Chapter 38
It was early in the morning, just as the sky was getting light.
Tang Yu'an woke up when the alarm set by Zhou Qi rang.
Because it was too hot at noon, they agreed before going to bed to set out early to do the transaction. Keeping things in mind, Tang Yu'an woke up naturally at the appointed time.
Zhou Qi turned off the alarm clock, quickly made the bed, threw clothes to the still dazed Tang Yu'an, rubbed his head and said, "Come down when you're dressed."
Then he went downstairs first.
There was no change downstairs from last night. The three little ones were guarding the stairs dutifully, while Chi Hao was lying on the matted floor and woke up with a start when he went downstairs.
"Good morning." Zhou Qi greeted.
"Ah... Good morning."
Watching the young man go to wash up, Chi Hao was obviously hesitant to speak.
He used up all 10 points last night, and then found that no matter what container he specified, the glucose he exchanged would appear out of thin air.
The experience was so amazing that he accidentally redeemed all 10 points.
He looked at the other products on the panel and was really tempted, but because his points were 0, he couldn't redeem anything.
So how can you earn points?
Is it really just 10 points a month? Isn't that too little? He'll need 50 months just to unlock the fuel redemption!
So when he saw Zhou Qi appear, Chi Hao really wanted to ask him about the doubts in his heart, but seeing that he had no intention of stopping to chat with him, he could only give up for the time being.
In the attic, Tang Yu'an was looking at the panel.
His screen was flooded with system messages again.
[Employee "Chi Hao" used 1 personal point to redeem 10g of glucose]
[Employee "Chi Hao" used 1 personal point to redeem 10g of glucose]
【……】
A full 10 identical messages!
Brother Chi Hao is not sleeping in the middle of the night. Do you want to exchange glucose for fun?
Tang Yu'an quickly browsed through the information and finally stopped at the top few.
[Employee "Chi Hao" did not obtain permission to use the Ping An Grocery Store warehouse and failed to receive the goods]
[Employee "Chi Hao" did not open the portable warehouse, and failed to receive the goods]
[The instant delivery function has been activated, and you can select a container to receive the goods (touch the container with your finger to select it)]
Wow! A new feature has been added!
Tang Yu'an carefully understood the meaning of this message, took out the bag of glucose, tried to exchange it for 1 point, and found that the glucose in the bag had indeed increased.
Great!
In this way, even if there is not enough space in the portable warehouse and he is not in the grocery store, it will not affect his receipt of the goods!
Tang Yu'an didn't expect that after accepting Chi Hao as an employee, there would be such a good thing. A look of joy appeared on his face.
That’s great. I’ll have to tell Brother Xiaoqi this good news later.
When he ran downstairs to wash up, he was about to go find Zhou Qi to have a private chat when a silver coin got caught on his clothes.
It tugged at him gently, trying to lead him toward the door.
This scene seems a bit familiar.
Could it be that...
Tang Yu'an came to the front of the store under the pull of the silver coins, opened the door and looked out, and found that there was indeed another dead bird thrown at the door of the store.
Black Pearl is coming again?
Looking at the plum blossom footprints around the dead bird, Tang Yu'an felt a little moved.
Although Black Pearl didn't want to stay in the grocery store, he was still thinking about them. This feeling was really great and enough to keep him in a good mood for the whole day.
"Brother Xiaoqi, Black Pearl has brought us food again!"
Tang Yu'an said this with a smile, then walked out of the store and out of the range of the protective barrier - it was not yet the grocery store's opening hours, and the barrier effect was still there.
Just as he bent down to pick up the dead bird, he heard the sound of very light footsteps landing.
Yuanbao, who was yawning boredly behind him, suddenly started.
It flashed in front of Tang Yu'an, instantly growing in size, baring its teeth and staring fiercely ahead.
Tang Yu'an subconsciously took out the umbrella and happy marbles, but when he saw the owner of the footsteps, the expression on his face changed from panic to surprise.
"An An?" Zhou Qi, who heard the noise, also rushed out of the store.
He looked up and saw a pure black figure jumping down from the top of the tilted high-rise building and landing steadily on the ground - it was Black Pearl who had left the grocery store earlier.
It walked slowly towards them with an elegant cat-like gait.
Black Pearl paid no attention to the hostile four-eyed giant dog, and looked at Tang Yu'an with its cold golden vertical pupils.
Just when Tang Yu'an thought it was going to do something, the big black cat turned around indifferently, and with a few leaps of its agile figure, it disappeared into the ruins.
Tang Yu'an watched it go away in confusion.
"Are you okay?" Zhou Qi walked up to him and asked.
"Yeah, it's okay."
Tang Yu'an responded, then reached out and touched Yuanbao, who had turned back into a puppy, to express his gratitude for its protection.
Yuanbao rubbed his hand, then ran to play with the silver coins.
The two dogs were running and having fun on the gravel ground in the early morning. Even Wangcai couldn't help but run over, but his cat legs were too short and he couldn't outrun the two dogs.
Tang Yu'an watched them playing, and in a trance he thought he was back to the small town where he grew up, but the ruins around him quickly brought him back to reality.
He looked at Zhou Qi and couldn't help muttering, "Black Pearl sent the bird over, but for some reason it came and left, and I didn't even have time to feed it..."
Zhou Qi glanced at the direction where the black pearl disappeared.
He thought for a moment and said, "Could it be that because you didn't go to look for it yesterday, it was worried about you and came to check on you?"
After making sure An An was fine, I had achieved my goal and naturally went back.
"is that so?"
After hearing this explanation, Tang Yu'an's doubts turned into joy. He looked in the direction of the abandoned parking lot and said with relief: "Let's go and give it some delicious food later!"
"Um."
The two of them walked back to the house carrying the dead bird. Although Chi Hao heard the noise, he didn't know what exactly happened.
It seems like someone these two teenagers knew sent them the prey?
"Xiao An, wait a minute."
Zhou Qi took the dead bird to the kitchen to deal with it, while Tang Yu'an was stopped by Chi Hao and asked questions.
"Do you want to know how to earn points?" Tang Yu'an asked.
"Well, yes."
Chi Hao showed an expression of humbly asking for advice.
Tang Yu'an looked at him and asked knowingly, "Brother Chi Hao, is there a performance column on your dashboard?"
"some."
Chi Hao also looked at this page last night, but he lost too much blood and felt dizzy. There were a lot of words on the page, so he couldn't concentrate on it for a long time and fell asleep instead.
Now I still feel dizzy when studying those texts, so I want to ask directly for information.
"What are your performance requirements?" Tang Yu'an asked.
Chi Hao quickly opened the "Performance" to check, and then said: "The minimum requirement is to conduct 10 transactions per month and earn at least 50 points."
Tang Yu'an nodded, "What about the commission ratio?"
Chi Hao quickly found the key words, "Personal points are 5%, and purchase points are 10%... What do these two mean?"
So, Tang Yu'an began to explain to him.
"If you can meet the performance requirements every month, you can get a basic salary, which is 10 points. If you exceed the performance requirements, you can get a commission."
"For example, if you completed 10 transactions this month and earned 550 points for the mysterious merchant, you would receive a base salary of 10 points, plus 500 points multiplied by 5%..."
"That's a total of 35 personal points and 55 purchase points."
Although Zhou Qi is also an employee, Tang Yu'an directly maxed out his personal points, so there is no need to calculate it so complicatedly.
But Chi Hao is different. He is the first employee in the true sense, so these requirements must be set.
Chi Hao barely understood the calculation method and asked, "What's the difference between personal points and purchase points?"
"Personal points are like redeemable goods. You can use them however you want. You have absolute control over their disposal."
Tang Yu'an patiently explained, "The goods that can be exchanged for purchase points are all goods. The ownership belongs to the mysterious merchant and can only be used for transactions. If we use them privately, our personal points will be deducted."
"What if the personal points are 0? How are they deducted in this case? Negative numbers?" Chi Hao said.
Hearing this, Tang Yu'an couldn't help but look at him deeply. It seemed that this brother Chi Hao also liked to exploit bugs and take advantage of loopholes.
Unfortunately, this loophole has been patched by the system.
"If your personal points are 0, they will be offset with your belongings." Tang Yu'an said.
Considering how generous he was in spending 6 fire crystals at once, Tang Yu'an didn't believe that Chi Hao would not have any personal belongings to offset it.
Chi Hao frowned, "Then how can I determine that it's mine? Can it still be considered mine even if I don't have it with me?"
Tang Yu'an shrugged.
"You can try it too." He looked at me as if I was a good kid and had never done anything like this before, so I didn't know.
However, Tang Yu'an still believed that the system had the ability to bring them here from another world.
Chi Hao also fell silent.
He suddenly remembered that he was still in the mysterious businessman's territory, and it seemed not a good idea to test him now.
So he changed the subject and asked the other question he wanted to know most: "Can I redeem points for merchandise...anytime, anywhere? Or do I have to do it in this grocery store?"
If you can change it anytime, anywhere, that's too incredible! Who is this mysterious businessman? How did he do this?
Tang Yu'an didn't say anything definite, "You can change it outside, you don't have to go to a grocery store, but I haven't left the deserted city, so I'm not sure about other places."
So, at least it’s possible within the deserted city?
That's also outrageous.
Unfortunately, the variety of goods in the mall is still a bit limited, and they are all daily necessities. The only thing that can be used as a weapon is fuel.
"Are these commodities redeemable in unlimited quantities?" Chi Hao confirmed again.
"In theory, you can redeem as many items as you have points. So far, Xiaoqi and I haven't encountered a situation where the mall is sold out."
Chi Hao's eyes lit up slightly when he heard this.
If fuel could be exchanged in unlimited quantities and at any time, it would be a huge improvement for him!
Imagine that during a battle, you suddenly pour fuel on the enemy, and then ignite it with your flames... Just thinking about that scene makes his blood boil!
"Cough cough——" Because he was too excited, Chi Hao couldn't help coughing again.
Tang Yu'an waited until he recovered and then poured him a glass of water.
"But you have to pay attention, if you fail to meet the minimum performance requirements for two consecutive months, you will be fired," he reminded.
Chi Hao was stunned.
If he is fired... he will naturally not be able to use the mall to redeem it. Gaining and then losing this magical ability will be more painful than killing him!
"Okay, I understand. Thanks for the reminder."
At this time, Zhou Qi also prepared breakfast and came out of the kitchen, and Tang Yu'an got up to eat.
Chi Hao smelled the aroma of the food and couldn't help swallowing his saliva, but he didn't dare to ask for it. However, what touched him was that Zhou Qi still brought him one.
A bowl of porridge and two buns.
It was simple, but it made Chi Hao feel extremely happy. Perhaps it was because he was too hungry, he felt that he had never eaten anything so delicious!
"Is this also exchanged in the mall?" he asked.
"The ingredients were exchanged, and then Brother Xiaoqi processed it." Tang Yu'an said with a smile, "It tastes good, right?"
"Yes, yes."
Chi Hao looked at Zhou Qi with a little more admiration. Being able to prepare the ingredients so deliciously, with such skills, he would be able to get along well in the fortress.
Finish breakfast quickly.
Because they got up early, it was only around seven o'clock when they finished cleaning the house. Tang Yu'an and the others were ready to go out to do business, and Chi Hao naturally stayed behind to look after the shop.
After all, they had just met each other, so Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi were not too confident about Chi Hao.
So before leaving, Tang Yu'an specifically instructed the three little ones, especially Yuanbao, to keep a close eye on Chi Hao, not to let him leave the grocery store, and not to let him touch the things in the grocery store.
Yuanbao had a serious face and obviously heard it.
It was only when he left the grocery store that Tang Yu'an remembered to look at today's daily tasks. After his level was upgraded, there were indeed new changes on the task panel.
【Daily Tasks (Updated at 00:00 every day)】
1. Completed the transaction (0/2)
2. Purchase goods at the wholesale market (0/20)
3. Complete the cargo inventory with the help of the cargo list function (0/1)
4. Conduct promotional activities (0/1)
5. Complete the transaction and get profit (0/2)
The number of task requirements is the same as before, but a new task has emerged - conducting promotional activities.
How to do this promotion?
Tang Yu'an curiously clicked on the task details and saw the explanation of the promotion.
Promotion: An activity that increases product sales by reducing prices.
Tang Yu'an quickly shared the task with Zhou Qi, and then said, "Brother Xiaoqi, we are going to do a price reduction promotion today. Which product is better to choose?"
"Salt or rice, depending on what Granny Guo wants."
As the first customer who helped them open up the market, the first person Zhou Qi thought of for such a promotion was Granny Guo.
Tang Yu'an had no objection to this.
After all, among the customers we have contacted so far, Granny Guo and Kang Kang have the worst living conditions, and they are indeed very suitable for such activities.
Tang Yu'an sorted out his portable warehouse. He now had seven compartments in the warehouse. The space was much larger than before and could hold more things.
"Then let's go!"
At 7:30, they packed up everything and set off.
First, I delivered food to Black Pearl, and then went to Grandma Guo's house to start today's business trip.
Now Zhou Qi has memorized the route from the grocery store to Granny Guo's house and doesn't really need Tang Yu'an's guidance.
However, Tang Yu'an still kept his eyes on the map to avoid any dangerous creatures appearing and being encountered by them.
-
Early in the morning, Grandma Guo got up early and started working as usual.
The rice in the plastic boxes is growing well, its leaves swaying gently in the morning breeze, as if a fresh breath is spreading.
Granny Guo couldn't explain exactly what this breath was. In her opinion, it was the essence of plants and trees.
Bathing in the essence of these plants, her supernatural powers will be restored and her abilities will slowly increase. This is her unique way of cultivation.
Only naturally grown plants can release this kind of scent. The fruit trees that are grown in a very short time by her special ability cannot provide this kind of plant essence.
Kang Kang was also squatting beside them, holding a small basin in his arms. The basin was filled with moist soil, and a small green seedling had its tip poking out of the soil.
He stared at the little green seedlings, his face smiling with joy.
After taking care of the plants in the house, the water in the pot began to boil.
Granny Guo quickly walked over, lifted the lid of the pot, and stirred the rice porridge in the pot with a long spoon to prevent it from getting stuck at the bottom.
The pound of rice she exchanged from Tang Yu'an and others yesterday was divided into ten portions. She cooked one portion last night and made it into porridge like this.
Although it was just thin porridge, it gave her a much stronger sense of fullness than simple soup, and the taste was better, just like the taste in her memory.
She even felt that it tasted better than she remembered.
It would be better if it could be thicker...
When this idea came to her mind, Grandma Guo laughed, because she knew that this was no longer a luxury. In the near future, she would be able to let Kang Kang drink thick rice porridge.
No, in addition to the thick rice porridge, there is also fragrant rice.
When the rice porridge in the pot was almost done, she put the chopped wild vegetables and mushrooms in and cooked them together, then added some salt to season it.
Soon, the fragrance filled the room.
"Kang Kang, go wash your hands and get ready for dinner." she called out.
"Okay~"
Kang Kang put down the little green seedling, ran to scoop water to wash his hands, then took his and his mother-in-law's bowls and spoons, and sat at the table waiting.
Smelling the fragrance of rice porridge, he couldn't help swallowing his saliva and stared at his mother-in-law.
His mother-in-law was worried that he would get burned by the fire, so she didn't allow him to get close to the stove. He could only sit obediently by the table and wait.
After a while, Granny Guo came over with the cooked rice porridge.
"Eat quickly."
Grandma Guo placed the bowl with the thick ingredients in front of Kang Kang. She didn't give him any fruit this morning, so he must be starving.
"Grandma, eat!"
He looked at his own bowl, then at Granny Guo's bowl with almost no ingredients, and he actually endured the heat and brought his bowl to Granny Guo, then snatched her bowl away.
Looking at her grandson's actions, Grandma Guo felt both relieved and distressed.
"You are still growing, you need to eat more." She wanted to exchange the bowl back, but Kang Kang refused.
"Mother-in-law, work hard, I'm hungry."
Although he is not speaking fluently yet, he can already express his meaning clearly.
Grandma Guo's eyes became a little moist.
She was about to say something, but the little guy said again: "Brother Tang, change it, it's delicious!"
Then he lowered his head and started eating the thin rice porridge.
"They have been coming for several days in a row. They probably won't come today." Grandma Guo didn't want to discourage him, but she also couldn't bear to see him too disappointed.
"Yes!" Kang Kang said firmly, "Brother Tang, I promise!"
Granny Guo looked at him. Perhaps it was because he had been eating high-energy candies or full meals these days, Kang Kang seemed to be more energetic day by day.
Although he was still very thin, she had never seen Kang Kang look so energetic in her memory, and it seemed that he spoke with more strength.
"Okay, then let's wait for him to come and exchange some delicious food with him." Grandma Guo finally compromised.
The secret between Kang Kang and the boy should be related to food - although she knew that the two boys were willing to help her, she really couldn't refuse such help.
I can only plant more fruits and mushrooms in the future to repay them.
Granny Guo and Kang Kang had just finished their rice porridge and were licking the bottom of their bowls clean when they heard a noise coming from outside.
"Brother Tang, here I come!"
Kang Kang happily put down the bowl, ran into the small room where miscellaneous items were stored, climbed up the stone nimbly, and stood on tiptoe to look out the air vent.
The figure he had been thinking about appeared outside as expected.
"Brother Tang!" he shouted again.
"Kang Kang, good morning." Tang Yu'an also responded to him enthusiastically.
Granny Guo chased after them and looked at Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi standing outside the air vent. She couldn't help but feel surprised: "So early today?"
"Yeah, it's too hot at noon, so I came out early."
It is just after eight in the morning and the sun has just risen. Although I can feel the heat, it is much better than the scorching sun at noon.
Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi crawled into Grandma Guo's house.
Kang Kang eagerly pulled Tang Yu'an to see the small green seedling, and when Zhou Qi saw that Grandma Guo was about to move the rice seedlings in the plastic box out to bask in the sun, he offered to help and complete today's daily tasks at the same time.
After Granny Guo was led outside, the interaction between Tang Yu'an and Kang Kang became more casual.
"Brother, look!"
Kang Kang picked up the small basin and showed Tang Yu'an the seedlings that had just sprouted in it.
"What is this? Did you plant it?" Tang Yu'an looked at the small green seedlings, but unfortunately his knowledge of plants was limited, and he really couldn't recognize what kind of plant the seedlings were.
"Lantern, Guoguo!"
Kang Kang pointed at the mutant lantern grass in the corner, then pointed at the small green seedling, waved his little hand and said, "Grow!"
"Is it a new mutant lantern plant?"
Tang Yu'an was a little surprised, but this was good news. The more mutant lantern fruits there were, the better, as they were very useful and could earn high points.
"Kang Kang is so awesome." He touched the child's head and then played the same "game" with him again.
The bad news is that the newly grown mutated lantern grass grew from the fruits that were previously used for trade.
And the good news is——
Two more fruits of the mutated lantern grass have ripened!
So the "game props" they exchanged for fruits in exchange for drinking water turned into four mutant lantern fruits, and Tang Yu'an successfully earned 196 points from Kang Kang.
Although his points balance is already over 2,000, the more points the better.
Tang Yu'an looked at Kang Kang with eyes full of love and gratitude, and quickly took out a bun from his portable storage and stuffed it into his mouth.
Kang Kang was not polite either.
He held the white bun in his hand, pointed to the small green seedling on the ground, and said, "Grow up, give it to brother~"
Tang Yu'an looked at the little green seedling, and on a whim, he gave it a basic identification skill, and then -
[Do you want to deduct 100 points and use the "Item Appraisal (Basic)" skill on this plant seedling?]
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