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“?”
Song Anning was stunned. A translucent screen popped up before her eyes. At the top were the bold characters 【Song Anning】, followed by a row of smaller text resembling a profile:
【Level】: Level Zero Tiny Trash
【Wealth】: 0 wen (Debt: 4070 wen)
【Unlocked Species】: 1
【Shop】: Locked
【Inventory】: Locked
【Functions】: None
【Map】: Centered on the host, radius of 5 meters
“!”
The rest of the screen displayed a circular map expanding outward from Song Anning, densely dotted with flashing red markers.
Having read plenty of novels, Song Anning quickly realized—this must be the legendary System?
Such good fortune had actually landed on her!
Heavens, do you pity me for losing my mother so young and drowning in debt, so you gave me a System?
To test her theory, Song Anning followed the map’s markers and plucked a handful of wild grass by the courtyard gate. Sure enough, the System’s voice rang out again.
*Ding. Uncontaminated Plantain, medicinal herb. Sweet in taste, cold in nature; possesses heat-clearing, diuretic, cooling-blood, and detoxifying properties.
Price: 2 wen per jin. Sell?*
“Yes!”
*Ding. System has recycled the item. Funds received. Host may withdraw or deposit at will through mental command—convenient and efficient.*
Her hands were now empty, and on the screen, the 【Wealth】 column had updated to 2 wen.
“Master, just use your thoughts to withdraw the money.
See? Isn’t your System super considerate?”
Following the System’s instructions, Song Anning focused her mind, and two copper coins materialized in her palm.
Tears still streaking her face, she nodded vigorously. “Mhm! System, you’re the best.”
“Hehehe~ Praise from Master makes me happy! Just speak to me mentally, Master. Don’t worry about the screen—no one else can see it.”
“System, can I go back to my original world?”
“…”
After her mental question, the System fell silent for a moment. “Going back… isn’t possible. Your body in that world has already been cremated. Grass is even starting to grow on your grave.”
“Don’t be sad, Master! Work hard, spend 10,000 taels of silver, and once I upgrade to Level 5 and unlock 【Cross-Space-Time Dialogue】, you can contact your family!”
“Ahhh! System, I love you!”
Ten thousand taels—an astronomical sum she might never earn in this lifetime.
But it was hope.
“I love you too, Master! So much—”
As the System rambled on, Song Anning gazed at the distant mountains, her mind already calculating.
Banyue Village was surrounded by mountains. According to the elders, beyond them lay the sea. The mountains were rich in resources—even children aged five or six in the village could identify wild herbs and medicinal plants. With the System’s help, repaying the debt within a year would be easy.
In her past life, she’d loved watching short videos of foraging in the mountains and sea, along with rug-cleaning and hoof-trimming—oddly therapeutic. Now, it was her turn.
She vowed to strip these endless mountains bare—earn money! Level up! Contact her mom! Make this new life better!
Action spoke louder than thought. Before dusk fell, Song Anning hurried inside, found some ragged cloth strips, and tied her loose pant legs and sleeves snugly. She patted Song Zeyuan and Song Anyue’s heads, her voice gentler now.
“I’m going up the mountain to look around. Be good and wait for me at home.”
When Song Anning walked out of the courtyard gate with a basket on her back and a sickle in hand, the two little ones finally snapped out of their daze.
“Did Elder Sister say she was going up the mountain? Did I hear wrong?”
“You didn’t, but she can’t even recognize wild vegetables…”
Frowning, Song Zeyuan watched her retreating figure before grabbing his younger sister and following after her.
Hearing the footsteps behind her, Song Anning curled her lips into a faint smile.
These two little ones, imitating everything they saw, were the original owner’s loyal little shadows. With proper guidance, they could grow up to be good kids.
The mountain path twisted and turned, wildflowers swaying in the breeze along the roadside, countless plants stretching out their tender shoots. Song Anning walked at a leisurely pace, her heart gradually settling into calm.
Opening the map, she filled her basket with anything marked by red dots. The entire mountainside was practically gleaming silver!
When Song Zeyuan and Song Anyue caught up, they saw Song Anning frantically digging up weeds, their pretty little faces scrunched up in confusion:
“Elder Sister, that stuff is bitter and astringent—it’s not edible. It’s for feeding chickens and ducks.”
“Elder Sister, you should go home and rest. Brother and I will gather the wild vegetables.”
The mountain wind was chilly. When Song Anning looked up, she saw the two children shivering in their thin clothes, their scrawny little frames trembling in the cold. Without explaining, she took the small shovel from Song Zeyuan and tightened their collars for them. “You two go home and wait for Elder Sister. Mother’s still there—keep an eye on her so she doesn’t wander off. And wipe the table clean.Elder Sister will make something delicious for you tonight.”
“But—”
“Be good!”
Song Zeyuan wanted to say more but ultimately nodded silently, pulling his sister along as they reluctantly headed downhill, glancing back every few steps.
The spring breeze carried their murmurs: “Elder Sister won’t let us follow her, and she said she’d make something delicious… Is she going to steal again?”
“Elder Sister’s acting weird. Will she go crazy like Mother…?”
“No, let’s just listen and go home. But don’t expect anything delicious—we still have some wild vegetables left for dinner.”
“……”
Song Anning pressed her lips together in amusement. Original owner, just how unreliable were you? What kind of image do you have in your siblings’ hearts?
Her emotions were a tangled mess, but her hands didn’t stop working. With the small shovel, her efficiency doubled, and she’d already gathered nearly half a basket in no time.
With no one around, Song Anning opened the system panel with her mind and sold another two and a half catties of plantain—five copper coins in her pocket. The joy of picking up money was something only she could understand!
“Isn’t that the Song family girl? Am I seeing things? Instead of sleeping at home, she’s up here in the mountains?”
A few village women on their way down the mountain shrieked as if they’d seen a ghost when they spotted Song Anning with her bamboo basket:
“Goodness, are you digging up those wheel-weeds to eat? That’s not fit for humans!”
“Just taking a walk in the mountains while the season’s nice,” Song Anning replied with a forced smile, lowering her head and continuing forward. These women were the village’s notorious gossips, capable of twisting black into white—utterly detestable.
“Hahaha, did you hear that? The lazy girl wants to ‘take a walk’ in the mountains. What’s she gonna find—a fart?”
“Exactly! Maybe she can’t steal from the village anymore, so she’s eyeing the squirrels’ winter stash?”
“HAHAHAHA—”
“Alright, enough. The Song girl’s face has gone cold—watch out or she’ll take a dump in your well!”
“……”
“Damn ‘stealing squirrels’ winter stash’…”
Song Anning didn’t care in the slightest. Her reputation was already ruined, so she couldn’t be bothered by what others said.
Given her family’s current situation, being known as a vicious woman was far better than being a soft pushover who let others bully her. Even the most notorious shrews in the village only dared to wag their tongues at her.
*Ding. Detected pure, pollution-free Bracken Fern.*
*Bracken Fern, a medicinal herb. Neutral in nature, slightly astringent in taste. Clears heat, detoxifies, calms the nerves, and is rich in various minerals.*
*Price: Three coins per pound…*
The deeper she ventured into the mountains, the more varieties of wild greens and medicinal herbs she encountered. The system chimed away with its announcements, but Song Anning soon noticed a problem.