Chapter 9 – What is Sugar?
“Kang Kang, come over and have breakfast.”
Granny Guo had been busy all morning and finally had a moment to sit down and eat.
At the sound of her voice, a thin, sallow-faced little boy of about three or four years old stood up from the corner and eagerly ran over.
“Grandma, here!”
He clutched a small yellow flower in his hand.
Granny Guo reached out to accept the little yellow flower. It was a blossom from a wild vegetable—she had planted quite a few of them at home.
Although she possessed the ability to accelerate plant growth, her power wasn’t limitless, so she still needed to manually cultivate plants.
“Thank you. Kang Kang is truly Grandma’s little treasure.”
The little boy looked at her with bright eyes. Seeing her tuck the small yellow flower into her gray-white hair, he revealed a happy smile.
Granny Guo gently stroked his hair. Due to long-term malnutrition, the child’s hair was dry and yellow.
She couldn’t help but think of the young man she had met yesterday.
He was so tall and looked strong, with thick, dark hair. Even though he was dirty and disheveled, his handsome features couldn’t be hidden.
If only her Kang Kang could grow up healthy like that…
Granny Guo withdrew her hand and placed a skewer of grilled mushrooms into her grandson’s bowl.
This residential area used to be full of people. After the Great Cataclysm, the buildings were abandoned, and the items buried in the ruins became ownerless.
After she and her grandson moved here, they found many useful things. This set of tableware was collected from abandoned houses; although the edges were chipped and damaged, they were still usable.
Kang Kang had eaten a fruit when he got up. Now that he’d digested it, the aroma made him hungry again.
He used a fork to pick up a mushroom, blew on it to cool it down, and took a bite.
The thick, meaty white mushrooms tasted a bit like meat when grilled. Kang Kang especially liked them, but today’s grilled mushrooms seemed even more special and delicious.
“Salty,” he said.
“Yes, I sprinkled a little salt. Isn’t it tastier?”
“Mm!”
Granny Guo smiled more kindly. The salt she had traded for yesterday was enough for Kang Kang to eat for ten days or half a month.
As for herself, she still used the potassium salt she made from herbs and stones.
Although consuming too much potassium salt wasn’t good for the body, she was an old woman who had been eating it for so many years; it didn’t matter if she continued.
Their breakfast consists of grilled mushrooms and two fruits.
After eating, Granny Guo continued to tend to the mushrooms and wild vegetables planted inside the house, while the little boy squatted beside her, playing by himself.
Sunlight shone through the cracks in the walls, falling on the verdant leaves of the wild vegetables, bringing a touch of vitality to the room.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when suddenly voices came from outside.
Granny Guo immediately became alert.
In times like these, humans could sometimes be more dangerous than mutant creatures.
Could it be that those people had come for her?
Granny Guo had fled here with her grandson just over a year ago. Had they already been found?
She covered Kang Kang’s mouth and held her breath.
Maybe they were just passing by?
She listened to the movements outside but found that the footsteps were getting closer and closer. The other party didn’t seem to be wandering aimlessly but was heading straight for her dwelling.
“It should be here…”
Granny Guo vaguely heard this sentence.
The people outside had really come for her!
Granny Guo released Kang Kang and made a shushing gesture. Kang Kang covered his own mouth, his eyes wide open.
Granny Guo went to the crack in the wall and tried to look outside through the gap.
She was on high ground, so the outside scenery wasn’t very clear. She could vaguely see two figures climbing upward.
Granny Guo’s heart pounded like a drum.
If those people had really found her and knew her exact location, someone must have betrayed her…
Granny Guo gritted her teeth, a resolute look flashing in her eyes.
“Kang Kang, go find Old Li. Grandma will hold off the people outside.”
“If Grandma hasn’t come to find you by tonight, follow Old Li and give him the necklace. He will take care of you.”
Upon hearing this, Kang Kang’s tears immediately fell.
He shook his head but didn’t dare to cry out loud.
“Grandma is old and doesn’t have many years left, but you’re different. You have to live well and can’t be taken back by those people.”
Granny Guo pushed the child to a hole inside the house. Behind the hole was a passage.
After blocking the hole with broken planks, she picked up a sickle and went to the storage room, opening a vent on the wall.
When the people outside climbed to the top of the collapsed building, they would see this vent and could enter her house from here.
Granny Guo’s eyes were full of fierceness.
She couldn’t die here, nor could she be taken back to that small courtyard to accelerate plant growth day and night until she was exhausted…
She still had to find her little grandson and raise him to adulthood…
So she had to strike first and take the initiative!
Granny Guo climbed out of the vent, gripping the sickle tightly in her hand. When the first figure climbing up appeared in her sight—
She raised the sickle high and swung it down with force!
“Clang!”
Granny Guo only felt a blur before her eyes; that figure suddenly disappeared in front of her.
By the time she realized, the person had reappeared at her side. Not only had he dodged her attack, but he had also firmly grasped her wrist!
The sharp pain caused her fingers to loosen, and the sickle fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
*
Zhou Qi was slightly stunned, the red glow in his eyes already faded.
He recalled everything that had just happened.
At the moment when Granny Guo’s sickle swung down, he saw her movements slow down incredibly, as if someone had pressed the slow-motion button.
He instinctively sidestepped and then grabbed her wrist.
This action, in his own perspective, was at normal speed. But when that mysterious state disappeared, he realized he had just performed an unbelievable move.
“Brother Qi!”
Tang Yu’an’s voice came from behind, pulling both sides of the confrontation back to their senses.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Granny Guo struggled hard, shouting sternly but with underlying fear.
“Grandma—”
Just as Zhou Qi was about to explain, a childish voice came from behind.
Hearing the child’s voice, panic and fear flashed in Granny Guo’s eyes. She struggled even more fiercely. Zhou Qi couldn’t hold her and simply released her.
Once free, Granny Guo turned and ran back.
Seeing the small figure of her grandson emerge from inside, Granny Guo was both anxious and angry. She hurriedly pushed him back inside.
“Granny Guo, it’s me, Zhou Qi!”
Zhou Qi wanted to chase after her, but after two steps, he felt he couldn’t move. Looking down, he saw that two thin vines had grown from both sides at some point, entangling his feet.
The vines were fragile and broke with a pull, but the time spent was enough for Granny Guo to jump back into the vent.
She was terrified. She had originally planned to escape with her grandson, but Zhou Qi’s voice reached her ears, causing her to stop.
Zhou Qi…
She was somewhat suspicious, re-emerging to look at them.
“Granny Guo, it’s me.”
Seeing her figure again, Zhou Qi was delighted and quickly explained, “We met just yesterday. I traded salt for your fruits, remember?”
Behind him, Tang Yu’an also climbed up the outer wall of the collapsed building.
He stood behind, cautiously peeking out, holding Granny Guo’s fallen sickle in his hand, looking at her with panic and vigilance.
This old lady was so fierce!
If Brother Qi had been even a little slower, if not dead, he would have been seriously injured!
They were just here to do business and earn points. Tang Yu’an hadn’t expected it to be so dangerous… This deepened his understanding of this apocalyptic world.
After carefully distinguishing, Granny Guo finally recognized Zhou Qi.
Mainly, Zhou Qi’s clothes weren’t as dirty as yesterday, and his face was clean. Plus, they had only met once, so Granny Guo didn’t recognize him immediately.
Of course, what really made her lower her guard was Tang Yu’an behind Zhou Qi.
Although there was only a three-year age difference between them, Tang Yu’an was obviously still a child.
His cute and delicate face still had baby fat, and his big black eyes were clear and pure, as if he had come straight from before the Great Cataclysm.
If they were here to capture her, they wouldn’t bring such a child.
Realizing it was a misunderstanding, Granny Guo’s face showed some embarrassment.
However, she didn’t immediately come out of the vent but asked, “How did you find this place?”
She hadn’t forgotten that these two children had purposefully come here.
Zhou Qi paused.
But Tang Yu’an quickly replied, “We were just passing by and saw lush vegetation here. We wanted to see if there were any wild fruits to eat, but we almost got attacked…”
He paused here, his voice carrying a hint of complaint.
“Grandma, my brother was almost killed by you just now!” Thinking of the danger just now, Tang Yu’an felt lingering fear.
Granny Guo became even more embarrassed.
She re-examined Zhou Qi and Tang Yu’an. After a few glances, she chose to believe them—these two children were obviously extraordinary and had no need to lie to her.
“Sorry, I mistook you for bandits…”
“Then, Granny, do you have any fruits? Can we trade for some?”
Since Granny Guo’s attitude softened, Tang Yu’an went along with it, seizing the opportunity to propose a trade.
After all, Brother Qi wasn’t injured, and Granny Guo wasn’t really a bad person, so they could still do business.
Hearing this, Granny Guo paused and hesitated.
Salt was a necessity. If you didn’t consume salt for a long time, your body would experience fatigue, nervous exhaustion, dizziness, and in severe cases, it could be life-threatening.
She had tasted it yesterday.
The salt Zhou Qi traded was fine and had no strange taste. It was refined salt she had only eaten when she was young, much better than the potassium salt she made herself.
If it were just herself, she could let it go, but…
“Do you still have salt?” she couldn’t help but ask.
“Yes, we do.”
Tang Yu’an nodded but didn’t rush to make a deal. He looked at the small head peeking out from beside Granny Guo.
It was a little boy about three or four years old, with dry yellow hair and slightly sunken cheeks. He looked at him with big, bright eyes, both curious and wary.
Tang Yu’an had never seen such a thin child. When his sister Tang Yuxin was born, he was already old enough to remember and often went to pick her up from kindergarten.
The little kids in kindergarten were all chubby and white; none were this thin.
“Granny, is this your grandson?” he asked.
“Yes.”
Granny Guo gently stroked the nervous child beside her and continued to ask, “How do you want to trade? The same as yesterday?”
“Yes, the same as yesterday is fine, but…”
Tang Yu’an softened his voice and said sweetly, “Granny, my brother and I have been walking for half a day, and our feet are so tired. Can we rest here for a while?”
Granny Guo frowned.
She looked at Tang Yu’an’s innocent face, then at Zhou Qi, who was standing silently behind him, cautiously looking around.
Zhou Qi’s hands and exposed forearms were wrapped in bandages, which he didn’t have yesterday…
She thought for a moment and nodded, “You can come in.”
Tang Yu’an was delighted and turned to look at Zhou Qi.
Zhou Qi felt a bit helpless. He glanced at the little boy beside Granny Guo and finally said, “Then we’ll bother you.”
*
Thus, Tang Yu’an climbed into Granny Guo’s home through the vent.
This was the interior space of the collapsed building, cramped and cluttered with debris, making it difficult to walk.
Zhou Qi followed closely behind. Because of his tall stature, he had to bend over to avoid hitting his head.
As they climbed in, Granny Guo’s grandson had quickly run to another exit to hide, now crouching by the hole to observe them.
“Kang Kang hasn’t interacted with people much and is shy,” Granny Guo said, squatting by the vent and cautiously looking outside.
Then, she spread two clusters of vines at the entrance to mask the scent, pulled over a stone slab, and blocked the window again.
“Come inside.”
After blocking the vent, Granny Guo went to the doorway, bent down to pick up her grandson, and entered the inner room.
Tang Yu’an held Zhou Qi’s hand and followed her inside.
After passing through the doorway, their view suddenly became much wider.
This should be a living room that had remained intact after the building collapsed. In the corner, they could see several piles of debris resembling sofas.
Mushrooms of various sizes grew on those piles, and green plants grew in several boxes filled with soil nearby.
Most notably, besides the few rays of sunlight coming through the cracks in the walls, there was a plant emitting a faint white light, illuminating the room.
That plant was planted in a wooden pot, about a meter high, with sparse leaves. At the points where leaves connected to branches, there were scattered fruits resembling lanterns.
It was these fruits that emitted a soft glow, like little nightlights, very beautiful.
Tang Yu’an’s eyes widened slightly, amazed by this exotic plant he was seeing for the first time.
After glancing at it, Zhou Qi shifted his attention, observing the room’s condition—as he had guessed, there were other exits inside.
Facing two unfamiliar teenagers, Granny Guo seemed a bit reserved.
“Granny, my name is Tang Yu’an.”
Sensing the quiet atmosphere, Tang Yu’an took the initiative, smiling brightly, “Nice to meet you. Please take care of us in the future!”
Granny Guo paused and nodded slightly. The little Kang Kang in her arms also looked up.
He curiously examined Tang Yu’an. He looked well-behaved and cute, but his thin, bony appearance was truly pitiable.
Tang Yu’an thought of his own sister. His gaze softened as he looked at the child.
“Kang Kang, hello.”
The little boy glanced at him shyly and then shrank back into Granny Guo’s arms.
Granny Guo looked at her grandson in her arms, then at the teenager with a radiant smile. She opened her mouth slightly but ultimately didn’t stop their interaction.
Zhou Qi didn’t approach either.
He sat on a stone opposite, watching Tang Yu’an and the grandmother and grandson talk from a distance.
An An had this ability to quickly make friends with people he just met, whereas he preferred to watch quietly from the side.
*
Kang Kang shrank in his grandma’s arms, clutching her clothes tightly, afraid she might disappear suddenly.
“Do you want some candy?”
Just then, he heard a cheerful voice.
Kang Kang looked up curiously at the much older boy. He was very handsome, with fair skin and chubby cheeks, like clouds in the sky.
“If you call me Brother Tang, I’ll give you this candy.”
He saw the teenager extend his hand, palm up, holding a white transparent crystal covered with powder but still showing some sparkle.
Kang Kang instinctively raised his small hand, grabbing the pendant hanging on his chest through his clothes.
Shiny… But what is candy?
He looked at Tang Yu’an in confusion.
“Really don’t want it? It’s sweet and delicious.”
As he spoke, Tang Yu’an brought the rock sugar to his mouth, bit off a small piece, and put it in his mouth, showing a contented expression.
“It’s really sweet!”
Kang Kang had never eaten candy, but he knew what sweetness tasted like. One of the fruits his grandma grew was sweet. But since he could remember, he had never tasted such rich sweetness!
Unable to resist temptation, he whispered, “Brother… Brother Tang…”
He spoke a bit stutteringly, his childish voice incredibly cute.
“Yes,” Tang Yu’an replied with a smile, then said, “Hold out your hand.”
Kang Kang curled his hands in front of him, hesitantly looking up at Granny Guo.
Granny Guo also frowned. This transparent white crystal—was it really candy? Candy was even rarer than salt; she hadn’t tasted pure sugar in many years.
Grandma didn’t respond, so Kang Kang had to look back at Tang Yu’an.
This big brother was really good-looking… Grandma had let him into their home, so he should be safe.
Finally, he cautiously extended a small hand.
“Wait a moment.”
However, after seeing his palm, the big brother put the rock sugar back into his pocket, then took out a handkerchief, wet it with water, and took the child’s small hand to wipe it clean.
“Disease enters through the mouth; you need to clean your hands before eating,” Tang Yu’an said.
Kang Kang watched as the big brother’s snow-white handkerchief turned black after wiping his hand.
A slight blush appeared on the child’s sallow cheeks. He nodded shyly.
Keeping his promise, after helping him clean his hands, Tang Yu’an placed the remaining half piece of rock sugar into the child’s palm.
Kang Kang looked at the rock sugar, couldn’t help swallowing, but didn’t immediately put it into his mouth. Instead, he extended his small hand, offering the sugar to Granny Guo.
“Grandma, eat.”
Granny Guo had been watching Tang Yu’an.
If she had harbored any wariness before, after Tang Yu’an used clean drinking water to wet his handkerchief and wipe Kang Kang’s hands, she completely relaxed.
Although water wasn’t scarce in this area, using clean drinking water to wash hands was somewhat extravagant.
These two teenagers were definitely not ordinary.
Granny Guo was pondering when her grandson called her. Without much thought, she lowered her head and lightly licked the piece of rock sugar.
As the rich, delicate sweetness spread in her mouth, her cloudy old eyes widened.
Sugar… It was real sugar!
Granny Guo couldn’t help swallowing.
But she didn’t continue licking the sugar, instead giving Kang Kang an encouraging look.
Seeing this, Kang Kang carefully licked the sugar.
Almost instantly, his eyes widened just like his grandma’s.
Kang Kang knew what sweetness was. His grandma grew a kind of sweet fruit, but since he could remember, he had never tasted such rich sweetness!
“Gurgle—”
The child’s stomach growled.
Driven by hunger, Kang Kang finally couldn’t resist and raised his hand to put the whole piece of sugar into his mouth.
The intense sweetness melted on his tongue. He was full of wonder and couldn’t help squinting his eyes, showing a blissful expression.
“Haha, delicious, right?”
Tang Yu’an laughed happily. When Kang Kang accepted the rock sugar, a new system prompt popped up before his eyes.
[You have completed a loss-making transaction with a new customer. Experience +3, Credits +0]
[You have completed Daily Task (1), Credits +2]
[You have completed Daily Task (3), Credits +2]
He had successfully completed the daily task of attracting a new customer! Although the system noted it as a loss-making transaction, the rock sugar was originally in the shop and hadn’t cost him any credits.
So, did he really lose out?
