Son Mirai immediately started plowing the fields.
Goku saw him and imitated him, doing his best to look the part.
Plowing looked simple, but it actually took some skill.
Brute strength alone wasn't enough. It required control and finesse.
He had to gather his energy along the edges of his palms, like using an invisible plow to cut into the soil,
feeling the earth resist and adjusting the angle and pressure to keep them even.
Though they had never trained in energy control, they had already been using their energy unconsciously as they worked.
This kind of labor helped them learn to control their energy.
After working for a while, Son Mirai realized that plowing was exhausting.
And unlike hunting, it wasn't something you could finish in a matter of minutes.
There were at least several hundred acres to plow on this mountain. Finishing it all would be a huge undertaking.
They had to manage their strength carefully and use finesse to conserve energy if they wanted to finish the day's work.
And in battle, controlling the force of each attack was even more important. It all came down to the little details built up through everyday practice.
For example, swatting a mosquito only took a light slap. Using a cannon to kill one would waste ammunition and damage the environment.
By contrast, Vegeta's Prince Tactics looked impressive, but consumed far too much stamina. He'd be running on fumes in five minutes.
Thinking of all the benefits this would bring to their training and growth, Son Mirai threw himself into the work with even more enthusiasm.
Goku kept his head down and worked from start to finish, only glancing at Son Mirai now and then as he tried not to fall behind. His plowing technique grew more and more efficient, too.
Seeing how perceptive and hardworking the two were, Son Gohan smiled with satisfaction.
At first, they turned the soil one patch at a time, and it took them a whole day to finish a single small hillside.
But soon, they picked up the pace.
Sunrise, sunset.
By the end of the first day, the entire open slope had been turned into smooth, loose soil.
On the second day, they expanded their work area to the stream.
On the third day, they tackled another hillside.
On the fourth day...
They trained and worked tirelessly, turning over nearly all of Mount Paozu.
After a few days, Gohan saw that the farmland the two had cultivated had far exceeded his plans, and his face lit up with delight.
"Those two little guys sure can work!"
"At this rate, even if we don't hunt, we'll have enough grain and vegetables to eat by the fall harvest. We can sell whatever's left and make some money, too."
He looked at Goku and Son Mirai's clothes. They both seemed a little short on them.
"They've grown so much in the blink of an eye. I should make them both a couple of new outfits...
"But we won't get anything from the harvest until fall. We can't wait that long.
"Once we've finished planting in a few days, I'll take them down to the city to deliver milk."
A few days passed in the blink of an eye.
All of Mount Paozu had been plowed and planted, and they had watered it all once, too.
They had completed a major undertaking over the past few days, and both Goku and Son Mirai were exhausted.
"Son Mirai, Goku, Grandpa's taking you to the city tomorrow to deliver milk. Make sure you go to bed early tonight!"
Goku blinked in surprise. "Deliver milk in the city?"
Son Gohan nodded. "That's right. It's a kind of training, too."
"Great! I've been looking forward to this!"
They lived on the mountain, almost completely cut off from the world, but they had gone down the mountain before.
Since Gohan was alive, he always took the two of them along to help carry supplies when he went shopping down in town.
They hadn't gone down often, but Goku wasn't a complete country bumpkin anymore.
He knew what cars were, what women were, and what tall buildings were.
But even so, they were both excited at the thought of going down the mountain.
The two got into bed early and forced themselves to close their eyes, too excited to fall asleep until well past midnight.
The next day, after heading down the mountain, Son Gohan took them straight to the milk depot.
In this era, milk didn't come in special packaging yet. The depot only sold plain milk in glass bottles.
The two became milkmen, each carrying a crate of milk and running from house to house on foot,
placing fresh milk in the designated boxes and collecting the old, empty bottles.
After delivering just a few houses, they began to slow down.
Son Gohan hurriedly reminded them, "Goku, Son Mirai, milk spoils quickly, so you need to pick up the pace!"
"Okay! We know!"
The two went from walking to running.
Besides, delivering milk didn't mean running along the main road. They had to weave through all sorts of terrain and climb stairs,
while dodging pedestrians and cars. It required even more focus than plowing, so delivering milk was no easy task.
After delivering milk all day, Son Mirai and Goku were both utterly exhausted.
Their bangs clung to their foreheads, their breathing was ragged, and their eyelids drooped.
But they hadn't delivered all the milk yet. They had to finish every last delivery.
Goku asked, "Grandpa, there are so many cars. Why don't we use one to make deliveries?"
Son Gohan smiled. "Delivering milk is just an extra task. Training is our main goal."
"Oh! I forgot."
Son Mirai had known all along that this was training, so he hadn't said a word.
Thinking about it now, the hard training he'd thought he'd done in his past life was child's play compared to this.
This was the starting point of his future strength, the foundation for his future breakthroughs, and a path every strong fighter had to walk.
Sweat dripped from his chin and spattered against the dirt.
Seeing how tired the two were, Son Gohan encouraged them. "Keep it up!
"Just three more houses, and we'll be done for the day!"
Son Mirai suddenly picked up speed.
"Haha! I'm definitely going to finish first!"
As he spoke, he raced ahead.
Goku immediately called out, "Hey, Son Mirai, wait for me!"
He hurried after him.
From behind them, Gohan called with a smile, "Don't run across the street! Be careful!"
But no sooner had he said it than trouble struck.
As they rounded a corner and rushed toward the main road, a shrill horn suddenly blared!
"Beep beep—!!!"
A cargo-laden truck barreled down the slope like a runaway steel beast!
In the middle of the road, a woman and a little girl of three or four stood frozen with fear,
while the driver panicked, unable to stop the truck no matter how hard he slammed on the brakes.
Son Mirai's pupils suddenly contracted.
The next moment, his body moved on its own.
He didn't rush over to pick them up and carry them away.
Instead, he dropped the milk and charged toward the truck, bracing both hands against its front in an attempt to stop it.
"Stop—right there!!!"
Gohan was horrified. "Son Mirai, get out of the way..."
He had grown much stronger, but he was still just a little kid. How could he possibly stop a truck?
But Son Mirai wasn't one to give up.
He realized he couldn't stop the truck, but he still didn't back down.
Instead, he crouched low, dug both hands into the front bumper, and heaved upward.
In an instant, the front of the truck lifted, its front wheels leaving the ground and spinning rapidly in the air.
Son Mirai's feet dug deep into the asphalt as the truck's momentum pushed him backward, shattering the road beneath him for several meters.
He kept sliding until the truck's front end was less than half a meter from the mother and daughter.
At last, he had completely canceled out its momentum. The truck stopped!
Son Mirai lowered the front end.
"Rrrr—BOOM!!!"
The air suddenly fell silent.
Only the hiss of the truck's pneumatic brakes and Son Mirai's heavy breathing could be heard.
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