Chapter 25: The Real-Life Face-Crafting

When Fang Mingxi opened her eyes again, all she could see was darkness. There was no light around her; she couldn’t even make out her own hand.

She fumbled as she tried to stand, accidentally touching something. Suddenly, a small point of light appeared before her.

The little light hovered in front of her, casting a faint glow into the darkness.

Fang Mingxi squinted, trying to make out her fingers, but something felt off, her body seemed lighter than usual.

She poked the light, and the moment she touched it, it automatically “clicked,” as if confirming something.

The single point of light rapidly multiplied into four, expanding into round bubbles that floated above her head.

Each bubble displayed a symbol. The first showed just a face outline with no features, the second a hairstyle, the third clothing, and the fourth a map with a few houses drawn on it.

This!!!

Fang Mingxi’s heart raced. The first three bubbles were immediately familiar to her, an avid gamer, they were the character creation interface.

Creating a character, just like in the games she loved. Could it be that she had to create a character to go to Hongqi Town?

If that was the case, it was perfect. She wouldn’t have to worry about entering the commune, creating a character would essentially give her a fake identity.

Fang Mingxi quickly tapped the first bubble. The image shrank and moved to the left, while several rows of numbers appeared on the right.

She pressed the first number and slightly pulled back. A pair of eyebrows suddenly appeared on the previously blank face outline. The eyebrows shifted with the numbers, showing different shapes.

Recalling her previous life, Fang Mingxi adjusted them into simple, unadorned willow-leaf shapes.

Next came the eyes. In her previous life, she had almond-shaped eyes, but this body leaned more toward peach-blossom eyes. Following the natural shape of this body, she adjusted the eyes accordingly.

Then she moved on to the nose and mouth, pinching and tweaking until she had a gentle-looking oval face.

The next bubble was for hair. A dazzling array of hairstyles appeared.

Fang Mingxi didn’t fuss. She chose long, straight black hair. After all, she was heading to Hongqi Town; her hair couldn’t be too flashy, or she might be labeled a capitalist.

The next bubble was for clothing. There were countless styles, but Fang Mingxi selected a floral shirt, black pants, and a pair of period-appropriate cloth shoes.

Once she finished, a checkmark and a cross appeared. She studied the character carefully.

An oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, a gentle smile at the corner of her mouth, it looked pleasing.

From hair to feet, she was satisfied with nearly every detail. Fang Mingxi clicked “confirm.”

As soon as she did, her body felt lighter. She could feel a rapid, almost chaotic growth coursing through her.

Her skin itched, her limbs ached as though growing pains were surging through them. Her entire body tingled painfully. She gritted her teeth and endured it for a full minute before the sensation finally subsided.

The three light orbs disappeared, and the room brightened slightly. A mirror suddenly appeared in the center.

Sweating from the ordeal, Fang Mingxi approached. When she saw her reflection, she froze for a moment.

Her face was exactly as it had been in her previous life, unmarked by the hardships of work. Her features were fresh, and her hair smooth and shiny.

It looked the same, yet slightly different, mainly her eyes.

From a distance, she appeared approachable. Up close, however, her eyes were sharp, as if she could scold someone at any moment.

Fang Mingxi paced around, familiarizing herself with the body.

Who would have thought? She had been a baby just a few days ago, and now it felt like decades had passed.

Being an adult again felt strange, slightly uncomfortable.

Her height also made a difference. Now she could clearly see far-off objects without crawling like a child. Her hands had strength again.

If a field of sweet potatoes were in front of her, she could likely harvest it all by herself.

After taking in her new body, Fang Mingxi looked around the room.

Once the room brightened, she noticed she was in a small, enclosed space, walls on all sides, no larger than ten square meters, with no windows.

The ceiling was about two meters high. She felt she could touch it while on tiptoe. Apart from the mirror, there was no furniture.

Above the mirror were several symbols. Fang Mingxi walked closer and saw that the three previously disappearing bubbles were now fixed above it. Touching them brought up the same character creation interface as before.

Fang Mingxi grinned. She had assumed creating a character was a one-time process. Now that it was fixed, she could change her clothes and facial features anytime.

She reminded herself again: she loved the Mountain-Harvest Trading Game. She would worship it like a god.

Turning from the mirror, Fang Mingxi examined the fourth bubble.

The map had no labels, except for a single red dot. Tapping it revealed the name: Hongqi Town.

Fang Mingxi hesitated for a moment, then tapped it without a second thought.

[Trading module activation failed. Current time: 7:00 PM, Huaxia time. The market is closed. Please resume trading after 6:00 AM tomorrow.]

Fang Mingxi withdrew her hand. There was a time restriction, did it follow real-world time?

The market would indeed be nearly empty at this hour, which explained the failure.

But where exactly was the Hongqi Town market? Everything now required coupons. She couldn’t openly sell food at the supply and marketing cooperative, she’d likely be arrested as a speculator.

If there was anywhere she could trade without a coupon, it could only be one place: the black market.

Only there could she sell freely, though she would always risk being reported. As long as she ran fast, nothing else mattered.

Fang Mingxi finally understood. No wonder the system required her to create an identity beforehand. In the black market, everyone wore masks. If the authorities caught someone unmasked, they’d face serious consequences.

Now she had a cover identity, who would know her real body was still a child?

Speaking of which, children!!

Fang Mingxi’s heart skipped a beat. She had been asleep in bed when she entered this state. She had entered as a conscious entity, her real body shouldn’t have fainted, right?

She hurriedly searched the mirror for a logout icon but found nothing. She even flipped through the map several times, but no luck.

Just as panic set in, she remembered the little cart might have a cross.

She opened the panel and clicked the cross on the orange trading cart. Her vision blurred, and when she opened her eyes again, she saw the broken hole in the ceiling.

Turning her head, she saw her grandparents had finished tidying up and were sleeping calmly nearby. Judging by their relaxed expressions, they hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

Finally at ease, Fang Mingxi turned her head and buried herself in Tong Lingxian’s arms, closing her eyes to sleep.