Mi Duoduo couldn't help but call out to the Duplication System in her mind: "Xiao Fu, can I duplicate this pot of chicken soup?"
"The host can," Xiao Fu's voice actually carried a hint of craving. "This pot of chicken soup belongs to the whole family, and you have your share too. Wait until it's fully cooked before duplicating it."
As soon as the words fell, Xiao Sheng rushed in like a gust of wind from the backyard, leaning against the kitchen door and sniffing hard with his nose. He exclaimed, "Sis, I just went to the toilet area looking for you. How come I didn't see you there?"
Mi Duoduo's heart skipped a beat—she had spent some time duplicating things outside the Chen family's yard earlier.
She quickly changed the subject, pointing at the pressure cooker steaming and sizzling with a smile: "Xiao Sheng, smell that, isn't it fragrant? Dad stewed the chicken, it's definitely going to be delicious!"
Mi Jianye, busy working by the stove, glanced back at the two of them. He lightly tapped the spatula in his hand against the edge of the stove and waved with a smile: "You two greedy cats, don't rush. It'll be ready after simmering for another ten minutes. Go back to the room and play first. I'll call you when it's done."
Xiao Sheng's eyes darted around, and he tugged at Mi Duoduo's sleeve: "Second sister, can you explain a problem to me then? It's a math problem. I've been thinking about it for a long time and still can't figure it out."
Mi Duoduo glanced at the pressure cooker still emitting white steam and swallowed her saliva: "Alright, let's go."
Xiao Sheng immediately grinned, revealing two little canine teeth, and pulled her toward the main room: "I'll get my homework notebook out right now!"
As she was being dragged along, Mi Duoduo couldn't help but look back at the kitchen, muttering to Xiao Fu in her mind: "I'm definitely going to duplicate a big pot later. Such fragrant chicken soup should be savored slowly to truly enjoy it."
Xiao Fu shook his virtual avatar in her mind, his tone full of anticipation: "Soup stewed with a farm-raised old hen is bound to be incredibly fresh!"
In the main room, Mi Duoduo pinched Xiao Sheng's cheek, her eyes curved into a smile: "This problem isn't that difficult. Just think about it a bit more and you'll get it."
As she spoke, she pushed the draft paper in front of him, pointing at the second solution with her fingertip. "Look, once you find the right equivalent relationship and bypass that complicated step, doesn't it become straightforward?"
Xiao Sheng leaned in to look carefully, following along with his pencil tip as he sketched and calculated on the draft paper. When he looked up, his eyes were sparkling: "I really get it now! Second sister, you explain it even more clearly than the teacher!"
He clutched his pencil and verified the steps once more, then pushed the draft paper toward Mi Duoduo, lifting his little face proudly: "Second sister, look, it's all correct!"
Mi Duoduo scanned the neat and tidy calculations, smiled, and ruffled his hair. She then gave him two more problems of the same type, and Xiao Sheng smoothly solved them all.
After putting away the homework notebook, the siblings, as if their feet had grown wings, slipped back to the kitchen door.
Mi Jianye had already taken the pressure cooker off the stove, replacing it with an aluminum pot on the coal stove. He was busy steaming cornbread buns—in the original host's memories, she often made cornbread buns with her family too.
Seizing this opportunity, Mi Duoduo instructed the Duplication System in her mind: "Xiao Fu, duplicate that pot of chicken soup."
"Ding! Consumed 2 Duplication Points, successfully duplicated one pot of chicken soup. Reward: 10 Integral Points! Current Duplication Points: 5, Integral Points: 30." As soon as Xiao Fu's mechanical voice finished, she felt instantly relieved.
She rolled up her sleeves, wanting to help steam the cornbread buns, but Mi Jianye reached out to stop her: "Don't bother. There are only a few left to finish. Go wash a cucumber with Xiao Sheng and have a snack."
Mi Duoduo agreed and took a cucumber still bearing its flower and spines. Xiao Sheng scurried to the water pipe, scrubbed it clean, and the siblings sat on the kitchen threshold, crunching away at the cucumber. The savory aroma of chicken soup still wafted around their noses as they eagerly awaited the pot to open for a taste.
Soon, the staff residential compound grew lively. Workers returning from their shifts walked home in twos and threes, passing by the Mi family’s door. Unable to resist, they slowed their steps to take a few extra sniffs, their noses swaying as they chased that rich, fragrant scent.
Today, it was the eldest brother, Mi Mancang, who returned home first. Mi Jianye deftly took an aluminum lunchbox, filled it halfway with chicken soup, added two tender pieces of chicken breast and a glossy chicken wing, then sealed the lid tightly. He then took another lunchbox, packed two freshly steamed cornbread buns still steaming hot, paired with a plate of stir-fried sweet potato leaves, and handed them to Mi Mancang. "Take this to your mother. Let her eat it hot at the factory."
By the time Mi Mancang returned from delivering the meal, the eldest sister, Mi Laidi, had also come home from work.
The whole family finally gathered around the table, ready to properly enjoy the pot of chicken soup.
The two chicken legs, stewed until tender and soft, were directly picked up by Mi Jianye and given to Xiao Sheng and Mi Duoduo, one each.
His cooking skills were excellent—the cornbread buns were fluffy and soft, the old hen stewed until the broth was rich and the meat tender, the savory flavor seeping deep into the bones.
The family held their bowls, sipping the hot soup and eating the chicken, occasionally taking bites of the stir-fried sweet potato leaves. Even the cornbread buns tasted exceptionally delicious. Everyone ate with relaxed brows and contented hearts, thoroughly satisfied.
Just as the dinner dishes were cleared away, Mi Duoduo leaned against the headboard to digest her meal when Xiao Fu suddenly reminded her in her mind, "Host, you still have one copying opportunity left today. Do you want to use it?"
Mi Duoduo’s eyes lit up—she had almost forgotten about this.
The Level 2 System allowed up to five copies per day. Today, she had used three with Su Qingyao and one for copying the chicken soup, leaving exactly one opportunity remaining.
She thought for a moment. The valuable items at home included: a wristwatch, a bicycle, a sewing machine, and a pressure cooker. The pressure cooker had already been copied (and still contained a pot of chicken soup inside), so she decided to copy the Meihua brand wristwatch.
Mi Jianye’s wristwatch was rarely worn and was usually kept in the bedside table drawer. It was only borrowed for a day when someone needed to go to town for errands or was in a hurry. Otherwise, it served as a household clock for telling time.
Mi Duoduo tiptoed to the door of her parents’ room and saw her father sitting at the table doing calculations. The drawer was slightly ajar, and the silver-gray wristwatch lay inside, the plum blossom pattern on its dial shimmering faintly under the light.
She quietly moved closer to the door, making sure she was within a one-meter range, and said to Xiao Fu in her mind, "Copy the wristwatch."
"Ding! 2 Duplication Points consumed. Successfully copied one Meihua brand wristwatch. Reward: 10 Integral Points! Current Duplication Points: 3, Integral Points: 40."
Mi Duoduo felt a surge of joy. Taking care not to let Mi Jianye notice, she turned and slipped back to her own room.
She retrieved the copied Meihua watch from the System Space. The cool dial pressed against her fingertips, feeling heavy and solid with the honest weight of metal.
The broad metal strap had a retro, coarse texture, unmistakably a vintage men’s style at first glance.
She twisted the crown slowly to wind it, the soft clicking sound particularly clear in the quiet. After winding it fully, she held the watch body and gently played with it for a moment. The hands on the dial moved steadily, precise and composed.
"It’s only a little past seven," she murmured softly before storing the watch back into the System Space.
Secretly, she thought to herself that she would have to copy a women’s style wristwatch when the opportunity arose in the future.
Mi Duoduo lay back on the bed, thinking to herself that with the Spirit Spring Water, white flour, pork belly, and this wristwatch, life would become more and more comfortable from now on.
Once she saved enough Integral Points to level up, she might even be able to replicate the good things from Su Qingyao’s Space.
She wondered when Su Qingyao would go to the countryside. She had to find a chance to copy more of her supplies before she left. After all, there were quite a few good things over there.
Tomorrow, she would have to send Xiao Sheng to school. When no one was home, she could secretly add some flour to the flour sack and take out a piece of meat.
She would boil the eggs and store them in the Space, so she could eat them directly when hungry. This body was severely deficient in qi and blood. Tomorrow, she would have to drink another bowl of chicken soup to replenish herself. She also needed to drink the Spirit Spring Water quickly, but not too much—otherwise, the wound on her head would heal too fast and arouse suspicion.
As she thought about these things, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Before long, she fell asleep to the sound of insects chirping outside the window, dreaming of tenderly stewed braised pork and fluffy white steamed buns.