Su Luonian thought her sister was only saying that to cheer her up.
After all, she had been practicing for a long time, and her arms were aching, yet she still hadn’t seen much progress.
It seemed Su Luowan could read her thoughts, as she smiled and said:
“Training this skill requires the right mental method. Once you get the force right, everything else will fall into place!”
With that, Su Luowan carefully explained the mental method for practicing mystical power to Su Luonian.
The method itself wasn’t complicated, but whether one could master it depended on personal talent.
Su Luonian’s current goal was mainly to hunt animals, so having the mental method alone wasn’t enough; she also needed accuracy.
After a moment’s thought, Su Luowan went to the spot where Su Luonian had been throwing small stones earlier.
She found a wooden board and drew a small circle on it.
Placing the board upright against a tree, she picked up some nearby small stones and walked over to Su Luonian, speaking softly:
“Xiao Nian, watch carefully!”
As soon as she spoke, Su Luowan threw the stones toward the board.
One after another, the stones hit the center of the circle with precision.
Su Luonian stared at her sister in amazement:
“Sis, you’re amazing! How did you do that?”
“Just practice more. But while practicing, remember to apply the mental method I just taught you. Control the path of the stones, and focus the strength in your hands.”
The trick was something one had to feel for oneself. When Su Luowan first encountered mystical power, her master taught her the same way.
Talented people quickly grasped the technique; those without talent might never understand the essence of mystical power in their lifetime.
Su Luonian, half-doubtful, asked:
“Sister, is this what the stories call internal power?”
During idle times, he loved squatting under the big tree at the village entrance, listening to the elders tell stories.
He admired the ancient heroes who were skilled in martial arts and helped the poor and weak.
Su Luowan smiled and replied:
“Something like that, but not as exaggerated as in the stories. If you can truly master mystical power and combine it with martial arts moves, you’ll be able to protect yourself and those around you from villains in the future.”
“Really? Sis, how do you know so much? And this mental method, where did you get it?”
Su Luonian felt excited. If she could really master this method, she could protect her mother and sister!
“I… saw it in a book. I don’t know if it can actually be mastered. As for whether the method really works, we’ll just have to try.”
Finishing her words, Su Luowan, worried her little brother would keep asking questions, urged him to continue practicing.
She was still concerned whether this body had the talent for cultivation, so she planned to enter the space later that night to give it a try.
Without talent, it would be hard to fully utilize the medical skills she had learned from her master.
After watching Su Luonian practice for a while, Su Luowan turned back to the room.
She saw Lin Yuzhen quietly mending clothes and said:
“Mom, I want to take some vegetables from the space. Since it’s not busy now, I’ll dry some for storage.”
Where they lived was in the northeast of the country. From her body’s memories, she knew winters here were extremely cold.
If they didn’t stock some vegetables, they might not even have a single leafy green all winter.
Lin Yuzhen thought for a moment and said:
“Okay. You take Xiao Nian to gather firewood; I’ll handle drying the vegetables.”
Xiao Nian was still young and didn’t pay much attention to food at home, so he wasn’t aware of how many vegetables were in the backyard garden.
Su Luowan nodded, grabbed a basket, and took some ripe eggplants, tomatoes, and chili peppers from the space, taking a portion of each.
Seeing the bright red tomatoes, she suggested:
“Mom, let’s make sauce with these tomatoes. Sweet and sour—it’ll be perfect for cooking or eating with rice during winter!”
Lin Yuzhen looked at her daughter’s eager expression and smiled:
“Okay, okay, we’ll follow your plan! It’s getting late, so take Xiao Nian outside quickly. Come back early, don’t stay out too long!”
Su Luowan agreed, then looked at Lin Yuzhen and said:
“Mom, don’t worry about Captain Qin. I’m here too!”
She gave her mother a reassuring smile, then called Su Luonian. Each picked up a basket and headed up the mountain.
Watching his daughter and son walk away, Lin Yuzhen felt warmth swell in her heart thinking of what Wanwan had just said.
Her children had grown up! When all three were young, she hadn’t feared anything. Now that they were older, what was there left to fear?
Shaking her head, Lin Yuzhen seemed to push her earlier worries out of her mind.
Qin Family
After lunch, Qin Chengyi stopped his busy parents and said:
“Dad, Mom, I want to get engaged to Xu Zhiqing!”
Yao Guihua immediately put down the hoe she had picked up and raised her voice sharply:
“Engaged? What’s so good about that Xu Zhiqing? I think she really isn’t as good as the Su family girl!”
Thinking of Xu Zhiqing from the city, Yao Guihua pursed her lips disdainfully.
Seeing his mother’s reaction, Qin Chengyi patiently explained:
“Mom, there’s a reason I want to marry Xu Zhiqing. Her parents both have jobs. You can tell from her clothes and manners that her family is well-off. Her parents have helped her a lot!
Marrying a girl with a good family is better than marrying a village girl, isn’t it?”
Qin Chengyi didn’t dare mention Xu Xiuxin’s uncle’s official position to his mother, knowing she couldn’t keep secrets.
If that got out and Xu Xiuxin found out, it would be trouble.
Hearing her son, Yao Guihua was still unconvinced. She personally thought rural girls were better.
Village girls could farm and do household work—who wasn’t capable?
But she knew her son well; once he made up his mind, no one could persuade him otherwise.
Qin Jiabao looked at Qin Chengyi and asked seriously:
“Chengyi, when do you plan to get engaged?”
He knew his son’s cleverness. If he wanted to marry Xu Zhiqing, he must have his reasons.
“Dad, I want to get engaged tomorrow. In a couple of days, the farming season will be busy, and no one will have time.
Most importantly, my vacation is coming up. I want to settle the engagement first and discuss the wedding later.”
Fortunately, when he joined the army, his uncle had arranged for him to be stationed in the local city, making it convenient to return home.