Without realizing it, Su Yi had already spent half a month in the deep mountains and old forests. Every day, she was either digging up rare medicinal herbs, transplanting various fruit trees, or occasionally catching some game.
The two rooms specifically designated for storing game inside her dimension were almost full. Her assorted medicinal herbs had grown into a mini medicine garden, and the various fruit trees had turned into a small orchard. She had also dug up a lot of wild vegetables, sweet potatoes, and other crops. It was safe to say she had reaped a bountiful harvest.
“I’ve really gathered so much over the past half-month! It’s time to leave the mountain and head back to my little den! Time to pack up!” Su Yi went straight into the cave and transferred all the belongings she had left there back into her dimension.
“Let’s move!” Cradling Mimi in her arms, Su Yi excitedly walked toward the outer periphery of the mountain. She could finally see living people again! Spending half a month interacting only with plants and animals had bored her to tears. During this time, she often thought about how wonderful it would be if she could find a boyfriend in this world, so she would have someone to keep her company.
Su Yi barely stopped along the way; after half a month, she had pretty much mapped out this entire area.
Down in the valley, the trees provided lush shade, and a stream gurgled softly. The occasional chirp of a bird came at just the right moment, adding a touch of vitality to the serene valley.
“This place is so beautiful! So comfortable!” For a rare moment, Su Yi allowed herself to be completely immersed in this picturesque landscape.
Suddenly, a faint, cat-like whimper reached her ears. The sound resembled the pitiful cry of a small animal. Even so, Su Yi instantly grew alert. Holding her knife, she hunched her back and crept toward the source of the sound.
Su Yi parted the leaves and spotted a tiny figure hidden within a dense thicket of shrubs.
Stepping closer, she saw it was a tiger cub. Its body was golden-yellow with black stripes, and it looked only slightly larger than Mimi—likely just over a month old. It looked incredibly adorable, exactly like a little “Northeast Golden Gradient” cat!
The little tiger didn’t have any visible injuries; it just seemed to be starving. Seeing Su Yi, it didn’t show a single ounce of fear. Instead, it tentatively tried to walk toward her, but its legs buckled and it tumbled over the moment it stood up.
Looking at its reaction, Su Yi figured it was too starved to even stand. She quickly placed a bowl of spiritual spring water and a piece of chicken breast on the ground. The little guy devoured everything in a few quick bites.
As soon as it finished eating, the little tiger stood up and began nuzzling against Su Yi, occasionally rubbing its tiny head against her hand.
“The spiritual spring water must have won it over! But for this little thing to be starving like this, did something happen to the mother tiger? In that case, I’ll just take it with me! Leaving this little thing out here means it’ll starve to death sooner or later.”
With a thought, Su Yi transferred the “Northeast Golden Gradient” into her dimension and flashed inside right after it. Watching it look around curiously, she quickly set up a small den for it and put out some water and meat. She absolutely could not let it get into the spiritual spring. If it jumped in, she would be drinking the little guy’s bathwater in the future. Even though the spring water was constantly flowing, it still felt a bit repulsive to think about.
“Mimi-mi! I’ll call you Da Huang (Big Yellow)!” Su Yi quickly decided on a name.
“Meow-oh~” Da Huang nuzzled Su Yi’s hand, as if agreeing to the name.
“You can’t go into that pool in the future, okay? If you go in there, you won’t get any meat to eat!” Holding Da Huang, Su Yi pointed toward the spiritual spring.
“Meow-oh~” Da Huang seemed to understand. Perhaps because of the spiritual spring water, it had gained a bit of spiritual intelligence, and it actually nodded its head.
Seeing Da Huang’s reaction, Su Yi felt relieved. She placed Da Huang in its little den and flashed right out of the dimension.
“I need to hurry up and make tracks to see if I can get back today. Once the road gets easier to walk, riding the electric scooter will be faster!” After speaking, Su Yi walked briskly toward the outer edge of the mountain.
Bringing along this unexpected “treasure” made Su Yi feel that her journey into the deep mountains was even more perfect. She had found a playmate for Mimi and a little tiger cub that could protect her safety in the future.
Su Yi imagined how she would get along with Mimi and Da Huang in the future; it was bound to be incredibly fun!
After walking for about three hours, Su Yi was exhausted and starving! Fortunately, the path had finally become easy to traverse. Su Yi entered her dimension to eat. Only a single cup of instant noodles sat on the table—noodles brewed with spiritual spring water. She hadn’t eaten this in a very long time.
“So fragrant!” Su Yi took a loud slurp of the noodles and sighed with satisfaction.
Mimi and Da Huang had already become good friends. They lay side-by-side on the floor, drooling over her food. Looking at these two little things, Su Yi felt their silly, undignified expressions were simply too much to handle.
“Go eat your own food!” Su Yi shouted at them, and the two little creatures instantly scurried back to their respective spots.
Watching them bolt, Su Yi burst out laughing. These two were too amusing! It looked like her life ahead would only get more and more interesting.
After finishing her instant noodles, Su Yi flashed out of the dimension, hopped onto her electric scooter, and slowly cruised down the mountain path. Since it was a rugged mountain trail, she didn’t dare ride too fast.
“Riding my favorite little scooter! It will never get stuck in a traffic jam…”
Su Yi was in an excellent mood. She hummed a song all the way back, her heart flying toward home. After all, she was about to have a massive sum of money coming her way very soon!
Finally, amid the fading glow of the setting sun, Su Yi spotted the familiar thatched hut from afar. This was her very first little home in this world.
The path ahead was now smooth and flat. Su Yi twisted the throttle, and two minutes later, she pulled up right in front of the thatched hut’s door.
She hadn’t repaired the roof of the thatched hut yet, but that didn’t detract from the beautiful scenery before her. The roof caught the lingering hues of the sunset, and the wild flowers in front of the hut swayed gently in the breeze, as if welcoming Su Yi back.
At that moment, Su Yi felt a genuine sense of coming home.
Walking to the front of the house, Su Yi pushed open the dilapidated door. Everything inside looked exactly the same as when she had first crossed over: a small earthen bed and a tiny stove with a chipped pot sitting on top.
Su Yi hadn’t dared leave any of her belongings here when she left. She couldn’t be absolutely certain this house completely belonged to her, so she could only restore it to its original state. If she upgraded this place and the villagers grew envious and tried to steal the house, her gains wouldn’t make up for the losses. Furthermore, if she left her things behind and some shameless person occupied the place while she was gone, what would she do?
“I need to find the village chief and buy this place. At least having the land deed in hand will give me peace of mind. Then I can expand it and build the courtyard walls higher.”
Su Yi gave the place a simple sweep and returned her furniture and belongings to their original spots. Then, stepping onto a table and chair, she used some wooden boards to seal up her “starry sky ceiling.”
Da Huang and Mimi were on the floor of the hut. The two little guys were batting and scratching at each other. Mimi muttered and hissed unhappily from time to time, while Da Huang could only keep making “Awooo—meow-oh—” noises.
Watching them scrap with each other, Su Yi laughed rather unkindly.
“Two silly cats!” Su Yi said happily.
“I’m going to have a feast tonight! Let’s have hotpot! And I’ll grill some meat right next to it!” These foods were already pre-made, so Su Yi could just take them out from the mall’s restaurants and turn on the heat.
Before long, the spicy red oil broth in the hotpot began to bubble and boil furiously, while the clear broth next to it simmered into a milky white color, instantly spreading a rich aroma throughout the entire room. The meat on the grill pan sizzled and splattered oil, and the mushrooms beside it released a fragrant scent. Su Yi’s mouth was practically watering.
Su Yi quickly picked up a piece of meat, dipped it in the sauce, wrapped it in lettuce, and popped it into her mouth. “Mmm—this is the exact taste! So delicious!” Alternating between hotpot and grilled meat, Su Yi leisurely enjoyed her meal for over an hour.
“This little life is just too satisfying! Tomorrow, I’m going into the city to sell some good stuff and make the big bucks!” Su Yi said, leaning back in her chair with a face full of contentment.