Chapter 102
“Xiao Cao, what are you planning to do?”
Shi Tou watched his sister run into the kitchen, then start to set up a pot over the fire, and he asked curiously, “Are you making dinner?”
“No.” Xiao Cao fiddled with the firewood and said to him, “Shi Tou, could you help me fetch a bucket of water?”
Thanks to the protection of the guards, no one in Jufeng Town dared to bully the siblings anymore. Plus, someone had replicated scissors, so haircuts were no longer their sole business, and there were fewer people who envied them.
So Shi Tou could walk around Jufeng Town without worry, although he still didn’t dare to leave the market for now.
“Okay, I’ll go get the water right away!”
Shi Tou grabbed a wooden bucket and ran outside. He felt that ever since Xiao Cao awakened her “Ability,” she had become more and more resourceful.
That day, he had seen her dip a branch in water and draw on the ground, saying she was writing her name, “Pu Wei.”
She said, “The cattail is as tough as silk,” and Pu Wei was the cattail, which represented her.
Shi Tou didn’t understand these strange words, but he was used to calling her “Xiao Cao.” However, he remembered his sister’s new name, Pu Wei.
It was indeed a beautiful and unique name, making him want a grand name for himself as well.
But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t come up with a suitable one, so he decided to wait for Xiao Cao to name him later.
Soon, Shi Tou returned with the water.
He had gained a lot of strength, and after eating well every day, he was starting to put on weight. In the past, he would have to rest several times on this trip, but now he only needed to take a break once.
“Xiao Cao, I brought back the water.”
“Great, thank you.”
Xiao Cao directed Shi Tou to pour the water into the pot, and as the water began to boil, the sky outside darkened.
In the howling cold wind, the people of Jufeng Town trudged slowly down the mountain path into the market, making their way along the streets to their respective homes.
Due to fatigue, most people walked quietly, making the slowly moving crowd seem somewhat silent and despondent.
As they passed the path in front of the Jade Pavilion Inn, some people unconsciously slowed their pace.
They knew there was a pair of siblings who, for some unknown reason, had received the mountain lord’s approval to set up a stall at this time every day.
For those with no entertainment, watching people get their haircut had become a rare pastime.
Watching those getting haircuts, their dirty and messy hair was cut down to a clean and neat look. Although it wasn’t particularly interesting, they just wanted to keep watching.
After a while, they also thought about getting a haircut.
But most people only thought about it. Although the siblings charged low prices, for them, even a little food was precious.
Hair could go uncut, but meals could not be skipped.
However, today, the siblings were not giving haircuts; they did not hear the girl calling out for customers.
Although the siblings were not cutting hair, they had set up a pot in front of the Jade Pavilion Inn.
Soon, the little girl began to shout.
“Hot soup! Selling hot soup! Drink it and feel warm and comfortable!”
Hot soup? Was she talking about what was in her pot?
“Drink the hot soup, and you won’t feel so cold at night! One bowl per person, hurry if you want to buy!”
As Xiao Cao and Shi Tou shouted, more and more people stopped in front of the Jade Pavilion Inn, quickly surrounding the area.
Seeing this scene, Shi Tou couldn’t help but feel excited.
Because only when they first started cutting hair had so many people gathered, and that was when business was at its best. The more onlookers there were, the more customers they would have!
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the first customer stepped out from the crowd.
It was a gaunt woman who looked at the iron pot beside Shi Tou and asked, “How much do you sell this hot water for?”
The cold at night could be deadly, and many people would boil water to make soup with wild vegetables, but not everyone had a pot, so Xiao Cao’s pot of soup was quite appealing.
Hearing the question, Xiao Cao quickly replied, “We’re not selling hot water; it’s hot soup. Drink it, and your belly will feel warm.”
“One bowl for one wild vegetable, or two mushrooms.”
She set the price the same as for haircuts, following a low-profit, high-volume strategy. The more customers she had, the faster her employee Experience Points would increase, and the quicker she would level up.
The rewards for leveling up were very important to her.
But such a price was still too high for the customers.
“What? One bowl of hot water for one wild vegetable? Why don’t you go rob someone!”
The woman screamed, but seeing the guards standing beside Shi Tou and Xiao Cao, she didn’t dare say more and could only curse as she walked away.
While she thought it was expensive, there were also those who found the price reasonable.
After all, boiling water and cooking wild vegetables required not only a pot but also firewood and water, which were all labor-intensive tasks. It was better to just buy a bowl from Shi Tou and Xiao Cao.
“Can I get two bowls?” an old man approached.
“No, we only sell one bowl per person,” Xiao Cao said. “One bowl is enough; I guarantee your belly will be warm all night.”
The old man shook his head, not very convinced.
He had drunk hot water at night before; it felt warm at first, but after a while, when he needed to relieve himself, he would feel cold again.
One bowl of water couldn’t last all night.
But he still pulled a wild vegetable from his backpack and exchanged it for a bowl of hot soup with Xiao Cao.
He was old, and if he didn’t drink something hot, he felt like his hands and feet would freeze stiff; he might not be able to withstand the mountain wind on his way back home.
“Do you have a container?” Xiao Cao asked.
“Yes, yes.”
The old man pulled out a broken bowl from his backpack. Even though it was just a broken bowl, it wasn’t safe to leave it at home, so he carried everything with him.
Xiao Cao ladled the hot soup into his bowl.
In such a large pot of soup, there was only one wild vegetable, and the leaves had been boiled to mush, with not a hint of oil, making it indeed resemble hot water.
But as the old man leaned in closer, he faintly caught a strange aroma.
He held the broken bowl to the side, feeling the warmth of the soup through the bowl in the cold wind, which felt particularly comforting. The old man leaned over the edge of the bowl and eagerly took a sip.
A spicy flavor spread in his mouth, deeply stimulating his taste buds.
After just one sip, the old man’s face turned red; he found the taste a bit overwhelming, but the warmth that spread from his stomach to his limbs, making his pores open up, was addictive.
This was too comfortable!
It really felt like he wasn’t cold anymore after drinking it!
He vaguely remembered tasting this flavor when he was a child, but now he couldn’t recall what it was. In any case, this soup really could warm him up!
The old man couldn’t care about the heat; he gulped down the soup, tears and mucus flowing uncontrollably.
The onlookers couldn’t help but wonder.
How good must this soup be to make this old man cry and have his nose running?
Xiao Cao watched the old man, her lips curling into a smile.
When she first drank it, her reaction was similar to that of this old man, but she didn’t cry; she just couldn’t stop her nose from running.
Moreover, after drinking it, her belly felt warm, and at night, lying on the bed, her body would even break out in a sweat.
It felt like there was a flame in her belly, continuously radiating heat. She felt that if they had had such a good thing before, she and her brother definitely wouldn’t have suffered from frostbite.
So at that time, she knew this was a good remedy for the cold.
Yes, Xiao Cao had added pepper to the hot soup.
She hadn’t originally thought of selling pepper soup; her brother’s haircut business was doing well, and she felt quite satisfied, so she hadn’t thought of starting a new venture.
Today, she had no choice; the scissors given by the little divine doctor had been replicated by others, who came to compete with them for business.
This was a big blow to Xiao Cao, and in a moment of desperation, she had come up with this idea.
The first time, she hadn’t measured the amount well, so she added all 10 grams of pepper, which she exchanged for 10 Points, into the pot.
This meant that to break even, she had to sell at least 10 bowls today.
Now that she had the first customer, she felt less worried; as long as people tried it, they would know how useful this pepper soup was!
The changes in the old man were visible to all the onlookers.
After finishing one bowl of hot soup, the color returned to his face, and even standing in the cold wind, he was clearly no longer shivering.
Once he finished that bowl, he still held the bowl close to the little girl.
“Let me exchange for another bowl, please.”
The old man pleaded, “My wife is sick; this hot soup will surely save her life, please…”
Hearing his pleading words, Xiao Cao finally softened.
She and her brother had grown up supporting each other, and she could empathize with someone willing to care for a sick partner.
So, Xiao Cao nodded and exchanged another bowl of hot soup for a wild vegetable.
The old man thanked her repeatedly, but he hadn’t walked far before he started drinking again, which caught Xiao Cao’s sharp eye.
She immediately realized she had been tricked and felt a bit annoyed.
Just as she was about to comfort herself that at least she got a wild vegetable, she saw a system prompt pop up, accompanied by a familiar electronic voice.
[You completed a profitable transaction with a returning customer, Employee Experience Points +1]
[You completed the long-term task “Profitable Transaction,” Points +11]
Xiao Cao blinked in surprise; so the second transaction could also earn Experience Points and Points?
Actually, Tang Yu’an had reminded her of this when he assigned her the guiding task, but she had forgotten later, always thinking that each person could only make one transaction a day.
So…
So “returning customer” means this?
The first transaction was a “new customer,” and the second transaction became a “returning customer,” so the third would be an “old customer,” right?
Regardless of whether she was right, this discovery made Xiao Cao feel delighted.
She shouted even more energetically, “Hot soup! Selling hot soup! Drink it and feel warm all over!”
Seeing this, Shi Tou also joined in, shouting even more vigorously alongside his sister.
As two familiar guards passed by, Shi Tou and Xiao Cao each offered them half a bowl—guarding at night was tough, and if they could attract them, they wouldn’t have to worry about business!
The previous “big order” they had with the guard station made the siblings realize how important it was to have a stable partner.
The two guards, after drinking the hot soup, had their eyes light up.
“What did you add to the soup? After drinking it, my mouth feels warm and tingly, and my stomach is very warm and comfortable!”
Shi Tou chuckled, naturally not revealing such an important secret.
Another guard downed half a bowl of hot soup in one go, still feeling unsatisfied, he said, “Save me two bowls, I’ll go home and get a jar to fill.”
“Is it the same price as a haircut?”
“Yes, yes.”
“Alright, just wait for me, I’ll go get it.”
His partner chimed in eagerly, “I want two bowls too! I feel like if I drink this, I’ll definitely sleep well tonight.”
And with the jars, even if it cools down, it wouldn’t matter; they could just warm it up by the bonfire when they wanted to drink.
At this moment, other onlookers saw the old man going for a second bowl, and indeed, after finishing the soup, he didn’t seem cold anymore. Those who had some spare change and were afraid of trouble began to gather around.
“Give me a bowl!”
“I want one too!”
“I’m freezing, I want a bowl as well!”
Seeing the scene getting chaotic, the guards quickly stepped in to maintain order, making those who wanted to buy line up, stating that they would only sell to those in line. Everyone had no choice but to obediently line up at the back.
This section of the mountain path became lively, as if the town had gained a bit of life.
More and more people were getting hot soup, and more and more were tasting the flavor of the pepper soup.
None of them were any different from the first old man who dared to try it; tears and snot flowed freely, but that didn’t stop them from drinking with enthusiasm.
After one bowl, they wanted a second!
Some even had a sudden idea, directly plucking leaves from wild vegetables and putting them in the hot soup. Soaking them made even ordinary vegetable leaves taste better.
With something in their stomachs, it felt more filling compared to just drinking hot soup, making them feel even warmer and more comfortable.
Many people, after drinking, began to feel drowsy and hurriedly called their companions to go back to their resting place to sleep.
Tonight, it seemed they could really have a good night’s sleep!
Xiao Cao’s soup-selling rule changed from one bowl per person to one bowl at a time, but in reality, very few actually exchanged for a second bowl.
There were still too many poor people; even if they craved it, exchanging for one bowl was already the limit.
The pot at Jade Pavilion Inn wasn’t very big; after selling about 32 bowls, they announced it was sold out.
Xiao Cao looked at the rising Points and couldn’t help but smile, while Shi Tou occasionally glanced at the more than twenty wild vegetables and a dozen or so mushrooms placed inside the Jade Pavilion Inn, also grinning from ear to ear.
The leftover wild vegetables would be given to the landlady; at least they could extend the rental for half a day!
His sister was really clever! How could she think of such a good idea? Of course, the most important thing was still his sister’s “Ability.”
Without that gray-brown powder, it would be hard to achieve such an effect just by selling hot water.
“We’re out, sold out!”
32 bowls naturally couldn’t satisfy the demand; after all, there were those who wanted a second bowl, and those who successfully exchanged for one were actually only about twenty-seven or twenty-eight.
And those lining up outside the Jade Pavilion Inn numbered at least seventy or eighty, if not a hundred.
At this moment, the sky had completely darkened.
There were indeed others who were envious and wanted to imitate selling hot water, but their stall was taken away by the guards shortly after it was set up—because the stall was set up in an empty spot, and it was a little friend of Shi Tou’s who came to tell him.
Shi Tou sneered; he wasn’t as disheartened as during the day.
Because scissors were easy to replicate, but that gray-brown powder was only possessed by his sister. Plus, with the mountain lord’s preferential treatment towards them, they didn’t have to worry about others stealing their business!
Seeing that so many people still wanted to exchange, Xiao Cao was unwilling to let go of so many Points and Experience Points.
So she said, “If everyone still wants it, we’ll cook another pot, but you’ll have to wait.”
Everyone readily agreed, but as time passed, more and more people left.
By the time Xiao Cao boiled another pot of water, only a dozen people were left waiting. Because it was too cold outside, Shi Tou, with the landlady’s consent, arranged for these people to stay in the hall on the first floor.
After they exchanged, there was still more than half a pot of hot soup left.
Xiao Cao added 10 grams of pepper powder, so this pot of soup actually earned 3 Points.
Although they got wild vegetables and mushrooms, she understood the importance of Points—previously, her brother could manage well with haircuts, relying solely on his skills to make a living, but now without Points to exchange for pepper powder, they couldn’t even do business.
So no matter what, they had to sell this pot of soup completely!
Looking at the cold wind howling outside, Xiao Cao’s expression became determined, and she said, “Brother, let’s deliver soup to the guards on duty. The guards probably don’t have any food to exchange with them. Although it’s not impossible to run a tab, once we start that, there will definitely be many people wanting to take advantage of it in the future.”
Xiao Cao didn’t trust these people’s character at all; even the guards who didn’t worry about food and drink were the same.
In fact, they might even become more excessive.
So it was better to give this half pot of soup to them.
“As long as they drink it once, they will definitely want to drink it again,” Xiao Cao said. “Hot soup is different from haircuts; haircuts might only happen every few months, but hot soup is something you want to drink every day!”
Just like how she and her brother stayed in a warm dormitory once, they wouldn’t want to return to the cold square.
Those who drank the hot soup would definitely want to continue drinking it whenever a cold night came!
So even though this half pot of hot soup was given away for free, it would definitely attract more customers in the future, and they could also strengthen their connection and build good relationships with the guards.
Shi Tou understood Xiao Cao’s intention and supported her idea.
So the siblings carried the pot away from Jade Pavilion Inn to deliver pepper soup to the guards along the way.
They didn’t deliver much, just a small half bowl each month for them to taste, basically finished in two or three sips. As they expected, most of the guards wanted more after drinking.
And to the siblings’ surprise, the captain of the night duty guards, after tasting the pepper soup, directly ordered a pot from them.
After some bargaining, they finally settled on 28 wild vegetables for this pot of soup.
After the handover, Shi Tou carried the 28 wild vegetables back to Jade Pavilion Inn, and even against the cold wind, his face was flushed with joy.
But Xiao Cao felt a bit down.
Because she realized that although she got 28 wild vegetables at once, she only earned 1 Point for this pot of hot soup.
1 Point could only be exchanged for 1 gram of pepper powder, and since this pot of hot soup used 10 grams, even if she wasn’t good at math, she knew she had lost out.
Just as she was thinking about never doing such a big order again, she saw the system prompt appear again, and the familiar electronic voice sounded—
[Wild vegetables are a very high-quality product. Due to your excellent performance, the Mysterious Merchant has decided to reward you, Points +20.]
Wow!
The Mysterious Merchant rewarded her with Points!
In Tang Yu’an’s view, Xiao Cao’s performance that night could only be described as excellent.
First of all, the first wave in the evening brought him 73 Experience Points and 264 Points.
This meant that the Shi Tou siblings had served 32 customers in a very short time. He thought this was the limit for Xiao Cao and Shi Tou, but unexpectedly, there was more to come!
Although the second wave was a bit less, it still brought 29 Experience Points and 90 Points.
What surprised him the most was that around nine o’clock at night, they actually completed a big order! They earned a total of 270 Points and 1 Experience Point.
That night, Xiao Cao earned him a total of 624 Points and 103 Experience Points!
His experience bar advanced by a third! With over six hundred Points, that was enough for two gray-blue Refrigerators and more!
For Tang Yu’an, who had just spent over ten thousand Points, these six hundred Points were truly a timely blessing.
So he couldn’t help but reward Xiao Cao with Points. If it weren’t for the fact that they needed Points in so many places, he would have given her even more Points.
He would reward her with more Points when she leveled up tomorrow.
Tang Yu’an happily looked at the experience bar, feeling overjoyed, while Jin Lili, seeing him smile, also smiled along.
Seeing this, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but pinch her slightly chubby cheeks.
After gaining the special status of both a pet and an animal, Jin Lili successfully checked into the Grocery Store again that night.
In addition, there was good news; he saw on the map that Tie Jin and A’Lian were on their way back to Desolate City!
They were estimated to arrive by tomorrow night at the earliest, but considering A’Lian’s physical condition, they probably wouldn’t be able to hurry.
So they should arrive at least the day after tomorrow.
Tang Yu’an held back from telling Jin Lili, fearing she wouldn’t understand and would cry upon hearing about their parents.
“I’m so happy! I was worried I wouldn’t be able to complete today’s daily task.”
The task of attracting 10 new customers in one day was indeed too difficult; they absolutely couldn’t complete it in Desolate City, but thankfully Xiao Cao was there.
After coaxing Jin Lili to sleep, Tang Yu’an began the lucky draw of the day.
Completing the main quest of “Opening a Branch,” he received a total of three lucky draw chances, which he had already used up during the day.
All three were Points, but the amounts were quite large: two were 1000, and one was 1888, totaling 3888 Points.
So adding Xiao Cao’s earned Points, Tang Yu’an had actually recouped half of the 9000 Points he spent on building the branch and the teleportation array.
His Points balance had returned to over seven thousand!
Upon learning that he had drawn three high amounts of Points in a row, Zhou Qi’s expression was very subtle.
He was curious what the system would feel if it had intelligence and knew about this.
“Single draw miracle, bless me to draw high Points again!”
Then he could go to Jufeng Town to open a branch!
After a series of prayers, Tang Yu’an finally clicked on the lottery, and the pointer on the spinning wheel turned and turned, finally landing on…
[Congratulations! You have drawn the special skill “Lightness Technique lv1.”]
[Detected that the host already possesses a skill of the same level, “Lightness Technique” skill level +1.]
[Lightness Technique lv4]
[Attribute: Magic side skill.]
[Description: Can release a gust of wind power, allowing the target to achieve a light as a swallow effect, an essential skill for delivery merchants.]
[Duration: 300 minutes, can be used 3 times a day.]
[Remaining uses: 3]
