Chapter 20: Returning with a Full Load

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Returning with a Full Load

Three woven baskets were stacked inside one another. A basin was stuffed in, along with the large burlap sack and plastic bags. Various odds and ends were placed on top...

Huai Yu’s back was bent under the heavy weight, but she still managed to struggle her way to a large storefront—

[Soybean Phone Flagship Store]

A large cardboard sign stood at the entrance:

[Second-hand Clothing, Shoes, and Socks Clearance. Disinfected.]

She looked at the clothes, which had become a chaotic, discolored mess from being violently disinfected with 84 bleach, and was very satisfied with the price tag: 2 points a pound.

Of course, the clothes inside the shop looked better and newer. Some were even brand-new, but the prices...

Huai Yu thought, "Summer is just around the corner. A couple of cheap clothes to change into will do just fine. There’s no need to splurge." She didn’t even plan to buy a quilt.

But right after this thought crossed her mind, she saw a middle-aged woman inside sifting through clothes with her companion. "I reckon there will be a late spring cold spell after it rains..."

Huai Yu froze.

Ah, she still lacked life experience! Setting aside her plans to save money, she followed them into the store.

Her most pressing need was actually socks. Second-hand socks were one point a pair, while brand-new ones cost two points.

She decided to get three pairs!

Second-hand, old-fashioned rain boots were 8 points a pair! Unopened, older models were 13 points, and the newer ones were 16.

She decisively picked out a pair of the old black model. Not for any particular reason, but because this color and style simply looked durable.

An eighty-percent-new short down jacket was 35 points. Eighty-percent-new sweatpants were 15 points. A jacket and a long-sleeved T-shirt came to 19 points combined. She also picked up a pack of basic hair ties for 2 points.

After this shopping spree, her 152 points instantly dwindled down to 62.

Huai Yu looked down at her shoes. They were pretty dirty, though still wearable. But if she wore these to see Boss Tang again, they wouldn’t match the story she had told him.

Gritting her teeth, she bought a brand-new pair of white sneakers.

These sneakers used to belong to a big brand. After buying them, Huai Yu was left with only 40 points.

She didn’t intend to spend anymore.

Although she had set aside 400 points for the Defense Army, she still needed to leave some buffer room, right? Right now, she was only glad that she had bought a few extra baskets.

One basket on her back, one clutched to her chest, her bucket in hand, and the jacket she had previously used as a bundle put back on—she finally managed to pack all these items away.

She prepared to head home. However, on her way to the East Gate of the Pedestrian Street, she noticed the man selling zaozi was still sitting there.

As for the zaozi on the ground... it looked like not a single one had been sold.

Huai Yu walked over.

The man was dozing off. Groggy, he sensed someone approaching and immediately blurted out, "No free samples. You want ’em, bag ’em all and take ’em for five points."

"Then I’ll take them," Huai Yu said, looking at him with a smile.

She was a newcomer here. If he hadn’t pointed her to such a good place, her items wouldn’t have sold so quickly, nor would they have so easily fetched such a high price.

Huai Yu gave the vendor a sweet smile. "I wanted to come over and thank you. Boss Tang at Huaxia Gold was very nice—um, can you pack up the zaozi for me?"

The vendor suddenly jolted awake. "It’s nothing, just a passing word, no need for all this... You really want them?"

"I do!" Huai Yu smiled innocently. "I’ve never eaten fruit with such a high Mutant Value before. I want to try it."

A look of envy appeared on his face. "You haven’t even tasted this before? You must have lived such a good life... Alright! You can have them all."

He gathered the four corners of his burlap sack and dumped the contents into Huai Yu’s basket with a loud CLATTER. His entire demeanor immediately relaxed.

"Just give me four points!"

He was lazy, didn’t like to move, and his Contribution Points were low, but he had scavenged these zaozi from the East District highway entrance.

Explorers often took a detour from the other side of Sanqing Mountain over there. Because entering the city required measuring Mutant Value and paying fees based on those numbers, many items with values that were too high or too cumbersome were simply tossed away at that spot.

He lived nearby. Every morning and evening when he had nothing better to do, he would go and stake out the area. Although there was quite a bit of competition, he could always scrounge up enough to fill his belly.

At first, he had set the price at five points a pound, hoping to wait for a sucker. But now that the government was helping people settle down and establish their lives, no one was coming around to pick up such bargains.

A real miscalculation.

Huai Yu nodded and extended her arm to reveal her wristband.

Looking at her battered watch, it was now nearing five o’clock.

After returning the temporary wristband, she walked to the bus stop. There were already several other people standing there, equally loaded down with bags of all sizes from their successful hauls.

Fortunately, not many people boarded the same return bus as her, and she luckily found a seat in the back row.

Lifting her wrist again, she saw it was 5:22, matching the display screen inside the bus.

Outside the window, the evening twilight deepened. The towering, sheer peaks of Sanqing Mountain in the distance looked like heavy blocks of dark ink, radiating a unique aura of mystery and danger.

She spaced out in silence, pinching a zaozi between her fingers. Unconsciously, she channeled her ability into it, as if she were idly rolling a bauble in her hand just for fun.

By the time the bus arrived at her stop, it was nearly 7:00 p.m. Huai Yu awkwardly shuffled off the bus with all her bags. Looking at the pitch-black silhouette of the mountain in the distance and the solitary streetlamp by the bus stop, she couldn’t help but let out a gasp.

"Oh no! I should have asked how much a flashlight costs."

However, it wasn’t a strict necessity, so she simply sighed and let it go. Carrying her things back to her little treehouse, she didn’t even pause to rest before hurrying off to Zone 69.

On second thought, she poured the zaozi she had channeled her ability into into a plastic bag.

Then it suddenly occurred to her that she had run her ability through all these zaozi. Because her power was so weak, she had merely done it out of boredom as a way to practice. Therefore, she had no idea if there were any changes, or if they were even edible...

But the giant pine tree had given her pinecones after taking in her ability, so they should be edible, right?

After mulling it over, she simply rinsed one in her water bucket and took a bite—

Huh?

She brought the zaozi closer and inspected it again. It looked exactly the same as when the vendor had been eating them, but it didn’t taste nearly as bad!

It even had a hint of sweetness.

It was just that the texture when bitten was like a pithy radish, or perhaps winter zaozi that had been left out for too long... This kind of return gift wouldn’t be very presentable, would it?

But considering the slightly bitter pine nuts she had tasted last time, the Defense Army seemed to have liked them well enough.

Whatever.

Huai Yu strapped on her basket, pocketed her lighter, and set off.

Although it was hard to see clearly in the dark, she could still make out faint silhouettes. Moreover, as long as she followed the direction of the Rose Corridor, she definitely wouldn’t get lost.

Walking from Zone 37 to Zone 69 took her a total of 43 minutes according to her watch.

So far. It would be great if she had a vehicle.

This time, it wasn’t just an idle thought; she was actually full of anticipation for the future. After all, she already had a watch. Saving up for a bicycle later down the line shouldn’t be a problem, right?

When she arrived, Captain Zhou was actually quite surprised to see her visiting so late. He even worried that she had run into trouble and needed help.

However, stepping out of the camp, he saw Huai Yu standing under the streetlamp, flashing a radiant smile.

"Captain Zhou!"

She waved excitedly. "I got some Contribution Points! Now I can buy the multi-purpose shovel!"