Chapter 156
Watching the star-chain fruit seedling continuously sprout new leaves and branches, happily growing in all directions, Granny Guo couldn’t help but be amazed. She now had a clearer understanding of the vine’s “rapid growth” characteristic.
Granny Guo walked toward a stack of fencing placed in the corner. Seeing this, Huoqiu, who was helping with brick-making alongside Lie Huo, quickly put down his tools and ran over to help.
“Granny, I’ll help you!”
“Thank you, child.”
Lie Huo shook his head as he watched the little boy run off again, picking up the half-finished bricks Huoqiu had left behind and continuing to work.
There were about twenty residents working on the brick kiln site. Because they were unfamiliar with one another, and due to the reserved nature of people hardened by the apocalypse, the atmosphere was somewhat somber.
Not all the new residents were willing to abide by the rules. However, over the past few days, those who attempted theft or robbery soon discovered the existence of the “rules.”
That inexplicable, bone-deep fear stopped anyone from acting recklessly again.
As for causing harm to others, that was an even bigger taboo—two newly arrived residents had already been warned by Old Li.
The stern elderly man had directly confronted them, warning that any further attempts to harm others would result in them being unceremoniously expelled from the haven of Desolate City.
Old Li’s reputation as a skilled hunter preceded him. Now, with two giant, size-shifting dogs at his side, no one dared challenge him. Those two would-be aggressors handed over their stolen goods in silence and were now obediently keeping their heads down.
After their violent intentions were exposed, they became pariahs among the residents. This served as a wake-up call for everyone else.
In Desolate City Haven, rules were actual rules. Whether one liked it or not, they had to follow them.
The realization left everyone both astonished and slightly disoriented. After all, most of these young adults, in their twenties or thirties, had grown up in the brutal, lawless environment of the apocalypse, adapting to a survival-of-the-fittest jungle law.
A peaceful and friendly utopia felt almost too surreal to be true.
So while they could work together, the residents couldn’t naturally socialize. Most were used to a solitary existence, especially those who had lived in the ruins of Desolate City.
They couldn’t understand why Huoqiu would willingly help Granny Guo. After a glance in his direction, they returned to their tasks, eager to finish making bricks and escape the collective worksite.
While the kiln area was silent and stifling, the adjacent open space brimmed with life.
Huoqiu helped Granny Guo move the fencing to the open ground and began setting it up, carefully securing it with vines under her patient guidance.
Meanwhile, hearing the commotion, Kang Kang toddled over on his short legs.
“Granny—!”
Since arriving at Desolate City Haven, Kang Kang had become noticeably livelier. With daily meals now guaranteed, his cheeks were visibly plumper and healthier.
Granny Guo couldn’t help but beam with happiness every time she noticed Kang Kang’s growth.
“Yes?” she responded warmly. “Can you fetch the scissors for me?”
“Okay~”
The child’s soft, sing-song voice and Granny Guo’s gentle reply, set against the sunny, pleasant weather, created a scene that warmed the heart.
Over at the kiln, some workers began raising their heads to watch the group on the other side.
There wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about what they were doing, but it was more engaging than the monotonous work of making bricks. The elderly woman and the children brought a sense of vitality to the scene.
Granny Guo, dissatisfied with the height of the fencing, decided to add another layer. Since the fencing was heavy, she asked Huoqiu to fetch his father for help—Shu Gen and Jin Guang were busy planting crops on newly cleared land.
Shu Gen quickly arrived.
Being adept at labor and already familiar with Granny Guo, he efficiently added the extra layer of fencing as she instructed.
Finally, Granny Guo built a roof over the two sides of the fencing, creating a simple shelter.
By the time they finished, the newly planted star-chain fruit vine had already grown several stems, with the longest reaching over a meter.
Granny Guo gently guided the vines onto the fencing, carefully winding them around and securing them.
“Grow, grow!” Kang Kang clapped his hands in delight, cheering for the plant.
“Chirp, chirp, chirp—chirp, chirp, chirp—”
The large parrot A’Mu, along with a group of fluffy yellow chicks, emerged to forage for food.
The sight of the adorable chicks instantly captured Kang Kang’s attention. He eagerly followed them around, unwilling to leave their side.
Though Huoqiu was tempted to join the fun, he glanced toward the kiln and reluctantly ran back to continue working.
Before he left, Granny Guo called him over and handed him two small potatoes. Though they were only the size of his palm, Huoqiu accepted them happily.
He jogged back to the kiln, where several workers stared at him.
Huoqiu grinned broadly. “Hehe, I’m back!”
The onlookers quickly turned their gazes away, their attention returning to the field where Granny Guo and the children were working.
Sitting down next to Lie Huo, Huoqiu discreetly passed him one of the small potatoes. Lie Huo, who had been ready to scold him, instead closed his mouth in exasperation.
He tucked the small potato into his pocket, planning to take it home for his wife, and then whispered to Huoqiu.
“Are you close with that old lady?”
“That’s Granny Guo! You can’t call her that—it’s very rude!”
Huoqiu had been corrected on this “politeness” issue many times before, and now it was finally his turn to lecture someone else!
Lie Huo didn’t really understand what “politeness” was, but since he took Huoqiu as a disciple partially for mutual support, he decided to correct himself after hearing the reprimand.
“Alright, alright, Granny Guo.”
“Granny Guo really likes me because Kang Kang and I are good friends. She often gives me small potatoes to eat!”
“What kind of plant is she growing?”
“I think it’s called Star… Star Fruit!” Huoqiu replied casually.
“Star Fruit?”
“Yeah! The leaves look like stars—so pretty!”
With Huoqiu’s return, the brick-making area finally gained some liveliness. Gradually, people started tentatively chatting with those around them.
From the balcony above, Tang Yu’an watched everything unfold below. Seeing the scene, he smiled and stretched before heading inside to eat with Zhou Qi.
“Once everyone finishes building their brick stoves, we can start trying to hatch the chicks.”
“Do they have heaters or similar items in the furniture mall?” Zhou Qi asked.
Tang Yu’an checked and shook his head. “Not yet, probably need to keep upgrading.”
Since they had chosen the “Bigger is Better” upgrade path, the conditions for upgrading were notably strict.
[Peace Grocery Store (Bigger is Better!) Lv1]
[Lv2 Upgrade Conditions: Merchant Level Lv10 (fulfilled), 6 total stores under ownership (not fulfilled), total store area 10,000 square meters (not fulfilled), total store popularity 50,000 (not fulfilled)]
The 50,000 store popularity requirement alone was a significant challenge—their total popularity was currently just over 10,000.
Reaching this goal was a daunting task.
As for owning six stores, they already had four, so that condition wasn’t difficult. Increasing the total store area to 10,000 square meters could also be achieved by fencing off more land. After all, 10,000 square meters required only 500 meters of fencing at dimensions of 200 x 50 meters—more than manageable with the leftover fencing from the life passage project.
“We’ll just have to take it slow,” Zhou Qi said.
“Yeah.”
As soon as they returned to the Peace Grocery Store attic through the teleportation array, a system notification popped up:
[The “Super Storage Cabinet M1” has been successfully upgraded. Please collect.]
[Furniture Sprite Yaya is very satisfied with your hospitality and has given you a five-star review.]
[Tip: Furniture with five-star reviews from sprites has a chance to trigger additional effects. Please check carefully.]
Finally, the Super Storage Cabinet upgrade was complete!
They had redeemed the Void Stone from the flash sale card they obtained earlier and used it to initiate the upgrade. The process took a full two days, and Tang Yu’an had practically forgotten about it.
Now it was finally done!
Excited, he grabbed Zhou Qi and rushed downstairs to the storage room to inspect it.
The storage room was now equipped with a self-powered, temperature-adjustable air conditioner, maintaining a constant 10°C—not too cold to freeze, but cool enough to keep items fresh.
Although the outdoor temperature was around 30°C at noon, stepping into the storage room was a relief. Tang Yu’an let out a comfortable sigh and turned his attention to the upgraded Super Storage Cabinet.
On the outside, the cabinet didn’t look significantly different. It still had a simple wooden appearance but now featured a few decorative green floral patterns, giving it a more elegant look compared to the previous plain model.
The bowl of tofu pudding he’d left atop the cabinet had disappeared, leaving only an empty dish.
Tang Yu’an chuckled. It seemed Yaya enjoyed the tofu pudding. He wondered if the five-star review would trigger a special effect this time.
Even if it didn’t, he didn’t mind. He simply liked the furniture sprites and enjoyed treating them well. Besides, Yaya’s after-sales service had been excellent—when two Green Glow Cabinets were damaged during Zhou Qi’s battle with the mutated bear, Yaya had repaired them for free.
He really loved Yaya! Too bad she was so focused on her work and wouldn’t let him get too close—unlike Bobo, who would slack off, drink, and snack while chatting with him.
While Tang Yu’an admired the cabinet’s exterior, Zhou Qi opened its doors.
The interior, which used to be a 20-cubic-meter space, had now expanded to 100 cubic meters, appearing significantly larger.
Zhou Qi measured it with a ruler: 10 meters long, 5 meters wide, and 2 meters high. Effectively, the small Peace Grocery Store now had an additional 50 square meters of space.
Both boys felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
Though they had the entire building of Store No.1 now, the Peace Grocery Store held an irreplaceable significance.
This was their true home.
Adding 50 square meters to their home without altering its layout felt profoundly different from simply acquiring more land.
“If Mom saw a cabinet like this, she’d absolutely love it!”
Back home, their small space often forced their mom to get creative with storage solutions. A cabinet like this would be her dream come true.
“Hmm, I’ll move the items from outside into this.”
“Alright.”
Tang Yu’an strolled around the storage cabinet, then opened its panel to inspect its upgraded properties.
[Super Storage Cabinet]
[Level: Iv2]
[Dimensions: 2x1x0.5 (meters)]
[Description: Magic-side item. Compact and exquisite, occupies little space but can store items up to 100 times its volume.]
[Special Effect: “Southern Garden’s Fresh Beans”]
[Effect Description: Beans and legumes stored inside will retain their state at the time of placement—no spoiling, no sprouting, and no growth.]
“Wow! It has a specific preservation effect!” Tang Yu’an’s eyes lit up as he noticed the special effect.
The 900 pounds of soybeans he had traded from Hong Li were still largely unused and were taking up space in the main store’s warehouse. Now, with this “Fresh Beans” effect, the storage issue was perfectly solved.
Tang Yu’an immediately used the Remote Retrieval skill to transfer the nine bags of soybeans into the upgraded Super Storage Cabinet. He also moved in the beans he already had at home, like red beans, green beans, and black beans.
To distinguish it from the other two Lv1 Super Storage Cabinets, he named this unique Lv2 cabinet the “Southern Garden Cabinet.” After storing all the beans, there was still ample space left in the cabinet.
However, he knew the soybeans needed to be consumed soon. Hong Li still owed them more than 150 kilos of soybeans, and next month’s salt trade would add another 500 kilos. No matter how spacious the cabinet, endless intake without output wasn’t sustainable.
“Wow, this cabinet’s Lv3 upgrade effect is similar to the Remote Storage’s ability!” Tang Yu’an exclaimed suddenly.
[Upgrade Conditions: 10,000 points, 5 elemental energy stones, 5 mutated plant fruits, 2 Void Stones.]
[Lv3 Effect: Can store items up to 1,000 times its volume. Exact multiplier depends on the quality of the Void Stones. Becomes an independent space where items retain their original state when stored. Does not support living organisms.]
Combining this with the Remote Retrieval skill was essentially like having a 1,000-cubic-meter personal storage space.
“Even though it can’t store living things, this is still amazing!” Tang Yu’an said excitedly.
Zhou Qi nodded but remained calm.
“But it requires two Void Stones,” Zhou Qi pointed out.
If they obtained more Void Stones, they’d prioritize upgrading the other two Super Storage Cabinets since upgrading the main store to Lv3 required three Lv2 magical furniture pieces.
“That’s true…” Tang Yu’an muttered, then started inspecting the upgrades for their other furniture.
He was most eager to upgrade the Gray-Blue Broom. If it could extend its cleaning time or be programmed for scheduled cleaning, he and Zhou Qi wouldn’t have to tidy up the house every day.
However…
It seemed the broom was originally just an old, ordinary broom with limited potential. After being upgraded to Lv1, it had reached its limit and couldn’t be upgraded further.
Tang Yu’an felt a bit wistful.
While the teleportation array made things convenient, they wouldn’t always stay in the Peace Grocery Store or at Jufeng Mountain. If they left for an extended period, no one would be around to clean the house or complete the daily tasks, which could become a headache.
They had a rule that the Peace Grocery Store was their private space, and no employees were allowed in. If absolutely necessary, they’d probably have to ask Grandpa Li to help.
With a sigh, Tang Yu’an set aside the Gray-Blue Broom and continued browsing other furniture options.
Most of the furniture in their home seemed to have hit their upgrade limits after reaching Lv1. Only the magical furniture purchased during special flash sales had further potential.
But the materials required for these upgrades were hard to obtain. Cabinets and refrigerators needed Void Stones; the Green Glow Lamp required fluorescent stones; the temperature-control air conditioner needed a chip with an unfamiliar serial number.
And the Purple-Red Carpet? It demanded phoenix feathers!
Whether it required real phoenix feathers was anyone’s guess, but the name alone sounded impressive.
Other than Void Stones, the only material they had seen in the interdimensional store was fluorescent stones, priced at a staggering 100,000 points each.
After some consideration, Tang Yu’an decided to set the Lv2 tasks aside for now and focused on upgrading simpler furniture.
For instance, their frying pan could memorize previous recipes. If the correct ingredients were added, it could replicate the dish perfectly.
It wasn’t necessarily practical, but it sure was fun!
Of course, Zhou Qi limited him to upgrading only the juicer before promptly kicking him out of the kitchen.
The upgraded juicer was quite practical: processing time was halved, it became genuinely silent, and it had a flawless self-cleaning feature.
Although, with the Remote Storage’s cleaning function, the self-cleaning feature was somewhat redundant.
After lunch, Zhou Qi took the blueprint for a stone mill to Grandpa Li.
He had found detailed diagrams of stone mills in their study materials, much better than his own sketches. He printed them out and handed them to Grandpa Li for reference, hoping one of the earth-element users among the residents could craft one.
Grandpa Li studied the blueprint for a while and said, “It’s doable, but what do you need it for?”
“It’s great for grinding soybean milk or wheat flour.”
Grandpa Li didn’t seem surprised, even though the store’s exchange system didn’t offer soybeans or wheat.
“Alright, I’ll have Bashi make it,” Grandpa Li replied. “Is it urgent?”
“No, there’s no rush. He can make it when he has time.”
“Alright, understood.”
After handing the blueprint to Grandpa Li for arrangements, Zhou Qi returned to room 901 and joined Tang Yu’an to begin their study session for the day.
By the time they finished, it was already evening.
When Tang Yu’an stepped out onto the balcony with a lollipop in his mouth to relax, he noticed that Granny Guo had already set up two shelters in the fields below.
The Star Chain Fruit vines that had been planted earlier in the day had already grown to cover half of one trellis.
The other residents assumed this was due to Granny Guo’s nurturing ability, but Tang Yu’an knew it was likely the rapid growth characteristic of the Star Chain Fruit at play.
However, it was growing ridiculously fast! It looked like it could cover the entire trellis by tomorrow morning.
But as he considered the bitter cold of the night, Tang Yu’an began to worry.
Clearly, Granny Guo had thought of this as well. She had gone to exchange some cotton fabric from Grandpa Li and was now struggling to secure it around the shelter.
Still, a single thin piece of cotton fabric would offer limited warmth on such a frigid night.
Tang Yu’an thought for a moment and then dragged Zhou Qi downstairs with him to the courtyard.
“Grandma, why don’t we transplant the Lanhu saplings here?” he suggested.
Granny Guo shook her head. “The saplings are still too young and need a lot of nutrients to grow. The soil here isn’t fertile enough yet.”
Moreover, the temperature-regulating effect of the Lanhu saplings was very limited—effective only within the small canopy area directly beneath them. To rely on them for temperature control, they’d need to grow into a full forest.
Since that wasn’t an option, Tang Yu’an brought out the 1,000 Lanhu Leaves he had traded with Xiao Risheng the day before.
These leaves had lost most of their moisture, but their temperature-regulating properties remained intact.
“Grandma, what if we spread these leaves on the ground and then wrap the shelter with cotton fabric? Would that work?” Tang Yu’an suggested.
Granny Guo watched as he pulled out a large red plastic bag from his backpack, casually revealing 1,000 Lanhu Leaves inside. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
“These are Lanhu Leaves! You’re willing to waste them like this?”
“We’re using them to keep the Star Chain seedlings warm! How is that wasting them?” Tang Yu’an retorted indignantly.
Granny Guo: “…”
Even people don’t use so many Lanhu Leaves for warmth!
“But people live in the building, where Lanhu can provide heat, and they have access to blankets. They won’t freeze to death,” Tang Yu’an argued.
The Star Chain seedlings, however, were growing outdoors. What if they froze overnight?
As for the people in Jufeng Town…
As Zhou Qi had said before, they couldn’t save everyone. They could only do their best within their capabilities.
Granny Guo had no words to counter this.
In the end, she gritted her teeth and said, “Fine, let’s do as you say!”
While there wasn’t much they could do in the short term, given the Star Chain Fruit’s rapid growth, she could eventually selectively cultivate seeds that were both cold- and heat-resistant. Then, they wouldn’t have to resort to such extravagant methods for planting.
Zhou Qi fetched more cotton fabric and wrapped the entire shelter securely. Once it was all set up, Tang Yu’an spread the Lanhu Leaves on the ground inside.
The 1,000 Lanhu Leaves quickly took effect, gradually raising the temperature inside the shelter to a comfortable level.
Thanks to the black cotton fabric, the residents couldn’t see what they were doing inside the shelter.
For extra security, Tang Yu’an designated the area as a restricted zone, prohibiting all residents except Granny Guo and Kang Kang from entering during non-operating hours.
“Please collect the leaves by 8 a.m. tomorrow and spread them again after 6 p.m.,” he instructed.
Granny Guo didn’t know how to express her feelings. She could only say, “I’ll do my best to take good care of these Star Chain Fruits.”
Noticing her tension, Tang Yu’an chuckled and reassured her, “Don’t worry, Grandma. It’s just a few Lanhu Leaves. I still have plenty more.”
But Granny Guo couldn’t bring herself to laugh.
“A few?” she thought to herself. This is a thousand leaves—an entire thousand!
