Over the next few days, Shen Mu Ning first packed up the original owner's clothes and shoes, putting them in snakeskin bags. Then she organized all her books from childhood to adulthood, piling them under the single bed. She planned to take these things with her, so she packed them up and put them away now, intending to put them into her spatial storage later. Otherwise, if the Shen family members came and went and found the things suddenly gone, it would be difficult to explain.

With four days left before her assignment to go to the countryside, which happened to be July 1st, the day she was supposed to pick up her clothes and cotton quilts as agreed, Shen Mu Ning set off from the county town early in the morning, taking a bus to the city. However, the bus ride was truly uncomfortable; the bumpy ride made her dizzy and her stomach upset. She could only silently absorb the small amount of wood element in the air to alleviate her discomfort. She knew how to drive, but she had nowhere to get a car.

Shen Mu Ning received the clothes she had ordered, the cotton wadding, and the leftover fabric from the tailor and the cotton carding shop. After paying the fee, she took the items away.

With these items in hand, Shen Mu Ning's supplies for her trip to the countryside were almost complete. She had also discussed the matter with the family who wanted to buy the house a couple of days prior. After meeting with the buyer, she hadn't hidden anything about the yard's condition, and the family confirmed that it was exactly as she had described after inquiring about Shen Mu Ning's family's situation.

Although Shen Guoliang's family would definitely try to stop them when it came time to take possession of the house, they weren't afraid of anything. They had three sons, and their relatives on both sides had jobs in the county town, so they weren't worried about Shen Guoliang trying to renege on his promise.

The family wanting to buy a courtyard house has three sons, all of whom are married. Only the eldest son moved out after his company provided him with an apartment because he had worked for a few more years. However, the two younger sons have gotten married and had children, and the house is becoming too small. They've been asking around to see if anyone is selling a house. Luckily, Shen Mu Ning's house came along; they were very satisfied with it, and the money for the house could be pooled together by my brothers.

After discussing it with his family, Shen Mu Ning decided to wait until July 3rd for the transaction, giving them time to raise the money. Shen Mu Ning also received a 50 yuan deposit and agreed to complete the formalities at the housing management office on July 3rd to transfer the house to his family. She also arranged for them to come and take possession of the house on July 6th, by which time she would have already gone to the countryside, and Shen Guo Liang wouldn't be able to use any tricks or moral blackmail against her.

So after receiving the cotton wadding, Shen Mu Ning had basically nothing to do except pack meals from the state-run restaurant every day. She decided to take advantage of the early hour and head into the mountains from the north of the city; she had been there for several days but hadn't been inside yet.

As soon as Shen Mu Ning stepped into the forest, she noticed that the wood element in the air was becoming increasingly concentrated. She then focused some of her attention on absorbing and transforming the wood element as she ventured deeper into the mountains. The outer edges of the mountain range had been thoroughly searched by the surrounding inhabitants; nothing was left—no edible wild vegetables, fruits, or dried firewood. She had no choice but to continue deeper into the mountains, hoping to find something.

As Shen Mu Ning ventured deeper into the mountains, the surrounding trees grew increasingly tall, and the ground was littered with more withered branches and leaves. Shen Mu Ning chopped down every dry tree she encountered with an axe and stored it in her spatial storage, as she would need a large amount of firewood for both the earthen stove and heating the kang (a traditional heated bed). This journey was spent constantly expending her energy to replenish her wood elemental power and temper her body. Soon, after a large pile of firewood accumulated in Shen Mu Ning's spatial courtyard, her wood-elemental ability reached level one.