RYEY -Chapter 517 Space Upgrade

“Mom, you’re going to Chuncheng. What about me?”

Cheng Li looked worried. Without Xuhui, he was the oldest at home. He had promised Dad to take good care of Mom, Grandpa, and his siblings.

“Go to school with Grandpa properly. Also, take care of Wu Xiaolin. A pampered young girl willing to endure hardship with you in that godforsaken place—that’s admirable.”

Cheng Li nodded. Dad had said that to earn sincere affection, one must have strong abilities—and now was the perfect time to learn.

The group prepared to leave. Ye Chengying personally saw them off. If he hadn’t made two consecutive mistakes, Cheng Qiao and Li Huan wouldn’t have had to be separated. The guilt weighed heavily on him.

Cheng Qiao shook her head. The poison in Li Huan could not be neutralized by himself. This time, Uncle Lata had also taken away the corpse with the cold poison, preparing to gamble everything to elevate Li Huan’s abilities.

“Uncle Ye, misfortune is inevitable. Since fate has arranged this for us, we’ll face it calmly and actively.”

Ye Chengying admired Cheng Qiao’s composure. He nodded seriously, promising that as long as he was in Beijing, the twins’ safety was fully guaranteed.

Cheng Qiao nodded. In fact, she wasn’t worried about the twins or Cheng Li. Wu Hongxin and Yao Peng were reliable, and if something could harm them even then, there would be nothing left for anyone to face.

The train whistled. The twins waved goodbye on the platform. This time, Xiaonuan didn’t cry. She thought of Mai Sui, only two or three years older, yet enduring training alone. What reason did she have to whine?

“Nuan Nuan, Mom loves you. Be strong and learn from your fourth brother.”

Ye Jing’s face flushed. He wasn’t really strong—he only looked cold on the outside, but inside he was flustered.

“Mom, I love you too. I’ll be strong.”

The soft children’s voices carried on the wind but registered clearly in Cheng Qiao’s ears. Wu Jiawei and his wife also waved at Wu Xiaolin reluctantly. This separation meant they would only reunite during summer vacation.

The train arrived in Chuncheng. Cheng Liguo, with Cheng Li and Wu Xiaolin, changed to another train. The children had school, so they didn’t go to Chuncheng.

Mother Li reluctantly said goodbye to Cheng Li, then returned to the grocery store with Cheng Qiao. Li Ming took Li Chen to their room, but Li Chen seemed distracted.

“What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?”

“Brother, I miss Dad.”

“Then I’ll take you back tomorrow.”

“No, I don’t want to see Mom.”

“You don’t want to see your Mom’s unborn child. How about I ask Mom to find you a kindergarten tomorrow? There are lots of kids there. You’ll make friends.”

Li Chen nodded. Xiangyang Village had no kindergarten, only an elementary school. He wasn’t old enough yet, so he was idle at home every day.

Cheng Qiao had the same plan. After discussing it with Mother Li, she went to a kindergarten in Chuncheng early the next morning and directly enrolled him.

The kindergarten principal hesitated. Li Chen’s household registration was in Xiangyang Village, so technically he wasn’t eligible to attend Chuncheng’s kindergarten.

Cheng Qiao didn’t argue. She simply said she would donate a batch of toys to the kindergarten. The principal’s eyes lit up. Funding was tight, and the school’s allocation was insufficient.

For children, besides food, water, and sleep, toys were the scarcest resource. Many were broken and no longer sufficient for every child.

“Comrade Cheng Qiao, you’re serious about this, right?”

“I can transfer the money to the bank right away. Could you give me the bank account number for your kindergarten?”

The principal gratefully grasped Cheng Qiao’s hand. “On behalf of the children, thank you.”

After an urgent budget review, it turned out that with just three thousand yuan, the kindergarten could completely upgrade all their toys. For Cheng Qiao, this was not a large amount.

Three days later, Li Chen followed Cheng Qiao to the kindergarten. Given his age, he was placed in the middle class. He was warmly welcomed by the teachers and classmates, and for the first time, Li Chen’s heart finally felt at ease.

“Auntie, don’t worry. I’ll listen to the teachers, make friends with the other kids, eat well, and sleep well.”

Cheng Qiao felt very happy. Li Chen was too pitiful—such a good child had been forced into psychological distress. Children like him needed to live in the sunlight to gradually dispel the darkness in their hearts.

“Mom, this semester I’ll let Li Ming board at school. You can go back to Xiangyang Village first, and return once the grocery store is renovated.”

Mother Li nodded. The store would be closed for renovation anyway, and as an elderly woman, staying there would only interfere with her daughter-in-law. It was better to return to her hometown; after all, she hadn’t been back for many years and missed it.

“Qiao, I’ll go back, but what about Li Chen…”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already talked to Li Chen’s teacher. During this period, he’ll go home with her. Of course, I’ll make sure his living expenses are provided on time.”

“Ah, it’s good to have you. Otherwise…”

Mother Li’s eyes welled up. Cheng Qiao quickly handed her a handkerchief. Her mother-in-law had even put herself at risk for her. She truly felt lucky to have such a mother-in-law.

“Mom, once you’re back, eat when you’re hungry, drink when you’re thirsty. Don’t worry about what the eldest son and daughter-in-law are doing, and you don’t need to do any farm work. If you’re unhappy, just come back. I’ll first renovate the house in the backyard for you.”

Mother Li nodded repeatedly and boarded the bus back to Xiangyang Village. She knew this bus was invested in by Cheng Qiao’s uncle—truly farsighted. The ride was much more comfortable.

Cheng Qiao hired craftsmen, drew the blueprints of the grocery store as it would appear in the space, and began construction. She also added a small two-story building in the backyard for Mother Li and Li Ming to live in.

Three months later, once the beams of the grocery store were in place, Cheng Qiao sensed a change in the space. Unfortunately, it was the time of the beam-raising ceremony, so she couldn’t leave.

That night, when everything was quiet, Cheng Qiao entered the space. She immediately noticed it had been upgraded. The original well was gone, replaced by a gently flowing stream.

Cheng Qiao felt delighted. Following the stream upstream, it gradually widened. After walking a long distance, she came upon a thick, white mist.

Reaching out, she realized it wasn’t smoke but dense water vapor formed by the flowing water.

The thick vapor emitted a vibrant spiritual energy. Cheng Qiao breathed deeply, and the energy in her dantian gradually expanded with each inhale.

“Puff… puff… puff…”

Cheng Qiao felt a pain in her body and quickly examined herself. She realized the energy in her dantian was constantly expanding, rupturing, and contracting. With each rupture, her breath grew steadier and her eyes clearer.