Song Jiaojiao was stunned.
Then overjoyed.
A semi-transparent light panel appeared before her eyes, resembling an encyclopedia entry.
【Locust, belonging to the order Orthoptera, primarily harms gramineous plants and is an agricultural pest…】
In addition, the entry recorded the locust’s habits, control methods, and dietary value, each item listed clearly.
Perhaps driven by extreme hunger, she instinctively reached out and clicked on the cursor for “edible value.”
A completely emotionless mechanical voice began to read aloud: “Tender and succulent meat, delicious as shrimp, high in protein, can strengthen the spleen, aid digestion, calm wind, and relieve spasms. Dear, we recommend grilling it here~”
The last sentence was inexplicably delivered with emotional fervor.
Song Jiaojiao licked her parched lips and swallowed a mouthful of saliva despite herself. Carefully, she spread open her palm, revealing a shriveled earth locust underneath, not even enough to fill the gaps between her teeth.
【1 ancient locust discovered, 10 points. Exchange?】
【Yes!】
The moment the transaction succeeded, the earth locust in her hand miraculously vanished, replaced by the random shop interface on the transparent panel.
Each day, the system randomly refreshes five items available for purchase, settled with points.
For example, today’s recommended items were quite diverse—
Item 1: Steaming hot sweet rice porridge, value 8 points.
Item 2: 10 red-heart sweet potatoes, value 80 points.
Item 3: 500g milk candy, value 100 points.
Item 4: Self-defense machete, value 10,000 points.
Item 5: Penicillin (special offer), only 20 points.
Host’s current available points: 10
Without hesitation, Song Jiaojiao chose the rice porridge. The next moment, a bowl appeared in her hand out of nowhere, filled with thick, fragrant white rice.
She nearly wept with joy.
How long had it been since this body had seen white rice?
Not caring about the heat, Song Jiaojiao slurped down the porridge in two or three mouthfuls, so full she let out a burp. Miraculously, the moment she licked the last grain of rice clean, the bowl instantly turned to dust and dissipated in the wind.
This body had gone without food for a long time. The rice porridge nourished her stomach, while the sugar provided the missing glucose. Gradually, her cold, stiff limbs grew warm, and her muddled mind began to function again.
【Ding! Green bristlegrass discovered nearby, reward 3 points.】
【Ding! Dandelion discovered 10 meters away, reward 15 points.】
【Ding! A 35-year-old white birch tree 30 meters away. Simply collect a branch to reward 50 points.】
【Ding! White willow discovered 500 meters away, reward 30 points.】
Suddenly, cheerful system notification sounds echoed in her mind.
To her delight, Song Jiaojiao discovered that the system panel had transformed into a map, marking plants that could be collected, along with their distances—up to 1 kilometer away.
However, there was also a line of fine print at the bottom: 100,000 points to upgrade the map.
After upgrading, it could display the entire topography of the Dazhao Dynasty and even plan routes!
Song Jiaojiao felt like laughing wildly at the sky—the heavens had not treated her poorly.
With the system navigation, no matter how perilous the journey of fleeing famine might be, she could eat and drink her fill and even find the most suitable place to live.
However.
She valued the long-term benefits the system brought even more.
It was like having a portable library at her disposal, accumulating the wisdom of generations. After the natural disasters passed, this knowledge would play a huge role in helping her build wealth and prosperity.
Additionally, there were usage instructions in the upper right corner:
First, the system only records flora and fauna, with points awarded based on rarity;
Second, each Entry can only be established once, and duplicate items cannot be exchanged again;
Third, the System Mall updates daily at midnight, similar to Taobao, allowing users to add desired items to their shopping cart, and it also includes a Storage Function.
Without delay.
Song Jiaojiao rolled up her sleeves with great enthusiasm and got to work.
After what felt like a long time, the sky gradually darkened, and the earth was enveloped in ink-like shadows.
【Congratulations! 300 Points have been credited.】
After recording the last plant and stuffing the surrounding wild vegetables into a sack, Song Jiaojiao wasted no time in buying milk candies and sweet potatoes, spending most of her points.
The original host showed signs of low blood sugar, and the milk candies stored in the system could save her life at any moment. Sweet potatoes, with their strong satiety, were the best food for survival during the famine.
To improve her status in the Sheng family, she needed to prove her worth through food.
Only then could she gradually plan for a divorce in the future.
Carrying the sack on her back, Song Jiaojiao walked back, her future plans slowly taking shape in her mind.
With this optimistic mood, she crossed the last hill, and the familiar campfire came into view.
The scene was filled with laughter and chatter.
However, upon seeing Song Jiaojiao, everyone’s expressions changed abruptly, as if avoiding some plague or venomous snake, making her almost spit out blood in frustration.
In the modern era, she had been quite popular, often approached for her contact information whenever she went out, yet here in ancient times, she had become a despised and unwelcome presence!
“I heard that as soon as Song Jiaojiao married into the Sheng family, Old Sheng’s household split up because of her.”
“Serves her right! Everyone in the surrounding villages knows Song Jiaojiao is a jinx. She might even be a husband-killer.”
“One kills husbands, the other kills wives. A perfect match, like a turtle and a green bean.”
“Sheng Huaian is so pitiful. If it weren’t for saving his nephew, would he have been injured by those bandits? He’s only been unconscious for two days, and the two Sheng brothers are already clamoring to split the eldest branch from the family. They’re truly heartless.”
…
With little entertainment on the famine escape journey, the news of the Song family selling their daughter for a luck-bringing marriage and the Sheng family splitting up had already spread throughout the camp, evoking sighs of pity.
Song Jiaojiao returned just in time, as the food in the clay pot had just finished cooking. Coarse flour mixed with wild vegetables was boiled into a thick, green paste, emitting an indescribable odor.
It somewhat resembled pig feed?
In ancient times, coarse flour was made from chaff and bran, mixed with plant stems and a small amount of wheat flour, resulting in a gritty texture that scratched the throat.
Though it looked hard to swallow, it was the sustenance for the entire family of seven on their famine escape journey.
Pairs of wary and resentful eyes immediately converged on her from all directions. An extra mouth to feed meant one less bite for them.
As soon as Song Jiaojiao set down the sack, a mocking voice rang out: “You spent an entire hour just gathering this little bit of wild vegetables?”
She sighed, her shoulders slumping, deliberately playing the victim: “I was too hungry. I haven’t eaten for two or three days, so I had to rest while walking.”
Unexpectedly, Old Qian didn’t scold her but instead portioned out an extra bowl of porridge. “Eat your fill and go take care of Dalang.”
Song Jiaojiao was taken aback—was there really a share for her?
She glanced down at the dinner before her. Though called porridge, it was little more than green broth with a few floating vegetable leaves.
Just the smell alone nearly made her gag.
“Why should Song the Jinx get to eat?” Sheng Erlang exclaimed indignantly, swiftly snatching the bowl of vegetable paste.
Old Qian didn’t even have a chance to speak before she saw her infuriating second son spit into the bowl, then proudly raise one eyebrow in triumph.
Everyone was disgusted by him.
“Second Brother, how foolish. Aren’t you just tarnishing Mother’s reputation? If this gets out, people will think the Sheng family mistreats their daughter-in-law,” Song Jiaojiao sighed softly.
She had always been intolerant of flaws—what she didn’t want, no one else could touch.
Sure enough, Old Qian’s face darkened instantly, as if she could already hear the villagers gossiping and pointing fingers. Without hesitation, she grabbed a fire poker and began whacking her own son with a series of loud thwacks.
“Ah—”
A pig-slaughter-like scream echoed throughout the camp.
Sheng Sanlang’s gaze toward Song Jiaojiao instantly turned wary.
The woman lowered her eyes, looking utterly innocent as she found a corner seat, as if she weren’t the one who had started it all.
Things were gradually slipping out of control.