The leveling up was remarkably fast—in less than ten hours overnight, she had already broken through to level three.
Such a speed of advancement would have been unimaginable in her original world.
Now, whenever Su Mi used her Plant-type Supernatural Ability, she could stimulate wisteria seeds to sprout vines five meters long and as thick as a child’s arm.
This was already quite an impressive result. After all, these were just numerical values; in reality, the length, thickness, and even the presence of thorns on the vines could be altered by Su Mi’s will and the intensity of the energy she channeled.
In other words, if Su Mi wished, the vines she stimulated could be as fine as a strand of hair.
Of course, with her current low level, there were time limitations. Su Mi wasn’t greedy. Sensing the supernatural energy flowing within her body, she exited the Dimensional Space and returned to her bed.
Su Mi had already checked the time earlier—it was now six o’clock in the morning.
The sky outside had long since brightened, and she could faintly hear deliberately hushed voices, the sounds of fetching water for washing, and the clatter of washbasins and ladles colliding.
There were also noises from people eating and washing dishes—in short, it was quite chaotic.
Even though she hadn’t slept all night, Su Mi still felt energetic.
She didn’t disturb the others and got up alone, taking a box of pastries from her bag to eat.
These were prepared by the original owner for the train journey but hadn’t been finished, mainly because they were too sweet and greasy. Su Mi didn’t like them, but since she had already eaten some, she couldn’t very well give them away and had to finish them herself.
Su Mi didn’t go out immediately. Instead, she waited until the noise subsided and most people had left before opening the door to step outside.
As for Liu Wenli and the others, they were probably still exhausted from the train journey over the past few days and hadn’t woken up yet.
The morning air was a bit chilly, but Su Mi, with her improved physique, found the coolness refreshing and comfortable.
“Little Su, you’re up quite early! I thought you’d be a while longer! But luckily, I came early.”
The cheerful voice of Sun Xiaocao came from the courtyard entrance.
Since she had come all the way early in the morning specifically to guide her, Su Mi naturally wouldn’t greet her with a cold expression.
“Sister-in-law, have you eaten yet? I just finished. Here are two pastries—if you haven’t eaten, have these to tide you over.”
The sweet, greasy taste still lingered in Su Mi’s mouth. Her eyes lit up as she looked at the person before her, especially the little one trailing behind.
Thus, she spoke politely.
Sun Xiaocao had indeed eaten, but pastries were something her family couldn’t afford to buy. Even if she didn’t eat them herself, she could give them to her child.
On this point, Sun Xiaocao wouldn’t stand on ceremony.
“Little Su, I won’t be polite then. This is my son, Fubao. Fubao, hurry up and call her Auntie Su.”
“Sister-in-law, no need to be so formal. My name is Su Mi, like the ‘mi’ in honey. Just call me by my full name. Is Fubao coming up the mountain with us?”
“Then I won’t be polite. From now on, I’ll call you Su Mi. This little guy has nothing to do at home. It’s fine—he often follows us up the mountain and is quite sturdy.”
Sun Xiaocao took the pastries, pulled a handkerchief from her pocket, carefully wrapped them, and tucked them away. Although she had learned Su Mi’s name yesterday, out of politeness, she had still addressed her as “Su.” But since Su Mi had said so, she naturally wouldn’t stand on ceremony anymore.
Fubao watched, wanting to eat, but he had just filled his stomach, so he decided to wait a bit longer. He held a small stick, waving it around.
“Hello, Auntie Su.”
Little Fubao was quite obedient, calling whoever his mother told him to.
Su Mi nodded in acknowledgment, then returned to her room to take everything she had bought earlier out of her backpack and temporarily placed it against the wall by the spot where she slept.
Then, carrying an empty basket and a small hoe, she went out and walked up the mountain with the mother and son.
The small hoe wasn’t very big—it could easily be passed off as something she had brought in her own bag, so no one would bother asking about it.
“You city folks are so refined, even your hoes are this tiny.”
Sun Xiaocao found it quite novel. The hoes she had seen were all large and heavy, some weighing as much as three jin, and even the lightest ones were over one jin. She had never seen one so small.
“This one is specifically for digging up medicinal herbs. Actually, it’s quite handy for weeding too, mainly because it’s not as heavy.”
Su Mi explained.
Sun Xiaocao spent the whole walk telling her about the people and happenings in the village, so the journey wasn’t lonely at all.
No wonder this place was said to be rich in resources!
Even before reaching the mountain—not even at the foot yet—there were plenty of medicinal herbs growing in the ditches along the roadside and fields.
However, most of them were referred to by the villagers as pigweed or wild vegetables.
They didn’t have much medicinal value, at most just clearing heat or reducing internal heat.
Naturally, Su Mi waited until she reached the mountain to pick the better and rarer ones to dig up.
Sun Xiaocao didn’t go up the mountain empty-handed either. She carried a large bamboo basket on her back, held a big woven basket in her hand, and brought a sickle, ready to cut pigweed on the mountain.
She had been allowed not to work in the fields today, but her task wasn’t exactly easy. Not only did she have to guide the way, but she also had to bring back some pigweed.
Her family was raising a quota pig; one could be handed over to the state at the end of the year, and the other could be sold by the family, which was also a source of income.
“Su Mi, most people in our village usually wander around this mountain. Very few go over to the other side. There are dangerous creatures over there. Aside from hunters and the militiamen organizing hunts in the back mountains, almost no one goes beyond. We’ll just wander around this side of the mountain. Don’t go too far. I also have to fill my basket before heading back. If you want to return first, just shout—it can be heard all over the mountain. If I finish first, I’ll shout too, and we won’t go back together.”
Sun Xiaocao wasn’t interested in these medicinal herbs because she still had a pile of housework waiting for her when she got back.
“Alright, thank you for guiding the way, sister-in-law. Fubao, be good and listen to your mom!”
Su Mi naturally didn’t object. When they parted, she gave little Fubao a few pieces of fruit candy, which kept the little one happy for quite a while.
Sure enough, before Su Mi had even filled half her basket with medicinal herbs, Sun Xiaocao’s voice announcing her departure came from the other side. It sounded quite far away.
Knowing the other person was leaving, Su Mi didn’t respond and continued with her work.
By the time she returned to the educated youth point, it was already past 10 o’clock, and her basket was filled with various medicinal herbs.
The two people cooking lunch saw Su Mi returning with something on her back and came over curiously.
Especially when they saw her pull two pheasants out of her basket, their eyes were glued to them, unable to look away.
When they learned that Su Mi was using these two pheasants to add to the meal, they were so delighted they practically jumped for joy.
Su Mi had the means and naturally didn’t mind whether she was taking advantage or not. After all, before moving out, on the surface, she was still eating from the communal pot here.
At the very least, she couldn’t let others think she was someone who only took advantage.
“Su Mi, you’re home! We bought a five-drawer cabinet, washbasins, foot-washing basins, and other things. When we got up, you weren’t here, so we didn’t wait for you.”
Just then, Liu Wenli, Wang Juan, and the other three returned. A villager was pushing a flatbed cart with several large cabinets, kang tables, and other furniture items on it.
“I went up the mountain to gather some herbs. As for the tables and cabinets, there’s no rush. I’ve already rented an empty house in the village, and I’ll be moving in after lunch.”
“What? You work so fast!”