Chapter 10: As the Name Deserves It

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Following She Ning's lead, She Hongmei increasingly felt that it was a good idea.

However, setting up a stall is not something that can be decided on a whim. Time, manpower, and capital must be considered. Her family's debts have only just been mostly paid off, and she still has a large family to support. If she really wants to do this, she needs to think it over carefully.

Seeing that She Hongmei seemed to be deep in thought, She Ning said no more.

On the way back to the village, She Ning's mother drove her directly to Xiahe Elementary School.

The primary school didn't have a canteen, so all the students were children from nearby villages. They would go home for lunch after class in the morning and then return to school in the afternoon. When She Ning and her friends arrived at the school gate, the school had just rung the bell to signal the end of get out of class.

Students came out of the school in a bustling crowd. Few parents came to pick up their children after class. Among the little ones, She Ning and She Hongmei, the two adults pushing bicycles, stood out from the crowd.

Many students would glance back at them from time to time as they passed by, their eyes filled with envy.

With a small, army-green schoolbag made by She Hongmei slung across her shoulder, little She Ni walked out of the school gate arm in arm with her friend. She turned her head to the side and chattered away, looking very happy. It seemed that she had adapted very well on her first day of school.

"Nini, your afternoon class starts at 1:50. Remember to be at school on time." Her new deskmate was a cute little girl. Knowing that it was Nini's first day of school, she was afraid that Nini wouldn't remember the afternoon class time, so she reminded her, "Ms. Wu's math class is this afternoon. She's very strict and she really, really dislikes people being late."

"Okay, I remember. See you this afternoon." My deskmate is from another village, so we're going in different directions.

After saying goodbye to her deskmate, She Ni turned right and prepared to walk home.

Outside the gate, watching Xiao She Ni, who had been rushing on her way after parting ways with her new friends and hadn't noticed them at all, it was clear that she was about to walk away.

"Xiao Ni," She Ning called out.

Suddenly, she seemed to hear her sister's voice. She turned around in the direction of the voice, and then her eyes lit up. "Sister, Mom!"

On its short legs, it ran quickly towards them, shouting, "Why are you here!"

Rushing up to her, she said happily, her eyes shining as she looked at the old-fashioned bicycle next to She Hongmei, "It's so pretty! Is this bicycle Aunt Guan's? Can I ride it?"

"Get on the bus and go home." She Hongmei immediately showed her whether she could sit. She sat on the saddle, her long legs supporting her on the ground. She then placed She Ni diagonally on the front bar of the bus, and suddenly the bus lifted into the air. Little She Ni exclaimed "Yay!" and then excitedly sat on it, hugging her mother.

After starting school, She Ni became noticeably bolder and more cheerful. On the way home, she chattered non-stop about her school experiences.

After returning home, She Hongmei unloaded the things from the car. She gave the steamed buns to She Ni to eat with Grandma She. She separated some of the mung bean cakes and biscuits and put them in the wooden cabinet, closing the door to prevent mice from stealing them. She then rewrapped the rest in oil paper.

"I'm going out for a bit." After saying goodbye to She Ning, she carried the packaged pastries and pushed the cart to Aunt Guan's house.

She Ni took the steamed buns to the west wing, and her happy voice could be heard even in the kitchen.

She Ning returned to her room and left the door slightly ajar.

The second lottery draw was rushed, and she didn't even have time to check the details of the items.

He took out the Eye of Truth from the system's storage compartment. The black pearl in his hand emitted a soft glow. Like the tattered fishing net he got from the first blind box lottery, the system panel had no other information except for the item's source and number of uses.

There were no instructions for use, no applicable users, and as for how to use it, she could already think of asking the system for the answer, but she still wanted to try asking, just in case it took pity on her and found a bug to answer.

"System, could you please provide a manual for the Eye of Truth? Thank you."

"No comment. Please explore freely, host."

Okay, I've given up.

If the system is unreliable, you have to rely on yourself.

A gift from the deep sea, said to be able to see through any object.

She Ning scrutinized the sentence, and the image of X-ray examinations in hospitals in later generations popped into her mind. After being exposed, the internal structure of the human body could be clearly seen. Could this gift from the deep sea also have such an effect?

There is a large peach tree in the yard that has been eaten by insects.

She Hongmei said that the tree was planted by her grandfather when she was born. He specially bought the sapling from another place. In the past, it would bear a lot of big and sweet peaches every June and July. In the past two years, due to the pests, the peach tree has not blossomed and many leaves have fallen off. She has asked around and asked people, but no one here has experience in planting fruit trees.

The insects were removed, but soon they reappeared, leaving the trunk pitted and uneven, but the tree remained the same.

If this continues, it will die soon. The regretful and helpless expression on her mother's face when she said this flashed through She Ning's mind.

The peach tree was a treasure left to Mrs. She by Grandpa She; it would be such a pity if it withered.

The Eye of Truth can see through any object. If it's really like X-rays from later generations, it can precisely remove pests and save peach trees. If it's wrong...

It can't be wrong; anything produced by the system is guaranteed to be of high quality.

Upon arriving in the courtyard, She Ning equipped the Eye of Truth into the slot that suddenly appeared on the system panel. The black pearl perfectly fit the slot, and a glowing light filled the entire panel. Then, a line of text appeared on the panel.

Please select the target for the "Eye of Truth" action: A. Peach tree; B. Lychee tree; C. She Ning

"Note that the Eye of Truth has certain harmful effects; please choose carefully."

Upon seeing option C, She Ning was speechless. Her focus was solely on option C, and she took the following sentence as a routine reminder, much like how doctors would inform patients about the potential effects of radiation on the body before an X-ray examination.

"System, why am I also on the selection list?"

"Please feel free to explore."

She Ning: ...

Selecting option A as the target, She Ning stood three meters away from the peach tree, following the instructions on the system panel.

"Target detected. Activate True Sight Lock Mode." The system voice announced.

"Lock complete, see-through activated."

In an instant, the black pearl on the panel flashed with fluorescence, visible only to She Ning. Countless rays of light shot towards the peach tree from the air at the same time. The next second, the air was filled with the smell of burning protein, and many invisible holes appeared on the trunk of the peach tree, the largest of which was as thick as a child's pinky finger.

Looking at the hole, She Ning touched herself, thankful that she hadn't chosen option C out of curiosity. Who would have thought that it truly lived up to its name, penetrating right through.

While She Ning was still marveling at the situation, the system issued another command.

"The woodworms have been eliminated. Initiating repair function." Fluorescent light enveloped the entire peach tree. A few seconds later, the peach tree, which had been exposed to the fluorescent light, gradually became more energetic. The drooping leaves straightened up, and the holes that the light had previously pierced through were restored to their original state.

She Ning checked the interface and found that the number of uses of the Eye of Truth had increased to 2. At the same time, an option for the target of the action had been added to the interface, with information about the peach tree listed on it.

sick peach tree

Lesion removal: 100%

Current situation: Good

Next stage: It will bloom in three days.

She Ning stared at the details of the peach tree, thinking about the third option, and had some guesses in her mind. If the effect of the Eye of Truth was really as she guessed, she would have to carefully consider how to use the remaining two chances.

"Sister, what are you doing in the yard? Sunbathing?"

After finishing her steamed buns, She Ni clapped her hands as she came out of Grandma She's room. Seeing She Ning standing in the bright sun, she asked curiously and took steps toward She Ning.

"No, do you need a lunch break? I'll take you to class this afternoon." Patting the little head that had come closer, She Ning took her hand and led her to a shady spot under the eaves.

"I can't sleep, sis. Why don't you teach me? I want to skip a grade."

On the way back, she heard her mother say that her older sister had skipped a grade and was going straight to the third year of junior high school. She could even study at home, and if she got first place in the exam, the school would waive her tuition and textbook fees.

She wasn't as smart as her older sister, but she could study hard and apply to skip a grade. If she succeeded, she could skip a few years of schooling and save her family some money.

Looking at the little girl, She Ni, who barely reached her chest, speaking earnestly, She Ning took a deep breath, suppressing the emotions that were rising within her. She looked into the little girl's eyes and replied seriously, "Okay, I'll teach you."

"Thank you, sister!!!"

In the evening, after dinner, She Hongmei took a pen and paper and called She Ning and She Ni to Old Mrs. She's room.

The west wing was the same size as their house. It was built symmetrically with the main room as the center. The room was empty. To make it easier to take care of the old lady, the wooden table, wardrobe and other items were moved out.

At this moment, She Ning and She Ni carried stools and sat on the edge of the bed. The old lady was helped up and leaned against the headboard with a pillow. She Hongmei sat next to the old lady on the bed.

Once everyone was present, She Hongmei began to speak.

"Let's have a family meeting today."

The meeting's main topic was the feasibility of setting up street stalls.

She Hongmei had attended literacy classes and received some formal education before, but her studies were interrupted for some reason. However, she continued to secretly learn from the people who used to live in the village's cowshed.

She once heard someone analyze the feasibility of a certain matter, providing a reasoned and well-organized analysis from the perspectives of the market, technology, and policies. She didn't remember the details, but she remembered the method.

She Hongmei briefly recounted what She Ning had said before, and then shared her own thoughts.

Relying on farming, we only earn a few dozen yuan a year. Now the restaurant owner says the amount of fruits and vegetables we order will be reduced, which will further decrease our income. After a busy year, we may not be able to save much money.

Now that the country is reforming and opening up, it encourages everyone to be innovative and willing to try new things. She inquired and found that renting a fixed stall in the town costs two yuan a month, while a temporary stall costs 35 cents a day. You can also choose a mobile stall, which doesn't require payment, but it's not stable.

“We’ll rent a fixed stall.” After hearing her words, Grandma She made the decision.

"If you don't have enough money, I have 100 yuan here, you can take it with you."

A note from the author:

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Thanks to "Gu Jinyu" for the nutrient solution.