Chapter 9
"Kangkang, come and have breakfast."
Grandma Guo had been busy all morning and only now had time to relax and eat.
Hearing the sound, a skinny little boy, about three or four years old, stood up from the corner and ran over excitedly.
"Granny, give it to me!"
He held a small yellow flower in his hand.
Granny Guo reached out and took the small yellow flower. This was a wild vegetable flower, and she had planted a lot of it at home.
Although she has the ability to make plants grow, this ability is not unlimited, so she also needs to plant plants herself.
"Thank you, Kang Kang is really grandma's little darling."
The little boy looked at her with bright eyes, and when he saw her pinning the little yellow flower between her gray hair, he smiled happily.
Granny Guo gently stroked his hair. Due to long-term malnutrition, the child's hair was dry and yellow.
She couldn't help but think of the boy she met yesterday.
He was so tall and looked very strong, with thick black hair. Even his unkempt appearance could not hide his handsomeness.
If only her Kang Kang could grow up so healthy...
Grandma Guo withdrew her hand and placed a string of grilled mushrooms in her grandson's bowl.
This community was originally full of people, but after the catastrophe, it was deserted and the things buried in the ruins became ownerless.
After she and her grandson moved here, they found a lot of useful things. This set of tableware was collected by her from an abandoned house. Although the corners are bumped and damaged, it does not affect its use.
After getting up, Xiao Kangkang ate a piece of fruit. By now he had almost digested it, and when he smelled the fragrance he immediately became hungry.
He picked up a mushroom with his fork, blew on it to cool it, and took a bite.
The thick-textured large white mushrooms taste a bit like meat after being roasted. Xiao Kangkang likes them very much, but today's roasted mushrooms seem to taste more special and delicious.
"Salty," he said.
"Yes, I sprinkled some salt on it. Doesn't it taste better?"
"Um!"
Grandma Guo smiled even more kindly. The salt she changed yesterday was enough for Kang Kang to eat for ten days to half a month.
As for herself, she naturally still ate the potassium salt she made herself from plants and stones.
Although eating too much potassium salt is not good for the body, she is an old woman and has been eating it for so many years that it doesn't matter to continue eating it.
The breakfast for the grandparents and grandchildren consisted of grilled mushrooms and two fruits.
After eating, Grandma Guo continued to tend to the mushrooms and wild vegetables planted in the house, while the little boy squatted beside her and played by himself.
The light shines in through the cracks in the wall and falls on the green leaves of wild vegetables, bringing some vitality to the house.
After an unknown amount of time, voices suddenly came from outside.
Granny Guo immediately became alert.
In a world like this, humans are sometimes more dangerous than mutants.
Could it be that those people came to see her?
If Grandma Guo escaped here with her grandson, it would have only been over a year, so could they have been found?
She covered Xiao Kangkang's mouth and held her breath.
Probably just passing by?
She listened to the noise outside and found that the footsteps were getting closer and closer. The other party did not seem to be walking aimlessly, but was coming straight towards her residence.
"It should be here..."
Granny Guo vaguely heard these words.
The people outside really came to look for her!
Grandma Guo let go of Xiao Kangkang and made a gesture to him to keep quiet. Xiao Kangkang then covered his mouth with his eyes wide open.
Granny Guo walked to the crack in the wall and tried to look outside through the gap.
She was at a high place, and the scenery outside was not very clear. She could vaguely see two figures climbing up.
Grandma Guo's heart was beating like a drum.
If those people really came looking for her and knew her location so precisely, then someone must have betrayed her...
Granny Guo gritted her teeth, a look of determination flashing in her eyes.
"Kang Kang, go find Old Li. Grandma will hold the people outside back."
"If by evening, Grandma still hasn't come looking for you, go with Old Li and give him the necklace. He will take care of you."
Hearing this, Xiao Kangkang's tears fell.
He shook his head but didn't dare cry out loud.
"My grandmother is old and doesn't have many years left to live, but you are different. You must live well and not be caught by those people."
Grandma Guo pushed the child to a gap in the house, behind which was a passage.
After she blocked the gap with a broken wooden board, she took a sickle to the utility room and opened an air vent on the wall of the utility room.
If someone outside climbs to the top of the collapsed building, they will see this air vent and can enter her house through it.
Granny Guo's eyes were full of ruthlessness.
She couldn't die here, nor could she be taken back to that small yard, working day and night to grow plants until her life ran out...
She also wants to find her grandson and raise him up...
So she has to strike first and take the initiative!
Granny Guo climbed out of the air vent, she gripped the sickle tightly in her hand, and waited until the first figure climbing up appeared in her sight——
She raised the sickle high and swung it down with force!
"Bang!"
Granny Guo only felt a flash before her eyes, and the figure disappeared in front of her in an instant.
By the time she reacted, the man had reappeared beside her. He not only dodged her attack, but also held her wrist tightly!
The severe pain caused her fingers to loosen, and the sickle fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
-
Zhou Qi was slightly stunned, and the red light in his eyes had faded.
He recalled everything that had just happened.
The moment Granny Guo swung her sickle, he saw her movements become extremely slow, as if someone had pressed the slow-motion button.
He subconsciously moved aside and then held her wrist.
From his own perspective, this movement was just a normal speed, but when that mysterious state disappeared, he realized what an incredible move he had just completed.
"Brother Xiaoqi!"
Tang Yu'an's voice came from behind, bringing both sides of the conflict back to their senses.
"Who are you? What do you want to do?" Grandma Guo struggled hard and shouted in a timid tone.
"Mother-in-law—"
Just as Zhou Qi was about to explain, a childish voice came from behind.
When she heard the child's voice, Granny Guo's expression became more panicked and terrified. She struggled even harder. Zhou Qi couldn't control herself anymore and let her go.
After regaining her freedom, Granny Guo turned around and ran back.
Seeing her grandson's young figure emerging from inside, Grandma Guo became anxious and angry, and quickly pushed him back.
"Grandma Guo, it's me, Zhou Qi!"
Zhou Qi originally wanted to chase after him, but after taking two steps he felt he could not move forward. He looked down and found that two thin vines had grown out from both sides and wrapped around his feet.
This thin vine was very fragile and broke easily, but the delay was enough for Granny Guo to jump back into the air vent.
She was frightened and was about to run away with her grandson, but when she heard Zhou Qi's voice, she stopped.
Zhou Qi...
She was a little surprised and confused, and leaned forward again to look at them.
"Grandma Guo, it's me."
Seeing her again, Zhou Qi was delighted and quickly explained, "We just met yesterday. I traded salt for fruit with you. Remember?"
Behind him, Tang Yu'an also climbed up the outer wall of the collapsed building.
He stood behind and carefully stuck his head out, holding the sickle that Grandma Guo had dropped in his hand, looking at her with panic and vigilance.
This old lady is so cruel!
If Brother Xiaoqi had dodged a little slower just now, he would have been seriously injured, if not killed!
They were just here to do business and earn points. Tang Yu'an never expected it to be so dangerous... This gave him a deeper understanding of this doomsday world.
After careful identification, Granny Guo finally recognized Zhou Qi.
The main reason was that Zhou Qi's clothes were not as dirty as yesterday, his face was clean, and the two of them had only met once, so Granny Guo did not recognize him at first sight.
Of course, what really made her let down her guard was Tang Yu'an behind Zhou Qi.
Although the two are only three years apart in age, Tang Yu'an can be seen at a glance as a child who has not grown up.
The cute and delicate face still has some soft baby fat, and the pair of big black eyes are clear and clean, as if it came from before the catastrophe.
If they came to arrest her, they would never bring a child like this with them.
Realizing it was a misunderstanding, Granny Guo's face showed a hint of embarrassment.
However, she did not come out of the air vent immediately. Instead, she asked, "How did you find this place?"
She did not forget the purposeful actions of the two children.
Zhou Qi had a meal.
Tang Yu'an opened his mouth and said, "We were just passing by here. Seeing the lush vegetation here, we wanted to look for some wild fruits to eat. Who knew we would be ambushed..."
He paused here, and there was more complaint in his voice.
"Mother-in-law, my brother was almost hacked to death by you just now!" Thinking of the danger just now, Tang Yu'an felt scared.
Grandma Guo became more and more embarrassed.
She looked at Zhou Qi and Tang Yu'an again, and after a few glances, she chose to believe them - it was obvious at a glance that these two children had extraordinary origins, so there was no need for them to lie to her.
"I'm sorry, I mistook you for gangsters..."
"Mother-in-law, do you have any more fruit? Can we trade some with you?"
As soon as Granny Guo's attitude softened, Tang Yu'an took the opportunity to propose a deal.
Anyway, Brother Xiaoqi was not injured, and Granny Guo was not really a bad person, so the deal could still go ahead.
Hearing this, Granny Guo paused and became a little hesitant.
Salt is a necessity. If you do not eat salt for a long time, your body will experience symptoms such as fatigue, neurasthenia, dizziness, and in severe cases, it may even be life-threatening.
She had tasted it yesterday.
The salt that Zhou Qi exchanged with her had a fine texture and no peculiar smell. It was the refined salt that she had only eaten as a child, and was much better than the potassium salt she made herself.
If it was just her, it would be fine, but...
"Do you still have salt?" she couldn't help asking.
"Yes, there are."
Tang Yu'an nodded, but was not in a hurry to do business with her. He looked at the little head sticking out from Granny Guo's side.
It was a little boy about three or four years old, with dry yellow hair and slightly sunken cheeks. He had a pair of big black eyes, looking at him curiously and vigilantly.
Tang Yu'an had never seen such a thin child. He was already old enough to remember when his sister Tang Yuxin was born, and later he often went to her kindergarten to pick her up.
All the little kids in the kindergarten are white and chubby, and no one is so thin.
"Grandma, is this your grandson?" he asked.
"Um."
Granny Guo soothed the nervous child beside her and continued to ask, "How do you want to change? Is it the same as yesterday?"
"Yeah, just like yesterday, but..."
Tang Yu'an softened her voice and said coquettishly, "Grandma, my brother and I have been walking for most of the day and my feet are so tired. Can I rest here for a while?"
Granny Guo frowned.
She looked at Tang Yu'an, who had an innocent look on his face, and then at Zhou Qi, who was standing silently behind the young man, looking around warily.
Zhou Qi's hands and exposed forearms were wrapped in bandages, which were not there yesterday...
She thought about it and nodded: "Come in."
Tang Yuan smiled and turned to look at Zhou Qi.
Zhou Qi felt somewhat helpless. He glanced at the little kid beside Granny Guo and finally said, "Sorry to bother you then."
*
So, Tang Yu'an climbed into Grandma Guo's house through the air vent.
This is the space inside the collapsed building. It is cramped and small, cluttered with debris, and it is not easy to step in.
Zhou Qi followed closely behind, but because he was tall, he needed to bend down to avoid hitting his head.
When they crawled in, Grandma Guo's grandson had already quickly run to another exit and hid, and was now sitting by the cave entrance, watching them.
"Kang Kang has not had much contact with people and is quite shy."
As Granny Guo spoke, she squatted beside the air vent and looked out cautiously.
Then she laid two vines at the entrance to cover up the smell, and then pulled over a stone slab to block the window again.
"Come inside."
After blocking the air vent, Grandma Guo walked to the doorway, bent down, picked up her grandson and brought him into the room.
Tang Yu'an took Zhou Qi's hand and followed her.
After passing through the doorway, their vision suddenly became much wider.
This should be a living room, which fortunately remained intact after the building collapsed. In the corner, you can still see several sofa-shaped miscellaneous items piled there.
Mushrooms of all sizes grew on the debris, and green plants were growing in several boxes of soil nearby.
The most special thing is that in addition to the few rays of sunlight shining through the cracks in the wall, there is also a plant emitting a faint white light to provide lighting for the house.
The plant was planted in a wooden basin, about one meter tall, with sparse leaves. Lantern-like fruits grew in groups of three or two at the junction of the leaves and branches.
These fruits emit a faint light, like small night lights, which is very beautiful.
Tang Yu'an widened his eyes slightly, amazed at this strange plant that he had seen for the first time.
After taking a look, Zhou Qi shifted his attention and began to observe the situation in the house - just as he guessed, there were other exits in the house.
Facing the two strange young men, Granny Guo also seemed a little reserved.
"Grandma, my name is Tang Yu'an."
Noticing the atmosphere was a little quiet, Tang Yu'an took the initiative to speak, smiling brightly and said, "Nice to meet you, please take care of me in the future!"
Grandma Guo paused and nodded slightly, and Xiao Kangkang, who was curled up in her arms, also raised his head.
He looked at Tang Yu'an curiously. She looked cute and well-behaved, but her skinny appearance was really pitiful.
Tang Yu'an thought of his sister, and there was a hint of tenderness in his eyes as he looked at the child.
"Hello, Kang Kang."
The child looked at him timidly, then shrank back into Grandma Guo's arms.
Grandma Guo looked at the little grandson in her arms, then looked at the young man with a bright smile on his face, opened her mouth slightly, but in the end did not stop their communication.
Zhou Qi didn't come closer either.
He sat down on a rock opposite and watched Tang Yu'an talking to the grandparents from a distance.
An An has this ability, she can quickly play with people she just met, but he... still prefers to watch quietly from the side.
*
Kang Kang huddled in his mother-in-law's arms, clutching her clothes tightly, afraid that she would disappear in an instant.
"Want some candy?"
At this moment, he heard a laughing voice.
Kang Kang looked up curiously at this little brother who was much older than him. He was so handsome, with fair skin and chubby cheeks, like clouds in the sky.
"If you call me Brother Tang, I'll give you this candy."
He saw the young man stretch out his hand to him, with a white transparent crystal in his palm. The surface was covered with powder, but a little bit of crystal could still be seen.
Xiao Kangkang subconsciously raised his little hand and grabbed the pendant on his chest through his clothes.
Shiny and shiny...but what is sugar?
He looked at Tang Yu'an in confusion.
"Really? This is sweet and delicious."
As Tang Yu'an spoke, he put the rock sugar to his lips, bit off a small piece with his teeth, and then held it in his mouth with a happy expression.
“It’s so sweet!”
Xiao Kangkang had never eaten candy, but he knew what sweetness tasted like. In the end, he couldn't resist the temptation and whispered, "Tang...Brother Tang..."
He spoke with a slight stutter, and his voice was so babyish that it was particularly adorable.
"Hey." Tang Yu'an responded with a smile, and then said, "Stretch out your hand."
Xiao Kangkang curled his hands in front of him and looked up at Grandma Guo hesitantly.
Granny Guo also frowned. Could this transparent white crystal really be sugar? Sugar was even rarer than salt. Even she hadn't tasted pure sugar in years.
His mother-in-law didn't respond to him, so Kang Kang had to look at Tang Yu'an again.
This little brother is really handsome... My mother-in-law has let him into the house, so he should be safe.
Finally, he carefully stretched out a little hand.
"Wait a moment."
However, after looking at the palm of the child's hand, the little brother put the rock sugar back into his pocket, then took out his handkerchief, wet it with water, and then took the child's hand to help wipe it.
"Diseases come from the mouth, so wipe your hands clean before eating." Tang Yu'an said.
Kang Kang saw with his own eyes that the little brother's snow-white handkerchief turned pitch black after wiping his palm.
A blush appeared on the child's sallow cheeks, and he nodded shyly.
Tang Yu'an also kept his promise. After helping him wipe his hands clean, he put the remaining half piece of rock sugar on the child's palm.
Kang Kang looked at the rock candy and couldn't help swallowing his saliva, but he didn't put it into his mouth in a hurry. Instead, he stretched out his little hand and held the rock candy in front of Grandma Guo.
"Grandma, eat."
Granny Guo has been looking at Tang Yu'an.
If she was still a little wary before, she was completely relieved after Tang Yu'an wet her handkerchief with water and wiped Kang Kang's hands.
Although there is no shortage of water in their area, using clean drinking water to wash hands is still too luxurious.
The origins of these two young men are definitely not simple.
Grandma Guo was thinking when her grandson called her. She didn't think much about it, but lowered her head and gently licked the rock sugar.
When she tasted the subtle and extremely rich sweetness, her cloudy old eyes couldn't help but widen.
Sugar... real sugar!
Granny Guo couldn't help swallowing.
However, she did not continue licking the candy, but instead gave Xiao Kangkang an urging look.
Seeing this, Kang Kang pinched the candy and licked it tentatively.
Almost the next moment, his eyes widened like his grandmother's.
Kang Kang knew the taste of sweetness. There was a kind of sweet fruit among the fruits grown by his grandmother, but since he could remember, he had never tasted such a rich sweetness!
“Gurgle—”
The child's stomach made a growl.
Driven by hunger, Kang Kang finally couldn't help it and raised his hand to stuff the whole candy into his mouth.
The extremely rich sweetness melted on his tongue. His face was full of surprise, and finally he couldn't help but squint his eyes, revealing a happy expression full of enjoyment.
"Haha, isn't it delicious?"
Tang Yu'an also laughed happily. When Kang Kang took the rock sugar, a new system prompt popped up in front of him.
You completed a loss-making transaction with a new customer, experience points +3, points +0.
[You completed the daily task (1), points +2]
[You completed daily tasks (3), points +2]
He successfully completed his daily task of attracting new customers! Even though the system indicated a loss, the rock candy was already in the shop, and he didn't spend any points.
So, did he really lose money?
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