Chapter 81 : Both Abilities Upgraded 

Su Mo took the letter and went home.

When she opened it, she found that Yang Suyun, worried about not receiving a reply for a long time, had written to ask about her situation.

Su Mo said nothing and put the letter aside.

Initially, she had decided not to contact the protagonist until she gained enough strength, to avoid being caught in the web of the protagonist’s storyline again. However, after realizing there might be significant inconsistencies in the book’s narrative, she reconsidered her approach.

Maintaining occasional correspondence with the protagonist through letters might be necessary to uncover the truth.

From what she knew, the original owner’s family shouldn’t have been so vulnerable and defenseless.

While the original owner’s parents could be explained as succumbing to the grief of their daughter’s death, her uncle’s family’s demise didn’t make sense.

Su Tingde was a division commander, Fu Manhua a chief physician, her eldest cousin Su Yichen a regiment commander, and her second cousin Su Yiyuan likely promoted to company commander by now. Together with Su Zhongli’s years of management experience, such a family should not have been entirely wiped out.

Moreover, the book never mentioned her aunt, Fu Manhua.

Based on Su Mo’s inherited memories, Fu Manhua was a capable and resourceful woman. Her willingness to travel thousands of miles to visit her niece in Heijiang Province showed she wouldn’t have ignored her brother-in-law’s family in trouble.

With Geng Changqing supporting them and Fu Manhua’s efforts, why was it Yang Suyun who came to claim the original owner’s belongings? Even if Fu Manhua couldn’t come due to distance, she would have expressed gratitude and retrieved the original owner’s items later.

There were too many unexplained mysteries.

Su Mo had a strong feeling that if these matters weren’t clarified, the Su family might end up fragmented.

After some thought, she picked up her pen and replied to Yang Suyun, keeping it simple. She mentioned that she was married, her life was fine, and there was nothing to worry about.

After writing the letter, Su Mo tended to her vegetable garden before returning to the house to channel her supernatural power into her ginseng.

While transferring energy to the oldest ginseng, her power suddenly surged, breaking through to the middle stage of the first level. Her supernatural energy was restored to full capacity.

Delighted, Su Mo stopped the transfer and tested her abilities. She took out a cabbage seed, activated her power, and watched it grow into a large cabbage in under two minutes. Excited, she repeated the process with a watermelon seed, which quickly grew into a large, ripe watermelon.

Although these two inductions consumed all her energy, Su Mo was thrilled. Being able to nurture a plant’s full growth cycle in one go was a significant improvement. Plus, with unpolluted land readily available, her work would be even easier.

She harvested the cabbage and watermelon, storing them in her space. Suddenly, she noticed her space had expanded by about a third. Selling fruits earlier had cleared much room, but this unexpected growth was a pleasant surprise.

It seemed her supernatural powers and spatial abilities were interconnected, advancing one also enhanced the other. This discovery filled Su Mo with joy. The god of book-traveling must truly favor her, she thought. Upgrading her space would no longer be a concern.

Ecstatic, Su Mo sliced the newly grown watermelon, eating it to celebrate, even though it was cold outside. Her excitement overshadowed the impracticality of enjoying a watermelon in winter.

As she savored the fruit, the brigade radio broadcast an announcement. The commune film projection team would be screening movies at the brigade headquarters that evening and the next. The announcer repeated the news three times for emphasis.

The villagers’ cheers seemed to echo in Su Mo’s ears.

In this era, even radios were rare in rural areas, and cultural entertainment revolved around the occasional movie screenings by traveling film projection teams.

Whenever a film projection team came, every household that could move would head out to watch the movie, even if they had seen it several times before.

Su Mo smirked knowingly. She was planning to find an opportunity to deliver some supplies to the cowshed, and this seemed like the perfect time.

In the evening, the brigade members finished their meals early and rushed to the grain-drying area in front of the brigade office to secure good spots for the movie screening.

Ma Xiaojuan stopped by to invite Su Mo to go together.

“I heard there will be two films tonight,” Ma Xiaojuan said excitedly. “One is the model opera ‘Red Lantern’, and the other is ‘Tunnel Warfare’. They say there will be a foreign film tomorrow.”

Although she had already seen these movies in the city, it was her first time experiencing an open-air screening in the countryside, and she thought it would be quite interesting.

When they arrived, the good spots at the front were already taken, so they had to sit farther back.

The brigade had set up a screen on the podium, and the projector was mounted on a tripod. As the projectionist connected the wires, the “thump thump” sound of the diesel generator filled the air, and the lively crowd suddenly quieted as the film began.

The first movie was the model opera ‘Red Lantern’. Su Mo, preoccupied with her plans, found little interest in watching. After half an hour, she excused herself, claiming a stomachache, and left.

Back home, Su Mo waited a short while before heading to the mountains under the bright moonlight, which illuminated her path.

The cowshed was near the Lujia Village Brigade, and since many villagers from nearby Lijiaao had come to watch the movie, the area around the cowshed was likely deserted.

Approaching the cowshed, Su Mo retrieved her prepared backpack, carrying a quilt for Zhang Zhen in one hand and a straw basket with a pound of eggs in the other.

Upon reaching the cowshed, she stayed hidden, knocked on the door using pebbles, and mimicked bird calls.

A moment later, Su Tingqian came to open the door. Surprised, he asked, “Momo, why are you here so late at night?” as he took the items from her hands.

“Our brigade was showing a movie tonight, so there was no one around. Are you all already asleep?” she asked, noticing the darkness inside.

Su Tingqian nodded. “There’s not much kerosene, so we go to bed early since we can’t see much at night.”

Inside, Mo Yurong had already lit a kerosene lamp.

Su Mo began unpacking, explaining as she went. “The quilt is for Grandpa Zhang, and this set of cotton clothes is for Comrade Xiao Ding. The eggs in the basket are for you. Hide them well, and cook them as needed.”

She then took out a lunchbox containing braised pork head and potatoes. “I also brought something delicious. It’s still hot, so call Grandpa Zhang and the others to eat while it’s fresh.”

Unpacking further, she explained, “These daily essentials are for Grandpa Zhang. There’s lard in this enamel pot, use it for cooking. I brought two thermoses since the weather is cold, and you’ll need hot water.”

She handed over some coarse cloth, needle, and thread. “Use these to mend your clothes if they tear. Here’s a pound of kerosene to light your lamps at night. I’ll bring more next time.”

Pointing to another item, she added, “This is toilet paper. And here’s half a pound of kelp, make some soup with it occasionally.”

As Su Mo continued unpacking and giving instructions, tears welled up in Mo Yurong’s eyes and began streaming down her cheeks.

Startled, Su Mo asked, “Mom, what’s wrong?”

Choking up, Mo Yurong whispered, “Momo, you’ve endured so much.”

“Mom, don’t cry!” Su Mo said, comforting her. “As long as our family stays together, I don’t feel like I’m suffering. These hard days will pass. We have to believe that.”

Wiping her tears quickly, Mo Yurong nodded. “Yes, you’re right. We must stay strong. We can’t let those people succeed.”

Su Mo’s eyes glimmered with thought. It seemed her parents knew more than they let on. She would need to find the right time to question them further.