Although they were still a bit worried, now that they had accepted the old grandpa’s gifts, they had to start planning for the future.
“These eggs are meant to nourish Tangtang’s body,” Jiang Jianguo began to distribute them. “We’ll boil four today! Tangtang must eat two! As for the remaining two, you and I will have one each.”
He picked up an egg, a scoundrel-like, reckless expression settling onto his face. “If anyone asks, we’ll just say I gathered wild duck eggs from the stone crevices down by the riverbank! Whoever doesn’t believe it can come find me!”
Lin Wanting gave a soft, gentle reply, “Alright.”
Jiang Jianguo carefully hid the remaining six eggs, and then personally watched over Lin Wanting as she lit the fire. When the pot began to release hot steam laced with the rich aroma of eggs, he walked over to the bedside, ruffled his daughter’s hair, and spoke with a firm, slightly cunning tone:
“Daughter, you must remember this. Your dad has your back through everything! If that old grandpa makes any requests the next time he gives you things, you must tell me. If he wants anything, tell me too, and I’ll find a way. If you ever feel physically unwell, you must tell me immediately, understand?”
Jiang Tangtang tilted her little face up and gave a firm nod. Her mom and dad’s ability to accept strange things was honestly impressive!
The family of three merrily ate the eggs gifted by the old grandpa, simultaneously exclaiming, “So delicious!!”
Her father’s words, however, sparked a new line of thinking for Jiang Tangtang. In the future, could she use the excuse of trading items with the old grandpa—or wanting to give him a gift—to make her dad help her look for mountain goods and local specialties?
Over the next two days, apart from resting and recovering, Jiang Tangtang spent her time using her mind to complete the shopping mall’s daily tasks. Because she was still sick and lacked energy, she only completed simple tasks like daily check-ins and opening treasure chests, occasionally watching a 30-second short video. Even so, she managed to accumulate 1,200 gold coins in two days.
Life for the Jiang family’s third branch became exceptionally “comfortable.” Behind closed doors, they could eat two boiled eggs every single day, and color was visibly returning to Jiang Tangtang’s little face.
On this particular day, she suddenly remembered the “System Storage” that she had been neglecting. Items purchased from the mall were delivered to the “System Storage” before being taken out. But could items from the real world be put inside and taken out whenever needed?
However, the system also had the 【Native Treasures Recycling Station】 function. She wasn’t sure if putting an item in would cause it to be instantly sold off by the recycling station.
Seizing a moment while her mother was busy at the stove and her father was keeping watch at the door, Jiang Tangtang decided to test her hypothesis. She quietly crept over to the corner where the eggs were hidden, picked up the last remaining egg, and muttered in her mind: ‘Store in warehouse.’
In the next fraction of a second, the egg vanished instantly from its spot. She focused her mind to “look” at the system interface in her head, and sure enough, she saw it sitting safely and securely inside a storage slot. She tried using her thoughts to take the egg back out. Her palm sank, and the egg suddenly reappeared!
It worked! This system storage could really be used as a spatial storage device! Wild joy erupted in Jiang Tangtang’s heart; this was an absolute pleasant surprise!
Then she worried that this might only work because the egg was originally bought from the system mall. She still didn’t know if other items from the real world could be stored.
Her eyes landed on a red hair tie her mother had casually left on the table. Her tiny hand lightly covered it as she muttered: ‘Store in warehouse.’ It really disappeared again. She skillfully checked the system storage slots with her mind, and sure enough, the red hair tie was lying inside. With another thought, she retrieved the hair tie and placed it back on the table.
Having successfully verified her hypothesis, Jiang Tangtang was incredibly thrilled.
In the future, no matter what good things she came across, she wouldn’t have to worry about others discovering them.
For the time being, she didn’t plan to tell her parents about this secret. After all, this wasn’t as easy to explain away as the old grandpa giving gifts, and it would also allow her to store some personal items that didn’t fit into this current era. She would treat it as her personal trump card.
With her experiment complete, she began to ponder about going up the mountain. Relying solely on daily system tasks made gold coins accumulate far too slowly. She needed startup capital, she needed a way to make the improvements to her family’s lifestyle look more reasonable, and most importantly, she needed to verify exactly how much profit the 【Native Treasures Recycling Station】 could yield. Going up the mountain was absolutely imperative.
That morning, Old Mrs. Jiang was in the courtyard as usual, loudly hurling insults at the air while intending them for specific people. Leaning against her mother’s embrace, Jiang Tangtang spoke to Jiang Jianguo in a tiny, secretive voice filled with anticipation: “Daddy, let’s… let’s go up the mountain, okay?”
Jiang Jianguo was currently racking his brain for an excuse to slack off today. Hearing this, he raised an eyebrow. “What are we going up the mountain for? The wind is strong up there, you’ll catch a chill again.”
Jiang Tangtang tugged at the corner of his shirt and spoke in a hushed whisper, acting as if she were sharing a monumental secret: “I… last night, I dreamed of the white-bearded grandpa again… He said there are… there are plants on the mountain that can be traded with him… plants that can cure sickness, and… mush-mushrooms…”
She did her best to mimic the limited vocabulary and halting speech of a four-year-old child. “The grandpa also said… those things can be traded… traded for lots and lots of eggs, and… candies… biscuits… and… and… lots of yummy food.” She even put on a perfectly timed expression of longing, looking exactly like a child craving treats.
The moment these words came out, Jiang Jianguo and Lin Wanting exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock and intense interest in each other’s eyes.
The temptation of these items was simply too huge! Looking at their daughter’s thin and weak little face, their hearts twinged with pain. More importantly, the explanation that this was the “old grandpa’s” instruction lent the entire matter a touch of “divine guidance,” giving them a reason they absolutely could not refuse.
“Did the old grandpa say anything else?” Jiang Jianguo suppressed his excitement and continued to ask.
Jiang Tangtang tilted her head up, acting as if she were reminiscing, and spoke slowly, “The grandpa also said… once we find the things… he will come and take them away at night, and then… and then he will send us yummy things to eat!” After speaking, she flashed a look of pure longing.
Lin Wanting gently held her daughter tighter. Looking at her husband, she said softly, “Hubby, how about… let’s just go take a look? What if… what if… it’s real?” Her eyes were also full of anticipation. Being able to openly get delicious food for her daughter without having to anxiously “swipe” things anymore was a massive temptation for her.
Seeing the identical looks of anticipation on his wife and daughter’s faces, Jiang Jianguo slapped his thigh. “Let’s go! We must go! Our daughter has been blessed with divine luck!” He instantly found the perfect excuse and called out loudly toward Old Mrs. Jiang in the courtyard: “Mom! I’m taking Tangtang to the back mountain to look for herbs! Didn’t old Mr. Qi say some herbs can be sold for money? We can bring in a little extra income for the family!”
The moment Old Mrs. Jiang heard “sold for money,” her cursing paused. She sized him up suspiciously. “Just you? You can recognize herbs? Don’t end up digging up poisonous weeds and killing people!”
“Look at what you’re saying, Mom. Even if I don’t recognize them, wouldn’t Tangtang’s mom know a few? Besides, we can always ask old Mr. Qi if we’re not sure!” Jiang Jianguo spouted nonsense completely on the fly, not caring whether Old Mrs. Jiang believed it or not. He hoisted a small hoe, grabbed a battered basket, and ushered his wife and daughter out the door.