Gu Qingcheng shivered, remembering the cold from her feet upwards, and decided to buy a pair of thermal long pants.
As for shoes, the three of them were originally wearing worn-out straw sandals, which were now almost in tatters. This also didn't stump Gu Qingcheng. She bought rubber placemats from the Shān Māo supermarket, cut them to the size of shoes, and tied them inside.
Wearing the modified shoes, they didn't pinch her feet, and she walked quite smoothly. Externally, they still looked like shoes, but the quality inside had changed. She would get some antique cloth shoes once they reached Jīn Shā City.
Gu Qingcheng took advantage of the fact that it was just their family and exchanged the remaining refreshing points, over 1,000 yuan, for supplies.
Underwear and pants for the family of three. She found that the supermarket sold disposable underwear, which could be thrown away after use and wasn't expensive, only 20 yuan for a pack of ten. Gu Qingcheng bought three packs each for her father and mother according to their sizes, to get by for now. She also bought three packs for herself, costing 180 yuan.
There were also the invisible bras that she and her mother needed. The reason for using invisible bras was to minimize the chance of outsiders discovering they were wearing bras. Nowadays, women all wore bandeau bras, which could be uncomfortable if not tied properly.
Of course, she didn't dare to buy branded invisible bras; if she had chosen a brand like Triumph, she wouldn't have had enough money. She bought two sets for each of them, priced at 35 yuan per set, costing over 140 yuan. Having two sets of bras for washing should be enough. She would buy more sets when she had more refreshing points.
With the remaining money, Gu Qingcheng bought sanitary napkins and sleep-in pads for her mother and herself, and mosquito repellent. She then exchanged all the remaining money for facial tissues, the simple packaged kind. Two yuan for a box of 200 sheets. She bought two hundred boxes, spending four hundred yuan.
Facial tissues were very practical; they could be used for wiping mouths and also in the restroom. The memory of using a stick as a substitute for facial tissues sent a chill down Gu Qingcheng's spine.
With the rest of the money, Gu Qingcheng bought two boxes of Bai Xiang chicken-flavored instant noodles, two boxes of preserved meat-flavored self-heating rice, two boxes of Mengniu high-protein milk, and also three bottles of Oolong tea drinks, spending all the remaining money.
Looking at the well-stocked storage, Gu Qingcheng felt a slight sense of satisfaction. Just as she was feeling pleased, the system generously awarded her two more refreshing points.
As Gu Qingcheng passed the sporting goods section, she saw the items on the shelves and had a sudden idea: she could buy three whistles.
The three of them would each carry a whistle. They were small, easy to carry, didn't require much effort to blow, and were very loud. If they got separated and weren't too far apart, they could find each other by blowing the whistles.
She bought vintage-style bone whistles. Such whistles wouldn't arouse suspicion even if discovered by locals; they would assume they were bone whistles made from animal bones.
As Gu Qingcheng left the Shān Māo supermarket, she casually handed her mother a pack of sanitary paper and sleep-in pads, and gave a pack of facial tissues to Gu Zhaobei.
When Gu Qingcheng handed the whistles to her parents, Gu Zhaobei's eyes lit up, and he said, "Daughter, you're so smart. With these whistles, our family can connect within a short distance. How about this: I'll set up a whistle language. One blow means safe; two blows mean help needed; three blows mean I'm waiting for you here."
"Okay, it's decided!"
Although Hu Lanfang was over 30 years old and had been out of school for many years, her mind had never dulled. She was very sharp in her community work. Gu Qingcheng had just been admitted to university, graduated from senior high school, and hadn't yet reported for university when she was brought to this era, so her mind was naturally excellent.
She and her mother quickly memorized the whistle language Gu Zhaobei had devised, and all three kept it in their hearts. It might save their lives at a critical moment!
Gu Qingcheng then took out two small crossbows for her father and mother and said, "These two crossbows weren't expensive either, costing over 200 yuan. You can practice with them and protect yourselves if necessary."
In this chaotic world, robbers were rampant, not to mention wild beasts that ate people. Having weapons instantly boosted their courage and provided a great sense of security. Gu Zhaobei was an outdoor sports enthusiast and was inseparable from these, though it was his first time using them. Fortunately, Gu Qingcheng was very skilled and patiently taught her parents how to use them.
The crossbows were basically semi-automatic. Once the bolt was loaded, they could be fired at the target. However, it was important not to aim them at people randomly in normal times, as it could cause accidental injury.
Thus, Hu Lanfang and Gu Zhaobei's bags became quite full and bulging. However, after eating the first black chocolate gift from the system, their strength had greatly increased, and this weight was nothing to them.
Hu Lanfang's condition improved, and her stomach no longer hurt. She persuaded her husband and daughter to pack their belongings and prepare to rejoin the main group. This section of the road was an outdoor wilderness. Not to mention robbers, there were also many wild beasts. If the three of them camped alone outside at night, they might not be able to handle it. If they were surrounded by wolves or avenged by a giant python, they would be done for.
After all, there were over 300 people in the village. Even the weakest would deter wild beasts from approaching easily at night due to the large number of people.
The three of them neatly packed their bedding. Gu Qingcheng put the new quilts and the barbecue grill into the storage cabinet. The remaining food supplies were also put away, as they wouldn't spoil. In less than half an hour, they had cleaned up the site and then began to catch up with the villagers.
Initially, Gu Zhaobei worried if his wife could walk, but after walking for a while and seeing that Hu Lanfang wasn't uncomfortable, he was somewhat relieved. They hadn't rested since they set off. Along the way, they occasionally drank mineral water to quench their thirst and sometimes drank Red Bull to replenish their energy. With this, as if aided by divine intervention, they managed to catch up with the migrating crowd of villagers around 3 PM.
"Dad, Mom, I see them," Gu Qingcheng said happily, looking back.
When Gu Qingcheng was happy, the system promptly rewarded her with two refreshing points. In the distance, where Gu Qingcheng pointed, sparse crowds of people began to appear one after another. The ones at the very back of the group were usually the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled, or families with a lot of luggage. They spread out over two to three kilometers. But at least they had caught up and merged into the last part of the group.
"Ha, I can finally relax. I was worried we wouldn't catch up before dark!" Hu Lanfang breathed a sigh of relief. It was only then that she realized that despite walking all afternoon, she didn't feel any fatigue or discomfort. It seemed this body was easily satisfied and could provide tremendous energy with sufficient nutrition.
"Gu Laoliu, why did your family fall so far behind?" some villagers asked curiously when they saw Gu Zhaobei's family catching up from behind. Due to hunger, their voices were weak.
"My wife wasn't feeling well and rested behind, which delayed us a bit," Gu Zhaobei replied politely.
"Oh, I see," the villagers nodded, and glancing at Hu Lanfang, they immediately felt something was amiss.