Grandma Sui stepped forward and lightly tapped Sui Changan on the forehead, eyes flashing:
“You little rascal, trying to trick your sister into running up the mountain again? No way!”
Wuyou was about to grow into a young lady; she couldn’t be running all over the hills like a boy every day.
Sui Changan hung his head, disappointed, and went back home with his family.
…
Night had fallen, and all was quiet. The moon was hidden, and the stars were dim.
Wuyou moved nimbly out of her room, sneaking across the courtyard wall and racing like the wind toward Woniu Mountain.
The moonlight cast dappled shadows across the deep forest. Leaves rustled in the breeze.
A wolf howled in the distance, piercing the silence, while faint calls of other birds and beasts echoed nearby.
The distant hills appeared shadowy under the moon, wrapped in a misty veil.
Wuyou darted through the dense woods, sensing the plants around her to avoid any dangerous animals.
The strong presence of wood-element energy in the forest made her feel completely at ease.
Her own wood-element power subtly activated, drawing the vitality and essence of plants into her body.
Soon, she reached the small valley she had found earlier, where a cluster of wild ginseng grew.
The only drawback was that the roots were all young.
But for her, that wasn’t a problem.
She could transplant the ginseng into her space, where it would grow even faster.
“Hehe… we’re rich!”
Excited, Wuyou pulled out a small trowel from her space and quickly dug up the wild ginseng, storing it safely.
In no time, she had cleared the valley of all its ginseng.
She blinked and slipped into her space, planting each root carefully in the fertile black soil.
After a long while, Wuyou stood up, surveying the new greenery, nodding in satisfaction.
Suddenly, she had an idea. She tried to release her wood-element power.
Taking a deep breath, she squatted, placing her hands gently on the leaves of one ginseng plant.
Eyes closed, she channeled her limited wood-element energy.
Threads of vibrant green light flowed from her palms, like living threads weaving into the plant.
The energy traveled along the roots, enveloping the entire plant.
Under her influence, the ginseng grew visibly before her eyes.
Thin roots thickened, leaves became lush and vibrant, and veins seemed to shimmer with light.
Sweat dotted her forehead, and her breathing grew rapid.
At the brink of exhaustion, the ginseng emitted a strong medicinal fragrance, filling the air with a delicate sweetness.
“Success!”
Exhausted but elated, Wuyou’s eyes sparkled.
Her current power only allowed her to accelerate the ginseng’s growth up to ten years at a time.
Once her energy recovered, she could repeat the process to mature the rest.
After a short rest, she exited her space and dashed home, knowing she’d spent quite some time out.
Back at home, Grandpa and Grandma Sui were still asleep.
Wuyou quietly slipped into her room and climbed into bed, quickly drifting into a deep sleep.
The next morning!
Grandma Sui woke feeling unusually refreshed.
For years, she had suffered from chronic back pain, a lingering issue from childbirth in her youth.
With the family’s poverty, she never sought proper treatment.
As she grew older, getting out of bed each morning was always accompanied by stiffness and aches.
But recently, she noticed something miraculous—her long-troublesome pain had vanished.
“Old man,” she said, massaging her back in surprise, “my back… it doesn’t hurt anymore?”
Grandpa Sui got up slowly, dressing as he explained:
“Perhaps Wuyou has recovered, and your mood has lifted. When your mind is at ease, the body follows.”
Grandma Sui nodded in agreement:
“Indeed. As the saying goes, joy brings vitality—that must be it.”
Setting aside her doubts, she went to prepare breakfast.
What they didn’t know was that Wuyou had been secretly using her wood-element power at night to care for their bodies while they slept.
Grandma Sui called Wuyou for breakfast, but she was still in bed, hugging the blanket and sleeping soundly.
Her eyes softened, though she muttered in mock annoyance:
“Running wild all day, and now you’re exhausted! Still asleep at this hour?”
She whispered softly, then quietly left the room.
“Wuyou still asleep?”
Grandpa Sui, noticing she had come out alone, smiled:
“Don’t wake her. There’s no rush—let her eat when she wakes up.”
“Go on, spoil her as you like!”
Grandma Sui rolled her eyes but carried breakfast out. Grandpa Sui chuckled and did not argue. He knew his wife was a softie at heart, especially when it came to Wuyou.
The family’s simple breakfast consisted of corn porridge with pickles.
As they ate, the sound of bustling came from outside.
Turning, they saw the courtyard gate creak open, and Sui Changan and Sui Changjian dashed in, carrying wild fruits.
Changjian shouted:
“Sister! We just picked these at the mountain foot and brought them for you!”
Grandma Sui’s face immediately darkened.
Her poor Wuyou had finally returned to her morning sleep, only to be disturbed by these two unruly boys.
“Keep it down! Your sister is still asleep!”
The boys placed the fruits on the table and immediately covered their mouths.
At that moment, Wuyou rubbed her eyes, stepped out, and yawned:
“Changan, Changjian, no going to the mountain today. I have important work to do.”
She had decided that night: wine in Chen Prefecture was in high demand.
If she could brew wine, the family’s life could improve greatly.
Moreover, the surrounding villages mainly grew sorghum, corn, and millet—perfect for winemaking.
Wuyou had a plan to spend the next few days experimenting at home.
In her previous world, she had only known the steps of brewing, never having done it herself.
Now, she had no guarantee she could succeed—but at least she could try.
Tools were needed, but that wasn’t a problem; her second uncle was a carpenter and could make anything she required.