Chapter 4: Space

In the end, having no other choice, Master began teaching her how to cook. Later, seeing that she had a natural talent for the culinary arts, he began to pour his heart into teaching her his ancestral recipes, holding nothing back.

A skill is never a burden. Knowing that Master truly had her best interests at heart, Xu Ying studied cooking diligently.

With both of them knowing how to cook, a space filled with supplies, and their ability to prepare delicious meals, they lived quite comfortably during the apocalypse.

Back then, Master was like a father and a confidant, always by her side.

He would often joke that after he was gone, she should inherit his mantle and pass down the bracelet he gave her.

At the time, she found it strange—what did this bracelet have to do with Master’s cooking?

Whenever she asked, Master would fall silent, his face filled with sorrow.

This bracelet was a precious treasure to Master; she must never lose it!

Xu Ying tried hard to recall what happened after Master gave her the bracelet before he passed.

A sudden realization flashed through her mind: Master had used his very last ounce of strength to push her out of the zombie horde. She had fallen to the ground, and the bracelet had vanished the moment it touched her blood.

Could it be in the space?

Thinking of the space, Xu Ying immediately said, "I want to go in."

No sooner had the words left her lips than she flashed into the space.

The space had everything: white flour, rice, various vegetables, meats, eggs, seafood, snacks, drinks, pots, pans, toiletries, and all kinds of ready-to-eat foods.

There were even self-heating hot pots and snail rice noodles.

Towels, sanitary pads, fabric for clothes, tissues—nothing was missing.

These were the supplies she and Master had secretly gone out to scavenge. They hadn't even had a chance to enjoy them properly before Master was gone.

The era she was in now was one of extreme scarcity. Everything required ration coupons; without them, money was useless.

But now that she had the contents of the space, she had nothing to fear.

The only thing that pained Xu Ying was the bracelet. It wasn't just a bracelet; it was Master’s love for her.

Just as she was feeling sorrowful, she suddenly noticed that the space was shrouded in a thin mist.

Curious, she reached out both hands to touch the space, but was repelled by an unknown force.

Xu Ying panicked. How could she have a space but be unable to take anything out? What was the meaning of this?

Before she could investigate further, footsteps sounded at the door.

She hurriedly exited the space and closed her eyes.

Mother Xu’s kind voice drifted in as she pushed the door open and walked inside: "Yingying, the egg custard your sister-in-law made for you is ready. Get up and eat a little."

Xu Ying sat up quickly, looking at Mother Xu with a smile: "Thank you, Mom."

Mother Xu glanced at her daughter and said with a huff, "What are you thanking me for? Don't be so formal with your mother."

Xu Ying chuckled and took the bowl of egg custard she handed over.

Seeing her daughter’s pale face from illness, Mother Xu’s eyes were full of heartache: "Eat quickly, Mom is going out."

Xu Ying nodded. Watching Mother Xu leave, she held the bowl of egg custard, her eyes turning red.

Just as she picked up the spoon, she caught a glimpse of two figures at the door. She looked up and saw two little children.

They were wearing clothes covered in patches, their cheekbones sunken, their complexions sallow from long-term malnutrition. Their eyes were timid, looking just like two scrawny little lambs.

The smaller one had drool at the corners of his mouth, staring straight at the enamel bowl in Xu Ying’s hand.

The older one crouched at the door, secretly peeking at the egg custard, swallowing his saliva from time to time.

Seeing her two nephews, Xu Ying’s lips curved upward, and she beckoned to them: "Shitou, Huzi, come here."

The two hesitated, looked at each other, and then walked over timidly.

Following the old saying that "humble names are easier to raise," the older one was called Shitou (Stone) and the younger one Huzi (Tiger).

"Little Aunt, why are you calling us?" Shitou took a breath and immediately pulled his younger brother behind him. If she wanted to scold someone, she could just scold him; his brother was still small and would be scared.

Huzi huddled behind his brother. Hunger made him forget his fear, and he stared greedily at the egg custard in Xu Ying’s bowl, drool dripping down onto the floor.

Seeing the two children looking at her with such wariness, Xu Ying frowned in distress.

She thought of how her two nephews had always wanted to be close to her in the past, only to be heartlessly driven away and scolded by her.

Her heart gave a sharp pang. Having seen so many relatives in the apocalypse turn on each other over a bit of food, she understood the value of family even more now.

"Do you two want to eat?" Xu Ying asked, looking at the two children with her beautiful almond-shaped eyes.

Shitou was stunned at first, then filled with guard.

Huzi, however, said timidly, "Yes."

Xu Ying picked up the spoon, took a bite of the egg custard, and her brow furrowed instantly.

The taste was far inferior to what she used to make.

"Wait a moment," Xu Ying said, running to the kitchen to drizzle a few drops of sesame oil over it.

[Ding! The Gourmet System is starting up. Does the host wish to bind with the Gourmet System?]

Hearing the mechanical voice, Xu Ying was stunned. A system?

How could she have triggered a system for no reason?

As if guessing Xu Ying’s thoughts, the system said directly, [This system has always lived within the bracelet. Because of this contact, it was inadvertently bound to you. Sensing the host was in danger, it used all its spiritual power to send you here.]

[However, because it lost too much spiritual power, the system temporarily entered hibernation and only woke up by relying on the spiritual energy of the space.]

"Spiritual energy of the space?" This was the first time Xu Ying had heard that her space had spiritual energy. The space had been with her for years and had always been like a dead object.

Wait, it was transformed from Master’s bracelet?

And it was absorbing the space’s spiritual energy?

"What will happen if you absorb the spiritual energy of my space?"

The system felt a bit guilty, [The space—the items in the space will be temporarily locked. But the host need not worry. As long as you bind with this system and unlock various gourmet dishes, you can open the space barrier.]

[When that happens, the items inside can be used again. And the more gourmet dishes you unlock, the more the space can upgrade!]

Xu Ying instantly understood what the thin mist over the space was. So this thing was the culprit.

"Unlock gourmet dishes? I know how to cook, and I know how to make a lot of things. I don't need this."

[Really?] The system wanted to shrink into a ball.

Xu Ying was about to say "really," but found her mind was completely blank.

"What the hell? What is this thing? Why can't I remember any of the cooking skills I worked so hard to learn?"

[Host, don't worry. You will have your cooking skills back, and you will have your supplies back. As long as you bind with this system—you wouldn't want to reject your Master’s good intentions, would you?]

[Besides, if it weren't for me, could you have come back? Could you have reunited with your parents?]

Xu Ying was about to explode, but thinking of Master and her parents, she suppressed her anger.

"Bound. Can you give me back Master’s bracelet?" That was what Xu Ying wanted to know most.

It was the only memento Master left her, so she couldn't lose it.

[As long as you bind, the system will return to its original form.]

"Then bind." As soon as her hesitant words fell, the system said smugly, [Binding successful. Congratulations to the host for receiving a novice gift pack. Do you wish to claim it now?]

Xu Ying watched as a flash of light passed, and a jade-green bracelet appeared on her wrist. She looked in astonishment at her mother and sister-in-law outside the kitchen.

But she found that they didn't seem to see anything at all.

Xu Ying breathed a sigh of relief and declined to claim the novice gift pack for now. She closed the system directly.

Holding the bowl of egg custard, she walked quickly into the room and waved at the two children: "Shitou, Huzi, come taste this and see if it's good."