Chapter 62
It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.
Tang Yu'an felt that Shitou and Xiaocao were not bad siblings by nature, and they became thieves because that was the way the world was.
If you can have enough food and warm clothes, who would want to do something sneaky and risk being caught and beaten?
If they could master the skill of hair cutting and have more ways to make a living, they would not have to do such bad things if their lives improved.
As the brother and sister shouted hard, passers-by were gradually attracted.
Each of them has a bald head, which is the best advertisement. Xiaocao, who used to be very aggressive towards others, is now not at all nervous and is enthusiastically soliciting business.
The brother and sister praised the benefits of hair cutting to great lengths, and finally someone who was interested came over.
"Do you want me to cut my hair as short as you do?" the man asked. "Just one wild vegetable?"
"Yes!" Shitou nodded affirmatively.
The price may seem low, but cutting hair is not difficult, and any profit you make is a pleasant surprise.
"Okay, then cut one for me." The man took out a wild vegetable from his backpack and handed it to Xiaocao.
Shi Tou led him to the torch, picked up a stone and asked him to sit down, then started cutting for him with the scissors.
The scissors that Tang Yu'an lent them were specially used for cutting hair. They had a blunt tip and a serrated blade, so they were not likely to hurt people.
After using it once, Shi Tou quickly mastered its usage and is now quite proficient in it.
Click, click—
Click, click—
Because there is no need to pay attention to aesthetics, Shitou is particularly neat and clean when cutting hair.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the first customer's long and dirty hair was completely cut off, leaving only a few hair roots.
Although there will inevitably be some unevenness when cutting with scissors, in the last days, people's pursuit of practicality is still far greater than beauty.
"How is it? Are you feeling better?"
Rock put away the scissors and asked as he brushed off the broken hair on the guest.
The man touched his buzz cut, his eyes shining as he said, "Indeed, I feel much more relaxed than before!"
Shi Tou chuckled. He understood that feeling very well. After cutting his hair, not only would his burden be lighter, but the whole world would become brighter.
That is really a very special enjoyment!
"If you have the conditions, go wash your hair. You will feel more comfortable." He said casually.
"Okay, I'll remember that!" The man patted his shoulder, then picked up the backpack and left.
Shi Tou watched him leave and was suddenly stunned.
He didn't quite understand why he had reminded him just now. After all, whether this person was comfortable or not was none of his business.
But……
Looking at the man's bald head and his brisk back, Shi Tou inexplicably felt a sense of accomplishment in his heart, a feeling he had never experienced before.
At this time, Xiaocao came over and showed him the wild vegetables he had just earned.
"Brother, we really made some wild vegetables!"
At this moment, Shitou felt that the excitement was getting stronger.
He looked at the passersby who were still watching the excitement and said excitedly, "Who else? Just two mushrooms or a wild vegetable, and you can be comfortable for at least a month!"
"After cutting your hair short, you sweat less and it's really much cooler during the day!" Xiaocao agreed.
"It's cool during the day, but cold at night." Someone shook his head.
"You can wear a hat if it's cold at night. Besides, you live in caves and houses, and you keep a fire burning all night long, so it's still warm!"
It is obvious that Xiaocao has set its sights on its target customers early on.
Most of those sleeping in the open space are truly poor people, and they have nothing extra to trade.
After her persuasion, another interested passerby finally stood up. He gave her two mushrooms and then sat on the stone next to the torch.
Stone started to use the scissors again, cutting the customer's hair with a click.
The crowd gathered here naturally attracted the attention of the guards.
They came over with menacing looks, shouting, "What are you all doing here?"
"The Stone brothers and sisters are cutting other people's hair."
Some jealous people couldn't help but exaggerate the situation. Of course, those who were about to grab the scissors restrained their thoughts after the guards arrived.
After finding out the reason, the guards were also at a loss.
Cutting someone's hair for something? That's unheard of.
So is this considered a stall?
Then they noticed the young man sitting in front of the Meiyu Pavilion. The mountain master's order hanging around his neck was too dazzling.
It was obvious that the boy and the Stone siblings were in the same group.
The guards whispered to each other for a while and finally decided to turn a blind eye.
Rules are made by people and there is inherent room for flexibility.
Not convinced? Go talk to the mountain master if you can.
Seeing that the guards didn't care, more and more people stopped to watch.
With Xiaocao's strong promotion and persuasion, one or two more people soon came to line up. Because there were guards watching nearby, there was no chaos and everyone was relatively well-behaved.
In the end, even the guards were so moved that they lined up to get their hair cut.
After the haircut, I felt refreshed!
However, as the sky darkened completely and the temperature dropped sharply, the onlookers quickly dispersed, leaving only one or two people with bad intentions staring nearby.
Despite this, Shitou and Xiaocao still attracted five or six customers and earned three wild vegetables, four mushrooms and one fruit from the guards.
This is a great harvest for them.
Because it is extra income, and it is not as hard as going to the mountains to find wild vegetables and mushrooms!
The brother and sister's eyes were shining, and they were about to come to Tang Yu'an to thank him with their harvest, but were stopped by Tang Yu'an.
"First, sweep the hair on the ground into a pile and then burn it." Tang Yu'an said.
The cut hair was blown everywhere by the wind, which looked creepy.
The stone obediently took the broom and swept the hair on the ground into a pile, and then the grass took the torch and lit it.
The fire crackled.
When the flames died down, Stone and Grass came running back and said happily, "Little Doctor, look at what we got!"
Rock was a little reluctant to return the scissors.
Are these ordinary scissors? This is the tool that can feed these brothers and sisters!
But in the end, he reluctantly returned the scissors to Tang Yu'an.
Compared to the scissors, he felt that it might be more important to establish a good relationship with the young man from the fortress, not to mention that he had only said that the pair of scissors was lent to him.
The thugs who were loitering nearby, ready to snatch the scissors after the Stone siblings left, couldn't help but curse under their breath after seeing this scene, and then left in disappointment.
Tang Yu'an put away the scissors, patted his butt and stood up.
At this time, a wonderful fragrance came from the Jade Pavilion.
Upon smelling this fragrance, not only Shitou and Xiaocao, but even Tang Yu'an couldn't help swallowing, and his stomach began to growl.
"What's that smell? Why is it so fragrant?" Shi Tou swallowed frantically.
Of course it’s the smell of cooking!
Tang Yu'an could only be thankful that the crowd had dispersed, and only a few families living nearby came out to watch, so it didn't cause too much of a commotion.
Seeing that even the two surveillance guards could no longer hide their figures, Tang Yu'an hurriedly took the Shitou brothers and sisters back to the Meiyu Pavilion and closed the door.
The kitchen door was also closed, but the smell still seeped out from the crack in the door, filling the entire first-floor hall with the aroma of cooking.
It was Old Li and Lin Meiyu who both ran down from upstairs.
At this time, Zhou Qi, who had already put the wok away in the kitchen and put it back into the grocery store warehouse, also opened the door.
Just as he was about to call Tang Yu'an to serve the dishes, he saw five pairs of eyes staring at him outside the kitchen.
“…”
He was silent for a moment, then said, "Let's pack up and eat."
Of course, they still went back to the room upstairs to eat, but they only shared some of the dishes with the Shitou siblings and the proprietress.
It is just a simple stir-fried vegetable and mushroom, without meat, but because of the addition of oil and seasoning, each piece is oily after stir-frying, and tastes moderately salty, crisp and refreshing.
Not to mention the Stone brothers and sisters, even the proprietress had never eaten anything so delicious!
She wanted to refund the accommodation fee to them, but Zhou Qi suggested renting a large bunk bed for another night, and Lin Meiyu agreed.
[Employee "Zhou Qi" completed a profitable transaction with a regular customer, earning +10 points and +1 experience point]
Afterwards, the proprietress took the dishes back to her room on the second floor.
After hearing their conversation, Stone and Grass had already guessed something.
They looked at each other, and without waiting for Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi to speak, they took out the wild vegetables and mushrooms they had earned from cutting hair at the stall.
Shitou said, "Can you take us in for another night?"
Zhou Qi curled his lips slightly and replied, "Well, I agree."
[Employee Zhou Qi completed a profitable transaction with a regular customer, earning +22 points and +1 experience point]
So, the brother and sister happily carried their bowl of food back to the dormitory.
Although they traded all the wild vegetables and mushrooms, they also kept a fruit. Not only could they stay overnight, but they also got such delicious stir-fried dishes!
"It turns out that wild vegetables are so delicious after being cooked." Shi Tou was convinced after just one bite.
Xiao Cao shook her head and said, "That's because the oil and salt are added to the dish, so it smells so good! It's really delicious..."
The two children couldn't help but have red eyes while eating.
"It would be nice if I could eat it every day..." Shi Tou couldn't help but sigh.
Xiaocao nodded.
After finishing the dishes, they licked the soup in the bowls clean, then lay down on the warm bunk bed, listening to the whistling mountain wind outside with happy and enjoyable faces.
"elder brother……"
"Um?"
"I want to live here every day..."
Stone fell silent. Who wouldn't want to if it were possible?
After a long time, he turned over and whispered, "Go to sleep."
_
In the room, Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi, after dinner, were discussing the matter of the Shitou brothers and sisters under an umbrella.
"Brother Xiaoqi, do you think we should recruit Shitou or Xiaocao as employees?"
They had previously discussed that it would be best if the employees they recruited had no connection with them, but with the new employee restrictions, they could relax the conditions a bit.
What's more, they may only come to the market town once every ten days or half a month. It would be a waste to leave such a large market unattended.
"I think the boss lady is also a good candidate." Tang Yu'an said again.
As the owner of the Jade Pavilion, as long as she hides in the Jade Pavilion, she doesn't have to worry about safety issues. This is a good place for trading.
However, Zhou Qi shook his head.
"The boss lady's hatred is already very high. If we take out so many supplies, she will probably be unable to move in the town."
Tang Yu'an thought about it and agreed.
When they were watching outside the Meiyu Pavilion in the morning, those people's discussions about the proprietress were so malicious that Tang Yu'an felt indignant whenever he recalled it.
"Forget about the boss lady," he said. "Doing business requires interacting with many people, and her situation really isn't suitable."
Their topic turned to the Stone brothers and sisters.
Tang Yu'an told Zhou Qi about Shitou Xiaocao setting up a stall to cut hair.
"They can use this skill to trade at the beginning, without having to exchange materials with others, so their safety is guaranteed."
Moreover, they can live in the Meiyu Pavilion and don’t have to worry about being discovered when taking supplies.
Of course, the question now is, without their guidance, can the brother and sister do what they envisioned?
But if they come forward to give instructions, their identities will be exposed.
Zhou Qi thought for a moment and said, "You don't need to reveal your identity. Can't you assign tasks to your employees? Just use tasks as a guide."
Hearing this, Tang Yu'an's eyes lit up.
"Yes, all we have to do is give guidance during the mission." This way, he can still hide behind the scenes!
So, the matter of recruiting new employees was decided.
"Then who should we hire? Or both?" Tang Yu'an asked.
"Just hire one."
If both the brother and sister are recruited as employees at the same time, they will become competitors and accidents may easily occur.
If you only hire one, the other will have to depend on him/her, the relationship will be more stable, and both people will focus on the transaction.
"It seems so."
Tang Yu'an scratched his head. Although there was no way to restrain the one who was not hired, it was still safe for them because the employees could not reveal the information of Ping'an Grocery Store.
"What about the stone or the grass?" Tang Yu'an asked again.
"What do you think?" Zhou Qi asked.
Tang Yu'an thought for a moment and said, "Xiaocao, I think she's smarter."
He noticed it when he was setting up the stall. As soon as he mentioned it, the girl agreed, and basically all the business was brought in by her, and...
"She's a girl, so it's harder in the wasteland."
Zhou Qi nodded. The more difficult the situation was, the more he would cherish this precious opportunity.
"Then let's go with her."
Zhou Qi took out a piece of draft paper and began to write the content of the guidance task. As for when to recruit, there was no rush. It would be fine to send it out after they left tomorrow.
Even with guidance from the mission, it remains to be seen whether the siblings can carry it out seriously.
If exposed, they could be in danger.
But... he and An An also walked in the wasteland like this. If they wanted supplies and wanted to live a good life, how could they do so without taking any risks?
While Zhou Qi was writing the tasks, Tang Yu'an continued to use the attachment function to mark on the map.
After Zhou Qi finished writing, he entered the task into "Human Resources" in advance. After the recruitment was successful, he would select employees to publish it.
"By the way, we haven't drawn the lottery today!" Tang Yu'an suddenly thought of something and said excitedly.
I completed all the weekly tasks today, so I have two chances to draw a prize!
He happily opened the lucky wheel, rubbed his hands, and started today's lottery.
[Congratulations! You won 10 points]
Tang Yu'an blinked and looked at the system prompt in disbelief.
How could this be?
He hasn't drawn any points in a long time!
Hearing his mumbling, Zhou Qi felt a little regretful, but at the same time he felt relieved.
Yeah, how is it possible for someone to win good things every day?
"Isn't there still one chance left? Come on."
"Um!"
Tang Yu'an nodded, blew on his palm again, and then clicked on the lottery.
I must win something good this time!
The lucky wheel spun rapidly, and under Tang Yu'an's nervous gaze, the pointer finally stopped at...
[Congratulations! You won the special skill "Light Body Technique Level 1"]
[Detected that the host already possesses a skill of the same level, "Light Body Skill" skill level +1]
【Light Body Skill lv3】
Attributes: Magical skills.
Effect: It can release a force of wind, making the target as light as a swallow. It is an essential skill for delivering goods and doing business.
The duration is 240 minutes and can be used 3 times a day.
Remaining times: 3
0.0
"Brother Xiaoqi, I won the light body technique again!" Tang Yu'an cheered.
Although the number of times it is used per day remains unchanged, the single time has been extended to 4 hours, which basically covers the entire day.
“…”
Listening to his happy sharing, Zhou Qi was silent for a moment, and finally couldn't help but said: "You should just draw alone from now on."
A single draw can create miracles.
"Hahaha, okay. Then, once I complete the weekly tasks, I'll directly draw the lottery and use up my draw quota."
Tang Yu'an looked at the upgraded light body technique with a look of great satisfaction on his face.
Zhou Qi made his bed and said, "Go to bed early. We have to go to the market tomorrow."
"Okay!"
Tang Yu'an climbed onto the bed, "I hope I can reach the next level tomorrow!"
The night deepened.
Black Pearl, who had rested in the pet box for a whole day, stretched lazily and patrolled the house. After drinking milk and eating meat, it jumped onto the roof of the Jade Pavilion again.
It looked down at the guards watching from the shadows.
As the night deepened, the two guards relaxed their vigilance and began to doze off while leaning against the mountain wall.
Black Pearl narrowed her eyes slightly.
A guard who was sitting on the ground was suddenly lifted up.
The awakened guard thought he had been caught by his superior, and subconsciously stood up straight. He opened his eyes and looked around, but found that there was no one else around.
His companion sitting nearby looked at him like he was an idiot, "What are you doing? Are you sleepwalking?"
The guard scratched his head and sat down again.
When he dozed off again, Black Pearl once again controlled the metal on his body, lifted him up and then released the force.
The guard fell to the ground, and although it didn't hurt, it was really annoying.
There was still no one else around.
He looked at his companion, convinced that he was the one causing trouble, and rushed over to wrestle with him.
Black Pearl looked at them and then looked away with some boredom.
At this time, a faint red light appeared in the direction of the guard post.
Black Pearl stared at that place vigilantly, wagging its tail and looking eager to try, but under the constraint of the "guard" command, it did not leave the Jade Pavilion.
In the end, he just lay on the roof and teased the two guards who were monitoring Tang Yu'an.
-
The next morning, before half past five, Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi left Meiyu Pavilion and went to the morning market.
Old Li did not go out with them today. They had agreed to leave Jufeng Town at around eight o'clock, and there were less than three hours left.
The two guards who were watching over them yesterday have left and been replaced by a new pair.
Tang Yu'an put the black pearl into the pet box and walked out of the Jade Hall alone.
Zhou Qi, who was hiding his body with an umbrella, jumped out of the window with the things and followed him.
In the eyes of the monitoring guards, only Tang Yu'an went out.
Soon we arrived at the market.
The market is as bustling today as it was yesterday.
Tang Yu'an walked in with swagger and strolled around the market.
The whole wheat steamed buns were almost gone, and considering that he would need to eat on the way back, he brought half a basket of mushrooms today.
At the market, two mushrooms can be exchanged for about one wild vegetable, and according to the system, one mushroom is worth 1 point, while one wild vegetable is worth 7 to 10 points.
He can still make a profit by trading mushrooms.
The refresh time of the Thousand Faces Cloak is 0:00 am every day, so even though it has been less than 24 hours since Tang Yu'an last used it, the number of times it has been used has been refreshed.
After a while, Zhou Qi, who had put on the Thousand Faces Cloak and turned into Tang's father, walked into the market holding a salt shaker.
When Tang Yu'an saw "Dad" from afar, his nose felt sore, but he didn't go over.
Because Zhou Qi attracted everyone's attention almost as soon as he appeared.
"Look, the salt merchant is here again!"
Those who reacted quickly immediately gathered around with their things, and the crowd also surged towards Zhou Qi.
After entering the market, Zhou Qi did not set up his stall immediately. Instead, he found the guards and asked them to help maintain order. He would reward them like he did yesterday when the transaction was over.
"OK."
The guards readily agreed and enthusiastically led him to the open space.
So Zhou Qi took out the cotton cloth he had prepared in advance and spread it on the ground, then turned on the speaker like Tang Yu'an did yesterday.
"Salt for sale—salt for sale—"
As soon as it started, some people couldn't wait to squeeze over.
However, despite the guards' shouts and scolding, the townspeople still began to line up like they did yesterday.
The first person in the team was a burly man. He said directly and proudly, "Give me ten spoonfuls!"
Zhou Qi shook his head, "Limit purchase to one spoon per person."
"Damn! Why are there still purchase restrictions? It wasn't like this yesterday!"
Zhou Qi just looked at him calmly.
In terms of height, "Dad Tang" cannot compare to this big man, but combined with Zhou Qi's calm and indifferent expression, the deterrent effect is maximized.
The big man remembered that his strength disappeared in front of everyone yesterday, and finally shut up honestly.
Of course, I couldn't help but wonder, wasn't he so easy to talk to yesterday? Why does he feel different today?
"Just one spoonful..." he whispered.
Those who heard their conversation couldn't help but cheer.
That’s great, at least more people can get the salt now!
"I want a spoonful, this is wild vegetable!"
"Can I trade you my straw hat?"
"Where are the bugs? Do you want some?"
Tang Yu'an hid in the crowd, watching the system message prompts start to refresh the screen, and the points and experience points began to rise rapidly. He was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling.
However, he soon discovered that some guards had quietly separated from the team maintaining order and quickly ran towards the guard post.
Tang Yuan frowned slightly, sensing something unusual.
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