Homecoming

Su Ye found a nearby rice mill and set aside three bags of spirit grain. He had the rest hulled and made into spirit rice.

While he was there, he also put roughly a jin into a small bag and carried it back to his rented room.

That evening, Sister Wang came by with Xuanxuan.

"Make yourself comfortable, Sister Wang. I'll go cook the congee," Su Ye said.

"Sorry for the trouble, Little Ye," Sister Wang said.

With that, Su Ye went into the kitchen to cook the congee. Before long, a bowl of fragrant spirit rice congee was ready. Su Ye had already cooked a bowl and tried it earlier, and it really tasted first-rate.

Su Ye carried the congee out and set it in front of Xuanxuan.

Xuanxuan sniffed the spirit rice congee, and her taste buds immediately came alive. "It smells so good! Can I eat it?"

"Go ahead. I made it especially for you," Su Ye said.

Before long, the bowl of spirit rice congee had been polished off completely.

Sister Wang stared in astonishment. Had a single bowl of congee cured the anorexia that had left even the doctors helpless?

"All right, Sister Wang, I have a little more here. If Xuanxuan doesn't feel like eating again, just cook her some congee," Su Ye said.

As he spoke, Su Ye brought the small bag of remaining spirit rice out of the kitchen and handed it to Sister Wang.

"All right. Little Ye, this kind of rice must be expensive, right? Tell me how much, and I'll transfer you the money," Sister Wang said.

"No need, Sister Wang. Why stand on ceremony with me? Xuanxuan's so adorable, and I don't want her to be sick either. Besides, it can't be worth much. Paying me would be treating me like a stranger," Su Ye said.

The neighbors were usually very good to Su Ye, and he felt awkward taking their money. There was plenty of spirit rice left, and if he really had to, he could grow another crop. With the Immortal Spirit Space, it wouldn't take long anyway.

Seeing that Su Ye refused to accept any money no matter what, Sister Wang could do nothing about it. She thanked him and took Xuanxuan upstairs.

Early the next morning, Su Ye first called home to tell his family that he was planning to come back. When Mother Su heard her son was coming home, she said she would prepare some good food and have Father Su pick him up at the station in town.

Su Ye packed everything into the Immortal Spirit Space, carrying only a suitcase in his hand. After giving the key to Sister Wang, he left.

The August wind was no longer so gentle. Standing in the street, he felt that even the wind blowing past was hot.

Su Ye squeezed through the crowd for a while and bought a ticket home.

Sitting on the train, Su Ye gazed blankly at the scenery outside the window. Just a few days ago, he had still been a perfectly ordinary person.

Jiuhua Village was Su Ye's hometown. Behind it stood a mountain range stretching for a hundred li, with lush forests, all manner of wild beasts, and exotic flowers and plants. According to the older generation, people had seen a flood dragon in those mountains back in the day, though no one knew whether it was true.

In Nanping Town, Father Su, having learned that his son was coming home, came to wait after breakfast.

At last, he saw the shuttle bus slowly pull into the station.

"Little Ye, you're back?"

Seeing Su Ye get off the bus, Father Su waved.

"Dad, long time no see." When Su Ye saw Father Su, he gave him a hug.

Father Su's full name was Su Weicheng. He looked to be around forty, with faint stubble on his face and dark skin, probably weathered by the years. His fingertips were slightly black, as though stained by smoke, and one could tell he had smoked for many years. His back was straight, and sweat had soaked his shirt.

"All right, your mom has the food ready at home. Let's hurry back," Father Su said.

"Sure! I've missed Mom's cooking too," Su Ye said happily.

With that, Father Su drove his little three-wheeler, carrying Su Ye slowly toward Jiuhua Village.

At last, they arrived home. It was a small courtyard house. The main building was a two-story brick-and-wood house, neither particularly new nor old, built when Su Ye was eight. A single-story room stood on either side, and the front courtyard was enclosed by red brick walls.

"Mom, I'm home!" Su Ye called from the front courtyard.

"You're back! Look at you, you've gotten thinner." A middle-aged woman wearing an apron and holding a spatula came out of the kitchen and spoke to Su Ye.

"All right, go watch some TV first. I'll heat up the food, and it'll be ready in a moment," Mother Su said.

Mother Su's full name was Ye Xiaoning. She looked to be around forty and wasn't tall. A well-shaped nose sat on her oval face. A few faint crow's-feet had crept into the corners of her eyes, but her eyes still held a bright, lively sparkle.

"All right, I'll go unpack in my room first. Call me later," Su Ye said.

Su Ye carried everything into his room and began putting it away.

After dinner, Su Ye and his family sat in the living room and began chatting.

"Dad, has anyone leased that wasteland east of the village?" Su Ye asked.

East of Jiuhua Village was more than a hundred mu of wasteland, public land belonging to the village. Someone had leased it years ago, but after losing money, they had left it idle ever since.

"I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, a friend of mine opened a laboratory that specializes in researching new crops. I want to lease the land and go into farming," Su Ye replied.

"It's good that you have your own ideas and want to build a career, but... to tell you the truth, the annual lease on that land would probably run to many tens of thousands. Even if we used all our savings, we might not be able to lease it for long. Besides, that money is for you to get married or build a house," Father Su said.

"The boy wants to build a career, so why not support him? If we really can't manage, I'll borrow some more from our relatives," Mother Su said.

"It's all right. I'll find a way to cover the cost. I'm just asking for now," Su Ye said.

In the early morning, magnificent rosy clouds appeared in the east. Wisps of cooking smoke drifted above the village rooftops, and a thin mist like gauze filled the air. Su Ye got up early and walked around his family's vegetable plot to see if there was anything he could help with.

Seeing that there was nothing much to do, Su Ye went home. Once there, he took a few bags of cabbage seeds and headed for his bedroom. He went inside, locked the door from within, and flashed into the Immortal Spirit Space.

Inside the Immortal Spirit Space, the ginseng and Solomon's seal had grown to the size of fingers, and spirit grain stalks were piled in a corner.

Su Ye picked up a hoe and turned the soil over again. Only then did he plant the cabbage seeds and water them with spiritual energy water.

After that, Su Ye used the Sweet Rain Technique on the ginseng, then sat in meditation to recover his spiritual energy. Once it was fully restored, he used the Sweet Rain Technique again. He continued until he had cast it five or six times in a row.

Five days passed like this. During that time, Su Ye came to the Immortal Spirit Space every day and used the Sweet Rain Technique several times. In the course of going back and forth, he finally broke through to the Qi Refining Second Layer. Because the cabbages he had planted were watered with spiritual energy water every day, they had grown big and tall, almost as tall as Su Ye himself. He estimated that each cabbage weighed at least a hundred or so jin.

That day, Su Ye took one of the ginseng plants he had grown in the space and put it in a box. He planned to go into the city and check the price. Of course, the reason he gave Mother Su was that he was going to visit his friend with the laboratory to see the new vegetables and such.