Chapter 116
Hearing Little Hai Lan’s words, Tang Yu’an thought for a moment and asked, “How much salt do you have at home?”
Since her father had been drying new batches of salt, it was hard to estimate their stock.
“I-I’m not sure…” Little Hai Lan answered awkwardly.
“That’s alright.”
Tang Yu’an looked at the glowing orb of light and tentatively offered, “How about I trade 7.5 kilos of polished rice for 2.5 kilos of salt? Does that sound fair?”
Polished rice was far tastier than coarse rice and much easier for children to digest.
“Yes, yes! That’s fine!”
Little Hai Lan had no idea what polished rice was, but she quickly agreed. If it was from the mysterious merchant, it had to be something wonderful!
[You have completed a profitable trade with a Dream Wish-Maker. Points +110, EXP +6, Dream Shard +1.]
[You have received 7.5 kilos of coarse sea salt. Please choose a delivery location:]
[1. Peace Grocery Store Warehouse]
[…]
Normally, 500 grams of sea salt was worth 25 points, while 500 grams of polished rice cost 10 points. The net gain should’ve been 100 points, so why did it say 110 points?
Tang Yu’an examined the recently traded salt and discovered that its quality was noticeably better than before.
It seemed that Little Hai Lan’s father had taken their advice to heart. He didn’t just let the seawater dry out completely this time but filtered it during the process, resulting in a purer product. Unlike the earlier batch, this salt didn’t require further refinement, saving Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi a lot of hassle.
Tang Yu’an happily praised Little Hai Lan.
After this round of dream drift bottle trades, they had gained a total of 1,092 points, five Earth Spirit Stones, and 5 kilos of sea salt—a very fruitful haul.
Perhaps because of the increased trading frequency, Little Hai Lan’s dream didn’t dissipate immediately after the transaction.
“Be sure to dry more salt,” Tang Yu’an told her. “The more salt you have, the more things you can trade for.”
“Okay! Got it!” Little Hai Lan nodded vigorously.
Her enthusiastic nod woke her up from her dream. She opened her eyes, still hearing the mysterious merchant’s parting words echoing in her ears: “Cook the polished rice just like the coarse rice—by boiling it in water.”
“Hai Lan, did… did you dream of Him again?” her father, Hai Jing, asked from beside her.
Little Hai Lan turned to see a pile of gleaming white grains next to her. The moonlight streaming into the room made the polished rice seem as if it was glowing.
“Yes!” she nodded happily, pointing to the pile of polished rice. “We can boil it to eat!”
Hai Jing gently touched the grains, his face full of reverence. Seeing his daughter’s innocent, joyful smile, he couldn’t help but smile as well.
“Dad, why are you crying?”
“It’s nothing. Just some sand in my eyes.”
“Let me blow it for you.”
Hai Jing stopped his fidgety daughter, making her stay under the down blanket. It was the dead of night, and the air outside the blanket was freezing. He didn’t want her to catch a cold.
Once he calmed himself, he fetched a container to store the rice. He then checked their salt jar and found it lighter, though not entirely empty.
“What did the mysterious merchant say to you this time?” Hai Jing asked his daughter softly as he climbed back under the covers.
Still excited about dreaming of the mysterious merchant, Little Hai Lan hadn’t fallen back asleep. At her father’s question, she thought for a moment and nodded.
“He asked a lot of questions about our town, but I couldn’t answer…”
“I said I’d ask dad and tell Him next time…”
“And he praised dad’s salt for being clean!”
“He said we need lots and lots of salt, so we can trade for many things! So many!”
After listening to his daughter, Hai Jing nodded. It seemed he had made the right bet this time.
He glanced at the container of rice. This time, the food they had received was twice as much as before, enough to last them ten to fifteen days.
This time, he would dry even more salt and strive to trade for even more supplies. Only then could he provide a good life for his daughter!
A strange light glinted in Hai Jing’s eyes.
Feeling warmth spread through his body, he pulled his daughter into his arms and closed his eyes contentedly.
For them, the future was finally beginning to look hopeful.
*
After completing the trade with Little Hai Lan, Tang Yu’an tossed her drift bottle back into the sea of dreams and went to bed with Zhou Qi.
“Brother Qi, you were amazing today!” Tang Yu’an scooted closer to Zhou Qi, hugging his arm and whispering, “I’m so glad you weren’t hurt…”
Hearing the relief and lingering fear in his voice, Zhou Qi turned, placing a hand on the younger man’s forehead.
“I don’t have a fever!” Tang Yu’an pulled his hand away, muttering indignantly, “I’m not that weak. Don’t look down on me…”
After the battle with the mother lizard, Tang Yu’an had returned home with a fever, so Zhou Qi’s concern was understandable.
“I’m not looking down on you.”
Zhou Qi pulled the sulking youth into his arms, patting his back before pinching his cheeks. “You’ve just gotten thinner recently.”
Tang Yu’an’s attention was instantly diverted. “That’s because I’m growing up!”
“Mom said this is called shooting up. You were the same before—skinny like a bamboo pole.”
He reached out and patted Zhou Qi’s body.
“See, you’ve filled out now. You’re sturdy!”
Zhou Qi dodged his hands. Though the darkness hid his face, Tang Yu’an could sense his embarrassment.
“Haha, Brother Qi, are you feeling shy?”
“No, just ticklish.”
Tang Yu’an stopped fidgeting and pulled the blanket back over them. Nestling close to Zhou Qi, he felt a deep sense of security.
Just as Zhou Qi thought the boy had fallen asleep, he heard his cautious voice break the silence.
“Brother Qi.”
“Hmm?”
“When you were fighting the mutated giant bear, were you afraid?”
Zhou Qi was silent for a moment before answering, “I was.”
Facing such a monstrous creature, he had felt keenly aware of his own insignificance. Every swing of the bear’s massive claws had narrowly missed his back. One misstep, one direct hit, and he would’ve been crushed into a pulp.
How could he not be afraid? But…
Zhou Qi reached out, holding Tang Yu’an close. Breathing in the faint scent of his hair, he felt his tension melt away, replaced with contentment and joy.
“After overcoming that fear, I could feel myself growing stronger,” he said. “That made me happy.”
“I’ll work hard to grow stronger too.”
Tang Yu’an hugged him back, his voice trembling with emotion. “I won’t let you face danger alone ever again.”
Hearing the young boy’s heartfelt concern, Zhou Qi felt his heart soften completely.
With a soft laugh, he teased, “Why are you crying again?”
“I’m not crying!” Tang Yu’an retorted indignantly. “I just… I just… Waaah, Brother Qi, I was so scared you’d be killed by that bear…”
Zhou Qi patted his back gently, resting his chin against the boy’s head and rubbing it soothingly.
When Tang Yu’an finally calmed down, Zhou Qi spoke in a warm tone, “But I’m here now, aren’t I? Completely fine and uninjured.”
Tang Yu’an sniffled and gave a muffled hum of agreement.
“Didn’t I tell you before?”
Zhou Qi stroked his back, his voice as gentle as a lullaby. “An’an, always focus on the positive. After all, our An’an’s wishes always seem to come true.”
Tang Yu’an hummed again, listening attentively.
“And you did great today. After I lured the bear away, you rescued Granny Guo and Kang Kang.”
“Knowing you were there to back me up allowed me to focus entirely on fighting the bear.”
Zhou Qi cupped the boy’s face, gently wiping away his tears. Looking into his eyes, he said earnestly, “So, An’an, what you did today was absolutely essential.”
If Granny Guo had died, or if he’d been just a moment too late…
“Brother Qi, do you really mean that?”
“Of course.”
Tang Yu’an broke into a teary smile, his mood brightening instantly.
Yes, even though he hadn’t fought the bear directly, he hadn’t been useless!
Moments earlier, he’d been sobbing in despair, but now, comforted and reassured, he nestled into Zhou Qi’s arms like a happy puppy, rubbing against him playfully. This warmth pulled Zhou Qi out of his lingering sadness as well.
“Brother Qi, I like you the most!” Tang Yu’an declared with a beaming smile.
Zhou Qi paused, then chuckled, ruffling the boy’s hair affectionately. “Time to sleep now. We have to get up early tomorrow.”
“Okay! Goodnight, Brother Qi!”
“Goodnight.”
The attic finally fell silent. The two of them, once again, slept in each other’s arms, enjoying a peaceful and ordinary night.
*
The next morning, when Tang Yu’an woke up, he saw a string of notifications from the system.
[Seven-Day Sale (Time until refresh: 6 days)]
1. Intermediate Healing Bandage (2/2): 200 points per roll
Description: Magic-type item
Effect: Each roll can be used 10 times, restoring 20% HP per use (no effect on full HP).
2. Intermediate Healing Potion (2/2): 400 points per bottle
Description: Magic-type item
Effect: Each bottle can be used 10 times. Upon consumption, it restores 2% HP every 30 minutes for 4 hours and gradually heals injuries, improving bone regeneration. (Drinking multiple doses stacks the duration, up to 3 times.)
3. Gray-Blue Freezer (2/2): 288 points per unit
Description: …
Effect: …
Special Feature: Has a chance to trigger the “Hotter it gets, Cooler it gets” effect…
4. Glowing Green Light Strip (2/2): 288 points per strip
Description: Lv1-grade furniture crafted by the Furniture Spirit Yaya, part of the Glowing Green series of enchanted furniture. Permanently warrantied—summon the spirit for repairs at any time.
Effect: Absorbs surrounding wood-element Spirit Energy and emits light. The richer the Spirit Energy, the brighter the glow.
5. Crimson Rug (3/3): 188 points per piece
Description: …
Effect: …
“Wow! Intermediate Healing Bandages and Healing Potions!”
Tang Yu’an, still groggy from sleep, instantly perked up when he saw the new items in the Seven-Day Sale. He quickly shared the sales interface with Zhou Qi.
“The effects are so much better!”
The bandages still had 10 uses per roll, but each use now restored 20% HP. The healing potions had also doubled in effectiveness, going from restoring 1% HP every 30 minutes to 2%. On top of that, they enhanced bone regeneration.
“This must’ve been refreshed specifically for Granny Guo’s injury,” Tang Yu’an speculated.
Granny Guo had a fractured right leg, and there was uncertainty about its recovery. With the intermediate healing potion, that worry was gone!
Of course, the improved effects came with a doubled price tag.
“There are also new options for enchanted furniture,” Zhou Qi pointed out.
“The Glowing Green Light Strip?” Tang Yu’an remarked as he read its description, his eyes lighting up. “This furniture pairs perfectly with Spirit Gathering Grass!”
Spirit Gathering Grass could increase the concentration of wood-element Spirit Energy in the environment, while the light strip emitted light by absorbing wood-element Spirit Energy—a match made in heaven.
Speaking of Spirit Gathering Grass…
Tang Yu’an quickly opened the dimensional shop. Sure enough, there was another Spirit Gathering Grass listed in his saved collection by Gu Qianli.
It seemed Gu Qianli noticed how well it was selling, as the price had increased. However… 60 points per plant?
It had only gone up by 10 points!
This seller clearly hadn’t figured out the market dynamics yet. Merchants with such integrity were hard to come by.
Tang Yu’an wasted no time buying the Spirit Gathering Grass.
He then checked his balance.
Available Points: 1,000
The mutated lantern fruit he listed yesterday had sold! On top of that, Joanna had left him another message:
[I need more mutated lantern fruit. As much as you can provide.]
Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but feel a tinge of regret—he only had one left in his inventory.
After listing the remaining mutated lantern fruit, he also put up a mutated spider leg, slightly lowering the price to 450 points in hopes of making a sale this time.
After withdrawing his earnings, and deducting the transaction fee, he was left with 900 points. He immediately turned to the Seven-Day Sale interface and started shopping.
The total came to 2,916 points.
He had no choice—the Seven-Day Sale always seemed to align perfectly with his needs, leaving him compelled to buy.
The medical supplies were non-negotiable, and items like the Gray-Blue Cooler, Glowing Green Light Strip, and Crimson Rug were exactly what he needed. Since he had the points, he decided to buy them all in one go.
Meanwhile, the weekly tasks had refreshed as well.
This week’s tasks were similar to the previous ones, but the required number of trades and repeat customers had increased. Additionally, there was a task to use a traffic boost card once.
“After opening the shop today, the promotion card can last another four hours,” Tang Yu’an said. “Hopefully, it’ll draw in a good wave of customers!”
“Alright. I’ll head to Jufeng Town to set up shop. You stay at Store #1 and continue with the arrangements,” Zhou Qi replied.
With the morning market in full swing, Zhou Qi wanted to boost the shop’s popularity, aiming to unlock all of Store #1’s barrier features as quickly as possible.
“Got it.”
With the convenience of the teleportation array, it was safe and efficient, so after breakfast, the two went their separate ways without worry.
*
At Jufeng Grocery Store
Emerging from the basement, Zhou Qi immediately sensed something amiss in the shop.
Someone must have broken in last night; he could still feel traces of an unfamiliar presence lingering in the building.
He stepped outside.
The guards stationed at the entrance gave him a startled look, as if they’d seen a ghost.
“W-When did you get back?”
The guards who had failed to detect last night’s intruder had already reported to the Guard Post for punishment. Their replacements were on high alert, yet even they hadn’t noticed when Zhou Qi had returned to the store.
Zhou Qi didn’t answer and instead asked, “What happened last night?”
One of the guards explained, “Rest assured, all the culprits have been captured. You can ask Captain Xiong for details.”
Captain Xiong… that must be referring to Hei Xiong, Zhou Qi thought.
He nodded his thanks and grabbed a jar of salt before heading to the morning market. Setting up his stall, he hung a sign beside it: Jufeng Grocery Store.
With Tang Yu’an’s mountain lord badge and familiarity with most of the guards, who had seen him before, a few of them soon arrived to help maintain order at his stall.
Before long, people started trading wild vegetables for salt.
As Zhou Qi conducted business, he also promoted the Grocery Store, encouraging customers to visit for their salt needs.
Not far away, Shi Tou and Xiao Cao, early birds at the market, also noticed him.
“We heard about it yesterday,” Xiao Cao said. “But it was during the busiest time for selling hot soup, so we didn’t go check on Jufeng Grocery Store.”
“Little Divine Doctor doesn’t seem to be here.”
“Maybe something came up. I heard from Xiao Ba that Little Divine Doctor was here yesterday, though.”
Xiao Cao nodded, deciding not to disturb Zhou Qi for now.
*
At Store #1
Arriving through the teleportation array, Tang Yu’an was greeted by three enthusiastic pets rushing to meet him.
“You’re awake!”
Tang Yu’an reached out to pet their heads. It seemed the bear paw meat they ate last night was quite nourishing, as they needed a prolonged rest.
Alternatively, Wang Cai and Yin Bi might have simply grown stronger, no longer requiring extended recovery periods after meals like lizard eggs.
Tang Yu’an first checked in on Old Li next door.
To his surprise, he found Black Pearl curled up on the bed as well. It seemed she was becoming more attached to Store #1. Perhaps he could prepare a Glowing Green Double Bed for her—she might just decide to stay permanently.
Without making a sound, he quietly left the room and opened the 3D blueprint to start installing doors and windows at Store #1. He focused on the eighth and ninth floors.
Each wooden door cost 80 points. Excluding Room 901, the nine doors cost a total of 720 points.
Having recently made larger expenditures, Tang Yu’an now found this amount surprisingly reasonable.
Windows, however, were more expensive. He installed seven windows for Rooms 901, 902, and 801, costing 700 points.
After this round of renovations, his balance stood at just over 6,000 points.
With Zhou Qi’s market sales slowly contributing, his balance steadily increased—20 or 30 points at a time. By the end of the morning market, he estimated they’d earn another thousand points.
Earning points felt fantastic!
Tang Yu’an closed the interface with a satisfied grin, then moved Kang Kang’s plant friends back into Room 801.
The newly installed wooden door was sturdy, complete with a lock and key, with the key still inserted in the lock. Tang Yu’an removed it and pushed the door open.
Granny Guo and Kang Kang were settled in the bedroom, where the smaller space made it warmer at night. As soon as Tang Yu’an entered, Kang Kang, already awake, poked his little head up to look at him.
Tang Yu’an walked over and gestured for him to keep quiet before approaching Granny Guo. He took out an intermediate healing potion and gave her one drop.
The elderly woman’s deeply furrowed brow eased slightly.
Tang Yu’an put the potion away and was about to carry Kang Kang out for breakfast when Granny Guo woke up.
“An’An…”
“Granny!” Tang Yu’an greeted her cheerfully. “How are you feeling?”
“Much better.”
Granny Guo’s voice was weak, but her gratitude was evident. “If it weren’t for you two yesterday… Kang Kang and I wouldn’t be alive.”
Life in the wasteland had long prepared her for hardship, but when the giant bear appeared, her heart had been filled with despair and unwillingness. She didn’t mind dying herself, but how could Kang Kang, so young, meet such an untimely fate?
Thankfully, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi had arrived—one to lure the bear away, the other to rescue them from the collapsing house. Old Li had already recounted everything to her.
“I really don’t know how to repay you…”
Granny Guo’s eyes glistened with tears, and Kang Kang couldn’t help but start crying too.
“Please don’t say that,” Tang Yu’an said awkwardly. After a moment’s thought, he added, “You and Kang Kang living well is the best way to repay us. And if you can, plant some useful crops when you have time.”
His eyes lit up as he talked about the mutant Lan Hu sapling.
“If we can grow a whole forest, we won’t have to worry about drastic temperature changes between day and night, and everyone will live much better lives.”
“You need to recover quickly—there’s still a lot to be done,” he said encouragingly.
Granny Guo nodded, though she looked a little disappointed. “Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my potatoes with me.”
Just as Tang Yu’an was about to comfort her, she pulled out a small cloth bundle from her pocket and said with relief, “Luckily, I didn’t lose this.”
“What’s that?”
“The rice seeds I cultivated,” Granny Guo said. “They’re slightly more drought-resistant than the original strain.”
Tang Yu’an smiled. “That’s wonderful.”
He gave her a few potato seeds to put her at ease, then stayed for breakfast with her and Kang Kang. Afterward, he went to wake Old Li.
Seeing Tang Yu’an, Old Li was visibly surprised. “Weren’t you heading to Jufeng Town?”
Tang Yu’an paused, unsure how to explain.
But Old Li filled in the blanks for him. “Another one of the mysterious merchant’s powers, right?”
“Uh-huh, exactly.”
With that, Old Li didn’t press further, much to Tang Yu’an’s relief.
When Old Li noticed the new wooden door, he wasn’t surprised anymore. However, upon learning that Tang Yu’an had exchanged points for it, he quickly cautioned him against overspending.
“Leave the rest of the doors to me,” Old Li said earnestly. “Save your points for critical needs.”
Tang Yu’an agreed with a cheerful smile.
*
When the shop opened at 8:00 AM, a few customers trickled in. While things were relatively quiet on Tang Yu’an’s end, Zhou Qi’s business at the Jufeng Town market could only be described as booming.
During the morning market alone, Zhou Qi served over 70 customers, bringing nearly 150 EXP to Store #1 and earning 1,600 points in the process.
And this didn’t even include the soldiers from the garrison. If all the salt vouchers distributed yesterday were redeemed, they could easily gain another 100 EXP by day’s end.
By evening, the store might meet the conditions to upgrade the protective barrier!
*
After the morning market ended, Zhou Qi didn’t return immediately. Instead, he wandered through Jufeng Town, seemingly scouting for new business opportunities.
Tang Yu’an, meanwhile, stayed at Store #1, helping Old Li serve customers.
As the temperature rose, the coolers and refrigerators on the tenth floor began working, drawing heat upward and keeping the temperature on the first floor at a tolerable level.
During a lull, Tang Yu’an practiced his crossbow skills in the first-floor hall. Old Li had gifted him the crossbow earlier, and he used the free time to hone his aim.
At one point, Tang Yu’an felt something was amiss.
“Splash—splash—”
He faintly heard the sound of rushing water. At the same time, Old Li hurried in from outside, calling out for him to help move the goods on the first floor.
“The flood’s coming!”
Flood? Tang Yu’an looked outside at the blazing sun, confused. Where was the water coming from?
He ran to the entrance of Store #1.
Water was surging from an unknown source, rising rapidly. In just moments, it had already reached his ankles.
“Don’t just stand there! Move everything upstairs!” Old Li urged.
Snapping out of his daze, Tang Yu’an didn’t start moving items. Instead, he opened the 3D map, purchased a wall, and quickly blocked the gap at the property’s entrance.
With no heavy rain to exacerbate the situation, the newly constructed wall rose immediately, stopping the incoming floodwaters in their tracks.
