Chapter 19 – A Lot of Harvest
Originally, Wang Cai was delighted to see Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi return. However, upon the appearance of the four-eyed puppy, its mood dampened considerably.
It looked at its young master and then at the four-eyed puppy, a human-like grievance evident in its round eyes.
The four-eyed puppy, on the other hand, was not shy at all.
It tilted its head to scrutinize Wang Cai, first sniffing its scent and then circling the little orange cat, as if assessing its threat level.
Finally, confirming that this small orange cat was genuinely weak and not pretending, it tilted its head toward the grocery store.
A faint aroma of food wafted from within, catching the four-eyed puppy’s attention. It trotted toward the grocery store, attempting to find an entrance.
Wang Cai, whose body had tensed under the puppy’s scrutiny, finally relaxed.
Evidently, there were distinctions of strength among mutant creatures. When the four-eyed puppy approached, Wang Cai felt a suppression emanating from its bloodline.
So it didn’t dare move a muscle. Fortunately, no conflict occurred in the end.
“Were you waiting for us all this time?”
Tang Yu’an scooped up the little orange cat, cradling it in his arms and rubbing its head.
The kitten couldn’t help but narrow its eyes. When Tang Yu’an stopped petting, it sneakily opened one eye to look at him.
Gazing at the boy’s kind and gentle smile, the kitten’s drooping tail finally perked up again. It snuggled into Tang Yu’an’s embrace, affectionately nuzzling him.
“Meow—”
The kitten’s voice was so sweet and cute; it sounded absolutely adorable.
Tang Yu’an ruffled its head once more before entering the grocery store with Zhou Qi. As soon as the door opened, the four-eyed puppy slipped in behind them, sniffing here and there.
Outside, dusk was gradually setting in.
Zhou Qi was about to prepare dinner when Tang Yu’an pulled him back. “Brother Qi, let me handle it today. You should rest!”
Zhou Qi hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded in agreement.
He watched as Tang Yu’an set down the kitten and headed to the kitchen. Taking a seat on a chair, he felt a subtle ache and warmth in the muscles of his lower back.
It was as if some energy within his body was rapidly repairing the damaged areas.
What exactly was it?
Zhou Qi unwrapped the bandages around his hands. Seeing his smooth, unblemished palms without a single scar, he was amazed yet again but couldn’t help furrowing his brow.
He could only hope that whatever had entered his body was more beneficial than harmful…
*
Soon, Tang Yu’an emerged from the kitchen, interrupting Zhou Qi’s contemplation.
Not fond of eating rice and having had instant noodles for lunch, Tang Yu’an decided to cook rice noodles for dinner, adding eggs, greens, and sausages.
Of course, the eggs were unfertilized and couldn’t hatch chicks.
This was easy to determine; he simply searched for “eggs” in the item list and checked the detailed information. Each egg’s details were clearly listed.
He also prepared dinner for Wang Cai, Yuan Bao, and Yin Bi, who had just been released. After all, dogs are omnivores, and as long as no seasoning is added, it’s fine.
Facing the sudden appearance of Yin Bi, who was much larger than itself, Wang Cai was initially wary. But upon smelling the aroma of food, it meowed twice and buried its head into its bowl, eating heartily.
Yin Bi quickly adapted to the new environment.
Panting happily with its tongue out, it affectionately rubbed against Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi. After expressing its joy, it began to enjoy its meal.
As for the four-eyed dog Yuan Bao, it stared at the bowl containing milk mixed with eggs, sausages, and fruit. After observing for a while, it tentatively stuck out its tongue to lick.
Then, Tang Yu’an saw its eyes widen abruptly. Just like Wang Cai and Yin Bi, it eagerly dug into its food, its little tail wagging cheerfully behind.
Seeing them eat so heartily made Tang Yu’an feel hungry too. He quickly sat beside Zhou Qi to share dinner.
As for the last pet—the big black cat that had turned into a Pomeranian—it was also released from the pet slot, though it was still unconscious and was placed on the sofa.
This dinner left Tang Yu’an exceptionally satisfied.
After the meal, he pulled Zhou Qi along to tally up their gains for the day.
“Brother Qi, we’ve really hit the jackpot today!” Tang Yu’an’s eyes sparkled, and he couldn’t stop grinning.
When they left home that morning, he remembered their credit balance was around 40 points. But now—they had a whopping 486 points!
Not only had they completed all the daily and weekly tasks, as well as the special mission of clearing dangerous creatures, but they had also leveled up smoothly.
Now, the items available for exchange in the wholesale market had increased by three:
[Soybeans: 5 credits/100 grams]
[Matches: 10 credits/box (20 sticks)]
[Cooking Oil: 50 credits/liter]
Another type of legume! Combined with brown rice and wheat, they no longer had to worry about going hungry after the grocery store’s food ran out.
No need to mention matches—they’re absolutely essential for starting fires outdoors. As for cooking oil, it could be used not only for stir-frying and making delicious food but also, once the fuel for the generator runs out, perhaps they could try using it as an alternative fuel.
Additionally, leveling up unlocked new portable warehouse slots.
He now had six warehouse slots, totaling six cubic meters. If each level-up added one slot, he wouldn’t have to worry about running out of storage space in the future.
Moreover…
“A Seven-Day Special Refresh Card!”
Tang Yu’an took out the card and asked Zhou Qi, “Brother Qi, should we use it now?”
According to the description, using this card would refresh the exchangeable items, but the system’s refresh timer wouldn’t change; there were only three days left.
If the refreshed items were too expensive and they couldn’t accumulate enough credits within three days, the refresh card might go to waste.
Zhou Qi thought for a moment and nodded. “Let’s use it.”
Their current credit balance was still substantial. If they could refresh and get more potions, it would definitely be worth the gamble.
“Alright!”
So, Tang Yu’an chose to use the refresh card. The virtual card in his hand transformed into light and flew into his interface.
When they reopened the Seven-Day Special page, they found the information had changed to:
*
Seven-Day Special (Time until next refresh: 3 days)
[1. Special Cold Medicine (2/2): 100 credits/3 pills ]
[Description: Technological item ]
[Effect: Can cure all illnesses caused by the common cold ]
[2. Basic Healing Bandage (1/1): 100 credits/roll ]
[Description: Magical item ]
[Effect: Each roll can be used 10 times, restoring 10% of the user’s health each time (ineffective if health is full)]
*
Tang Yu’an was stunned. “Magic bandages!”
He widened his eyes and excitedly said, “Brother Qi, let’s buy this!”
Zhou Qi was also surprised to see the newly refreshed items.
Not only were there now two items available for exchange, and the exchangeable quantity of the cold medicine had increased, but they also introduced healing bandages that could directly restore health—a fantastic item.
Moreover, it seemed that the items offered in the Seven-Day Special corresponded to their needs.
When An An caught a cold, the special cold medicine appeared. Today, after encountering the injured Old Li, healing bandages were refreshed…
But it made sense; only items they highly needed would entice them to spend a large amount of credits to exchange.
They had to get these healing bandages!
Due to whatever had entered his body, Zhou Qi’s physique had changed, granting him strong self-healing abilities—but An An didn’t have that.
Bandages that could restore health could be life-saving in critical moments.
“Alright, let’s exchange for it.”
So, Tang Yu’an spent 100 credits to exchange for the Basic Healing Bandage, placing it into their shared portable warehouse slot number one—
In the rewards for completing the dangerous creature clearing task, they had received a 20% discount card. After some discussion, they decided not to use it immediately.
The 20% discount card could only be used once. Saving just 20 credits seemed wasteful. Tang Yu’an believed that as they leveled up, better and more expensive items would appear.
As for the special cold medicine…
“Let’s exchange for it too,” Zhou Qi suggested.
Even in modern times, this would be a miracle drug, let alone in a wasteland lacking medication.
Tang Yu’an thought for a moment and said, “Let’s exchange for one batch now and get the other on the last day.”
Spending 300 credits at once made him a bit reluctant.
“Alright.” Zhou Qi smiled and patted his head.
Thus, Tang Yu’an exchanged for another set of three cold medicine pills, adding them to the two they already had.
After closing the Seven-Day Special interface, he took out the Shadow Umbrella.
This was a special item they had obtained from the lucky wheel spins earned by completing all the weekly tasks, and it had played a significant role today.
It had a daily usage limit of ten times. To remove this limit, they had to fulfill the artifact spirit’s wish.
And the artifact spirit’s wish was quite unique—it wanted the umbrella canopy to be dyed green.
Coincidentally, the shop sold green paint.
Tang Yu’an searched for it in the inventory, transferred it to the shelf, then took out the paint, opened it, and used a brush to apply the paint onto the umbrella’s surface.
The Shadow Umbrella was made of a special material. Its pure black canopy was soft and delicate, and upon close inspection, special patterns could be seen.
However, when Tang Yu’an’s brush touched the canopy, the paint didn’t adhere.
No matter how he applied it, the black canopy remained spotless and pristine.
“That’s strange…” Tang Yu’an muttered.
Zhou Qi observed the umbrella for a while. Seeing that the dyeing attempt failed, he speculated, “This umbrella is special. Perhaps it requires a unique pigment to accept color.”
Tang Yu’an nodded. “Then there’s nothing we can do for now.”
“It’s okay. Ten uses per day are enough,” Zhou Qi comforted. “Maybe the Seven-Day Special will offer something in the future.”
“Mm!”
Neither of them noticed that as they spoke, the “Pomeranian” Black Pearl, which had been placed on the sofa, quietly opened a pair of golden vertical pupils.
