They arrived at the village office, called Shangdian, and Gu Qingcheng considered her day's mission successfully completed.
Gu Qingcheng had collected at least 50 tons of grain, more than ten catties of gold, over 2,000 taels of silver, and a collection of jewelry whose value was unknown.
Since the day's tasks weren't fully wrapped up, the system hadn't yet awarded the 100 Shuang points for every 100,000 yuan.
However, even without the Shuang points, plundering was a quick path to immense wealth, second only to mining.
Of course, this was a shortcut that landed one in criminal court.
Gu Qingcheng also advised Mi Guo that these were extreme measures for extraordinary times, and these supplies would eventually be donated to disaster victims. They were being collected and stored now primarily to prevent spoilage and waste. Such actions wouldn't be permissible after the natural disaster had passed.
Mi Guo, at 7 years old, was at an age where guidance was crucial. Gu Qingcheng didn't want him to develop notions of getting rich without effort or relying solely on robbery.
Mi Guo nodded obediently and said, "Don't worry, Sister. I know. We're not becoming bandits. Bandits get their heads chopped off."
Gu Qingcheng said no more.
Reasoning was essential.
But more importantly, future actions would speak louder than words.
As long as she lived by her principles and acted accordingly, Mi Guo, by being with them and observing, wouldn't stray from the right path.
Gu Zhaobei was greatly relieved, feeling that both children had a sound moral compass.
"Let's go. It's about time. The sun has set back home. It gets dark early now. Don't let your mother worry."
As Gu Zhaobei finished speaking, Gu Qingcheng was rummaging through a large desk in the village office. Hearing her father, she seemed to have found something and responded, preparing to leave.
Suddenly, they all heard a "scratching" sound from inside the village office.
All three became alert. Was there someone alive?
Gu Qingcheng, bold and skilled, called out, "Who's there?"
There was no response, but the "scratching" continued.
It was definitely a living creature.
"Let's go and see," Gu Zhaobei said. If someone was alive now, they'd need help.
He couldn't save someone who had turned into an ice sculpture, but if someone was alive, he couldn't just ignore them. He was a doctor, after all!
Thus, the three headed towards the backyard where the sound was coming from.
Having consumed the Great Strength Pills, their senses were heightened. Hearing was one of these senses. Coupled with the deathly silence that had fallen over the entire village, the "scratching" sound was exceptionally distinct. An ordinary person wouldn't have heard it.
The backyard was presumably where the grain officials' families lived, functioning as living quarters with a kitchen and a courtyard.
In the kitchen, Gu Qingcheng had also collected some scattered spices, a large bag of dried bamboo shoots, over a dozen processed chickens and ducks, a large basin of pickled meat bones, and more than ten fish frozen in a water tank. It seemed a banquet was being prepared for that evening.
"Where is that 'scratching' sound coming from?"
"Sister, it seems to be coming from the stove in the kitchen," Mi Guo listened carefully.
Gu Qingcheng tilted her head, and indeed, the sound was emanating from the direction of the stove.
As they approached the stove, the scratching became even more pronounced. Perhaps sensing their presence, the "scratching" grew more frantic.
Gu Qingcheng reached into the stove. She saw half-burned logs and a large pile of charcoal. However, the extreme cold had extinguished half of them, and the few remaining embers had burned down to ash.
She reached in and felt around, indeed finding something.
It was a small, black, ash-covered kitten, likely only about three months old.
The kitten's fur was patchy from being singed by the fire, but it had miraculously survived.
"Wow, a live kitten!" Gu Qingcheng exclaimed excitedly.
This was the first living creature she had encountered outside of their group since the extreme cold had arrived.
Upon closer inspection, its fur was dyed black-grey by the soot. Its natural color was likely that of an orange tabby.
It had likely survived by crawling into the burning stove when the extreme cold hit. It was initially burned by the flames, but the temperature inside had then fortuitously preserved its life during the prolonged cold.
"Wow, it's so cute. It's crying," Mi Guo's heart ached at the sight of the fluffy little creature.
The kitten's eyes were teary, likely due to inflammation rather than actual crying.
Gu Qingcheng loved cats and dogs. She used to feed stray cats and dogs downstairs in her residential complex. She never expected that after adopting Wangcai, she would now be…
Gu Zhaobei looked at his daughter's expression and knew she wanted to keep the orange kitten.
The kitten was weak and had burns. It was uncertain if it would survive.
However, he thought that if they could nurse the orange cat back to health, it might offer his daughter a sense of redemptive comfort.
"Alright, let's take it with us. I knew you wanted to adopt it," Gu Zhaobei said with an understanding smile.
"That's great! Thank you, Dad."
Gu Qingcheng, not caring that it was covered in ash and afraid it would get cold, unzipped her cotton coat and prepared to tuck it inside.
"No, you'll smother it like that. It's so weak. It'll suffocate before we get home," Gu Zhaobei advised.
"It is very weak. It has burns. If it weren't for the cold weather, they would have festered long ago. How about we give it some medicine first?" Gu Qingcheng suddenly had a thought. "The Great Strength Pills work for people. I wonder if they'll work for a kitten?"
Gu Zhaobei was speechless. Could Great Strength Pills be used like that?
"Then try it," he said.
Looking at the fragile, living creature whose life force was so faint, he knew that if it died, it would deeply upset his daughter. Therefore, Gu Zhaobei agreed to let her try.
Mi Guo also loved kittens. He was very excited when he heard his sister wanted to save it.
Gu Qingcheng bought a Great Strength Pill from the system.
The golden finger was also speechless. It hadn't expected the host to discover such a use for the Great Strength Pill.
Although it pained her to spend five hundred Shuang points, once the Great Strength Pill arrived, Gu Qingcheng, without hesitation, put it into the kitten's mouth.
Miraculously, as soon as the Great Strength Pill entered the orange kitten's mouth, it immediately regained its energy. It meowed loudly and proved to be quite talkative.
At the same time, the visible burnt flesh on its body rapidly healed, and fur grew back.
"Great! The Great Strength Pill really can save it!" Gu Qingcheng was overjoyed. Seeing the orange kitten's spirited state, she knew it was out of danger.
"Wangcai will have a companion now. Sister, should we give it a name?" Mi Guo was also delighted.
"I'm terrible at naming things. Why don't you name it?" Gu Qingcheng was actually handing over the naming rights to Mi Guo, giving him a stronger sense of ownership.
"Let's call it Cola! So it will always be happy," Mi Guo's most profound memory was of "Happy Fat House Water," the delicious drink his sister had given him the first time they met. However, after coming to the Gu family, the adults rarely allowed them to drink it, saying children should have less of it to avoid affecting their development. He blurted out the name at that moment.