Font Size:
Song Anning squinted her eyes as she watched Song Zeyuan carefully tuck the blanket around his younger sister before quietly getting out of bed and dressing.
By the time she stepped outside, Song Zeyuan was already heading to the well with a small wooden bucket. He set it down, then strained his entire body to pull the water up, his thin arms trembling with effort.
Song Anning hurried over and grabbed hold of Song Zeyuan, steadying the well’s pulley with her other hand. “A’Yuan, from now on, Elder Sister will fetch the water. You and A’Yue are too young—stay away from the well. Go light the fire instead. We have mixed grain rice—let’s cook porridge and eat some duck eggs.”
“Mm, A’Yuan remembers. I’ll go light the fire.”
The five-year-old boy was so thin his bones were visible beneath his skin, but his round, bright eyes curved into crescents as he skipped the few steps to the kitchen.
Elder Sister had really changed. Before, she wouldn’t even fetch water—when she couldn’t steal food, she’d threaten to throw him and A’Yue into the well.
But now, Elder Sister was so good.
As she drew water to wash up, Song Anning finally got a clear look at her own reflection.
She was a bit plump—this body stood around 165 cm tall and likely weighed 70-80 kg. Her face was round and fleshy, but her features weren’t unattractive.
All the Song children took after Wang Yinger—big eyes, long lashes, and rather good-looking.
Soon, four bowls of coarse grain porridge were set on the table. There were still plenty of corn cakes left from last night, and the mother and children slurped their porridge noisily. Wang Yinger handed her cake to Song Anning with a silly grin.
“A’Ning, eat. Eat more.”
She herself took a few messy sips of porridge before getting up and heading to the backyard, sitting down to weave baskets as if the outside world had nothing to do with her.
Song Anning took the cake mother handed her and bit into it fiercely.
After the meal, she instructed the younger ones to watch the house, filled two bamboo tubes with water, grabbed a corn cake, and slung a basket over her shoulder before heading back up the mountain.
Banyue Village was located in the northern part of the Nanyue Dynasty. From her trip up the mountain yesterday, she’d noticed the trees were mostly broadleaf, with plenty of mixed bamboo and broadleaf forests. The foothills were covered in low shrubs, and the variety of vegetation was incredibly diverse.
The System had probably chosen to bind with her because of this vast forest.
“Bingo! Correct! The System loves abundant vegetation—the more, the better. Clever host, today is another day to do your best~”
This season, wild herbs were flourishing, their growth vigorous. The mountain forest awoke in the morning light as Song Anning swung her small iron shovel, digging frantically at the red dots marked on her screen.
There were also tender buds from unknown trees, and the System chimed repeatedly, introducing each one to her.
*Ding.* “Wild Ghost Arrow Feather, also known as Euonymus alatus. Bitter in taste, cold in nature. Promotes blood circulation, regulates menstruation, and disperses blood stasis to relieve pain. Five coppers per pound.”
Harvest! She left half the buds on the tree and happily took the rest.
*Ding.* “Wild Shepherd’s Purse, also known as Doellingeria scaber. Pungent and sweet in taste, cold in nature. Clears heat, detoxifies, promotes qi circulation, and activates blood. Three coppers per pound.”
Dig! This stuff was tasty, and the taverns in town bought it too.
Her heavy body made the work exhausting. After squatting for too long, cold sweat broke out, and the food she’d eaten felt like it was rising back up her throat.
She plopped down on a nearby rock to rest when she noticed several furtive figures peering at her from a distance.
“Well, aunties, don’t you have work at home? Coming up the mountain this early just to keep me company—A’Ning is so touched she could puke.”
Those women were the same gossipers Song Anning had encountered on the mountain yesterday. After returning to the village and spreading the news about her digging up Plantain, they later learned the girl had actually made money from it. The more they thought about it at home, the more bitter they felt.
It was as if the money should have been theirs, but Song Anning had snatched it away.
So they camped outside the Song residence early in the morning, hoping to find out where the wretched girl had managed to dig up such good wild herbs.
Unfortunately, after watching for a long time, they saw Song Anning either breaking branches off trees or digging up random weeds—anything but the task at hand. Their frustration grew.
“See? I told you she just got lucky. She’s just wandering around the mountain, not finding anything worthwhile.”
“Hmph! What a waste of time! I got up so early for nothing.”
They rolled their eyes at Song Anning, muttering curses under their breath as they headed in the opposite direction.
Song Anning knew this wouldn’t be the last time. Villagers were like this—whenever someone found something valuable, they’d all rush to the back mountain in droves.
She grew even more cautious. From now on, she’d have to be extra careful with the System’s recycling function. If even one person discovered her secret, she’d be labeled a monster and hunted down the very next day.
Villagers rose early, and since Song Anning wasn’t far from the mountain path, she soon encountered a few more villagers heading uphill. Spotting her loitering around, they awkwardly greeted her before hurrying away.
After taking a sip of water and resting a while, Song Anning decided to move to another spot. As she walked and dug, the System’s notifications never stopped.
*Ding! Two pounds of dandelions recycled. Ten coins deposited.*
*Ding! Three pounds of spindle branches recycled. Fifteen coins deposited…*
*Ding! Master, System is tired. Maybe you should take a break too…*
“…”
“Whew, guess I’ll rest for a bit too.”
Song Anning chuckled in response to the System and sat beneath a sturdy tree, pulling up her screen. The basic stats had updated:
**[Level]**: Level Zero Tiny Trash
**[Wealth]**: 120 coins (Outstanding debt: 4,070 coins)
**[Unlocked Species]**: 22
**[Shop]**: Locked
**[Backpack]**: Locked
**[Functions]**: None
**[Map]**: 5-meter radius centered on the host.
She had deposited the remaining seven coins from yesterday’s vegetable purchase into the System account. After working for over two hours today, she’d earned another 64 coins. Determined, she told herself that with a little more effort, breaking 200 coins wasn’t just a dream!
Just then, a sound interrupted her thoughts. Song Anning crouched low and hid in the bushes, spotting a pheasant standing proudly atop a small hill, surveying its territory with vigor.
Her father had once told her that male pheasants in spring didn’t forage first thing in the morning. Instead, they perched on the highest point and called out to ward off rivals before finally eating.
“This is an Orange-rank animal… System doesn’t recycle those…”
Song Anning stared fixedly at the pheasant, completely ignoring whether the System wanted it or not. *Slurp*—this one looked delicious…
When something came knocking, who was she to refuse?
Her eyes darted around mischievously as she gathered dried weeds and twisted them into a long rope. With her basket, the rope, and a cornmeal pancake, this was just like the chicken-catching games she’d played as a kid.
Ignoring the burning sensation in her palms from twisting the rope, she broke the pancake into fingernail-sized crumbs and emptied her basket.
Placing the basket on the open ground, she scattered breadcrumbs beneath it. She propped it up with a wooden stick, tying a rope to the stick. Once the pheasant wandered under the basket, she could pull the rope to trap it.
Though she took great care with each step, the slightest noise still escaped. The patrolling pheasant immediately froze, stretching its neck as it nervously stared in Song Anning’s direction.
Crouched in the bushes, Song Anning held her breath, silently praying: *”System, bless me—let me get this extra meal, please~”*