Chapter 133
“You know the mysterious merchant too?”
Hearing Chi Hao’s question, the boy’s eyes lit up, his guard dropping to its lowest. He eagerly ran up to Chi Hao.
“No, I’ve only heard about him,” Chi Hao replied with a shake of his head.
“Oh…” The boy seemed disappointed.
“My name’s Chi Hao. What’s yours?”
“I’m… I’m Ru Sheng,” the boy said.
Chi Hao chuckled. “So, does that mean there’s another child named Yue Luo?”
“How did you know?” the boy asked, his eyes widening in surprise. “My sister’s name is Yue Luo!”
Chi Hao nodded, thinking to himself that civilization in Lanhu Town hadn’t completely lost its heritage. At least the names here were quite poetic, like Lan Yunqing…
He paused, quickly pulling himself back from his wandering thoughts.
“Where did you trade with the mysterious merchant?” Chi Hao continued, directing his question to Ru Sheng.
“In my dreams!” Ru Sheng said excitedly.
Chi Hao looked at him, skeptical if he had misinterpreted. But upon reflection, it aligned with his image of the mysterious merchant. After all, if it happened in the real world, it could have been someone in disguise. Trading through dreams, however, was truly extraordinary and something only a being like the mysterious merchant could achieve.
Chi Hao’s interest was piqued.
“How did you trade in the dream? Did you see him?” he asked.
Ru Sheng shook his head. “I really wanted candy—dreamed of it! Then I heard the mysterious merchant’s voice. He said I could trade something for it… so I traded a leaf for candy.”
“Then I woke up and found candy by my bedside, but one of my leaves was gone.”
Chi Hao listened, his brows furrowing.
From what Ru Sheng described, it sounded like someone might have placed the candy next to him in reality and taken the leaf. There was no definitive proof that it was a trade within a dream.
“Do you remember what the mysterious merchant’s voice sounded like?” Chi Hao asked. “Was it male or female?”
Ru Sheng appeared confused and shook his head. He had never considered that question before. The voice in his dream didn’t sound human—it had a tone and quality unlike anything he had ever heard.
Seeing Ru Sheng’s lack of answers, Chi Hao sighed. “All right, here’s your treat.” He broke off a small piece of chocolate for Ru Sheng, stuffing the rest into his own mouth.
Ru Sheng hadn’t expected Chi Hao to fulfill his promise. Gratefully, he thanked him, nibbling on the chocolate bit by bit like a small hamster savoring a treat. By contrast, Chi Hao devoured his portion in large gulps.
“How many times have you traded with the mysterious merchant?” Chi Hao asked again.
“Just once,” Ru Sheng said regretfully. “After that, I tried dreaming of him again, but it didn’t work.”
Chi Hao nodded. Although that was the boy’s claim, Chi Hao leaned toward believing the mysterious merchant was a real person. The “system” he received could very well be the mysterious merchant’s awakened ability, likely connected to a domain of mysteries.
Trading through dreams… if that really was one of the merchant’s abilities, then…
“Maybe it’s because you’ve already gotten candy and don’t crave it as much anymore,” Chi Hao speculated. “You weren’t sincere enough, so the mysterious merchant didn’t appear.”
“Is that so?” Ru Sheng asked, his eyes widening in realization. He pondered Chi Hao’s words and found them oddly reasonable.
“Then since I’m out of candy now, if I make another wish tonight, will the mysterious merchant come back?” Ru Sheng asked eagerly.
Looking at the boy’s excitement, Chi Hao was suddenly reminded of Lan Yunqing’s furrowed brows and the burden of his concerns. The crisis in Lanhu Forest was monumental, with no guarantee it could be resolved. If it wasn’t, everyone in Lanhu Town would face severe food shortages.
Yet here was a child, dreaming of using Lanhu leaves to trade for candy.
Chi Hao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Is there anything else you’d want to trade for, besides candy?” Chi Hao asked.
Ru Sheng thought for a moment before nodding. “Yes!”
“What is it?” Chi Hao prompted.
“I want the Lord to grant me the surname Lan!” Ru Sheng exclaimed, setting down his chocolate, his eyes shining with hope. “I want to be called Lan Ru Sheng!”
In Lanhu Town, people could choose any name or surname they wanted, except for “Lan.” That was special. Only those who demonstrated strength and made significant contributions could earn the lord’s recognition and be bestowed with the surname “Lan.” It was a source of immense pride for the people of Lanhu Town.
“If I’m called Lan Ru Sheng, no one will dare bully me or steal my candy!”
Chi Hao, who had just begun to view the boy in a new light, was speechless again.
So, in the end, it was still about candy.
Still, his ambition made things easier to work with.
“As long as you listen to me and follow my instructions, I guarantee you’ll earn your lord’s surname soon enough,” Chi Hao promised.
“Really?” Ru Sheng asked, his eyes wide. “You’re not lying to me?”
“Of course not!” Chi Hao assured him.
Ru Sheng hesitated. “You’re not going to make me do anything bad, are you?”
Chi Hao waved his hand. “Relax. It’ll be something great for Lanhu Town. Whether or not it works will depend on your own efforts.”
“Okay! As long as it’s not bad, I’ll do what you say!” Ru Sheng agreed enthusiastically.
Chi Hao smiled, leaned closer, and whispered into the boy’s ear.
“Will that really work?” Ru Sheng scratched his head.
“Trust me. It will,” Chi Hao said confidently.
“All right. I’ll try it tonight,” Ru Sheng replied.
*
Desolate City, Peace Grocery Store, Shop No. 1
“This cabinet… it’s truly incredible.” Granny Guo stood before the glowing green cabinet, her hand gently brushing against it in awe.
It wasn’t yet six o’clock, but darkness had already fallen outside, and the temperature was plummeting. Yet standing next to the cabinet felt as warm and pleasant as spring.
“During the day, if you take the red beans out, it stops emitting heat,” Tang Yu’an explained to her.
Granny Guo nodded, her expression still filled with amazement. She had spent half a day studying it but couldn’t discern the principles behind its operation.
Meanwhile, Kang Kang was utterly fascinated by the plants inside, darting from one to the next, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
What surprised Tang Yu’an was that Kang Kang ran to fetch Granny Guo’s container for storing seeds and carefully selected a few grains of coarse rice, placing them in the lowest level of the luminous green cabinet.
“Kang Kang, what are you doing?” Granny Guo asked in confusion.
“Making more friends!” Kang Kang replied, his little face brimming with anticipation and hope.
Granny Guo was puzzled, but Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi were astonished.
Could Kang Kang have figured out the hidden functionality of the luminous green cabinet already?
Seeing Granny Guo’s confusion, Tang Yu’an explained, “Granny, this cabinet not only maintains a certain temperature but also has another feature.”
“What is it?” Granny Guo asked, intrigued.
“If seeds are placed in the lowest level, it can increase their chances of mutation,” Tang Yu’an said.
For Kang Kang, all mutated plants were his friends, which likely explains his earlier statement.
“However, this mutation is random. You still need to use it cautiously,” Tang Yu’an advised.
Granny Guo was left speechless.
She knew these two children were extraordinary, but she hadn’t realized just how extraordinary. To casually bring out such a magical cabinet—how could this even be possible?
“This is too valuable. I…I can’t accept it…” Granny Guo tried to decline, but Zhou Qi stopped her.
“Granny, the cabinet is merely placed in your room, not given to you. As long as you’re here at the Desolate City Grocery Store, you can use it.”
“That’s right,” Tang Yu’an echoed. “Plus, we need your help taking care of the plants in the cabinet. Consider it part of your reward.”
He then introduced Granny Guo to the names and uses of each plant in the cabinet.
“We hope you can use these as original crops and propagate them as much as possible!”
Tang Yu’an pointed excitedly to several pots of plants. “Especially these: ginger, scallions, garlic, chili peppers, lettuce, and chives. They’re incredibly useful vegetables.”
“Whether or not we’ll have tasty dishes in the future will depend on you!”
The “dishes” naturally referred to Zhou Qi’s cooking.
Currently, their spices were sufficient, but they’d run out of ginger, scallions, and garlic a long time ago. Many dishes felt incomplete without these basic seasonings.
“Got it. Leave it to me.” Granny Guo patted Tang Yu’an’s hand and looked at the plants with newfound determination.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. “Should we ask Lin girl to bring the chicks over here tonight? Wouldn’t it be better if they slept in this cabinet?”
Tang Yu’an nodded. “Let’s talk to her about it.”
He had previously wondered whether the luminous green cabinet could be used to hatch eggs, but tests showed that its temperature range of 20°C to 30°C was unsuitable for hatching, which requires a range of 36.5°C to 38.5°C.
Similarly, the purple carpet wasn’t an option.
Its effects worked only on sentient beings capable of perceiving their ideal temperature and softness, leaving eggs outside its domain.
“Granny, is there anything else you need?” Zhou Qi asked.
Granny Guo smiled. “I had thought about asking Old Li if he could make a kang bed-stove, but now that I have this cabinet, it’s no longer necessary.”
Tang Yu’an’s eyes lit up.
Of course, a bed-stove! For nighttime warmth, they didn’t always have to rely on Lan Lin’s heating ability. Building a bed-stove was another viable option.
Though he hadn’t encountered one in their original world, Grandpa Li, with his vast experience, would surely know how to construct one.
Moreover, the wholesale market had charcoal available for exchange, so fuel wouldn’t be an issue.
“Besides the bed-stove, do you need anything else?” Tang Yu’an continued. “How about we set up a stove for you as well?”
Hearing this, Granny Guo couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness.
“All my cookware is in my old house…especially that wok made of mutated metal. I can’t help but feel regret thinking about it.”
She understood there was nothing to be done. In the face of a mutant black bear attack, merely escaping with her life was fortunate enough; everything else was just material possessions.
“What’s gone is gone; new things will come!” Tang Yu’an said cheerfully. “Now that we’re all living together, Uncle Tie Jin is just next door. Whatever cookware you need, you can ask him to craft. Or,” he paused, “our grocery store will also offer cookware eventually. You can trade with Grandpa Li for it.”
This arrangement would allow Grandpa Li to profit as well.
Granny Guo nodded. “All right, I’ll follow your advice.”
“Then tomorrow, let’s have Grandpa Li set up a stove for you,” Tang Yu’an said. “With Ba Shi, our earth-ability user, making these things will be much easier.”
Granny Guo didn’t refuse further. She wasn’t fond of eating raw or cold food, so having a stove for cooking was certainly ideal.
“I’ll get started tomorrow,” she said with a smile. “The weather is just right for planting potatoes.”
Potatoes thrived in cool and sunny conditions, and with daytime temperatures now cooler, the extended cool periods were perfect for planting and harvesting them.
“Can I clear a patch of land in the courtyard to grow potatoes and rice?” Granny Guo asked.
“Of course!” Tang Yu’an nodded enthusiastically. After some thought, he added, “But isn’t the courtyard a bit small?”
He recalled that the distance between the wall and the building was only about 4.5 meters at its widest, though it was 30 meters long.
“It’s enough,” Granny Guo chuckled.
Even if it wasn’t, there wasn’t much that could be done. With the outside flooded to a depth of 4 meters, expanding the walls wasn’t exactly an option.
What she didn’t know was that Tang Yu’an was indeed considering expanding the walls.
With the security barrier’s defenses operating around the clock, even the cheapest picket fences would suffice to ensure the yard’s safety.
After all, as long as it’s a wall connected to the grocery store, it works!
Additionally, Xiao Cao and Shi Tou had a fantastic day of business. From morning until now, Tang Yu’an’s points balance increased nearly every minute or two.
In just one day, they had served over 300 customers, bringing in more than 6,000 points.
Adding the earnings from Chi Hao, Hai Jing, and Grandpa Li, Tang Yu’an’s balance had risen to over 13,000 points! He now had the resources to renovate Store No. 1 without hesitation.
However, since Jin Guang and the others were still in the courtyard cooking, it wasn’t the right time to create such a commotion.
Tang Yu’an decided to wait until later, when everyone had returned to their rooms.
He promised himself to give all the residents a big surprise tomorrow!
Full of excitement, he and Zhou Qi left Granny Guo’s room and headed to Room 701 to find Lin Zhen. Upon hearing their intentions, Lin Zhen was more than willing.
She held the purple carpet in her hands, looking at Tang Yu’an apologetically.
“They pooped on it last night…” Lin Zhen scratched her head. “I was just figuring out how to clean it.”
“No problem, leave it to me.” Tang Yu’an handed her the three glass bottles Lan Lin had asked him to deliver. “Here, this is for you.”
Lin Zhen instinctively took the glass bottles and handed over the carpet.
[You have completed a profitable transaction with a loyal customer. Points +300, EXP +1]
Tang Yu’an blinked in surprise. Wasn’t the purple carpet priced at 188 points? How did he earn 300 points?
Could it be that the “Seven-Day Sale” actually applied a real discount?
“These glass bottles are…?” Lin Zhen asked curiously.
“Do you like them?” Tang Yu’an asked with a grin. “Lan Lin traded them for you.”
Lin Zhen was startled. “What did he trade?”
“He told me not to say.” Tang Yu’an chuckled. “You can ask him yourself later.”
Lin Zhen had no choice but to leave it at that. She took the bottles back to her room while Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi went next door to find Lan Lin to discuss whether he could continue providing heating tonight.
Seeing Lan Lin hesitating about how to decline, Zhou Qi cut in, “If you can’t provide heating, you’ll need to pay your rent in another way.”
After thinking it over, Lan Lin asked, “Do you still have any of that ice cream from yesterday?”
Tang Yu’an blinked as Lan Lin continued, “I can keep the heating on tonight, but it’ll cost you two ice creams.”
“Deal!” Tang Yu’an agreed enthusiastically.
Making ice cream was simple, as long as they had the ingredients—and fortunately, they did.
Soon, each household would have kang bed-stoves installed, or they’d receive cotton quilts, so Lan Lin wouldn’t need to provide overnight heating anymore.
By 8 p.m., all the residents had returned to their rooms.
The only ones who had traded for quilts from Grandpa Li that evening were Granny Guo, Tie Jin, and Tie Mu Hua. The others either weren’t aware or didn’t have items to barter with at the moment.
Still, with Lan Lin’s heating, while it wasn’t particularly warm, it was enough to keep everyone from freezing.
Seeing the courtyard empty, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi climbed to the top of the perimeter wall, exchanged points for picket fences, and opened the 3D map to begin their land-expansion operation.
They started by enlarging the backyard behind the building.
The 42-meter-long picket fence cost them 420 points.
Tang Yu’an connected one end of the picket fence tightly to the original concrete wall, extended it outward by a meter, and then looped it around before reattaching it to the other side of the wall.
Once he selected and confirmed, the protective barrier, which had previously hugged the wall, extended outward.
It pushed forward until it reached the new fence, where it stopped.
A new 32-meter by 4-meter plot of land appeared beyond the original wall. The floodwater and aquatic creatures occupying that space were forcibly pushed outward.
Zhou Qi shone a flashlight over the new land and observed for a while before nodding in satisfaction.
“Not bad. It looks like this method works.”
The picket fence was only one meter tall, much shorter than the concrete wall, but at 10 points per meter, it was a bargain.
Tang Yu’an spent additional points to extend the picket fence another 16 meters outward.
Because of the flood’s erosion, the ground was muddy and emitted a strange odor. The rubble, such as broken stones and rebar, scattered across the land would also need clearing.
Instead of climbing down from the wall, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi opened a hole in the concrete wall and installed a high-grade metal gate.
The metal gate, unlocked after the store upgrade to Level 2, looked incredibly sturdy. Considering that the area would be used for farming, adequate security measures were essential.
As for the outer picket fence…
The floodwater currently served as the best anti-theft system. Aside from desperate individuals, it was unlikely anyone could break in, let alone steal crops.
If a thief did manage to accomplish that, they’d have no choice but to accept the loss.
In addition to the metal gate, Tang Yu’an installed wooden doors on three other sections of the wall. This way, residents wouldn’t need to climb the three-meter-high wall to fetch water. It greatly improved both convenience and safety.
Afterward, they returned to Room 501 and handed one of the keys to Grandpa Li, informing him he could check out the backyard in the morning.
“What have you two done now?” Grandpa Li asked warily.
“You’ll find out tomorrow morning.” Tang Yu’an grinned. “Telling you now would ruin the surprise.”
Grandpa Li could only nod. After the two left, he grabbed the flashlight Tang Yu’an had given him and cautiously headed downstairs to take a look.
The surroundings were pitch-dark, and Grandpa Li squinted out the window, unable to discern what had changed.
He eventually made his way to the backyard. Remnants of the evening’s cooking were still visible.
What on earth had those two kids done?
Grandpa Li soon found the new gate in the wall. It was built directly into the perimeter—could it be…?
He didn’t immediately open the gate. If he was mistaken, opening it might lead to a disaster.
Instead, he climbed the wall. Reaching the top, he saw the expansive new land beyond. His breath caught.
While Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi disliked the dirty ground, Grandpa Li didn’t mind it at all.
His body trembled with excitement, but his descent from the wall was steady and practiced.
Shining his flashlight, the old man walked a circle around the new plot of land.
“They used just a picket fence…” he muttered, his gaze lingering on the invisible protective barrier.
At that moment, countless thoughts flooded his mind.
If this barrier could expand infinitely, if they weren’t confined to this single building…
A myriad of possibilities flashed through his mind, but he eventually shook his head.
Why think so much?
All that mattered was that they were one step closer to the safe haven he envisioned for the Desolate City. That was enough.
The rest, he decided, could be left to the two children to determine.
Grandpa Li had never felt so awake and clear-headed. Often, a deep exhaustion had crept over him, leading him to question the meaning of struggling to survive in this wasteland.
But now, that exhaustion is completely gone.
He couldn’t afford to die just yet—he still had youth left in him. There were so many things left for him to do. He wanted to see just how far those two children could go!
Perhaps, in the future, he might even get a chance to see the world of his childhood again…
While Grandpa Li stood quietly in the backyard, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi had already returned to the Peace Grocery Store.
After freshening up, they climbed up to the attic and opened the Dream Drift Bottle window.
What surprised Tang Yu’an was that the number of bottles glowing brightly in the Dream Sea had increased by one. Though, compared to the other three, this new one emitted a much dimmer light.
After some thought, he decided to pick this new bottle first.
The soft orb of light floated above the attic, and a familiar voice echoed from it.
“It’s the child from Lanhu Town,” Zhou Qi noted.
Tang Yu’an nodded, recalling the boy who had traded leaves for candy. It was because of those extra leaves that he could give some to Kang Kang, enabling Kang Kang to nurture the Lanhu tree sapling.
The voice of the boy rang out again: “Food… food… I want food… Mysterious merchant, please give me food!”
