Mi Duoduo looked at the bicycle parts and watch parts in the Space. Though somewhat helpless, seeing the Integral Points gradually increase reignited hope in her heart.
Like a nimble little fish, she darted through the crowd, unable to resist reaching out whenever she spotted a decent item—the jade tobacco pipe at Old Zhang’s waist glowed with a warm luster, the silver bracelet on Aunt Wang’s wrist dazzled, and the oil-paper package in another aunt’s hand faintly emitted the sweet fragrance of pastries…
“Ding! 1 Integral Point exchanged for 1 Duplication Point, 1 Duplication Point consumed. Jade tobacco pipe duplication successful. Reward: 2 Integral Points! Current Duplication Points: 0, Integral Points: 70.”
“Ding! 1 Integral Point exchanged for 1 Duplication Point, 1 Duplication Point consumed. Silver bracelet duplication successful. Reward: 5 Integral Points! Current Duplication Points: 0, Integral Points: 74.”
“Ding! 1 Integral Point exchanged for 1 Duplication Point, 1 Duplication Point consumed. Pastry duplication successful. Reward: 3 Integral Points! Current Duplication Points: 0, Integral Points: 76.”
The Integral Points climbed from 76 to 83, then crept up to 90… The supplies in the System Space grew increasingly abundant and varied.
Mi Duoduo’s eyes sparkled like two stars. Just as she spotted an aunt wearing shiny black leather shoes and approached to duplicate them, a sudden commotion erupted in the crowd.
“Officer! I know who the thief is!” Lu Xiaocao’s shrill voice pierced through the noise. “It must be that wretched girl Su Qingyao! She must have hidden something and is trying to sneak away!”
Mi Duoduo looked up to see Lu Xiaocao pointing at Su Qingyao, her eyes bloodshot as if she wanted to devour someone.
Su Qingyao stood there, her face pale but her back ramrod straight. “I didn’t! You can search me and see if I’ve hidden anything!”
The police officer frowned, clearly thinking Lu Xiaocao was being unreasonable, but still patiently reassured her, “Comrade, you can’t make accusations without evidence…”
Just then, the System notification suddenly blared: “Host’s current Integral Points: 103. Consume 100 Integral Points to upgrade to Level 2?”
“Xiao Fu, upgrade! Upgrade now!” Mi Duoduo shouted urgently in her mind.
“Host, the upgrade requires one minute. Please wait patiently.” Xiao Fu’s voice was brimming with excitement.
Mi Duoduo’s heart instantly raced a few beats faster, her gaze fixed intently on Su Qingyao not far away—once the System upgrade was complete, she would finally know if Su Qingyao truly possessed a Space and a Spiritual Spring!
System upgrade successful:
【Host: Mi Duoduo (Adorable Bean Sprout)】
【System Level: Level 2 (A Bit Trashy)】
【Duplication Points: 0 (Cleared at month-end)】
【Integral Points: 3 (System Upgrades Rely Entirely on Them)】
【System Mall: Not Yet Unlocked (So Many Good Things Inside~)】
【Level 2 System Duplication Rules:
Maximum of 5 duplications per day. Same target can be duplicated up to 3 times per day. Each duplication can copy any 1 type of resource from the target. Same resource can only be duplicated once.
Each duplication consumes 2 Duplication Points. 1 Integral Point can be exchanged for 1 Duplication Point. System automatically grants 2 Duplication Points daily at midnight.
For targets within one meter of the host, duplication does not require prior touch.】
As soon as the upgrade completion prompt appeared, Mi Duoduo immediately grew excited.
She pulled out the handkerchief made from flawed fabric from her pocket and, pretending to offer comfort, slowly approached Su Qingyao, who was sniffling softly with a pitiful expression.
“Host, why do I get the feeling Su Qingyao is fake crying?” Xiao Fu suddenly muttered.
"Whether she's crying for real or faking it, let's first check if she has a Space and Spirit Spring Water!" Mi Duoduo urged inwardly.
Xiao Fu's voice quickly responded: "Host, she really does have a Space! But our level is still too low to duplicate the Space itself. However, her Space is packed with stuff—there's a small supermarket, bicycles, a television, a box of small yellow croaker, various antiques, beds and quilts, pots and pans… She must have stored all her family's belongings in her Space!"
"What about Spirit Spring Water?" Mi Duoduo pressed.
"Host, let me look… Found it!" Xiao Fu paused briefly. "Her Spiritual Spring produces water very slowly; it hasn't even filled a lunchbox yet. Host, do you want to duplicate it?"
"Duplicate!"
"Ding! 2 Integral Points exchanged for 2 Duplication Points, consuming 2 Duplication Points. Successfully duplicated one lunchbox of Spirit Spring Water from Su Qingyao, reward 10 Integral Points! Current Duplication Points: 0, Integral Points: 11."
"Xiao Fu, exchange all the Integral Points for Duplication Points and duplicate her rice and flour. If there are large pieces of meat, duplicate those too!"
"After the host's System upgrade, the same target can be duplicated up to three times per day. There are still two more types available now. She has rice, flour, and meat in her Space!"
"Then duplicate the flour and meat!" Mi Duoduo decided firmly. "For the meat, choose pork, preferably with more fat!"
"Ding! 11 Integral Points exchanged for 11 Duplication Points, consuming 2 Duplication Points. Successfully duplicated one piece of pork belly, reward 10 Integral Points!"
"Ding! Consuming 2 Duplication Points, successfully duplicated one bag of flour, reward 10 Integral Points! Current Duplication Points: 7, Integral Points: 20."
Mi Duoduo quietly slipped a handkerchief into Su Qingyao's hand and turned to leave.
Xiao Fu suddenly reminded her: "Host, we can now duplicate a complete bicycle!"
"Not in a hurry." Mi Duoduo had a plan. "Our family already has a bicycle and a watch; we can deal with that later. I've been out too long; Xiao Sheng will be looking for me."
She headed home with her pockets full of gains. As soon as she entered the courtyard gate, she was greeted by the rich aroma of stewed chicken—it seemed her father and Xiao Sheng had been quick and efficient.
Mi Duoduo couldn't help but smile. This trip had been quite fruitful.
She just wondered when the female lead would go to the countryside. If only she could follow the female lead there, she could coast through this lifetime.
Mi Duoduo leaned against the kitchen doorframe, taking deep breaths of the rich chicken soup fragrance mixed with the faint smoky scent of honeycomb briquettes, making her mouth water.
The kitchen was cramped, with a honeycomb briquette stove placed in the corner. Orange-red flames licked at the stove ring, atop which sat a gleaming pressure cooker. The round, plump body of the pot made the stove platform seem smaller.
The lid was tightly sealed, and the pressure relief valve on top hissed and sputtered, releasing thin columns of white steam that drifted upward.
Mi Jianye sat on a small stool, chopping vegetables.
This pressure cooker was a treasure in the Mi household. Its shiny silver body was polished so well it could reflect one's image. Usually, it was stored deep inside the cupboard, cushioned with clean coarse cloth. Li Xiuqin only brought it out for use during holidays and special occasions.
The pressure cooker saved coal and cooked quickly when stewing chicken soup, but every time it was used, Li Xiuqin would stand by, muttering worries about the fire being too strong and the pot exploding. When releasing the pressure after cooking, she handled it with delicate care, waiting for the hissing to stop before slowly unscrewing the lid.
After use, she was even more meticulous. Li Xiuqin would wipe the pot body and lid inside and out, remove the sealing ring to wash and dry it thoroughly, and even use a thin wire to clear the small holes in the pressure relief valve. Finally, she would wrap it in clean cloth before tucking it back into the cupboard.
Mi Duoduo stared at the pressure cooker on the kitchen stove. The sizzling sound carried a rich aroma of meat, making her throat itch and her mouth water uncontrollably.
She had already started planning in her mind—once this pot of chicken soup was done, she would definitely drink a big bowl. Even better, she would gnaw on a chicken leg with the skin still on. Just thinking about it made her feel utterly delighted.