Volume 1 Chapter 20 Browsing the General Store
Lin Youyu’s small home was in Residential Building No. 5 in the South District. The nearest grocery store to her place was the "Nanwang Grocery" located on the first floor of Residential Building No. 3 in the South District.
But she didn’t much like going there.
Just from the name, she could tell the owner was somewhat arrogant and had a habit of taking advantage of customers.
Lin Youyu preferred a slightly farther shop called "Nanwang."
This grocery store was tucked away between the third and fourth floors of Residential Building No. 9 in the South District. It was small and known to only a few, but its discreet nature was its advantage.
The owner was kind-hearted and accepted goods regardless of quantity, with transparent buying and selling prices—perfect for a young girl like Lin Youyu who wasn’t good at bargaining.
It was also the kind of concealed little shop that someone like Lin Yuyu, who liked stirring things up, would appreciate.
Halfway through, Lin Yuyu returned home briefly, swapping the fruits in Yezi’s bag for glowing mushrooms, then braved the rain to head for the 3.5th floor of Building No. 9.
Out of caution, she only carried one mushroom in the bag.
Perhaps because the residents of Building No. 9 were wealthier, their elevator was still operational.
Out of curiosity, Lin Yuyu took a few extra glances.
She had previously assumed that non-operational elevators were a feature of the wasteland, given the need to conserve resources and electricity.
But it seemed not all elevators were out of service.
It appeared that wherever there was power and influence, privileges existed, she mused inwardly.
However, she didn’t need the elevator this time.
Following her memory, she reached the stairwell, climbed up to the fourth floor, passed through a fire door, then descended several dozen steps down another staircase before stopping at a weathered wall.
She pressed her hand against it.
A hidden door appeared on the wall.
Entering, she climbed roughly half a flight up a passage before seeing a dark plaque with gold letters that read "Nanwang."
This place was indeed somewhat hard to reach.
It was said that the previous owner of this property designed it this way to please their spouse. Later, something happened to them, and the house changed hands a few times before ending up with the current owner.
Eventually, this grocery store was opened here.
...
Just as Lin Yuyu stepped over the threshold, she heard, “You’re here? Sit for a moment. I’ll settle the bill here quickly.”
Looking up, she saw only three people in the entire store.
An elderly, slender man, a tall man dressed entirely in black with his back to the door, and Lin Yuyu herself, who had just entered.
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Lin Yuyu nodded slightly to acknowledge she understood but didn’t obediently find a seat. Instead, she began browsing the goods arranged on the floor.
The items were neatly stacked on waterproof sheets, piled high, each category marked clearly with triangular price tags.
Though small, the shop’s inventory was quite comprehensive. At first glance, Lin Yuyu wanted everything.
Pots and pans, rice, oil, salt—she lacked all of these, but funds were limited, so she had to prioritize essentials.
She could weave her own gathering basket, but she needed to buy a knife. Since she couldn’t afford a large one, she’d start with a 2-point fruit knife.
She also needed needles to test the fruits, so she wouldn’t have to pick stones from the ground later.
At 0.1 points apiece, she decided to get two or three: one for mending, one for piercing mushrooms, and one as a spare for other uses.
She also needed a windproof lighter.
Last time, to roast chicken, she had drilled wood for fire for a long time; her palms still hurt thinking about it. Having a lighter would make outdoor cooking much easier.
Only 1 point each, it didn’t seem expensive.
A large basin for bathing would suffice for now, but she had to buy a washbasin, toothbrush, and towel. These personal items were hard to compromise on; she’d been roughly washing by hand and water these past few days.
There was a set available, including a toothbrush cup, for just 2.9 points, which looked decent.
A pack of salt cost 6 points, which was a bit pricey, and she needed to save some money to buy nutrient solution. She planned to bargain later to see if she could get a better price.
...
While Lin Yuyu browsed here and there, a customer left.
Old Qian came around the counter and approached Lin Yuyu with a smile.
“These are all newly arrived goods,” he said.
“If you don’t like these, there’s another room with some used items and recycled goods that are cheaper.”
Lin Yuyu thought to herself that she came out to buy new things precisely because she didn’t want used ones.
But she kept a calm expression and asked, “Is there a discount for buying in bulk?”
Without hesitation, Old Qian replied, “Since you’re a regular, I’ll give you a 5% discount. How’s that?”
A 5% discount? That hardly made a difference...
Lin Yuyu wasn’t good at bargaining either, so she silently placed all her chosen items on the counter for Old Qian to tally.
“Also, bring me two nutrient solutions.”
“Alright.” Old Qian pulled out a calculator and pressed some buttons. “The total is 13.9 points, and after discount, 13.2.”
Lin Yuyu pointed at the salt and said, “Old Qian, can you give me a better price on this salt?”
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Old Qian replied, “It’s already very cheap. It sells for 9 points a pack outside.”
Lin Yuyu bargained, “Then how about rounding it off to 10 points total? How about that?”
Old Qian inhaled sharply. “Do you just want me to round down like that? It’s almost cost price already. You don’t expect me to lose points, do you?”
Lin Yuyu then tapped the nutrient solution on the counter. “Why is this nutrient solution close to expiration?”
Old Qian said, “If it weren’t near expiration, I couldn’t sell it to you this cheaply. If you don’t want those near expiration, we have others for 1 point a tube, and you can choose the flavor. Want some?”
Seeing the young girl wistfully fingering the handle of the fruit knife, Old Qian sighed, “Alright then, I’ll make it 13 points total. How’s that? If not, I can’t do anything more.”
“Deal.” Lin Yuyu immediately looked up with a smile. “Old Qian, take a look at this. Do you buy this kind of thing?”
Lin Yuyu opened Yezi’s bag, revealing a corner of the glowing mushroom inside.
A faint gray-blue light escaped from the gap. Old Qian glanced at it and frowned. “You risked doing that high-paying mushroom collection mission?”
Lin Yuyu replied, “No way.”
“I just picked this up on the way back yesterday…” Mushroom picking in the cave, after all, was just picking.
Old Qian was relieved inside. “Good to hear you’re listening to advice.”
“That group appeared suddenly, collecting one batch after another of these things. Nobody knows what they’re up to. These mushrooms used to be all over the forest, nobody bothered with them. Now look, after flipping the whole island, you can barely find any.”
“Don’t be greedy for the high points and get involved with those people. You know? One wrong move and you could lose your life.”
Seeing Old Qian about to lecture at length, Lin Yuyu quickly reassured him, “I know.”
“I just happened to find this one. Even if I bring it to them, they might not accept it. But I can’t bear to throw it away. So I thought I’d bring it here for you to take a look.”
“Do you buy this kind of thing?”
Hearing that again, Old Qian laughed. “Why are you talking so much today? So all that was just a buildup to this question?”
Lin Yuyu, realizing the misunderstanding, hurriedly explained, “I really want to buy things and hope you can give me a better price…”
“And also… I hope you can make a little extra profit.”
Old Qian stroked the edge of the leaf-wrapped package thoughtfully before saying, “The going price over there is 12 points per gram. But you know, I don’t want to deal with them, so if I buy it, I just hand it over to others to trade with them.”
“I have to pass it through several hands, so the most I can offer you is 3 points per gram for recycling. If you agree, sell it all to me.”
Lin Yuyu thought of the mushrooms in that cave and added, “Will you buy as much as I have?”
That question caught Old Qian off guard; it sounded like there was a lot.
“I can’t guarantee that. How about this: you bring me a pound or so first, and I’ll take it and ask around?”
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