Seeing their persistence, Bai Suihe said nothing more. The maids responsible for the heavy chores had already prepared everything. After a simple wash, she dismissed them.
As night fell, Bai Suihe silently reviewed her plans, wondering how she could arrange everything to ensure a foolproof outcome.
"Mother," a childish voice echoed in her ears once more.
Bai Suihe was instantly overjoyed. "Baby, are you doing okay now?"
"I'm doing great, Mother. I know what you're worried about. Hurry out to the courtyard right now. There's something good waiting for you."
"…Baby, you might not realize this, but it's already dark outside. Aside from the older maids on night watch, our courtyard is already locked." She wondered what good things could possibly be out there. Her backyard was diligently tended to by the servants every single day.
"I'm really not lying to you, Mother! You'll see once you go out. Hurry up, we're running out of time!" The baby's voice was urgent, even tinged with a hint of tears. She had gone through so much trouble to secure this treasure for her mother; she couldn't let it slip away.
Bai Suihe's heart softened at the sound. She stood up without a moment's hesitation, picking up a candlestick. "Mother is going out right now. Don't worry."
She truly didn't know how to coax a child. If the baby started crying, she wouldn't be able to just look up solutions on the internet.
"Walk a little slower, Mother! We still have a little time." Feeling the violent swaying, the baby anxiously reminded her. She was still in the womb! Had her mother forgotten about her? Having such a mother was truly a cause for worry. It seemed the baby would need to make extra preparations of her own.
Bai Suihe had no idea why the baby wanted her out in the courtyard. Right now, only a few lanterns hung in the yard, and the older maids guarding the gate were already nodding off. Because the Gu Family had a strict rule against taking concubines, young maids were never required to stand guard in the courtyards unless there were special circumstances.
"Third Young Madam, do you require something?" Startled by the movement, one of the older maids snapped her eyes open. Seeing Bai Suihe standing in the courtyard with a candlestick, she hurriedly and respectfully asked.
"Mother, send her away…" the baby whispered.
"I suddenly felt a little hungry. Could you head over to the main kitchen and see if there's anything left to eat?" Bai Suihe rubbed her belly. It was the perfect excuse; she was a pregnant woman, so it was completely normal for her to get hungry quickly.
The older maid glanced at her belly and nodded eagerly. "I will head to the kitchen right away. Third Young Madam, please return to your room and wait."
Bai Suihe nodded at her, then pointed to the other maid who had remained silent. "Both of you go together. Bring back as much as you can. I'm famished."
The maid found this a bit strange but didn't ask any questions. This was the inner courtyard. Aside from their own gate, there were several other locked doors further out, so nothing could possibly go wrong. As the two older maids left, they pulled the courtyard gate shut behind them.
"They've left, Baby," Bai Suihe said. "What now?"
"Wait…" the childish voice replied with an aloof tone.
Amused, Bai Suihe gently patted her belly. "Waiting for a windfall to drop from the sky?" As she spoke, she tilted her head back to look at the sky. Suddenly, she thought she saw a shooting star…
The shooting star grew closer and closer. Terrified, Bai Suihe clutched her chest and stumbled back several steps.
BOOM!
A crater suddenly blasted open right in front of her. The shooting star was still glowing, pulsing with a faint light from the bottom of the pit.
A meteorite? Bai Suihe had only ever seen them in museums, yet today, one had nearly crushed her.
"Baby, is this what you were talking about? It nearly took your mother's life!" Bai Suihe felt like she needed a moment to catch her breath. So, this was the "good thing" her baby had mentioned.
"That's it, Mother! Take it, quickly!" the baby urged. The treasure had literally been delivered to their doorstep; what was her mother still hesitating for? Whenever a treasure like this appeared, people would usually swarm it in an instant, terrified that the prize would slip right through their fingers.
Bai Suihe crouched down and stared at the meteorite. Unable to resist her curiosity, she reached out to touch it. Sensing no immediate danger, she used her fingers to pry it out. Strangely enough, despite falling from such a massive height, it hadn't embedded itself deep into the soil. With a gentle tug, it came right loose.
Resting in the palm of her hand, the meteorite was dull and gray, smaller than her hand. She was just considering taking it inside to wash it off when the stone suddenly shot straight toward her forehead. Before she could even react, it sank directly into her body.
How did Bai Suihe feel in that moment? Entirely stupefied. Her face instantly drained of color as a single thought echoed in her mind, "My life is over!"
"Mother… Mother…" The baby's voice snapped her back to reality.
Bai Suihe frantically touched her forehead. There was no hole. "Baby, what's going on?"
"This is the treasure I found for you, Mother. Concentrate your mind and take a look." The baby's voice sounded exhausted. "I have to go back to sleep now, Mother…"
As the voice faded, Bai Suihe gently stroked her belly. "Sleep well, Baby. Grow up strong."
The commotion just now had been rather loud. Strangely enough, it hadn't attracted anyone else in the manor. Supporting her belly, Bai Suihe crouched down to retrieve the candlestick, then slowly made her way back into her room. She needed to process everything that had just happened. A meteorite falling from the sky, shooting directly into her body, and vanishing without a trace—it was all completely surreal.
The baby had told her to concentrate her mind to see it. Setting the candlestick down on the table, she immediately sat down and followed the instructions.
This…
She could actually see a small farmhouse courtyard. Not only were there farmlands in the front and back, but there was also an entire orchard on a hill.
This was the golden cheat she had been dreaming of! Had it really just fallen right out of the sky? Why did it feel so incredibly surreal?
She desperately wanted to go inside and see what it was like, but she restrained herself. She had just heard a noise—the outer courtyard gate opening. The two older maids must have returned from the kitchen.
"Third Young Madam," the two maids called out, appearing outside her door. They each carried a food container. "There was still some food left in the kitchen, so we brought it all for you."
"Leave it on the table. You've worked hard all day. If there's nothing else, you may go rest."
Bai Suihe wanted to send them away, but the two maids were remarkably stubborn. They insisted on guarding the door outside, telling the Third Young Madam to just call out if she needed anything at all. Knowing the rules of the manor, Bai Suihe didn't argue. Once they stepped out, she securely latched her door.
Finally alone in her own space, she clutched her chest, the whole situation still feeling like a dream.
"I want to go in," she murmured aloud.
Instantly, she found herself standing inside the dimensional space, right in front of the farmhouse. It didn't look much different from the outside world, save for the fresh, grassy scent in the air, likely coming from the crops in the fields. She had spent some time in the countryside when she was younger, so she easily recognized the crops as rice paddies. However, the plants had yet to sprout ears of grain.
Turning her head to survey the farmhouse, she noticed a large courtyard with six rooms lined up side by side. At the moment, all their doors were tightly shut. She pushed open the ajar courtyard gate and walked right in. Two jujube trees grew on either side of the yard, their branches heavy with ripe fruit.
She desperately wanted to ask her baby where this dimensional space had come from, but she forced herself to hold back. The child was still small and needed her rest to grow. She had already worried far too much for her mother's sake; as a mother, Bai Suihe needed to be considerate as well.