But when she turned around, the words on her lips couldn't be spoken anymore.
Could this person with a slicked-back hairstyle and a lively look in front of her really be her own son?
" Benjamin, you...you're in love?"
Mother's eyes suddenly reddened, filled with surprise and doubt.
Benjamin looked at the middle-aged woman before him, her face haggard yet brimming with joy and her eyes reddening with emotion.
He didn't know what to say.
The other soul was gone.
Although he was also her child, growing up in this body, for the past 20 years, neither of them knew of the other's existence.
She had gained a son, but she had also lost one.
"No, it's just that I suddenly had some realizations about life, and I don't want to continue being so dispirited anymore.
Benjamin knew that saying too much would be a mistake, so he replied according to his instinctive speech patterns.
For some reason, he suddenly felt a pang of fear—fear that all of this was fake, fear of losing it all.
"Okay, okay, Mom's relieved."
Mother brought two sets of bowls and chopsticks to the table and placed two servings of fried rice on them.
"Eat up, you got off work late today, are you hungry?"
"Yeah, a little."
Benjamin picked up a bowl of rice and stuffed a big mouthful.
He glanced at the plastic bag; it said "Da Egg Fried Rice" and thought to himself that this fried rice was so delicious, he'd have to try it again tomorrow.
As he ate, he glanced at his mother, only to find her staring at him with a beaming smile, her wrinkles crinkling with laughter.
"Mom, why are you staring at me like that?"
Benjamin felt a little strange being stared at.
"What's wrong? Can't I look at my own son? I'm just thinking that my son is so handsome now, he'll definitely find a beautiful girlfriend."
Mother replied cheerfully, and just as she was about to continue, her phone rang.
"Hello, Team Leader Antes, um, I'm back... Okay, can we do it tomorrow? Oh... sure, sure."
Benjamin looked at mother, who was on the phone, and noticed the stray white hairs on her head.
He felt he needed to sell these few ginseng roots as soon as possible.
After finishing their meal, Benjamin and mother watched TV together for a while before going to their respective bedrooms to sleep.
...
The sun slowly rose, its beautiful rays filtering through the veil of clouds and gently bathing the windowpane, ushering in a warm morning.
Benjamin lazily got out of bed, stretched, and shifted his body, a series of cracking sounds emanating from his bones.
He walked to the window and drew back the curtains.
White clouds drifted slowly outside, and wisps of smoke from chimneys drifted in through the window.
He could see people in the opposite apartment building, taking in laundry, brushing their teeth, washing their faces, and moving about on their balconies.
The sounds of children singing, the cracking of exercise, birdsong in the trees, and the engines of electric bikes and cars mingled with greetings and conversations from downstairs.
His mother had left for work half an hour earlier.
For Benjamin now, even staying up late wasn't a problem, but he just wanted to experience this feeling at home.
Benjamin picked up his phone and checked the forum.
There were already over a hundred replies regarding the century-old ginseng, ranging from skepticism to criticism.
He carefully scrolled through them and found a user with the username "Old Monster of Medicine Valley," and sent him a private message.
This user's profile indicated he was the director of medicine hospital, and the price he offered was very reasonable, showing great sincerity.
His message was replied to instantly, it seemed someone had been monitoring the situation.
After some tentative communication, Benjamin decided to take all three ginseng roots with him to the transaction.
These were collectibles he had acquired at high prices in the story world, their ages and appearances varied, and they had been stored for different periods after harvesting—clearly items that had been collected.
"Why can't the older generation of my family secretly collect a few good things?" he thought.
Benjamin quickly finished washing up and left home.
As he locked the door, he heard the door next door open.
Turning around, he saw Lili, whom he had met at the entrance of the complex yesterday.
They smiled at each other, a brief greeting, and said nothing more.
Benjamin quickly went to the agreed-upon teahouse.
After some negotiation, the other party agreed to pay ten million for the three ginseng roots, stating they would take as many genuine, century-old wild ginseng as they could get their hands on.
Benjamin looked at the ten million dollars that had arrived in his account.
The money came quickly, but this was a one-time thing.
After all, the family of Benjamin wasn't royalty, they couldn't possibly have a large collection to sell every day.
Doing it too often would inevitably arouse suspicion.
He then casually bought some clothes, electronics, and a million-dollar Price sedan before rushing home.
"Benjamin, where did this money come from? You didn't do anything bad, did you?"
That evening, mother sat at the table, looking at the five million dollars Benjamin had transferred to her account, asking with a mixture of excitement and worry.
"Don't worry, Mom. Look at the transfer details: 'Miosho.' It's a famous medicine hospital. I made money legitimately by trading medicine online."
Benjamin casually made up a story. He didn't have any foolish thoughts like being afraid his family would know he was making money. He believed his mother could accept the money.
"It's very good, Benjamin, you don't have to worry about finding a wife now. Mom will save this money for you."
Mother only believed him after seeing the verification on the mobile banking interface.
"No need to save it. I'll earn a lot more later. You don't need to go to that factory anymore. That way, I can focus on making money."
Benjamin handed Mother a cup of ginseng tea.
"Okay... then Mom will go to the factory tomorrow and tell them that I'll go to the park every day for a walk and exercise, just like Ms. Griffin on the third floor."
Mother wasn't a sentimental person. She only worked hard because she had no choice but to take care of her children.
Now that her children were earning money, she naturally felt at ease.
After dealing with his mother's affairs, Benjamin returned to his room and resumed studying the Lighthouse.
According to the manual, the fourth day of every 12 dungeon months was "Lights Out Day."
Everyone would be summoned to the Lighthouse, at which time the Lighthouse and the branch towers of the tower masters would be extinguished, and monsters in the Mystery Realm would run rampant.
Only by entering the scenario world and returning to reality after completion can one avoid the calamity.
If one considers themselves strong enough, they can stay in Lighthouse Square without entering the scenario world, as long as they can withstand the attacks of the unknown monsters in the Mysterious Realm.
However, this monthly scenario world is a large-scale and terrifying world with a death quota.
It is very difficult for a person to escape alive without sufficient strength.
Now, there are only three and a half months until the Lights-Out Day.
This is unfair to someone like Benjamin who entered the Lighthouse late, but the Lighthouse itself doesn't speak of fairness.
The manual states that many Tower Masters have made deductions about the Lighthouse's good and evil, ultimately concluding with four words: It doesn't care!
Benjamin dislikes being passive, so he plans to enter the story world early, experience several worlds, and quickly develop his strength.
Benjamin sat down at the table, picked up paper and pen, and began to recall the plot of the Tumbbad (2018).