Three baskets stacked on top of each other, a basin stuffed in, a large sack and plastic bags also crammed in, with some small items placed on top...
Huaiyu was bent under the heavy weight but still managed to arrive at a large store —
Yellow Bean Mobile Flagship Store
There was a big cardboard sign at the entrance. Second-hand clothing, shoes, and socks for disposal, disinfected.
She looked at the clothes, which had become colorful and messy from the violent disinfection process with 84, and was quite satisfied with the price of 2 cents per jin (half a kilogram).
Of course, the clothes inside the store were better, newer, and some were even brand new. But the prices...
Huaiyu thought to herself: Summer's coming soon, and she only needs a few pieces of clothes for change. No need to buy more. She didn't even plan on buying a blanket.
But as soon as this thought crossed her mind, she heard an aunt inside talking with her companion, "I estimate that if it rains, there will be another cold snap…"
Huaiyu froze.
Ah, still not enough life experience! She dropped the idea of saving money and entered the store.
What she needed the most right now were socks. Second-hand socks were 1 cent per pair, while new ones cost 2 cents.
"I'll take three pairs!" she decided.
Old-style rain boots were 8 cents per pair! Unopened ones were 13 cents, and new ones were 16 cents.
She immediately chose a pair of black, old-style boots. No special reason, just that they looked durable.
A 80% new short down jacket was 35 cents each.
A pair of 80% new sports pants was 15 cents.
A jacket and long-sleeve T-shirt together cost 19 cents.
She also grabbed a pack of basic hair ties, which cost 2 cents.
After this spree, her 152 cents were down to just 62 cents.
Huaiyu then looked at her shoes. They were dirty, but still wearable. However, if she went to see Boss Tang next time, they'd probably no longer match the image she wanted to present.
She gritted her teeth and bought a pair of brand-new white sneakers.
These sneakers had once been from a big brand, and after buying them, she was left with only 40 cents.
She wasn't planning to spend any more.
Although she had reserved 400 cents for the defense forces, she wanted to leave some room for unexpected expenses. At least she was glad she bought a few extra baskets.
One on her back, one on her chest, holding a bucket in her hand, and her coat, which was previously a bundle, was back on her body. She finally managed to pack everything.
Ready to head home, she noticed that the man selling dates was still sitting at the same spot.
As for the dates on the ground... they definitely hadn't gone anywhere.
Huaiyu walked over.
The vendor, half asleep, muttered as soon as he sensed someone approaching:
"No free tastings, if you want to try, it's 5 cents, all packed for you."
"I'll take them," Huaiyu smiled at him.
She was new to the area, and if it weren't for him pointing her to a good spot, she might not have sold her stuff so quickly or gotten a good price.
She gave him a sweet smile: "I just wanted to thank you, Boss Tang from Huaxia Gold is a really nice person—uh, can I take the dates?"
The vendor suddenly woke up with a start. "No, no, it's nothing, just a casual comment... You really want them?"
"Of course!" Huaiyu smiled innocently. "I've never tasted such high-mutated fruit, I want to try it."
The man's expression became envious. "You've never tried them? That means you've been living a really good life... Okay! They're all yours."
He tied up the corners of the sack and then poured the dates into Huaiyu's basket with a satisfying gesture: "Just give me 4 cents."
He wasn't very motivated, didn't make much of a contribution, but the dates were picked up near the east district highway entrance.
That area often had explorers passing through, taking a detour from the other side of Three Clear Mountain. They'd need to pay to test their mutation values when entering the city, and many of the high-value or cumbersome items would be discarded there.
He lived nearby, so he'd go there every morning and evening to check. Although there was competition, he could always find enough to eat.
At first, he priced them at 5 cents per jin, hoping to catch a sucker, but now with the government helping people settle down, no one came to grab them at that price.
Bad luck.
Huaiyu nodded and showed her arm, revealing her wristband.
Looking at the old, tattered watch, it was already close to 5 PM.
She returned the temporary wristband, then walked to the bus stop. A lot of people with big bags were already standing there.
Fortunately, not many people were taking the same bus back, and she managed to find a seat in the back row.
She glanced at her watch again: 5:22, matching the display on the bus screen.
Outside the window, the twilight had deepened, and the distant, towering, and dangerous-looking Three Clear Mountain appeared as dark blocks, giving it a mysterious and perilous vibe.
She zoned out, absentmindedly playing with a date in her hand, unconsciously using her ability as if she were just passing the time.
...
When the bus arrived at the station around 7 PM, Huaiyu struggled to get off with all her bags. Looking at the dark silhouette of the mountain in the distance and the lonely streetlamp at the bus stop, she couldn't help but say, "Ah, I should have asked about the price of a flashlight."
But that wasn't an urgent need. She sighed and let it go. Now, she was more concerned with getting her stuff back to her small treehouse. Without resting, she hurried to Zone 69.
She then realized she had been fiddling with the dates, so she dumped them into a plastic bag.
But then, she remembered that she had already used her ability on them. Since her power was weak, she didn't think there would be any major changes, but she wasn't sure if they were safe to eat...
After all, the big pine tree used her ability to give her pine cones, so they should be safe to eat, right?
She thought for a while and then dipped the dates in a bucket of water before tasting one.
Huh?
She looked at the date again. It seemed no different from when she'd eaten it from the vendor, but it didn't taste as bad!
In fact, it was even a little sweet.
It was just that it had a dry, crumbly texture, like an old winter jujube... This might not be the best gift to present.
But she remembered the slightly bitter pine nuts she tasted last time. The defense forces seemed to really like them.
Never mind.
She slung the basket over her back, grabbed a lighter, and set off.
Although it was too dark to see clearly, the faint outlines were enough. Besides, as long as she followed the Rose Corridor, she couldn't go wrong.
Walking from Zone 37 to Zone 69, she checked her watch, and it took 43 minutes in total.
That was a long way, but if only there was a car...
This time, she didn't just think about it; she was actually looking forward to the future. After all, she had a watch now, so once she saved up for a bike, it shouldn't be a problem.
What worried her more was the surprised look on Team Leader Zhou's face when she showed up so late, thinking she might need help with something.
But when she stepped out of the camp, she saw Huaiyu standing under the streetlamp, her face beaming:
"Team Leader, big brother!"
She waved excitedly, "I've got contribution points! I can buy a multi-functional shovel!"