Hearing the banging on the door outside, Chu Xun frowned slightly.
Qin Yue’er was also awakened by the noise, and because of dehydration, her delicate face looked a little pale.
“Brother, this…”
Chu Xun comforted her. “I’ll go take a look.”
He then got up, dressed, and opened the door.
What greeted his eyes was a filthy, slovenly man with a very arrogant expression.
Chu Xun said coldly, “Zhao Ergou? Why is it you? I don’t remember my family owing you ten pounds of grain.”
This man was a notorious village thug, a habitual thief and swindler.
Coming to his door now and claiming his family owed him ten pounds of grain was clearly just a shameless shake-down.
Zhao Ergou bared a mouthful of big yellow teeth and said brazenly, “That was when you were seriously ill. Your second uncle borrowed the grain from my house. Of course you wouldn’t know. Hurry up and pay me back, or I’ll burn your house down.”
Heh. Chu Xun gave a cold laugh.
“I think you’re here looking for a beating. Who in the whole village doesn’t know your house is so poor that even a mouse would starve to death if it went in there? Would my second uncle ever go to you for grain? If you’re smart, get lost now!”
When Zhao Ergou heard that this bookworm actually dared to curse him, he immediately rolled up his sleeves and shouted, “You dare tell me to get lost? If you don’t pay up today, just watch whether I dare burn your house down!”
Chu Xun stood at the doorway and teased, “Paying back the grain is fine, but first you need to repay the ten taels of silver your mother owes my family.”
Zhao Ergou jumped up at once. “My mother died last year! How could she owe you ten taels of silver!”
“That was when you were gravely ill last year. Your mother came to borrow it from my house. Of course you wouldn’t know.” Chu Xun gave a cold smile.
You can’t reason with a thug like this. You have to be even more shameless than he is.
You say I owe you ten pounds of grain.
Then I say you owe me ten taels of silver. Fair enough, right?
Zhao Ergou was instantly furious. Only then did he realize Chu Xun had been toying with him.
“I’ll beat you to death!”
He threw a heavy punch, but Chu Xun caught his wrist with one hand.
With a crack, Zhao Ergou screamed miserably, “Aah! My hand!”
Chu Xun let out a cold snort. The system had just doubled his physical fitness, and now this idiot came right to his door looking for a beating.
Then he slapped Zhao Ergou across the face, knocking blood from his mouth.
Zhao Ergou wailed and threatened, “Chu Xun, you dare hit me? Do you know that my uncle now works for Squire Liu’s family in town? Just you wait and see if I tell him!”
What answered him was a heavy front kick.
Boom–
Zhao Ergou’s body was sent flying seven or eight feet away, and he rolled on the ground, howling in pain.
Chu Xun said coldly, “If you don’t get lost, I’ll stomp your balls to pieces and make you a eunuch for life!”
Terrified, Zhao Ergou shot to his feet at once and fled in a panic.
As he left, he did not forget to threaten him again: “You’re finished. I’m telling my uncle right now.”
Chu Xun did not care at all and shut the door.
From inside the room came Qin Yue’er’s nervous voice: “Brother Chu, are you all right?”
Chu Xun answered with a smile, “I’m fine. Stay in the room and don’t move around. I’ll go get you two pounds of… grain.”
With a thought, a virtual shop panel appeared before him.
It listed dozens of products: rice, flour, cooking oil, sauces, vinegar, sugar, salt, everything you could want.
There were also other sections below: medicine and sundries, fresh fruits, and even a weapons section.
In the grain section, plain white rice cost only two Shop Coins per pound.
He currently had ten Shop Coins, so he could buy five pounds.
But in this famine year, with his family’s circumstances, pulling out five pounds of white rice would be far too shocking.
So he looked at the millet instead.
Holy crap!
Five Shop Coins per pound!
Damn, it was actually more expensive than white rice!
Chu Xun’s eyelids twitched. He had not expected millet, which ancient people didn’t even eat, to become a hot commodity in modern times.
His gaze moved to the other sections.
The medicine section had simple cold medicine and vitamins, all priced within ten Shop Coins.
The icons below were all grayed out, or simply not shown at all. Clearly, with his current Shop Coins, Chu Xun couldn’t afford them at all.
The general merchandise section also contained only everyday items like bar soap and laundry soap, nothing eye-catching.
What surprised Chu Xun most was the weapons section.
Besides ordinary weapons like small knives, daggers, axes, and bows, he even saw 7.62mm bullets, and each one cost only one Shop Coin.
And there was more than one type of bullet inside; all kinds were available, and the prices were extremely low.
Chu Xun’s eyes widened. If there were bullets, then there should also be the Truth, right?
But the icons below were pitch black.
Clearly, with his current Shop Coins, he didn’t even have the qualification to view those war beasts.
Good grief, this really was the pace of unifying the world.
If some day his Shop Coins piled up enough to buy a gun, then Chu Xun even suspected he might raise his arm and shout:
“Princes and generals, are they born noble?”
But it was still too early to think about all that. He only had ten Shop Coins in hand.
Without hesitation, he chose to buy three pounds of white rice.
As for the millet that suited his current situation better, he didn’t even look at it.
Those ten Shop Coins were hard-earned.
No matter what, he had to choose the more cost-effective option, right?
After buying three pounds of white rice, a warehouse-like interface immediately appeared before him.
Inside was an icon for white rice, with the weight shown as three pounds.
Chu Xun reached out his hand, and then a bag containing three pounds of white rice appeared in his grasp.
Carrying the grain, he walked into the room. “Qin Yue’er, get dressed. I brought the grain I promised you.”
Qin Yue’er cautiously poked her head out from under the quilt. “Thank you, Brother Chu. Yue’er will get up right away.”
After she finished dressing and covered her delicate body,
Chu Xun smiled and stepped forward, handing the three pounds of white rice to her.
The weight of this grain, and the feel of it…
A puzzled look appeared in Qin Yue’er’s moist eyes. “Brother Chu, this…”
Chu Xun didn’t explain. He just extended a hand and smiled. “Open it and you’ll know.”
Hearing that, Qin Yue’er hesitantly opened the mouth of the bag.
Then she froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.
White rice!!
It was actually the incomparably precious white rice!!!
Ever since her parents died, she and her younger sister had spent their days eating bran or digging up wild vegetables. They had even gone into the woods to gnaw on elm bark to stave off hunger.
Qin Yue’er dropped straight to her knees, crying with gratitude.
“Thank you so much, Brother Chu. From now on, Yue’er will definitely repay your kindness today.”
Chu Xun smiled. Three pounds of white rice could be exchanged for a peerless beauty.
And it was only because this was a famine year. Otherwise, even if someone beat him to death, he would not have dared believe it.
“All right, hurry back and take care of your sister.”
Qin Yue’er nodded gratefully, then hurried out the door and wanted to rush home.
But after taking only two steps, she collapsed to the ground with a thud, her face full of pain.
Seeing this, Chu Xun could not help but feel his old face turn slightly red.
Then he simply carried Qin Yue’er on his back. “I’d better take you back myself.”
Qin Yue’er’s eyes were shy as she wrapped her arms around Chu Xun’s shoulders. “Yue’er is troubling you, Brother…”
Chu Xun turned back and said with a smile, “…”