Chapter 72
After gaining experience points and credits, Tang Yu'an let Kang Kang enjoy his buns peacefully.
The child's appetite gradually grew. Although he had eaten breakfast, his stomach was not yet round and he could still eat half a bun.
After he finished eating, Tang Yu'an pulled out some straw and played with him to weave crickets.
Kang Kang stared intently.
He had seen his mother-in-law weaving straw baskets before, but he never imagined that she could weave other things.
Before I knew it, the time for fun was over.
Feeling that it was about time, Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi carried Kang Kang to go look for Granny Guo. With the map and the added function of displaying the terrain, they didn't have to worry about not finding her.
When they arrived, Granny Guo had finished inducing labor and was digging potatoes out of the ground.
The tool she used was a sharpened piece of wood, and she dug with great difficulty.
Tang Yu'an took out a shovel from his backpack, or actually from his personal storage.
"Grandma, let us help you dig!"
Seeing them coming over, Granny Guo thought it was Kang Kang who gave the instructions, so she wasn't surprised. However, when she saw Tang Yu'an carrying a shovel with him, there was a hint of doubt in her eyes.
Tang Yu'an also noticed the strangeness in her eyes, so he casually said, "We're going to find Uncle Tiejin later and ask him to help forge a shovel."
Having said this, he paused slightly, looked at Granny Guo and said, "Granny, do you know Uncle Tiejin?"
Granny Guo shook her head and said, "I heard about it from Old Li, but I haven't seen it."
She only knew Old Li in the deserted city, and she kept the fruits she grew with him, entrusting him to trade them to others.
"I heard from Lao Li that he is a pretty good person."
She also commissioned Old Li to find iron and gold to make things, such as the sickle and the thermal insulation container for her storage.
A thick layer of mutant metal with good thermal insulation effect. A partition is made of ordinary materials on the top, and water, leaves and spores of a mutant mushroom are added.
The spores of this mushroom absorb a large amount of heat during the growth process, allowing the inside of the container to be maintained at a relatively low temperature.
Thanks to this insulation device, her fruits can be stored for a longer period of time.
Tiejin has excellent craftsmanship and uses solid materials. He is a person with special abilities worth making friends with.
It's just that she is used to being cautious and not willing to contact outsiders. After all, in this apocalyptic wasteland, it is safer to live her own life behind closed doors.
At this time, she heard Tang Yu'an say again: "Yes, Uncle Tiejin is very good! He adopted a little girl some time ago and asked us to go to the market town to buy clothes for her."
Hearing this, Granny Guo couldn't help but feel a little surprised.
Adopted a child? And bought her clothes?
If it is true, then Tie Jin's character is indeed extraordinary.
Grandma Guo couldn't help but look at Kang Kang who was squatting beside her helping to dig potatoes. After Xiao An and the others came, Kang Kang became visibly happy.
She knew that her grandson longed for a playmate.
If Tiejin lived nearby and had children at home, then...
"Mother-in-law, do you need a hoe?" At this time, Zhou Qi's words interrupted her thoughts.
The only metal tool Granny Guo has is a sickle. Because she has wood-related abilities, she picks the fruits from the fruit trees after they grow quickly and then discards them, so she doesn't need tools like hoes.
But now that we have switched to growing potatoes, tools like hoes that can turn the soil are very necessary.
"If you need, we can help you customize it with Uncle Jin."
Granny Guo was tempted, but hesitated, "Will it be too much trouble..."
"No, we also custom-made a wok and a machete from Uncle Jin. A hoe shouldn't be difficult to make either."
Zhou Qi pointed at the potatoes and said, "His adopted daughter is only a little over a year old and can't eat hard food yet. He worries about this every day."
"The texture of potatoes after they're cooked is soft and chewy, perfect for babies. If you trade potatoes with them, they'll probably be very surprised."
When she heard that Tiejin had adopted such a young child, Grandma Guo's liking for him inevitably increased.
She knew how difficult it was to raise a child, especially in this wasteland where resources were scarce and dangers abounded. It was rare to be able to give birth to and raise a child, let alone adopt someone else's child.
However, out of caution, she did not immediately propose to meet Tiejin.
"Then please ask him for me."
It would be great if we could make a deal with him through the two teenagers.
"So what size do you need?"
Zhou Qi asked some details and after confirming what Grandma Guo needed, he said he would ask for her when he went to find Tie Jin later.
Granny Guo smiled and thanked them, and her eyes became more kind and gentle as she looked at them.
Today, Grandma Guo gave birth to two potato plants. Based on the growth characteristics of potatoes, she also added water and nutrients, and the final yield of potatoes harvested was more than yesterday.
They dug out a total of 32, the largest of which was as big as a baby's head, and the smallest was the size of Tang Yu'an's fist.
Grandma Guo looked at the pile of potatoes and her face was full of wrinkles with smile.
“These potatoes will last us many days,” she said. “Then I’ll have enough to plant fruit trees and rice.”
A high potato yield is a good thing, but how to store it is a problem, so there is no need to produce too much at one time.
And she didn't forget that both boys loved sweet fruits, and since they had received so much help, she naturally wanted to repay them as much as possible.
-
Although there were many people digging fast, the sun had already risen high. Tang Yu'an finally couldn't stand the high temperature. He took out the fruit that Kang Kang had given him, rinsed it with water, and put it in his mouth.
The fruit is green with a hint of blue. When you take a bite, you can taste the icy juice, followed by a sour and astringent taste.
Soon, Tang Yu'an's face wrinkled with jealousy.
He had never eaten such sour fruit!
But it's understandable if you think about it. After all, Kang Kang spent less than a week to grow the fruit. The fruit might have been picked as soon as it was grown. It would be strange if it wasn't sour.
But what surprised Tang Yu'an was that after eating the fruit... he really wasn't hot anymore?
He ran out to sway under the scorching sun. Although the top of his head was still hot, it was not as hot as before, almost smoking. He felt like he was being roasted!
"Kang Kang, your fruit is so useful!"
Tang Yu'an jumped for joy, picked up Kang Kang, and spun him around in a circle to express his joy.
Kang Kang grinned and smiled foolishly.
He likes his brother! Praise him!
Afterwards, Tang Yu'an carried Kang Kang on his back, Granny Guo and Zhou Qi carried potatoes on their backs, and the group started walking back.
"Kang Kang, since this mutant lantern fruit has a different effect than the original one, why don't you give it a new name?"
On the way, Tang Yu'an asked Kang Kang to name the second-generation mutant lantern fruit.
Kang Kang leaned on his shoulder, blinked in confusion, thought for a moment, and whispered, "Liangliang?"
Liangliang fruit?
Tang Yu'an nodded. This name was appropriate, but it didn't seem very auspicious...
"How about calling it Cool Fruit?" he said.
"Uh-huh!"
Kang Kang nodded his head hurriedly, completely agreeing with what Tang Yu'an said, "Cool! Guoguo!"
"Hahaha, okay, then let's call it Cool Fruit!"
The effect of the cooling fruit was indeed immediate. Tang Yu'an carried Kang Kang all the way, and in such hot weather, he only sweated slightly on his forehead.
It's a pity that there is only one now, but there is still a long time to go, and he now has more ways to cool down, so there is no need to rush.
Soon, they returned to Grandma Guo's house.
"Eat well, sleep well, and remember to listen to your mother-in-law."
After learning that Kang Kang would hold a flowerpot and get him some refreshing fruit as soon as he opened his eyes these days, Tang Yu'an was touched, but at the same time, he did not agree with him and warned him.
"You're still growing, so you can't overwork yourself, okay?"
Kang Kang nodded his little head, and then his brother's big hand fell on the top of his head and rubbed it.
He was a little shy, but he liked it.
"Be good, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Um!"
Next, Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi said goodbye and left.
Watching them turn around and leave, Kang Kang was reluctant to leave, but did not cry.
Because my brother promised to come and see him tomorrow!
He hopes tomorrow can arrive sooner!
Then Kang Kang ran back panting, holding his flower pot, staring at the cool fruit tree in the pot, his brows slightly frowned.
Granny Guo, who was in a very good mood because of the bumper potato harvest and no longer had to worry about food, couldn't help but feel surprised when she saw him hugging the small tree again.
"Isn't it a success?"
Why are you still looking so sad?
Kang Kang wrinkled his nose and said unhappily, "Sour!"
Brother Tang likes to eat sweet things!
Granny Guo: “…”
-
Tang Yu'an had no idea that after he left, Kang Kang was researching how to make the cooling fruit sweeter.
Although Kang Kang said that the small tree was a gift to him, after seeing the system identification information and personally experiencing the effects of the cooling fruit, he really couldn't shamelessly accept the fruit tree.
In a world with such a huge temperature difference between day and night, the value of cooling fruit has been raised to a very high level.
In this world, most ordinary people cannot tolerate high temperatures, and even those with special abilities rarely dare to go out at noon when the temperature is highest.
Cool fruit can definitely become a big seller.
However, it has just mutated and the yield is not stable. We will have to wait and see. After all, if there is only one plant and it cannot be replicated, it can only be used by ourselves or made into high-end luxury goods.
But no matter what, it was a great surprise to Tang Yu'an that he could withstand the high temperature after eating it.
While Tang Yu'an was thinking about these things, Zhou Qi had already carried him to Old Li's house.
Old Li had been waiting for them for a long time.
"I'm a little late today." He took out the things he had prepared and traded them.
After spending these days together, they have developed an unspoken understanding, so they easily obtained 40 points, 3 experience points, and two kilograms of rabbit meat.
After Zhou Qi completed the transaction, Tang Yu'an took out two potatoes, which were given to them by Granny Guo before leaving.
"Grandpa, this is for you."
Old Li laughed and said, "What good thing is this?"
“It’s potatoes!”
Old Li looked at the fresh soil on the potatoes, smelling the familiar scent, and guessed, "Did Granny Guo grow them?"
"Yes! This is a new product grown by Granny Guo, and she specially asked us to send it to you."
"Don't be fooled by its hard texture. Boil it in water or steam it, and it will become very soft. It's not only delicious but also more filling than fruit."
Tang Yu'an put the potatoes down and said, "Grandpa, try it. We're leaving first!"
Old Li, who wanted to continue exchanging meat with them, looked at their hurriedly fleeing backs and smiled helplessly.
Of course he didn't chase after him.
The old man stood by the window and watched them disappear. After a long time, he took the potatoes into the kitchen.
Soon, Lin Zhen's home was within sight.
"Sister Lin, Amu, we're back from the market town!"
Tang Yu'an jumped onto the window, poked his head into the house and shouted, startling Lin Jue who was grinding medicine powder.
When she heard that it was Tang Yu'an, her face lit up with joy and she quickly clapped her hands and stood up.
"Wow! You guys are finally back!"
"Sister Lin, what are you doing?"
Tang Yu'an crawled into the house and saw the bottles, jars and tools placed on the ground by Lin Zhen, and couldn't help but look curious.
"I'm preparing a new medicine." Lin Zhen had no intention of keeping it secret. "I originally wanted to make a medicine with better hemostatic effect..."
Ever since Old Li was bitten by a lizard, Lin Zhen has had a sense of crisis and has been thinking about how to make a medicine with better hemostatic effect.
In the past, when she was injured and bleeding was stopped, she would press wood ash on the wound, but this was obviously not the best way. If a piece of flesh was bitten off directly like Old Li, she was not sure whether the bleeding could be stopped.
So she decided to prepare for a rainy day, but it didn't go very smoothly.
The vegetation in the center of the deserted city is lush, and the probability of finding herbs is high, but it is too dangerous, so she dare not go deep into it. She has basically explored the surrounding areas, but has not found any suitable herbs.
However, there are quite a few that can reduce swelling, relieve pain and treat inflammation, and this is the one she is currently preparing.
"Sister Lin, are you making anti-inflammatory medicine?" Tang Yu'an's eyes lit up.
The only medicine they have now that has anti-inflammatory effects is the cold medicine, but on the one hand, this medicine is relatively expensive, and on the other hand, they don’t know how wide its scope of application is, and whether it can be used for common inflammatory symptoms.
If there are special anti-inflammatory drugs, it would be great.
"That should be about the same." Lin Zhen scratched his head. "It can be applied externally or taken internally. After all, the most worrying thing about external injuries is infection."
"Then how about we exchange the bleeding-stopping powder with you?"
Lin Zhen:!!!
"Do you still have that kind of hemostatic powder?" she asked excitedly, "the kind you used to stop the old man's bleeding?"
“That kind is no longer available, but it should be similar.”
After all, it is produced by the system, so the quality should not be bad.
Tang Yu'an used 20 points to exchange for a 50-gram bottle of hemostatic powder, and then took it out of his backpack.
Looking at the exquisite little glass bottle he took out, Lin Zhen couldn't help but stare.
"Can you give me this glass bottle in exchange?" she asked eagerly.
"OK!"
Lin Zhen cheered happily, and then quickly packed up the prepared medicinal powder.
While she was packing, Tang Yu'an had already gone to play with Amu, so Zhou Qi made the deal with Lin Zhen.
"I exchanged this for something at the market. See if you can use it."
After the transaction, Zhou Qi took out another large glass bottle, which Tang Yu'an had exchanged for at the stall selling clay jars.
"It works, it works!" Lin Zhen nodded hurriedly. "You guys are so kind! You went through so much trouble on the journey, and yet you still brought me such a beautiful glass bottle!"
Zhou Qi smiled and said, "An An said she wanted to give it to you."
"Wow! Thank you, Xiao An!"
"Sister Lin, as long as you like it."
Tang Yu'an squatted in front of Amu who was hatching eggs. Maybe because they hadn't seen each other for a few days, Amu didn't recognize him. He looked at him with a pair of round eyes, observing him with some caution.
"Amu, look what this is?"
Tang Yu'an took out a brightly colored feather from his backpack. It was plucked from the bird that Hei Zhenzhu had caught before. He knew that Amu liked it, so he collected it.
Sure enough, when the big parrot saw the beautiful feathers, the whole bird became excited.
"feather!"
"Beautiful! Feathers!"
Tang Yu'an smiled and stuck the feather on its head.
Amu immediately started laughing, completely letting down his guard against Tang Yu'an, and said happily, "Good friends! We are good friends!"
If it hadn't remembered that it was still incubating eggs, it might have already flown away.
-
After saying goodbye to Lin Zhen and Amu, Zhou Qi carried Tang Yu'an on his back and continued to run towards Tie Jin's house.
On the way, he heard Tang Yu'an whisper: "Brother Xiaoqi, what do you think...should we open another branch in the deserted city?"
Compared to Jufeng Town, Tang Yu'an found that he still liked Huangcheng more.
Unconsciously, he had developed a sense of belonging to this ruined city. Although it was not that strong, it was indeed growing day by day.
However, the main store is too far away from here.
Even if they were to run to Granny Guo's house, which was the nearest, it would take them at least an hour to do so if they didn't use the light body technique.
Moreover, the main store hides too many of their secrets and is currently unable to be open to the public. In this case, should they open a branch as a second nest?
Anyway, if there is a teleportation array, it will be very convenient to go back and forth.
This way, customers can come to their store and they don’t have to travel on the road every day.
Zhou Qi pondered and said, "It's worth a try."
Now that Xiaocao is in Jufeng Town, they don't need to rush to expand the market. In comparison, they feel more comfortable getting along with the old customers in Huangcheng.
"Besides, the deserted city is full of unowned land, so it won't cost us much to set up a branch."
Zhou Qi began to analyze.
"Although Jufeng Town has a large customer flow, we were there for too short a time and the information we learned was limited. Even if Brother Chi Hao helped us get the land, we can't just rashly open a branch in the location he chose."
After all, once a branch is established, it is likely that it cannot be revoked.
Even if it can be rescinded, the initial investment costs will be wasted.
They also don't know what the system's requirements are for branch operations, and whether setting up a branch will cause any trouble...
For example, cool signs that can attract customers will definitely have a good effect, but in a world that has been without electricity for many years, suddenly coming up with this kind of neon effect, I'm afraid it will be difficult for them to do business in peace.
To be on the safe side, we still need to make more preparations.
After such analysis, Zhou Qi and Tang Yu'an felt that their previous decision to open a branch directly in Jufeng Town seemed a bit too hasty.
This step is a bit too big, the deserted city is their foundation.
"Let's open a branch in Huangcheng as a pilot," Zhou Qi said seriously. "We'll first figure out the situations that will arise after the branch is established, and then consider opening in Jufeng Town."
"Okay, okay!"
This was originally proposed by Tang Yu'an, and he never thought that it would get Zhou Qi's full support. Naturally, he was very happy.
"We looked on the map to see if there was a location that was close and convenient to everyone's homes so we could sleep in a little longer every morning."
The more Tang Yu'an thought about it, the happier he felt.
It is too difficult for him to get up before 6 o'clock every morning. Who would want to get up early if he can sleep in?
Therefore, the plan to open a branch in Huangcheng for a pilot project was initially decided.
-
Because they had wasted time helping Grandma Guo dig potatoes, it was already 11 o'clock in the morning when they arrived at Tiejin's house.
Tiejin entertained them warmly.
"Uncle Jin, this is the mint I promised to bring you." Zhou Qi took out a mint transplanted in a broken bowl and handed it to Tie Jin.
They should have brought it the day before they went to the market town, but they forgot about it at that time. They finally remembered it before leaving today.
"Is this the kind of mint that cools you down in the summer?"
Tiejin held the broken bowl and smelled the mint leaves. Sure enough, he smelled a fresh and pleasant fragrance. He felt more energetic as he smelled it.
"How do I plant this? Are there any precautions?"
"Put it in a cool corner on the second floor during the day, and make sure to water it every day." Zhou Qi said, "If it's too cold at night, move it to a warmer place."
Isn’t this similar to raising a daughter?
Tie Jin nodded to show that he understood, took the mint to the second floor and gave it to Jin Lili, and then took Zhou Qi to see the machete he made before leaving.
This machete is much longer than the previous dagger and very heavy. At least Tang Yu'an can't lift it with one hand.
Zhou Qi's strength increased a lot, and it was very easy for him to wield the sword.
But he had never used such a machete before, let alone fought with others with a knife, so his movements were a bit unfamiliar and he would need to practice more in the future.
A machete like this is worth 300 points.
After deducting the cost of the mint, he earned 280 points - of course, this was just Zhou Qi's judgment using the speech guidance system. In fact, a mint could not be exchanged for such a knife.
After the other terms were agreed upon, Zhou Qi took out the potatoes grown by Grandma Guo and commissioned Tie Jin to forge a hoe.
Only the head of the hoe is made of metal, and the handle is lighter than wood, so not much metal is actually needed, but the shape needs to be more particular.
After tasting the mashed potatoes made by Zhou Qi, Tiejin agreed without hesitation.
"As long as I can exchange these potatoes for them, I can make as many as I want!"
Although Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi left some millet before leaving, it was almost finished. Tie Jin started to worry about how to find bird eggs for his daughter.
Unexpectedly, the two teenagers came back and solved his urgent problem, so he was naturally very happy.
This kind of potato is good. It can be grown in the ground. You don’t have to look for it everywhere like bird eggs, and you may not even find them.
"If you need to dig potatoes, you can come to me. I'm strong, so just give me one or two potatoes at a time."
Tiejin also knew that mutant metal was not in demand every day, so he took the initiative to find a job for himself, hoping to use his strength to exchange for food for his daughter.
"Okay, I'll ask for you later."
As for the clothes that Tie Jin had previously commissioned, since they were not available in the market town, Zhou Qi took out the five metal arrows again.
Tiejin was feeling a little disappointed when he heard the young man say, "Although we don't have any ready-made clothes, we did find some cloth. If you don't mind, I can help Xiaoli measure her size and make her one later."
"Can you make clothes?" Tie Jin looked at Zhou Qi with his eyes wide and bright.
As expected of someone who came out of a fortress, he really knows everything!
Zhou Qi...
I can actually make clothes.
When Zhou Qi was young, his grandmother made a living by sewing and altering clothes for others, so there was a sewing machine at home.
Later, my grandmother's eyesight deteriorated and she had to go out to pick up scraps for a living, but the sewing machine was kept.
Zhou Qi inherited his grandmother's craft. In his spare time, he would alter clothes for others to help support the family. Occasionally, he would also try to make bags, decorations, etc.
He also made small clothes for Tang Yu'an's sister. Although it can't be said to be very good, it is pretty good.
"Then I'll leave it to you!"
So, after Zhou Qi measured Jin Lili's size, he used the same five mutated metal arrows to earn 150 points from Tie Jin!
Tang Yu'an was amazed by what he saw.
He and Kang Kang exploited a bug to repeatedly earn points, taking advantage of Kang Kang's young age and being easy to fool. However, Brother Xiaoqi's operation was as smooth as flowing water, and he earned points without leaving any trace.
It seems he still has a lot to learn!
It was almost 12 noon, the sun was high in the sky, and the sunlight was scorching the earth.
Because the time limit for the light body technique had passed, Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi stayed at Tie Jin's house, waiting for the weather to cool down before going out.
Zhou Qi and Tie Jin went to cook, while Tang Yu'an took Jin Lili to play on the second floor.
Tiejin has been making machetes these days, so the wok has not been made yet. Tiejin feels a little embarrassed, but thinking of Zhou Qi's craftsmanship, he still shamelessly follows and learns from him.
Zhou Qi didn't chase him away, but occasionally gave him some advice.
Tiejin took note of it humbly.
Just when lunch was ready and he was looking forward to tasting this rare delicacy, he heard Jin Lili crying downstairs.
Ever since he picked her up, the little girl has always cried softly. Tiejin has never heard her cry so loudly.
His face changed slightly, and he didn't care about what was happening and quickly ran downstairs.
The author has something to say:
Anzai: Learn from Brother Xiaoqi!
System (deeply saddened): I was careless!
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