Doomsday Grocery Store – CH61

Chapter 61

Tang Yu’an smirked mischievously and finally selected “Cute Little Zhou Qi” as Brother Qi’s attachment. Then, holding the token, he returned to their room with Zhou Qi.

Although he wanted to go out and find A-Lian, it was too hot now.

Approaching noon, the sun hung high in the sky. Perhaps because they were on the mountaintop, Tang Yu’an felt that the sun seemed larger than usual.

Moreover, the guards monitoring them hadn’t left yet.

Even if they used the Shadow Umbrella to avoid their surveillance, as soon as they stepped out from under the umbrella, they would be seen, and their movements would be exposed. And if they wanted to talk to A-Lian, it was impossible to stay under the umbrella all the time.

So Tang Yu’an decided to wait until it was cooler to go out.

Among the level-up rewards, there was also a Seven-Day Special Sale Refresh Card.

They needed the points for upgrading the furniture, and they still had enough Healing Bandages and Healing Potions. So after discussing, they decided to temporarily put away the Refresh Card.

After leveling up to lv6, his experience bar changed again.

lv6 (5/140).

He needed 135 more points to level up again.

He hoped that before leaving Jufeng Town tomorrow, he could level up one more time!

As for the Remote Retrieval skill, just as they had speculated before, after upgrading to lv5, the straight-line distance really became 10,000 kilometers.

At this point, Zhou Qi’s employee level couldn’t keep up.

His current level was only lv3, and even if the Remote Retrieval skill was downgraded for authorization, it was still lv4. As Tang Yu’an tried, he indeed failed.

“Looks like I need to work harder,” Zhou Qi said.

Tang Yu’an patted Zhou Qi’s shoulder, adopting a little adult’s posture. Puffing out his chest, he said, “It’s okay, Brother Qi, I can support you.”

Zhou Qi was amused by him.

He raised an eyebrow slightly. “Then you’ll cook lunch?”

Tang Yu’an instantly softened, hugging his arm and acting cute. “But your cooking tastes better… I want some mushroom soup.”

Zhou Qi pinched his cheek and smiled, agreeing with a nod.

So Zhou Qi went to the kitchen to prepare lunch, while Tang Yu’an took an ice pop from the Grocery Shop and put it in his mouth. He then opened the map and began clicking on his customers one by one—

Mainly those he hadn’t had time to label before. He could recall the transaction scenes from the images and label these light spots with information.

Even for potential customers he hadn’t traded with, as long as he had seen them but didn’t remember, the attachment function could extract images from his memory—even a blurred silhouette caught in the corner of his eye.

In this way, he wouldn’t fail to recognize who the light spots represented due to not having time to label them.

After searching for a while, Tang Yu’an finally found the light spot representing A-Lian among a bunch of green dots.

He carefully examined her appearance, still feeling, as before, that she must have some connection with Jin Lili.

So, in the afternoon, he still planned to go see her.

He just hoped that knowing her daughter was still alive would help her cheer up.

*

After lunch and a rest, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi packed their things and, after saying goodbye to Grandpa Li, left the Jade Pavillion Inn.

The two guards monitoring them quietly followed behind.

Tang Yu’an could see them clearly on the map but ignored them, opening an ordinary folding umbrella, and walked leisurely with Zhou Qi along the mountain path.

Such a leisurely demeanor was rare in the wasteland.

People hiding indoors to escape the heat watched the two teenagers curiously through their windows.

Tang Yu’an hung the token given by Hong Li on his chest. Along the way, the guards they encountered, upon seeing the token, all showed them respectful attitudes.

He held his head high, no longer using a hat to hide his appearance.

In the morning, when they were taken to the guard station by Hong Li, many people had seen them. There was no point in hiding anymore.

So it was better to display the token, letting these people know they were under the protection of the Mountain Lord. They’d better think carefully before making any moves against them.

Since they could borrow the tiger’s might, why hide and sneak around?

No one stopped them along the way.

Because Tang Yu’an had found the light spot representing A-Lian at noon, they smoothly found the cave where A-Lian was.

Guards were stationed at the cave entrance.

Because Tang Yu’an wore the token given by Hong Li, the guards didn’t stop them and directly let them in.

But soon, another guard caught up. Realizing they were looking for A-Lian, he enthusiastically led the way, guiding them into the cave.

The cave was filled with an indescribable stench. Who knew how long it had been since it was cleaned? The ground was littered with rags, discarded waste, burned twigs, and similar debris.

Fortunately, under the guards’ management, there were no human excrements; otherwise, Tang Yu’an would have definitely not dared to enter.

Of course, the cave was indeed much cooler than outside.

If the air were fresher, living in this cave would be a good choice.

Most of the able-bodied men had left to forage outside. In the dim light, they could see some patients and emaciated, immobile elderly and children.

They stared blankly at Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi. Perhaps because they had a guard with them, no one dared to approach.

Seeing such terrible living conditions, and these lifeless, despondent people staying in the darkness, Tang Yu’an felt an indescribable heaviness in his heart.

He walked silently forward, finally arriving at a small chamber within the cave, under the guard’s guidance.

An oil lamp lit the small chamber. In the dim yellow light, they could see a figure lying in the corner. Dry grass was spread on the ground, and beside her were empty bowls and some miscellaneous items.

The guard smiled obsequiously, “The Mountain Lord instructed us to treat her well and not let her be bullied, so we arranged for her to stay here and even invited Old Zhang to treat her.”

Perhaps thinking they were inspectors sent by the management, the guard behaved especially attentively.

Tang Yu’an didn’t show any weakness, nodding and saying, “Mm, you did well.”

“It’s our duty!”

Leaving the guard to stand at the cave entrance, they walked into the small chamber.

A-Lian sensed movement, looked up at them, then lowered her head again.

Her skin color had returned to normal, and the abscesses from her neck to her arms had been treated, with herbs applied. Her condition was much better than Wang Hu’s.

But her expression was gloomy, and she seemed very depressed.

Zhou Qi didn’t know how to start, but Tang Yu’an had already squatted beside the woman, smiling and saying, “Sister A-Lian, do you remember us? We came with the Mountain Lord this morning.”

In the originally silent cave, due to the boy’s words, it suddenly seemed to have a bit of vitality.

Even the melancholy A-Lian couldn’t help but look up again, scrutinizing this unfamiliar boy in the dim light.

To be honest, she had never seen such a healthy and beautiful child. His cheeks were chubby, and his clear, round eyes were bright, full of a special sparkle.

Looking into his eyes made people feel that in this cruel and tragic world, there might still be a trace of beauty.

“Do I… have something you need?” A-Lian finally spoke.

Because she hadn’t spoken for a long time, her voice was especially hoarse and dry.

“You should drink some water first.”

Tang Yu’an didn’t rush to speak. Instead, he picked up a broken bowl beside her, took out a water bottle from his backpack, poured some water, then carefully avoided her injured arm, helped her up, and brought the water to her mouth.

A-Lian could feel his kindness.

Having tasted the coldness of the world, she couldn’t bear to refuse him and had to prop herself up and take a sip.

“This water…” She was stunned.

The cool and sweet water was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted.

“Good, isn’t it?” Tang Yu’an smiled, “Drink up, and then we can talk.”

A-Lian really didn’t understand their purpose. She had thought they were sent by the Mountain Lord, but now it seemed they weren’t.

The water in the bowl was so delicious. Driven by instinct, A-Lian gulped down the sweet water.

Tang Yu’an helped her lie down again, put the bowl on the ground, and asked with concern, “How do you feel?”

“Better…” A-Lian replied subconsciously.

“That’s good.” Tang Yu’an naturally started the conversation, “I heard you have a daughter?”

At the mention of her daughter, A-Lian’s nose tingled.

She didn’t want to bring up this sad matter again, but facing Tang Yu’an, she still couldn’t help but speak, “Yes…”

She recounted how she took her daughter to the mountains to dig wild vegetables, encountered a mutated snake, and in a panic, she hid her daughter in a small grove and lured the snake away.

She had thought she would surely die, but unexpectedly, she was lucky to meet patrolling guards.

But in the chaos, she was unfortunately affected by the battle and fainted. When she woke up, a night had passed.

Thinking of her daughter in the small grove, she hurried back to search but couldn’t find her no matter how hard she tried.

Everyone said her daughter had been eaten by the mutated snake. She didn’t believe it, but after searching for several days without finding her, she finally accepted reality.

By this time, the burn on her arm from the fire tongue had begun to fester and spread.

As her condition worsened, her body gradually weakened. She was waiting for death when the guards found her and took her to see the Mountain Lord.

The Mountain Lord helped her remove the fire poison, and with two instructions when leaving, she received treatment she had never imagined before.

But none of this could lift her spirits.

She still felt disheartened and hopeless about this terrible world that only brought her suffering.

Perhaps she shouldn’t have brought her daughter into this world, so she left her early…

“Your daughter, does she have hair like yours, curly and about this tall?” Tang Yu’an gestured.

A-Lian stared at him, suddenly grabbing his arm, nervously asking, “You’ve seen her, right? She wasn’t eaten by the mutated snake, right?”

“Yes,” Tang Yu’an nodded.

“Where is she? Where is my daughter? Please take me to see her!” A-Lian excitedly sat up.

Tang Yu’an hesitated for a moment but still said, “She was taken in by a kind person and is no longer on Jufeng Mountain. The journey is long; I can’t take you to see her.”

“I can only tell you that she is doing well now; you don’t need to worry.”

A-Lian slowly released his hand.

She stared fixedly at Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi, finally showing a bitter smile, “You’re lying to me, aren’t you?”

In this world, people abandoning their own flesh and blood were everywhere. Was there really a kind person willing to take in her daughter?

Even if someone had taken her in, it was probably with ulterior motives!

“We have no need to lie to you,” Tang Yu’an said.

A-Lian was speechless.

Indeed, would a wealthy and noble child like him need to come here specifically to deceive her? What did she have that was worth deceiving?

“My daughter… is really alive?” she asked.

“Yes, so you need to cheer up,” Tang Yu’an said. “Live well; perhaps you’ll have a chance to see her again in the future.”

When Jin Lili grows up a bit more, perhaps Tie Jin would bring her along when he comes to Jufeng Town to purchase goods.

The town is small; the chance of meeting is quite high.

At this time, Tang Yu’an looked at a few grass baskets placed nearby, picked one up, and said, “Did you make this?”

A-Lian was stunned, then nodded.

She had made these earlier and hadn’t had time to take them to the market to trade. The guards had brought them all along.

“I’ll trade you for one.”

Tang Yu’an took out two whole wheat buns from his backpack and handed them to her. “Live well; believe me, you’ll see her again.”

A-Lian held the two soft buns, somewhat dazed.

“These buns are edible,” Tang Yu’an explained.

“Thank you…” A-Lian said subconsciously.

[You completed a profitable transaction with a new customer. Points +2, Experience +3]

It seemed a grass basket was worth 6 points.

“Well, we’ll be leaving now.” Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi prepared to leave.

He didn’t trade more valuable items with A-Lian. There were many people in the cave; he was afraid she couldn’t protect them and might bring trouble upon herself.

Seeing they were about to leave, A-Lian hurriedly asked, “Can you tell me your names?”

The boy turned back and smiled at her.

She heard him say, “I’ll tell you when we meet next time.”

Then they left.

A-Lian stared blankly as they disappeared at the cave entrance, then slowly looked down at the buns in her hands.

Next time… could she see her daughter?

*

In a forest near Jufeng Town.

Shi Tou pulled up the hem of his clothes, placing the wild vegetables he had just dug onto the cloth, wrapping them up.

“Xiao Cao, let’s go back!”

The girl was squatting by a bush, struggling to dig something. Hearing his call, she hurriedly replied, “Shi Tou, wait a minute! I found something good!”

“What good stuff?” Shi Tou walked over with his bundle of wild vegetables.

“Look!”

As he approached, Xiao Cao had already dug out something from the ground. She held several semi-transparent tubers that looked like radishes, all small, only the size of a thumb.

People nearby digging wild vegetables heard their conversation, glanced over, then lost interest and went back to their own work.

“It’s clover roots.”

“Hehe, yeah!”

Xiao Cao ran to a small pond nearby and washed the freshly dug tubers clean.

Shi Tou collected the clover plants on the ground. These were edible wild vegetables for them.

He bundled them all in his clothes and came to the pond.

“Shi Tou, here!”

When he came over, Xiao Cao handed him a washed “little radish,” then ate one herself.

“Sweet and refreshing, so tasty!”

Shi Tou nodded in agreement.

Although it was delicious, unfortunately, it wasn’t filling.

They only had seven or eight of the “radishes” that Xiao Cao had dug up. Soon, the siblings had finished them. Watching her brother wash the wild vegetables, she couldn’t help but say, “Shi Tou, do we really have to hand over all today’s harvest?”

“Yes, we promised yesterday,” Shi Tou nodded.

“But if we give them all away, what will we eat today?” Xiao Cao said, full of worry.

She still had heartfelt respect for the “Little Divine Doctor,” but she also had to face the very real problem of food. The two weren’t contradictory.

“Let’s see if we can find some bugs,” Shi Tou said. “The Little Divine Doctor only asked for wild vegetables, not those.”

Speaking of bugs…

He reached up and touched his now bald head. After cutting off all his hair, not only did he get rid of lice and fleas, but it was also much cooler. During the day, he didn’t feel as hot, and he sweated less.

Shi Tou glanced at his sister, “Don’t be unhappy. It’s already good that people only asked for wild vegetables. I heard the Jade Pavillion Inn charges meat for accommodation.”

Xiao Cao still couldn’t cheer up.

Although she agreed that sleeping at the Jade Pavillion Inn last night was indeed the most comfortable night she could remember, but…

“I also want to eat meat!”

She sighed, then scooped some water to cool her head, got up, and continued to look for food.

After all, food wouldn’t fall from the sky. If they wanted to fill their stomachs, they had to rely on their own hands.

*

By the time Shi Tou and Xiao Cao returned to Jufeng Town, the sun was about to set.

After working hard under the scorching sun, they had finally found enough bugs to barely fend off hunger. Now they were carrying wild vegetables to the Jade Pavillion Inn, ready to fulfill yesterday’s promise.

Many people in Jufeng Town knew the siblings. Seeing them appearing today with almost bald new hairstyles, they couldn’t help but mock them.

During the day, everyone was busy finding food. Now that they were done, the annoying people had time to come out.

Shi Tou and Xiao Cao were not cowed at all. Anyone who dared to mock them face to face, they would retort directly.

“You wish you could have this hairstyle!”

“It’s so hot; shaving off the hair is really cool!”

“See any lice on our heads? Hehe, is your scalp itchy? Because bugs are nesting in your hair. Dozens of lice sucking your blood at the same time will drain you dry!”

“Look at the bumps all over your head; you must be itching so much you can’t sleep at night, no wonder you look like a sick ghost!”

The siblings argued back with anyone who provoked them, and what they said made sense, leaving others speechless.

After all, in the wasteland, what’s a strange hairstyle? Practicality is most important!

Should they try this hairstyle too?

Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi, who were returning from the cave, hadn’t yet reached the Jade Pavillion Inn when they encountered the “bald” siblings.

From a distance, they saw them energetically arguing with people. The vitality they displayed just by watching them lifted one’s spirits.

“Shi Tou! Xiao Cao!” He took the initiative to greet them.

The siblings, who were about to retort instinctively, became docile upon seeing Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi, lowering their heads like quails and responding obediently.

The people around noticed this scene and couldn’t help but take another look.

“Little Divine Doctor, these are the wild vegetables we promised you yesterday.” Shi Tou handed over the wild vegetables he was holding to Tang Yu’an.

Little Divine Doctor…

Tang Yu’an opened his mouth but ultimately didn’t bother correcting them. He had just traded for a grass basket from A-Lian, which Zhou Qi was carrying, so he put all the wild vegetables into it.

A full basket, at least seven or eight wild vegetables.

“Have you eaten?” he asked.

Having eaten plenty of bugs, Shi Tou was about to nod when his sister covered his mouth.

“No, we haven’t had dinner yet,” Xiao Cao said with a straight face.

Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi naturally saw through their little trick but didn’t mind. Zhou Qi reached into his bag and took out two buns.

“Thank you for bringing us so many wild vegetables. These buns are for your dinner.”

However, Xiao Cao showed a look of horror.

“Don’t worry, these two aren’t contaminated with poison,” Tang Yu’an smiled and explained, “But you’d better not eat too much at once; if you overeat, your stomach will feel uncomfortable.”

“Okay…”

Out of “respect” for him, the siblings finally didn’t refuse and hesitantly accepted the buns.

[Employee ‘Zhou Qi’ completed a profitable transaction with a regular customer. Points +76, Experience +1]

Tang Yu’an happily accepted the points and experience, then continued with Zhou Qi along the mountain path to the Jade Pavillion Inn.

After walking a few steps, he stopped and looked back.

He saw the siblings standing where they were, watching them leave, their expressions somewhat complicated.

Thinking of the warm beds at the Jade Pavillion Inn, Shi Tou and Xiao Cao were reluctant but knew it wasn’t their place, so they didn’t think of following.

“Come on, what are you waiting for?”

The boy looked back at them, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun. His whole figure was dyed orange, exuding a kind of warm, yet gentle warmth.

After a moment of daze, the siblings foolishly followed.

Back at the Jade Pavillion Inn, the sky hadn’t completely darkened.

Zhou Qi went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. They had obtained many wild vegetables and mushrooms today and could make a hearty meal.

He closed the kitchen door to avoid prying eyes, then used the Remote Retrieval skill to bring over the frying pan from the kitchen cabinet in the Grocery Shop.

Anyway, after he cooked the meal, they would eat behind closed doors; there shouldn’t be any problem.

Tang Yu’an sat at the entrance of the Jade Pavillion Inn with the siblings, waiting.

The sun hadn’t completely set, but the evening breeze was already somewhat cool. The guards began to light bonfires and torches.

Watching the passersby, Tang Yu’an thought for a moment and said to Shi Tou, “Do many people seem curious about your new hairstyle?”

That wasn’t just curiosity…

Shi Tou complained in his heart but still nodded, “Yes.”

Tang Yu’an stroked his chin, suddenly inspired, “I can lend you scissors. How about you set up a stall here to cut hair?”

“Ah?” Shi Tou looked at him blankly.

“Give it a try. With the people passing by now, you might be able to trade for some food.”

“But the town rules prohibit setting up stalls in the evening…”

“You’re not selling things; you’re just giving haircuts.”

Hearing this, Shi Tou couldn’t refute, and Xiao Cao’s eyes were already shining, “Okay, let’s try!”

Tang Yu’an handed them the scissors.

[You completed a loss-making transaction with a regular customer. Experience +1]

Under his guidance, the siblings stood by the roadside and started shouting loudly.

“Haircuts—only two mushrooms or one wild vegetable for a cut!”

“Haircuts—only two mushrooms or one wild vegetable for a cut!”