Chapter 42 - 41: Vase

Chapter 42: Chapter 41: Vase

Huai Yu didn’t panic at all. Unhurriedly, she spoke with a hint of complaint, "My brother doesn’t tell me these things..."

"Oh." Recalling her previously wasteful behavior of spending points on that Zaozi, the middle-aged man had an epiphany. Smacking his lips with lingering interest, he said, "Anyway, those clothes are custom-made. It’s not easy for a young lady like you to wear something like that. Sometimes Explorers will buy a few damaged, defective items that have been written off, but they wouldn’t suit you either. Just give up on the idea."

Huai Yu nodded, her gaze gradually losing focus as she stared at his hands slowly scooping up the beans.

The middle-aged man didn’t notice at all. He lifted the bag to gauge its weight. "I haven’t asked how large your planting area is. This is about ten catties, is that enough?

"Legumes are cheap, only six points a kilogram. You can plant them boldly and try the method I told you. Don’t skimp on points here, there’s no need."

Huai Yu nodded, not answering whether it was enough. "Thank you, sir." After taking the bag, she suddenly asked, "Do members of the Guard Army often sneak off alone to execute missions in the Wilderness?"

"Who knows!" The middle-aged man carried the bag toward the cash register. "Doesn’t it all depend on the battle plans? But the Wilderness is so dangerous, they usually fight in teams... Going alone, sigh! I’m guessing their Mutant Value was about to reach the critical..."

He suddenly clammed up, then slowed his pace and looked at Huai Yu with a serious expression. "Miss, did someone in your family go off alone? Guard Army? Or an Explorer?"

Huai Yu paused, then nodded. "Guard Army."

The man’s expression instantly filled with sighs, as if holding back unbearable sorrow, mixed with pity and respect. After a long moment, he said softly, "It’s fine, I’m sure there are higher-up directives... Sigh, don’t worry about those things. Just save up more points and live a good life."

He took Huai Yu’s bag and put it on the scale. He had half a mind to tell her that bringing a martyr’s certificate would get her a discount, but seeing how well-protected this girl seemed to be—and how her brother had painstakingly kept it a secret from her—he decided he shouldn’t run his mouth. So he sighed and kept his mouth shut.

Huai Yu took her bag but didn’t leave immediately. The seed shop had many other fast-growing vegetables that matured in twenty days, all complete with planting instructions. She picked and chose, selecting a few more varieties. But as she paid at the door, catching sight of the middle-aged man’s retreating figure, for some reason, her gaze became distant again.

She could roughly guess what he had wanted to say. Lin Xuefeng had said that once the Mutant Value broke through the critical limit, a person would go mad and then inevitably die. He had also said that having Roses for company in the Wilderness would be very romantic. What he was doing wandering alone through the Rose Corridor on that rainy night was self-evident.

"That’ll be 132 points in total," the seed shop boss said absentmindedly, bringing out the transaction ring. Huai Yu snapped out of her daze and quickly settled the bill.

What a pity. Carrying her basket on her back, she looked somewhat wistfully at the gloomy clouds on the horizon. Watching the coming and going of people on the Pedestrian Street, she couldn’t help but recall once again the sight of him in his snow-white uniform, smiling helplessly at her in the rain. An infinite wave of sorrow welled up in her heart.

But no matter how much sorrow she felt, life had to go on. Huai Yu gathered her spirits. After thinking it over, she decided she still needed to buy a quilt, a pillow, and a bedsheet. After all, using a sleeping bag every day felt restrictive and quite uncomfortable. Since she currently had no pressing survival needs, her points might as well be spent on improving her quality of life!

Before that, however, she returned to the shop selling rice, flour, grain, and oil.

"How much is the rice per kilogram? The better quality ones."

The shop owner lazily lifted his head. "Prices have gone up. The one with a Mutant Value of 13 is 70 points a kilogram.

"The best flour has a Mutant Value of 14, at 32 points."

Huai Yu instantly felt a lot less wealthy, but she was truly craving some, so she said, "Give me two catties each of your cheapest rice and flour."

The boss didn’t even look up. "What are you going to put them in?"

Huai Yu was speechless. So she first went next door and bought two pickle jars. Although they were made of plastic, ceramic ones would be far too heavy, so she would just have to make do for now. She also bought ten plastic bags, which would be perfectly fine for holding the rice and flour. After some thought, she turned around and bought a stainless steel lunchbox with a lid. This was the most expensive item, as it could be heated directly over a fire, costing a full 35 points.

"Two catties of fresh pork leaf lard! And two catties each of that 10-point rice and flour." Since she could purify things herself, she would rather tire herself out a little and save some points. After a moment’s consideration, she added, "Also, weigh out some of those dried chilies for me... I want..."

She had originally wanted to say 250 grams, but upon seeing the price tag of 370 points per kilogram, she swiftly changed her tune. "Weigh out two taels.

"And a bag of salt as well."

Looking at her haul, it was enough to make do for now. Satisfied, she stuffed everything into her basket and finally got ready to buy a quilt. The 810 points she had just acquired instantly dwindled to 338. Added to her previous two hundred or so points, her savings successfully bounced back to 570. It was just that the items in her basket were incredibly heavy, adding up to over seventeen catties. She was genuinely worried that the weight would stunt her growth.

But a round trip into the city took four hours. Even though Huai Yu didn’t want to lug heavy bags around every time, the reality was what it was, and she now had to carry this heavy load while shopping for bedding and clothes. After all, the weather was so damp that washed clothes simply wouldn’t dry. She had to sit by the fire and constantly keep an eye on them to bake them dry, which was far too much trouble.

A brand-new set of underwear cost 50 points. Listening to the customers chatting in the store, Huai Yu gathered that prices had risen after the rain, and according to the forecast, the drizzle was going to continue for another three or four days... So despite everyone’s constant complaints, they still bought what they needed.

A 2kg silk-wadding quilt cost 168 points, and a coarse cotton bedsheet was 40. After Huai Yu did some hard bargaining, the shopkeeper finally agreed to throw in a free pillowcase. She browsed the store for a long time before deciding to buy herself a more comfortable set of loungewear. She opted against buying secondhand for this, meaning another 80 points were gone. On rainy days, she could only huddle in her treehouse, so she really needed to find ways to make herself as comfortable as possible.

But after this shopping spree, her available points plummeted back to 232. She sighed silently, accepting her fate that her savings were simply never meant to surpass 300 points.

Her basket was stuffed to the brim with bags of all sizes, and in her hands, she carried the vacuum-sealed quilt, bedsheet, and pillowcase. Huai Yu checked the time; it was already past noon. So, taking one last look at the Pedestrian Street, she turned and left.

A moment later, she doubled back. In a stroke of luxury, she spent 10 points at a general store to buy a cute, petite fine white porcelain vase.

The general store boss was a tall, thin woman. Seeing Huai Yu burdened with all sorts of daily necessities, she advised, "Young lady, if you’re buying a vase, pick a large one. You can use it to hold water or store things. This one of yours is far too small. Even though it’s a bit cheaper than the others, it’s useless for anything practical. It looks nice but isn’t functional. It’s not a good deal."

Huai Yu shook her head. "Thank you, ma’am, but I don’t have many points. This one is exactly what I want."

Under the boss’s disapproving gaze, she carefully tucked the vase away. Then, hoisting the heavy basket back onto her shoulders, she turned and left Red Victory Pedestrian Street.