Chapter 135
The human fascination with the skies is innate—nearly every child dreams of soaring through the air like a bird. Tang Yu’an was no exception.
When he won the Flight Spell, he was so ecstatic he wanted to test it out immediately.
“It’s too late now,” Zhou Qi cautioned, stopping him.
The outside world, ravaged by floods, wasn’t as safe as it had been before. It was better to exercise caution.
“Fine, I’ll try it tomorrow!” Tang Yu’an relented, slipping under his blanket. Before sleeping, he habitually opened the map for a quick look.
Since Granny Guo and Kang Kang’s encounter with the mutant bear, Tang Yu’an had developed the habit of checking the map to ensure the safety of those he cared about.
Most people were secure in Store No. 1, which was well-protected. Shi Tou and Xiao Cao had returned to the Jade Pavilion Inn. Brother Chi Hao was still in Lanhu Town. Hai Jing and his daughter were safely at home…
Wait, what?
Tang Yu’an froze, his attention snapping to Old Xie’s location on the map.
A red dot, representing a dangerous creature, had appeared near Old Xie. What’s more, the dot bore the name of the previously marked mutant bear—the same one that had attacked Granny Guo and Kang Kang!
Hadn’t the bear been transformed into a rat by the Super Rat Trap? How had it avoided being swept away or drowned by the floods and made its way back to Desolate City’s center?
“You’re saying its marker turned red again?” Zhou Qi asked.
“Yes!” Tang Yu’an nodded. “It was marked as a regular animal before.”
After he filtered out normal animals from the map, the bear’s marker had disappeared entirely. But now…
“It must have broken free of the Super Rat Trap and reverted to its original form.”
Tang Yu’an stared at the map, considering the possibility. And more puzzling…
“Why is it near Old Xie?”
Dangerous creatures, even when marked, didn’t reveal the map for them. Because Old Xie hadn’t moved, the fog surrounding Desolate City’s center was cleared only at Old Xie’s location.
Now, however, the red marker for the bear overlapped almost entirely with Old Xie’s position.
From the map’s perspective, the two markers were vertically aligned, not fully overlapping, but close enough to be indistinguishable.
How had Old Xie survived alongside the bear?
Tang Yu’an stared at the map for over ten minutes, watching as Old Xie’s marker remained active. Finally, unable to resist sleep, he closed his eyes and drifted off.
As his breathing grew steady, Zhou Qi also succumbed to sleep.
Outside, the sound of rushing water continued unabated, but the attic of the grocery store remained tranquil and peaceful, untouched by the chaos beyond.
*
Dawn at Linhai Town.
Xiao Hai Lan opened her eyes to the morning light. The warmth of the blanket around her made her feel cozy. It was nothing like the nights she used to spend waking up from the cold.
Rubbing her eyes, she watched her father get out of bed.
“Sleep a little longer,” Hai Jing said, gently stroking his daughter’s soft hair.
“Dad, I didn’t meet the mysterious merchant in my dream last night…” Xiao Hai Lan said, a bit dejected.
Hai Jing tousled her hair again.
“It’s okay. We still have plenty of food.”
With the trade system allowing him to earn points, even if his daughter never met the mysterious merchant again, he could continuously exchange for supplies.
“Mm…”
“Sleep a bit more.”
As he stroked his daughter’s thin face, Hai Jing thought back to when she was born. Even though she was small, her cheeks had been plump. The memory filled him with both longing and heartache.
But their future would improve. One day, he would make sure his daughter grew up chubby and healthy, like the children of the wealthy merchants in town.
Tucking her in, Hai Jing rose to prepare breakfast.
Just as his porridge finished cooking, there was a knock at the door. When he opened it, he saw the same families from the day before standing outside, looking at him with hopeful and pleading expressions.
“Hai Jing, you said yesterday we could trade salt for rice. We’d like to trade again…”
After Hai Jing nodded, someone else added, “Could we get a bit more this time? I brought extra salt.”
“One person can trade this much at most.”
Hai Jing fetched a clay bowl, exchanged it for 200 grams of coarse rice, and brought it to the doorway to show them.
Each person could earn him a maximum of three points per day, and he used two of those points to trade rice for them. It was already quite generous.
Among the visitors were not only elders but also young widows with children crying for food. For a small family, 200 grams of rice wasn’t nearly enough, but it was better than nothing. They could survive by scavenging by the shore afterward.
Grateful, everyone agreed and thanked Hai Jing profusely.
The trades proceeded smoothly until—
“Hai Jing Uncle, you said everyone can trade this much. Does that include me?” asked a child who had come with his mother.
Hai Jing paused.
Most people assumed that “one person can trade this much” meant one family could exchange 200 grams.
The boy’s mother quickly pulled him behind her, apologizing. “He’s just a child. Please don’t take offense…”
The elders nodded in agreement, but Hai Jing surprised them by saying, “Yes, children can trade too.”
Everyone froze.
“You mean…?” someone finally asked.
“One person can trade this much. That includes everyone,” Hai Jing clarified calmly.
Though he was a quiet, reserved man who rarely socialized, his demeanor now struck others as thoughtful and profound.
More importantly, this meant they could trade for more rice! It was wonderful news.
“Hai Jing, on behalf of the villagers, thank you!” said the oldest man present, his face red with emotion.
“My son, Hai Tian, didn’t befriend you for nothing!”
At the mention of his son, swallowed by the sea, the old man’s eyes grew misty. He bowed deeply before Hai Jing, then left with his rice, his steps unsteady.
The others, expressing their gratitude, quickly departed as well.
When Xiao Hai Lan sat on a rock sipping her porridge, the villagers returned—this time with at least one child each.
By the end, every family had traded for at least 400 grams of coarse rice. Some, like the widow’s family, even managed to get 800 grams, thanks to her two children and her elderly mother-in-law.
Though trading so much left her feeling uneasy, Hai Jing’s calm expression showed no sign of reluctance.
In fact, he even addressed an elderly man who had only brought one child. “I remember you have a younger one at home, don’t you?”
The elderly man was taken aback by Hai Jing’s offer. “But Yin Nan is only a little over two years old. Can she really?”
“Can she speak?” Hai Jing asked.
“Yes, she can say quite a lot.”
“Then bring her here.”
Tears welled up in the old man’s eyes. “Okay, okay, I’ll go get her.”
Before long, the frail little girl was brought over. She was so emaciated that her big, round eyes seemed ready to fall from their sockets. She was even thinner than Xiao Hai Lan and looked on the verge of starvation.
Hai Jing glanced at the little girl, then at the elderly man. The man lowered his head, shame evident in his eyes. After the deaths of his son and daughter-in-law, only he and the two children remained. The burden of the household had become overwhelming.
Faced with his six- or seven-year-old grandson, who could already help forage by the sea, and his two-year-old granddaughter, who was still learning to speak, he naturally prioritized feeding the grandson.
Though he wanted to raise both children, his age and frailty made it nearly impossible.
Without saying much, Hai Jing swapped out coarse rice for polished rice.
Polished rice was 2 points for 100 grams—twice as expensive as coarse rice. However, small children ate less, and 100 grams of polished rice could sustain them for a day.
Moreover, the polished rice came from Hai Jing’s personal stash, traded earlier through his daughter’s dream with the mysterious merchant, so he didn’t need to use his points for it.
“This rice is expensive, but it cooks soft and is better for children,” Hai Jing explained, placing the polished rice in another bowl and handing it over. “Take it home, then have your grandson bring back the bowl.”
The portion of polished rice was half as much as the coarse rice, and the old man opened his mouth to speak. But when he met Hai Jing’s deep, dark eyes, he stopped.
Hai Jing wasn’t a particularly robust man. On the contrary, he was lean, his curly hair a bit messy, and there were dark circles under his eyes.
Yet when he looked at you with his calm, unwavering gaze, it carried an air of undeniable authority.
The old man stammered, momentarily forgetting what he wanted to say.
It was the boy beside him who stepped forward, taking the bowl of polished rice and declaring loudly, “Thank you, Uncle Hai Jing!”
Hai Jing looked at him and added, “This bowl of white rice is for your sister.”
The boy froze. Then, as if struck by a thought, his face flushed red. “Don’t worry! If I get to eat a bite, there’ll definitely be food for my grandma and sister too!”
The old woman’s eyes grew red at the boy’s words, her heart aching.
“I remember your name is Hai Xing, right?” Hai Jing asked.
Hai Xing nodded.
“Go home. Bring your sister back tomorrow,” Hai Jing said.
Hai Xing’s eyes lit up. “We can trade every day?”
“Mm.”
“My grandma said you dry salt at the beach. Can I help?” he asked eagerly.
Although Hai Jing had suggested yesterday that those trading rice could join him in salt production, few came to help as 100 grams of rice wasn’t enough to sustain them, forcing them to search for additional food.
Now that the rice portions were larger, Hai Jing expected more people to join in. He also planned to dig a channel to bring seawater closer, which would increase salt production and allow for better trades with the mysterious merchant.
“Sure. Come along,” Hai Jing agreed.
“Alright, Uncle Hai Jing! We’ll head back now!”
Hai Xing hugged the rice and left with his grandmother and sister. The other villagers gradually dispersed as well.
Xiao Hai Lan finished her bowl of porridge, and Hai Jing carefully wiped her mouth.
“Dad, now that there’s food, does that mean Hai Hua can survive?” she asked.
Hai Hua was Hai Xing’s sister—the two-year-old girl who was all skin and bones.
“Yes,” Hai Jing said, stroking his daughter’s head. “More people will survive now.”
He believed that once these villagers returned home, word would spread quickly. More struggling families would come, bringing their children to trade for rice.
Although he couldn’t ensure they were well-fed, he could at least provide 200 grams of rice daily—enough to stave off starvation.
At the very least, these children would become his customers. Hai Jing couldn’t stand by and watch them die. More than that, he didn’t want to see the village he grew up in disappear entirely.
He only hoped the mysterious merchant would remain safe and stable, continuing to exist for a long time.
[Employee “Hai Jing” completed a transaction with a loyal customer. Points +40, EXP +1.]
[Employee “Hai Jing” completed a transaction with a loyal customer. Points +35…]
When Tang Yu’an woke up in the morning, a string of notifications on his panel left him stunned.
It was only a little past seven, yet Hai Jing had already earned him 72 EXP and 3,628 points!
Naturally, this meant—
[Merchant Level Up to LV13. New items unlocked in the store: all-purpose flour, sweet potato starch, soap. Details available in the “Wholesale Market” section.]
[Storage Slot +1. Total slots: 17.]
[New Employee Forum Alias Function. Current available aliases: 1. Details available in the “Employee” section.]
[Remote Retrieval Skill upgraded to LV12. Details available in the “Skills” section.]
[Daily Task Refresh Card +1.]
[Please select delivery address…]
“Woohoo! Another level up!”
With Shi Tou and Xiao Cao selling salt at the Jufeng Grocery Store and Hai Jing now fully operational, Tang Yu’an’s leveling speed was like a rocket.
He glanced at his EXP bar: LV13 (23/390).
The EXP requirements for leveling up were growing rapidly! Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but check his employees’ levels:
– Xiao Cao: LV8 (54/160)
– Shi Tou: LV5 (57/100)
– Li Changqing: LV3 (23/40)
– Hai Jing: LV3 (8/40)
– Chi Hao: LV1 (15/20)
Shi Tou had reached LV5 last night, unlocking the ability to post on the message board. Tang Yu’an gave him the alias “Pan Shi” (Rock).
Judging by Hai Jing’s progress, he’d likely reach LV5 by tomorrow or the day after. Tang Yu’an would need to think of a suitable alias for him too.
Finally, Tang Yu’an’s gaze fell to the lowest-ranking Chi Hao.
With 13 EXP gained since yesterday, Chi Hao had completed 13 profitable trades. While not negligible, at this rate, when would Chi Hao unlock the ability to post on the message board?
Still, considering the house and credentials Chi Hao had secured for him in Lanhu Town, Tang Yu’an didn’t think he was unhelpful.
Chi Hao’s path clearly diverged from the others. While his activities benefited the store overall, he wasn’t accruing much personal gain.
“Hopefully, Brother Chi Hao will stay in Lanhu Town a few more days, rack up some points and EXP, and then move on.”
Tang Yu’an shook his head and looked at his upgrade rewards.
“Sweet potato starch?” Zhou Qi remarked with a smile. “That’s pretty useful.”
“Flour can be milled from wheat, but sweet potatoes aren’t something we can grow ourselves, and processing sweet potato starch is troublesome. Being able to exchange for it directly saves us a lot of effort,” Tang Yu’an remarked.
“Soap is a good addition too,” he continued. “And we can choose between regular soap and sulfur soap.”
Sulfur soap could be used for washing hair and bathing, with the added benefit of antibacterial properties. As with other system-exchanged goods, the quality was outstanding—better than anything from their original world.
“The telekinesis range is now up by three meters!” Tang Yu’an exclaimed in surprise.
Previously, the range of the remote retrieval ability had been doubling with each upgrade. If the pattern held, the remote collection skill might be tripling its range with each level-up.
This skill was incredibly convenient. Tang Yu’an had found through testing that it worked not only on his own belongings but also on unowned items. A single glance was all it took to transfer items to his storage, eliminating the need to touch them physically.
“Brother Qi, work hard to level up! I’ll share this skill with you when I can!” Tang Yu’an said enthusiastically. Then, he added, “Should we move Hai Jing to Store No. 1?”
Zhou Qi felt warmth in his heart at Tang Yu’an’s consideration but smiled and shook his head. “The main store needs its momentum for upgrades. Let him stay there.”
“Alright, that works too.”
At that moment, Tang Yu’an’s thoughts shifted, and the self-filling insulated water bottle on the first-floor windowsill appeared in his hand.
After obtaining the void stone, they had upgraded the insulated water bottle. The upgraded bottle now had a capacity of 21 liters! It no longer required energy stones for temperature control, allowing them to set custom temperatures.
By morning, the bottle had filled with purified water at a constant 50°C—perfect for drinking right after waking up. Tang Yu’an poured the water into his stored kettles and cups, filling them all. He then set the bottle’s temperature to 100°C to keep it ready for future use.
Thanks to the self-filling insulated water bottle, they rarely needed to boil water themselves. Except for bathing, they no longer relied on the system’s water exchanges.
Watching Tang Yu’an work, Zhou Qi suggested, “An An, let’s install running water in Store No. 1.”
Tang Yu’an looked at him curiously.
Zhou Qi elaborated, “For now, we won’t make it available to all residents. Just install it in Room 501. Grandpa Li can claim it as his ability as a water-element user”
Currently, the residents of Store No. 1 mostly used water drawn from the flood outside. Although they filtered it with makeshift purifiers, the lack of proper disinfection made it unsuitable for drinking.
Bathing or washing items was fine, but drinking it? That was far too risky.
“Alright, let’s do it!” Tang Yu’an agreed immediately. The memory of the residents using muddy water for bathing yesterday still lingered in his mind, leaving a strong impression.
Without hesitation, he opened the infrastructure menu for Store No. 1 and selected the option to unlock running water. A system prompt appeared:
[Deduct 2,000 points and 300 store popularity to unlock the “Running Water” feature for Peace Grocery Store No. 1?]
Tang Yu’an confirmed the deduction.
Once the points were spent, a 3D map of Store No. 1 reappeared. He needed to designate a fixed point as the source and then draw lines for installing pipes and faucets.
The fixed point was free, but the pipes and faucets required points—50 points per meter of pipe and 100 points per faucet.
The costs were exorbitant!
Tang Yu’an set the source in Room 501, reasoning that they could fetch water from the main store and didn’t need pipes running all the way to Room 901. He extended the pipe to the kitchen and installed a faucet, spending a total of 300 points.
Fortunately, with reliable employees earning him points, the expenses were manageable. Otherwise, the rapid depletion of points would have been overwhelming.
After Zhou Qi prepared breakfast, the two headed to Store No. 1 to find Grandpa Li.
Thanks to the restorative effects of the luminous green double bed, Grandpa Li had been sleeping well. His spirits and energy had visibly improved.
Unreserved, Grandpa Li sat with them for breakfast, chatting and laughing.
Tang Yu’an then explained the addition of running water to the store.
Though Grandpa Li thought he had become immune to surprises, his jaw dropped again.
“W-water pipes?” he stammered.
“That’s right! There’s a faucet in the kitchen now. Just turn it, and water will flow out.”
Grandpa Li immediately got up and went to the kitchen, where he saw a shiny new faucet connected to a pipe. The sight stirred old memories of the pre-apocalyptic world.
Trembling, he approached the faucet, twisted the handle, but no water came out.
“Oh, right, Grandpa! The water needs to be exchanged for with points,” Tang Yu’an explained, placing a basin beneath the faucet. He then spent points to exchange for 10 liters of water. Instantly, water gushed out.
“Wonderful… simply wonderful…” Grandpa Li’s eyes brimmed with tears. “It’s like having running water again. We’re back to using tap water!”
Even though it required points, the system wasn’t much different from the pre-apocalypse days when people paid water companies. And this water was far cleaner than anything from those days.
“Grandpa, tell the residents this water is produced by your ability,” Tang Yu’an said after Grandpa Li calmed down. “I think for drinking water, this is the safest option—especially for Granny Guo and the kids.”
Tang Yu’an hesitated before adding, “Brother Qi and I were thinking of offering 1 liter of water daily for households with children or elderly residents. What do you think?”
He originally intended to say two liters but, under Grandpa Li’s piercing gaze, adjusted the amount to one.
“You want to give it away for free?” Grandpa Li asked.
Tang Yu’an nodded, a bit hesitant. “Children and the elderly have weaker bodies. It’s safer to ensure they’re properly hydrated…”
“Of course! This policy doesn’t have to be permanent. Once everyone’s better off, we can cancel it,” Tang Yu’an emphasized resolutely.
Grandpa Li’s eyes narrowed as he studied Tang Yu’an. He turned to Zhou Qi. “You agree with this?”
Zhou Qi pressed his lips together and nodded. “I have no objections.”
Grandpa Li hadn’t expected Zhou Qi to be on board as well. He glanced between the two boys, then sighed.
“You must know, as I’ve mentioned before, that in the wasteland, children and the elderly are considered burdens. That’s what most people think.”
“I don’t believe that!” Tang Yu’an exclaimed, raising his voice. “That idea is wrong!”
“Why?”
“Children are our future, the seeds of hope for our people!” Tang Yu’an declared passionately.
“And the elderly?” Grandpa Li pressed.
“Respecting the elderly and cherishing the young is an excellent tradition,” Tang Yu’an declared earnestly. “Even though the elderly may not be as physically capable as younger people, they possess a wealth of knowledge and experience. If they live well, they can pass these things down.”
Grandpa Li stared deeply at Tang Yu’an, his eyes unusually bright.
After a long pause, he chuckled softly and remarked, “Sometimes, I really wonder if you two somehow traveled here from the pre-catastrophe era…”
After all, only that era could have nurtured such children, right?
