345 ? The twelfth store

345 The Twelfth Store

◎I am the faith.◎

When Lu Yao arrived at the Zhou family, a shed was being built in the dam at the door, and the scene was a bit chaotic. Probably no one expected that Old Lady Zhou would pass away so quickly. After all, a week ago, she was often seen busy in the fields carrying a large bamboo basket.

Old Lady Zhou's children had not returned yet. The old man in the family was not doing anything and sat dully in the corner of the mourning hall. The person in charge was a younger generation of the Zhou family, and the old lady's sister, brother-in-law and nephew assisted from the side.

Lu Yao looked around the house, but did not see the child of the Zhou family. Later, he found him in the small fish pond next to the Zhou residence.

The child sat listlessly on a stone step beside the fish pond, one hand resting on his cheek, holding a piece of green grass in his hand, tapping the turbid green water surface. Lu

Yao stood at a distance and watched for a while, then walked closer in small steps.

The child noticed something, looked sideways, then turned his head away, as if he didn't want to talk.

Lu Yao stood on the bank of the fish pond, looked down at the child sitting on the stone step, and said in a calm voice: "Your grandmother is dead."

The grass in the child's hand rose up and hit the water surface heavily.

The grass blades were too light and did not stir up any ripples.

Lu Yao continued, "It doesn't feel real, right? The first experience of death for the living is mostly from the death of a close person, and this experience is often not strong when you first learn that person has died. It is not until one day after she leaves that you suddenly remember that she was supposed to be here, and then you understand what death is."

Mrs. Zhou's husband's surname is Chen, and the child's name is Chen Chunsheng.

On the day he learned of his grandmother's death, Chen Chunsheng still didn't understand what the old lady from the Lu family meant.

The next afternoon, Chen Chunsheng's parents and uncle rushed back from other places.

On the morning of the fourth day, everyone sent the old lady's coffin up the mountain.

The countryside still has the habit of burial, and Chen Chunsheng, as a grandson, held a wreath in front.

Chen Chunsheng watched as the adults placed his grandmother's coffin in a place that had been dug in advance, and then moved it left and right to adjust the direction, saying that they wanted to bury her in a good ancestral tomb for their children and future generations.

He didn't understand these things, nor did he understand what the adults were doing.

Chen Chunsheng only knew that he would never see his grandmother again, but he didn't quite understand what this meant, so he couldn't even shed tears.

Things started to get out of control a week after his grandmother's death. Things at home were almost done, and his parents and uncle had already packed up and left again.

Only Chen Chunsheng and his sickly grandfather were left at home, and his grandfather would take care of him from then on.

Chen Chunsheng took a week off, and as the weekend was over, he had to go back to school. At

noon, Chen Chunsheng and his grandfather sat at a small folding table, eating the leftover dishes from work a few days ago.

The table was filled with dishes that looked very bad. His grandfather urged him to eat more. Chen Chunsheng picked and chose and ate a little, feeling a little aggrieved.

In the past, on weekends, at noon before going to school, his grandmother would always cook a large table of delicious dishes, all of which were his favorite meat dishes. His grandmother would also keep putting vegetables into his bowl, but at that time he always felt that his grandmother was a little annoying and didn't want to pay attention.

After lunch, his grandfather handed his cell phone to Chen Chunsheng and asked him to make a phone call and call a motorcycle driver to pick him up.

Chen Chunsheng couldn't help but think of the past when he went to school, his grandmother would contact the driver in advance, send him to the road, and tell the driver to drive slowly.

On Sunday afternoon, Chen Chunsheng came to the classroom in a low mood. A girl in the class had a birthday and brought a birthday cake to school. The cake was cut on the podium and each classmate could get a piece.

Chen Chunsheng looked at the small triangular cake on the plate and remembered a weekend long ago when he came home from school and opened the refrigerator at home to see a birthday cake with cream frozen and a little hard.

Grandma came over, Xianbao tore open the transparent plastic bag covering the cake, stuffed it into his hand, and said with a smile: "Grandma Su had a birthday two days ago and invited us to dinner. When they were sharing the cake, I asked for a piece for you. Come and try it and see if it tastes good."

At that time, Chen Chunsheng was quite disgusted. He liked to eat cake, but it had been stored for so long, the cream must have soured, so he would not eat it. Chen

Chunsheng remembered the piece of cake that he threw into the trash can in front of his grandmother. He suddenly turned around and ran out of the classroom and hid behind the secluded teaching building. He couldn't cry a few days ago, but now he couldn't stop crying.

He didn't know why he was so sad all of a sudden, but his nose was sore when he thought of his grandmother, and he couldn't control it.

Unfortunately, no one in the world cares why he hides and cries secretly, and no one will leave a piece of cake for him with expectation.

After a long week, Chen Chunsheng drove home early in the morning.

Grandpa actually rented a robot, and the lunch at noon was the work of the robot. To be fair, it tasted good, at least better than leftovers, and definitely better than grandpa's cooking.

But the old man who greeted him with a smile, always loved to circle around him, and asked about his life at school was gone.

At night, Chen Chunsheng wrapped himself in the quilt, his heart was empty, and he only felt that the curse of the old lady of the Lu family on him had come true.

He missed his grandmother.

----

Time is like running water, flowing quietly.

After the funeral of Mrs. Zhou, Lu Yao stopped paying attention to the Chen family.

Death is fair to everyone. A person will experience the death of others several times in his life.

The living will not be immersed in the shadow of death forever, but the shadow of death will not dissipate.

Another week later, a piece of moss in Lu Yao's yard died in the middle of the night.

The next morning, Lu Yao was awakened by the familiar sound of cannons.

The bedridden old man of the Tian family died in his sleep.

The daughter-in-law of the Tian family came to the rental shop early in the morning to rent a robot. The young daughter-in-law looked haggard, but there was a hint of spirit in her eyes, with a secret sense of relief.

The Tian family rented three kitchen robots, three cleaning robots, and two play robots for three days.

When the old man was found dead in the morning, Tian's wife immediately contacted her family members who were working outside, and then asked the old people in the village to help predict the time of burial. Tian's

family held two funerals in a month, and the materials that were not used up in the previous one were just used up. There were precedents for all the arrangements.

Lu Yao only went to Tian's house for a meal on the night of the mountain climbing. The next morning, when the funeral was held, she did not go, but she saw the funeral procession heading to the chosen burial site from the main road.

By the afternoon, the grave was covered with soil and the stone tablet was built. Luyuan saw the thick smoke rising from afar and walked to the main road to watch.

The wife of the Tian family and her husband took the wooden bed and bedding that the old man had slept on, the cups, bowls and chopsticks he had used, the clothes he had worn, and even the medicines and diapers that he had not finished taking and burned them all in front of the grave.

The things that the old man had accumulated throughout his life turned into a big fire, which burned in less than two hours. The only thing left in the world was the portrait that had been placed in the center of the mourning hall.

There was no other trace, as if this person had never come to the world.

If there was any other trace, it was that there was a patch of wet green moss in the damp and cool place in Luyuan's forest garden.

He likes to hide under the tree, watching the sunlight leaking through the leaves and the dust flying in the beam of light.

He likes to quietly crawl on the soil, smell the damp earthy smell, and feel the coolness moistened by the morning dew.

The two old people in the Tian family are gone, and the daughter-in-law of the Tian family came to the rental shop to return the rented robots, including the kitchen robot she once rented to cook.

The fatigue on the face of the daughter-in-law of the Tian family has not completely faded, but the spirit in her eyes cannot be ignored.

She told Lu Yao that the house has been packed up and she will be ready to go out tomorrow and go back to the original factory to continue working and earning money.

It has been hard to go home to take care of the elderly for the past few months, but at least I have fulfilled my filial piety. In the future, I will be busy for my small family and live my own life.

Birth, aging, sickness and death, that's all there is to it.

Those who are leaving have left, and those who are still alive must go on living.

----

Time has entered midsummer, the sun is blazing during the day, and Tonghua Town has also entered the busy farming season.

The business of the rental shop is still neither salty nor dull.

At the beginning of the month, Lu Yao saw Gu Liangshi again.

Not long ago, he went back to the hospital for a follow-up examination, and his condition did not improve, so Gu Liangshi didn't care anymore.

He went back to the city to meet a few old friends, preached to Lu Yao openly, and then met Lu Yao for the last time.

Gu Liangshi liked the feeling of being a tree, so he decided to return to Anping and continue to become a tree until the end of his life.

About three months later, Lu Yao found that the crooked-necked loquat tree in the forest garden had died. Soon after, he received a call from Ping An.

Gu Liangshi died in his sleep at home. After his death, the intelligent robot at home announced his death. His children rushed back from other provinces and held a grand funeral for him.

Lu Yao hung up the phone and sat in the dam to bask in the sun.

Gu Liangshi did not die at home. Except for Lu Yao, Ping An and a few old friends, no one knew that he finally died peacefully in the form of a tree.

Because he wore the square plaque sent by Lu Yao, his body automatically returned to his family after his death. The tree died, and Gu Liangshi also returned home.

Not long after Gu Liangshi's funeral, the rental shop welcomed several guests from the city. They were all old people who had heard Gu Liangshi mention Lu Yao before his death. They also came to Lu Yao to ask for a black square plaque.

In fact, there were vague rumors in the village that Lu Yao was a fortune-teller who was in charge of some mysterious things.

Lu Yao had heard about it, but didn't care.

She has been a little reckless recently, or she has given up.

Lu Yao thought that the new ability he developed was enough to complete the mission, but several months passed, and there was no sign of the star gate loosening, the expected punishment did not come, and the system did not have any new mission instructions. It really made people at a loss as to what to do.

But this summer was quite interesting. Lu Yao ate loquats and strawberries grown by the villagers. In July and August, he started to eat grapes and watermelons. These were all fruits grown by the villagers themselves. They were cheap and tasted great.

In late summer and early autumn, an old bamboo craftsman in his eighties came to the village.

His surname was Zhu. He had a lame leg and came to make backpacks, winnowing baskets, vegetable baskets, charcoal baskets, and fences for the villagers.

When he worked for the villagers, he lived in the family's house.

Lu Yao had nothing to do, so he walked over and stood in the yard to watch him cut bamboo strips and make things.

Zhu, the bamboo craftsman, was quite old, but his craftsmanship was quite good.

He had an old dark red scarf wrapped around his head, and his eyes were not very clear, as if covered by a layer of cataract. One of his legs was lame, so it was difficult for him to climb stairs. He liked to sleep on the sofa when he worked for others.

The bed was too high, so it was inconvenient for him to climb up and down.

The old bamboo craftsman had a backpack, which was very heavy to lift and was full of tools.

Lu Yao didn't have any needs at first, but seeing that the old bamboo craftsman had good skills, he asked him to help weave a backpack, a pair of dustpans, and a fence for drying things.

Lu Yao's house was not convenient for people to live in, so the old bamboo craftsman was still working at Tong Zhiming's house. Lu Yao agreed with Tong Zhiming that she would stay at their house and she would bring meals to them every day.

Tong Zhiming was easy to talk to and agreed without hesitation.

Zhu the bamboo craftsman worked for Tong Zhiming's family for half a month, and then it was Lu Yao's turn.

Lu Yao didn't have many things made for him, but the old bamboo craftsman was old and slow, so he worked for five or six days to finish the work. In the end, he gave Lu Yao a small round vegetable basket.

The old bamboo craftsman said, "I will give a small vegetable basket to every family I work for."

Lu Yao tried the small vegetable basket and found it quite handy. The basket made of freshly cut thin bamboo strips smelled of a light bamboo fragrance.

In the evening, Lu Yao asked, "How is the labor fee calculated?"

The old bamboo craftsman waved his hand and said, "Just give whatever you think is right, just give me some money."

Lu Yao really had no idea, so he asked Tong Zhiming, but he still insisted on letting the old bamboo craftsman name his own price.

The old bamboo craftsman said, "Just give me two hundred coins."

Lu Yao calculated that five or six days' work only cost two hundred coins, which is less than forty coins a day.

Although he was provided with three meals a day, the old man could not eat much.

Zhu the bamboo craftsman was really too old, his hands and feet were slow, and he could not work as well as the young people, so he did not dare to ask for a high price. At

his age, he should have stayed at home to enjoy his retirement. It is said that when he was young, he came to Tonghua Town to earn money, but later his wife died, so he went out to work. He

originally had two children, but when the two children grew up, they became live-in sons-in-law in other places.

Zhu the bamboo craftsman has been wandering outside for several years, and the house in his hometown has long been occupied by others. Now that he has returned to his hometown in his old age, he also goes around to relatives and relatives, relying on his craft of making small bamboo items to earn a little living expenses.

Lu Yao finally gave Zhu the bamboo craftsman 300 Huabi. She didn't dare to give too much more, not because she was afraid that the old man would get too much. In fact, the villagers nearby asked him to work, all with the intention of helping him, and the price market couldn't be messed up too much.

As a result, the next afternoon, the old bamboo craftsman asked Tong Zhiming to send Lu Yao another charcoal basket, which was also a special gift.

The survival wisdom of the elderly is to abandon all utilitarian considerations and grasp all goodwill. As long as you can survive, you will win.

When Lu Yao first came to Tonghua Town, he thought the villagers were stupid and short-sighted, but later he felt that they were simple and kind.

The people and life in the rural town are simple and complicated, peaceful but not bleak.

Zhu the bamboo craftsman later worked for many families. Later, he heard that a township official came to him specifically to help him get a pension. If he succeeded, he would receive a few hundred yuan a month as living expenses.

Don't underestimate these few hundred yuan. Zhu the bamboo craftsman worked in other places and worked non-stop for half a month to earn them.

There were not many people in a community, so work was not common.

One evening with a bleak autumn wind, Lu Yao strolled to the family where Zhu the bamboo craftsman worked, chatted with him for a few words, and gave him an ink-colored square plaque.

About half a month later, one morning, Lu Yao found a short pomegranate tree in the corner of the forest garden.

Zhu the bamboo craftsman wandered for half his life, making a living by making bamboo strips, but his last wish was to become a pomegranate tree.

He was alone, but still hoped to have many children and good fortune.

However, Zhu the bamboo craftsman did not stay in Lu Yao's forest garden all the time. After the village cadres learned about his situation, they found an old house in the community to accommodate him.

When someone asked Zhu the bamboo craftsman to do work, he would still come to the door with the heavy backpack on his back. When he was free, he would find a secret place to become a tree and hide in the countryside and woods in a daze.

----

The climate of Tonghua Town is somewhat similar to that of Yaoguang City, with short spring and autumn, and long summer and winter.

In the first autumn that Lu Yao spent in Tonghua Town, he slipped away in between observing Zhu the bamboo craftsman and picking persimmons and drying persimmon cakes.

The seasons passed unknowingly and it was winter. The weather was getting colder and Lu Yao gradually became less willing to go out.

This morning, Mrs. Su led a middle-aged man to the rental shop.

The man's surname was Feng, a big surname in the town.

His purpose was simple, looking for Lu Yao to rent a few kitchen robots.

Feng Feng's home was close to the elderly activity area, where a large shed was built and the villagers would cook together from time to time.

Feng Feng's family was preparing to make sesame candy and needed to hire workers to help peel sweet potatoes.

In previous years, the elderly in the village would help. This year, there were robots and the weather was cold, so Feng Feng planned to rent a few robots.

Sesame candy is a sticky black sugar liquid with a special aroma made by boiling sweet potatoes and malt together.

Lu Yao had eaten it when he was a child, but it was rare in the city.

Feng Feng borrowed three kitchen robots and added two cleaning robots. Before leaving, he invited Lu Yao to the elderly activity area to eat sesame candy dumplings in the evening.

Lu Yao couldn't refuse and agreed to go over in the evening.

At seven or eight o'clock in the evening, Feng Feng called Lu Yao and asked her to come over.

Lu Yao had no choice but to pack up and go out with Haiyue.

It was a winter night and the wind was biting.

Lu Yao wrapped himself tightly and arrived at the elderly activity area. There were at least forty or fifty people sitting in the dam, most of them were nearby residents, including the elderly, middle-aged people and children.

In the firewood shed next to them, two large iron pots were set up, boiling syrup, thumb-sized glutinous rice balls were rolling in it, and the sweet aroma of the syrup filled the air.

As soon as Lu Yao arrived, she saw Old Lady Su waving at her.

She walked over and sat down next to Old Lady Su.

Old Lady Su had been in poor health this winter and had been sick all the time. Tonight, she was unusually enthusiastic and pulled Lu Yao to warm herself by the fire.

Everyone sat there for about half an hour, and the small glutinous rice balls in the large iron pot were ready to be taken out of the pot.

Someone brought two bowls and handed them to Lu Yao and Old Lady Su.

The white and tender glutinous rice balls were placed in disposable plastic bowls, wrapped in thick and sticky syrup. Lu Yao picked them up with chopsticks and took a bite. They were soft, sticky and sticky, and the taste was fragrant.

They were really delicious and lively!

Forty or fifty people sat or squatted together, eating the glutinous rice balls from the same pot and chatting about trivial matters that had nothing to do with itching.

The worldly life is nothing more than this.

Soon, the two large pots of sesame sugar glutinous rice balls were empty. An old man stood up and put sweet potato skins into the pot.

This sweet potato skin does not only refer to the outer skin of the sweet potato, but the sweet potato that is washed and peeled thinly, sprinkled into the sugar water and cooked until it is soft and chewy, and it makes your mouth water when you chew it.

Lu Yao ate sweet potato skin boiled in sugar water for the first time, and he couldn't help but eat a small bowl. His stomach was a little full, so he took a detour on his way home. Along the way, he saw many flowers, plants and saplings in the forest garden.

Half a month ago, Yu Xiulan came to Lu Yao and asked for a square tablet.

One morning, she turned into a plum tree and stood by the road.

The plum fragrance lingered all the way, and Lu Yao was in a good mood.

When he got home, he saw a man at the door, with a tall figure and a black sickle in his hand.

He finally took off his daily pink sweatshirt and pink shirt, and put on the black robe representing death again.

Lu Yao supported Haiyue and walked over slowly. He looked up at Lu Mingxiao and asked, "Is it time?"

Lu Mingxiao said nothing, raised his sickle and chopped down at Lu Yao's face.

Lu Yao stood there, with a faint smile on his lips, and raised his hand to grab the falling blade.

With a clang, the tip of the black sickle in Lu Mingxiao's hand broke. Lu

Yao threw it casually, and the broken black blade was thrown to the ground.

Lu Mingxiao's expression did not change. He stepped aside, his red eyes shining brightly, and he shook his head helplessly: "You advanced silently. The little God Slayer can't do anything to you. You can only wait for the Supreme Temple to send help."

Lu Yao smiled brightly, his silver hair returned to black from top to bottom, his sagging skin gradually recovered, his hunched body straightened and became lighter, and the wrinkles on his face faded away one by one.

Lu Yao walked slowly towards the door of the store. With every step he took, a sound came from the door, and dense spider-web-like cracks gradually appeared on the transparent door.

Lu Yao raised his hand and lightly knocked on the void. The cracks completely shattered, and the restrictions imposed on the star gate were broken.

Lu Yao took a step forward and was about to go to the door.

Lu Mingxiao looked at her from behind, feeling a little empty in his heart for no reason, and suddenly took a step forward: "I hope to see you again."

It was probably the first time in decades that the mortal Lu Mingxiao, the God-killer and Shentian, told her his thoughts frankly.

Lu Yao tilted his head with a smile in his eyes: "As long as you wish, nothing is impossible." As soon as

he finished speaking, Lu Yao turned around and stepped into the store.

The restriction of the Star Gate has disappeared, and you can go home by crossing this door.

Lu Mingxiao still looked at her from behind, with a faint smile on his lips.

This time, he failed to kill the new god, and the perfect handle was handed over to Brahma. Even if there is a one in ten thousand chance to meet again, the brilliant new god and the prisoner of the God-killer will probably not be able to reminisce.

Compared to thousands of years of boredom and emptiness, Shetian didn't feel any regrets about dying. Lu

Yao stepped into the star gate, turned around and walked out, and saw the familiar dilapidated streets of the shopping district.

The long-lost system prompt sounded immediately -

[Successfully become the new faith of the residents of the Godless Land, congratulations to the owner, successfully completed the ultimate mission, and can immediately go to the next world! ]

It seems that the countless life experiences of human beings are not meaningless. Just like at this moment, countless death processes have accumulated an amazing result - she ultimately failed to find faith for the residents of the Godless Land, but turned herself into their faith.

The residents of Tonghua Town do not believe in God, do not believe in fate, but only believe in the little old lady Lu Yao who rents the shop.

[Ding Dong! The shop owner has completed the S-level mission and unlocked the alien space in this world. Should he open a new shop? 】

Lu Yao was surprised, and the emotion that had just risen was completely dispersed: "Is this the special reward for the hidden mission?"

The Dream Fulfilling System said seriously: [I didn't expect it to be such a reward. What, you don't like it? 】

Lu Yao: "This world, the world I live in? The Light City?"

The Dream Fulfilling System: [Yes. 】

Lu Yao: "Can I sell the waste in the warehouse?"

The Dream Fulfilling System: [The star gate of this world is open, and its nature and function are exactly the same as those of the star gates in other alien worlds. As long as there are customers willing to buy, any items in the portable warehouse and other alien worlds can be sold in this world. 】

Lu Yao recalled the 10 million soft sister coins she spent on the last time she passed through the Star Gate, and she was still heartbroken and had a hard time breathing.

She immediately said, "Of course the store has to be opened. Open the store manager page. I need to check the current financial situation first."

【Author's words】

Finally! Finally! Finally!!!

The next chapter will start updating this world chapter, and finally enter the happy final stage!!! Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2024-05-13 23:23:22~2024-05-14 16:46:54~

Thanks to the little angels who threw grenades: Zitian 2;

Thanks to the little angels who threw mines: Gaogui Lengyan, Wli, Yeye, Xiaomo, Yingying Brown Bear, please bless me with good health! 、Mingyue 1;

thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Zitian 103 bottles; Aci, Baicai Caicai 20 bottles; Mengmei in my arms 11 bottles; Xiaomo, Patrick Star Fenxing 10 bottles; Youqian 7 bottles; Ye Sansui 6 bottles; Feimo, Luyao, and Wuqiexuxing 5 bottles; No matter how old ≧▽≦*Happy 3 bottles; Baobaobao 2 bottles; Liuliwa, 71802191, Mimi Mimi, Taylor, Xiuxian Girl Art, Momo, and Luyao to realize the wish, Zhongyi 1 bottle;

thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!

Continue read on readnovelmtl.com