Chapter 52 - 51: Which Side Should I Patch?

Chapter 52: Chapter 51: Which Side Should I Patch?

Huai Yu didn’t believe him for a second!

"But your ginseng is so tiny, and its Mutant Value is so high. It’s not even as good as a carrot. Does it even have any medicinal effects?

"If it’s supposed to be highly nourishing, what exactly does it nourish?

"What if the nourishment just feeds the mutation instead?"

This barrage of three questions utterly routed Uncle Zaozi. He thought it over and realized he didn’t actually have a concrete answer. If it were anyone else, he would have just spun a wild tale and seen who could out-talk whom. Although Huai Yu looked young and naive, the memory of those awful dates he had been forced to eat still weighed heavily on his conscience. Thus, when he spoke, his voice inevitably lost some of its usual confidence.

"Well... well, I don’t know either! I’m just a guy who sells dates—bah! Who sells ginseng. What do I know?

"Little sister, if you’re not going to buy it, don’t hold me up."

Huai Yu didn’t say anything. She silently crouched down next to him. After waiting a good while without seeing a single customer, she grew even more curious.

"Uncle Zaozi... okay, Uncle. Doesn’t setting up a stall cost a fee now? Why do you always sell these things that nobody wants?"

Uncle Zaozi glared at her. "What do you mean I always sell things nobody wants? The things I *can* sell already have buyers lined up before I even enter the market.

"But take this ginseng, for example. If you say it’s good stuff, it is. But its Mutant Value is genuinely high too. It’s stuck in this awkward middle ground, practically useless. I’m just reluctant to give up on it, so I’m trying to find them a home."

"Besides," he said, raising his eyebrows smugly. "Do you think I’m like you young girls who can’t save up any points? Let me tell you, before the Cataclysm, I owned three supermarkets on this street! I have a Special Contribution Card. Nobody charges me a dime to set up a stall here!

"I’m just finding something to do. Collecting rent—do you know what it feels like to collect rent?"

After gloating, he remembered something and looked at Huai Yu cautiously. "Say... has your family member... finished their Wilderness mission yet?"

"Yes," Huai Yu replied without changing her expression. "He even brought me a flower."

"Oh, oh, good." Uncle Zaozi finally relaxed. He leaned over and peeked into her basket. "I knew it. Seeing you here spending points so freely, it didn’t look like anything bad had happened to your family... Tsk, tsk, look at this quilt cover. What kind of color is this, girl? These few years of the Cataclysm have really ruined your aesthetics."

Huai Yu was speechless.

Was it her aesthetics that were ruined? It was clearly her wallet.

She snorted and asked, "Uncle Zaozi, if you’re willing to taste this ginseng, I’ll take the whole bag for four points."

No matter how small it was, it was still ginseng. If she purified it, it might be worth a little something during a crucial moment... right?

Uncle Zaozi blew his top. "I told you, I’m absolutely not tasting it! And besides! There’s no way you can buy this for four points! It’ll be twenty points!"

"Oh." Huai Yu mentally calculated her savings and stood up decisively. "Then I don’t want it. I need to save my money to buy a bed."

Whether her hundred-plus points were even enough was another matter entirely.

To her surprise, Uncle Zaozi’s eyes instantly lit up.

"Buy a bed?! Tell me what kind of bed! What kind of good stuff can you find in this market? They’re either horribly overpriced or used secondhand junk."

Huai Yu was a bit skeptical. "Really? I want a camp bed, do you have one?"

"That’s easy!" Uncle Zaozi instantly shed his previous meekness, brimming with confidence. "Those things have been incredibly popular these past few years since the Cataclysm. You should’ve said so earlier! I’ve got one!"

Huai Yu felt conflicted. "How many points is it?"

Uncle Zaozi put on a know-it-all expression. "It’s a gift for your family member, right? Honestly, there’s no need. The official military-issued ones are much better quality than ours... but a gift is the thought that counts.

"How about this? I have an ultra-lightweight folding camp bed that only weighs twelve pounds.

"If you want it..." He grunted. "A hundred and sixty points! I’ll sell it to you along with the ginseng! There are eight ginseng roots here! If you stew them with an old hen, that’s enough for eight or nine meals, right?"

Though, who in their right mind would use such foul-tasting ginseng for chicken stew was beyond him. But looking at the girl’s delicate, pale hands, he knew she had never been short of points. Since that was the case, buying a camp bed for her family was a gesture of goodwill. Buying ginseng for nourishment was also a gesture, wasn’t it?

A hundred and sixty points?!

Huai Yu was instantly tempted.

The reason she was lingering around the market was because she had just visited a shop where a twelve-pound folding camp bed cost a steep 210 points. There was also a secondhand one, weighing sixteen pounds, going for 160 points. She had been hesitating because of the prices, which was why she was wandering the streets. But now, Uncle Zaozi was offering it for this price, and throwing in the ginseng for free...

Buy it!

She made a prompt decision. "Where is it? I need to check the quality first."

Uncle Zaozi broke into a wide grin. He bundled up the four corners of his torn sack, gathering the eight small ginseng roots together. Then, he led Huai Yu over to the furniture store across the street with a swagger. Pointing at the exact same 210-point camp bed, he declared, "This is the one. Test it out. If it works for you, take it."

Huai Yu was dumbfounded.

She stared at Uncle Zaozi with wide eyes. He simply brushed the dust off his pants. "What are you looking at me for? If you like it, take it. The store owner is my wife."

Huai Yu was speechless.

If she had known this earlier, she wouldn’t have bothered secretly carrying her pickled ferns and dried scallions in her basket, hoping to gift them to Captain Zhou on her way back and ask if he had any cheap beds...

The bus ride back was just as crowded as the trip there. It wasn’t until they reached the Golden Yuan District bus stop, where the passengers quickly cleared out, that Huai Yu finally found a place to sit. Just how many people lived in this district?!

She stepped off the bus hugging the twelve-pound camp bed, her legs completely numb from standing so long. But looking at her haul for the day, she felt utterly satisfied!

Time to go! She was heading home! There was still a lot of work to do back at the house!

The warm sun shone down on her, and even the light breeze felt pleasant. She had set out after eight o’clock that morning, and now, it was just past noon. Full of energy, Huai Yu hastily chugged a bowl of sugar-salt water and began working with gusto!

First, she flipped over her quilt, which had been basking in the sun until it was warm and fluffy. Then, she draped her bedsheet over it. The dried grass airing out on the ground was temporarily useless, but she flipped it over too.

Inside the treehouse, dappled sunlight shone through. Hot, humid air was rising; it was clearly still a bit damp. But that was fine. The moisture was just evaporating from the soil beneath. After another two days of sun, the room would dry out completely.

Huai Yu crouched down and dismantled the blue bricks she had initially used to build her bed frame. She then used these bricks to build a low shelf along the perimeter of the treehouse, creating more space to store her things. Once everything was ready, she unfolded the camp bed and set it up. She neatly organized her newly bought odds and ends in their proper places.

Finally, she took out the pickled ferns and dried scallions she had intended to give Captain Zhou, and put them away. Since she had no pressing need for favors anymore, she decided to save these for next time. Giving them to him separately at a later date would make the gesture seem far more understated.