Hazel was half-asleep as someone moved her around, then she felt her body being wiped clean.
She felt refreshed — and drifted back into an even deeper sleep.
Ever since she had entered her inner space, every night after her parents went to bed, she would use her consciousness to enter it quietly between eating and pooping.
During the day, she didn't dare to do that, so she always smiled at her family and tried to please them. Every time they praised her, her space would grow a little bigger.
She also discovered another function — once she gathered enough "likes," the pendant would automatically activate.
How many did she need?
According to the explanation, after collecting a thousand likes, a new interface would appear on the wall of her space.
Once she reached a certain number of points, that interface could appear outside in daily life — she could summon it with just a thought.
She hadn't reached that goal yet, but she couldn't help imagining it.
Of course, what she wanted most was to grow up faster, so she could go out and find valuable things.
She looked at the empty tower in her space and wanted to stockpile supplies — enough to survive the difficult times ahead safely.
She also wondered if, when the pendant was fully activated, she might be able to contact Lily, the other time traveler mentioned in the original book.
Maybe Lily was the one her current body would marry in the future.
Hazel knew her family's fate in the story wasn't good, and she was determined to change their destiny.
---
Meanwhile, Ethan had tried several times to go out with his father, Henry, but his father refused.
As the village's team leader, Henry didn't have to do much manual labor, but he still had to inspect the farmlands, mediate disputes among villagers, and solve small arguments with the educated youths.
Recently, Henry had gone to visit the Yale family. His wife's older brother was also a team leader in his own village, and the second brother worked as a supply manager at the town's cooperative store. Their wives were nurses at the town hospital.
The Yale family's village was suffering an even worse drought than theirs.
Their own village mainly grew rice, while the newly cleared land was planted with sweet potatoes, cassava, and regular potatoes.
A nearby hill was covered in lychee trees.
The crops had already been sown. If the weather held, they could harvest in about two months — but these two months were the most critical. The dry weather made everyone nervous.
Their village was slightly better off — they could fetch water from the river or channel some from the mountain streams to irrigate the fields.
Still, Henry worried that if the drought continued, the grain yield would drop. After handing in the state quota, there wouldn't be much food left for their own families.
Henry visited his wife's brothers and sisters. Each family faced even tougher conditions than his own.
As a production leader, he was responsible for ensuring the crops survived — mainly rice, corn, and a few other coarse grains grown on reclaimed land.
The region was in the south, allowing for two rice harvests a year. In winter, people could still plant potatoes and vegetables to fill their bellies.
Some managed to plant three cycles a year, though that meant extra rent and exhaustion.
Some families couldn't keep up — either because they were lazy or because illness struck one of their many dependents. When that happened, there was nothing to do but give up.
During these days, Ethan stayed home, quietly familiarizing himself with his surroundings.
He didn't dare reveal his secret to anyone in his family yet. He wanted to observe the village and make plans first.
When his father stayed in the village instead of traveling, Ethan would tag along.
He knew his father pitied him — the boy who had once been harmed, left dull and slow.
Outwardly, people sympathized with Henry's family, saying they were cursed to have such misfortune.
But what they said behind their backs… no one knew.
When Ethan followed his father outside, he could feel the strange, judgmental stares from others.
He wanted to play with the village children, but most of them were filthy and wore patched clothes. Kids his age still wore open-crotch pants.
While Henry was in a meeting with the village leadership team, Ethan waited outside the village committee building — a large ancestral hall that belonged to the Ye family, next to a smaller house.
A group of naughty children spotted him from afar — the son of the team leader — and started shouting mischievously:
"Hey, look! The idiot is staring at us again!"
Ethan froze.
Who were those kids? So rude!
The boy they called "idiot" looked back at them with a calm but serious expression.
"Ahh! The idiot looks scary now!" one of the kids giggled.
"Run! The idiot's mad!"
"Don't let him tell his dad — his dad's the team leader!"
Just like that, Ethan's attempt to make friends ended with everyone running away from him.
Feeling dejected, he quietly returned to his father's side.
But he knew this couldn't go on.
What use was having his mysterious space if he couldn't store food or supplies in it?
From what he remembered from the book, in about a month there would be a massive drought — followed by a locust plague. Within another month, famine would spread everywhere, reaching even this village.
When nearby villages ran out of food, refugees and starving wanderers would flee to their region.
Their current peace and stability would be destroyed.
When the locusts came and food ran out, people would be forced to leave their homes behind.
Ethan counted the days. According to the book, by August, food shortages would strike hard.
Grain rations would be low after the state quotas were handed over.
Some officials would even falsely report bumper harvests to save face — which only made things worse.
His family would be dragged into the disaster too.
In recent days, Ethan behaved exceptionally well toward his parents — talking to them more, asking questions they could barely answer.
"Dad," he asked one evening, "I heard the drought outside is getting worse… are other places already losing their crops?"
Henry hesitated. How was he supposed to answer that?
He was already stressed out of his mind about the drought — practically losing his hair over it!
"My good boy," Henry sighed, "we don't really know. Let's just hope heaven shows mercy, and our place won't be hit too hard."
Even as he said it, he didn't believe his own words.
Helen, Ethan's mother, overheard them and couldn't help but worry.
Women were expected to work just as hard as men. Every day, they had to shout political slogans in the fields.
Times were changing — even hairstyles had to change: cropped or flat cuts only.
Everything you bought required ration coupons.
Fortunately, Henry's family had relatives in the provincial capital who occasionally mailed them food coupons and clothing tickets.
Because of that, their clothes were intact and neat — rare in the village.
But they never showed off; they stayed humble.
Still, their good clothing made others jealous.
Henry's older brother worked as a factory director at a textile mill in the city. His wife worked at a food plant.
Their two sons were soldiers, one daughter was married, and another had just graduated high school and found a job.
Many times, Ethan wanted to tell his parents about the space, but he was afraid they would think he was a monster.
The thought tore him apart — it was so frustrating!
If he could, he wanted his father to take him to the provincial capital.
Maybe he could convince Henry to write to his uncle, asking for help finding jobs there.
But he knew that was nearly impossible.
His father would never agree.
(End of Chapter)