Milo sat alone in the room, quietly watching over his son. It wasn't clear what he was thinking — he just sat there in silence, his eyes fixed on the little boy.
Lucia, half-conscious and dizzy, could only faintly hear the sound of people talking around her.
With the daughters helping in the kitchen — cooking and brewing the medicine — Hannah returned to the room, picked up her needle and thread, and began sewing. Milo's gaze shifted toward her.
"What are you sewing this time?" he asked.
"I'm making you a pair of underwear," Hannah replied.
Milo sighed dramatically. "Ah, you wasteful woman! I already have two pairs. I can just alternate between them. Why bother making another?"
Hannah paused and shot him a look.
"Those two pairs you have are already worn out — they've got holes big enough to show your backside!" she said sharply.
"They can still be patched up," Milo grumbled. "In our village, everyone mends their clothes and makes them last another three years.
You're the only one who's so extravagant — no patches on your clothes, and you've got me dressing like some rich gentleman. In times like these, the richer you look, the more likely people will come after you!"
Hannah pursed her lips. "Anyway, I'm sewing them for you. If you don't want to wear them, I'll just give them to someone else!"
Milo chuckled awkwardly. "Hehehe… I'll wear them! Of course I'll wear them. Is that better?"
Seeing his wife's face darken, he immediately backed down. After glancing at their child again, he quickly said,
"I'll go check if the medicine's ready. The girls are already cooking lunch."
"Hmm, make sure they don't use up too much grain," Hannah reminded.
"I know, I know," he said, heading toward the kitchen. "I'll just make sure they're not wasting food."
The two of them truly had an unspoken understanding — a perfect couple in sync.
Milo personally went to the kitchen to supervise things.
"Mom, how's little brother?" Lena asked as she came in, followed by her seven younger sisters. She was carrying a bowl of medicine carefully in her hands.
"Quick, blow on it a bit before giving it to your brother," Hannah said, then looked at all seven girls in surprise. "Why are you all here? Where's your father?"
The girls were all too familiar with their parents' thrifty ways.
"Dad's standing guard at the kitchen door!" the second sister, Lilian, blurted out quickly.
"There's me and your eldest sister here," Hannah said. "You and your third sister, Elaine, go back to the kitchen and bring your brother's porridge. He needs to eat first before taking the medicine."
"Alright," Lilian replied.
She gave little brother a glance, then exchanged a knowing look with Elaine, and the two girls ran off toward the kitchen.
The medicine was still a little too hot, so Hannah set it down on the small table, picked up a fan, and gently waved it to cool the bowl — her body shielding the bed so the breeze wouldn't blow directly on her son.
The little boy's temperature rose and fell — burning hot one moment, clammy the next.
In the old days, aside from calling for a doctor, they would have invited a village shaman to "call back the child's soul."
But the recent years had been unstable, and the shaman no longer visited their village. People had to be careful — superstition was frowned upon now, and they didn't dare risk it.
Lena gently picked up her little brother. Ever since she was old enough to help, she'd been her mother's right hand, looking after her younger siblings.
Lucia felt herself being lifted into a pair of soft, sweetly scented arms. She opened her eyes and saw a pretty young girl holding her, sitting on a small stool by the bed.
Just then, another little beauty came in carrying a bowl of porridge, crouched down beside them, and said brightly,
"Little brother, eat your porridge! You'll grow tall and strong!"
Lucia obediently opened her mouth and began to eat.
As she looked around, she saw seven adorable little girls — all beautiful, all watching her with loving eyes.
Wait… were these her sisters now?
"Little brother, you're such a good boy!" one said.
"Our little brother is the best!" another chimed in.
Lucia blinked — completely confused.
Then suddenly, she heard a soft, childlike voice echo inside her head:
> "Ding! You've received seven likes. Congratulations, Host — the Jade Pendant Spirit Space has been activated!"
Lucia froze. The gentle, milky voice continued in her mind, explaining the features of this new space.
The Buddha Pendant could only store ordinary items, but the Jade Pendant Spirit Space came with a spirit assistant that managed everything inside.
At her current beginner level, the space was only one cubic meter in size, with a single active feature — the Spirit Spring.
The space itself contained fields, land, a lake, and a house — but all those functions would unlock only as her level increased.
The pendant's power could even convert likes and faith into points, which could then be used to buy items from the future or even from other worlds.
As for how far this ability could go — that, she couldn't see yet.
Still in a daze, Lucia felt both bewildered and thrilled by this unexpected discovery. She quietly continued eating her porridge and taking her medicine, the bitter taste hardly registering on her tongue.
"Little brother, you're so good today! You can even drink the bitter medicine without fussing," said Jing, the youngest sister, her eyes full of admiration.
Then, one by one, the rest of the six sisters and their mother chimed in with their praise — and with every word, Lucia heard a cheerful "ding" in her head.
Wait… did that mean every compliment gave her points?
Could it really be that easy?
If getting likes was this simple, then becoming overpowered in the future wouldn't just be a dream!
After finishing her porridge and medicine, Lucia's weak little body couldn't stay awake any longer, and she soon drifted into sleep.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself inside a tiny, one-cubic-meter space. In front of her sat a jade bowl filled with shimmering spiritual spring water.
She remembered that this body had been frail and slow-minded since birth — there might still be toxins lingering inside it. The spring water clearly wasn't ordinary; she had to drink some!
Still, she didn't dare drink too much. Who knew what kind of reaction a weak body like this might have to something so powerful?
She lifted the bowl and took a sip. The water was faintly sweet and warm, and as it slid down her throat, a gentle current of warmth spread through her body.
Then—
"What's that smell? So stinky!"
"Did little brother poop himself?"
"Eww, it stinks!"
Lucia heard the voices coming from the room and snapped out of her meditative space.
She suddenly felt herself being lifted, her clothes being removed, her body wiped clean — someone was even softly shushing her as they bathed her.
After the cleansing, she felt utterly refreshed, as if all the impurities had been washed away. The feverish pain was gone; her body felt light and healthy again.
Once her mother was done washing her, Lucia was dressed in clean clothes.
"Hey, Mom, little brother's forehead isn't hot anymore! His skin looks fairer too!"
The sisters had helped their mother fetch the water for the bath. Since they were growing girls, they politely kept their distance while their mother washed their brother.
The room filled with cheerful chatter.
Hannah placed her hand on her son's forehead — it was cool to the touch. The fever was gone! It must have been the medicine. The remaining doses wouldn't even be needed now.
A smile spread across her face. Her son looked so much healthier — the old doctor's treatment had truly worked!
Milo came back from the study and heard the good news. He shared his wife's relief — not only was their boy recovering, but they'd save on medicine money too. Seeing his son's fairer skin, he broke into a grin and said,
"Zashu, you did great today!"
Lucia blinked in confusion. Wait… Zashu? That's this body's name?
What kind of ugly, rustic name was that!?
Just then, a soft, childlike voice spoke again in her mind:
> "Congratulations, Host! You've received lots of likes today. Keep working hard — the more you earn, the stronger your powers will become!
The world you're in is actually a small world inside a novel written by an author!"
Lucia was stunned.
She quickly checked the information that suddenly flooded her mind:
Her body's real name was Milo Ye, born on January 1, 1965. He had just turned a few months old. He had seven older sisters, and his father was the village brigade leader. His grandparents and uncle's family lived in the provincial capital.
In recent years, food shortages had made life tough. The grandparents had considered visiting, but since her uncle and aunt both worked in the city and were busy, they hadn't brought their children back home for years.
Sometimes they sent letters, but the Ye family hadn't visited the city in a long time.
More information poured in — the family's past hardships and even hints about future disasters.
His name was now officially Milo Ye.
Thankfully, not Zashu — and definitely not something worse like "Dog."
According to the story, his future wife would be a girl from a seaside village who had fled famine with her family. When she arrived in a nearby village, she was only one year old.
Their family had since resettled nearby.
Lucia wondered in shock — Could that girl actually be Tom, reborn into this world?
Would her transmigration end up changing the entire plot of this story?
(End of Chapter)