body was even more honest, always itching to slip outside.

“How about we wait until winter’s over, okay? The winter wheat has been planted and it’s growing well. I need to focus on taking care of it—this is the lifeline of our villagers.”

Cheng Qiao nodded. She recalled that in her previous life, when people planted winter wheat, they would set up bamboo frames around the fields, then cover them with transparent plastic film to protect the wheat.