Cheng Ruyi sat at her desk in the room, resting her chin on one hand and staring blankly at a yellowed piece of paper in the other.
More than half a month has passed since her best friend Yang Liuer sent meat to Cheng's family in the snow. The dozen or so kilograms of pork, if eaten sparingly, are enough to temporarily alleviate the Cheng family's protein shortage.
Thinking of Yang Liuer and Sun Wensui walking back hand in hand, bickering and arguing, Cheng Ruyi suddenly felt that perhaps true love also existed in ancient times, and that she had been too extreme in the past.
Actually, if you think about it carefully, there are many love stories from ancient times that have been passed down to this day, so although the probability is low, we can't completely deny them.
However, in any case, love should have nothing to do with her now that she's a grandmother, because, putting everything else aside, public opinion alone can crush you.
Fortunately, Cheng Ruyi didn't particularly crave love. She was fine with having it or not having it. At least compared to such an illusory thing, she longed for something more practical, such as money.
Focusing on your career is better than dating! Isn't money more appealing?
Of course, compared to building a career or making money, ensuring survival is the most important thing in the current situation.
Thinking of this, Cheng Ruyi looked down at the things on her desk and fell into deep thought.
On the table were four items: from left to right, a large bag containing two palm-sized black paste-like substances, three yellowed, old pieces of paper with unknown symbols drawn on them, and two exquisite jade bottles.
Yes, these strange things are the sign-in gifts from recently.
"【Spirit Gathering Pill】, a low-grade first-tier pill, is a residue from a failed refining process. It contains a small amount of mottled spiritual energy and cannot be consumed directly. Mixing it with soil can increase the earth's spiritual energy."
"【Invisibility Talisman】, a low-grade first-tier spirit talisman, three of them. These talismans have been stored for an unknown number of years, resulting in severe loss of spiritual energy. They only have 30% of the effect of a normal invisibility talisman. It can make a person invisible for three breaths in the early stage of Qi Refining, and a mortal may be able to become invisible for ten breaths. It can be detected by people in the mid-stage of weapon refining and above."
How to use: Infuse it with spiritual energy or gently tear open the talisman paper, then quickly stick it on the person to be used.
Target audience: Living, intelligent humanoid beings.
"【Bigu Pill】, a first-grade low-level pill, six pills, expired. It is ineffective for those in the mid-stage of Qi Refining or above. For those in the early stage of Qi Refining, taking one pill can barely keep them full for three to four days with a 30% risk of diarrhea. For ordinary people, taking one pill can keep them full for ten days with a 90% risk of diarrhea."
"【Nourishing Meridian Pill】, a first-grade low-quality pill, three pills, of poor quality. It is ineffective for those in the mid-stage of Qi Refining or above. Long-term use in the early stage of Qi Refining can slightly widen the meridians. Long-term use in very small amounts by ordinary people can nourish the meridians and strengthen the body."
The Spirit Nourishing Pill remnant was from the sign-in gift pack in late February. As always, it was bizarre and a rip-off, which is nothing new. The Bigu Pill and Meridian Nourishing Pill were from the sign-in gift packs in early and mid-March. Every word of their descriptions was exactly the same as the ones I got in February. Great, everything was exactly as I expected.
If nothing unexpected happens, she can already guess what the gift package will be in late March.
So where did these extra invisibility talismans come from?
After completing the sign-in at the end of February, in addition to the remnants of the Spirit Nourishing Pill, the system gave me a "surprise"!
"Ding! Congratulations on signing in for a full month! You have triggered the special first-year reward for newcomers: the [First Month Consecutive Sign-in Gift Pack]. Would you like to claim the gift pack?"
This passage contains a lot of information, and Ruyi pondered it carefully.
First, there are two triggering conditions: the first is "continuous sign-in" and the second is "the first year of being a newcomer".
The first condition is very easy to understand. In other words, if you accidentally miss a day of signing in, you will not only miss the usual gift packs, but more importantly, you will also miss the hidden special gift packs. Ruyi couldn't help but remind herself again that the first thing she must do every morning without fail is to sign in!
The second condition can be considered a newcomer benefit, and the system explicitly states "first year," meaning there will be many hidden benefits of various kinds during this year. It also means these benefits will not be available in the second year. Although it's a bit of a disappointment, this unexpected surprise is already quite satisfying. The system is very friendly to newcomers!
Cheng Ruyi picked up one of the invisibility talismans and examined it carefully.
On the surface, it looks no different from the yellow paper used in temples, but when you touch it, you will find that the paper is softer and more delicate, with a texture between paper and silk. The vermilion symbols drawn in the middle of the paper are completely incomprehensible, and it can only be confirmed that they are not commonly used characters in modern society. Moreover, upon closer inspection, you can also see some shimmering light in it. Looking at it for a long time will make you feel dizzy. It is indeed no ordinary item.
Ten breaths is probably about ten seconds. Although ten seconds is not a long time, it can still be life-saving if used properly at a critical moment.
It has to be said that having this guarantee in today's chaotic world really makes one feel much more at ease.
During the more than one month of lockdown, many people have been running out of food. The lockdown came suddenly, and there was not enough time for people to stock up on food. Moreover, the duration of the lockdown exceeded everyone's expectations, and even those who had stockpiled food at home were unsure of what to do.
Not to mention those living at the bottom of society, who were already poor and had no food reserves, some of them might take risks because of this. Ruyi was worried that the people in the county town would start fighting each other before the Western Jin Dynasty had even invaded.
Although the county town appears calm on the surface and there are yamen runners patrolling the streets every day, people are actually in a state of panic. Every night, if there is any disturbance, everyone will wake up immediately.
Just like last night, a sudden commotion broke out in the middle of the night. The Cheng family members did not dare to go out to check. They could only see a patch of firelight in the courtyard. Occasionally, some people would pass by, and they could vaguely hear that it sounded like yamen runners were chasing something.
The commotion didn't subside until almost midnight.
As soon as it got light, after a quick breakfast, Cheng Yan and Xu Cui went out the back door to fetch water, taking the opportunity to gather information. Since going out was not allowed during this period, fetching water became the only way for the neighbors to exchange information.
People often gathered in twos and threes by the well, either talking in hushed tones or exchanging goods.
Cheng Ruyi was a little worried, so she quickly pulled herself together and went out to check the situation. But as soon as she finished packing, she heard Xu Cui's voice coming from the main room. She figured they had returned after gathering information, so she hurried toward the main room.
"Could it be that the authorities have discovered a spy from the Western Jin Dynasty? With such a large-scale operation last night, surely all the yamen runners came out of their hideouts? It couldn't just be to catch a thief, could it?"
As soon as Ruyi stepped into the main room, she saw Cheng Yunping excitedly gesturing and pulling Cheng Yan and Xu Cui along, asking questions incessantly.
At this moment, Cheng Yunping's feelings were somewhat complicated.
If a spy from the Western Jin Dynasty had indeed infiltrated and was hiding near their home, wouldn't he have a chance of encountering him? And what if he did? He was a citizen of the Great Yue, and protecting his home and country was a man's duty—he would certainly not hesitate! But he didn't know martial arts, so he would have to outsmart him…
But the Western Jin spies were certainly not benevolent. If he acted rashly, wouldn't his family be threatened? Was he capable of protecting his entire family?
For a moment, Cheng Yunping fell into deep thought.
Ruyi could tell from Yunping's expression that the brat was probably lost in his own fantasies again. Oh well, out of sight, out of mind.
Cheng Yun'an had already handed the tea he had poured to the two people who had gone out, and then pulled his sister to sit down quietly.
Daughters are the best; they're sensible and well-behaved, truly a comforting presence.
"Father, Aunt Cui, how is the situation outside? Do you know what happened last night?" Ruyi couldn't help but ask after the two of them finished their tea.
Cheng Yan sighed and said, "Something happened at Rongfa Grain Shop. Last night, the government sent people to search the shop, only to find it deserted early this morning."
"Rongfa Grain Shop???!!!" Everyone in the main room was taken aback.
The Cheng family was no stranger to Rongfa Grain Shop, as it was the closest grain shop to their home and was also very famous in the area—well, notoriously shady.
Not only did they sell their grain at high prices, but they also frequently sold inferior goods as superior ones. After complaints were filed, the staff's attitude was extremely poor. Over time, the neighbors preferred to buy grain from a more distant place rather than from their store. Strangely enough, despite the lack of customers, their store never went out of business.
The neighbors had many different opinions about this, all believing that there was more to this grain shop than met the eye.
However, what impressed the Cheng family most about Rongfa Grain Shop was that Cheng Ruyi was knocked unconscious in the shop more than a month ago.
Everyone remembers that because of the time crunch, they discussed it and unanimously decided to buy grain from the nearest grain store, thinking they would accept the higher price. But they never expected to receive such terrible news.
Thinking of this, Xu Cui said indignantly, "They deserve it! I knew they weren't doing any legitimate business. When we went to their shop that day, everyone was arguing with them. They hid all the new rice and only sold old rice, and they were selling it for several times the price of others. They're heartless!"
"This is outrageous! Is there no law anymore?" Cheng Yunping slammed his fist on the table in anger after hearing this, then suddenly remembered something, "Could it be that the raid last night was because of this? But so much time has passed..."
Cheng Yan replied, "It shouldn't be. At that time, all the grain shops in the county raised their prices, and I didn't hear about any shops being raided."
"I heard from Aunt Liu next door that her son's classmate's wife's cousin works in the government office. Last night, when they rushed into the grain store, they found it had already been emptied out, and none of the clerks could be found. They probably got advance notice and ran away overnight!"
In critical moments, Xu Cui's network of connections proved to be reliable; she could get all sorts of inside information.
If they slipped away beforehand, it means they have informants within the organization; this is no simple matter.
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