The most beautiful space

11. Confess

No parent doesn't want their son to be handsome and dashing, and no parent doesn't want their daughter to be beautiful and charming. However, older people tend to see things more clearly. While good looks are certainly an advantage, sometimes being too outstanding is definitely not a good thing.

Su Tong's parents had a stronger sense of the changes in her than Su Tong herself. However, after Su Tong waited for several days, her parents seemed not to notice the changes in her at all and did not ask a single question. After dinner that day, Su Tong and her mother were working together at the sink, one washing the dishes and the other drying them. As Su Tong looked at her and her mother's faces reflected on the shiny white plates, she finally decided to tell her parents about the space in detail.

She had actually been planning this all along, but she was always afraid that her parents would think that such a thing was too bizarre. Now that she had made up her mind, it wasn't so difficult to bring it up.

"Mom," Su Tong called softly.

"Ah."

"Actually, there's another reason I resigned," Su Tong paused, glancing at her mother's expressionless face, before continuing, "...and why did I become so much prettier when I came back? And, Mom, you probably noticed too, that I've been..."

"You keep getting more beautiful, don't you?"

Su Tong paused for a moment, then her mother put down the plate she was drying and said softly, "Tongtong, the reason isn't important, and I don't care. As long as it doesn't affect your health and you're happy, I'm satisfied. So," Su Tong's mother wiped her hands with a towel, gently stroking Su Tong's fair face, looking at her daughter's now unreal beauty, and sighed softly, "Whether you become more beautiful or less beautiful, whether you work outside or stay at home, whether you're poor or rich, it doesn't matter."

Su Tong's mother's words only strengthened her resolve to tell her parents about the existence of the space. They were the people who loved her most in the world and would always treat her unconditionally well. What was there that she couldn't let her parents know?

"Mom, wait for me, I'll go get Dad."

Without waiting for Su's mother's response, she took off her apron and ran to the living room to drag Su's father, who was watching TV, over.

Su's father was surprised to be pulled away from the TV, which was showing a military drama. He kept asking, "Tongtong, what's wrong? Can't you call your mom? I was watching TV and it was really exciting. Whatever it is, we can talk about it during the commercial break!"

Upon entering the kitchen and seeing the serious expressions on his daughter's and wife's faces, Su's father immediately fell silent. He exchanged a glance with Su's mother before saying, "Tongtong, it's alright, don't be nervous. Just tell me what's wrong."

Su Tong looked at her parents and reached out her hands. "Dad, Mom, give me your hands." Her parents took her hands as she asked. Su Tong then whispered, "What you see next might be a little strange, but don't worry, it won't hurt me." After the space was modified, Su Tong not only became more beautiful, but even her originally clear female voice became as cool as spring water with a strange softness, which was a pleasure to listen to.

Su Tong read in Yang Guifei's records that Yang Guifei had tested whether anyone other than the master could enter the space. She had done so while her maid was asleep. Skin contact was enough to bring someone into the space, but only for about half an hour before the space would automatically eject them back to where they had entered. Seeing her parents nod in agreement that they were ready, Su Tong silently planned to bring them into the space.

So, not knowing what was going on, but still reaching out their hands as their daughter had instructed, the Su family parents suddenly found themselves in a wilderness with mountains, water, trees, fruit trees, and a beautiful old-fashioned building.

Faced with her surprised parents, Su Tong calmly explained, "This place, popularly known as a personal space, is something I discovered on my body when I woke up one day. It's like I carry a small place with me, and everything in it—the mountains, rivers, flowers, and fruits—belongs to me. As for why I became beautiful," Su Tong pointed to two pools formed by spring water flowing down from the low hill, "it's the effect of bathing in the space spring water, drinking the space spring water, and eating the space fruits."

Su's father is a high school teacher, and Su's mother also has a high school education. Neither of them has any religious beliefs and completely believes in science. Although they would worship ghosts and gods during festivals, they never imagined that there was such a thing as space, which is difficult for modern science to explain.

Su's father said in shock, "Tongtong, you mean, this... what kind of space is this? You just woke up after taking a nap?"

"Yes, how could this thing suddenly appear out of nowhere?" Su's mother was also puzzled, and there was also worry about Su Tong. Who knows how this space came about and just ended up on her Tongtong? Could it be some kind of unclean thing that sucks people's life essence and makes them angry!

Despite her parents' worries, Su Tong took it all in stride and smiled, saying, "Mom, look at this space. The spring water is so clear, and the fruit trees are growing so well. Does it look like anything bad? Not only is it not bad, but I think the spring water and the fruit have some kind of spiritual energy. Mom, eating them can beautify your skin, and Dad, eating them can strengthen your body. It's like we've come to such a wonderful space for free. Others would love to have one."

"Dream on!" Su's mother lightly patted Su Tong's arm. "You'd better watch yourself. You don't have the luck to have something fall from the sky like that!"

Su Tong was a careless child from a young age. She lost her New Year's money and allowance countless times, but never found it again. Every time she lost money, she would tearfully tell her mother, who would always say that Su Tong was an unlucky child. Even when Su Tong, who excelled in her top provincial high school, failed to get into Tsinghua or Peking University due to a slight fever in the college entrance exam, and when her hard-earned spot for studying in the US was taken by the principal's niece, her mother still comforted her with the words, "You're just not lucky." So now, with her mother saying this, Su Tong relaxed and giggled, saying, "It means God still favored me this time!"

At this moment, Su's father, who had been observing the space silently, suddenly spoke up, "Tongtong, I have a classmate who works at the provincial research institute. I'll get some of this spring water and send it to him by express delivery so he can test it."

Although Su Tong felt that there should be no problem with the space spring water, she was still willing to have it tested by her father. After all, she had thought about having it tested herself, but she was worried that some strange components might be found, which would cause trouble, so she gave up the idea.

However, Su Tong still explained to her father earnestly: "Dad, this spring water and fruit should really be harmless, and may even be beneficial to health and longevity. Dad, you don't need to worry. But it would be good to test it to see if there are any magical molecules in it."

Upon hearing this, Su's father nodded. He was not a particularly strict person and had always doted on his daughter, Su Tong. He smiled and said, "Then I really have to try this magical spring water!"

Then Su Tong pulled her parents up the low hill. The orchards, with their various regional fruits growing vigorously, amazed her parents. With a thought, Su Tong produced a basket and said to her astonished parents, "In this space, if I want something, I just think about it. Putting things in or taking things out is roughly the same. Actually, when I came back from Shanghai, all the luggage I brought back, which I told you were delivered by courier, was actually all packed in my space. It's so convenient!"

Then he handed the basket to Su's mother, "These fruits are good for your health, and they taste especially good. Mom, pick whatever you want to eat. We can eat the fruits from our space at home from now on, and we can also send some to Grandma, Uncle, Aunt, and your friends' homes. There are so many of them!"

Hearing what Su Tong said, Su's mother was quite happy. "That's right. Your grandmother's health has been getting worse these past few years. I'll ask your uncle to come and bring some back in a few days. The fruit sold outside is sprayed with all sorts of pesticides, so I don't feel safe eating it. It's really good to have fruit from this space." Then, she added, "Tongtong, I see there are still many acres of land empty in your space. I'll get some cabbage and green bean seeds to plant. In the future, we can eat organic, pollution-free vegetables too."

Seeing that her parents were so accepting of the space, Su Tong's worries of the past few days were relieved. A beautiful smile, indescribable in words, bloomed on her stunning face as she said, "Great! That's what I was thinking too, but I don't quite know how to plant it."

Mr. Su is a Chinese language teacher. Looking at his daughter's smiling face, the famous line of poetry immediately popped into his mind, "A smile that turns heads and launches a thousand ships." But as a father, he couldn't help but feel a little worried. Mr. Su knew a bit about history. Most of the women in history who were remembered for their beauty did not have good endings. This kind of outstanding beauty made him feel a kind of inexplicable worry.

"Dad, what are you thinking about?" Su Tong asked when she noticed her father's expression suddenly became serious.

"It's nothing," Su's father smiled to cover up his embarrassment, "It's all your fault, girl. You dragged me over when we were watching the crucial moment of the battle between the two armies. I don't even know if the commander won or lost. You and your mother go pick out some fruit. You see me out. I need to hurry up and see if that battle is over yet. If I miss that part, I'll have to catch up on it online tonight."

"Alright then." Su Tong couldn't help but chuckle. "Then I'll see you out first. Dad, you love oranges and watermelons the most. I'll pick some for you later."

"Hmm, don't pick too many, it'll be a waste if we can't finish them."

"Okay." Su Tong nodded and told her father to close his eyes. When he opened them again, he found himself outside. He was amazed by how magical the space was, but then he felt uneasy thinking about how his daughter's appearance had been made too beautiful by that space. He stood there for several minutes before going back to the living room to watch TV. The drama was still intense and exciting, but Su's father couldn't concentrate on it.

Unlike her father, Su's mother, Su Tong, was a girl who loved all kinds of fruit. The fruits in the space looked better than those outside. Su's mother admired them as she looked around, observing the space even more carefully than Su Tong, and constantly counting the varieties of fruit. The province was in central China, a standard subtropical monsoon climate zone. Common local fruits included peaches, plums, pears, cherries, and grapes. Although Su's mother had been to many places and had seen quite a bit, there were still many fruits in the space that she didn't recognize. She picked and chose a few of each kind, and just as she had filled a basket, she was automatically ejected from the space.

Su Tong followed her out, thinking that Yang Guifei's record was really accurate; it had taken almost an hour for Su's mother to enter the space and be ejected.

The Su family lived in a private house, unlike the distant relationships between neighbors in commercial housing. Su's mother proudly showed the fruit to Su's father, then took it to each of the surrounding neighbors to try, saying it was a gift from Su's father's former students. This boastful sharing clearly made Su's mother very happy. She ate the glistening grapes in the fruit bowl while watching a family drama on the computer, humming a song.

Before going to bed that night, Su's father had just finished watching three episodes of a military drama when Su Tong came over carrying a half-full basin of water. Actually, Su Tong wanted to carry a large basin, but although she could barely lift it, it would feel quite heavy, so she only carried half a basin and said with a smile, "Dad, soak your feet before going to sleep."

Su's father was still thinking about Su Tong's striking appearance. When he saw his daughter fetching water to wash his feet, he was happy but said, "You silly child, if I want to wash my feet, can't I pour the water myself? What am I doing here? Your father isn't so old that I can't move yet."

Su Tong explained, "Dad, this is spring water from my spatial spring. I'll use this spring water to wash your feet every day from now on; it'll be good for your feet."

Su's father has always been in good health. Although he occasionally smokes a couple of cigarettes, it doesn't have a significant impact. However, he has one problem: athlete's foot. It started when Su Tong was in high school. Sometimes the itching is unbearable. Over the years, it has come and gone. When it's bad, half of his foot looks like it's "rotten." Even when it's good, his toes are covered in athlete's foot. No matter how many ointments or folk remedies he tries, nothing can cure it. In fact, the year Su Tong graduated from high school, he went to a military hospital in Beijing that was said to be particularly effective in treating athlete's foot. It worked well at the time, but it soon relapsed again.

Fortunately, this kind of athlete's foot didn't affect her normal life much. She just couldn't smoke or eat foods that aggravated her condition. Over time, Su's father stopped paying much attention to it, since it was just a few toes with a few spots. When Su Tong suddenly brought it up, Su's father was both surprised and touched. "I had almost forgotten that I had athlete's foot."

“Hehe,” Su Tong laughed, “Who am I? I’m Dad’s good daughter. If I don’t remember, who will?”

While watching a TV series on the computer, Su's mother interjected, "Tongtong, don't worry about him. When he got athlete's foot, the doctor told him to stop smoking, but he still smokes two cigarettes a day. How can he ever get better? He doesn't know how to take care of his health. It's no use if you worry about him. Just go do your thing."

Su's father was already used to his wife's awkward concern and didn't dare to argue. Su Tong urged him again before he finally took off his socks and prepared to wash his feet. While washing, he said, "Don't have too high hopes. My old problem hasn't been cured for so many years, so I guess this spring water won't be of much use."

"Oh well, it's free anyway, I'll give it a try." Su Tong picked up the remote and said while changing the channel.

Whether it was psychological or not, after soaking his feet for more than ten minutes, Su's father was dried off by Su Tong with a cloth. Su's father lifted his feet up and looked at them, saying with a hint of doubt, "It seems to be getting a little better. It feels like the tinea has shrunk and faded a bit."

As Su's mother was eating grapes with a toothpick, she immediately retorted, "You're overthinking it. No magic pill can work that fast."

Su Tong also leaned closer to examine her father's feet and felt that his athlete's foot had improved. She thought to herself that if the space spring water was effective, it would definitely work quickly. She smiled and said, "Yes, Dad, I feel better too."

Looking at his daughter, whose beautiful face was carefully examining his feet without a care in the world, Su's father suddenly smiled with relief. Whether she was breathtakingly beautiful or plain-looking, this girl was, after all, the one he had raised himself. She was a simple, kind-hearted, filial daughter who cared for her parents and friends. So, regardless of her looks, she could find the most fulfilling happiness in the world. What did he, as her father, have to worry about?

Then she smiled contentedly, and said to Su Ma as if to contradict her, "I believe this is a miracle cure. Just you wait and see, Deng Yadan, my foot will be healed in a few days."

Su's mother said confidently, "Great! I'll wait and see how quickly you can recover."