Chapter 135
Human beings are born with a yearning for the sky. There is probably no child who has not dreamed of soaring in the sky like a bird in childhood.
Tang Yu'an is naturally no exception.
So after winning the flying technique in the lottery, he was so excited that he couldn't wait to go outside and try it out.
"It's too late now." Zhou Qi persuaded him.
There are floods raging outside and it is not as safe as before, so we should be more cautious.
"Okay, let's try again tomorrow!"
Tang Yu'an lay down in the bed obediently. Before going to sleep, he opened the map and took a look.
Ever since Granny Guo and Kang Kang were attacked by a giant bear, he developed this habit of looking at the map from time to time to confirm whether the people he knew were safe.
However, most people are now staying in No. 1 Store, and their safety is basically guaranteed.
Shitou and Xiaocao have already returned to the Meiyu Pavilion, Chihao is still in Lanhu Town, and Haijing and his daughter are also staying safely at home...
Huh?
Tang Yu'an suddenly cried out in surprise, and he quickly moved the small map to where Lao Xie was.
A red light dot appeared at Lao Xie's location, representing a dangerous creature. The problem was... he had previously labeled this light dot with a name -
It was the mutant giant bear that attacked Granny Guo and Kang Kang!
Didn't we use the Super Mousetrap to turn it into a mouse? How could it not be washed away or drowned by the flood, but actually ran back to the center of the deserted city?
"You said its light spot turned red again?" Zhou Qi couldn't help but ask.
"Yes!" Tang Yu'an nodded, "It used to represent the colors of ordinary animals."
And after he blocked the ordinary animals, they no longer appeared on the map, but now...
"It broke free from the super mousetrap and transformed back into its original form?"
Tang Yu'an looked at the light spot on the map and only thought of this possibility, and...
"Why is it staying with Old Xie?"
Even if the dangerous creatures were marked, they would not help them open the map. And because Lao Xie did not move, the fog in the center of the deserted city only revealed the point where Lao Xie was.
But now, the red dot of the giant bear almost overlapped with Lao Xie.
Of course, looking at the small map, the positions of these two points are staggered and do not completely overlap, but they are so close that it is no different from overlapping.
So how did Lao Xie survive the giant bear?
Tang Yu'an stared at the map for more than ten minutes and found that Lao Xie was still alive. Finally, he couldn't resist the sleepiness and closed his eyes and fell asleep.
When his breathing became smooth and even, Zhou Qi closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Outside, the sound of water roared, but in the small attic of the grocery store, it was so peaceful and tranquil, as if no waves could disturb it all...
-
Early morning, Linhai Town.
Little Hailan opened her eyes in the morning light. The warm quilt made her feel very comfortable. She was no longer often woken up by the cold at night like before.
She rubbed her eyes and watched her father turn over and get out of bed.
"Sleep a little longer."
Haijing reached out and touched his daughter's soft hair, speaking in a gentle voice.
"Dad, I didn't see the mysterious businessman in my dream last night..." Xiao Hailan said a little frustrated.
Haijing rubbed her head again.
"It's okay, we still have plenty of food."
Moreover, with the trading system, he could earn points. Even if his daughter no longer dreamed of the mysterious merchant, he could still exchange them for food continuously.
"Um……"
"You should sleep a little longer."
Stroking his daughter's thin little face, Haijing couldn't help but feel distressed when he thought of when she was just born. Although she was also small, her face was chubby.
However, their future lives would be better. One day, he would raise his daughter to be plump and white, just like the children of the wealthy businessmen in the town...
Haijing covered his daughter with a blanket, then got up to pack up and cook.
Just as his porridge was ready, there was a knock on the door. Hai Jing got up and went out, only to see the families from yesterday standing outside the door, looking at him again with flattering and pleading expressions.
"Ah Jing, you said yesterday that we could exchange salt for rice. We want to exchange some more..."
After Hai Jing nodded, someone else asked, "Can we exchange some more? I brought more salt."
“That’s the most a person can exchange.”
Haijing went back into the house and took out a ceramic bowl, exchanged it for 200 grams of brown rice, then went to the door and showed it to the people outside.
The maximum number of points a person could earn him in a day was 3. He gave them 2 points in exchange for brown rice, which was very considerate of him.
However, in addition to the elderly, there are also young widows who come to exchange rice, and they have hungry children at home. 200 grams of brown rice is obviously not enough for a small family.
But it's better than nothing. After exchanging it for rice, I can go to the beach to pick up goods and still be able to make a living.
Everyone agreed and thanked Haijing.
The transaction proceeded smoothly until...
"Uncle Haijing, you said one person can exchange so much, so can I do it too?" asked a child who came with his mother to exchange rice.
A meal of sea whales.
In everyone's understanding, one person can exchange for 200 grams of rice, which actually means that one household can exchange for 200 grams.
So after the child made a sound, his mother quickly pulled the child behind her and said apologetically: "The child is young and ignorant, please don't be offended..."
The old people nodded, but Hai Jing said, "Well, children can also be changed."
Hearing this, everyone was stunned.
"Haijing, what you mean is..." they couldn't help but ask.
"One person can exchange this much, everyone can do it." Haijing said calmly.
He is not a man who is good at socializing, and his personality is a bit silent and he doesn't interact with others much, but in the eyes of everyone at this time, this cannot be said to be a shortcoming at all.
On the contrary, the whale with an indifferent expression became mysterious in their eyes.
But no matter what, according to Haijing, they can exchange it for more rice, which is a good thing!
"Haijing, on behalf of all the villagers, I want to thank you!" said the oldest man with a red face and an excited look.
"My Haitian, it's not in vain that I'm your brother!"
Speaking of his son who was swallowed by the sea, the old man's eyes turned red again. He bowed to the whale, then staggered away with the rice in his arms.
After thanking Hai Jing profusely, the others also left quickly.
When Xiao Hailan was sitting on the rock drinking porridge, these people came back again, each holding at least one child in their hands.
In the end, each family received at least 400 grams of brown rice from Haijing, and some even received 800 grams.
That is, in the widow's family, in addition to a son and a daughter, her mother-in-law is also still alive.
After changing so many things, she was actually very nervous, but Haijing's expression remained calm, without any sign of reluctance.
He even said to an elderly man who brought only one child: "I remember you have a younger child at home?"
The old man was a little flattered. "Nannan is only two years old, is it okay?"
"Can you speak?"
"Yes, I can say a lot."
Hai Jing nodded, "As long as they can talk, it's fine. Bring them all here."
The old man burst into tears in an instant.
"Okay, okay, I'll go get her."
Soon, the little girl was brought in. She was extremely skinny, with big round eyes that looked like they would fall out of their sockets at any moment. She was much thinner than Xiao Hailan, and if she continued like this, she would probably starve to death.
Hai Jing looked at the little girl and then at the old man.
The old woman lowered her head, a hint of shame in her eyes. After her son and daughter-in-law died, she was left with only her two children. The burden on the family was too heavy...
Faced with her grandson who was six or seven years old and was already able to go out to the sea, and her granddaughter who was over two years old and was still babbling, she naturally gave food to her grandson first.
Although she really wants to raise both children, she is old and really can't do it...
Haijing didn't say much, but just changed the rice for the little girl.
Polished rice is 2 points per 100 grams, which is twice as expensive as brown rice, but children eat less to begin with, so 100 grams of polished rice a day is enough.
Moreover, the refined rice he took out was what his daughter had exchanged with the mysterious businessman before. His family still had some in stock, so he didn't need to redeem it with points.
“This kind of rice is expensive, but it is very soft when cooked and can be fed to children.”
Hai Jing put the refined rice in another bowl and handed it to her, "Take it home and ask your kid to bring it back to me."
The amount of polished rice is half that of brown rice. The old woman opened her mouth slightly, but when she met the dark eyes of the Shanghai whale, she stopped talking.
Haijing is not a very strong man. On the contrary, he is very thin, with messy curly hair and thick dark circles under his eyes.
However, when he looks at you calmly, he gives you an unquestionable feeling.
The old man hesitated for a moment and forgot what he was going to say.
The little boy next to her reached out and took the bowl of rice, saying loudly, "Thank you, Uncle Haijing!"
Hai Jing looked at him and emphasized: "This bowl of white rice is for your sister."
The little boy was startled, and then he didn't know what he was thinking about. His face flushed and he said angrily: "Don't worry, if I have a bite to eat, my grandma and sister will definitely be there!"
When the old man heard the child's words, his eyes turned red with sadness again.
"I remember your name is Starfish, right?" Whale looked at the little boy and asked.
Starfish nodded.
"Go home and bring your sister here tomorrow." Haijing said.
Starfish's eyes lit up, "Can I change it every day?"
"Um."
"My grandma told me you're drying salt on the beach. Can I come?"
Although Haijing asked those who exchanged rice to go and dry salt together yesterday, 100 grams of rice was too little and they had to find other food, so only one or two people went to help.
Now that there is more rice that can be exchanged, I estimate that more people will go to help today.
He wanted to dig a canal to bring in seawater, so that the production could be increased and he could exchange more good things with the mysterious merchant.
"Okay, then come on."
"Okay, Uncle Haijing, let's go back first!"
Haixing took the rice he had just exchanged and went home with his grandmother and sister.
The others gradually dispersed.
Little Hailan had finished the porridge in the bowl. Haijing put the bowl away and wiped her mouth carefully.
"Dad, if Haihua has food, can she survive?"
Haihua is Haixing’s sister, the little girl who is only two years old and is so skinny from hunger.
"Yeah." Haijing touched his daughter's head, "More people will survive."
He believed that as long as these people went back today, the news would spread quickly and more people living in poverty would come to him with their children to exchange for rice.
Although he couldn't feed these people enough, 200 grams of rice a day was enough to ensure they wouldn't starve to death.
Even if he took a step back, those children would become his customers, and he couldn't bear to watch them die. Of course, more importantly, he didn't want to see the village where he grew up die...
I just hope that the mysterious businessman can live in peace and for a long time.
-
[Employee "Haijing" completed a transaction with a regular customer, gained +40 points and +1 experience point]
[Employee "Haijing" completed a transaction with a regular customer, earning +35 points...]
In the morning, Tang Yu'an woke up and was stunned by the series of message prompts on the panel.
It was just past seven in the morning, and the whale had already brought him 72 experience points and 3,628 points!
So, naturally—
[Merchant level reaches lv13. All-purpose flour, sweet potato flour, and soap are now available for exchange in the mall. For details, please visit the "Wholesale Market"]
[Portable storage slot +1, total slots: 17]
[Added a new employee forum account function. The current number of accounts available is 1. For details, please visit the "HR" section.]
[Teleportation skill upgraded to level 12, please see "Skills" for details]
[Daily Task Refresh Card +1]
【Please select the delivery address...】
Wuhu has been promoted to another level!
With Shi Tou and Xiao Cao selling salt at the Jufeng Grocery Store, and with the addition of Hai Jing, Tang Yu'an's upgrade speed was like riding a rocket.
He looked at his experience bar: lv13 (23/390).
The experience points required for upgrading are really increasing! Tang Yu'an couldn't help but glance at the levels of the employees again.
Grass: lv8 (54/160)
Stone: Level 5 (57/100)
Li Changqing: Level 3 (23/40)
Sea Whale: lv3 (8/40)
Chi Hao: lv1 (15/20)
The stone was upgraded to level 5 last night and successfully unlocked the right to speak on the message board. He gave the stone the name "Rock".
Judging from Haijing's current speed, he will probably reach level 5 tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. He needs to think of a name for him.
Tang Yu'an glanced at Chi Hao, who was at the bottom of the list.
The experience value is 13 points more than yesterday, proving that he has made 13 profitable trades.
Although it can’t be said to be particularly small, but at this rate, how long will Brother Chi Hao have to wait before he can unlock the right to speak...
Thinking of the house that Brother Chi Hao got for him and the pass to enter and exit Lanhu Town, Tang Yu'an didn't think he was useless.
It’s just that his development direction seems to be very different from that of others. It is naturally beneficial to the development of the store, but he himself may not get much benefit.
Alas, I just hope Brother Chi Hao can stay in Lanhu Town for a few more days and gain more experience points and points before leaving.
Tang Yu'an shook his head and looked at the upgrade rewards again.
"Sweet potato noodles?" Zhou Qi said with a smile, "This is quite good."
Flour can be ground from wheat, but sweet potatoes cannot be grown by oneself, and sweet potato flour is also very troublesome to make. Being able to exchange it directly does save a lot of trouble.
"Soap is also fine." Tang Yu'an said, "You can also choose ordinary soap and sulfur soap."
Sulfur soap can not only be used for washing hair and taking baths, but also has antibacterial effects. Moreover, the items exchanged in the system mall are of good quality and feel much better than what they had encountered in their original world.
"The range of telekinesis has been increased to 3 meters!" Tang Yu'an said in surprise.
Previously, the performance of remote placement was doubled. According to this rule, wouldn’t remote picking be tripled?
This skill is really useful. After testing, he found that it works not only for his own things, but also for those without an owner.
Just a glance can put it into the portable warehouse, no longer need to touch it with your hands to collect it!
"Brother Xiaoqi, work hard to level up, and I'll grant you this skill later!"
Tang Yu'an said, "Should we transfer Haijing to Store No. 1 as well?"
Listening to the young man's words, Zhou Qi felt a little warm in his heart, but he smiled and shook his head: "The main store also needs to be upgraded, let him stay in the main store."
"Oh well."
Speaking of which…
Tang Yuan's mind moved slightly, and the automatic water storage thermos cup placed on the first-floor window appeared in his hand.
After obtaining the space stone, they upgraded the automatic water storage thermos.
The upgraded thermos has a capacity of 21 liters! And after the upgrade, you can customize the temperature without loading the power stone.
After a whole night of absorption and accumulation, it is filled with pure water and is kept at a constant temperature of 50℃, which is warm. I felt very comfortable when I drank a few sips after waking up!
Tang Yu'an took out the kettle and cups from his portable storage and poured out the water in the thermos.
After filling it up, he adjusted the constant temperature of the thermos to 100℃.
With the automatic water storage thermos, they rarely need to boil water themselves, and except for taking a bath, they rarely need to exchange water from the mall.
Zhou Qi watched him operate, thought for a moment and said, "An An, let's install the water supply for the grocery store in No. 1 Store as well."
Tang Yu'an couldn't help but look at him.
Zhou Qi continued, "I've thought about it. It won't be open to the residents for now. It will only be installed in Room 501. Grandpa Li has water-related abilities, so we can pretend he produced it."
Now the water used by No.1 Store is basically drawn from the flood outside. Although there is a water purifier to filter it, the water purifier they make is still relatively simple and has not been disinfected.
It’s okay to use it for bathing or washing things, but if you use it for drinking... it’s still too dirty.
"Well, let's do it this way!"
Tang Yu'an naturally had no objection. The scene of the residents bathing in muddy water yesterday still lingered in his mind, causing a huge shock to him.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have used purification magic on them directly.
He opened the hardware interface of No.1 Store, clicked to unlock the water use in the grocery store, and a system prompt popped up.
[Do you want to deduct 2000 points and 300 store popularity points to unlock the "Grocery Store Water Use" function for "Ping An Grocery Store No. 1"?]
Tang Yu'an naturally chose yes.
After the deduction was successful, the 3D map of No. 1 Store reappeared. He needed to first select a fixed point as the source, and then equip the water pipes and faucets by drawing lines.
There is no charge for fixed points, but water pipes and faucets do cost points - water pipes are calculated by length, 1 meter costs 50 points, and a faucet costs 100 points.
It’s really super expensive!
Tang Yu'an naturally placed the source in Room 501. Anyway, they could go back to the main store to get water, and there was no need to pull the water pipe to Room 901.
After he fixed the source, he pulled the water pipe to the kitchen and added a faucet, spending a total of 300 points!
Fortunately, he now has several capable employees to help him earn points, otherwise, the speed at which points are being spent would be too much for him to handle.
Zhou Qi made breakfast, and then went to Store No. 1 with Tang Yu'an to find Old Li.
Thanks to the green double bed, Old Li sleeps well every night and his energy and spirit are obviously different from before.
He didn't bother to be polite with the two children and happily sat down to have breakfast with them.
Then, Tang Yu'an told him that the grocery store had added water pipes.
Old Li, who had thought that he would not be surprised no matter what news he heard, was shocked again.
"Water, water pipe?"
"Yes, in the kitchen, just turn on the tap and water will come out."
Old Li quickly got up and walked into the kitchen, and saw that there was indeed a faucet connected to the pipe in the bare kitchen.
Some scenes before the disaster appeared in his mind, and he walked over trembling.
But when he turned on the faucet according to his memory, no water came out.
"By the way, Grandpa, this water also needs to be exchanged for points!"
Tang Yu'an took a basin and placed it under the faucet, then used points to exchange for 10 liters of water, and water began to gush out of the faucet.
“Okay…Okay…”
Old Li was so happy that he burst into tears. "It really is tap water! We can use tap water again!"
Although they have to redeem with points, this is no different from buying water from the water plant before the disaster.
This water is even much cleaner than the water from the water plant!
"Grandpa, from now on, tell the residents that this water is produced by you."
After Old Li calmed down a bit, Tang Yu'an said to him, "I think this kind of water is better for drinking, especially for Granny Guo and the children."
"Xiaoqi and I were thinking... if residents with children and the elderly could come and get 2...1 liter of water every day, what do you think?"
Tang Yu'an originally wanted to say two liters of water, but under the stare of Old Li, he changed his words to one liter.
"You want to give it to them for free?" asked Old Li.
Tang Yu'an nodded, and said with some lack of confidence: "Children and the elderly are more fragile, so it's better to be careful..."
"Of course! This preferential policy is not permanent. Once everyone becomes wealthy, it can be cancelled!" He emphasized with a firm look.
Old Li still looked at him dimly.
Seeing that the child didn't back down, he looked at Zhou Qi again: "Do you support it too?"
Zhou Qi pursed his lips and nodded, "Not bad."
Old Li didn't expect that even Zhou Qi was like this. He looked at him and then at Tang Yu'an.
After a long pause, he said, "You should know this. I've mentioned it to you before. In the wasteland, the elderly and children are a burden. Basically everyone thinks so."
"I don't think so!" Tang Yu'an retorted loudly, "I think this view is wrong!"
"Why?"
"Children are ancestors...the flowers of the future, and the hope of the nation!" Tang Yu'an exclaimed in shock.
"What about the old man?"
"Respecting the elderly and loving the young is a fine tradition. Although the elderly are not as healthy as they used to be and can't work as hard as the young, they possess a wealth of knowledge and experience. Only by living well can they pass this knowledge on to future generations."
Old Li looked at Tang Yu'an deeply, his eyes bright and surprising.
After a long pause, he chuckled and sighed, "Sometimes I really wonder if you guys are from the era before the Cataclysm..."
Only in that era could such children be nurtured, right?
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