"This is hilarious, calling herself a socialite? Real socialites go to Felton School, pay over two million a year in tuition, live in Princess Anne's old rooms, and have private tutors for one-on-one psychological counseling. Dad's meager salary isn't enough to turn me into a socialite. The five-thousand-dollar archery tuition is far more practical," Gu Qingcheng quipped.
Hu Lanfang clutched her chest dramatically, feigning distress. "You two, father and daughter, are going to be the death of me."
"Haha!"
The laughter of the family of three echoed in the night.
Pheasants and rabbits, expertly roasted by Gu Chaobei over the fire, were now golden brown and dripping with oil. The sizzling fat landing on the embers sent a mouthwatering aroma into the air.
Gu Chaobei tore the roasted rabbit in half, giving one portion to his daughter and sharing the other with his wife.
"Dad, we had snake soup tonight, and now roasted rabbit? This is too extravagant!" Gu Qingcheng chuckled.
"You're frail, and you've been deprived for too long. We need to build you up quickly. If the temperature drops further, this body won't cope. We all need to stockpile some fat. The thin ones always freeze first," Gu Chaobei said pragmatically.
"Yes, dear, you're still growing, you need to eat more. You're too thin," Hu Lanfang added. In modern society, she would have been considered overweight and in need of a diet. Now, with half her weight lost, she was happy, but with the looming disaster, she knew she needed to nourish herself to avoid being too weak to face it.
Gu Qingcheng's appetite was strong. Her body had been starved for too long. Even though she had just eaten snake soup an hour ago, the sight of the succulent roasted rabbit made her stomach rumble again. She didn't hesitate to tuck in.
It was delicious. Her dad’s cooking was excellent. The skin was crispy and golden brown, and the salt had permeated the meat. Every bite was a mouthful of pure satisfaction, an ineffable feeling.
"Host has gained one Satisfying Point, source: satisfaction from food."
While gaining Satisfying Points felt good, Gu Qingcheng suddenly felt as though the system was constantly spying on her private life.
Gu Qingcheng remembered that her two-minute daily chat with the system was due. She entered the system to talk.
"System, tell me all the secrets you know about me that I don't," she commanded.
The system's voice buzzed, "Host, what do you wish to know?"
"Does the Lynx Supermarket have storage space? Do I have to take out the items I buy immediately?" This was the question Gu Qingcheng was most desperate to have answered. If she had to take out her purchases immediately, she would have to be very careful about when and where she bought things. For instance, if she wanted to buy meat, she'd need to find a secluded spot. Otherwise, a large pile of meat appearing out of nowhere would be quite astonishing, wouldn't it?
"Exchanged items can be stored in the Lynx Supermarket. There are storage lockers. You can store items and retrieve them when needed. Please note: if you do not purchase storage in advance, you cannot retrieve them at any time. Additionally, items in the Lynx Supermarket remain permanently fresh. They only begin to change with the passage of time once taken out of the supermarket."
I see, this is wonderful!
Gu Qingcheng wanted to ask more, but the system prompted, "Reminder: The host's golden finger chat time for today is about to end in 10 seconds!"
Gu Qingcheng quickly asked, "I dreamed that a catastrophic climate would descend here. Is it true?"
The system replied promptly, "True!"
Then, the system went silent, but a rating screen immediately popped up. Gu Qingcheng gave it a full five-star rating this time.
Hearing the system confirm the impending catastrophic climate, Gu Qingcheng felt a mix of joy and worry. Fortunately, she had received a warning in her dream and could prepare in advance. However, this also meant survival for her family would become even more challenging.
After exiting the system, Gu Qingcheng distributed the mineral water she had bought from the Lynx Supermarket to her parents. Gu Chaobei poured the mineral water into three canteens, one for each of them to carry. Gu Qingcheng was responsible for returning the empty mineral water bottles to the Lynx Supermarket. Now, any item she purchased, she would divide into three portions, distributing them equally among the family. This was in case they got separated, preventing all the supplies from being concentrated on her alone, leaving her parents vulnerable.
The three of them drank their fill, their throats gurgling as they savored the remaining mineral water. The water from the ditch here was unsafe to drink without boiling; even if it looked clear, they couldn't be sure of the bacteria or even parasites like schistosomiasis eggs. In this place, where medical supplies were scarce, a bout of diarrhea, if not promptly rehydrated, could be fatal. The water from the supermarket, however, was guaranteed to be safe.
Gu Qingcheng took stock. Today, she had accumulated 152 Satisfying Points, equivalent to 4256 yuan.
"Dad, Mom," Gu Qingcheng said, "we can buy so many supplies from the supermarket. But if a disaster strikes and the villagers discover we have so much, won't it be dangerous? Shouldn't we find a high mountain or a remote village to stay in? With our supplies, we can live well anywhere."
Gu Chaobei disagreed. "Daughter, the way Satisfying Points are earned is still unclear. We only get opportunities to earn them when we interact with the outside world. If it's just the three of us, we won't get many Satisfying Points, and we won't be able to exchange for much."
"That makes sense," Gu Qingcheng agreed with her father.
Hearing their analysis, Hu Lanfang fell silent for a moment before saying, "No matter what, the three of us must stick together and live well. The most important thing is that we remain united. I believe we will survive this disaster and find an ideal place to live!"
That night, Gu Qingcheng and her parents slept under a large rock. The ground was relatively flat, and they had gathered soft branches to lay on the ground. As Gu Qingcheng lay down, she murmured about wishing for a sleeping bag, but her head hit the makeshift pillow, and she was asleep.
The next morning, Gu Qingcheng woke up to find Hu Lanfang boiling water to cook the wild vegetables Gu Chaobei had gathered from the edge of the small forest. Their breakfast was wild vegetable soup with roasted pheasant. It was a high-quality human breakfast; the pheasant alone surpassed the breakfast of everyone in the village.
Having received a meal from the Gu family, Gu Qingcheng could clearly sense that the villagers were much more polite to their family.
After eating their fill, they set off. Old Man Gu caused no trouble, which made Gu Qingcheng suspicious, as if he were plotting something. However, Gu Dou remained persistent, often lingering near Sixth Uncle's family, neither too close nor too far. Gu Qingcheng had long wanted to deal with him. Seeing this annoying fly buzzing around them was like asking for trouble.
At noon, the villagers stopped to rest and eat by the river valley. During this time, they had been following the river, reportedly heading towards the prosperous Jinsha City, about a hundred miles ahead, where they could gather supplies. Jinsha City had become the most longed-for destination for the villagers.