Translator Note:
Hi guys! Thank you for your support till now, I really appreciate it XD
Just a quick announcement, so starting from Chapter 22, the posting schedule will change from everyday posts to Friday, and Sunday every week
For those who prefer not to wait, you can head over to my Ko-fi store and purchase the early-released chapters of the translated novel.
Thank you so much for your support and understanding, and I hope you enjoy the journey ahead!
Chapter 22
Tang Yu’an bent down and peeked out from under Zhou Qi’s arm.
He saw the bloodied dead bird but didn’t feel afraid. He had seen this type of bird before; yesterday, when he and Zhou Qi went out, they had been chased and attacked by a flock of them.
This bird was quite large, resembling an eagle.
“Did Black Pearl bring this?” Tang Yu’an looked at the plum blossom-shaped footprints on the ground and guessed.
“Woof!” Yin Bi, who poked his head out from beside Zhou Qi’s leg, barked in affirmation.
Zhou Qi frowned slightly, his gaze scanning the surroundings of the grocery store. He then asked Tang Yu’an if there were any dangerous creatures appearing on the map.
After confirming that it was safe, he reached out and dragged the dead bird into the house, then closed the door.
There were obvious teeth marks on the bird, but the fatal wound was a piece of iron lodged in its neck. It seemed that Black Pearl had indeed brought it.
“Wow, we’ve been gifted food?”
Tang Yu’an was delighted. Although Black Pearl had left the grocery store, it appeared she still thought of them.
Zhou Qi nodded. He went to the kitchen, fetched a basin to place the dead bird in, and then began cleaning the bloodstains on the ground.
Tang Yu’an went to boil hot water, preparing to bleed and pluck the bird.
He often played at the market near his home and had seen how the butchers handled chickens, ducks, and geese.
Today, they would have fresh meat to eat!
Of course, he carefully used the item list to check the bird’s information, confirming it was edible and non-toxic.
After setting the water to boil, Tang Yu’an glanced at the soybeans he had soaked the night before. They had all softened, and a few had even split open, revealing tender green sprouts.
These soybeans were taken from the store, and after soaking in water, they began to sprout.
Tang Yu’an picked out the sprouted soybeans and placed them in a small bowl. He then transferred the remaining soybeans to the soy milk maker.
Just as he finished, he saw a system prompt: [Employee ‘Zhou Qi’ has completed the daily task: Clean the store. Credits +2].
At this moment, Zhou Qi, having finished cleaning, came inside. Seeing the sprouted soybeans in the bowl, he couldn’t help but ask, “Are you planning to plant these beans?”
Tang Yu’an nodded. “Although we can exchange items with credits, we shouldn’t rely too much on the system’s marketplace.”
Moreover, if they traded soybeans in the future, they could claim they were home-grown.
“You’re absolutely right.”
Zhou Qi smiled and patted his head, then asked, “Where do you plan to plant them?”
“In the backyard. There’s a fence they can climb.”
Tang Yu’an carried the bowl with the sprouted soybeans and headed to the back door of the grocery store.
Behind their house was an awning extending from the roof, about two meters wide.
To the left of the door was a parking area, and to the right were potted plants—a small garden his mother had cultivated. Along the boundary with the right-side neighbor, there was half a fenced wall, with bricks laid at the base.
Looking at the various green plants placed at different heights, Tang Yu’an recalled how he used to complain that his mother only planted non-flowering plants, which weren’t very pretty.
Now, gazing at this vibrant little garden, he felt a lump in his throat, and his eyes suddenly grew moist.
Zhou Qi was also looking toward the neighboring area.
What used to be the back door of his home was now empty, leaving behind memories of him and his grandmother in another world.
“Brother Qi, let’s plant the beans,” Tang Yu’an suggested.
“Alright.”
The two boys composed themselves, fetched an unused empty flowerpot, scooped some soil from a pile in the backyard, and placed it under the fence. They dug small holes and planted the five sprouted soybeans.
After watering them, Zhou Qi thought of something and turned to go back inside.
Curious, Tang Yu’an followed him and saw Zhou Qi scooping out two large bowls of mung beans from the store’s inventory, placing them in a basin to soak.
“Brother Qi, are you planning to make mung bean soup?” Tang Yu’an asked.
Zhou Qi shook his head. “I’m planning to sprout some bean sprouts.”
They currently had enough staple foods, and they could get fruits from Granny Guo. What they mainly lacked were meat and vegetables.
Bean sprouts could be considered vegetables, and they didn’t require fertilizer—just clean water.
Upon hearing this, Tang Yu’an’s eyes lit up. “Great! I love eating bean sprouts! They’re especially delicious when stir-fried!”
Zhou Qi’s lips curved slightly. “If you want to drink mung bean soup, I can make some for you later.”
“Maybe tomorrow. Today we have soy milk.”
“Alright.”
Tang Yu’an squatted beside him, watching Zhou Qi work. Then he looked toward his mother’s little garden and suddenly pointed to a flowerpot. “These are the chives my mom planted. She just harvested some; once they grow back, we’ll have more to eat.”
He then pointed to other potted plants, introducing them like treasured possessions.
“This is mint. Over there are garlic, ginger, and green onions. That pot has plantain, and next to it is pennywort. When the weather gets hot, we can make herbal tea.”
There weren’t many varieties of plants, but for them now, they were incredibly valuable resources.
Staring at these plants, Tang Yu’an seemed to see his mother planting them, the memories vivid in his mind.
Beside him, Zhou Qi quietly watched, then silently reached out and gently ruffled his hair.
They stayed in the backyard for a long time. Only when the sun was fully up did they turn and go back inside.
The soy milk was already cooked. They mixed the leftover soybean pulp with milk and sausages and fed it to the three little ones.
[Fortune Cat ‘Wang Cai’ loyalty +2]
[‘Wang Cai’ has brought you 45 credits after being well-fed and satisfied.]
Perhaps due to the presence of competition, Wang Cai’s loyalty increased faster than before today, and it brought back quite a few credits.
Tang Yu’an glanced at his credit balance: 396.
Almost reaching 400 credits again, he casually exchanged for the remaining batch of special cold medicine.
“Wang Cai, you’re so capable,” Tang Yu’an praised, stroking the little cat’s head.
Wang Cai wagged its tail vigorously, looking proud.
Yin Bi was still happily munching away, while Yuan Bao lifted his head, glanced at Tang Yu’an and Wang Cai, paused briefly, and then continued to focus on his food.
After breakfast, Tang Yu’an completed the tasks of organizing goods and purchasing from the market.
It’s worth noting that the market purchase requirement had increased to 20, and the credits earned had doubled to 4 points.
Zhou Qi returned to the kitchen to process the bird. He collected a bowl of blood, added salt and water, and placed it in the refrigerator to set.
Then he put the whole bird into boiling water, scalded it briefly, and began plucking the feathers.
Watching curiously from the side, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Qi, you’re so skilled! Have you killed chickens before?”
“Yes,” Zhou Qi nodded. “I tried it when I did part-time work.”
“That’s amazing!” Tang Yu’an looked at him with admiration.
Zhou Qi paused slightly, then continued nonchalantly, “How do you want to cook it?”
“Use the bones to make soup, slice the meat to stir-fry, and fry the two legs,” Tang Yu’an suggested, swallowing his saliva as he spoke.
Zhou Qi agreed.
He simply processed the bird meat. He set aside the bones and two legs, and marinated the sliced meat with seasonings, planning to stir-fry it when they returned at noon.
By the time they finished and were ready to head out, it was almost ten o’clock—much later than when they had gone out the day before.
But now, with the Lightness Technique, there was no need to rush.
Wang Cai stayed home as usual. Yin Bi initially wanted to follow them out to play but, seeing the little orange cat squatting by the door and gazing at them eagerly, decided to turn back and stay behind.
As for Yuan Bao…
As soon as Tang Yu’an stepped out of the grocery store, Yuan Bao dashed off, reverting to his original form and quickly disappearing into the distant ruins.
He didn’t want to stay at home, and Tang Yu’an didn’t force him. He set up protective measures for him and then let him be.
Climbing onto Zhou Qi’s back, Tang Yu’an cast the Lightness Technique on him, and the two set off once again to find customers and conduct business.
The area unlocked on the map had expanded since last night, revealing many more red dots.
Tang Yu’an speculated that this was probably due to Lin Zhen. Among their current customers, only she had the ability to move freely in areas occupied by dangerous creatures.
In the vicinity of Granny Guo and Grandpa Li’s residences, two more green dots had appeared.
He wondered whether they were acquaintances of Granny Guo or Lin Zhen.
“Brother Qi, let’s go find Grandpa Li first,” Tang Yu’an suggested. “Granny Guo isn’t home.”
Since only Kang Kang was there, they could complete the transaction with Grandpa Li first and then spend some time playing with him.
“Alright.”
Today, Zhou Qi’s speed was noticeably faster than the day before. It took them just over twenty minutes to reach their destination.
They found the mechanism Grandpa Li had pointed out the previous day and climbed up the ladder. As they reached the top and were about to push aside the stone covering the entrance, they vaguely heard Lin Zhen’s voice from above.
“I’ve scouted with A-Mu…”
“We don’t know how the male lizard died, but it was eaten by the female lizard… The female has given birth early, and there are at least thirty or forty lizard eggs in the nest now…”
Hearing this, a system prompt suddenly popped up in front of Tang Yu’an.
*
[Attention! Special Task Triggered: ‘Clear the Giant Lizard Nest’]
[Description: The female lizard has laid dozens of eggs. If all the eggs hatch, they will pose a huge threat to the safety of customers around the grocery store!]
[Task Content: Clear the giant lizard nest, destroy all lizard eggs or remove them from the female lizard’s vicinity (0/43)]
[Time Limit: 90 days]
[Rewards: Random credits (up to 100), Seven-Day Special Refresh Card x1, Lucky Wheel Spins x3, Pet Slot x1, ‘Eggs on the Tip of the Tongue’ x1]
*
Tang Yu’an’s eyes lit up at first, but then he froze.
He could understand the task reward of a new pet slot, but… ‘Eggs on the Tip of the Tongue’?
What on earth is that?
