Chapter 5: Seeking Benefits for Oneself

After returning home, Ye Nai first did the housework, sweeping and mopping the floors. Once the floors dried, she lay on the floor to do sit-ups and push-ups.

These days, everyone placed unprecedented importance on physical exercise. The goal wasn't anything grand, just to be able to run faster than others in dangerous situations, which could be the difference between life and death.

After finishing her indoor workout, Ye Nai changed her shoes, grabbed a jump rope, and continued her exercises in the hallway outside. She did two thousand jumps, still had energy left, and then went downstairs to run two laps around the neighborhood's perimeter wall and hung on the horizontal bars for a while.

The neighborhood had some greenery, including random wildflowers and weeds in addition to some trees. While running, Ye Nai casually scattered spores around these areas.

She couldn't practice using the kitchen waste at home. Using these plants should suffice for now, but she needed to quickly discover if her fungi had uses other than decomposing organic matter.

Awakening could trigger extreme enhancements in body functions—strength, stamina, vision, hearing, smell, taste, and speed varied from person to person. In Ye Nai's case, it had augmented her spiritual power significantly. She could easily control and direct every invisible spore she released, ensuring they landed exactly where she wanted them to.

The released spores sank into the soil, grew out into mycelial filaments, forming clumps of Fungal Mycelium that continuously decomposed and transformed the soil's organic matter. This process provided her a steady flow of energy, keeping her vitality and strength at peak levels.

After finishing, Ye Nai headed home. Her younger siblings, who had been out playing all day, also returned. She quickly cooked dinner, reminded them to stay home properly, and then rushed to the hospital with the meals.

Her mother had completed her tasks successfully. By her father's hospital bed now stood a second-hand wheelchair. Both parents were engrossed in their phones, watching short videos and laughing heartily.

Ye Nai called out to her parents, put down the thermal container, and sat at the foot of the bed to watch her parents eat.

At that time, the other patients in the ward were also having their meals, and their family members were bustling in and out, creating a lively atmosphere.

Ye Nai sat quietly at the foot of the bed. Her exceptional spiritual power let her acutely sense that someone was scrutinizing her from behind, a feeling that made her quite uncomfortable.

Ye Nai immediately turned her head and glared back.

She thought she was merely giving a light warning glance, completely unaware that her look carried a spiritual power attack. The other person, being just an Ordinary, instantly felt distressed and nearly unable to breathe due to her stare.

Feeling frightened afterward, the person turned away, not daring to look again. However, still feeling resentful, they stealthily thought about speaking to her parents after she left, hoping to earn a matchmaking fee. A big and handy girl like that was popular in the matchmaking market; bringing her home meant someone to take care of all the household chores without fear. This girl's fierceness was surely an act—no real harm behind it as any truly fierce man would make her behave.

Ye Nai glared and then turned away. Though she didn't catch any more prying eyes, she still felt a chill on her back as if some malice was brewing.

Her spiritual power, unleashed subconsciously, swept through the ward and accurately targeted that family member again from the side and rear.

Ye Nai pursed her lips, unable to tolerate it any longer. The person had been stared at yet remained defiant and harbored wild thoughts.

With a subtle flick of her fingers, she released seven or eight spores, which, under her command, settled onto that individual and merged into their skin.

Ye Nai felt no guilt; an annoying pest had shown up, providing a perfect opportunity to test the potency of her Fungal powers on a living person.

After releasing the spores, she sat quietly, pretending to be obedient and waiting for her parents to finish their meal.

Sitting bored, her thoughts churned. She suddenly realized the meaning of the Awakening Badge—probably to protect Ordinary folks. You recognize someone by the badge, warning them not to bother an Awakener just for fun because one could not predict the repercussions.

Ye Nai made a stern face as she mentally prepared herself. She was now an Awakener, and though her family, including her parents and siblings, depended on her and she could still empathize with Ordinary people, she could no longer afford to think or behave like them in society.

Simply put, what was before was in the past, and now was the abnormal.

About half an hour later, Ye Nai, carrying the empty thermal container, headed home.

Last night, as she had her younger siblings one by one take their baths, she waited for the laundry to finish when her mom, Yu Qing, returned from the hospital. After sending the three youngest to bed, she called her eldest daughter to talk about going to the hospital together the next day to pick up her dad.

"Mom, tomorrow is Monday, I need to go to school."

"You had your Awakening test yesterday and you haven't mentioned the results. Did you not awaken?"

"Yes."

"Well, that settles it. Tomorrow, go to school to fill out the form and drop out, then meet up with us at the hospital to pick up your dad."

Yu Qing seemed indifferent from the start, she hadn't held much hope for her eldest daughter's Awakening as neither her family nor her husband's family had ever produced an Awakener, and she thought the chances were too low for her family.

"Okay." Ye Nai didn't argue, her mom's plan was acceptable, "Give me money to buy a phone, I'm going to look for a job."

"Your dad has a fracture, you should take care of things at home for now."

"What can I take care of? He can eat and drink by himself. Should I change his diapers? Wash his butt? Just how good-looking is my dad's thing, you want me to take a look and touch it too?"

"What are you saying, have you no shame...?!" Yu Qing exploded with anger, were these words something a just-adult girl should be saying?

"Isn't that what you just said? I stay at home to take care of dad, take care of what? Just handle his eating and drinking, and ignore the rest? Let him suffer if he has accidents? Then I might as well stay at home."

Ye Nai looked innocently and spread her hands, adamantly denying she had angered her mom.

"But your dad's legs are impaired, it's not okay to have no one at home."

"So what do you suggest? He's injured, his salary is reduced, right? My underage allowance stops in May, but my expenses won't decrease by a hair, I don't look for a job, are you going to support me?"

The previously enraged Yu Qing suddenly went silent. The household costs money everywhere, to ignore the labor potential of her eldest daughter, keeping her at home to work was indeed a serious question.

Her husband, Ye Yu, had fallen from a platform while working, qualifying it as a work-related injury, with all medical expenses covered by workers' compensation insurance, not a penny needed from their own pocket, and the union had given some nutritional support during their visit, but during the recovery period his company only paid eight hundred yuan basic salary, and now the eldest daughter had aged out of her subsidy.

The income had decreased while living expenses had simultaneously increased. It was reasonable for the eldest daughter to look for a job, but leaving her injured husband alone at home was also worrisome.

"Let me think about it some more."

"Then buy me a phone first." Ye Nai reached out her hand for money.

"Why the rush? Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

"You don't even have a thousand in cash on you?"

"Why a thousand? For a student phone plus a SIM card, who needs that much?!"

"I'm not asking for two thousand, which is good already. Besides two sets of school uniforms, I don't have any decent clothes. My school uniform has worn thin, do you ever notice that my underwear shows through my school pants?"

Ye Nai patted her own face.

"You think I want to have my face? I walk around almost like I'm naked every day; what face do I need?"