Chapter Three: The Mall System

After going hungry for so long, her stomach twisted in pain. Su Jinyu was now so famished she felt she could swallow a whole ox, but she had to restrain herself from binge eating lest she ruin her stomach.

She approached the lab, opened two bottles of mineral water, and gulped them down. Her parched throat was finally refreshed; the clear water tasted so sweet—far better than muddy water!

She then took two braised chicken legs and two savory meat buns from the freezer, microwaving them for two minutes until steaming hot. The rich aroma of the braised chicken and savory meat filled her nostrils irresistibly.

Su Jinyu bit into a piece of chicken leg meat—it was utterly delicious! She finished a large chicken leg in just a few bites, then eagerly ate the meat buns. After consuming two chicken legs and two meat buns, her empty stomach finally felt somewhat satisfied.

Her body was terribly weak. She drank three bottles of nutritional water to replenish her strength, and gradually felt power returning to her limbs—the vigor she once had in the apocalypse seemed to revive.

Just as she planned to fetch two chicken legs for her younger brother, she was amazed to find the supplies in the refrigerator and freezer had been fully restocked.

Heavens, you truly know how to surprise me!

From now on, she would have an endless supply of resources. In the ancient era, how could she ever fear hunger?

Then a line of luminous text appeared on the freezer door:

“Supplies refresh once daily. Closing the cabinet door initiates refresh. Initial gift of 50 mall coins; 20 remaining.”

She realized she shouldn’t celebrate too soon.

The food in the refrigerator and freezer wasn’t free; she had to spend mall coins to purchase it.

However, nutritional water, mineral water, and compressed biscuits replenished automatically once consumed.

Biting her lip, Su Jinyu gave up opening the freezer and spent 20 mall coins in the refrigerator to buy a fresh chicken leg and two large white steamed buns.

Chicken legs cost 10 mall coins each; buns 5 mall coins each.

Right now, feeding her younger brother was the priority. If she ran out of mall coins, she could earn more.

She had carefully read the rules of the medical mall system. She could gather herbs to exchange for mall coins. The vast back mountain surely had herbs to forage.

“System, can I use mall coins to buy other things?”

“Yes, just silently think of what you want.”

“I want an AK-47.”

Once back, she intended to deal with the scoundrels in the Su family. Surely she needed weapons for self-defense.

The display informed her she needed one million mall coins to purchase it.

She didn’t even bother counting the zeros. Forget it, the AK-47 would have to wait.

“I want a dagger.”

A row of daggers appeared on the screen, all varying in appearance and price.

The cheapest dagger still cost 100 mall coins.

She was currently as penniless as could be, absolutely unable to afford it.

The system told her she could buy on credit. Well then, why wait?

She immediately bought a dagger on credit, and the screen refreshed to show itchy powder, truth serum powder, and laughing gas powder—all useful items at 5 mall coins per packet.

Her total credit was 115 mall coins.

Su Jinyu first placed the chicken leg in a pot for simple marinating and steaming, warming the buns. Then she returned to the back mountain woods.

She helped her younger brother, who had fallen to the ground, sit up and fed him a bottle of nutritional water. Su Jin Xiao slowly opened his eyes, looking at her in confusion.

“Big sister, I’m not dead? Just now I saw the black and white impermanence come to take my soul away…”

Su Jinyu chuckled softly.

“Yes, you survived a great disaster, so you have good fortune ahead. I just gave you some spring water. I found the carcass of a wild chicken in the woods—probably leftovers from other beasts—and picked up two steamed buns and a broken clay pot. I cooked the chicken leg and warmed the buns. Eat quickly.”

Every day, many villagers came to the back mountain. It wasn’t impossible for someone to lose something, and finding wild chicken meat was even more normal. This mountain had a hundred years of history, and the law of the jungle was natural.

Su Jin Xiao’s throat moved as he stared at the chicken leg and buns, swallowing hard, but he still pushed the food away.

“Big sister, you carried me all this way. You need to eat more.”

“I’m not hungry. I just ate wild chicken. This is what I saved after I was full.”

Su Jin Xiao didn’t believe her and leaned in to sniff if she smelled of chicken.

“Hah…”

Su Jinyu blew warm breath at him.

“Jin Xiao, I really ate my fill. If you don’t eat soon, someone might find us and then there’ll be nothing left.”

Only then did her younger brother truly believe her, though he tucked away the two buns. Years of hardship had taught him never to waste food.

Su Jinyu didn’t hurry to correct him. If she took him to eat well from now on, he wouldn’t hesitate to consume his share.

“Found a wild Bai Zhi herb. Bai Zhi dispels wind and stops pain, clears nasal passages, relieves exterior cold, dries dampness, and stops vaginal discharge. Can be exchanged for 10 mall coins!”

Unexpectedly, as soon as she activated the medical system, she encountered wild herbs.

Su Jinyu let her brother eat slowly while she headed toward where the Bai Zhi grew.

After digging up the Bai Zhi, her mind was filled with a series of new alerts.

“Found one wild Tian Ma. Tian Ma calms wind and stops spasms, pacifies liver yang, dispels wind and unblocks channels. Used to treat internal liver wind, convulsions, dizziness, headaches, numb limbs, paralysis, and rheumatic pain. Can be exchanged for 15 mall coins!”

“Found three wild Tian Qi. Tian Qi invigorates blood, stops bleeding, reduces swelling and pain, enhances immunity, and regulates blood lipids. Can be exchanged for 45 mall coins!”

The deeper she ventured into the back mountain, the more frequent the system notifications became. She rolled up her sleeves and dug up many herbs such as Pinellia, Ziziphus seeds, Forsythia, and Prunella.

All the herbs she harvested were sold for mall coins, not only clearing her 115-coin debt but also leaving her with 150 mall coins in savings.

Worried that her brother might wander off and be snatched by wild beasts like wolves or tigers, she hurried back.

Su Jinyu had an eidetic memory and recalled the route after one walk.

Meanwhile, in the Su family courtyard.

“This is strange. We clearly heard Granny Ya’s carriage leave, but when we came to check, where did Wu Cuihua go?” Su family matriarch Sun looked puzzled.

The second wife Zhao rolled her eyes, itching to argue. “Mother, the eldest sister-in-law must have wanted to keep the silver coins all to herself and followed Granny Ya to the city. She’s probably spent all the money by now!”

“We agreed to sell the two brats from the third branch. The silver was to be split evenly between the first and second branches, but now the eldest sister-in-law took it all. Mother, you have to stand up for us second branch! The two little grandsons still don’t have their tuition money!”

Su eldest son’s face turned pale as he defended, “Mother, it can’t be Cuihua who took the money. Even if she wanted to, she wouldn’t dare!”

The Su family patriarch Su Pinggui, recalling the eldest daughter-in-law’s character, agreed.

“The eldest is right; Cuihua is honest and straightforward. It’s unlikely she took the money.”

“If she didn’t take it, then did both the person and the silver just vanish?” Zhao placed her hands on her hips and shouted.

She secretly signaled her two sons, Su Wangcai and Su Pancai, who immediately burst into tears.

“Grandma, I want to study! I want to take the imperial exams and bring honor to the Su family!”

Sun, who doted on the two second branch grandsons, was furious, her face darkening like a pot bottom. Before Su Pinggui could speak, she issued orders.

“Eldest and second sons, go to the city and find Granny Ya. Bring back that dishonest Wu Cuihua. If she really swallowed the silver, I’ll make sure both her legs get broken!”

As fate would have it, just as the elder two reached the village entrance, they met Old Zhao returning from the back mountain.

“Eldest son, second son, your niece and nephew ran off into the back mountain. Be careful they don’t get eaten by beasts.”

Su eldest son hurriedly asked, “Which niece and nephew?”

Old Zhao sighed, “Who else but the two brats from the third branch? Heaven have mercy—their parents just died. Don’t let the two kids lose their lives in the mountains.”

The two men exchanged glances, their eyes hardening.

Those two little bastards actually ran away!