With three superpowers at his fingertips, he could dominate the 1970s.

As soon as Jiang Zhiyu reached the entrance of the cowshed, she heard hushed voices coming from inside. She gently pushed open the door and saw her father, mother, Qi Zhengli, and Liu Hong sitting around a low table, all staring at her with eyes that were like those of examiners in a grand trial, staring intently at her, making her feel uneasy.

"Um... I'm here." She touched her nose, put the milk candy and butterfly cookies on the table, and chuckled twice. "You've all heard, right? Just like you thought, I'm in a relationship."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Jiang's father launched into a barrage of questions: "What's your name? Where are you from? What do your parents do? How did you meet? How long have you known each other?"

A barrage of questions came crashing down on her, leaving Jiang Zhiyu momentarily speechless. She opened her mouth but couldn't utter a word. The four pairs of eyes opposite her widened even further, as if silently urging her on.

She composed herself and said, "His name is Song Yanzhou. He's an active-duty officer, recently promoted to regimental commander, serving in Shanghai. I know him because I unintentionally saved him when we were fleeing Hong Kong. He was on a very important mission there at the time. Later, when I wanted to go back to the mainland to find you, I asked him and a Division Commander Li for help. That's how I found out where you were stationed, and that's how I came here."

She paused, then added somewhat embarrassedly, "As for the specifics of his family situation, I really don't know much about it; that's all I know."

"You child!" Mr. Jiang poked her head with his index finger, both angry and anxious. "Such a smart person, you dare to date someone without even knowing their family background? Such a big thing, and you kept it from us! You're getting bolder and bolder!"

Jiang Zhiyu scratched her head guiltily, but felt a warmth in her heart. In her previous life, struggling in the apocalypse, no one had ever cared about her like this before. This feeling of being nagged by an elder actually made her feel at ease.

"Old Jiang, don't be so hasty," Qi Zhengli quickly smoothed things over. "To become a regimental commander at such a young age, he must have passed the organization's tests; his character is absolutely reliable. Besides, the fact that he helped Zhiyu find you shows he has a good heart and is sincere towards Zhiyu—otherwise, why would he send so many things over?"

Liu Hong nodded in agreement: "Yes, I think that young man is quite steady. Zhiyu's judgment is spot on."

Hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang's expressions softened somewhat. Mr. Jiang still harbored a grudge—their daughter, whom they had raised for so many years, was now being "coveted" by someone else; he couldn't stand the thought.

Seeing the atmosphere lighten, Jiang Zhiyu quickly took out the military overcoat and Shanghai specialties that Song Yanzhou had sent from her backpack: "Dad, Uncle Qi, these are the cotton-padded coats he sent you. They look quite thick. And these foods, he said they are specialties from Shanghai. You should try them."

Mr. Jiang touched his military overcoat; the fabric was thick, the stitching fine, and it looked sturdy and durable. His expression softened completely. Mrs. Jiang and Liu Hong opened the pastry box, picked up a butterfly pastry, and took a bite. It was sweet, fragrant, and crispy. They couldn't help but praise, "This tastes really good. This child is thoughtful."

Jiang Zhiyu breathed a sigh of relief—she had finally passed this hurdle.

Life went on at a leisurely pace. Jiang Zhiyu occasionally went to the black market in the county town to exchange some money. Since the space was upgraded, not only did she gain a lake of ten square kilometers, but even her small courtyard had doubled in size. The grains and vegetables grown in the fields were more than she could eat, and the fish and shrimp in the lake were becoming increasingly plump. She was not short of money, so she went to the black market less often, spending more time in her space honing her culinary skills or visiting the cowshed to chat with her four elders.

The Lunar New Year is just around the corner.

On New Year's Eve, Jiang Zhiyu dressed herself up festively—wearing a newly bought red floral cotton-padded jacket, her hair neatly combed and adorned with a red hair clip. She started preparing early in the morning, making dozens of kilograms of pure meat dumplings in her space and freezing them solid; she also killed two plump pheasants, paired them with a hundred-year-old ginseng from her space. This ginseng, nourished with spiritual spring water and enhanced by her wood-type ability, was already over a hundred years old. She added codonopsis and astragalus, and stewed a large pot of nourishing chicken soup with spiritual spring water, the aroma filling the entire space.

Only when she heard sporadic firecrackers outside did she put the dumplings and chicken soup into her spatial storage and head towards the cowshed.

"Knock, knock, knock." She knocked on the door of the cowshed. Then she took out the food from the storage space.

When Mr. Jiang opened the door and saw her carrying large bags, he felt extremely distressed: "It's so cold, why are you carrying so much stuff? Come in quickly!"

Jiang's mother quickly took the frozen dumplings from her hand: "I'll go cook them. Your godparents are here too."

"I'll go call them!" Jiang Zhiyu replied with a smile, then turned and went next door to call Qi Zhengli and his wife.

When Jiang Mu opened the bowl of chicken soup, a rich aroma of herbs mixed with the smell of meat wafted out. She immediately spotted the robust ginseng lying at the bottom of the bowl and gasped in surprise—the ginseng had intact whiskers and a plump rhizome, clearly indicating that it was an old plant!

"That girl! She's a complete spendthrift!" Mother Jiang was so angry her hands trembled. "This ginseng could sell for at least two or three thousand yuan! And she used it to make soup for us! This isn't drinking ginseng, it's drinking money!"

As soon as Liu Hong walked in, she saw Jiang's mother looking at her with a mixture of heartache and disappointment. Then, looking at the ginseng in the basin, she couldn't help but twitch her lips: "This child... is too honest."

Despite their complaints, the two quickly got to work. Jiang's mother went to the kitchen to cook dumplings, while Liu Hong set the braised pork and poached chicken she had brought on the table. At this time, smoke rose from every household, filling the air with the aroma of food and the smell of firecrackers. The cowshed was in a remote location, so even if the aroma of meat wafted out, no one would bother to check.

Jiang Zhiyu took out various nuts, melon seeds, and candies from her backpack and laid them out on the table. She also took out a large bag of fresh crabs and river shrimp: "Mom, steam these too. We have to eat something fresh for the New Year."

"These things are hard to come by at the end of the year, where did you get them?" Jiang's mother asked as she took them.

Jiang Zhiyu smiled mysteriously: "It's a secret."

Jiang's mother immediately understood and, without asking any further questions, turned and went to the kitchen to get busy. Before long, the table was filled with dishes: two large bowls of steaming dumplings, a bowl of tenderly stewed pheasant soup, a plate of braised fish, a plate of braised pork, a plate of poached chicken, and a large plate of steamed, bright red crabs and shrimp, along with a pile of nuts and candies on the corner of the table. The small cowshed was instantly filled with the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

Jiang Zhiyu took out the red hair clip from her hair, waved it in front of her mother, and grinned: "Mom, isn't it pretty?"

Looking at the light in her daughter's eyes, Jiang's mother's eyes instantly welled up with tears: "Beautiful, beautiful... Our Yuyu has grown up." As she spoke, she took a red envelope from her pocket and stuffed it into her hand, "Here, this is your New Year's money."

Jiang Zhiyu squeezed the thick wad of cash, then unceremoniously stuffed it into her cloth bag. She then waved it at her father, asking, "Dad, where's mine?"

"You're so clever." Mr. Jiang smiled and handed her a red envelope. Mr. and Mrs. Qi Zhengli also quickly took out red envelopes they had prepared.

"Godfather and godmother are also included!" Jiang Zhiyu took them, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with a smile.

"[Host, you've changed so much.]" 0047's voice echoed in my mind. "[You've become more and more humane, no longer the cold and aloof person you used to be.]"

Jiang Zhiyu's heart stirred. Yes, these past few months had made her truly feel alive, that she was cared for. This feeling of having a home to return to and someone to rely on was something she had never experienced in her previous life during the apocalypse.

The family of five sat around a low table, enjoying their New Year's Eve dinner in a lively atmosphere. Father Jiang and Qi Zhengli drank a little wine and enthusiastically set up a chessboard to play—a new chessboard that Jiang Zhiyu had taken out of her spatial storage. Mother Jiang and Liu Hong finished cleaning up the dishes and sat to the side sewing shoe soles, occasionally interjecting with comments on the chess skills.

Jiang Zhiyu leaned against the wall, watching the scene before her, a smile unconsciously creeping onto her lips. Outside the window, firecrackers crackled, while inside, the room was warm and cozy, filled with the aroma of food, the smell of cooking, and a gentle warmth of human connection.

She was really starting to like this atmosphere more and more. She wondered if it was because of the romance, but she was actually starting to miss Song Yanzhou a little.

0047 teased her, "Host, do you think he received the local specialties you sent him yet?"

"We should be here by now."