Ning Xuan had no idea about the disputes between her scumbag father and stepmother. In any case, if they didn't provide money and supplies, she was determined to make a scene.
When Ning Xuan went to make a phone call this time, she used her last remaining food stamps to buy three steamed buns, all of which she traded to Wang Er Ya.
The main reason was that she later learned Wang Er Ya was fleeing famine with two children in tow, the youngest being just over three months old, and she had no breast milk.
Ning Xuan couldn't bear to imagine a three-month-old infant following along on a famine escape—not only lacking milk but even soft food. Surviving such conditions would be nothing short of a miracle.
Call her a saint if you will, but Ning Xuan couldn't help feeling heartbroken for such a young child enduring such hardships, even though they had never met.
Although Ning Xuan's own circumstances weren't great, she was still getting by. So, she decided to help Wang Er Ya first.
Moreover, today marked the tenth trade. Ning Xuan had planned to buy steamed buns, which was why she held off on trading until now. Otherwise, she would have completed the tenth trade long ago to see what the upgraded System looked like.
As usual, it was steamed buns and water. The trade was completed.
[Congratulations, Host! You have completed 10 cumulative trades and met the level-up conditions. Upgrade immediately?]
Ning Xuan selected "Yes." A golden light flashed, and the System gloriously leveled up to 2, all very quickly.
Then, Ning Xuan eagerly opened the System to check the homepage.
[Host: Ning Xuan
Current Dimension: Dragon Country Parallel World, 1970s
System Level: 2 (0/100), Daily Trades Available: 3
Linked Dimensions: 1 (New Dimension Pending Match)
Points: 2889]
Ning Xuan quickly clicked the button for the new dimension pending match.
[New dimension matching in progress. Please wait patiently.]
[Match successful. Matched dimension: Dragon Country 2020s. Initiate trade?]
Seeing the familiar "21st century," Ning Xuan's nose tingled, and she nearly cried.
She cheered inwardly: Hooray!
Then, she promptly opened the Trading Inquiry.
Dragon Country, 2026, S City. Lin Yuhan, who had been unemployed for over a year, was lying listlessly in her rented apartment, scrolling through her phone.
She was browsing PDD, trying to snag some low-priced daily necessities—like tissues for 1 cent or potatoes for 10 cents. Since losing her job, she had initially enjoyed not having to wake up early for work. But as she continued to struggle finding employment, she began to panic.
Now, she was filled with anxiety. Her savings were gone, and she was relying on credit card overdrafts to get by. Too afraid to tell her family, she could only scrape by as frugally as possible.
Just as she successfully placed an order, an electronic voice suddenly echoed in her mind, followed by a Trading System asking if she wanted to bind.
Having read plenty of novels to pass the time during her unemployment—since going out cost money—she quickly chose to bind, feeling incredibly excited.
No sooner had the binding succeeded than someone sent a message.
First came several pictures, showing old currency from around the 1960s or 70s, including 1-jiao, 2-jiao, and 5-jiao denominations, along with an ancient copper coin whose dynasty she couldn't identify.
[Do you accept these? I'd like to exchange them for ready-to-eat food, preferably some that are convenient to eat in one bite.]
Then came the question of whether she would accept them.
Lin Yuhan thought to herself, thankfully it wasn't about buying with money directly, because she really couldn't afford it right now.
As for food, she had none at home. Nowadays, she basically ate either rice and porridge or noodles, having long given up on snacks. Every time she considered buying some, seeing how a tiny portion cost several dollars made her unable to go through with it.
After a moment's thought, Lin Yuhan replied, ["I'll accept them, but you'll need to wait a bit. I don't have any food on hand right now."]
Then Lin Yuhan took out her phone and started searching for the recycling prices of old currency from the last century.
Some were cheap, some were expensive, but all could earn her a little profit.
She couldn't find any information on copper coins online—they'd need to be appraised by an expert.
Still, she figured they must hold some value, so Lin Yuhan decided it was worth pursuing.
She grabbed her keys and headed out to buy some food.
Although she wasn't very familiar with the 1970s, she had a general idea—it was a time of material scarcity.
Considering the other party's need for convenient food, Lin Yuhan decided on soup dumplings—small, bite-sized portions.
Even though soup dumplings were a bit expensive for her now, costing 5 dollars per basket, she went ahead and bought 10 baskets.
Without any income yet, she'd just spent 50 dollars in one go—enough to cover her food expenses for a whole week. Setting aside her heartache, Lin Yuhan carried the dumplings home and began the transaction.
Ning Xuan gazed at the adorable, bite-sized soup dumplings in the Warehouse, her mouth instantly watering profusely. She felt an intense craving for meat.
Making an excuse to leave the dorm, she grabbed a washbasin and towel and hurried to the bathing area, pretending she needed to freshen up. Only then did she secretly take out the dumplings, one at a time. Fortunately, they weren't too hot anymore. Ning Xuan devoured them one after another, polishing off ten in one go before finally stopping with a satisfied burp.
The rich meaty flavor lingered in her mouth, and she half-suspected the scent clung to her clothes too.
She rinsed her mouth and washed her hands thoroughly, only stepping out of the bathing area once she was sure no trace of meat remained.
What a relief—to finally have a full, satisfying meal. Thank the System, thank the new Dimension~
Since the System had updated, today's transaction count had reset along with it, so Ning Xuan still had two transactions left.
For this initial trade, she'd sent over several 10-cent, 20-cent, and 50-cent paper bills, plus one copper coin—a sincere offering to start with.
.
On her end, Lin Yuhan didn't waste any time. As soon as she received the items, she began consulting various sources online until she finally found someone who seemed reliable and interested in buying. The buyer was also in S City, downtown, with a physical store.
Driven by the motivation to earn money, Lin Yuhan didn't mind the hassle. She arranged a meeting with the potential buyer and promptly took a train to their shop.
The store was on the ground floor with an open layout, which put Lin Yuhan at ease enough to enter.
The small-denomination bills weren't extremely valuable, but as a bundle, they sold for 1,000 dollars. Lin Yuhan was thrilled—it would have taken her forever to scrape together that much from her usual penny-pinching methods.
During her unemployment, unable to find a job, she'd spent her free time scrounging for minor rewards on various platforms and apps—mostly just a few cents here and there. Earning 20 or 50 cents was considered a lot, and occasionally getting a whole dollar would make her day.
But after the excitement faded, she often felt down, saddened by how far she'd fallen.
The buyer paid for the paper bills first. The antique copper coin still needed authentication, and shortly after, the appraiser they'd arranged for arrived.
After the two of them huddled together whispering for a while, they offered Lin Yuhan a price of 5,000 yuan.
This price was quite favorable because the other party genuinely enjoyed collecting such items.
Lin Yuhan was overjoyed and quickly nodded in agreement.
After a flurry of activity, she ended up earning 6,000 yuan in a single day—more than her monthly salary in the past.
Moreover, the buyer mentioned that if she had any other old items or antiques, she could bring them to him as well.
Lin Yuhan suddenly felt that her life was filled with hope again.
She proactively messaged Ning Xuan, asking if she had any more copper coins, stating she wanted more, and then inquired what Ning Xuan needed in return.