Mrs. Chen grew anxious. "Then why didn't you buy more today?"
"That bit of grain you bought will only last us ten days to half a month!"
Gu Qing said nothing.
Mrs. Chen quickly realized she had misspoken. He hadn't bought more because they didn't have the money—what other reason could there be?
Little Cao suddenly said, "Grandma, don't you worry. I'll eat a little less from now on."
Mrs. Chen looked at Little Cao, her eyes growing moist. "Such a sensible child."
Gu Fei reached out to pat Little Cao's head. "You don't have to eat less, Little Cao. From now on, your auntie will give you lots and lots of tasty things to eat. I'll make sure you grow up plump and healthy, how about that?"
Everyone assumed Gu Fei was just humoring the child; no one believed she was being serious.
After the meal, Mrs. Chen and Li Chunhua cleared the table. Gu Fei thought to herself, 'This can't go on. I can't just sit on a mountain of treasure while my family eats bran and wild greens. Isn't that just stupid?'
'And I have to tell Dad about leaving the north soon. This isn't some spur-of-the-moment trip. If we're really going to go, there are a lot of preparations to make.'
Gu Erlang helped Gu Fei to her feet. Gu Fei called out to Gu Zhang, "Dad, come to my room. I have something to talk to you about."
Gu Erlang helped Gu Fei lie face-down on the brick bed, then quietly left. Gu Zhang closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed.
Gu Fei mentally rehearsed what she wanted to say before finally speaking. "Dad, about that chicken at lunch—"
Gu Zhang gave Gu Fei a long, deep look. "Don't worry, Little Fei. Dad won't say a word."
'No, Dad, that's not it! I *want* you to talk! Why aren't you saying anything?!'
Gu Fei looked at her father with exasperation and had to start the conversation herself. "Actually, about lunch... it wasn't an eye-blocking technique."
Gu Zhang nodded. "I could tell."
"Aren't you going to ask me what's going on, Dad?" Gu Fei asked, tilting her head.
Gu Zhang shook his head. "I won't ask. Who in this world doesn't have a secret or two?"
Gu Fei stared at her father. 'You're being completely uncooperative! How am I supposed to explain anything now?!'
Gu Fei puffed out her cheeks. "Well, I'm telling you anyway."
Gu Zhang chuckled and nodded. "Then I'm listening."
Gu Fei's eyes flickered, and she began to tell her story.
"Dad, I've actually had a rather... unique experience these past few years."
"Back when I was at the Marquis Mansion, I fell ill for several days. In my delirium, it felt as though I'd gone to another world."
But Gu Zhang's focus was on a strange detail. "When were you sick? Why didn't the family know?"
Gu Fei waved her hand. "Dad, don't get sidetracked. This is the important part."
'Could you please focus on what's important?'
"That world was very different from ours. I won't go into the details—you wouldn't understand even if I explained them."
"It felt like I spent many years in that world, and I gained a miraculous ability."
Gu Zhang's expression slowly grew serious. "What kind of ability?"
An apple suddenly appeared in Gu Fei's hand. She took a bite. "I have a space. It can hold lots of things, and it exists inside my head. All I have to do is think, and I can take things out or put them away."
"Of course, it doesn't work if things are too far away." Gu Fei waved her hand dismissively. "But that's not important."
A look of sudden realization dawned on Gu Zhang's face. "So you're the one who made the chicken disappear at lunch?"
Gu Fei nodded and leaned closer to Gu Zhang. "Dad, my space has some grain from that other world. We don't have to worry about food for the time being."
She had taken a quick look earlier—there was rice, flour, and cooking oil, all the basics.
Gu Zhang's eyes went wide, his face slowly breaking into an ecstatic expression. "We have grain?"
Gu Fei nodded emphatically.