Chapter 175 Mutant Field Mice

"That's good." Mu Qingyu yawned, didn't ask any more questions, and went upstairs to rest.

Before going to sleep, I did my usual routine of checking my online space. I checked the fruits and vegetables I planted last time, and some of them were already ripe.

Mu Qingyu discovered that after the space was upgraded, the speed at which fruits and vegetables matured also doubled.

Initially, the growth rate of plants in the space was about the same as outside. But now it seems to have increased two or three times. This is a good thing.

Mu Qingyu had already harvested the previous batch of sweet potatoes and potatoes, and when she left home alone last time, she left most of them to Mu Qingrong.

When I came back this time, the second batch of potatoes and sweet potatoes I planted were ripe again, and we can dig them up tomorrow when the land is cleared.

Mu Qingyu also planted taro last time, and the taro is ready for harvest. The same goes for tomatoes; they are all species that ripen very quickly.

Needless to say, the leafy greens will get too old if we don't harvest them soon. There's also corn, eggplant, peppers, radishes, and cucumbers…

Mu Qingyu immediately felt a headache coming on—how could she possibly manage all of this by herself! The matter of putting Mu Qingrong into the space as a laborer should be put on the agenda tomorrow!

The rice and wheat planted last time have grown tall and lush, but they haven't formed ears yet; it might take a while. Mu Qingyu only regrets that she doesn't have enough manpower; she hasn't been able to plant the entire rice paddy by herself.

It had been several days since she'd returned to her space. The apple tree she'd discovered last time had ripened even more. Those trees that had been covered in white blossoms when Mu Qingyu last visited were now bearing small fruits, which Mu Qingyu thought looked like pears!

Great, more fruit to eat! Thinking of this, I remembered the watermelon seeds I had scattered near the woods last time, so I quickly ran to check on them.

The same lush greenery, with many fist-sized melons lying on the ground...

Mu Qingyu was satisfied, and then ran to the pond to look at the fish.

The fish had grown a bit bigger. Mu Qingyu gestured with her hands to indicate their size, thinking to herself that they looked edible! Although she still couldn't identify what kind of fish they were, she was sure they were edible.

She thought to herself—why not have a whole fish feast tomorrow? Great idea!

Besides the fish, the shrimp have also grown bigger, some as thick as a thumb, and they're edible now.

Finally, Mu Qingyu checked the wooden house's points: 5903. The space showed no signs of needing to be upgraded, but she was prepared that the fifth space upgrade would require even more merit points.

Mu Qingyu then took a bath in the cabin, changed her clothes, and went to rest contentedly.

Back home, she slept soundly, a rare occurrence, but even so, Mu Qingyu got up promptly at eight o'clock in the morning.

The three little ones on the first floor were busy preparing breakfast. When they saw Mu Qingyu come down, Mu Qingrong said, "We thought you would sleep in. We weren't planning to call you for breakfast."

Mu Qingyu stretched, put on her sportswear, and said lazily, "I slept well, so I naturally got up when I woke up. What do you want for breakfast?" She looked at the dining table with some anticipation.

"Porridge? What would you like to eat so early in the morning, sister?" Mu Qingrong said, pretending to be old-fashioned.

Mu Qingyu was feeling lazy all morning, otherwise she would have gone over and given her younger brother a few hard taps on the head.

There were three bowls of thick rice porridge on the table. When Xiao Ai saw Mu Qingyu come down, she immediately put out a fourth bowl.

Then came a plate of crisp stir-fried greens—ever since Mu Qingyu's last bountiful harvest of greens, small greens have become a staple at every meal at home.

However, unlike meat, vegetables are something you never get tired of eating. In the post-apocalyptic world, vegetables are also the easiest source of vitamins.

Then came a plate of cucumber salad, a plate of tofu and preserved egg, and a plate of pickled cabbage.

It was indeed a light breakfast.

"Huh, pickled cabbage?" Mu Qingyu was very surprised. She didn't remember collecting this before, although she had found a few jars of pickled vegetables while searching for their existence. "Where did this come from?"

"Sister Xiao Ai made it herself. Weren't there some leftover jars from last time's pickled vegetables at home? Sister, you left too many vegetables, and Sister Xiao Ai was afraid they would spoil if we couldn't finish them, so she pickled most of them into sauerkraut," Mu Qingrong replied.

"Pickled cabbage is much tastier than salted vegetables. It's crisp and refreshing, and can also be used for stir-fries and soups." Clearly, Mu Qingrong really likes pickled cabbage.

So even Mo Huaiyu pointed at Mu Qingrong and laughed, "This spendthrift child, in order to pickle more sauerkraut, traded potatoes for jars. Actually, you can find jars in the old houses in the village."

"Wouldn't it save a lot of time to switch back? I don't have time to search through the old house," Mu Qingrong retorted, sticking her neck out.

Mu Qingyu watched the two boys bickering with a smile. When she looked down, she found something rubbing against her feet. It turned out to be Ya Zai, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.

She didn't see it when she came back yesterday.

Tooth has grown even bigger, its fur is glossy, and its eyes are bright. It silently circles around Mu Qingyu without getting close, proving to be a good dog, already possessing the qualities of a hunter.

Ya Zai was usually cared for by three smaller dogs, and Mu Qingyu had basically never paid attention to it. If she hadn't seen it now, she would have almost forgotten that she had a dog at home.

Therefore, Ya Zai was not close to Mu Qingyu, but he knew that she was his master.

"Wow, this puppy has grown so big!" Mu Qingyu squatted down to grab the puppy. Now that it's grown up, its fur is longer and thicker, and it feels soft and comfortable to pluck.

Mu Qingyu was tormenting Ya Zai, and although Ya Zai wanted to run away, he wasn't angry.

"Sister Xiaoyu, breakfast is ready." Mo Huaiyu called to Mu Qingyu with a smile, while also rescuing poor Ya Zai.

"This guy has grown up and stopped whining!" Mu Qingyu stood up and said regretfully, finally letting Ya Zai go.

"It's grown up. Our Tooth can earn its own food now," Mu Qingrong said proudly. "Last time it went out by itself and caught a field mouse. It was huge, as big as a kitten!"

“We didn’t dare to eat it, but after processing it, we cooked it and gave it to Ya Zai to eat, and it ate it with relish.”

"A field mouse the size of a kitten?!" Mu Qingyu narrowed her eyes slightly—a mutated field mouse. "That's good, this thing is actually edible."

The mutated field mice are edible. Whether before or after the apocalypse, these creatures were not particularly dangerous. However, after mutating and growing larger, they have become even more prey for various parties.

In the previous life, field mice were rare—in the face of food scarcity, these large, plump creatures were almost eaten to extinction by humans and other carnivores.

Therefore, Mu Qingyu was not worried about the mutated field mice, but rather that the mutation of the field mice indicated that other animals had also begun, or had already mutated!